Sukkah City – NYC 2010

As the summer begins to wind down and thoughts of Autumn come to our mind, the Harvest is one of the themes.  I bet you’re thinking I’m going to highlight Union Square’s immensely succesful,  Harvest in the Square, right?!?!  Nope… I’m talking about Sukkah City – NYC 2010.

http://www.sukkahcity.com/

The sukkah is a temporary structure, outlined in the Bible, to share food, drink and entertainment.  Only Sunday, September 19th through Tuesday September 21st, 12 radically temporary structures will be built in Union Square!

Should be a very interesting event – I hope you come check it out!

Here’s a quick rendering of a Sukkah:

Mariella Pizza – Simple and Delicious Italian Restaurant – 180 3rd Avenue

Don’t be fooled by Mariella Pizza’s appearance – it may look like a run of the mill NYC pizza shop, but it is so much more!!  Mariella Pizza is located on the corner of 16th Street and 3rd Avenue (180 3rd Avenue)  http://www.mariellapizzanyc.com/main.html. 

Apart from great pizza, Mariella has great-tasting, classic Italian food.  Don’t expect anything fancy from this Union Square restaurant, but their large menu features every major Italian dish and I’ve yet to be disappointed! 

My personal favorites – chicken parm or baked lasagna.

Check out yelp for other reviews – http://www.yelp.com/biz/mariella-pizza-inc-new-york

New Restaurant of the Week – Chipotle – 117 East 14th Street

Earlier this year (March 2010 to be exact), Mexican fast food chain and fan favorite Chipotle (www.chipotle.com) opened up on the corner of 14th and Irving (117 East 14th Street). 

Despite mixed feelings about national chains moving into the area (see my TGIF post here - http://unionsquarenyc.wordpress.com/2010/06/16/tgi-fridays-opening-soon-in-union-square/), I think that Chipotle is a great new addition.  Not only is the food surprisingly good, but the storefront conforms to local neighborhood norms including signage that isn’t overpowering.

If you’ve never heard of Chipotle, it’s definitely worth trying.  I’m a fan of the burritos (especially their guacamole!), but I have tried and liked most of their menu as well.  Take a look at some other reviews (http://www.yelp.com/biz/chipotle-mexican-grill-new-york-7)

Let me know if you have suggestions for other “New Business/Restaurant of the week”!!

NYC Restaurant Week – Summer 2010; Union Square Style

As a friendly, neighborhood reminder, Restaurant Week is set to start next week (July 12 – July 25th – http://www.nycgo.com/restaurantweek).  Prix-fix lunch is only $24.07 and prix-fix dinner is only $35.00, so get out there and start making reservations before it’s too late!

Here is a list of Union Square restaurants that are participating: Blue Water Grill (see picture below), Devi, Maialino, Olives, Rosa Mexicano, Tocqueville, and Wildwood BBQ. 

Sidebar = Satisfaction (120 East 15th Street)

After yet another great experience at Sidebar last night, I thought I should do the watering hole justice by letting everyone know about this great Union Square Bar.  Sidebar (www.sidebarny.com), located at 120 East 15th Street (corner of Irving Place), fronts as a Sports Bar.  Don’t be fooled though, Sidebar has much more to offer….

Walking by Sidebar on a normal day, you will see the HD TV’s blaring World Cup, Baseball, or Football, depending on the season.  The main area is the perfect size, not too big and not too small.  By night, Sidebar transforms itself into a lively bar/lounge/club perfect for birthdays, celebrations or a night out on the town.  It is then that I discovered the main bar area is just 1/3 of the space of Sidebar.  Behind the main bar, there is a large room with couches along the edges and another large bar.  Adjacent to the main room, there is a saloon-style area and large bar as well. 

I don’t know about you guys, but I tend to like versatility and Sidebar has it.

And here’s the best part.  Despite the fact that this place is a “Sports Bar” and turns into a “Club/Lounge” at night, it still maintains the local bar feel during the week.  On Monday nights, they host a Trivia night (with the Top 3 getting free drink vouchers).  And last night, they gave out free drinks just for “Liking” Sidebar on facebook. 

All in all, Sidebar is a great place, has a wide selection of booze and is always a ton of fun.

New Restaurant of the Week – Pizza Bash – 42 Union Square East

New to the scene in Union Square, Pizza Bash is trying to vie for the title of Best Union Square Pizzeria.  After some VERY good reviews and some not-so-good reviews on Yelp (http://www.yelp.com/biz/pizza-bash-manhattan), I decided to try some for myself.  And the answer is?????

Not bad. 

I don’t think Pizza Bash deserves the Best Union Square Pizzeria award, but I think they deliver a solid slice.  Swing by to check it out for yourself.

Union Square – Summer in the Square

This summer, the Union Square Partnership (our local BID), has organized some fantastic events.  One of the fabulous programs that the USP has put together is called “Summer in the Square”.  Each Thursday throughout the Summer, there will be a host of various classes, concerts and entertainment – right in the middle of the park!

Courtesy of the USP website (http://www.unionsquarenyc.org/), here is a description of the event for this week (“The Line Up”):

Line-up for June 24th
Join us this Thursday for more Summer in the Square entertainment!Fitness in the Square begins at 7:00 AM with the Basics of Running 101, followed by an All Levels Yoga Class with OM yoga at 8:00 AM presented in partnership with lululemon athletica. Then at 9:00 AM join Brooklyn Bridge Boot Camp for our Low Impact Cardio Class.




Kids in the Square kicks off in our new and expanded playground at 10:00 AM with Yogi Beans’ Mommy & Me Yoga and at 12:00 PM, get ready for the City Parks Foundation’s marionette show, Sleeping Beauty. Also, make sure and stop by the Baby Loves Disco tent to chill out and score great giveaways.



The day’s festivities end on a high note with Music in the Square. At 6:00 PM, Hank and Cupcakes take the stage with their infectious dance music, which is certain to make this a must-see summer performance.

ENJOY SUMMER IN THE SQUARE!!!!!!!!!!

New Restaurant of the Week – Kati Thai – 347 East 14th Street

Living in NYC, especially in Union Square, it is tough to keep catch of all the new restaurants, bars, and stores that open.  So I decided to highlight a new business each week to give you a stronghold on everything new and exciting going on in Union Square.

The first business I’m going to highlight is a relatively new restaurant called Kati Thai.  It’s located at 347 East 14th Street (between 1st and 2nd Avenue).  Having been around for a number of months, Kati Thai seems to have its fair share of repeat customers.  Reasonably priced, good food and nice decor are some of the reasons cited for the solid ratings on yelp (http://www.yelp.com/biz/kati-thai-cuisine-new-york).  

Check out the menu and other reviews here also:  http://www.menupages.com/restaurants/kati/

TGI Fridays Opening soon in Union Square

In just a couple days, TGI Fridays (http://www.tgifridays.com/home/welcome.aspx) is going to open on the east side of Union Square to everyone’s delight (or dismay, depending on your opinion).  The TGI Fridays will occupy part of the first and second floor of 34 Union Square.  The remainder of the space in the building is leased to coffee and donut shop, Tim Hortons (http://www.timhortons.com/ca/en/index.html) (from Canada, nonetheless).  The store replaces the space formerly occupied by Zen Palate (the vegetarian restaurant). 

This is what happens when an area becomes increasingly popular – Zen Palate couldn’t stomach the significant rent increase, while TGI Friday’s (and Tim Hortons) were glad to pay top dollar to get the Union Square location.

Anthony Bourdain – Coming to Union Square 6/8 at 7pm!

This evening, famous chef and TV personality, Anthony Bourdain, will be coming to the Barnes & Noble on 17th Street to sign copies of his new book:

Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook.

The event begins at 7pm and is free of charge!

If you have any interest in cooking, eating, or television entertainment, this should be a great event!