Taste of Bethesda - Oct. 3, 2009!

I can't wait for the weekend because Saturday is Taste of Bethesda! This will be my 1st year going. For some reason something always comes up like rain or prior plans. Look at all of the participating restaurants! Hope to see you guys there, and let's pray for good weather. You can bring your dogs to this event as well. I am =)

Taste of Bethesda
Saturday, October 3, 2009
11am-4pm

Admission FREE
Taste tickets will be sold on-site in bundles of four tickets for $5. Food servings cost one to four tickets.

Location:
The event is held along Norfolk, Fairmont, St. Elmo, Cordell and Del Ray Avenues in Bethesda's Woodmont Triangle. Taste of Bethesda is located just three blocks from the Bethesda Metro.

Participating Restaurants:
Angeethi Authentic Indian Cuisine - Samosa, kabob, tandoori & butter chicken
Austin Grill - Carnitas & red snapper tacos, wings
Baja Fresh - Burritos, tacos, salad
Bangkok Garden - Egg rolls, pad Thai, red curry chicken
Bangkok One Thai - Pad Thai, nam ya, fried rice, Thai iced tea
Ben & Jerry's - Ice cream
BlackFinn Restaurant & Saloon - Beef & roast beef sliders, wings
Brasserie Monte Carlo - Onion tarte with cured ham & sausage
Bundles of Cookies - Almond cookies, gourmet lemon cookies
The Burger Joint - Sliders
Caddies on Cordell - Deviled eggs, wings, chicken satay
California Tortilla - Ceasar tacos
Chicken Out Rotisserie - Burgers, cabo spice wings, salad
Cookies by Design - Cookie kabobs, gourmet & sugar cookies
Crossfire Fresh Burgers - Mini burgers, sweet potato fries, lemonade
Delhi Dhaba - Butter chicken, chole punjabi, naan bread
Divino Lounge & Restaurant - Argentine sausage, steak, paellas
Drink More Water - Water, iced coffee
Fancy Cakes by Leslie - Mini cupcakes, cookies, fudge
Flaxella - Flax muffins, biscotti, crackers, flax beverages
Gifford's Ice cream & Candy Co. - Ice cream
Haagen-Dazs - Ice cream
Haandi Indian Cuisine - Murg makhni, palak paneer, rice samosa
Hanaro Restaurant & Lounge - sushi roll, pad Thai, fried rice
Hard Times Café - Chili, fries
Flanagan's Harp & Fiddle - Shepherd's pie, beef brisket, Bailey's ice cream
Honest Tea - Tea, lemonade, kid's drinks
Jaleo - Paellas, gazpacho, endibias
Just Cakes - Cupcakes
Lebanese Taverna - Chicken & beef shawarma sandwich, hommos
Mamma Lucia - Pizza
Matuba Japanese Restaurant - Sushi rolls, chicken teriyaki, tempura
Mia's Pizzas - Brick oven pizza
Morton's, The Steakhouse - Steak sandwiches
Nest Café - Muscles, tomato caprese, Italian donuts
Olazzo - Meatball & chicken parmesan sandwiches
The Original Pancake House - Nutella crepes, lemon crepes
Passage to India - Samosa, chicken makhani, vegetable korma
Penang Malaysian Cuisine - Chicken satay, charkoay teow, curry ayam
Philadelphia Mike's - Philly & chicken cheese steaks, fries
Positano - Pizza, sausages, meatball pastas
Quartermaine Coffee Roasters - Coffee
Ri-Ra Irish Pub - Shepherds pie, Guinness BBQ wings, chocolate cake
Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery - TBD
Ruth's Chris Steakhouse -Tenderloin, mashed potatoes, creamed spinach
Sasso - Lamb wraps, fried okra, blue berry lemonade
Saveur India - Samosa, chana masaala, chicken makhani, palak paneer
Shangri-La - Butter chicken, soag poneer, chano mosala
Smoothie King - Fruit smoothies
South Street Steaks - Cheese steaks, fries
Spring Mill Bread - Breads, cookies, brownies
Tommy Joe's Restaurant - Mini burgers, mini crab balls
Trader Joe's - Chicken gyoza, Asian slaw with peanut dressing
Union Jack's - Strongpow wings, drunken chicken, bread pudding
Visions Restaurant - Crab cakes, lemonade, crab mac & cheese

Entertainment Schedule:
Fairmont Stage
11am - 1pm - Swing Shift (Swing)
1:30 - 3:30pm - Signature Live! (Motown, Variety)

St. Elmo Stage
11:30am -1:30pm - Five Finger Discount Band (Funk)
2 - 4pm - Texas Chainsaw Horns (Swing, Jump, Blues)

Cordell Stage
11:15am - 1:15pm - JCJ Band (Latin)
1:45 - 3:45pm - Chopteeth (Afro-funk)

Norfolk Stage
11 - 11:45am - Ancient Rhythms (Middle Eastern Dance)
12 - 12:45pm - Los Quetzales (Mexican Dance)
1 - 1:45pm - Wong Chinese Lion Dancers (Chinese Dance)
2 - 2:45pm - Jayantika Dance Company (Indian Dance)
3 - 3:45pm - Sankofa Dance Theater (West African Dance)

Veterans Park Entertainment
11am – 1pm - ilyaimy (Folk rock/alternative)
1:30– 3:30pm - The Village Jazz Band (Jazz)

Kid's Corner
The kid's corner will feature face painting and cookie decorationg with Bundles of Cookies from 11am - 4pm. Please note - long lines for these activities have to be cut at 3:30pm.

Hook- Georgetown, DC

Hi Everyone! DC Restaurant Week was a month ago, so I apologize for this being late post. Hopefully it will still give you an idea about the place if you're deciding whether to try it or not.

3 of us made reservations to try Hook because I was recommended by some friends. Restaurant Week dinner was $35.09 per person for a choice of 3 courses off a pre-selected menu.

It's located in the heart of Georgetown. I parked in the garage that is about 1-2 blocks away. Street parking is always a nightmare. Closest metro stop would be Foggy Bottom-GWU on the Blue/Orange line.

FYI: The place was very dimly lit for the ambiance, so some pics are either dark or blurry. Sorry!

It was a Thursday night, so the bar was packed with people grabbing a drink. It can get quite loud in there.

There are two areas to sit. This is the main dining room. Sorry its so dark! It's quite beautiful when you look at it in person. We were seated in the front of the restaurant near the window. There are only about 3-4 small tables up front. There is also a long table next to the bar which fits larger groups of around 12.

The bread was soft with grains in them. The spread was a kind of garlic mayonnaise.

Starting with appetizers, my friend ordered the '½ Dozen Oysters (New York)- coriander mignonette'. She let me try one, and I thought it was good. I love all oysters as long as they're not gritty.

My cousin ordered the 'Tomato Gazpacho- jumbo lump crab, fava bean pesto, lemon, olive oil'. I didn't try it, but she said it was ok.

Look at this plate! I ordered the 'Beet Salad- goat cheese, pistachio, wheat berries, pickled watermelon, vanilla'. The server recommended it as well as reviews online. It was amazing. I'm a fan of strong flavors, so the salty pistachios, pungent cheese, and sweetness of the beets were to die for.

Now onto the main course (wow, that's blurry), my cousin ordered the 'Yellowfin Tuna (Florida)- barley, pattypan squash, strawberries, tomato jalapeño sauce'. She didn't know it was going to be seared, so she wasn't prepared to eat that much raw fish. Tasted fine to me, but if you're not into raw fish/meat, I would stay away.

My friend ordered the 'Artic Char (Iceland)- basmati rice, peas, carrot curry sauce'. It was so good! I think she had the best fish dish of the night. I would order this fish next time.

I ordered the 'Barramundi (Massachusetts)- parsnip puree, raspberries, cucumbers, baby heirloom tomatoes, chives'. I think I ordered it because the name sounded cool. It was good with an interesting flavor combination of raspberries and parsnips. I thought it was slightly bland, but I did finish the entire plate, so I can't complain.

We were already full, but made room for dessert and shared all of them. First one was the 'Apple Tart- almond frangipane, vanilla ice cream'. I liked it a lot. The pastry was perfect.

The 'Lemon Cake- honey lavender buttercream, honey ice cream' was very good with the lavender buttercream. I thought it gave an interesting twist to a lemon cake.

Lastly, the 'Bittersweet Chocolate Pudding- chocolate hazelnut biscotti' was good as well. It had a great bittersweet taste that I prefer over milk chocolate pudding.

Our server was really nice and helpful when we asked for recommendations. Their pastry chef won "Pastry Chef of the Year" in 2008, so you can't go wrong with anything you choose. The Restaurant Week menu was a great deal because the entrees regularly are in the mid-20's range. I loved the beet salad, thought my fish was good, and liked the desserts. I also appreciate the restaurant's locally grown produce, eco-friendly and humane meat/dairy practices that they mention on their site.

3241 M St NW
Washington, DC 20007
202-625-4488
Website

Monday Dinner: 5:00pm-10:00pm
Tues-Fri Lunch: 11:30am-2:30pm Dinner: 5:00pm-10:00pm
Saturday Brunch: 10:00am-3:30pm Dinner: 5:00pm-11:00pm
Sunday Brunch: 10:00am-3:30pm Dinner: 5:00pm-10:00pm

Bethesda Row Restaurant Week- Sept. 21-27th

Hey Everyone! I was informed that Bethesda Row Restaurant Week starts today! If you are unaware, Bethesda Row is a block of restaurants/stores on Woodmont Ave and Bethesda Ave. Check out the details and menus below:


Monday, September 21 – Sunday, September 27
Two course lunches: $12
Three course dinners: $30

Assaggi Mozzarella Bar
4838 Bethesda Avenue, 301.951.1988, http://www.assaggirestaurant.com/
Reservations at www.opentable.com

Lunch:
First course choice of:
Agnolli pasta filled with broccoli rabe and butter & sage sauce
Filet of trout with asparagus and calamari, fresh baby tomato

Dessert choice of:
Fresh seasonal fruit cake with vanilla sauce
Tiramisu

Dinner:
First course choice of:
Iceberg lettuce salad with walnuts, cherry tomatoes and gorgonzola cheese, lemon vinaigrette
Soup of the day
Pan seared Italian sausage with braised lentil beans

Second course choice of:
Veal stew with polenta
Pan seared sea bass “blu” livornese style with braised escarole

Dessert choice of:
Fresh fig cake
Tiramisu
-

Dehli Dhaba
7236 Woodmont Avenue, 301.718.0008, www.delhidaba.com

Lunch
First course choice of:
Soup of the Day or House Salad
Chicken Tikka Masala

Second course choice of:
Soup of the Day or House Salad
Lamb Curry

Dinner
First course choice of:
Samosa or Chicken Tikka
Fish Curry
Gulab Jamun

Second course choice of:
Samosa or Chicken Tikka
Lamb Boti Kabob
Rasmadi

Complimentary glass of House Wine
-

Lebanese Taverna
7141 Arlington Road, 301.951.8681, http://www.lebanesetaverna.com/
Reservations at www.opentable.com

Lunch:
First course:
House salad

Second course choice of
any sandwich platter:
SHAWARMA: marinated beef and lamb roasted slowly on a rotisserie, served with tahini sauce, lettuce and tomato
CHICKEN SHAWARMA: marinated chicken breast roasted and served with a touch of garlic sauce, lettuce and tomato
FALAFEL: vegetable patties, deep fried served with tahini sauce
KAFTA: ground beef and lamb patties with parsley, onions, spices, served with hommos
MAANEK: beef & lamb sausages, sauteed in lemon butter served with lettuce and tomatoes
SAMAK: marinated grill fish wrapped in pita with lettuce, t omatoes and tahini sauce
SUJOK: mildly hot, homemade beef & lamb sausages served with spicy tomato sausage, lettuce and tomatoes

Dessert:
Baklava
-

Le Pain Quotidien
7140 Bethesda Lane, 301.913.2902, www.lepainquotidien.com

Lunch
First course choice of:
Cup of Gazpacho
Cup of the Soup of the Day

Second course choice of:
Side Mesclun salad
Garden Vegetable Ceviche

Third course choice of:
Roasted Turkey Tartine w/ herb dressing
Aged Gruyere Tartine w/ mustard trio
-

Mon Ami Gabi
7239 Woodmont Avenue, 301.654.1234, www.monamigabi.com
Reservations at opentable.com

Lunch
First course choice of:
Soup du jour
Salad Maison

Second course choice of:
Gabi’s Fish Sandwich w/Frites (Brioche bun breaded Cod)
Croque Monsieur (classic french ham and cheese sandwich)
Spinach and Brie Crepe

Dessert:
Profiterole

Dinner
First course choice of:
Boston Lettuce Salad
Baked cheese and tomato
Country Style Pate
Soup du jour

Second course choice of:
Classic Steak Frites (all sauces available)
Trout Grenobloise
Lemon Chicken Paillard

Dessert Choice of:
White Chocolate Bread Pudding with caramel sauce and ice cream
Warm Flourless chocolate cake
Profiteroles
-

Raku
7240 Woodmont Avenue, 301.718.8680

Lunch
Course Option 1:
Seaweed Salad or Grilled Chicken Salad
Sushi Assortment

Course Option 2:
Mesclun Salad or Gorgonzola Salad
Soft Shell Crab Tempura with Seafood Gumbo

Dinner:
Choose any three dishes from four groups Dinner Menu
(Soup & Salad, Appetizer, Entrees, Dessert)
-

Redwood Restaurant
7121 Bethesda Lane, 301.656.5515, http://www.redwoodbethesda.com/
Reservations at www.opentable.com

Lunch
First course choice of:
Market Lettuce Salad
Today’s Soup

Second course choice of:
Rotisserie Chicken Salad Sandwich
Today’s Pasta or Pizza of the Day

Dessert:
Daily Dessert Surprise

Dinner:
First course choice of:
Today’s Soup
Market Lettuce Salad

Second course choice of:
Wood Grilled Hanger Steak
Market Fish Selection

Dessert choice of:
Chocolate Bread Pudding
Cream Cheese Apple Walnut Crumble

Happy Hour Specials:
$4 Flatbreads with one free flatbread dip.
$5 cocktails, wines by the glass and draft beers.
-

Tara Thai
4828 Bethesda Avenue, 301.657.0488, www.tarathairichmond.com

Lunch
First course choice of:
Chicken Curry Puff
Best Thai Shrimp Chicken Cellophane Noodle Soup

Second course choice of:
Thai Green Papaya Salad
Combination of Shrimp & Chicken Fried Rice
-

Plus special events from:

Austin Grill
7828 Woodmont Avenue, 301.656.1366, http://www.austingrill.com/
Happy Hour every day from 2-7
Draft beers from $2, Margaritas and Swirlies from $4,
Wings and Quesadillas and Chili con Queso for $3

Ginger
7114 Bethesda Lane, 301.664.9242, http://www.gingerstyle.com/
Take 15% off any one item with any Restaurant Week receipt! (excludes Suzanne Somersall jewelry).

Urban Chic
7126 Bethesda Lane, 301.657.0290, www.urbanchiconline.com
Shopping Happy Hour every day
Enjoy a glass of bubbly while shopping for new fall fashions. 15% off new looks!

Caliyogurt- Gaithersburg, MD

UPDATE 6/12/12 - Went back over the weekend after a while and they have a total of 8 flavors including non-fruity ones. They also offer bubble tea, shaved ice and crepes!
-----------------
Hi everyone! Frozen yogurt places are all the craze right now. It's usually fat-free, comes in different flavors and you can customize your toppings. I've been to 4 different places in the area (Yogi Berry, Mr. Yogato, Yogi Castle) and Caliyogurt is by FAR my favorite.
Located in a shopping center right next to Quince Orchard HS, there is a small parking lot, but I've never seen it full. The closest metro stop would be Shady Grove on the red line.

The interior is clean and modern looking. Its actually the biggest one I've been too. It could hold a good number of people at once.

I love all of the cool seating. In the front there are tables with comfy, adjustable swivle chairs. I always sit there.

If you stop by with a couple friends, they have semi-private cubicles in different colors with more chairs. Those have electrical outlets, so people bring in laptops to use with their free WiFi.

This is the last seating section in the back near the yogurt.

One of the reasons I like this place is because its self-serve. They have free cups, and waffle cones for 75 cents each. They charge you by the weight of your yogurt and toppings at 45 cents an ounce. They have tiny sample cups at the register.

The yogurt comes in 6 fat-free flavors (chocolate, blackberry, mango, honeydew, pink grapefruit, passion fruit, original) that can change depending on the day. They also offer swirled/combined flavors on the machines that have connecting flavors. For example, blackberry and chocolate share a machine, so you can get them swirled together.

The toppings bar is huge my opinion. There are a lot of toppings like fruits, cereals, chocolate chips, cookies, bubble tea bubbles, mochi, etc.

This was my 1st creation, and seriously after I ate it ...I bought another one!

I think they have AMAZING yogurt flavors. Mango and honeydew swirled together is my favorite. I love loading on whatever toppings I want too. Aside from just yogurt, they offer shaved iced for $7.50, smoothies for $4.95, Yogi-fondue for $15, and an assortment of teas. Also on the back of their business card they will give you a free 'under 10 oz.' yogurt if you buy 9 'over 10 oz.' yogurts. I've become addicted to this place, sometimes buying it as my lunch!

12158 Darnestown Road
Gaithersburg, MD 20878
301-208-2020
Website

Summer (Apr-Oct): Mon-Thurs: Noon-10PM
Fri-Sat: Noon-11PM
Sun: Noon-8PM
Winter (Nov-Mar): Mon-Thurs: Noon-9PM
Fri-Sat: Noon- 11PM
Sun: Closed

MemSahib- Rockville, MD

Hi Everyone! Recently the bf was craving Indian food, so a friend recommended MemSahib in Rockville. Mind you, I did no research, nor have I heard of this place prior to going, so it was an interesting experience.
Located behind White Flint mall, there is plenty of shopping center parking. The closest metro stop is White Flint on the red line.

From the exterior it looks like a regular restaurant with dark curtains. Nothing too special, so I didn't think much of it.

Its always nice to see plaques when I walk through the front door.

I was pleasantly surprised when I walked in. There's a huge screen on the wall with Indian music videos, booths filled with pillows, and a dance floor. Looks like they serve a buffet for lunch.

After sitting down, I was confused as to why the server didn't hand us menus. Later one of them came over and said there is no menu, just a prefixed meal of 6 courses for $22 per person. So we agreed and then came out to wash our hands. Sorry I only have a picture of the towel! For 5 of the 6 meals, you don't have utensils.

1st plate came out with 4 of the 6 dishes. Carrot and coriander salad, eggplant salad and cucumber and bell paper salad with cumin dressing. I loved all of them. They all tasted extremely different and flavorful. I think I liked the eggplant, then carrots then cucumber salads in that order. There were also Chicken Kabobs, which were quite good, and hot.

The bread (more like a cracker to me) for the salad and kabobs was thin and plain so it didn't drown out the food. Since it was kind of crisp, it was interesting trying to pick up cucumbers and carrots.

2nd plate was the Tandoori Chicken. It was slightly drier than the kabob, and more salty. There was also a larger portion to split between us. I liked the coriander sauce on the side.

RANDOMLY a belly dancer came out and danced for us for around 30 minutes. It was a nice surprise! She did stuff with scarves and then balanced a tray of candles on her head.

There was a group celebrating a birthday in the restaurant so they all got up and danced with the belly dancer. I chose to stay seated and take pictures.

3rd plate we had the option of Butter Chicken or Lamb curry. The bf doesn't like lamb, so we had 3 diff erent types of chicken that night. I liked it a lot along with the rice and naan bread, and this time we were given forks.

I thought dinner was over, but they brought out a HUGE bowl of fruit. Like whole apples, oranges, bananas, and slices of watermelon. There was no way we were going to eat all of that!

Then we were given cups of chai tea ...mmmm.

We were also given small bowls of rice pudding. It was very sweet, so the tea balanced it out.

Dinner took 3 hours! There's nothing wrong with that if you're mentally prepared. The music videos were quite entertaining, so it helped to pass the time. We kept asking for the check and they kept telling us there was more food coming out. $22 is a good deal for so much food, however on the bill there was a 15% service charge, which isn't the tip, so really it's like a little over $25 a person. It's not that much of a difference, but as a customer its something you'd like to know upfront. It's a good place for large groups because they can accommodate a lot of people.  

4840 Boiling Brook Pkwy
Rockville, MD 20852
(301) 468-0098
Website

Buffet Lunch
Tues-Fri: 11:30AM - 2:30PM
Sun: 12:00PM - 3:00PM

Dinner
Tues-Sun: 6:00PM - 11:00PM

Busy Bee: AZ & TX & NJ

Just got back from an AMAZING weekend with my family in Arizona on Tuesday, and now I'm preparing for a week long business trip to Dallas, TX. I've never been to Texas, so I'm pretty excited. THEN the day after I come back from TX, I'm going to Atlantic City for 2 days for my friend's bachelorette party. OMG, I'm going to pass out from lack of sleep soon.
If anyone knows of a good place to eat in TX or NJ, let me know!
Recaps will be up shortly, but prob a local post before I leave.
Talk to you guys soon!

New York City Food Adventures

Hi everyone! I can't believe it's already been a month since I was in NYC. Time flies! My cousins and I were huge fatties and wanted to eat everything. There's so much amazing food in NYC it's almost overwhelming.

Day 1:

Papaya Dog
400 W 42nd St
(between 9th Ave & Dyer Ave)
New York, NY 10036
(212) 629-0632

Got off the bus, and walked straight to Papaya Dog for lunch. A coworker told me to try this place out, and I've seen it a couple times on TV. Really bright store, you can't miss it! There are only a couple small tables inside.

I got one hot dog which was really cheap ($1 something), and a cheap drink. They're known for their papaya smoothie, but I got the pina colada and tried the mango and papaya from my cousins. I think the hot dog is good with a snap to it, but the drinks weren't special to me.

Ippudo
65 4th Ave
New York, NY 10003-5220
(212) 388-0088

Met up with some friends who live in NYC now and they brought us to get ramen for dinner at Ippudo. The sign is in Japanese, so if I wasn't with them, I probably wouldn't realize this was the restaurant.

This is the bar at the entrance. Dark, cramped restaurant because it's packed!

I loved the decor. We were lucky enough to get a booth because it was much more roomy. Plus it looked so cool!

When asked if I've ever had ramen before I said, "Yeah from the package." It's SOO much better than the package, and I'm going to find a place in the DMV that serves it. I also didn't know you ate it with a 'ladle', the spoon is huge!

Everyone at the table ordered the same thing. I ordered the 'Akamaru Modern' ($13, red photo), and my cousins ordered the 'Shiromaru Hakata Classis' ($13, grey bowl). I loved the noodles, broth, portion size, everything! I highly recommend this place.

Rice to Riches

37 Spring Street
(Between Mott and Mulberry St)
New York, NY 10012
212-274-0008

There must always be dessert after dinner! We then tried out Rice to Riches, which is a rice pudding place that offers like 18 different flavors.

It reminded me of an ice cream shop. It was such a cool idea, and I love rice pudding. They also had very limited seating, but their tables were cool because they hung from the ceiling.

I bought the 'French Toast' in their small/solo/8 oz size for $6. Their bowl and spoon were really awesome too. I'm a sucker for modern design.

53rd and 6th Halal Cart "Chicken and Rice"
53rd St & 6th Ave
New York, NY 10079

Another NYC must, is getting chicken/lamb and rice at like 3am and standing in that insane line. You HAVE to try it. It's around $6 or something for a lot of food. There is another cart (same owners) on the next corner but people are loyal to the original cart and will wait forever.
I prefer the lamb with the yogurt sauce all over it. I can't do the hot sauce, it's KILLER.

The cousin accidentally dumped 1/2 the hot sauce onto her chicken. Don't do that unless you want your mouth to be on fire.

Day 2:

Golden Bridge
50 Bowery St
Suite 2F
(between Bayard St & Canal St)
New York, NY 10013
(212) 227-8831

Went to Chinatown for dim sum. We went to Golden Bridge, which is where I went in January when I was in NYC, so I didn't take anymore pics. Here's my old post.

Fa Guo San Candy Store
52 Mott St
(between Bayard St & Pell St)
New York, NY 10013

I wanted to get some bulk candy from this cool store I went to last time. Lots of Asian candies and dried fruits. I think it's like $5 a lb.

Eileen's Special Cheesecake
17 Cleveland Pl
New York, New York 10012

What would a trip to NYC be without cheesecake? Very small bakery with a couple tables, but a ton of choices!

I didn't know they made mini-cheesecakes! It was so difficult to choose.

Each mini one is $3.50. We bought the pecan, strawberry and dulce de leche. They are SO GOOD. They have a homemade taste, and nice texture.

Crumbs Bake Shop
124 University Place
New York, NY 10003
212 206 8011

While shopping we saw a woman walking with a clear shopping bag with cupcakes in them, and we HAD to get them. Such a great advertisting idea, huh?

They all looked amazing!


Each cupcake that we bought were $3.75 each. We bought Peanut Butter Cup, Devil's Food, Red Velvet and Boston Creme. They're HUGE! They're also not overly sweet, which makes it easier to devour the entire thing. Really good stuff.

Max Brenner
841 Broadway
(between 13th and 14th Streets)
New York, NY 10003
(212) 388-0030
I've been told this is THE place to get chocolate desserts, and it's correct.

2 floors for seating, chocolate colored decor, pipes filled with chocolate... it's just everywhere!

We each ordered something, even though we probably could have shared. Very RICH chocolate makes it difficult to eat the entire thing alone. We ordered the 'Hazelnut Creme Crepe' ($12.95), 'Max's Three Layer Chocolate Concotion with Tofee Bananas' ($9.75), and 'Chocolate Pizza' ($8.95).

Casellua
401 West 52nd Street
New York, NY
212-247-8137

Last night in the city, we decided to keep it low key and went to a wine and cheese bar. Tiny place, really cute and laid back.

Ordered a a bottle of white wine for $30 something and some cheese for $6, it was a great time. Their wine and cheese list changes frequently.

Liquiteria
170 Second Ave
(@ 11th St)
New York, NY
(212)358-0300

A few hours before hopping back on a bus back home, we were thirsty and stumbled upon this juice bar.

I got the 20oz 'Grasshopper- apple, pear, pineapple, wheatgrass, mint' for $5.50, and the cousins got the 'Berry Powerful- blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, bananas, vanilla soy milk, wild berry soy protein, and flax seed oil' for $5.95 (20oz), and 'Afternoon Delight- golden pineapple, melon, mint, honey, apple juice, pear juice' for $5.95 (20oz).

I loved my Grasshopper drink! The mint and wheatgrass gave it a very fresh taste that went well with the fruit.

Can't wait til my next trip to NYC!