New York City Hot Spots: Delicious Recipe for a Restaurant & a Coffee Connoisseur’s Paradise

Recipe is located on the Upper West Side and features “casually rustic, new American cuisine inspired by fresh, local ingredients handpicked by [its] chefs,” according to its website. Although tiny – it only seats 26 guests – Recipe more than makes up in taste what it lacks in space.

Start with the bread basket; it’s worth the three dollars. For appetizers, the bittersweet greens, a mix of pancetta, walnuts and parmigiano-reggiano over greens, and the roasted locally grown beets with goat cheese and pecans were delightful. The crab cake was nicely seasoned and stuffed with meaty lump crab. The soup of the day – a gazpacho – was bursting with fresh summer tomato flavors and spices.

I also tried the cocotte of foie gras from the Hudson Valley, a small concentrated terrine of delicious foie gras topped with a layer of duck fat. Scrumptious (don't tell my cardiologist).

Overall, the food was beautifully presented and well prepared, and I recommend it without reservation. To get an actual reservation, call after 11 a.m. any day of the week – (212) 501 7755.

Recipe is located at 452 Amsterdam Avenue between 81^st and 82^nd Streets.

I also happened upon a wonderful café this weekend. Caffeteria in Soho is a coffee connoisseur’s haven. Started by two former employees of San Francisco’s delicious Blue Bottle Coffee and using beans from that company’s Brooklyn outpost, this café does not disappoint.

The espresso is a wonderful rich extract topped with luscious crema. The coffee is single-brewed to order using the classic pour over Melitta-style. As for the iced coffee, it’s the best I have ever tasted. Using the painstakingly slow Kyoto drip filtration system – it takes 18 hours to brew – it carries a slight hint of bourbon.

Caffeteria knows coffee, and as thus, it’s a place for serious coffee drinkers looking for the best brew possible. But don’t expect to stay too long as there are no chairs to sit on.

Caffeteria Soho is located at 147 Sullivan Street.