Monday, February 14, 2011

Baby Bo's Cantina


Baby Bo’s Cantina is a charming and delightful little Mexican restaurant with hanging lights and delicious margaritas!! What more could you ask for?!

This restaurant is little… this is NOT an understatement! But I’m telling you this place is by far my #1 when I’m craving a hot meal… It NEVER fails!

Their margaritas are on the smaller side, so I try to only order them during Happy Hour when they’re only $4.50, but on Mondays they have MARGARITA MADNESS so they’re $4.50 until they close at 11pm!

I swear by their BBQ DUCK BURRITO.  This is literally HEAVEN!  I will NEVER ever order anything else from here. 

The BBQ Duck is divine… it’s roasted in their tequila-habanero bbq sauce and the flavor is out of this world!  It has black beans, creama, and Monterey jack inside and is served in two tomato tortillas… it’s also served with red rice and black beans and their grilled pineapple pico on top, which is so sweet and adds the perfect balance to the spicy habanero bbq sauce!  I’m salivating just thinking about it!

And the kicker!  It’s only 12.95!! I could literally eat this burrito morning, noon, and night!  I’m so happy I found this place.  It’s my go-to and I hope everybody who loves food has a chance to go and eat this burrito!

AYZA Wine and Chocolate Bar


This is definitely not just a wine bar… its intimate setting is just so warm and welcoming I was ecstatic to run into it on my walk home from a morning of shopping!

Before even opening the menu our server brought us a small cup of hot mulled wine, which was super sweet and fruity… it almost tasted like a hot sangria (if I had to compare it to something).

With that came the breadbasket with an olive tapenade spread that was scrumptious!  Olives are my comfort food so I had an instantaneous smile when this arrived!  Deliciously salty with a smooth yet chucky texture, I couldn’t have enough!  By the time the server came back to take our order we had already finished the olive spread!

We ordered from the prix fixed lunch which was super reasonable, only $9.95!

I ordered the Hot Artichoke Hearts w/ Aged cheddar & ripe tomatoes as my appetizer and a mini BBQ Pulled Pork w/ Slow braised tender pork, melted aged cheddar & house made BBQ sauce Panini! 

OMG DELICIOUS!  I would definitely recommend this place to anyone!  The only downside is that all the Paninis are pre-made so you can’t make changes to any of them, however I recommend NOT changing a thing! 

It was a little early to try any of the alcoholic beverages that they had and boy did they have a PLETHORA to choose from!  They had an extensive wine list as well as a cocktail list to die for!! 

Some of the cocktails I will definitely go back and try are:
1.     Chocolate Martini w. shaved chocolate on top and a complementary truffle by Jacques Torres…  this was absolutely exquisite!  I spied two passing our table and literally lit up at the sight of them!  This is made with Kettle One, Godiva White and Dark and Cappuccino truffle YUM!
2.     Love Affair, which is made w/ Muscat and orange juice, sounds totally refreshing and bubbly!

3.     French Kiss…. last, but certainly not least!  This is made with Chambord (my favorite raspberry liquor) and SUGAR! You just can’t go wrong with a French Kiss!  Sounds utterly divine!

Check out their Website! 



Sunday, January 9, 2011

Nail Polish Connoisseur


I am a nail polish connoisseur.  (There’s just no other way to put it).

I collect Nail Polish that ranges in color from bright yellow to black and from red to green and everything in-between!  I also do my nails (yes, I paint my own nails) every 2 to 3 days because there is nothing more than I love than FRESHLY painted nails! 

(Maybe a steaming hot lobster? No, I love painting my nails just as much as I love devouring a lobster!)

I just think well-kept nails are gorgeous and tell a lot about a person (like how shoes tell a lot about a person).  And I am one who ALWAYS has her nails painted!

It’s also the best accessory!  (And an easy way to “freshen up” a go-to outfit).

I’m someone who always wears “all black everything” (tribute to Jay-Z’s “Run This Town”) and find that I can easily add a pop of color without changing my “go-to” ensemble by simply painting my nails, which takes me about .2 seconds (okay, more like 5 minutes).

The options are endless!  I do have a penchant for dark colors, that includes apparel, but there is nothing prettier than a splash of color on your nails!

Since I am one who paints my nails every couple of days I rotate my colors often and am always ready to try something new (sometimes this fails miserably, but it doesn’t take long to remove!)  AND TODAY I found a color that literally KNOCKED my socks off! 

I found it on a post on Twitter from Refinery29 that showed Fresh Nail Polish Trends for 2011.  The colors ranged from nude/pink to purple putty and my absolute favorite (TO DIE FOR) colors are the Peachy-Corals from Dior (Pink Boa $21) and Priti NYC (September Charm $12.50).

These colors have literally stolen my heart for the Year.  I’ve called it early, but these two beauties are the colors to beat this year!  I can’t wait to add these babies to my collection!

Love,
Your One & Only Fashion-Fixated Foodie

Eat your heart out!




Dior Nail Vernis in Pink Boa, $21, available at Nordstrom;
Priti NYC Nail Polish in September Charm, $12.50, available at Priti NYC


Off to SoHo


After walking Canal St. and getting bombarded by men trying to sell us “Louis Vuitton” and “Chanel” handbags (not interested) we walked down W. Broadway and into a Sample Sale, god I love New York!

The first thing I spotted when I walked inside were these little delicate Hamsa and evil eye bracelets that I L.O.V.E and were only $60!  The only reason I didn’t buy one (or two or three) is that I have several that I bought on the streets of Paris, which hold much more sentimental value because, well, I bought them in PARIS! But if I didn’t have them already I would have definitely added them to my jewelry collection!  (A girl can’t have enough jewelry – and don’t let anyone tell you differently)

I took a lap around the rest of the sale and didn’t find anything else (they mostly had winter coats) until I was about to walk out the door and spotted a gold initial disk necklace at the bottom of the jewelry case… I literally gasped out loud at the thought that I ALMOST left without, not only seeing this necklace, but without trying it on (I am OBSESSED with EVERYTHING MONOGRAM and GOLD!)  Not to mention there were only three left! Two of which were my first and last initial, “AS” – Aren’t I lucky!?

I tried it on and obviously loved it, but there was a little something that was bothering me… The initial was skewed and looked like it wasn’t centered on the disk and I just couldn’t get passed it.  So, needless to say I left empty handed.  I even got the girl to take off an additional $20, (it would have cost me $120) but it just didn't feel right.  AND FOR GOOD REASON!!...

A few blocks up sat French Connection and boy were they having a SALE!  Before I walked in I fantasized about the Samantha sequin dress that I had tried on in London over the summer (and literally drooled over)… My sister convinced me not to buy it while we were abroad, not only because I had nothing to wear it to, but because the dollar wasn’t doing so hot…. Good call Cydney! Because TODAY it was 50% off $249.99!!

I ended up getting the Samantha in black for 60% off and paid a whopping $100 for her!! There truly is no better feeling than getting an amazing deal!!  I also bought the Luxe Crepe Blazer Dress in black, which was 50% off and can not only be worn as a dress (when it’s buttoned) but can double as a blazer when left open! LOVE.

So, after our mini shopping spree we definitely worked up an appetite and walked over to Spring Street to have a bowl of the French Onion soup at Balthazar, which might I add is the BEST FRENCH ONION SOUP I’VE EVER HAD, but unfortunately the kitchen was closed so we walked back to Broadway (not W Broadway) and into Café Bari!

Every time I’m in Soho I walk by this restaurant and someone always comments on how delicious the food looks (they display items on their menu out on the sidewalk, to entice passer-bys to stop in for a bite) and I never stop in… Until now!

Before I forget I must inform you all that this place is a little pricey, but what isn’t in New York?  The other day I bought a box of cereal for almost $8, ughhh kill me.  Anyway! 

I had the Eggplant Napolitana, it’s one of their many delicious sounding appetizers and it was only $11, so not bad!

Ok, back to my Eggplant!  The dish is served hot with Fresh Mozzarella over diced tomato Napolitana and, of course, fresh basil!  I am a sucker for anything that’s hot, I’m serious, if it burns my mouth and makes my eyes water I’m the happiest!

I highly recommend this dish!  It was so yummy (and hot) and literally melted in my mouth!  The mozzarella wasn’t over powering and there was the perfect amount to have a little piece on every bite!  The eggplant was served lightly fried, similar to eggplant parmesan (but sliced SUPER thick) and was extremely juicy and crunchy!  I’m not even kidding with you, writing about it now is making my mouth water, and I literally ate it less than 4 hours ago!

Also, the French fries are a MUST! They were so hot and crispy and I’m the pickiest person when it comes to French fries!  They really were so gooooood! Yummy.

After “lunch” (it was 4:30ish) we walked 5 steps to Baked by Melissa and each got a few cupcakes to “taste” since they are little bit-sized mini guys!

I got a Cookie Dough, S’mores, Mint Chocolate Chip, and Peanut Butter Cup. 

The Cookie Dough was hands down my favorite by a landslide and I would definitely 100% get it again.  The s’mores was nothing special and didn’t even taste like a s’more, super disappointing. L The Mint Chip was pretty good, the frosting on top was super smooth and when I popped it in my mouth it felt like I had just taken a bite of mint chocolate chip ice-cream (this may have been a result of standing in the freezing cold while it was snowing, but nevertheless it’s what I tasted!).  The Peanut Butter Cup was, well, there was an explosion of peanut butter right when I bit down, so, if you like that sort of thing then this cupcake is for you!  I’m sticking with the cookie dough!

That’s all for now!!
Love,
Your One & Only Fashion-Fixated Foodie



Balthazar
80 Spring Street
New York, NY 10012
(212) 965-1414


Baked by Melissa
529 Broadway
New York, NY 10012
(212) 842-0220


Café Bari
529 Broadway
New York, NY 10012-3927
(212) 431-4350