lucky bee

 

I recently teamed up with Alexandria Geisler, Editorial Director of The Citiphile, to co-host their second Supper Club. Our restaurant of choice was newcomer & hotspot The Lucky Bee, which serves delicious family-style Southeast Asian cuisine. Notable guests included Sandy Laing, Katie Ermilio, Teen Vogue's Andrew Bevan, Phil Oh, La Marque's Valerie Boster, WSJ's Laura Stoloff, and Bow&Arrow's Leslie O'Kelley. Chef Matthew "Matty" Bennett spoke about the new Lower East Side restaurant's Southeast Asian style of cooking while guests dined on papaya salad, smashed cucumbers, steamed pork and sesame dumplings, tuna tartare and several types of curry including green vegetable curry, spiced mussaman lamb curry and king prawn red curry. Drinks, including pitchers of super spicy margaritas with a chili salt rim, flowed freely, as did the laughs and conversation amongst guests. Check out the slideshow & video below for a fun recap of the event!

Flowers: Flowers by Quenna Sanchez (@quennasanchez)

Photography: Katelyn Landis (@katelynrosephoto)

Videography: Eric Isaac (@ericisaac)

Be sure to read our co-host's recap over at The Citiphile as well!

 

betony

 

We got the chance to eat at Betony with my mom when she came to town. The michelin-starred restaurant had been on our must-try list for a while, so we were excited to finally check it off the list. We chose the 4 course meal, but a chef's tasting is also available if you want to go all-out. The food was innovative and unique- even my husband was blown away, which takes a lot! For his entree, he chose the "pig's head for two", and ate it for one. You can see how excited he is about it in the photo above. I love the super high ceilings and attention to detail in the restaurant's design as well. For an unforgettable New York dining experience in midtown, you can't beat it.

 

roberta's

 

Roberta's is always at the top of my list when the craving for a delicious wood-fired pizza hits. The crust is the perfect mix of doughy, chewy & crisp with a slight char. The restaurant be a bit of a trek for some all the way to Bushwick, but I promise that is all part of its charm. While it's easy to focus and fill up solely on their delicious pizzas, definitely do not miss their unique take on vegetables, which vary based on what's fresh and in-season. The dish below, featuring sunchokes, was particularly memorable. If you end up having to wait for a table, which you more than likely will, go sit out back and have a drink at the outdoor bar. 

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battersby

 

As a wedding present from a good friend of ours, we were treated to dinner for two at the highly acclaimed Battersby. I love that more upscale restaurants featuring innovative menus are popping up in Brooklyn. You have the option of ordering a la carte, or allowing the chef to serve you a spontaneous tasting menu of his choosing, which we were more than happy to indulge in. For this reason, I unfortunately do not have the exact menu, so the photos will have to suffice. One of my favorite little touches, however, was the mini roll of freshly made cookie dough sent home with each guest to bake (or eat raw, oops) later!  The impressive, seasonal & American menu is served in a quaint, rustic space that feels like home. We definitely ate well that night, and I am already looking forward to a return trip soon.

 

16 handles

 
 
 

16 Handles is a bit of a guilty pleasure for my husband and I. It's a little too conveniently located, so if we ever get the craving for frozen yogurt, we immediately walk over. Unfortunately, you pay by weight, and as you can see, our cups are rarely light & dainty. We pile on the various flavors & toppings, filling them to the brim, then head home & dig in on the couch. Some of my go-to flavor picks are graham cracker, peanut butter, coconut, dark chocolate & salted caramel (I'm obviously not good at narrowing it down or making decisions), but I also love their seasonal/artisan flavors like pumpkin, cinnamon doughnut & toasted marshmallow! The macaroon-topped fudge brownies (!), graham cracker crumbs, & chocolate-covered pretzels are my toppings of choice! On our most recent trip- last night!- we discovered what we think is a game-changer: toppings under the fro-yo, so you have a delicious, creamy treat of mix-ins waiting for you at the bottom of the cup! Clearly, we take this very seriously ;)

 
 
 

willow

 

I love when a great, new restaurant pops up in Brooklyn. Willow, a cozy spot in Bed-Stuy, serves seasonally-inspired food that highlights the restaurant's relationships with farms & producers nearby. The freshly baked pumpkin bread was a welcome change from your typical bread offered before a meal. I loved the unique use of winter vegetables in the carrot soup, radicchio salad & roasted cauliflower dishes. All were nicely balanced and very flavorful. I'm looking forward to returning to try their 7-course chef''s tasting menu offered every Tuesday for only $45! Please excuse the dark photos- lighting was scarce and I didn't want to use a flash!