Shortribs - Alta

Tapas/small plate restaurants have become extremely popular in NYC over the past few years.  Some of the top chefs in the city have embraced the tapas phenomenon and small plate staples like Casa Mono, Stanton Social and Beauty & Essex have enjoyed major success.  Last weekend, I decided to try out Alta, a tapas style restaurant in the west village with a HUGE menu of creative small plates.  I definitely recommend going to Alta with a group, as you will probably want to order every item on their delicious menu (which includes about 65 dishes priced from $5-$18 each).  In fact, they offer a special option for large groups called “the whole shebang” that includes one of every item on the menu (runs about $480).  Some of our favorites were the braised short rib served with beet-brbaresco taglierini, fresh grated and horseradish (pictured above), the fried goat cheese with lavender infused honey, and the house-made pizza with porcini cream, fontina, crimini mushrooms, fried garlic, and aleppo (whatever the hell that is).  Also make sure to try the skirt steak topped with chimichurri and parmesean potato puree (my favorite dish on the menu).  Click through to see some more pictures after the jump…

Fried goat cheese and bacon wrapped dates

Lamb Meatballs with spiced butternut squash foam, toasted sesame seeds and lebne

Crispy Brussels Sprouts with fuji apples, crème fraiche, and pistachio nuts

House-Made Pizza with porcini cream, Fontina, crimini mushrooms, fried garlic, aleppo

Brooklyn Brewery - Sorachi Ace

Rating: 7/10

Brewery: Brooklyn Brewery

Beer: Brooklyn Sorachi Ace (ABV 7.60%)

Style: Classic Saison

Description: A hoppy, unfiltered, golden farmhouse ale made with rare Sorachi Ace hops grown by a single farm in Oregon

Taste: Bright, spicy lemongrass/lemon zest aroma backed by a crisp, clean, bitter malt finish

Pairings: Fried and fresh seafood, summer grilling, sunshine

Where you can find it on tap: Good Beer NYC (E. 9th Street btw 1st and A)

Craftbar Shrimp & Grits

New Orleans is without a doubt one of the greatest food destinations in the country.  The blend of french, cajun, creole and southern ingredients create some of the most unique flavor combinations you can find.  NYC has a few NOLA style gems (check out the Po Boy at The Great Jones Cafe and the Jambalaya at The Delta Grill), but there are very few places in the city that stack up to the real thing.  The shrimp & grits (above) on Craftbar’s brunch menu is an exception.  Celebrity Chef Tom Colicchio offers his interpretation of the New Orleans classic that starts with a base of light, cheesy grits and is topped with cajun spiced shrimp, spicy chorizo, grilled shishito peppers and a soft, runny poached egg.  For brunch, I also recommend the pecorino risotto balls, the Craftbar burger, and the brioche pain perdu (click through to see pics after the jump).  Craftbar is definitely worth a try next time you are looking for unique sunday brunch with some spicy cajun flavors.

Craftbar - Pecorino Risotto Balls with Spicy Tomato Sauce

Craftbar Burger

Craftbar - Brioche Pain Perdu (served with quince butter and vermont maple syrup)

Here is a great recipe from one of my favorite food blogs, FoodSnaps.   I made this for dinner the other night and it tasted as unbelievable as it looks.  Here is what you’ll need:

Ingredients (serves 2)

• 1 box of linguine
• 1 large bunch of basil leaves
• 2 tbsp pine nuts
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 or 3 garlic cloves
• 5 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 5 tbsp freshly grated pecorino romano cheese
• salt to taste

For the meatballs

• 1 pound of ground veal
• 1/2 cup of soft bread crumbs
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed garlic
• salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
• 1tbs olive oil