Lady M Confections

In anticipation of its Midtown East location opening, I went to pay homage to Lady M Confection's flagship boutique in the Upper East Side.

Lady M's UES shop

I can see the cakes!

Having tasted Lady M cakes at different restaurants in the city (Gyu Kaku and Ippudo both serve the Lady M green tea crepe cake!), I was definitely excited to finally visit the shop and try more cake.  Caaaaaaake!

It's a small space with only a few tables, so there may be a bit of a wait if you go during peak afternoon times.  I was so surprised by how white and simple the space was - barely any decoration and definitely not much color other than white!  But your attention definitely goes towards their gorgeous cakes so I guess the decorators knew what they were doing...

Glaze (Union Square Location)

Glaze has finally opened their second outpost in Union Square!  Their first location in Midtown East is only a couple blocks away from Piggy KL's humble abode and I was definitely jealous.  Well you know what?  Now I get my very own Glaze just a couple blocks away from my apartment too!  YAY! 

Glaze Union Square now open!

The look, feel, and menu of this location is the exact same as their Midtown East location.  Glaze's specialty is the teriyaki plate and they streamline your decision making with a three-step process: you choose a protein (chicken, steak, salmon, tofu, veggie, or pork loin available), white or brown rice, and a dressing for your salad. 

Menu

Simple and open space

Soba Totto

With the great weather we've been having in the city lately, I couldn't resist venturing out of the office and taking a nice long lunch.  On this particular day, I stopped by Soba Totto in Midtown East for a bite.

Main entrance to Soba Totto

As with most lunch places in Midtown East, there was a bit of a crowd during the peak lunch time.  Luckily, our wait was short (<10 minutes)  and we were seated quickly.  As you walk through, you'll notice that the restaurant is nicely decorated with lots of dark wood.  The sushi bar area looks great!  It's only when you sit down at your table that you notice how tightly packed the tables are...

Bar area / waiting room on the side

Sushi bar on one side and table dining on the other side

BCD - It's Reopening!

It's alive!  BCD is coming back to Ktown! 

(Found this on their website here)

I can't wait I can't wait I can't wait I can't wait I can't wait I can't wait I can't wait I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!  Just in time for Winter yippee!!

Brunch: Cornelia Street Cafe

Some Sundays, I just don't want to deal with crazy lines or crowded/loud spaces.  No more panicking about having no reservations and no extra pressure to wake up at 10am just to be first in line.  Sometimes, I just want a nice relaxing brunch.  Do you feel like that too?

If so, then I think you'll really enjoy Cornelia Street Cafe!

Located on a quiet street (Cornelia St if you haven't guessed) in the West Village, this cafe is perfect for a casual brunch on a lazy Sat/Sun morning.  There's great outdoor seating and the inside is inviting, bright, and relaxing.  Even bigger plus - no crazy wait or reservations needed!  Walked right in around 12:30pm on a Sunday with no problem.  Score!!

Bar seating area right when you walk in

Dining room to the side

As you peruse the menu, you'll see that they have all the usual brunch suspects.  And of course, they offer a fantastic prix fixe that I just couldn't resist - for $20 you get a choice of entree, baked goodie, brunch cocktail/juice, and coffee/tea. 

Seoul Garden

With BCD on hiatus (I hear they are re-opening by the end of this year yay!), this little piggy still needs to get her tofu fix.  What better place than taking this opportunity to revisit Seoul Garden, the KTown fav spot from my early NYU days!

Seoul Garden is on the South side of 32nd street (closer to Broadway) but since it's on the 2nd floor there is no storefront.  I can never seem to remember which entrance is theirs so your best bet is to keep your eyes peeled for their sign and look for the nearest door leading up.  

Look for their sign and head on up to the 2nd floor! (pic from yelp)

After being seated, I'm not sure why I even bother with a menu.  I'm here for one thing only - their soondubu and kalbi combo (listed on their menu as the "tofu soup + beef short rib")!  I'm pretty sure Seoul Garden is the only restaurant in KTown to offer this combo for dinner and yes, after all these years, it's still available!  And it looks like I'm not the only one to favor this option as there is a big "HIT" sticker highlighting this on their menu...

How can you not go with the "Hit"...

After ordering, the banchan (side dishes that come complementary with your meal) are quickly brought to the table and even more quickly cleared by yours truly.  Nothing special about these items (no potato item?  no steamed egg?  ehhh I'll take what I can get) but it didn't stop me from going to town on them.

Simple banchan

Morris Grilled Cheese

Piggy KL and I were wandering Midtown East for something to graze on and look at what we stumbled upon: the Morris Grilled Cheese food truck! 

Spotted: the Morris Grilled Cheese food truck!

We both had never seen this truck before so we thought why not?  Lets give it a try!  As we perused the menu, we very quickly started to experience commitment issues with what to order.

A truck that features grilled cheese.  Is this heaven?

After we managed to control the drooling and made a decision, we placed our orders and snuck at peak at the two-person team running the truck.  You can see all the sandwich makers in the truck - how do they keep track of what sandwich is in which machine?!  I'll leave the heavy thinking to the professionals and just wait patiently on the side for my order.  

Taking a peak inside the truck - the grilled cheese specialist was moving so fast he blurred right through my pic!

Spotted: Another LadyM location coming soon!

I was walking around Bryant Park today and look what I saw coming soon on the 40th Street side of the park (next to Bryant Park Hotel):

LadyM Confections!  And it'll be only 3 blocks away from my office!  I hope it opens soon so I can enjoy cake (slice of green tea mille crepe pleaseeee!) and Bryant Park together while the weather is still gorgeous. 

Yay!!  I can't wait!

Thanks for reading - Piggy KK

The Toucan and the Lion

The Toucan & the Lion.  Who thinks of these names?!  Either way, it caught my attention and I am glad it did!

As you enter through the (nearly unmarked) front door, you may experience momentary panic at how small the restaurant is.  Take a breath and look to your right - there are more than just the few tables in that first room as the restaurant expands to a second room.

Front room - its a bit tight but lots of big windows

Second room with more seating

If you are faced with a wait (arrived around 7:30pm on a Wed night and we had to wait approx 45 min), try to snag a seat at the bar.  The bartender is really friendly and great at helping you select a drink.  Speaking of drinks, The Toucan & the Lion has some AWSOME cocktails.  Definitely try as many as you can!

Bar area - snag a seat and feel free to ask the bartender for a recommendation.  He was awsome!

Chalkboard by the bar with the specials

Hospoda

I stopped by Hospoda for a bite the other day and was completely surprised by my experience there!  When I read that Hospoda was a Czech restaurant featuring great beers, I totally expected a pub-type setting and bar food (maybe with a slight Czech twist?).  What I was greeted with was an edgy and beautifully designed restaurant offering a variety of dishes that I just couldn't wait to try!

Outside of Hospoda - I would never have guessed its a restaurant inside!

From the outside, you wouldn't even think that this was a restaurant.  Looks a bit like a university building right?  I totally walked right past and had to do a double take before realizing this was, indeed, the place I was looking for. 

When I walked in, however, I was taken aback by the awsome imagery on the walls and spacious set up of the space! 

Inside of Hospoda - my blurry pic doesn't give the walls any justice!  You must go see for yourself!!

Super fun bar area - the bottom is glass paneled so you can see the kegs! 

Hurricane Club

I had heard that The Hurricane Club serves fun cocktails.  So, of course, this became an immediate must on my "to try" list.  I actually didn't know much about the Hurricane Club before my dinner there, so I just assumed the cocktails would be original cocktails similar to those you find at PDT and Death & Co.  What I didn't expect was what I ended up experiencing at Hurricane Club and you know what?  I loved it!

When you walk in, you'll see just how big the space is!  It's beautifully decorated and you can't help but feel like you've just stepped into a restaurant in Miami.

The drink menu is fun and foldy.  Most of the drinks are Carribean/vacation inspired and they even come served in fun tiki cups and bowls with umbrellas!  And the size of these drinks...these are some serious(ly fun) drinks.  The cocktails did not disappoint!

Drink menu - I didn't know what to choose!

Who doesn't love a big drink that comes with an umbrella and fresh orchid?

This bad boy pretty much screamed "where's my hammock?"

The Breslin

Located in the Ace Hotel, The Breslin is an oasis in the middle of that sketchy wholesale area between Flatiron and Herald Square.  When you first walk in, you are greeted by an upscale funky pub vibe.  It's very similar to Otto's bar area where there are a couple tall tables for you to stand around with a drink or two.  The Breslin is a pretty popular after work spot so come early or be prepared to join the ranks in the bar area while waiting for your table (about an hour for me on a Thursday evening).

When you are seated in the dining area in the back, you'll notice all the wood and fun animal decorations. Its almost like...a farmhouse?  No that doesn't seem to be the right way to describe it - best to check it out yourself!

Wood, booths, animal decorations, and open kitchen in the dining area

Looking at the menu, The Breslin has lots of drink choices including original cocktails (which is always a plus for me in my book!) and beers.  The food menu, however, is actually pretty limited.  Its really meat centered and there is no safe dish - The Breslin is definitely for the adventurous (and carnivorous) eater!

Cocktails and drinks

Dinner menu