In my first visit to Blanca back in September 2018, I was a solo diner and had just moved to New York City pretty recently. I wrote down, “Really good. Definitely get the drink pairing. Michelin 2 star. $300 per person including drinks.” The vibe and space was absolutely fantastic. I then met my partner, and the pandemic arrived. Blanca shutdown and just simply never reopened until a few weeks ago.

I’ve been here a few times already, so this is now a proper post for it. This is a Jazzy restaurant that you can dine-in without paying a cover which is nice. The jazz itself is pretty fun, although predictable if you don’t listen to a special guest. This is a blackberry gimlet which has reyka vodka, fresh blackberries, and fresh lime. It was pretty good, and it wasn’t too sweet.

Stumbled onto this while trying to go to Bobby Vans steak. That place was closed unfortunately. The service here was pretty subpar by New York City standards. The filet mignon was ordered medium rare, but in my opinion it came out medium. The temperature on the steak as a whole came out cold as if it was sitting there for a tad bit too long. The blue cheese sauce was really salty, but perhaps it was there to hide the lack of taste on the steak.

This is the main site to the sister site Maison Pickle. The food here is really good, filling, and not too expensive. Of course, you have to get the pickles. For appetizers, we got 4 pickles (spicy, green beans, green tomatoes, and regular). We also got a side of fried pickles. I liked them all to be honest, and would love to get the carrots next time. Next, they had 3 different types of root beers on draft.

We ordered a slew of appetizers. The drink fir trade. The blood sausage, bread, and chicken liver mousse was just OK. There wasn’t much memorable about it. The iberico katsu sandwich was surprisingly very good, and I could probably eat a handful of these easy. The main course, cote de boeuf, was pretty good. I actually did not care too much about the sauces, but the quality of the meat was pretty good and tender.

Jazzy bluegrassy restaurant. Same people as Fine & Rare.

Was surprisingly good. Good date place.

Good date spot, small intimate venue.

Was good but nothing particularly struck a note to me. Marc Forgione tasting menu is way better than here.

Was pretty good surprisingly, though the portion sizes were way too small. Ended up eating some rhubarb pie afterwards.