Trisha T
Latest Reviews
Chez Josephine
First walking in I absolutely loved the warm vibe of this restaurant. Honestly with the comes and the dark wood it reminded me a bit of when I was in Paris. I didn't expect there to be live music but there was a lovely musician playing piano and singing very gently, just loud enough to add to the ambiance but still have conversation at the table.
The service was just right. They were attentive but not naggy and our waiter answered any questions with a pleasant, dare I say even happy, demeanor. He plauded our choices which whether true or false was nice to hear.
Now for the food. I heard this was a good spot for French food and I am happy to report that they did not disappoint. My friends have a tradition of eating it family style.
*Appetizers*
French Onion Soup - I am not usually a fan of French onion soup because there onions are burnt resulting in a bitter taste. However, this is honestly the best French onion soup I've ever had because I actually really really liked it. Not only was there no bitterness, but the cheese they used was divine (I believe it was gruyere, one of my favorites).
Escargots à la Bourguignonne - My friends and I had it in Paris and like to get it as a treat to reminisce about studying abroad. Here it is served pre-shelled and sitting in garlic and herbs so no need to fear accidentally catapulting snails at other diners. (Pro tip: soak up the sauce with the bread they give to the table, you won't regret it!)
Tuna Tartare - I love tuna tartare and theirs was top tier. It is served over an avocado salad and features a ginger sesame oil sauce and it paired with toasted bread cut into triangles.
*Main Course*
Roasted Breast of Long Island Duck with an orange glaze and wild rice - I chose this French restaurant specifically because they had a duck breast dish and they did not disappoint! I'm bias but if the 3 mains we got, this was my favorite. The duck was perfectly cooked, the orange glaze was a lovely compliment to the duck, and the wild rice gave it dinner great texture. Absolutely delicious. I would come back just for this dish
Veal special with truffle mash potatoes - My friend ordered this one and if you're a fan of veal or mash you'll be hoping they bring this special back
Pan-Seared Sea Scallops with green asparagus, potato purée, and champagne sauce - Admittedly, I'm not the biggest fan of scallops. I will say, they were made very well and I enjoyed it when the pastor puree and asparagus.
*Dessert*
Crème Brûlée - We split this dessert and it was on par with the rest of our meal. I feel like the best way to describe it is that the custard seemed perfectly set. Not water, held it's shape but still melted in the mouth. The perfect end to a delicious meal!
I will definitely be coming back here again!
The service was just right. They were attentive but not naggy and our waiter answered any questions with a pleasant, dare I say even happy, demeanor. He plauded our choices which whether true or false was nice to hear.
Now for the food. I heard this was a good spot for French food and I am happy to report that they did not disappoint. My friends have a tradition of eating it family style.
*Appetizers*
French Onion Soup - I am not usually a fan of French onion soup because there onions are burnt resulting in a bitter taste. However, this is honestly the best French onion soup I've ever had because I actually really really liked it. Not only was there no bitterness, but the cheese they used was divine (I believe it was gruyere, one of my favorites).
Escargots à la Bourguignonne - My friends and I had it in Paris and like to get it as a treat to reminisce about studying abroad. Here it is served pre-shelled and sitting in garlic and herbs so no need to fear accidentally catapulting snails at other diners. (Pro tip: soak up the sauce with the bread they give to the table, you won't regret it!)
Tuna Tartare - I love tuna tartare and theirs was top tier. It is served over an avocado salad and features a ginger sesame oil sauce and it paired with toasted bread cut into triangles.
*Main Course*
Roasted Breast of Long Island Duck with an orange glaze and wild rice - I chose this French restaurant specifically because they had a duck breast dish and they did not disappoint! I'm bias but if the 3 mains we got, this was my favorite. The duck was perfectly cooked, the orange glaze was a lovely compliment to the duck, and the wild rice gave it dinner great texture. Absolutely delicious. I would come back just for this dish
Veal special with truffle mash potatoes - My friend ordered this one and if you're a fan of veal or mash you'll be hoping they bring this special back
Pan-Seared Sea Scallops with green asparagus, potato purée, and champagne sauce - Admittedly, I'm not the biggest fan of scallops. I will say, they were made very well and I enjoyed it when the pastor puree and asparagus.
*Dessert*
Crème Brûlée - We split this dessert and it was on par with the rest of our meal. I feel like the best way to describe it is that the custard seemed perfectly set. Not water, held it's shape but still melted in the mouth. The perfect end to a delicious meal!
I will definitely be coming back here again!
The Row Astoria
Visited this gym after I found it on ClassPass. It started with 2 classes and now it's my go to gym.
The cardio bootcamp really kicks your butt and gets you working your entire body I have chronic lower back issues and let the instructor know ahead of time. He was good about checking in on me when I got to exercises that involved my lower back. I definitely got work done during this class. The nice thing in group classes is that you can go at your pace and hopefully see progress for future classes.
The HITS NYC boxing class was a lot of fun and even though I was a beginner, the owner and instructor Luis Novas, helped me out when I didn't know how to do the punches like everyone else. In addition to time on the bags there was also 1:1 time with training paddles with Luis which gets with technique and self esteem for the newbies like me.
The circuit class is one of my favorites! It allows me to incorporate strength training and Luis keeps things interesting by letting each station to 2 minutes, rotating you through on average 18 stations throughout the rotation. He includes some staple exercises every class which is great for monitoring your own progress as you get stronger and increase your stamina.
(To my fellow ladies out there, strength training does NOT mean bulking up. It helps you it your lean muscle goals!!)
Overall, there's a great community feel to this gym. From the beginning you could tell that Luis has a good number of regulars and it's easy to see why since I'm now one of them! His energy keeps you going when your muscles are telling you to screw yourself (lol). I honestly haven't found another class that I enjoy taking a much as my circuit training and HITS NYC classes that I cycle through weekly. When I can't make it to a class it definitely throws off my week and no other ClassPass option can compare or make up for it (and I've tried a lot of different classes). So make sure to try this out! Thanks so much, Luis!!
The cardio bootcamp really kicks your butt and gets you working your entire body I have chronic lower back issues and let the instructor know ahead of time. He was good about checking in on me when I got to exercises that involved my lower back. I definitely got work done during this class. The nice thing in group classes is that you can go at your pace and hopefully see progress for future classes.
The HITS NYC boxing class was a lot of fun and even though I was a beginner, the owner and instructor Luis Novas, helped me out when I didn't know how to do the punches like everyone else. In addition to time on the bags there was also 1:1 time with training paddles with Luis which gets with technique and self esteem for the newbies like me.
The circuit class is one of my favorites! It allows me to incorporate strength training and Luis keeps things interesting by letting each station to 2 minutes, rotating you through on average 18 stations throughout the rotation. He includes some staple exercises every class which is great for monitoring your own progress as you get stronger and increase your stamina.
(To my fellow ladies out there, strength training does NOT mean bulking up. It helps you it your lean muscle goals!!)
Overall, there's a great community feel to this gym. From the beginning you could tell that Luis has a good number of regulars and it's easy to see why since I'm now one of them! His energy keeps you going when your muscles are telling you to screw yourself (lol). I honestly haven't found another class that I enjoy taking a much as my circuit training and HITS NYC classes that I cycle through weekly. When I can't make it to a class it definitely throws off my week and no other ClassPass option can compare or make up for it (and I've tried a lot of different classes). So make sure to try this out! Thanks so much, Luis!!
Hudson Food Market
New addition to the area as of the time of this post. It has a section to order sandwiches, paninis, salads, and pasta which is standard for your NYC "market" (a somewhat higher end deli). Their grab and go section has a decent selection of cold pastas and things like grilled chicken. They also have grocery section with some fruits and vegetables and dairy products. In the front they also sell coffee, baked goods, pre-cut fruit, and I saw what looked like a fresh orange juice maker behind the counter.
My first sandwich from here was a breaded chicken sandwich and I'll admit it was on the dry side. Perhaps the grilled chicken would have been better. I gave it another chance and got a classic Philly which was actually quite flavorful. Their hero bread is in the soft side. I would have preferred if the outside of mine was more toasty.
Their groceries selections are somewhat slim. The prices are comparable to a market about 4 blocks away, thought some items like eggs are a little pricier here by a dollar or two. They sell some beers as well. They also have general necessities like paper towels and cleaning materials in the back area but again, very limited selection. I think they could have made better utilization of the amount of actual space they have inside to expand their selection but they still may be adding things since they opened not too long ago.
Overall I was excited to have a the market office across the street though I was expecting more of a grocery selection than a deli. I'll be looking to see how the selection changes.
Update: They've added a large cheese selection and I'm so happy about it!
My first sandwich from here was a breaded chicken sandwich and I'll admit it was on the dry side. Perhaps the grilled chicken would have been better. I gave it another chance and got a classic Philly which was actually quite flavorful. Their hero bread is in the soft side. I would have preferred if the outside of mine was more toasty.
Their groceries selections are somewhat slim. The prices are comparable to a market about 4 blocks away, thought some items like eggs are a little pricier here by a dollar or two. They sell some beers as well. They also have general necessities like paper towels and cleaning materials in the back area but again, very limited selection. I think they could have made better utilization of the amount of actual space they have inside to expand their selection but they still may be adding things since they opened not too long ago.
Overall I was excited to have a the market office across the street though I was expecting more of a grocery selection than a deli. I'll be looking to see how the selection changes.
Update: They've added a large cheese selection and I'm so happy about it!
Willow Heights Mansion
This place was absolutely beautiful. I came here for a wedding and the staff here was very accommodating. It started off sunny but then began to rain but everyone there was ready with umbrellas and such. I would love to come back here again, it was just such a gorgeous property. I wish it hadn't started raining so we could take photos outside too!