The Flatiron Room : https://theflatironroom.com/ Address : 9 East 37th Street, New York NY 10016 The Menu : https://theflatironroom.com/murray-hill-food-menu/ Quick Bites We highly recommend taking a trip to The Flatiron Room. The food itself is very solid! The steak that we tried can go toe-to-toe with any of the other well-known steakhouses in NYC. The other dishes we tried varied a bit more in taste and quality, but overall we felt like they were pretty good. What really sets this place apart is the atmosphere and vibes, enhanced by live music. It's not easy to get a perfect combination of good food and amazing live music that just makes for a really magical and romantic night - but we think The Flatiron Room really hit the nail on the head! We've tried a number of great restaurants in NYC to date, and we feel like The Flatiron Room might be in the conversation for a Top 5 restaurant, or at least very close to it! The Setting The restaurant itself was a very clean, modern, and romantic setting. Near the middle of the restaurant there was a small stage where a small band performed for much of the night. This was definitely the key piece to our experience, and made for 10/10 vibes in our books! The Service The service was solid! Upon arrival, the staff directed us to a booth so we could sit next to each other (per our reservation request). The booth also happened to be right next to the main stage where the live music was (not per our request, but we were definitely happy with our seats!). No complaints here! The staff were attentive, and even the manager stopped by to check in on us too. Roasted Bone Marrow   First up came the Roasted Bone Marrow appetizer, which included house-made focaccia bread to pair with the bone marrow. B, who is generally a fan of bone marrow, wasn't super impressed with this dish. J, who never had bone marrow in his life, also felt like the dish was just "meh" and definitely didn't do anything to convert him. Maybe we should have tried the Crab Cake or the Bourbon BBQ Meatballs, which were the other two appetizer options we thought about before we took the plunge for the Roasted Bone Marrow. 14oz Angus Strip & Colossal Shrimp Pasta First, the 14oz Angus Strip! This steak was very well done, and by well done we mean deliciously cooked to a nice medium rare, and accompanied by some chimichurri sauce and pink peppercorn sauce. The first bite into the steak was bliss, and the meat just melted in our mouths with all this delicious beefy flavor. The steak was seasoned very nicely, although maybe a tiny bit salty. The sauces were a great addition, and really elevated the steak which was already delicious on its own. We've been to quite a few top tier steakhouses here in NYC - and while we wouldn't say that The Flatiron Room surpasses any of those top tier steakhouses, it definitely has earned a place in the conversation.   And then came the pasta! The pasta itself was a spinach tonnarelli, which itself was a bit bland and generally "just alright." We found ourselves pouring some of our steak sauces onto the pasta to add a little flavor. But the shrimp was definitely the star of this plate - large and juicy and just overall delicious! All in all, this dish added a nice pasta and seafood contrast to the pure steak in our other entree, which was a nice change of pace. That said, the move might be to get both plates and share, because if you picked the pasta dish and were "stuck" with just the pasta dish, you might be a little jealous of that steak! 28 Layer Chocolate Cake And now, the 28 Layer Chocolate Cake! Yes you heard right! 28 layers! To be honest, this chocolate cake was a BIG part of why we decided to go to The Flatiron Room. And we also made sure to not order or eat too much before getting to dessert. In fact, we actually left a good chunk of the delicious Angus Strip steak to be brought home so that we had room in our tummies for the cake. And if you know us, you'll know that for us to not finish a delicious steak right then and there and to take a part of it home instead just so we had room for cake is a sign that we were super serious about eating that cake! We spotted the cake coming out of the kitchen, and we excitedly watched as the waiter brought it closer and closer to us. He placed the plate down on our table, and then began to pour 20 year old Armagnac chocolate sauce on top of the cake right before our very eyes. It was quite a show, and made our mouths water even more. Once he was done with the chocolate pour, he handed us our spoons and we were ready to dig in. So how was the cake? Well, it was definitely delicious! Admittedly not as sweet as we thought it would be, although probably not such a bad thing given just how huge the cake slice was. We were somewhat grateful that we didn't just introduce a metric ton of sugar into our bodies, but we also noted that the cake - while very tasty - didn't have that make-you-blissfully-melt-in-your-seat type of feeling that we've experienced with other dishes and desserts during our many dinner dates. Definitely would recommend it though. Very tasty and honestly it's worth it to experience at least once!

Sea Fire Grill: https://theseafiregrill.com/ Address: 158 East 48th Street, New York NY 10017 The Menu: https://theseafiregrill.com/menus/dinner/ Quick Bites We're going to get right to it! The two of us had an amazing Monday night seafood dinner experience at Sea Fire Grill in Midtown. Every part of our date night experience was incredible! We can't really think of a single miss, and we highly recommend this restaurant to all seafood lovers out there! The Setting Our reservation was pretty late on a Monday night, so the restaurant was fairly empty, only a few other tables were full. When we made the reservation, we asked to have a booth to ourselves so we could sit next to each other (and cuddle, aw!), and the staff at the restaurant were happy to oblige (I mean given how empty the restaurant was why wouldn't they be!?). The restaurant itself had a romantic feel to it, dimly lit and everything was just immaculate. What a great start to our evening! The Service The service was on point too! The staff were very attentive and provided us with some insight and recommendations on the menu. They checked in on us frequently and helped make our night one to remember! Pan Roasted Day Boat Scallops with Caviar Beurre Blanc Sauce It's not often that your first bite into an appetizer really blows you away. But this dish, wow, this really did it for us. It truly set the tone for an amazing night and we're happy to report that the high standards of this first dish were maintained throughout our dinner! So what was special about this dish? First, the scallops themselves were cooked perfectly, giving them a level of tenderness that we often don't see with scallops at other restaurants. But the real star of this dish was the Caviar Beurre Blanc sauce. The sauce was so wonderfully delicious that we cut up our scallops into tiny little bits and smothered each piece with sauce, all so that we could savor each bite. The sauce was so rich and velvety that once the scallops were done, we took leftover bread from our bread basket and dipped it into the sauce. The sauce was so good that if it were socially acceptable to lick our plates we probably would have. But that's not all! Because while the sauce itself was 10/10, it carried with it a secret bonus of caviar. Delicious caviar that provided a nice delightful burst of flavor that really elevated the buttery sauce. We could write more words describing how great this sauce was, but that would mean more reading for you and less time making a reservation to Sea Fire Grill and trying this appetizer out for yourselves! Squid Ink Spaghetti with Fresh Maine Lobster We also had the pleasure of indulging in the Squid Ink Pasta! The moment the plate arrived, we were immediately captivated by its dark & mysterious appearance. The pasta, glistened with an inky black sheen - we could tell we were in for a treat! The first bite was a revelation. There was a harmonious blend of the fresh, slightly briny taste of the sea, met with the comforting, familiar texture of perfectly cooked pasta. It was a delightful contrast that sent our taste buds on a roller coaster of exquisite flavors! Every morsel was packed with the divine richness of the sea, subtly balanced with garlic, olive oil, and chili flakes. The lingering taste of the dish was so delightful that we found ourselves savoring every bite and yet, longing for the next. It was a dish we would definitely order again, however, being adventurous foodies we are also eager to dive into something new and exciting on our next visit. We absolutely enjoyed the squid ink pasta as it was extraordinary. Whether you're a fan of seafood, pasta, or simply the thrill of trying new dishes, this is one we highly recommend. Sea Fire Grill Surf & Turf (12oz Filet Mignon, 2oz Lobster, 2oz Shrimp, 1oz King Crab) Another incredible dish! Sea Fire Grill's interpretation of a surf and turf had a thick juicy filet mignon (cooked medium rare of course) topped with a trio of some of the most delicious seafoods out there, all skewered together and presented as a rising tower. The filet was cooked perfectly and was juicy and tender. The shrimp was generously sized, perhaps what you might expect from a jumbo shrimp cocktail. The lobster claw and king crab leg meat were so expertly removed from their shells and topped with an incredible sauce. If you, like us, often find yourself at a seafood restaurant and you want to eat seafood (because why go to a seafood restaurant if you're not going to eat seafood!), but you're also craving a juicy steak, then you would be hard pressed to find something better than Sea Fire Grill's surf & turf!

Le Jardinier: https://lejardinier-nyc.com/ Address: 610 Lexington Avenue, New York NY 10022 The Menu: https://lejardinier-nyc.com/menus/dinner/ Quick Bites This Valentine's Day (our third Valentine's Day together!), the two of us had the pleasure of experiencing Le Jardinier, a French Michelin-starred restaurant. For this special occasion, we were offered a four-course set menu that was both sophisticated and delicious. It left us with huge smiles on our faces and so much good food in our bellies. We just had such a great time and we really recommend checking this place out, especially if you're looking to celebrate with a very special someone! The Setting Our first steps inside the restaurant and we could get a sense of the clean, modern, sophisticated, and romantic atmosphere. We could tell right from the start that we were in a Michelin-star restaurant! Only one small gripe, we were sat in a cramped row of tables near the center of the dining room sitting across from each other, as opposed to being off to the side in one of the more roomy booths where we could sit next to each other. If you couldn't already tell from our other blog posts, we love being able to cozily sit side-by-side at a restaurant! The Service Our night started off with a tiny hiccup as our table wasn't yet ready for our 8:30 reservation. We checked in on the ground floor, were told that our table would be on the 2nd floor, walked up to the 2nd floor, and then were told our table wasn't ready but that a table back on the first floor would be clearing up sooner. The staff gave us an option to either wait for our original table or go for the quicker table downstairs. We were pretty hungry so we opted to go back downstairs. After that though, the service was just great all around. The staff was very attentive and friendly - they would swing by multiple times to check in on us and to ensure our table was always clean of any crumbs. They even humored us when we jokingly tried to pass off J's deep hatred of mushrooms as a "food allergy." They wanted to know if his dislike of mushrooms was due to taste or texture (hint: it's the taste, the texture, the name, how it looks, how it's spelled, the fact that it's a fungus, literally everything, mushrooms have no redeeming qualities) and offered to remove truffles (the closest thing they had to mushrooms on the menu that night) from the dishes. We decided to keep the truffles, but still appreciated the wait staff taking our preferences seriously! First Course - Cured Hiramasa The first dish was cured Hiramasa fish wrapped in Jicama (a Mexican turnip), and topped with Royal Kaluga Caviar. The caviar gave the dish a special and luxurious feel to it, but overall this cold dish just wasn't our thing. It looked really beautiful and was skillfully put together, and we're sure other diners with different preferences would have loved it. Second Course - Ricotta Agnolotti with Black Truffle Our second course was Agnolotti (similar to ravioli) stuffed with ricotta cheese. A few shavings of black truffle topped this dish. While neither of us are big fans of truffle, we really enjoyed this dish. The Agnolotti and its accompanying sauce were really great! It was a good thing too, because we were a tiny bit worried that our experience at Le Jardinier would be so-so after not loving our first dish. This dish helped put some of those doubts to rest Main Course - Atlantic Cod & Grass Fed Beef Tenderloin With the main course, our dinner at Le Jardinier really hit its peak. Both the Atlantic Cod and the Beef Tenderloin were absolutely amazing! The Cod itself was cooked to perfection and was both flaky and tender, and was the clear star of the dish. The Salmon Roe that accompanied the fish popped in your mouth. The sauce (a yuzu buerre blanc) was also incredibly delicious and really elevated the dish to new heights! Every tender and juicy bite of fish was made so much better with the delicious sauce. The Tenderloin also WOW'd us! Perfectly cooked, juicy, tender, and so tasty! It came with some delicious and very thinly sliced potatoes as well as a nice onion soubise sauce. But the meat itself truly was a star. The two of us really love to explore a good NYC steakhouse every so often and this tenderloin can certainly compete with the best of them! Dessert And then came dessert! A perfect end to a perfect night in our opinions. We were treated to a sweet and creamy raspberry cheesecake mousse which topped a crispy and crunch chocolate sable cookie. A perfect blend of flavors and textures. The heart-shape also perfectly fit into the theme of love!

Strip House: https://www.striphouse.com/ Address: 15 W 44th Street, New York NY 10036 The Menu: https://www.striphouse.com/location/striphouse-midtown/#menus Quick Bites Last night, the two of us took a culinary journey to Strip House in Midtown! And since we adore both each other and yummy food, we couldn't have asked for a better evening! The food was great overall and the service was really solid as well. Would we recommend Strip House? Absolutely! It gets a hearty thumbs up from us. Whether you’re a food enthusiast or a couple looking for a cozy spot to enjoy a meal together, this place is a must-try! The Setting The only ever-so-slight miss during our trip to Strip House was where they sat us. See, this was our second ever trip to Strip House, with our first trip being two years ago in October 2021. During that first visit, we were seated on the first floor in a big comfy red booth (where we could sit next to each other!) and really unique decor. This time around, we were taken upstairs to an area that was a bit bland in comparison, and were also seated on a regular table where sometimes it just felt like we were worlds apart sitting across from each other. The experience wasn't necessarily bad - the warm lighting and coziness of it all still made it a great spot for a romantic night out where you can just enjoy great food, great company, and forget about the world outside. But it just could have been a tiny bit better if we were able to hog one of those huge comfy booths for ourselves! The Service No issues with the service here! The wait staff were all professional and attentive. We appreciated the waiter coming over to our table to refill our glasses with sparkling water with the bottle that was sitting right in front of us! Something as simple and easily done by ourselves, and the wait staff made sure to take care of it for us! Crabmeat Cocktail For our appetizer, we went with the Crabmeat Cocktail. We both kind of fixated on it because it's crab meat, and we often get shrimp cocktail as an appetizer in most restaurants we go to, so we figured we'd try something that gave us a new experience while also providing a sense of the familiar. Well, the Crabmeat Cocktail was alright. Not mind blowing or anything. Perhaps we somehow expected the crab to be juicier and more delicious than it was. The best we can really say about this appetizer is that it was crab meat, it was chilled, and it did a solid job delivering the more delicious cocktail sauce to our taste buds. It also came with a white sauce that we really only tried once or twice. 20oz Bone-In Ribeye (with Au Poivre), Miso Seabass, and Strip House Potatoes For the main attraction, we decided to do a little surf and turf by picking the 20oz Bone-In Ribeye and Miso Seabass and sharing each. Both were absolutely delicious! The sea bass was beautifully cooked, tender, flaky, and bursting with flavor. It was like a little oceanic symphony playing a delightful tune on our taste buds, and was a perfect compliment to the big juicy steak. And how about that steak! Done medium rare and cooked to perfection, oh, what a marvel it was! Each bite was a celebration of rich, meaty goodness that left us wanting more. We of course also chose to accompany the steak with some delicious Au Poivre sauce. Probably one of our favorite steak sauces and also probably the one we struggle to pronounce the most! We rounded out the two entrees with the Strip House Potatoes (potatoes au gratin). It was quite delicious! Compared to the Potatoes Au Gratin that we were served at Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steakhouse in Midtown, we appreciated that the cheesy flavor was a bit more toned down - you could certainly taste it but it wasn't as powerful and overwhelming as the dish at Del Frisco's. What About The Dessert? We'd love to say that we also had the dessert, but unfortunately we were too full after all the other delicious food that we ate. However, we can report that during our 2021 trip to Strip House, we did have room in our bellies for dessert and we ended up choosing the Cheesecake. And wow it was absolutely delicious! The oreo crust was SO good. Everything was incredibly tasty. Perhaps for round three we will forego the Crabmeat Cocktail and just make room for Cheesecake? Either way, we hope you enjoyed our quick review of Midtown's Strip House. Until our next food adventure, keep eating and loving!

File Gumbo Bar: https://filenyc.com/ Address: 275 Church Street, New York NY 10013 The Menu: https://filenyc.com/menus Quick Bites A few nights ago, we decided to squeeze in one more yummy dinner adventure together for 2023. Our goal was to try once more to explore the flavors of New Orleans right here in the heart of NYC. Back in September we had visited Alligator Pear in hopes to re-living the magical times we had in NOLA last year - but Alligator Pear left us wanting. We heard good things about File Gumbo Bar and decided to give it a try. The Setting We're guessing that it's called the File Gumbo Bar and not the File Gumbo Restaurant for a reason - our tables were right next to the bar and it felt too loud for much of the night. It was pretty difficult to hear what we were saying to each other, which put a slight dampener on our date night. This is definitely one area where Alligator Pear's choice of music and overall romantic vibe blows File Gumbo Bar away by miles. We could hardly hear the music at File, and even when we could it was pretty forgettable! The Service It's tough to say whether the service was good or bad, because while our waitress was MIA for periods of time, we were able to flag down another waiter who was working on other tables and he helped us get what we needed on a few occasions - whether it be extra bowls so that we could share each dish or boxes for our leftovers. So thank you other waiter! Iconic Jazzfest Crawfish Bread Our journey began with the Crawfish bread, which is essentially French bread with crawfish meat and other flavorful goodness on top. The smell from this dish was enticing, and the first bite confirmed it - this was the star of the evening! The bread was perfectly toasted, providing a satisfying crunch, while the crawfish was flavorful. This appetizer was definitely a good first start for our night. Andouille and Shrimp Jambalaya & Tiny's "All In" Gumbo For our main course, we decided to share both the Andouille and Shrimp Jambalaya and the Tiny's Gumbo. For the Gumbo - we were given the choice of Chicken with Andouille Sausage or Crab and Shrimp. Or, better yet, the All In which has all four ingredients included. So obviously we picked the All In - how could you not? First up was the Jambalaya. First bite into it and it was decent but not great. It just didn't quite hit the mark and lacked the wow factor we were hoping for - the same feeling we got enjoying NOLA's incredible cuisine right in the motherland last year. Nothing was bad about the dish - the shrimp and sausage were pretty good but overall the dish just didn't pop as much as we were hoping for. Next up was the Gumbo, which we both had high hopes for. Unfortunately, going with the same theme as the Jambalaya, the Gumbo did not stand out. We found it to be somewhat bland, missing all the expectations we associate with good gumbo. Beignets & Ice Cream Finally, we ended our meal with Beignets and Ice Cream for dessert. The Beignets felt average, nether disappointing nor impressing us. They were flavorful with plenty of powdered sugar, but they also felt a bit too tough and chewy, almost like biting into an old bagel. Interestingly enough, even the ice cream was a bit harder than expected, even if delicious. When combined together though, the melted ice cream formed a sugary glaze on the Beignets that was quite delicious. They definitely pair better together! So How Did File Gumbo Bar Stand Up to NOLA's Best? It seems like when you're experiencing NOLA cuisine you've got to have some combination of crawfish, jambalaya, etouffee, red beans & rice, gumbo, and/or beignets. So in that regard we're pretty pleased with the fact that we checked off a good number of those boxes on one sitting. In our humble opinions, if you're going to judge a restaurant on how well it does NOLA, you've got to judge it off of some of those signature dishes! The File Gumbo Bar did have its highs (hello, Crawfish bread!), but it also had its misses where we just didn't feel blown away. That said, while there was nothing bad (at least the food wasn't too salty like at Alligator Pear!) about our experience at File Gumbo Bar, it made us realize more and more that for the two of us to truly experience the magic of NOLA again, we're going to have to make another trip down to NOLA. Which is fine, a place like File Gumbo Bar can still give you a taste of good old NOLA cuisine and bring back those great memories, but it won't be a substitute to actually taking a trip down there. Still, it's always so fun to explore different cuisines and taste new dishes together. Here's hoping that NYC steps up its gumbo game soon! Until then, we'll keep exploring and enjoying the city's diverse culinary scene in 2024 and beyond! Stay tuned for more food adventures!

Alligator Pear: https://www.alligatorpearnyc.com/ Address: 150 W 30th Street, New York NY 10001 The Menu: https://www.alligatorpearnyc.com/menus/ (Not So) Quick Bites First a little background story! So the two of us had a wonderful trip down in New Orleans back in May 2022. It was honestly a magical time for us and we have such fond memories of the city - but what really stuck out about New Orleans was the delicious food. Our first meal there absolutely lit up the taste buds with all of the incredible local flavors. Gumbo, jambalaya, red beans and rice, etouffee, crawfish, beignets, we tried it (and loved it) all! So fast forward to 2023. It's been over a year since NOLA welcomed us and treated us to her amazing cooking and hospitality. Well, we missed the flavors and wanted to find something in NYC that could bring back those great memories. And so began our NYC-meets-NOLA quest. We started off with a romantic adventure at the newly opened Alligator Pear, a restaurant that prides itself on bringing the exotic flavors of New Orleans to the table. As avid food enthusiasts, we were eager to try their array of Southern dishes. We certainly came in with high expectations! So did Alligator Pear deliver? Well...yes and no! The food was incredibly flavorful (albeit too salty for our taste) but didn't give us quite the sensation of our first meal in New Orleans. The atmosphere and vibe was really nice and romantic, but would have been perfect if we were able to enjoy some live jazz reminiscent of NOLA's Frenchman Street. All in all, the overall experience was enjoyable enough and we would certainly recommend checking it out to judge for yourselves (if you go, ask the staff to take it easy on the salt!). But ultimately we had hopes of finding a restaurant in NYC that could fully transport us back to that magical time in New Orleans, and we felt like Alligator Pear got us maybe 80% of the way. It didn't quite fully deliver the authentic New Orleans culinary experience we were hoping for! We wanted to love this restaurant, given how much we love the cuisine of New Orleans and how special our trip to that charming little city back in 2022 was. We think Alligator Pear could be really top notch if they were less generous with the salt and perhaps incorporated more rice in some of their very flavorful dishes (like the Gumbo). That said, they really hit the mark in bringing the right vibe for a truly romantic night out! The Setting The first thing that caught our attention upon entering Alligator Pear was the vibrant ambiance. The restaurant had an appealing décor, reminiscent of the charming, rustic eateries one might find in the heart of New Orleans. We couldn't wait to get started on our culinary expedition. They also have a cool bar area and the wood and greenery around the restaurant is a nice touch. The overall atmosphere was enhanced by the music selection. The restaurant played some great songs from way back before either of us were born. These songs really invoked a sense of happiness and festiveness - almost like the feeling you get when you're listening to Xmas music in December. Songs like Blame It On the Boogie by The Jacksons, Wouldn't It Be Nice by The Beach Boys, My Girl by The Temptations, December 1963 by Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons, Dreams by Fleetwood Mac, and Crazy Little Thing Called Love by Queen. We found ourselves sitting there next to each other, holding hands and just swaying back and forth, blissfully enjoying the music. Of course, live jazz reminiscent of Frenchman Street's great bars would have been so perfect. But the music selection we enjoyed was probably the next best option! The Service The service at Alligator Pear was commendable. The staff was friendly and attentive, making us feel welcome and comfortable throughout our meal! No complaints at all here! Blue Crab Beignets & Tempura Alligator Bites Our journey commenced with Blue Crab Beignets, which, we must admit, were the undisputed stars of the evening! These fluffy, golden nuggets of joy were generously filled with succulent blue crab meat, making each bite an absolute delight. The beignets were light and airy, and the crab was cooked to perfection, creating a delicate balance of flavors that danced on our palates. We could not recommend them highly enough! For our next appetizer, we ordered the Tempura Alligator Bites. However, it wasn't quite what we expected. The flavor was there, and the Spicy House Sauce that came with the dish really enhanced the overall taste. However, the meat was perhaps overcooked as it was too tough and chewy for our taste. We had tried alligator back in NOLA and the experience was different (and better) in the "homeland." NOLA Style Jambalaya Paella & Chicken and Andouille Gumbo Our next picks were the Chicken and Andouille Sausage Gumbo and the NOLA Style Jambalaya Paella, two quintessential New Orleans inspired dishes that we were excited to try. We felt that if we're going to try a NOLA-inspired restaurant, we might as well get the most New Orleans style food possible! The Jambalaya Paella was tasty, although way too salty in our humble opinions. The smoky, savory flavors we were anticipating were overpowered by the salt. The sizable chunks of shrimp however, were a hit! Next was the Chicken and Andouille Sausage Gumbo. Like the Paella, it certainly carried with it tons of flavor, but was also too salty for our tastes. It also desperately needed to be served on rice, so we had to ask for a side of rice which made the dish a bit more manageable. NOLA Style Bread Pudding For dessert we tried the restaurant's NOLA Style Bread Pudding. It came with a delicious and generously sized scoop of ice cream, but the Bread Pudding itself left us a little disappointed. One of the few times we didn't finish our dessert and it had nothing to do with being too full!

Momoya Upper West Side: https://momoyanyc.com/ Address: 427 Amsterdam Ave, New York NY 10024 The Menu: https://momoyanyc.com/uwsmenus.html#lunchanddinner Quick Bites If you're looking for a restaurant that serves tasty Japanese cuisine, is a few blocks away from the Museum of Natural History, and won't break the bank (the total bill was about $100 for the both of us and we probably overate a little bit), then Momoya UWS will check all those boxes for you. It may not be a top tier Michelin star Japanese restaurant, but it's good at its price point. We were a little disappointed with the Chicken Teriyaki and Warm Chocolate Cake, but it may be our fault for ordering those anyway when the menu offers so much in terms of sushi and sashimi. The Miso Soup though was a umami flavor revelation, and we're currently trying to figure out if we can get our coffee makers to just pump out Momoya Miso Soup each morning instead. We'd love to go back at some point and "do it right" by delving more into Momoya's sushi/sashimi options. With the Miso Soup starter too of course. The Setting Upon entering Momoya, we were greeted by a warm and inviting atmosphere. The restaurant had a cozy yet modern ambiance. The jenga-like walls added a nice touch to the overall décor, but also kept tempting us to pull out a piece or two. As we settled into our seats, we eagerly flipped through the menu, but in typical "us fashion" every time we decided on what we wanted to order, we saw something else on the menu that looked even more enticing! The Service The service at Momoya was fine. No misses here. Nothing to write home about but no complaints either. Miso Soup When it comes to Japanese cuisine, the two of us are always excited to start things off with a refreshing and flavorful miso soup. Not every restaurant hits the mark here, but we both felt that the Miso Soup at Momoya was the most stand-out part of our meal - a true highlight that left a lasting impression. It proved to be very delicious and flavorful, rich and savory, just the right amount of salt, perfect temperature, and chunks of tofu and pieces of seaweed to provide a delightful textural contrast. It was aromatic and most of all just plain comforting, warming the soul and delighting the senses. Imagine Goldilocks with the "just right" porridge and homemade chicken noodle soup served by mom when you're sick, and then add roughly 1.21 gigawatts of flavor. Seriously a great appetizer. The only negative about the Miso Soup was that it came in a small bowl and not a giant 20 gallon bucket because it's that delicious. Spicy Scallop, Salmon Avocado, and Spicy Yellowtail Rolls We ordered a few rolls and a chicken teriyaki entrée (more on that later) to share. The rolls came first and were quite tasty. Of the three rolls, the spicy yellowtail was our unanimous favorite. Truly delicious. The other two rolls were pretty good, although notably we felt the salmon avocado roll leaned a little too heavily towards the avocado. Otherwise no major complaints, we gobbled these up pretty quickly. Chicken Teriyaki The chicken teriyaki entrée (along with an included bowl of white rice) came out when we were nearly done with the rolls. Maybe we caught the restaurant on an off day (after all we DID go at like 4:30 on a Monday afternoon for a quick post-Museum bite). But...it wasn't all that special. You know how sometimes you can eat chicken that's truly juicy and tender and full of flavor? This wasn't it. We felt it was a little dry and perhaps under seasoned. Maybe we should have stuck to sushi, but in our defense we ordered this precisely because we wanted to mix things up with the other sushi rolls we had ordered. Tell us - what's your dish of choice when you want something to balance out some delicious sushi? Warm Chocolate Cake We probably should have known better than to expect a 5-star chocolate cake from a sushi restaurant. That said, when we asked the waiter what the most popular dessert option was, he pointed us to the warm chocolate cake. Since we both love chocolate and cakes (both separately and combined), we went for it. The cake was nice and warm with a gooey melty inside, but it honestly didn't deliver as much chocolatey flavor as we were hoping for. The cake here felt a bit too doughy and the chocolate wasn't particularly sweet. We've had desserts at other restaurants where your first bite is just pure bliss and the next five sounds out of your mouth are "mmmmm" or "yummy." This cake felt like the restaurant just needed a few dessert options available to customers and wasn't looking to truly "wow" anyone. Which again, brings us to our first point of not expecting 5-star chocolate cake from a sushi restaurant. At least they added a little vanilla ice cream.

Peak NYC: https://www.peaknyc.com/ Address: 30 Hudson Yards, New York NY 10001 The Menu: https://www.peaknyc.com/menus/ Quick Bites Have you ever wanted to enjoy fine dining over 100 stories up in the air in the heart of Manhattan? Then Peak NYC is the perfect match for you! We visited for Valentine's Day 2023 and it truly was a can't-miss unique dining EXPERIENCE. Honestly, we can't imagine a better place to have gone for such a special day with a special someone and we would highly recommend that you check it out yourselves as well. Oh, and please get a reservation to sit near the windows! Totally worth the extra cost! The Setting We arrived at Hudson Yards for our Valentine's Day dinner and first found our way to the 5th floor of the Shops at Hudson Yards, where Peak's entrance was. From there, we took an elevator all the way up to 101st floor to access the Peak restaurant. We needed to wait a few minutes to get in so we ventured out to the Edge (the incredible observation deck right next to the Peak restaurant). It was a very windy night which was a little bit of a downer since it was hard to fully enjoy the experience of the Edge, but the views were unparalleled and were a great start to a nice romantic evening! Once our table was ready, we were led inside to our cozy spot right next to the windows, with incredible views of the Manhattan skyline. We once again sat next to each other in our big comfy booth! The Service The service overall was highly professional as you would expect from a high end restaurant. Always attentive and sophisticated. There was only a minor hiccup at the start of the service, as the maître d' came over to let us know that instead of the special 4-Course Valentine's Day menu that we had reserved and were eagerly awaiting to try, they were instead just serving straight from the A La Carte menu. The menu items were pretty much the same, with the exception that the White Sturgeon Caviar that we were looking forward to trying (on the 4-Course menu) wasn't offered on the ALC menu. Maybe they ran out of caviar and had to cancel the 4-Course menu, who knows? Slight misstep, but water under the bridge! Chilled Lobster And now the real eating begins! We started off with the Chilled Lobster appetizer, which came with deliciously sweet chunks of mango as well. If you read our prior blog post about our trip to Del Frisco's (https://www.foodiehaulicsanonymous.com/post/delfriscos), then you might have heard about how much we enjoy shrimp cocktails. Well, the Chilled Lobster was basically the bigger, better brother of shrimp cocktail. De-lish! Green Circle Chicken & Roasted Halibut Then came the main courses! We mixed it up with some fish and chicken, and those courses did NOT disappoint. First, the chicken. Two words - thoroughly impressed! Here's some more words - chicken is not something we order often at restaurants since it's something we feel is just so easily enjoyed outside of restaurants (including McDonald's chicken nuggies :D). But Peak's Green Circle Chicken really set the bar high for chickens all over the world. It was just stunningly juicy and tender, and the skin was crispy and seasoned just right. No joke though - probably the best chicken we've ever tasted at a restaurant. As for the Roasted Halibut...amazingly succulent and cooked to perfection. Just the right amount of flakiness and mouth watering taste all around. Put it this way...we just sung our praises over the Green Circle Chicken right? Well, the Roasted Halibut was some real stiff competition. We're glad we shared our entrees with each other because you can't just experience one or the other without being overcome by overwhelming culinary jealousy. The Extras Our Valentine's Day dinner was capped off by the maître d' coming over to personally hand us (well, moreso for B and not so much for J) a beautiful bouquet of flowers. Truly a wonderful way to end a special night at one of the most unique and enjoyable dining establishments we've experienced in NYC.

Del Frisco's: https://www.delfriscos.com/ Address: 1221 Avenue of the Americas, New York NY 10020 The Menu: https://www.delfriscos.com/location/del-friscos-double-eagle-steakhouse-new-york-ny/#main-menu-dfny Quick Bites Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse is a must-visit for steak lovers! It's a top-notch restaurant that delivers on both the quality and taste of its offerings. While the wine and mixed drinks can be a bit pricey, the overall value of the food and service is worth it! We also found the atmosphere to be sophisticated and the service to be attentive and high quality, making for a truly memorable dining experience. The Setting After entering the restaurant and checking in for our reservation, we were led to our table, a welcoming Jacuzzi-sized booth with charcoal-hued chairs that we could just sink into. We appreciated being able to sit next to each other in the booth (is that normal or are we just weirdos?) as opposed to sitting across from each other. The real kicker was that while in our booth, we had amazing views out of the restaurant's massive windows - perfect for enjoying dinner and a show! So so perfect for a nice romantic dinner :) The Service The staff is attentive and knowledgeable, ensuring that each guest has a memorable dining experience. Our waiter not only made sure to check in on us frequently to ensure we were having a good time, but also added some light jokes and banter to our night! Shrimp Cocktail We're pretty sure that out of all the appetizer choices in all of NYC, we've gone with shrimp cocktails the most. Giant delicious shrimp plus amazing yummy cocktail sauce is always great. Del Frisco's shrimp cocktail definitely delivered! The Prime Tomahawk The 32 oz prime tomahawk was the highlight of the night! An absolute standout dish with its impressive size and succulent flavor - our steak was cooked medium rare to perfection, with a crispy crust on the outside and a juicy, tender center. The sauces (which we will cover soon) added an extra huge burst of flavor to each bite! We're drooling right now just thinking about it! Potatoes Au Gratin The potatoes au gratin were the perfect accompaniment, delivering creamy, cheesy goodness. Admittedly, we were enticed by the fact that smoked bacon was included in the dish, but found the meat to be more akin to chunks of ham rather than crispy bits of bacon. Still a great side dish! All of the Sauces Yes, there is a menu item literally called "All of the Sauces." And...you guessed it...it offers up a full assortment of Del Frisco's steak sauces, including the Bourbon Peppercorn, Chimichurri, Horseradish Cream, and Béarnaise - neatly organized in four separate sauce cups and presented together on a dish. It was a great way for us to sample the different sauces that were on tap. Admittedly, by the time the steak was in our tummies, it was the Bourbon Peppercorn and Horseradish Cream that were completely tapped out. Not to say the other two sauces weren't great, but the Peppercorn and Horseradish had SO MUCH FLAVOR that it was tough to not go with them for each bite of steak. Honestly it's hard to tell if the sauces were there to enhance the flavor of the steak or if the steak was there to serve as a sauce delivery system! The Drinks We're not big drinkers. And we generally found the food to be such an incredible highlight that the drinks were just an afterthought. No major complaints though.