Link: http://pinotandpineapple.com/2008/08/04/lederhosen/

For those that crave German food, you're in luck! Thanks to a city like New York, there's plenty of ethnic food choices to come by. This past weekend, my wife and I tried Lederhosen in the Village. Although it didn't have the "wow" factor, I do recommend it for an enjoyable time of beer drinking and wurst eating! Read the full review with pictures here.

Link: http://www.tracychin.com

For those of you here in New York City who are into good, healthy food but don't have the time to cook for yourself or occasionally hosts a dinner party or two, I know of a perfect service for you! Chef Tracy at TLC Culinary Productions can provide you with wonderfully cooked meals for yourself or your guests. In addition to those services, she can also provide instruction on how to cook your favorite meals or how to pair wine with your food. Whether it's a personal class or a group class with friends, Chef Tracy will provide a comfortable environment in which to learn the culinary arts in the comfort of your own home.

If you're in New York City and would like more information or to inquire about her services, please contact her directly at tracy@tracychin.com or visit her website at www.tracychin.com or her blog at www.pinotandpineapple.com.

Happy eating!

For those of you in NYC who are wondering just what the deal with PJ Clarke's is, well I'm with you! It's pretty famous for their burgers amongst other things but I'm here to tell you to stay away from them. My wife and I have been to PJ Clarke's near Lincoln Square a few times. The initial time was because we've heard so much about their burgers and me being a big burger fan wanted to try it out and make my own opinions. To put it plainly, I was disappointed. But first, keep in mind everything is ala carte so you'll have to spend a few bucks here.

Now back to the burger. When someone says "good burger", I'm thinking two things. One, it tastes good and two, it's size. PJ Clarke's struck out on both counts. I've had better tasting burgers at Johnny Rockets and have had bigger burgers at McDonald's. But that's not it. Because the burgers are small, you'll have to order a side; but do yourself a favor, skip the fries and the onion strings. The fries look like they came from McDonald's (just more expensive) while the onion strings are hard to eat, too thin to stab with a fork and too small and messy to be finger food. I think you'll need a spoon for them.

Read more »

Link: http://pinotandpineapple.com/2008/06/15/amy-ruths/

My wife and I enjoyed some nice southern cooking this evening at Amy Ruth's in Harlem after attending the 35th Annual Skyscraper Harlem Cycling Classic. I'll have a review of the race shortly on the main page but please go here to read a quick review of our experience as well as some picture's.

Link: http://pinotandpineapple.com/2008/06/08/nam/

My wife and I recently visited a great restaurant in Tribeca called Nam. It's a relatively locals only place that serves great Vietnamese cuisine in a very warm setting. Please check out the review here.

Link: http://pinotandpineapple.com/2008/06/05/red-sangria/

Are you ready for the warmth of summer? If so, you probably would want to pass the time with some bone chill'n good sangria. Well here's a great recipe you can prepare for your next party or just for yourself!

Link: http://pinotandpineapple.com/2008/05/24/levain-bakery/

Assuming you just read my previous post, I'm sure you'll be ready for this one. Please read a very yummy write up of one of our favorite joints in the UWS, Levain Bakery. Please click here for more details.

You ask why do I only post referrals to my wife's food blog here? Good question! The answer is simple. I am super busy following the Giro for STL and don't have time to post more than once a day considering I have a full time job outside of being a blogger. Besides, we're foodies! Who doesn't like to read about food? Most everyone can take a suggestion when it comes to food and that's why we're here. Once the Giro is over in a week's time, I'll be moving onto other topics, say politics? As Phoebe Buffay from Friends would say, "Oh no."

So enjoy!

Link: http://pinotandpineapple.com/2008/05/21/my-farm-share/

My wife and I joined a local program called Farm Share recently. It's a service that provides fresh grown fruits or vegetables from our local farms delivered right to our door. It's a great way to support the "neighborhood" farm. Read about it here.

Link: http://pinotandpineapple.com/2008/05/17/magnolia-bakery/

Is anyone else annoyed that Magnolia Bakery (at least the UWS branch) does not have signs detailing what flavors their cupcakes are? I mean, c'mon! Sure they are famous and because of that we can tolerate a bit more but when the cashier asks us what we're buying, that's ridiculous. And because there are no signs, we have ask the cashier what the flavors are just to get a "I'm not sure" response from them. Maybe they don't put the signs up because the employees don't really know. They just swirl, swirl, swirl their frostings like some NYC rats partake of dessert at Pinkberry after closing time (do you remember the news footage of that?).

My wife has a much gentler review here.