Forever young at Juniors

JUNIORS

386 Flatbush Avenue Extension

Brooklyn, New York

 

Its always a thrill to go to Brooklyn and stop in at JUNIORS, its the same feeling you got as a kid when you got to Coney Island, or Palisades Park etc.. That feeling just doesn't go away. The menu is great, its the old time Jewish Food with modern day Soul Food now, an excellent decision to do this as the neighborhood has evolved.

 

The crowd is always upbeat and friendly, the staff gets to know you quickly. Just sitting down to plates of pickles, and pickled beets and health salad is mouth watering.

 

Then there is the music, the constant feeling its the 50's and 60's forever in the time warp JUNIORS has held on to. Even the walls are like a museum of days gone bye in Brooklyn, lots of Dodgers and Rat Pack and good times...

 

The desserts from the mile high ice cream sundaes  to the world famous cheesecakes and beyond, are worth the trip. Drive there and find lots of street parking, or take the Q or R train and its right across the street. Its fun for breakfast, lunch and dinner and always the perfect late, late night spot to end up at...

Tea Room and more in Harlem

CHAI WALI

TEA CULTURE

274 Lenox Avenue ( West 124th st)

New York, New York

646-688-5414

www.chaiwali.com

Beautiful, delightful, charming, tea room and more, with a 21st century twist. The front courtyard set the stage, as you know if its that's adorable on the outside, the inside will be even more of a surprise.  Its a  a wonderful experience to have such a relaxing lunch... Very good tea list of course,,,,

The menu is a touch of India with all the light aromatic spices, yet has the new modern flair to it. I had a chunky avocado open faced sandwich with interesting leaves on it, and a light lemon oil dressing  sitting on top of a multi grain bread. The entire menu was recognizable foods, with a global balance of seasonings and spices.

There was a beautiful garden in the back, and then up a lovely staircase in  this old gutted out brownstone, was the ZUM ZUM room, for more seating and dinners, with an outstanding menu you can view on the website. This room had interesting design and space, and even an almost real peacock.

Certainly this new comer will be a huge hit and they told us live music will follow soon. Sooo take the 2/3 train to 125th Street and you are practically there... So worth the trip as this place is a real destination, nothing else like it in NYC. Our waiter Peter was warm and welcoming and explained everything.

Mamma Lucia

4916 Elm Street

Bethesda, Maryland

 

301-907-3399

 

 

A small local chain of very nice provincial Italian food. We found this spot to be lively and upbeat, with large size servings, and basically a "down home" feel. As you walk past, you get drawn in with the rat pack style music they play on the outside.

 

We just loved sitting there, and selecting wines from an interesting wine list and very tradition dishes of the  well known Italian foods we all grew up.

 

Its a warm and cozy place, don't be surprised of the GM David Kottler stops by your table and sits down to chat with you,  and trade stories about places you have visited, or the town you are from.Our waiter Erick was from Bolivia and also a lot of fun and so informative...

 

Its not a gourmet restaurant, but you will for sure have a wonderful time there and dine, drink, laugh and feel at home..  I can't want to go back..

A day in Rhinebeck, New York

Rhinebeck, New York

This is a harder review for me to do as I was disappointed in what I found after reading reviews in various travel sites, that it’s the "new Hamptons north."

I am not sure how it would be for living there, or having a weekend home, I can only imagine.  However for this writer, it was not what I hoped for.  It’s a very lovely manicured small town, about 2 hours north of New York City, in the Hudson Valley.  There are views of the Catskill Mountains.

I would suggest that Reinebeck is an excellent stop on the way to or from another destination, such as Hyde Park.  The town itself has charming lovely little shops with clothes that you can't really wear once back in The City; they all have the crafty feel, or tailored look that you find in Berkshire or Vermont shops.  It’s not the NY look at all.  I confess I bought a scarf.

There were old homes with interesting architecture and plenty of historic home tours, and also lots of historical sites to visit and vistas. But every old town has these, so if it’s not your thing, it won't make you happy to be here.

We had lunch in "the oldest tavern in the US, at the Beekman Arms.  We sat in the atrium, yes it was lovely once again, and the waiter was lovely too. The shops were all lovely and everyone working in the shops were upbeat and lovely as well.

By the time we left I was sick of lovely and wanted to be back to reality in NYC.