Located on the edge of Murray Hill at 564 3rd Avenue between 37th and 38th Street, Delectica is a small cafe with a devoted neighborhood and business clientele.

Open seven days a week, I love Delectica for their freshly prepared entrée salads with a sophisticated selection of baked salmon, Moroccan couscous, baked cauliflower, roasted vegetables and more.  The outside seating, sandwiches as the Oven Baked Salmon (avocado, tomato, arugula and spicy mayo) and their Isreali Breakfast (two eggs or omelette served with a chopped Isreali salad, avocado, an assortment of sliced cheeses, whipped cream cheese and bread, with butter and jam, and choice of a small coffee or freshly squeezed orange juice) keep customers coming back for more.

If my description and photos haven’t motivated you yet to go here is another reason.

With a copy of this post and the purchase of any sandwich or entree salad receive a complimentary soda, lemonade or ice tea with your purchase.*

*One offer per customer.  Offer expires May 31, 2010.  Printed post must be provided.

See you at Delectica!

Enjoy!

Leslie

Delectica – 564 Third Avenue (@ 38th St)  T: 212.986.1616

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Open 7 days a week. M-F: 7am-6pm Sat-Sun: 8am-5pm

This visit I noticed more Velib bicycle stations – Yeah!

I also noted fantastic improvements in the public transportation system.  Changes included renovated, cleaner metro stations, with improved signage, and new digital panels displaying the current time and estimated time of arrival for your bus or train.

I also noticed American cookies everywhere.  They have become a staple next to the brownies in many boulangeries.  With all the sophisticated pastries and chocolate wonders in France who would have thought a basic chocolate chip cookie could be so popular.

However, there are things in France that never change and in January that is les galettes des rois (the king’s cakes).  The galette des rois are the traditional pastry of Epiphany celebrated on January 6th, but the French seem to celebrate it all month – perhaps an excuse to eat more galette des rois.

If you visit France in January you can’t miss les galettes des rois as they are displayed, front and center, in the window of every boulangerie in France.

This round flaky puff pastry is filled with almond paste or frangipan (a combination of almond cream and pastry cream).  They come in an array of sizes and are purchased by the number of people you will be serving.

If you are lucky enough to celebrate Ephiphany with a French family or friends you’ll know the novelty of the galette des rois is not just the quality of the pastry but the fève (little figurine) that is hidden inside the pastry. The youngest at the table, will hide under the table and call out who gets each slice.

Whoever finds the fève (which can be plastic, porcelain or even a fancy jewel) gets to be crowned king or queen for day.  Paper crowns (alla Burger King) are typically included with your galette des rois.

If you have never tasted a galette des rois, they are worth a try.  Make a note in your January 2011 calendar to reserve a galette des rois from your local French baker to share with friends or family (with or without the crowns).

A trip to France next January would definitely ensure you taste a galette des rois.  If not you can always enjoy the experience right here without the calories or risk of cracking a tooth on a fève.

Enjoy!

Leslie

In the dark abyss of Midtown East food choices Japanese markets, restaurants and a culinary center have been quietly taking over, squeezing in almost unnoticed between the newsstands, Irish Pubs and check cashing stores.

There are so many places to enjoy but as I’m on a budget one of my – transport me to Tokyo – budget favorites is Oms b omusubi for rice balls (white rice traditionally formed in the shape of a triangle, filled with various fillings, and often wrapped in seaweed).

Omusubi (rice ball in Japanese) serves traditional and non traditional rice balls with more than forty five flavors on the menu.  Different than sushi, these triangular rice balls make rice portable and easy to eat while preserving it.

In Japan rice balls are found in convenience stores or shops who specialize in just rice balls.  They are a perfect meal or healthy snack any time of day, even breakfast.

I opt for the Set A lunch special, any three rice balls and choice of soup for $8.95. My favorites flavors are the Eel, Salmon and Wasabi, but the presentation is so beautiful I typically pick whatever looks best.  And if I want to splurge I’ll have an ITO EN Rose Green Tea, all natural unsweetened green tea with rose petals, and Green Tea Daifuku (a glutinous rice cake filled with a sweet filling) for dessert.

The space is small with just five tables and is a great stop for an afternoon tea or Saturday lunch if you want to avoid the weekday Midtown lunch rush.

Let me know if you go.

Enjoy!

Leslie

OMS b - 156 E 45th Street, Tel (212) 922-9788

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But after a recent lunch with two friends who freely admitted to carrying some extra baggage on their waistlines (and no holding back on dessert), I thought “I need to get back in the game”.

One of these friends lives halfway around the world, in a bone dry climate, and when he visits New York there is always a pilgrimage to Tarallucci E Vino, on 18th Street, between 5th Avenue and Broadway.  Whether stopping in for a meal, coffee, or an aperitivo here’s why this restaurant is a perennial favorite.

Whether breakfast, lunch, dinner, or an espresso at the bar there are always Italians in this place.  A clear sign of quality, not to mention good looking men.

The menu changes seasonally and all baked goods are homemade on premise for quality and taste.  I could easily start with dessert, a perfect Tiramisu, a selection of homemade gelato or Nutella on Sweet Brioche.  But entrees as the Tagliatelle with Fresh Salmon, Zucchini and Bottarga and the Gnocchi in Duck Sauce make dessert worth waiting for.

Lunch includes a large selection of classic paninis, fresh salads (try the Baked Mackerel with Grilled Artichokes and Orange Zest) and pasta dishes.  While the dinner menu offers a wider selection of appetizers, main entrees, and assorted cheese and cured meat plates.  Don’t miss the Eggplant, Tomato, and Stracciatella di Mozzarella Bruschetta, the House Smoked Pork Check Tortelli with Braised Rabbit and Shavings of Grana Padano cheese, or the Rack of Lamb with Fava Beans, Roasted Vine Cherry Tomatoes and Fresh Oregano.

And from Nero D’Avola to Montepulciano, the large selection of domestic and international wines will satisfy the most demanding enthusiast.

The open dining space has a relaxed atmosphere.  Two long wood communal tables balance the surrounding black banquettes that are lined with intimate cafe tables.  The dining space is flexible throughout the day, accommodating clients who are dining and those who are passing through for a coffee or an aperitivo, a rarity in New York restaurants.

When full, especially at night, the dining room can get noisy.  But in warm weather the small terrace is a pleasure, except when the fire trucks across the street are called for an emergency.

Prices are reasonable for New York but dinner can easily reach $70 a person with an appetizer, main course, dessert and wine.

Let me know what you think.

Enjoy!

Leslie

Tarallucci E Vino – 15 E 18th Street, Tel (212) 228-5400

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But for those of you who still aren’t convinced I have another Motorino option that is sure to please.

Located at 349 East 12th Street, between 1st and 2nd Avenues, Motorino is a new Neapolitan style pizzeria (in the former Una Pizza Napoletana space).

I like pizza on occasion but it isn’t something I eat regularly, until tasting Motorino’s brussels sprout pizza with smoked pancetta, garlic and pecorino cheese.  Yum!  It also doesn’t hurt that it has a great name.

But what I really like about Motorino, is their small menu starting with the oven roasted brocollini seasoned with garlic, chili and pecorino cheese, followed by one of the seven pie choices (one size only) as the smoked scamorzza (a smoked Italian cow’s-milk cheese) pie flavored with squash, pancetta and sage and finishing with the every-bite-is-delicious tiramisu or the surprising, yet perfect, chocolate and vanilla twist soft serve.

The restuarant is small and doesn’t take reservations, so at night be prepared to wait outside on the sidewalk for a table.  And for those of you sensitive to noise, the decibel level can creep up in the evening, with the sound of local New Yorkers bouncing off the clean white tiled walls and marble table tops.

Fara (who also doubles as my eating and photography assistant) and I prefer the, I’m currently job searching, $12 lunch special (a fresh mixed green salad and selected pizza or selected pizza with the soft serve flavor of the day).  Otherwise pies cost between $9 and $16, antipasti between $3 and $14 and with a nice selection of wines, this could be one of your more moderate dinner-out choices in the city.

So if you are not ready to get on a motorino, get yourself over to Motorino to at least experience some delicious Neapolitan style pizza.

Enjoy and let me know what you think!

Leslie

Motorino 349 E 12th Street  Tel (212) 777-2644

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PERFECT!!!  FOOD!!!  And an opportunity to satisfy some reader requests for longer posts and more New York food coverage.

So here you are my first restaurant review, can’t wait to here your comments!

Leslie

CAFFÈ FALAI

There is no shortage of restaurants in Soho, but just a few blocks east of Soho lays Caffè Falai, a small, modern Italian gem.  Located on Lafayette Street between Prince and Spring, Caffè Falai is an Italian lovers’ escape for fresh regional pastas, salads, paninis, and pastries.

Serving breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner, Caffè Falai is a café-bar with a welcoming atmosphere of white tiled floors and walls decorated with flea-market-find mirrors and crystal chandeliers.  An open kitchen and bar offers solo clients space to enjoy a meal alone or stand alla Italien to enjoy an illy coffee.  The restaurant seats 35 inside and in warm weather a small front terrace offers additional seating.

The restaurant attracts a mixed clientele of locals, professionals and passing tourists seeking quality food in a casual environment.  Client favorites of Chef Iacopo Falai include the Prosciutto Panini, with mozzarella and tomato, and the Gnudi, spinach and ricotta dumplings in a sage-infused brown butter sauce.  I love the fresh Rughetta E Pere salad, baby rucola and sliced pear topped with candied walnuts, hard ricotta cheese and a lemon dressing, but ask them to top it with a little prosciutto for a hardier salad.  And for pasta the Tortelli di Patate con Ragu’ Alla Bolognese is perfection, a potato puree stuffed tortelli in a delicious Bolognese meat sauce.

The dinner menu offers a selection of second course classics as Saltimbocca alla Romana, thinly sliced veal with prosciutto served with broccoli rabe, finger potatoes and a Marsala sauce and Branzino, a pan seared sea bass filet with porcini mushrooms.  Portions are not large but satisfying.

A selection of Italian wines and prosecco are available, but even more tempting are Falai’s own bread and pastry selection produced across town at their Panetteria on the Lower East Side.  The Bombolone (Italian donuts) filled with chantilly, custard, chocolate or jam, dusted with a coating of sugar, are a must for breakfast or dessert.

Other sweets and bakery items include fresh focaccia plain or tomato, sweet cornetti (sweet Italian croissants) in plain, almond and chocolate, and mini ricotta tartes.  And luckily these sweets and baked goods are all available for take-out at the bakery counter.

Caffe Falai – 265 Lafayette Street, New York, NY 10012  Tel: 212 274 8615   www.falainyc.com

Hours: Breakfast 8 – 12pm  Lunch 12 – 4pm  Afternoon Tea 4 – 5pm  Dinner 5 – 11pm

$$ Moderately Priced.

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Well the winner actually winners, because during this unscientific selection someone’s finger moved, are in!

Fara, Hazel you won!!! Let’s plan a date to enjoy some delicious cupcakes at Butter Lane!!!

For everyone else who didn’t win sorry but please share The L-List RSS Email Feed with friends and family because maybe the next promotion will be a trip to Paris.

But until then a trip to Butter Lane will take the chill out of Fall and make anyone happy!

Enjoy!

Leslie

La Dolce Vita

Finding, savoring and enjoying the sweet side of New York is not an easy task.  This isn’t Rome…

But I have found it!  Tucked away, almost hidden from sight on the Lower East Side of Manhattan is The Sweet Life.

An emporium to all things chocolatie and sweet.  From gummy bears and gumballs to hand made chocolates and hard to find worldly delights The Sweet Life is a veritable mood sweetener.

Their Softy Pops alone (chocolate covered marshmallows on a stick, milk or dark chocolate) can transform New York into a truly sweet place to be.

So the next time you are in need of a little dolce vita…head to The Sweet Life, a sure cure to sweeten anyone’s day.

The Sweet Life
63 Hester St. (At Ludlow St.)
New York, New York 10002
Telephone: 212.598.0092

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Enjoy!

Leslie

My friend Stefy is no exception, she says she never learned to cook but meals at her table are not only delicious they are beautiful.

In Italy eating well could be qualified as a sport.  It is a constant topic of conversation and everything from pasta to gelato is consistently rated and compared.  Era buono (it was good), era buonissimo (it was really good), era troppo buono (it was too good – I often use this when speaking about gelato), quello era meglio (that one was better).

When times are tough in Italy, a negative economy, a corrupt government, a labyrinth of bureaucracy , the one certainty for Italians is mangiare (to eat) and of course mangiare bene (to eat well).  When you can slow down and enjoy a freshly prepared meal of simple ingredients it is medication for the soul.

Stefy is an expert, her shopping list is simple and always includes fresh fruit, vegetables, cheese, bread and meat.  Her time in the kitchen seems effortless. Steaming spinaci (spinach) in the morning before starting her day or soaking ceci (chick peas) in the evening to be sautéed the next day.

Whether serving one or a group she is always ready to pull something together… fiselle topped with diced tomato and herbs, sautéed bell peppers, slightly bitter arugula seasoned with olive oil, salt and balsamic vinegar, a plate of buttery prosciutto and bread fresh from the bakery (not a plastic bag).  Whether breakfast, lunch or dinner food is always enjoyed on a table setting of colorful placemats and napkins with a change of plates between every course to not mix flavors.

I think she needs to open her kitchen to share her secrets of her buona cucina (good cooking).  I will let you know when the courses start.

But until then take a few minutes to enjoy a few images of Stefy’s cooking and think about how you can slow down your next meal, bringing a few fresh Italian staples to the table or colorful placemats and maybe enjoying it just a little bit more.

Enjoy!

Leslie

In Italy having a caffè is a piacere (pleasure) and a ritual, whether with friends or by yourself.

It is less about the caffeine recharge and more about human contact with the world, as most caffè in Italy is enjoyed outside the home at a bar (an everything destination for coffee, breakfast, lunch, snacks, drinks, an aperitivo, even phone cards and last minute gifts).

Whether standing at the bar, sitting down, reading the paper or having an argument over the Prime Minister’s personal life, bars are an epicenter of Italian life.

I love watching the action, listening to the spirited ordering and animated conversations while enjoying un bel caffè (a good coffee) and yummy snack.

You may not be able to get to a bar in Italy anytime soon but finding your local stop for a coffee or drink, alone or with friends, can create an enjoyable ritual to help slow life’s crazy pace just a little.

Or maybe these photos will transport you there for a few minutes…

Enjoy!

Leslie