ABC Kitchen

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While a dinner reservation here is pretty challenging, you absolutely need to make it a point to visit ABC Kitchen in The Flatiron District at some dining point, where it’s lunch, brunch or dinner. 

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This Jean-Georges restaurant is everything you’d expect it to be from him, nothing shy of amazing. I’m pretty obsessed with the aesthetic here too, it’s rustic, meets French countryside, meets woodland nymph. Food wise, everything here is locally sourced, organic, and, well, delicious. 

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To start, as a snack for the table, we ordered their House Cut Fries. These are so amazing. They’re perfectly seasoned, crisp herbs and rosemary really add a nice dimension to the already tasty, crisp fries. 

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Then, I went for their prix fixe lunch menu and, for my first course I had the Line Caught Tuna Sashimi (marinated with ginger and mint). Amazing. The dish has a little bit of spice to it with a nice hint of the ginger. The tuna itself is perfect and seems to almost melt in your mouth.

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Next, for my entree I had their Veggie Burger (minted yogurt and housemade whole wheat pita). I loved this. First off, the burger and pita are super substantial and hearty. The veggie burger is housemade, of course, and lightly dipped in an egg bater and quickly fried, giving it a nice crisp exterior. The minted yogurt was especially nice with this too, adding a nice creaminess to the meatiness of the burger. I really loved the carrot slaw here too, they had the nicest balance in texture between being tender and crisp, and lightly dressed in an olive oil. 

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Then, for dessert, I had the Salted Caramel Ice Cream Sundae (candied peanuts & popcorn, whipped cream, chocolate sauce). Holy $&*!. This was so incredible, it’s basically heaven in a bowl. The salted caramel ice cream is rich, and silky, and almost has a burnt sugar appeal. On top is a housemade whipped cream, light and airy and not even all that sweet, balancing well with the rest of the sweet dish. The chocolate sauce on the bottom is warm, and rich and chocolaty and almost fudge like. Then, you basically have a homemade crackerjack box confecting the sundae. It’s all ridiculous and insanely delicious. 

The Shorts:
Name: ABC Kitchen
Location: 35 East 18th Street, NYC
The Long and Short: Would I go back? Uh, DUH! Faster than you can say ABC. 
Would I recommend it? In a heartbeat. The food was delicious, the service was outstanding and friendly, and the Sundae. Can we talk about that again? In love. 

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Blue Olive Market

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Located in Tudor City, Blue Olive Market is a new Greek and Mediterranean-inspired eatery and market offering scratch-made prepared foods and gourmet products.

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But, I was on a mission. I heard that they were making a Frozen Greek Yogurt, different from anything else out there. You can custom order your own by choosing your Greek Yogurt and toppings, or, select one of their combinations off the menu. Right away, I saw Rosemary and Dried Fig and knew that was the one I’d be ordering.

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They start out by chopping up some dried fig to be mixed in with the yogurt and sprinkled on top. Next, using low-fat Greek Yogurt, a Rosemary extract simple syrup is added in to infuse the flavor. Then comes the part that really sets this treat and process apart. Liquid nitrogen. Yeah, liquid nitrogen. It’s slowly poured into a mixing bowl of the yogurt, instantly freezing it up. Once the yogurt is frozen, its scraped down and spooned out of the bowl, ready to be served up.

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It’s unlike any frozen ice cream or yogurt dessert I’ve had. It’s rich, silky, and has that great tartness of Greek Yogurt. But then, you have a Rosemary flavor with a hint of sweetness. Bringing it all home are the chopped bits of dried fig adding sweetness and texture to the yogurt. Not only do you walk away with a delicious frozen treat, you also witnessed an educational science experiment.

The Shorts:
Name: Blue Olive Market
Location: 210 East 41st Street, NYC
The Long and Short: Would I go back? For sure, this snack was such a treat!
Would I recommend it? Yes, they even have a Greek Salad bar, customizing your own Greek Salad.