Gal-entine's Day
Revisited Upstate with my cousin for an early dinner, and grabbed drinks and dessert for the latter half of happy hour at Prima nearby. I know I had just gone a few weeks ago, but cannot get over the great prices at Upstate! Three dishes and two glasses of cava later (as well as the complimentary slices of whiskey cake), our bill came out to be less than $80, though we were both full beyond belief.
Also, daily happy hour at Prima from 5-7! Their cocktails definitely fall under my short list of favorites (while the rest of that list mostly consists of speakeasies/lounges) and they are 50% off during happy hour, which comes out to be $5-5.50 a drink. Amazing, right?
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| Salmon tartare from Upstate - We also ordered the fettuccine with clams and the skate, both of which can be seen in my last post here Vanilla panna cotta, raspberries, passion fruit sauce, almond crisp Drinks: The Last Cocktail, gin, pear puree, rosemary, lemon, clove dust; Prima Mimosa, lillet blanc, raspberry puree, yuzu juice, rose water, prosecco |
Post V-Day Celebrations
Opted for a relaxed, boozy brunch the next afternoon where the boyfriend and I decided to check out El Camion, a lively Mexican restaurant down in the Lower East Side. Brunch entrees come with a coffee and a choice of cocktail, something almost unheard of in the city of Manhattan. In fact, for our entire meal, the bill came out of be around $25, tax and tip included. Definitely one of the best brunch deals I have tried by far.
We both decided to go with their margaritas, which came frozen and delicious, though also pretty potent. The food was also very good, and not because of the alcohol consumed - I definitely hope to go back sometime for their happy hour and tacos.
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| My blood orange margarita, his mango margarita - I really enjoyed the citrus-y blend of mine, but it did taste more like a regular margarita, as opposed to the mango one which was very sweet and tasted similar to a smoothie Top: Chicken chilaquiles, shredded chicken, cheese, tortilla chips, scrambled eggs, salsa verde, pico de gallo, crema Bottom: Huevos diablos, poached eggs atop habanero corn muffins with carnitas, chipotle hollandaise, homefries |
Was also able to make up Valentine's Day dinner with the ever-so-gracious boyfriend and we chose L'Apicio for the occasion. I was extremely excited for this meal, as I am a huge fan of its sister restaurants, L'Artusi and DellA'nima. The location was much bigger and the decor was beautiful with exposed brick walls and floor to ceiling french doors. However, the food fell short of expectations and at the end of the meal, we both agreed that we wouldn't be back anytime soon.
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| View from our table |
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| Complimentary bread and olive oil; fresh ricotta with orange marmalade and crackers - my favorite ricotta is still Barbuzzo's |
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| Grilled Squid, chickpeas, lemon - the ratio of squid to chickpeas seemed a bit off... Garganelli Verde, lamb bolognese, pecorino - pasta was very fresh and al dente, but the bolognese was rather dry and overpowering Hangar Steak, cooked medium rare, tuscan fries - fries were good, steak was very chewy and did not have great flavor |
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| Vanilla Semifreddo, pineapple compote, amaretti macaron, passion fruit sorbet, macadamia coconut brittle Hazelnut Chocolate Ice Cream Cake, salted caramel gelato, praline-hazelnut crunch The dessert menu looked very promising, which is why we decided to order two items - however, both were extremely sweet and we could finish neither one |
It might also be worth mentioning that we decided to try the restaurant's $35 Sunday prix-fixe menu, which was probably where most of our disappointment stemmed from (grilled squid, garganelli, choice of dessert). If we were to redo our choices, I would personally skip the Sunday menu options and order their other pastas and appetizers.
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| Also: thank you to the best boyfriend ever for these amazing flowers :) |
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