The *New* Standard - East Side

There's a very small amount of automated mail I actually enjoy seeing show up in my inbox, and new restaurant openings is one of them. This week, I found out there's a new Standard Hotel in the East Village and with that, a new restaurant.

The Standard Grille in the Meatpacking district somehow became a go-to restaurant for CT and I for celebrating. We've celebrated his birthday and our 4 year anniversary there.

I live on the east side, so I'm very excited to hear that a new restaurant from the same group as one of my favorites is opening up in my neighborhood. Narcissa, will be another farm-to-table restaurant sourcing responsibly to hit New York and pulling produce and dairy products from hotelier Andre Balazs's farm Locusts-on-Hudson. Funny enough, the name of the restaurants comes from the very cow supplying their dairy products, Narcissa. 

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California raised chef, John Fraser’s will bring a stylistic approach to roasting, rotisserie and slow-cooking that is getting quite a lot of buzz for the restaurant. I've been on a huge fennel kick recently, so I'm excited to see fennel interspersed throughout the menu. Toasted fennel cheesecake should be interesting! 

Here's what I've got on our must-have list:

Appetizers

Otisserie-Crisped Beets Bulgur Salad, Apples, Creamed Horseradish 

Raw Tuna Cucumber-Basil Water, Salsify, Jalapeño Relish

Rotisserie-Grilled Sweet Potato Jerk Spices, Peppers, Tofu Aioli

Main

Whole Rotisserie Branzino Fennel, Arugula, Soft Herb Vinaigrette

Lacquered Duck Breast Gingered Butternut Squash, Cranberries\

Desert

Toasted Fennel Cheesecake

a new brunch favorite / boulton & watt

With there being a new and different restaurant pretty much every 10 steps you take in the city, I have to give Boulton & Watt credit for grabbing my attention when I walked by. The LES Gastropub's industrial design is cozy yet hip and exudes energy with the open air seating.

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At the top of my list of brunch favorites is the sautéed spinach, house-made chorizo and pork sausage, with siracha hollandaise. This is seriously the best benedict I've ever had (beating our Jane's and Friend of a Farmer's crab cake benedicts).

The cauliflower souffle and mixed greens are another favorite.

The mimosas are made with fresh orange juice and only $5 which is a nice treat from the usual $14 price at other places.

I also loved the cheddar grits and CT was obsessed with his braised short rib benedict.

I went the other night for drinks and discovered a new affordable great wine - Alta Vista Classic Malbec. Malbecs are a great choice of red wine when you're out if you want an affordable red with big taste. I loved this wine because it was jammy and juicy at first with a tannic finish.

New York Spots To Try

One of my favorite things about being in a city like New York are that there are so many restaurants to try. Surprisingly, it's actually pretty hard to find a great restaurant based just upon Yelp and OpenTable reviews, which is why I've been relying on friends suggestions...and why I'm sharing my favorites with you.

Upstate (EAST VILLAGE)- I lucked out and this restaurant is right down the street from my apartment making it one of my go-tos. I love their fresh oysters, happy hour deal (1/2 dozen oysters and a beer for $12 from 5-7), and the fact that their specials switch up since they order daily from the market.

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My favorite from this visit were are of course the oysters, the 1/2 cheese and 1/2 meat plate, and the crab cake special. The special was TO DIE FOR. Which is huge for me to say, since I'm really not a crab cake fan.

Apotheke (Chinatown) - My very trendy friend (thanks Sarah) introduced me to this place in Chinatown. We went there first on a Wednesday during their Prohibition night complete with a password entry, jazz and classic drinks (highly recommend the Peg Flip).

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This past weekend, we went and got the Deal Closer. It was delicious, light and fresh and so delicious that we drank ours too fast for me to get a picture, so here's one from the bar's Facebook page. (Yes, it was that good)

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The Standard Grill (Meatpacking District)  - This last spot was a recommendation from a coworker.

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My picks from this spot - are the oysters , the scallops and the lamb paired with the Melville Pinot Noir.

Would love to hear if you have any recommendations of New York places to try!