The New York City Traveler

The Fifth Annual Brooklyn Restaurant Week will begin this Monday.  Over 175 Brooklyn restaurants will offer a lunch or dinner prix-fixe menu for $23.  This is a great opportunity to taste some of the gentrification that has swept Brooklyn bringing top-notch restaurants to Park Slope, Bed-Stu, Canarsie, and every neighborhood in between. 
Participating restaurants include:

Crave  Restaurant Week is the perfect reason to check out this quaint (read: small) Carroll Gardens restaurant that touts its “Manhattan-quality” dining (read: pricey regular menu). 
101 Restaurant and Bar, a Bay Ridge Italian restaurant, is known for its open kitchen which turns out solid food …read more

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Don’t be surprised if you walk into New York City restaurants and they charge you for the tap water you drink.  In conjunction with World Water Day, this week restaurants are asking customers to donate a minimum of $1 for the tap water that they would normally get for free.   
According to UNICEF, World Water Week organizer, the lack of clean and accessible drinking water is the second largest worldwide killer of children under five.  It is estimated that with a donation of $1, clean drinking water can be provided for a child for 40 days.  
Last year, over 300 …read more

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If you ever find yourself walking around the neighborhoods of Tribeca, you may notice an unmarked brick building on the triangular plot of land where Sixth Avenue meets Church Street. There will be a friendly door man stationed outside the entrance, but you will see nothing more. Who would think that the understated building is considered the home-away-from-home to half of Hollywood and Wall Street moguls alike… it is the Tribeca Grand Hotel.
The eight-floor, 203 room Tribeca Grand Hotel is one of the most exclusive hotels in Lower Manhattan. Superior king rooms start at $399 per …read more

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This year, St Patrick’s day not only falls during Lent, but also during the sacred Holy Week.  The Archdiocese of New York is taking a hands-off approach, keeping religious celebrations separate from civic celebrations.  If your beliefs are as flexible as the Catholic Church and you’re not worried about being excommunicated, here are a few great establishments that will have you speaking Irish Gaelic in no time!
Uptown

The Kinsale Tavern (map), an Irish bar on the Upper East Side, is my personal favorite bar, if only for the fact that they serve Brahma, my fave Brazilian beer. Don’t worry, they have …read more

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After nearly three years and a $400 million “lobby-to-roof renovation,” The Plaza Hotel in Midtown reopened earlier this month. 
The Plaza has had a rich history since opening its doors in 1907.  Former guests have included the Beatles and Frank Lloyd Wright, and Truman Capote threw his “Black and White Ball” in the ballroom.  Several films were shot at The Plaza including North by Northwest and Home Alone 2.  In 1986, The Plaza became a National Historic Landmark.
The newly-renovated guest rooms have all of the modern day amenities– including flat-screen TVs, electronic key cards, iPod docks and digital touchscreens …read more

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Café Habana seems to be going through an identity crisis. Sure, the name of the restaurant suggests Cuban food. However, above the front door of the Nolita eatery is a worn sign, “Home Cooking, Italian Pastries.” Meanwhile, the food on the menu is more Mexican than anything else. Last week, after hearing nothing but rave reviews, I went to Café Habana to try to decode the success and confusion that surrounds the popular restaurant.
In New York City alone, there are no less than 10 restaurants and bars whose names use some variation of the word …read more

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The Village Voice’s food critic Robert Sistema constantly scours the five boroughs to bring readers the best food in New York.  For the first time ever, some of those amazing restaurants will be in one place, one evening only, for your sampling pleasure.  Village Voice’s Choice Eats features over 30 hand-selected restaurants, offering food from around the world.  As an added bonus, chefs will be on-hand to answer any questions you may have about their creations. 
You’ll be doing good by eating well as a portion of ticket sales will go to benefit The Academy of Hospitality & Tourism at …read more

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Fellow b5media blogger Kristen at Lively Woman is hosting a contest featuring a giveaway of two fantastic gifts:

Frownies Facelift in a Bag (retail value $139) 
A $50 gift certificate to Bruno Jamais in New York City

Bruno Jamais is a super-deluxe Upper East Side restaurant featuring contemporary French cuisine.  I have only heard rave reviews for their food and cocktails!   
To win both of these fabulous items, head over to Lively Woman and answer one very easy question.  Hurry, the contest ends Friday, March 14th at 11:59 EDT.   
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Aah yes… spring is just around the corner.  The daffodils and tulips are beginning to peek out of the ground and the once-dormant grass is again growing.  Spring also means a new schedule of foraging tours in Central Park led by Steve “Wildman” Brill.  Usually, New York City and nature are not two words that are synonymous, but Brill, a self-taught naturalist, is changing that and showing New Yorkers the incredible eco-diversity that can be found in the city. 
Outfitted in his signature safari hat, Brill has been leading foraging tours in Central Park since the early eighties, introducing …read more

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Marking the opening of the first tavern in Boston in 1634, today is officially known as Tavern Day. In New York City there is no better place to kick back a few ales than at the East Village establishment that has been the source of inspiration for over a century, McSorley’s Old Ale House.
McSorley’s Old Ale House, has had ale flowing freely since it was founded in Manhattan in 1854. Famous patrons are said to have included Abraham Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt, among others. The famous bar has found itself to be the subject of countless books, songs, paintings, …read more

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