Beauty & Essex | New York

the front door at beauty and essex in the les new york

Dear Shen Dove,

Beauty & Essex is a great place to eat (I’ve never had anything I didn’t like), try some interesting cocktails, and have a little fun. It has one of those totally unassuming fronts that are common with some of the popular spots in New York. In fact, the front room is a pawn shop filled with a lot of cool vintage finds. You can purchase anything in there that’s for sale.

I’ve always wondered if people wander in there with no idea that there’s a restaurant/club in the back.

Read More »

momofuku noodle bar | Lunch

I’ll never be over these pork buns. In fact, I could probably just eat pork buns as a meal.

My parents stopped in for a brief visit and I wanted to take them somewhere cool. It was between noodle bar and ssäm bar, but it’s hard to get ramen in the suburbs. My favorite momofuku restaurant is still ssäm bar, although there are few things equivalent to a good bowl of pork ramen. I hear the vegetable ramen (bottom right) is fantastic, though. And… well, I definitely wouldn’t say no to tomatoes in my soup.

Read More »

Dinner at Hakkasan New York


In my opinion, dinner at Hakkasan is worth experiencing. And it is an experience, likely not something you’d want to do every week, month, or even every six months.

Pre-entrées, I drank two Golden Emperor cocktails (Kraken Black Spiced rum, ginger, pineapple, cinnamon, lemon juice and agave nectar) from the signature cocktail menu. They were very good but the flavors are definitely wintry and I would suggest something different in the spring or summer.

Read More »

Happy Hour at ilili


ilili is one of the best happy hour experiences in New York. With $7 cocktails and $5 bottles of beer, happy hour is an amazingly priced alternative to a full dinner (the first entree on the menu will set you back $90, although it is for two). It’s also one of the longer happy hours I’ve seen at a restaurant of this caliber: Monday through Friday from 4-7:30pm. The small bites offered during happy hour can easily serve as dinner, but the regular menu is also offered in the bar area after 5:30pm. 

Read More »

Flûte Midtown


Saturday night at Flûte Midtown is dark, intimate, and low-key.

We were more intrigued by the signature cocktails than the tasting flights and bottles. Several Champagne Mojitos were ordered on the glowing recommendation from our server. The verdict was split– two of the party loved the Champagne Mojito, two felt it tasted oddly of tonic water. I was puzzled by the $15 half-full sherry glass of Antoinette, a champagne cocktail made with grapefruit-strawberry puree. The presentation threw me, but it tasted as expected, like a drier version of a Bellini. The gin-based, mint, cucumber and champagne Gabriel (also $15) was deemed solid. However, Flûte’s version of the Dark and Stormy ($16) was the clear favorite of the night. The right combination of sweet and savory, lighter than an classic Dark and Stormy but just as enjoyable.

Seating-wise, the couches with plush pillows are comfortable and avoid getting stuck on an ottoman. The choice of music for the night was unexpected, but not bad. I almost felt like I was listening to my Ellie Goulding Pandora station. I did note a surprising lack of Moët & Chandon Impérial on the menu, so the die-hard Moët fan readers (you know who you are) should seek their lifeblood elsewhere.

Flûte Midtown is located at 205 W 54th St between 7th & Broadway. Reserve a table at flutebar.com.