JUST NOT MAINSTREAM

Last month I was invited by a friend to the friends and family opening of a new spot Jue Lan Club - pronounced u lan, located in the old limelight building on 20th and Avenue of Americas. Because I used to work as a bartender in Chateau Cherbuliez which also made its home under the same roof at one point, I was curious to see what had become of the space. Approaching the space I noticed the courtyard space had been reorganized, and upon entering the building I noticed a warm

Going out for Thanksgiving dinner is amazing: you get all the camaraderie and none of the clean-up. Being the most work-intensive meal of the year, especially in our small NYC kitchens, we are thankful for cozy fireplace bars slinging fall cocktails, bakeries which deliver the best pies and restaurants open on Thanksgiving serving dinner. For a hassle-free holiday, head to one of these local restaurants serving your favorite turkey feast. Bowery Meat Company - East Village $$

After exploring midtown last night, my girlfriend and I wanted to grab a bite to eat so we decided to go see a friend's restaurant in Turtle Bay which we both haden't been to in a while. Located on East 52nd Street and 2nd Ave, La Cava is a woody wine bar with Old World & California wines, plus simple eats & an all-you-can-drink brunch. When walking into La Cava you feel a very cozy ambiance, especially with the cold weather coming around. The bar and tables were packed but

If you are a beer connoisseur as I, you will appreciate a pub with a large variety of beers to select from. I ran across The Ginger Man a while ago, so when Tal asked me where I wanted to go for our date night last night the idea of 70 drafts and over 150 bottles left no other choice. Being a Wednesday night at 11:30PM it was very chill. There were a total of about 10 people there ( including us). The lights dimmed low, and the music wasn't too loud, it was very easy for Tal

Last night I made plans with an old friend who I haven't seen in months. He quickly suggested Ippudo which sounded farmiliar to me but I didnt realize where we were meeting till I arrived. Ippudo is a Japanese Ramen Noodle Brasserie located in the East Village ( on 4th Avenue between East 9th and 10th Streets). The wait for our table was an hour and a half, so we just sat at the bar waiting and caught up on the long gone summer months. Finally his name was called and we were

Cariño Restaurant and Cantina is a block away from where I live. Somehow I have managed to walk right past it for the past 8 months when going to one of my favorite local bars, but this past Halloween night, my best friend’s hunger lured us in. Now for some reason we were the only ones daring enough to dress up (as nerds by the way) and venture into this little cantina, but boy was it worth it. The place was cozily lit and quite packed, DJ spinning a mix of pop and latin hits