I had two nearly perfect espressos (or espressi) on Sunday within two hours. This may not seem to be of monumental significance, but I assure you that in Manhattan -- island of the $4 shot of bitter, watery, often tepid insult that careless baristi serve and have the nerve to ...

Friday night was just gorgeous, somewhere around 80ºF, sunny and with a light breeze. I met Will in Nolita so we could have dinner at one of our favourite outdoor spots: the garden at Le Jardin Bistro. Le Jardin Bistro is an unassuming French restaurant on a little block called ...

Screenshot: Lure Fishbar I’ve only been once, because getting out of the office in time for Happy Hour is next to impossible, but the one time I did make it to Lure Fishbar was impressive enough to make me lament this fact. Monday through Friday, 5pm to 7pm, Lure offers discounted bar snacks, including $1 oysters and clams, $4 crispy calamari and $5 lobster croutons, as well as $4-$5...

Screenshot: Le Bateau Ivre After drinks at Mica Bar yesterday evening for a friend’s birthday, Will and I went a few doors down to Le Bateau Ivre , a very French wine bar and bistro on East 51st Street. We had been here once before, on a Saturday afternoon last ...

The Grandaisy pear tart… Although I had bought their bread at Whole Foods , I had never before been to the celebrated Sullivan Street Bakery down in Soho — and I guess I never will. Sometime this year the partners at Sullivan Street split , with Jim Lahey taking the ...

... of restaurants), consists of two rooms. In the intimate dining room in the back, they serve a three...

... a busboy or waiter around to pour water, clear unnecessary dishes and pull out the table the moment...

... beginning after midnight — and at each point have found the immense dining hall and adjacent bar ... of the room are available. There were tables in the dining room and seats along the bar. We snagged one ... waiting it out and leaving, we noticed the bar area beginning to fill up again with the after-work crowd ... it. As soon as the chicken comes out of the oven, someone brings it to the table, still in its copper...

... then decided we never get a chance to hang out in NYC, eating, drinking and acting like tourists. We kicked ... . They brought out an earthiness to the wine too, which was also very fine. It had backbone enough to stand...

Screenshot: Babbo Over the last couple of years, Will and I have, with a few exceptions, been shying away from big, formal prix fixe dinners, in favor of dining at the bar or ordering à la carte and sharing our food. For one thing, prix fixe meals at top tier restaurants are expensive. Before ... taking their leftovers home. We were seated in the upstairs dining room, a first for me. This room...