Wannabe Chef Steph

This is part two of my New York City adventure last weekend!  Following our delicious lunch at  Nha Trang, reviewed in my last blog post, we did a bit of shopping and had a fun night in SoHo at Puck Fair and 310 Lounge.  The next day our schedule included a trip to the Guggenheim, walk around central park, drinks at Bella Blu and finally dinner at Elettaria.

At the Guggenheim

Before we could really get started with our day, we obviously had to eat;) so our first stop was brunch at the Popover Cafe (551 Amsterdam). It was only my second visit, but it has easily become one of my favorite brunch places ever!  Not only do they have an awesome breakfast selection, but they have fantastic sandwiches too.  Of course we started off with a few baskets of thier namesake pastery, popovers, along with apple butter, preserves and homemade strawberry butter. They are great because they are served crunchy on the outside and warm and custardy on the inside.  A perfect start to our day!

The Popover Cafe

Enjoying the popovers!

Deciding what to order is always tough at the Popover Cafe because there are so many options, so I made things easier on myself choosing two dishes and sharing with a friend.  We ordered the Sweet William sandwich on rye (Melted gruyere, black forest ham, pear, watercress and Russian dressing) and the Crab, Sauteed Mushroom, Asparagus, Chive and Hollandaise Omelette (with Jarlsberg cheese, diced fresh tomato, scallion and fresh basil).

The Sweet William

The sandwich was delicious, both savory with the ham and Gruyere and sweet with the Russian dressing and pear.  The only minor change I would make to the sandwich is the salt level, I would prefer a bit less, though it may be a product of the ham and cheese.  The Crab omelette was also very tasty, huge pieces of lump crab meat and crisp asparagus, complemented by a lemony Hollandaise.  Also a favorite among our group was the Eggs Benedict Arnold dish, served in a popover.

Eggs Benedict Arnold

Overall review (1=poor-10=excellent):

Atmosphere (6):  Cozy but tight

Service (7): Despite having a group of ten, we had good service

Price (7): Definitely affordable prices

Menu variety (9):  A great variety of brunch, lunch and dinner dishes with interesting ingredients and pairings

Taste (9): All of the food we ordered was great!  My favorite was the Eggs Benedict Arnold, and of course the popovers with strawberry butter.

Overall, I highly recommend the Popover Cafe to anyone looking for a great brunch spot on the Upper West Side.  Have fun picking from the vast menu but definitely make sure you try a popover or two!

Blooms in Central Park

Following brunch, our trip to the the Guggenheim and a walk through Central Park, we went to Bella Blu (967 Lexington Ave) for Drinks.   We basically just happened upon it while we were walking around but coincidentally one of my friends knew someone who worked there.  Technically we didn’t eat there so I don’t have a review of the food, but we had a great time all the same.

Bella Blu

When we arrived at Bella Blu it actually wasn’t open yet, though we were welcomed with open arms and made to feel completely at home.

Our waiter Cornelius serving an Espresso Martini

We loved our waiter, Cornelius, he made the most amazing Van Gough Espresso martinis with Effen cherry-flavored liquor.  Dessert in a glass!  While sitting at the bar we were also given complementary pizza bread, which was tremendous.  Soft homemade pizza dough topped with fresh and tangy tomato sauce.  A nice unexpected treat!

Enjoying the cocktails!

Though we didn’t have the opportunity to eat lunch or dinner there, I really liked the atmosphere and service, not to mention the pizza bread and martinis!  I look forward to making a trip back next time I’m in NYC.

So what is your favorite happy hour spot in NYC?  What interesting cocktails have you enjoyed lately?

I will write one more post in my NYC trip series covering our birthday dinner at Elettaria.  Can’t wait to share the review and pictures!