A Quickie :)

It's a scorcher, huh? At least we have a bit of a breeze today. Yesterday was BRUTAL!

Make a pit stop at the darling Westville restaurant on West 10th near Bleeker to pick up this $4 refresher. Fresh mint and fresh lemonade blended with ice and topped with a lemon wedge!

Frozen Mint Lemonade

Tartine - West Village

Tartine is a minuscule, all windows space situated on the corner of West 11th and West 4th Streets. The green and white awning and the bitty outdoor tables are quite inviting. The Bring Your Own Bottle policy is ALSO pretty inviting. This French delight is perfect for a fun inexpensive date or catching up with a FEW girlfriends. But intimate is not on the menu. The tables are close together and for those attention deficit diners, there is plenty to eavesdrop in on. The lighthouse themed room can get a bit stuffy in the winter, but in summer.....the outdoor tables are waited patiently for. Neighborhood-ers and the like stand around talking and sipping their wine while they wait for sometimes over an hour before getting a coveted seat at this West Village gem. 

Also a quaint spot to go alone in the AM or for lunch. Bring a book, have a pastry and some tea, and people watch. Loads of celeb spottings if you keep your eyes peeled 

Must Try the....

• Sauteed Chicken with Lemon and Sage: 0pt for fries over the side salad. Some of the best in the city.
• Tartine's Croutons: with herbed goat cheese and roasted red peppers.
• The Mussel's: while I don't enjoy mussels, they are being devoured by other patrons every time I am there. I hear the Curry version is the best. Usually on the "Specials" menu. 

Notes....

• CASH ONLY
  
• BYOB
  
• OUTDOOR TABLES
  
• Lunch: Wednesday-Friday 11:30AM-4:00PM
  
• Dinner: Monday-Saturday 5:30PM-10:30PM, Sundays 5:30PM-10:00PM
  
• Brunch: Saturday-Tuesday 10:30AM-4:ooPM
  
• Also open weekdays for pastries, coffee, and tea 9:00AM-10:30AM

Motivated

I've been a bit discouraged with this whole "blogging" thing. I bounce back and forth on whether I should really start writing about my favorite spots, or kind of let it go. Is it lame?

I mean, who REALLY needs these rec's? Anyone can go to NY mag or CitySearch for ideas on a dinner outing! 

Well....

I just bumped into an acquaintance walking down Perry Street. She startled me a bit when she tapped on my shoulder as I turned the corner. She had just moved back to NY and we had a nice conversation, chatting for a bit about life. Then before parting she asked me if I had any restaurant recommendations for her dinner date tonight with an old friend. 

I did, of course. And spat out names for four lovely spots in the area. 

Tartine was on the top of the list though, for a chill "catching up dinner" with a girlfriend. 

Testing

It is 8:38AM on Wednesday, July 22nd. I am sitting in bed in my tiny West Village apartment ticking away on my laptop. I think I just started a new blog? I think this is my first post? 

The anxiety is starting to cease, as I have begun. I have thought about this for over a year now. Some people call that lazy. "A thinker, not a doer." But an idea needs direction. This idea finally has direction. It's finally tangible....virtually anyway.

I have NO IDEA what I am doing. But I do know what I want to write about. 

Restaurants. Specifically restaurants in Manhattan. Specifically restaurants in Manhattan below 14th Street. West Village, Greenwich Village, East Village, Soho, Tribeca, LES, Alphabet City, etc. And while many of them need no help, I feel the urge to share with others the experiences I have had and they CAN have, dining out in the aforementioned neighborhoods. 

Why? 

Well, oddly enough, I can almost always remember what I ordered at any given restaurant I have ever been to. I can describe the atmosphere in detail. Tell you how the hostess greeted us. Remember at which table I dined. And what the drink of choice was. It's weird. I critique. Without really trying or meaning to. It happens. My mind automatically and instantly takes note of my surroundings and my palate when dining out. I think about ways in which the restaurant could improve, how they could encourage more foot traffic, or make money at happy hour. I think about what I would do differently if I ran the restaurant. What the atmosphere would be like in my own (imaginary) restaurant, one day.

Again, it's kind of weird. 

But I believe this information is helpful when trying to choose amongst the millions of options we have here in the city. And I hate to be partial....but frankly, I prefer downtown New York. To dine downtown, to live downtown, to explore downtown. 

So, I have a niche. And to set this blog apart from other restaurant recommending websites or email blasts, I am commenting on the experience after dining there a few times. Not just simply stating the opening, showcasing the menu, or giving a bio on the chef. The reviews will be based on testing.