Happy & Full

Sapporo

Sapporo
152 W 49th St
(between Avenue Of The Americas & 7th Ave)
New York, NY 10019

I love ramen noodles!  Not just because it is one of the easiest things to make or the fact that I ate it a lot for dinner on those late night study sessions during college or that it comes in multiple flavors. But because it's noodles and soup!  Shaun has learned how to use chopsticks really well now, so I thought it might be time for him to show of his skills at eating ramen.  We tried some cold sake which was really smooth but strong (we couldn't finish the whole bottle).

I chose the Mabo Ramen with minced pork and bean curd.

Shaun had the Vegetable Ramen.


Fried squid

This isn't one of the more decorative and expensive restaurants that you will find in Midtown, rather it is the complete opposite.  If you are looking for ramen and a quick bite to eat in Midtown, this is the place to go.  The service is fast and the food is good.

Big Daddy's Restaurant

Big Daddy's Restaurant
1 Park Lane
Massapequa, NY  11758

The sign outside reads, "Put Some South in Yer Mouth"!  How could we possibly resist?!  Big Daddy's Restaurant was buzzing with people but luckily we got there just before it became extremely crowded.  We were seated immediately and the service continued to be great throughout our dinner.  This is definitely a plus in my book. We drank from mason jars and had some bread and butter while we talked.

Billy Carter's Crawfish, crawfish tails sauteed in a medium spiced peanut honey sauce.  After tasting this dish, I tried to decide if I liked this combination of flavors, but after a few more bites decided that it wasn't entirely unlikable.  I think what really caught be off guard was the sweetness of this dish, because when you think of crawfish you think of a savory taste.  However, Shaun liked his first experience with crawfish very much.

I had the pulled pork po'boy sandwich which is pulled pork seasoned and slow smoked, on a French bread hero, and "Fully Dressed" with a vinegar slaw and Carolina BBQ sauce.  YUM!  The vinegar slaw and BBQ sauce is what really made this sandwich so delicious.

Shaun had the blackened catfish po'boy sandwich which was also served on a French bread hero and "Fully Dressed" with vinegar slaw and chipotle sour cream salsa. Double YUM! 

This was truly a great find!  Shaun always does such a good job at finding restaurants with unique characteristics and food that makes you want to return often.  They feature New Orleans cuisine and Southern pit style barbecue.  We will have to go back to try the barbecue next time.  Shaun and I highly recommend it for great New Orleans style food, decor, and just a plain old good time.

Alta for Valentine's Day

Alta
64 West 10th Street
New York, NY  10011

Shaun and I keep returning to Alta because of our attachment to its amazing food, warm rustic decor, great hospitality, and sentimental value.  I always reminisce about the day he asked me to be his girlfriend when we come here for dinner.  We are never disappointed by the delicious food!  We're especially delighted when we find a new dish on the menu to try.  It is a dinner perfect date and I have the best company to top it off!

I started dinner with a White Sangria which definitely quickened my pulse and gave me the Asian glow, but it tasted so good and was very refreshing.

The Fried Goat Cheese with lavender infused honey is always at the top of our list of favorites and a must order dish.  It's crispy on the outside and warm goat cheese goodness on the inside.

The Coca (Catalonian Flatbread) with oven roasted mushrooms, fresh ricotta, truffled boschetto, and herbs is so flavorful that your taste buds will be awaken by all the fresh herbs.

The White Truffle & Porcini Deviled Eggs with mixed field greens, and celery root crisps is a very light and airy dish.  The celery root crisps are yum!

This was our second favorite dish of the night! The Ricotta Parmesan Gnocchi with parsnip lemon puree, Prosecco almond espuma, and celery leaves was an explosion of flavors.  The gnocchi is so good, it melts in your mouth!

The Crispy Striped Bass with black olive puree, pickled fennel, pumpkin seed oil, anise air, and micro mesclun is a combination that really works well together.  I think that the most interesting part of this dish was the pickled fennel; it is a vegetable that we haven't had before.

The Smoked Mozarella with fried basil was like pizza on a skewer!


What would Valentine's Day be without dinner at Alta?  I don't want to find out; I love Alta!

After a fantastic meal, we headed over to Comic Strip Live for a great lineup of comedians. Ray Ellin hosted the show with comedians: Marina Franklin, Sherrod Small, Kevin Brennan, and Brian McFadden. It was the perfect end to a perfect Valentine's Day.

Kiss'o

Kiss'o Japanese Restaurant
1532 Union Turnpike
New Hyde Park, NY  11040

Are you looking for some unique and delicious Japanese cuisine?  Well, you have come to the right place.  This was our second time at Kiss'o and it was even better than the first time!  The decor is very nice and the ceiling panels are quite beautiful.  We treated ourselves to some drinks, mango bubble tea and Sapporo Reserve.

    

For an appetizer, we choose the Softshell Crabs (deep-fried softshell crab with ponzu sauce).  It was so absolutely delicious, soft, and crunchy!

Crispy Salmon Skin with a little salad and ponzu sauce.

Spicy Yellow Tail Roll (seasoned yellowtail with scallion, tobiko, cucumber and spicy mayo) and Dinosaur Roll.

H & H Double Spicy Roll, our favorite roll of the night!  Just look at the presentation...

The Fried Cheese Cake was so melt in your mouth yummy goodness!

Is your mouth watering yet?  Mine is just from writing about our dinner experience at Kiss'o.  The hospitality is great and the food is so fresh and flavorful.  I highly recommend Kiss'o any time you are craving Japanese food.