Discovering New Places to Eat in Manhattan (plus my NY wish list!)

April 22, 2013 • New York, North America, Travel

I’m not sure why so much of my time spent visiting my son in New York revolves around dining. Perhaps it’s because I’m a foodie and for me travel is about food as much as anything else. Perhaps it’s because he doesn’t want to play tour guide and do touristy things when his family comes to town. Or perhaps it’s just because there are so many incredible places to eat in New York. Like Pera in Soho, where we had brunch on Sunday (a must-do New York thing), starting with this perfectly crisp calamari combined with some chicken sausage that we all shared.The other thing about brunch in New York, other than it being a big deal, is that I’ve never been to one that didn’t involve a fair amount of cocktails. Perhaps that’s because there is usually no driving involved and diners can just veg on their couch after hitching a taxi ride back to their apartment. In the case of Pera, they had an apricot bellini in addition to the standard mimosa, and we share a bottle of crisp rose wine from Provence that was perfect for the first sunny day of brunch alfresco this year.While everyone loved their dishes, two that were photo worthy and delicious were the baked eggs over a crispy polenta cake with kale (top) and the goat cheese and arugula omelet with fried smashed potatoes (killer good – blew my diet for these!) and a side salad.I know why my son’s girlfriend runs so much for exercise after spending a couple of days with her – she gets dessert with just about every meal. The chocolate mousse looked delicious, but I just can’t seem to put that with eggs and wine!Another place I’m sure I would not have known about or picked had I not been with the kids who were looking for something casual and cheap for Sunday night is MXCo, a slightly upscale Mexican joint on the Upper East Side (where my son lives and my daughter is living temporarily while she interns at The Modern). After eating a large bowl of chips and guacamole, I was relieved to see that the mahi mahi fish tacos were a small portion – really, two nice tacos like this is all any of us need.