First thing’s first: THE PANDEMIC IS NOT OVER. I’m fully aware of this and it remains at the top of my mind, considering that I had COVID myself and lost several friends and loved ones to the virus. This is not about the end of the pandemic. This is a post about the glimmers of hope that I’ve been able to see over the last few months. And finding my way back to the things I love after a year plus of avoiding it all for fear of what I would see. 2ndly: I’m saddened to see that my last post was less than positive about a restaurant that surely suffered through this last year and a half as so man ..read more

A newly opened restaurant on the Upper West Side is now serving brunch! OK, most restaurants on the Upper West Side these days serv brunch. It’s a great money-maker. But not every brunch is created equal. In early January, I was invited to join the new ASSET restaurant, which is the younger sister to TESSA, a Mediterranean joint in the neighborhood. They wanted me to try their brunch which would offer “classic yet elevated dishes” and I’m always down to try a new restaurant in my hood adjacent. So, I set a date and made the reservation. Sadly, the week leading up to the brunch saw the loss of ..read more

As you may know, I stopped offering public tours at the beginning of this year so that I could focus more on the other aspects of my company—such as the food writing, marketing, and COMEDY! It’s been a bit of a rocky road, but overall a pretty good year, so far. And I won’t go into a whole looking back post just yet. But I wanted to share some exciting news for anyone who misses my public tours, or simply loves the holiday season in New York City: I’m opening up my Festive Food and Holiday Fun Tour for 4 days in December! That’s right! We’re gonna take it back to where it all started, 7 years ..read more

Mangia Con Me! I’m trying to rack my brain to remember if I’ve ever encountered a person who doesn’t like Italian food. And I don’t think I have. As with most mediterranean fare, it can be pretty easy to find something for everyone in a group setting. Perhaps that’s why it’s one of the most popular cuisines found in restaurants in the five boroughs of New York City—behind only American and Chinese, according to the Department of Health. Unless, of course, you combine the Pizza, Italian, and Pizza/Italian categories—then you get the 2nd most popular cuisine in the city with 3,120 restaurants li ..read more

Swingin Folk Fans As you know, I’m often invited to attend events, restaurant openings, etc because of this writing thing that I do. So, I was intrigued by an email that came in a couple of months ago about a folk festival in Brooklyn. They were changing the approach to their food offerings this year and wanted some coverage for it. I received a well-written and pretty in-depth release about both the festival itself and about this new focus on their food vendors in their 11th year. I RSVP’d for Saturday, and when it rolled around I was especially thrilled to head out to Brooklyn on what turne ..read more

Did you know that my Uncle, Fred is the Best, is in a folk band?! Well he is! And it’s called The Suzie Glaze New Folk Ensemble and they’re real good. But, I didn’t start this post to write about them, I just figured it was a better opened than: “I received an email the other day.” And this is about folk music…and, of course, food! So, what am I rambling about? Tonight kicks off the 2019 Brooklyn Folk Festival at St. Ann’s Church in Brooklyn Heights. The festival runs through the weekend and includes music from over 30 musical acts, workshops spanning a variety of folk topics, film screenings ..read more

As you know, one of the perks of doing what I do and writing what I write, is that I get invited to check out new restaurants, or those that are just looking for a little bit of a marketing buzz. This happens more and more as I continue to contribute to I Love the Upper West Side.com Well the latest invite was for a newly opened restaurant just walking distance from my home, which is an added bonus—especially if I need to walk off the calories after a full meal. I booked a table for an early Friday evening dinner as I didn’t want to be there at peak supper time, but did want to get a sense of ..read more

I know that my site may be a little confusing at the moment, but I promise I’m working on it! In the meantime, please enjoy this abbreviated sum up on my culinary experience in Georgia (The Republic of) as I presented it to the Guides Association of New York City. Please stay tuned for more updates and more about Georgia! I may have initially felt some bitterness about attending a conference in the country that beat us out in the bidding while we were in Iran. But, the pain of the loss drifted as the relief of all the work we’d be doing to host began to sink in. And once I’d been approved as a ..read more

Everyone gather ‘round, because things are about to get different. And hopefully better for it. First of all, I want to thank everyone who’s been with me on this journey. From the time I was working under another tour company, until the very beginnings of my own little enterprise, and up until today. It’s been filled with a lot of hurdles, fun, and mostly food. If you haven’t yet been on a tour with me, then I hope that we can change that sooner rather than later. (Discount code plug for public tours through December 20th of this year: Fall40 will get you 40% off your ticket which includes all ..read more

As a food professional, people always ask: "What's your favorite restaurant?" To which, I usually just shake my head and respond: "No." To be a New Yorker and a true lover of food is to know that there's no single answer to this question. In a city with over 20,000 restaurants, I usually have a lot of follow up questions. In this series, however, I highlight some of my favorites in these various categories. Last time I featured my favorite hometown* Italian restaurant, Bettolona. This time, I'm talking about the ultimate New York City staple: bagels. Is this how you eat a bagel? I eat them ho ..read more