Suggestions and Recommendations!

If you know of a great restaurant that I should visit in New York City, please leave me a comment and I'll go! Or perhaps there is an event you want reviewed or just a certain place I should see. I'm open to all ideas and look forward to hearing them. I'm also hoping for your suggestions of places I must see this summer while I'm in Madrid, so drop a line on your favorite tapas bar! Don't be shy!

The Dead @ MSG

The Grateful Dead’s 30 years of touring continued after Jerry Garcia’s death; first as The Other Ones, and later simply as The Dead. The band now includes the original members Phil Lesh, Bob Weir, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann, as well as guitarist Warren Haynes and keyboardist Jeff Chimenti.

We arrived at Madison Square Garden, where The Dead have played more than 50 concerts, greeted by a crowd of fans desperate for tickets. The lure to sell was strong but Kevin is convinced scalping tickets leads to prison so we proceeded to the show. The show tonight opened with five Garcia tunes in row, Cosmic Charlie, China Cat, Shakedown, Ship of Fools, and He’s Gone. Also, an appropriate song for the night: One More Saturday Night.

Citi Field

It was a perfect spring day in New York so Kevin and I went to a ballgame at the just opened Citi Field in Flushing. The Mets were playing my home state Milwaukee Brewers and the Brew Crew won today 4-2. It’s easy to get to the stadium from downtown and only took about 40 minutes on the 7 train. It has a capacity of 42,000, over 15,000 fewer seats than Shea Stadium and the exterior facade is reminiscent of Ebbets Field.

Citi Field offers a wide choice of eateries. Taste of the City is the food court located in the left center field section of the ballpark. It includes a variety of stands, including the award winning Shake Shack (Burgers, Fries, Shakes), Blue Smoke (Barbecue), El Verano Taqueria (Mexican Cuisine), Nonna Delia’s (Italian), Box Frites (Belgian French Fries) and Catch of the Day (Seafood). The World's Fare Market is located on the field level and features sushi from Daruma of Tokyo and sandwiches and pastries from Mama's of Corona. Restaurants and shops are available in every level of the ballpark.

All of the choices were temping but by habit I chose the sweet Italian sausage which is the real reason I go to the ballpark. It was better than ever with fresh crisp onions and peppers, plus it wouldn’t be a Brewers game without a Brat. Overall the entire experience at Citi Field was great. The seats are wider and there is more legroom compared to Shea. The concession and bathroom lines were almost non existent except of course for Shake Shack but a line is inevitable with any Shake Shack. I haven’t been to the new Yankees Stadium yet but it will be hard for it to compare to the Mets Citi Field.

Brooklyn Botanical Garden

Its Hanami time at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden! Hanami is the Japanese cultural tradition of viewing and cherishing each moment of the cherry blossom season. We have meant to go for several years but this is the first time we’ve actually made it. The blossoms only last for about six weeks and Hanami is celebrated in the Garden from April 4 - May 12.

This weekend was still a little early in the season since not all of the trees were in bloom. Mainly the Cherry Esplanade had not bloomed which features rows and rows of Prunus Kazan trees. The cherries of these trees are the most popular and are considered by many to be the most beautiful.

The Brooklyn Botanical Garden’s Japanese Hill and Pond Garden was constructed in 1914 and has my favorite blossom, the Higan. Seeds of the weeping Higan were brought from Japan around 1862 and these cherries produce delicate blossoms that reflect in the water. The flower color on the Higan has a range from nearly white to a pale pink.

I want to return for the Sakura Matsuri Festival during the weekend of May 2. This is when the Brooklyn Botanical Garden hosts over 50 events and performances celebrating Japanese culture and the blossoming of over 220 cherry trees making it one of the leading cherry-viewing sites outside of Japan. Visitors to the weekend-long Cherry Blossom Festival can enjoy a range of performances from traditional Japanese music and dance to concerts by some of Japan's hottest pop stars, plus taiko drumming, bonsai pruning workshops, Japanese-pop DJs, and a traditional kimono show.

Cheddar’s Casual Café

IRVING, TX – Yet another chain restaurant on our visit home and this time its Cheddar’s Casual Café. It’s a made from scratch American food restaurant founded in Arlington, Texas in 1978 that has expanded throughout the South and Midwest. I have known the co-founder, Douglas Rodgers, and his family for many years.

Today, I’m going to do a simple burger review. I had an Original Burger, described as a thick juicy burger with lettuce, tomato, mustard, pickles and onion. Overall it was decent, as is typical the burger was overcooked from my requested doneness of medium. Also, the bun to burger ratio was off as the bun overwhelmed the sandwich. I shoulda stuck with what I know I like, the Top Sirloin Ribeye, the Chicken Fried Steak or the Cheddar’s Club.

The Metroplex is all about the chain restaurant and despite the burger review, Cheddar’s will always be one of my favorites for the quality of the food and the great prices that go along with it.

La Madeleine

COPPELL, TX - Whenever I happen to be driving by a La Madeleine, I try to stop in and enjoy another one of Texas’ popular chain restaurants that are not yet located in New York. La Madeleine’s founder opened his first bakery on Mockingbird Lane in Dallas and as with many of Texas’ first great restaurants, the chain has expanded to more than 60 locations throughout Texas, Louisiana, and Washington D.C.

La Madeleine has the feel of a café and neighborhood gathering place that specializes in classic French country fare. They offer healthy salads and soups along with rich pastas and pastries. Unfortunately, they don’t supply all of their nutritional information to the public yet but they do offer la Cuisine Vitale which features healthy low fat and low carb options.

Today while in Coppell we went in for a light lunch. Kevin had the Croque Monsieur; a classic French ham sandwich accented with cream sauce and Swiss cheese, baked to a golden brown. It arrived perfectly crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside, accompanied on the side was the Tomato Basil Pesto Pasta Salad. I had my usual French onion soup and small Ceasar salad; not as exciting as Kevin’s lunch but still delicious and filling.

Albertsons Wedding Cake

FRISCO, TX - It is rare that you choose to have a second piece of cake at weddings. Usually they are stale and made earlier in the week but not for my brother’s wedding in Texas over Easter. It was relatively inexpensive compared to most and ordered from Albertsons, a supermarket chain in the Southwest. This particular white cake had a buttercream frosting and was moist and delicious. The wedding was beautiful and my new sister in law is an angel. I love you guys!

Mi Cocina

DALLAS, TX - Some people in New York like to complain they cannot find great Tex Mex in the city. Some people may say what the heck is Tex Mex. I say if you want great Tex Mex you have to go to Texas and you have to go to Mi Cocina. The cuisine that would come to be called Tex-Mex actually originated with Tejanos (Texans of Hispanic descent) as a hybrid of Spanish and native Mexican foods when Texas was part of New Spain and later Mexico.

I’ve heard there is a restaurant of the same name in the West Village in NYC but it is not affiliated with the Texas chain and I believe they closed recently anyways. Since 1991, Mi Cocina has been one of the best traditional Tex-Mex restaurants in Dallas. Our usual location is the first and original on Preston and Forest. It is just one of 15 locations distributed throughout the metroplex. All locations are worth a visit since no two Mi Cocinas look alike for the reason that they are designed to fit in with the neighborhood.

Kevin and I have begun a tradition of returning here with his mom and sister each time we revisit Dallas. The food is always delicious and fresh. The tortilla chips are crisp, but not greasy. For some, the salsa may be on the hot side of delicious. My order of enchiladas included two spinach and one cheese for a total of 9.95, it is a deal good enough to eat every day. The cheese oozes from each corner of the tortillas and practically off the plate.

Kevin and Debbie split Ernie’s chicken which cost 13.95. A hot plate filled with marinated grilled chicken breast topped with queso and crema, served with guacamole, rice, and pico de gallo was finished with no complaints. With so many choices here I always look forward to my next visit, but I already know next time I will copy Karin’s order of fresh veggie quesadillas.

PJ Clarke’s

PJ Clarke’s has been a New York fixture since 1884 and the original location at 915 3rd Avenue (55th Street) still provides an authentic city experience. Frank Sinatra, Elizabeth Taylor, Buddy Holly and Jackie O are just some of the well known celebrity’s that made PJ Clarke’s a regular late night stop. Today, you can find PJ’s at three different locations around the city, the original location, Lincoln Center and my usual location in the World Financial Center.

With Dr. Brown in town we needed a quick lunch after returning from an exhibition game at the new Yankee Stadium and before he had to head out to a wedding. With PJ Clarke’s just a few blocks from his hotel this became the most logical spot for us to go and I am glad we did. I have always enjoyed the food, particularly the burger, and to see the historical aspect of this building and location provided a whole new experience. I had the French Onion soup, which is one of the best I have ever had and we split a Reuben Sandwich, also very good. Not exactly an inexpensive restaurant but we were pleased to get in and out for lunch with a bill under $30. I would recommend going to any of the PJ Clarke’s locations for the food, but you have to check out the original location to get the authentic old time New York vibe.

And to finish, a pic of me, my sister Christine and Dad (Dr. Brown) at the game, I like the people in the background of this picture.

Cellini

There are certain restaurants in the city that one may never patron without the promise of someone else paying the bill. Cellini is one of those. Usually this leads to an amazing meal and experience that you can’t wait to go back for but this does not accurately describe Cellini.

Kevin’s family was in town for a wedding and invited us to this restaurant Friday night. The atmosphere was quaint and the service was above average. The wine menu provided all the necessary choices and the Italian menu brags of a flair for home cooking. We had many daily specials to choose from, including a variety of pastas, fish and meat. A complimentary plate of antipasto was on the table when we arrived to include brushetta, olives and cheese which I truly enjoyed. We started by sharing the Alla Cesare consisting of hearts of romaine, classic caesar dressing, focaccia croutons and parmesan cheese which Kevin and I agreed was completely bland. For the main course Kevin and I chose from the daily specials menu. He had the Mushroom Ravioli which was freshly made and enjoyable. I ordered the Sea Bass which was plain and lacked much flavor. I didn’t finish the dish and this is against everything I believe in so you know it wasn’t that good.

The company is what makes the meal, so in that sense we loved this place. Dining with Susan and David and the opportunity to meet a few members of Susan’s family made the experience wonderful. There wasn’t anything terrible about this meal however nothing memorable either. Cellini is located in Midtown East at 65 E 54th Street and I would place it in the category that is very common for this area, a place trying to have a family run restaurant feel but in actuality is part of a larger restaurant conglomerate.

Terrace Fish & Chip

This place is right across the street from our offices in the Financial District on the corner of Stone Street, the actual address is 77 Pearl Street. It is a walk up with no seating and on this particular rainy Friday there is a line out the door.

I have been here before and now remember why it has been two years since I last ordered from here, not a fan. I stuck to the Fish & Chips, the “C5” to be exact which is Flounder and Shrimp. Its two large pieces of Flounder and four Shrimp. By the time I got it back to the office everything was cold, lots of grease and nice foul odor for all in my office to experience for the rest of the day. I have found plenty of positive reviews on this place and Robb is a bigger fan than me, so it may just be my occasional issues with fish leading to a bad experience today.

Next week is a vacation to Dallas, so a week of Tex-Mex and Bar-B-Q to post about. Go4Kb.