RESTAURANT REVIEWS

NYC * ROME * OTHER GREAT DESTINATIONS

New York
In a pulsating urban metropolis like New York City, there are so many dining possibilities that sometimes it can be frustrating trying to decide on just one place - we know. Here are some tips:

  1. Learn the lay of the land. New York has its ethnic neighborhoods, whether they’re holdovers from another time or are currently hotspots for particular ethnicities.
  • Chinatown offers some great deals not only on Chinese food but also authentic Vietnamese and Malaysian fare.
  • East 6th Street and Lexington Avenue in the 20’s offer a plethora of Indian food.
  • The 70s between 2nd and York Avenues still offer German and Eastern European restaurants from when Yorkville was populated by those immigrants.
  • The Lower East Side offers some great ethnic eats, too – some authentic spots for Jewish deli favorites, Latin home cooking, and Italian specialty foods.
  1. The trend in food these days is towards the casual. Make like a local and seek out great, cheap eats by grazing in bars and grabbing specialty items from food carts and dessert trucks. Spots offering tapas, small plates, and bar service are not only hot right now, they’re even earning Michelin stars.
  1. With the recession, lots of restaurants are offering deals. Lunchtime is a great time to try those upscale midtown outposts that are suffering from loss of expense account business. Head downtown in the evening for unique settings and to taste the work of the city’s young and established chefs. The Village, both east and west, offers some amazing variety these days.

Restaurant Reviews - New York

Rome
While Italian food is universally delicious, whoever said “you can’t go wrong eating in Italy” has either never stumbled into a tourist trap in the city center, or lacks a discerning palate. Either way, the general rule of thumb in European restaurants is this: if the menu is in Italian, French, Spanish, German, and English (most likely, badly translated in each language), then don’t. go. in. If they only speak the local language, and offer a small menu of local specialties, chances are you’re in for a treat.   

Serving as restaurant reviewer for Fodor’s and Time Out Guides since 2002, we at blu aubergine have come to know the city’s restaurants inside and out. So trust us – and take some recommendations on where to eat now.

Restaurant Reviews - Rome

Other Places We’ve Recently Enjoyed
As food professionals, we love to travel and experience places using food as a window onto the local culture -- whether it’s a restaurant in a U.S. metropolis, or a fish shack on the beach in a remote European seaside village. Here, we review some recent eating adventures.

Restaurant Reviews - Other