Maison Kayser

Last summer, I had read about a new bakery opening on the UES.  Similar to Laduree, Maison Kayser is a well-regarded French bakery/cafe with branches around the world and they've finally opened a NYC branch.  If you need to know anything about me, its my love for bread and baked goods (mostly bread though heee).  So of course I was super interested in scoping out this new bakery known for its bread.

A friend suggested we meet for dinner at Maison Kayser and I was super surprised to find out that they offer full meals at the cafe!

As I rolled myself in, I was immediately greeted with a beautiful display of tarts, pastries, desserts, breads, rolls, croissants, and all sorts of goodies. 

Front area with bakery goods on display

Then when I looked to the right, I saw the large and spacious dining area:

Cafe and dining area

As I dragged myself away from the display cases, my attention was next attracted to the big windows showing the bakery in the back.  Where bread is born!!!  Fresh baguettes were still coming out of the oven even at 6:30pm.  

Windows in the back of the dining area showing the bakery areas

Hummus Kitchen

Ahh with Thanksgiving fast approaching, I already can feel the impending gluttony of the upcoming holiday season.  Of course I won't let that stop me from eating out (I know, I have issues...) but I guess I should try to make some healthier choices! 

A friend recently suggested Hummus Kitchen and I thought why not, lets give it a try!

Hummus Kitchen - Kips Bay location

With a couple locations around the city, on this occasion I visited their Kips Bay location.  When you walk in, you'll see simple wood tables and chairs and exposed brick wall.  The lighting is bright and I can clearly read the menu (the way i prefer it!) and this spot is perfect for a casual weeknight dinner!

Inside of Hummus Kitchen

Looking at the menu, its a pretty simple menu offering standard Mediterranean/Middle Eastern fare. I like that its a simple menu yet offers a good variety of everything. 

Front of the menu - appetizers

Back of menu - entrees

Brunch: The Seahorse Tavern

I have had my eye on The Seahorse Tavern for a couple weeks now and finally had the chance to check it out for brunch recently.

The Seahorse Tavern on the Upper East Side

Located on the upper east side, this little seafood eatery was perfect for a low-key casual brunch. I loved the brick wall and simply decorated space!  Had a bit of a 'New England seafood restaurant by the sea' feel hehe.

Looking at the brunch menu, most of the items have a seafood twist to it which makes me super happy.  Even better?  You get a drink with your meal yayyyyyy!  While it's not a big menu, there is a pretty good variety including egg dishes, sandwiches, salads, and a burger.  Definitely something for everyone!

Brunch: Le Tarte Flambe

A friend and I stopped by Le Tarte Flambe for a quick brunch before darting up to the Bronx Zoo (for those of you who don't know, I LOVE the zoo!).  This cute spot on the UES offers your standard and non-standard brunch fare!

Cafe Flambee

When you walk in, you'll notice that its a small and narrow restaurant.  The brick wall and fun posters definitely warm up the space!

Funny posters on their walls!

During brunch, you get their regular menu, which features different varieties of their specialty the tarte flambee (bread dough rolled thin and covered with cheese and onions), as well as a brunch menu, which offers the more standard brunch items such as eggs, sandwiches, etc. 

Regular menu

Brunch menu

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...

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! 

Brunch: Untitled (at the Whitney Museum)

Did you know that you can brunch at the Whitney Museum?  And it's a Danny Meyer farm-to-table restaurant to boot!  A fellow brunch junkie and I were looking for a new spot to try and decided to scope out the situation on a recent Sunday morning.

Brunching at the Whitney Museum!

Located in the bottom level of the Whitney Museum, just let the ticket takers know that you're headed to the restaurant Untitled below and you are allowed to pass.  Head on down and you'll realize that this is no dark basement restaurant!  On one side is a great breakfast bar.  On the other side is an entire wall of glass and you can look up to Madison Ave.  It's definitely a great space filled with light and extremely tall ceilings.  I loved the feel in there!

Breakfast bar

Entire wall of glass made the space feel bright an spacious

Sprinkles

Earlier this year, Sprinkles opened its first outpost in NYC.  I was a big fan of the tv show Girls Next Door and Bridget Marquardt, one of the stars of the show, often talked about how Sprinkles cupcakes were her favorite.  When this LA-based cupcakery finally set up shop on the Upper East Side I was excited to finally have a taste!

Its location across the street from Bloomingdale's is definitely convenient (and deadly).  The outside of the store is decorated with colorful cascading sprinkles.  The inside, while not spacious, is bright and clean with strategically placed display cases filled with their different cupcake options - your eyes just can't help but be drawn towards it!  My friend R and I ordered three (yes that's right...I said three!) cupcakes to share: one red velvet, one vanilla, and one salted caramel.

Cupcakes on display!

Laduree

I am a marketer’s dream consumer.  Put together some hype with a high probability of getting ripped off and I'm sold!  Naturally, when I heard that Laduree was opening an Upper East Side store at the end of August (their first US location!), it was no surprise that I was immediately swept into feelings of “I need to have it now!!!”.

However, opening week offered disappointing reports of hour-long waits just to get into the store and the likely probability that must-try flavors would be sold out before you even get up to the counter.  Thus I strategically waited until a recent Saturday which overlapped with a long holiday weekend.  I set off towards Madison and 70th Street, determined to wait however long it would take for me to get those macarons.  As I approached the store and saw that there was no line out the door I could hear the angels singing (oh wait… that was just me screaming “yipeee” as I giddily ran in).

Laduree storefront on a glorious Saturday afternoon

Appetizing window display mmm...