The Sundry Tomatoes

RESTAURANT:  In my kitchen DATE: May 2015 LOCATION: you don't need to know where I live My boyfriend won't eat anything I make, except for a key lime pie. My best friend tried to sign me up for  Worst Cooks in America . They're jerks. I've lived alone for 5 years, I rarely order take out and yes some of my meals have been a little bit of a half-assed effort, but I've made due just fine, thank you very much. Having said that I don't really enjoy the process of cooking, I want it to be done fast so I can watch my stories on TV. But usually fast meals aren't good meals. I love the supermarket but it overwhelms me, the options are infinite and I can never figure out a menu plan for myself. It usually ends in me making myself beans and ground beef chili and eating it for a whole week! In  any case  I thought it was time I try one of those curated recipe/grocery delivery services that are so popular with the  millennials  these days.  ...

RESTAURANT:  City Kitchen DATE: March 10, 2015 LOCATION: 700 8th Avenue at 44th Street This month's dinner roulette spun to me, and for the life of me, I could not decide what I wanted to eat or where to go.  Usually the premise of our dinners are to try places we (or at least the picker) have not been to before.  With this long and cold winter, I was craving a bowl of warm soup and ramen noodles.  Ippudo in the East Village is one of my favs... so I considered bending the rule by revisiting this noodleshop namesake by checking out their midtown west location, since technically I have not ventured that spot yet.  Just when I was ready to pull the trigger on my ramen pick, I was also craving tacos.  I couldn't make up my mind or stomach, so I kept searching endlessly, waiting for that a-ha moment of clarity. City Kitchen was the perfect solution to my indecisive appetite!  While it's not fine dining, this is not your mall food cour...

RESTAURANT:   City Kitchen   DATE: March 10, 2015 LOCATION:  700 8th Avenue at  44th Street It's been a long harsh winter. I lie it's been a mild winter, everyone just likes to whine about it like they've never seen winter before. But the days are getting warmer and longer and that means I am more excited to go outside and stuff my face instead of rushing home to put on 7 sweaters. Yesterday's dinning selection was  City Kitchen . The best way to describe it is a "gourmet food court." The 2nd floor location on 8th avenue houses six dining options (all pop up versions of their brick and mortars), along with two desserts kiosks and one pretzel stand.  I planned before hand to have Gabriela's tacos. But when I saw the size of the taco and the size of the price tag, I decided that $6 was not worth a small 2-bite taco. While three of us waited for our 4th member of the food absorption committee, we witnessed many people get these long sort ...

RESTAURANT:  Mexicue DATE: Dec. 16th, 2014 LOCATION: 1440 Broadway, NY, NY 10036 (40th Street between Broadway & 6th Ave.) Happy New Year, Happy 2015!!   I can't wait to see what eats lie ahead this year.   But since it's only the second day of the new year, this post will be about the most recent place I ate out at and really just can't wait to go back to. Where?   To Mexicue!   Esther and I had made plans to meet up for dinner a few weeks ago, before the holidays got really crazed.   I've been curious for awhile about a few places, like Mexicue and Tres Carnes.   Tres Carnes is closer to where I work so I was leaning towards there at first, but Esther had already been to Mexicue and was aching to go back.   I could taste now why she was so antsy to revisit Mexicue instead of trying something new.   We went to the Times Square location and it was such a cute and charming spot on the outskirts of tourist central. ...

RESTAURANT:  Kashkaval Garden DATE: Dec. 9th, 2014 LOCATION: 852 9th Avenue, New York, NY 10019 (9th Ave between 55th & 56th St.) Fast forward past this fall's picks... as I was away on vacation, missing the November dinner.  In October, we went to Umami Burger, which has already been reviewed by Vivian here .  I can only concur with her rave... so *thumbs up* Umami!  While it's easy to become quite burger snobbish and overly critical in the competition of great NYC burgers, Umami wins points for taste and quality, earning a rank within the league of NYC burger-dom.  Ahh but I've digressed as this review is not about Umami... For our end of the year dinner, our group went to Kashkaval Garden in the west side on 9th Ave.  The place is a bit narrow and snug, but our reservation got us a nice private wooden booth in the back of the restaurant.  I was a little skeptical initially about having Mediterranean tapas for a winter gatheri...

RESTAURANT:  Red Hook Lobster Pound DATE: Aug. 12th, 2014 LOCATION: 16 Extra Pl, New York, NY 10003 My summer eats seemed to keep circulating back to the East Village.  There are just so many places to eat in the village.  Our designated dinner in August was at Red Hook Lobster (Manhattan location).  I'm fair in knowing our NYC neighborhoods and generally getting around, but I had no clue where Extra Place was until I Google mapped it.  This is a hidden spot that would be hard to find if you are just strolling around.  Red Hook Lobster is down an alley street on 1st Street, between Bowery and 2nd Avenue.   Luckily I did manage to find this place without too much trouble  (thank you smart phone maps) .  It's too bad it was a rainy day, so we did not get to enjoy sitting out at the outdoor patio, which otherwise would've been enjoyable for a summer day.  But just like their outdoor dining area, the inside is simple yet colorful wit...