11/15/12

Restaurant North

Restaurant North by NYC Sidewalker

Escape NYC with a short drive to Armonk, New York and have dinner at Restaurant North. Hudson Valley Restaurant Week lured us, as did the restaurant's great menu, so there was no better excuse to venture out for a new scene and what turned out to be an excellent dinner.

First things first, make reservations! Walk-in on a Friday night and this place is packed. Crowd is thirty-something and up and eager to nab the next available table in order to curate their sophisticated suburban palates. Seeing the delicious looking plates of food hit the tables, I could see I was in the right place. So after a short wait at the bar, a glass of wine and a nice conversation with the lovely Monique who happens to be the co-owner's wife, our table was ready. Just in time too, I was hungry.

Restaurant NorthRestaurant NorthRestaurant NorthRestaurant NorthRestaurant NorthRestaurant North
Restaurant NorthRestaurant NorthRestaurant NorthRestaurant NorthRestaurant NorthRestaurant North
Restaurant North, a set on Flickr.
North is a charming restaurant with modern elements in a cozy atmosphere. The staff is more than accommodating, friendly and caters to patrons in a attentive manner without being overbearing. The menu is New American with local ingredients appearing throughout.

We had the pleasure of meeting Chef Eric Gabrynowicz while he made his rounds around the restaurant saying hello and making sure everybody was happy. Chef Gabrynowicz is a delight. And I say that without trying to sound like someone's grandma, but it's true. He is just so nice. Trained in Danny Meyer's kitchen, he understands quality and service. The chef told us he remembers how excited he was when Danny Meyer himself came to North for dinner for the first time.

But anyway, enough about how great everybody is. If you really want to know if a restaurant is good, the proof is in the pudding! Which I did have for dessert, and yes it was delicious, as was everything else.

Appetizer Courses: Arugula & Crispy Onion Salad with Captian Lawrence Kolsch, Grain Mustard, Agave, Pistachios, Sprout Creek Touissant
Restaurant North

Sycamore Farms Pumpkin Risotto with Sugar baby pumpkin, Duck Confit and Parmigiano Reggiano

Main Courses: Meiller's Farm Whole Roasted Pork with Bacon & Grape Stew, Roasted Broccoli, Griddled Onions

Bobo Farms Chicken with Hammer MIlled Polenta with Swiss Chard, Pickeled Peppers and Roasted Hubbard Squash

Dessert Courses: "Super Awesome" Chocolate Chip Cookie Jane's Hudson Valley Vanilla Ice Cream

Proof was in the French Toast Bread "Pudding" Cranberry, Pear, Creme Anglaise, Almond Lace

Restaurant North
386 Main Street  Armonk, NY 10504
(914) 273-8686
@restaurantnorth
http://www.restaurantnorth.com










11/9/12

THE DIZZY FIZZ HOLIDAY SPIRITS BAZAAR



GET INTO THE SPIRIT OF THE HOLIDAYS AND RING IN THE SEASON OF ENTERTAINING WITH THE DIZZY FIZZ'S 3RD ANNUAL HOLIDAY SPIRITS BAZAAR!

Tis the season to get Dizzy! Sip endless holiday spirits, cocktails and punch. Plus enjoy charcuterie and cheese from Stinky Brklyn.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 17
Astor Center
399 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10003
Choose from two dizzying sessions: 
Rollocking Tippling 1p.m. – 4 p.m. 
Mad-Men Style Bash 7p.m. – 10 p.m.
TICKETS: $45 http://www.eventbrite.com/event/4704291663?ref=ebtnebtckt

PARTICIPATING IN THE SPIRITED EVENT:
Emeche Cupcakes, Whistlepig Straight Rye Whiskey, The Bitter Truth Travel Pack, Averna Amaro, Dale DeGroff’s Pimento Aromatic Bitters, The Black Grouse, Don Julio Tequila, George Dickel Tennessee Whisky, G’Vine Gin, Cacao Prieto, The Balvenie, Monkey Shoulder, Ardbeg, Four Roses Bourbon, Caliche Rum, Death’s Door Spirits, Don Q Rum, Molinari Sambuca, Maker’s Mark, Kansas Clean Distilled Whiskey, Rhum Clement, Catdaddy Moonshine, Half Moon Orchard Gin, Greenhook Ginsmiths, Sorel, Pierre Ferrand Cognac, Becherovka, Philadelphia Distilling, Hudson Whiskey, Iceberg Vodka, Cockspur Rum, Perrier Water

10/31/12

Hurricane Sandy NYC


New York City and its surrounding areas have suffered a great blow as a result of Hurricane Sandy. Our heart goes out to those in damaged areas and whom have lost so much during this devastation. As federal and local disaster response agencies arrive to help, its great to see people looking in on their neighbors to make sure they are okay and helping to share vital information. Also, there are many charity organizations that are helping our communities in their moments of need. Please donate money, supplies and volunteer your time. Meanwhile, stay safe on the sidewalks and for the record, I  NY (even in the dark).

New York City Government For the latest updates on NYC Hurricane Disaster Emergency Relief and available help visit @nycgov http://www.nyc.gov

FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency @FEMA http://www.fema.gov 
Apply to receive Assistance and Hurricane Disaster Relief http://www.disasterassistance.gov/
Apply via a smartphone at http://m.fema.gov/ Or apply by Phone by calling (800) 621-3362 or TTY (800) 462-7585.

Search for open shelters by texting SHELTER and a Zip Code to 43362 (4FEMA). 
Ex: Shelter 01234 (std rates apply)

Con Edison Providing electric, gas, and steam service to NYC and Westchester. @ConEdison
For official customer concerns go to http://www.coned.com/customercentral or call 1-800-752-6633. 

MTA Service Advisory Manages transit, buses, subways, trains, bridges and tunnels in New York City and surrounding areas including Long Island. @MTAinsider http://www.mta.info/

NYC Service helps more New Yorkers connect to service opportunities more easily. 
We promote service as a part of what it means to be a citizen of New York City. @NYCservice  http://www.nycservice.org

Citymeals On-Wheels ensures no homebound elderly NY'er will ever go a day without food/human company. 100% of public donations go to the preparation and delivery of meals. @CityMeals http://www.citymeals.org

New York Cares meets pressing community needs by mobilizing caring New Yorkers in volunteer service @NewYorkCares http://newyorkcares.org/

Architecture for Humanity brings design, construction, and development services to communities in need. @archforhumanity http://architectureforhumanity.org/

Action Against Hunger Working to save the lives of severely malnourished people worldwide & implement long-term solutions to hunger. @acfusa http://www.actionagainsthunger.org/



10/14/12

NYCWFF: Trucks & Train



CHOO! CHEW! Talk about a great way to close the 2012 Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival at Trucks & Train hosted by Andrew Zimmern with Food Trucks and a concert by Train! After a weekend festival that was sure to please any Food Network junkie and foodie alike, NYCWFF pulled out all the stops with an amazingly fun afternoon at Basketball City where folks lined up at their favorite Food Trucks serving-up good ol' street grub and got to enjoy a full concert by Grammy Award winning, multiplatinum group Train performing on a beautiful Fall day in the city.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nycsidewalker/sets/72157631799411473/
AZ CanteenAZ Canteen Cabrito Butter Burger#NYCWFF TRUCKS & TRAINSolber Pupusas TruckSolber Pupusa PlatterCupcake Crew Truck
Cupcake Crew mini-cupcakeBongo Brothers TruckBongo Brothers Medianoche SandwichDomo Taco TruckDomo Fish Tempura Taco
Milk TruckMilk Truck Ham & Mac & CheeseBig Gay Ice Cream TruckBryan PetroffAwesomesauce SundaeKorilla BBQ Truck
Korilla Wonderbird TacoPizza Luca TruckPizza Luca MarghueritaPhil's Steak Truck
NYCWFF Trucks & Train, a set on Flickr.

The weather was perfect as crowds of people gathered at this huge outside event that mixed the love of food with the love of music. The stage was set as popular food trucks were rolling out tasty bites as fast as they can make them. Andrew Zimmern's truck AZ Cantina handed out cabrito butter burgers, that's goat burgers for you Bizarre Foods fans! Crif Dog showed off their new truck art and outrageous hot dog creation, Domo Taco had fish tempura tacos, Fun Buns NYC gave out pork belly buns, Pizza Luca had a vintage truck/pizza oven baking Margherita Pizza. Big Gay Ice Cream served an Awesomesauce Sundae, Souvlaki GR won Best of Event with their grilled pork pita.




Everyone munched truck side and washed it all down at the wine bars stocked with Save Me San Francisco Wine Co. showcasing Train's Gold Medal winning wines proudly named after some of the band's hit songs "Drops of Jupiter" red wine, "Calling All Angels" chardonnay, and "California 37" cabernet sauvignon, named after their newly released album.


All of a sudden, CHOOOO CHOOOO... a loud freight train sound came overhead as Train took the stage to perform a full set for thrilled concert-goers. They performed all their popular songs such as Soul Sister and Calling All Angels and even did a good rendition of Led Zeppelin's Ramble On. Lead singer Patrick Manohan was playful, amusing his fans by grabbing their cameras and taking pictures during his performance. The concert ended in rock star fashion as a bunch of groupies bumrushed on stage to sing and dance! - Man, was that fun!



10/9/12

Bordeaux Under One Roof



Bordeaux Under One Roof will take place overlooking New York City's eminent skyline on the 61st Floor of the Empire State Building on Thursday, October 25th, 2012.

For the second edition of this annual tasting event, Bordeaux Under One Roof is opening its doors for the first time to consumer attendees. Food and wine enthusiasts are invited to meet local American Importers, taste their delicious and affordable Bordeaux selections, and enhance their overall knowledge of this acclaimed region, at two 45-minute seminars, "Bordeaux Food & Wine Pairings," led by Sommelier, Edouard Bourgeois (6:30PM) and "Introduction to Mixology with Bordeaux Wine," led by Mixologist, Ben Scorah (8:00PM) which are sure to enrich your overall education of Bordeaux.

An event filled with great wine, food, live music, and exciting entertainment. Proceeds from the event will benefit Action Against Hunger.

Thursday, October 25th, 2012
6:30PM - 9:00PM
Empire State Building, 61st Floor
(Enter on 34th or 33rd Street and proceed to the Visitor's Desk)