The Lunch Belle - NYCentric restaurant reviews, events, recipes

Believe it or not - I wouldn't have believed it until I was dragged there for a birthday dinner, recently - Arriba Arriba's Hell's Kitchen location has the city's best TexMex-style tacos. Why?

Their taco shells are *FRIED ON PREMISES*
They use moist, shredded meat (beef was my protein of choice)
...which sits atop a mound of melted, shredded, cheese
and is finally crowned by crisp, fresh lettuce and tomatoes
Arriba Arriba also has really good salsa for dipping and dunking
With every bite you take, a hearty blend of juices grease drips out from the opposite end

Now, for all of you fellow Texans out there, I want you to give this taco a try and report back to me. I'm willing to bet that you, too, will fall in love. For NYC, this is pretty damn good.

See for yourself! GET. HERE. NOW.

Read it & eat,

The Lunch Belle

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Wednesday

Jul142010

Worldwide Favorites: food & shelter

Wednesday, July 14, 2010 at 11:12AM

When people initially learn that I blog about the New York City dining scene, they always ask me what my favorite restaurant is. Unfortunately, I don’t have one spot that satisfies my every whim, taste bud or desire. In my experience, I’ve found that in order to create the perfect meal from start to finish (bread basket, appetizer, entrée and dessert), I would have to stop in to four separate NYC restaurants (whom I feel excel in each category). In the five years that I’ve lived here, there have only been three occasions where I truly had a flawless meal from start to finish: Pylos (August 2007), Peter Luger Steakhouse (January 2008), Dhaba (March 2009). This got me thinking: If NYC is one of the top “food cities” in the world, why is it that I don’t have more “perfect meal” experiences?

I decided to create a list of my favorite restaurants outside of the Big Apple. In doing so, I realized that while NYC excels at many different cuisines/techniques (Italian, molecular gastronomy, French, Japanese, pastry, Asian fusion), I’m still a Southern girl at heart (for the most part) on a quest to find the Mexican and comfort food that I grew up eating (1000 miles South of Manhattan). So until the Yankee’s get it right, or I open a restaurant of my own, I won’t ever be (OK, rarely be) 100% satisfied.

Now if you ever find yourselves in one of the cities listed below, check out some of my favorite restaurants/treat shops (use Google to find specific addresses, menus, reviews, etc.) Without further ado:

Arkansas

Southern Cook’s Kitchen Pine Bluff, Arkansas

California

George's California Modern La Jolla, California
Juanita’s Taco Shop Encinitas, California
Nine-Ten La Jolla, California
Rudy's Taco Shop Carlsbad, California
Sprinkles Southern California
The Third Corner Encinitas, California
VG Donut & Bakery Cardiff, California

China

Din Tai Fung Hong Kong, China
Red 8 Macau, China

France

Berthillon Paris, France
Laduree Paris, France
Le Parisien Paris, France
A La Petite Chaise Paris, France

Hawaii

Chip & Cookie Honolulu, Hawaii
Island Snow Kailua, Hawaii

Ilinois

Lou Malnati's Chicago, Ilinois

Massachusetts

Devon’s Provincetown, Massachusetts

New Hampshire

Bedford Village Inn Bedford, New Hampshire

New Mexico

Chope’s La Mesa, New Mexico

New York

The Meeting House Amagansett, New York

Rhode Island

Cafe Zelda - make sure to order the unique, delicious "Chicken Fried Lobster," and ask for a side of lobster gravy Newport

Tennessee

Arcade Memphis, Tennessee
McEwen’s on Monroe Memphis, Tennessee

Texas

The County Line Austin, Texas
The Little Diner Canutillo, Texas
Brother’s Pizza Dallas, Texas
Mia’s Dallas, Texas
Sonny Bryan’s Dallas, Texas
Avila’s El Paso, Texas
Chico's Tacos El Paso, Texas
Luby’s El Paso, Texas
The Riviera El Paso, Texas
The State Line El Paso, Texas
Joe T. Garcia’s Fort Worth, Texas

Washington

Belle Epicurean Seattle, Washington

Now that you've seen a list of my most favorite restaurants, here's a lineup of my personal picks for the best places to rest your head:

California

La Costa Resort & Spa Carlsbad, California
La Valencia Hotel La Jolla, California

China

MGM Grand Macao, China

France

Hotel Negresco Nice, France
Villa Florentine Lyon, France

Hawaii

Hilton Waikoloa Village Waikoloa, Hawaii
Hilton Hawaiian Village Honolulu, Hawaii

Mexico

Pueblo Bonito Mazatlan Mazatlan, Mexico

New York

The Waldorf Astoria New York, New York

Peru

Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo, Peru
Sol y Luna Lodge Urubamba, Peru

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Email | **Still can't find it? Email: Lindsay@TheLunchBelle.com // AIM: TheLunchBelle |

Tuesday

Jul132010

A mid-summer night's fling

Tuesday, July 13, 2010 at 1:44PM

Since there are so many small treasures that I'm crushing on this summer, I thought that it would be best to consolidate everything in to one list. From cocktails and bites to hair accessories and beach bags, these are a few of my favorite things:

Headbands, bandannas, and scarves: I love how a simple headband or bandanna - or Pucci scarf - can completely transform an outfit. A bold pop of color will breathe life in to any all-black business suit. And in my case, these hair accessories aid in lengthening my rather-large, heart-shaped face. Wouldn't you agree?

Sour-cherry bellini at ABC Kitchen: I ordered this brunch cocktail while I was waiting for two of my girlfriends to arrive. Sour-cherry puree, brandy-macerated sour-cherry juice, and champagne was delicately blended together, creating an orgasmic trinity of effervescent flavor.

Since ABC's market table and ingredients frequently change with the seasons, I would advise going ASAP, as this cocktail masterpiece makes ABC Kitchen destination-worthy. *As embarrassing as it is to snap photos at restaurants, I'm kicking myself for not capturing this beverage. Sorry, folks!

Shopstyle.com: what doesn't this website carry? From Christian Louboutin heels to the swankiest interior decor for your home, you can't help but spend hours skimming through this amazing website.

My Other Bag is Hermes: can't afford a Birkin? Well, neither can I; so instead of maxing out my AMEX, I chose to save $6,430 by picking up the next-best-thing at Colette. Hell, for $70, let everyone think that "my other bag really is Hermes!"

City Limits Magazine: a bi-monthly investigative journalism publication on (New York) city-wide civic issues

Esperanto's spiced oil: served alongside freshly-sliced bread at Esperanto, I fell in love with this bold and fragrant spice-infused oil...so much so, that I purchased a bottle to take home. I use it so often that once the bottle becomes half-full, I refill it with my own olive oil. My favorite things to make using Esperanto's oil include: sauteed scallops, fried eggs, Brussels sprouts, and drizzled over sliced avocado. Click *here* to purchase your own bottle of this liquid gold!

Sour Patch Kids Fruit Salad: now if there's one candy that I never tire of, it's these sweet n' sour morsels. The original SPK's are tasty, but trust me when I say that the "Fruit Salad" version reigns supreme. Unfortunately, if you're located outside of NYC, they're pretty hard to find, at least in my experience. Luckily, Amazon.com sells 5-lb. bags!

Ben & Jerry's Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream: if you've been following my website for a while, you may recall how devastated I was when Haagen Dazs decided to discontinue their "Reserve" line of ice creams. The departure of my beloved "Fleur de Sel Caramel" was a blow on par with breaking up with someone. I wasn't quite sure if it would ever become replaceable.

While strolling past my grocer's freezer with baited breath, I decided to "man up" and give another ice cream flavor a try. And there it was, Ben & Jerry's Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream. I was surprised by my choice because a) I rarely purchase anything from Ben & Jerry's because they use so many preservatives and additives, and b) I typically shy away from fruity ice cream.

Imagine rich and creamy, strawberry-laden, not-overly-sweet ice cream swirled with salty/sweet ribbons of graham cracker. Even texturally, this dessert bomb will do numbers on your tastebuds. And I promise you this: you will finish the pint in one sitting.