Sweet Argentinian — Balvanera

/ Lower East Side (152 Stanton Street)/
Sweet Argentinian — Balvanera

(Lower East Side)

Balvanera

152 Stanton Street, New York, NY 10002

Tel. 212-533-3348

Stroller Parking

This weekend, I insisted to hubs that we had to take the kiddos out for brunch.  Why?  Just the thought of cleaning up after these muchkins after one more meal is making me want to rip my hair our (argggh!!! Just can't). 

I'll be honest, when I launched City Baby Dining more than three years ago, life was very different for this mamma.  We only had one munchkin (who was pretty calm and well behaved overall), and we were able to handle dining out pretty well.  Fast-forward to end of two munchkins at the end of 2016, and life has been a bit more chaotic.  We are just getting back into the hang of things, and we discovered this little gem in our neighborhood called Balvanera.

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Yum Yum Dim Sum in TriBeCa

/ TriBeCa (135 Watts Street)/
Yum Yum Dim Sum in TriBeCa

(TriBeCa)

China Blue

135 Watts Street, New York, NY 10013

Tel. 212-431-0111

High Chair/ Stroller Parking

As you might know, we are big fans of dim sum in this household (see here).  That said, we're not always fans of mega chaos (shocking, I know), usually there's plenty of that around the house that generates on it's own.  As hubby says every time I tell him we're doing dim sum, "it's going to be a shambles," he sighs.

So imagine my delight when a colleague recently informed me about China Blue in TriBeCa!!! The name isn't great (Chinese version is better), but inside is evocative of old world Shanghai, all velvet, red lanterns, drapery, and even a mega saxophone to boot.

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Craftbar – Colicchio Experience with the Littles

/ Gramercy (900 Broadway)/
Craftbar – Colicchio Experience with the Littles

(Gramercy)

Craftbar

900 Broadway, New York, NY 10003

Tel. 212-461-4300

High Chair/ Stroller Parking

Weekend brunching is always a delicate balance between finding the right spot for littles and seeking the most optimal culinary experience for grown-ups.  Lucky for us establishments for Craftbar exists (e.g., just enough sophistication for grown-ups, but without so much fanfare that you need to worry about toting around a mini-me, or two, or three!!).  For info: there are Craft locations in New York, Dallas, and Los Angeles, and Craftbars in New York and Los Angeles.

As it happened… we were a party of seven (four adults, three little ones under the age of three… yeep! That’s right, there were two two-year olds, and one miniature munchkin who’s just about four months old, nutso right, it’s a wonder we even left the house.

That said, the dining experience at Craftbar, fun by the celebrity-TV chef Tom Colicchio à la Tom Chef struck all of the right notes – the food was the right blend of up-market cuisine creativity suitable for your typical foodie, the ambience was slightly upscale/sophisticated but definitely casual, the space was open and very bright (it helped too that we were seated right next to the windows), and the price point was just suitably affordable so as to not scare away your dining companions (though calibrated much higher it might just turn away some!).

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Brunch at Tribeca Grill

/ Tribeca (375 Greenwich Street)/
Brunch at Tribeca Grill

(Tribeca)

Tribeca Grill

375 Greenwich Street, New York, NY 10013

Tel. 212-941-3900

High Chair/ Stroller Parking

After some time away from the NYC scene (we spent much of the winter in Florida, and then spent much of January catching up and coming to terms with it being 2016) – it is officially time to hit the scene back in New York City!

We caught up with some friends of ours over at the Tribeca Grill, which has been a long-standing establishment in the neighborhood best known for Robert De Niro (who is the co-owner).  For some reason, I’ve never been here (strange but true), so when doing my research (our friends lived in the area), it hit me that this would be the perfect venue for a meet-up.  It’s tucked away on Greenwich Street (arguably one of the prettier streets in Tribeca), and boasts some very impressive personal touches. For starters, the exposed brick walls showcase artwork done by De Niro’s father (since my father is an artist, I have a particular affinity towards these fine details).

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Perfect Brunch at the Tribeca Grand

/ Tribeca (2 Avenue of the Americas)/
Perfect Brunch at the Tribeca Grand

(Tribeca)

Tribeca Grand Hotel

2 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10013

Tel. 212-519-6677

High Chair/ Changing Table/ Stroller Parking

A friend and colleague recently asked me for brunch recommendations in Tribeca.  Well I say – as far as options go, you are spoiled for choices! (Tribeca being the most baby-friendly neighborhood in all of downtown Manhattan and all).  However, one place that I would always endorse, as you really cannot go wrong any way you slice it, is Sunday brunch at the Tribeca Grand.  With a well-curated, classic American buffet menu that includes both sweets from Doughnut Plant and lox from Russ & Daughters, plus live jazz and complimentary children’s film screening – it really is foodie heaven for both grown-ups and kiddos alike.

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Lafayette – French Bistro Chic

/ NoHo (380 Lafayette Street)/
Lafayette – French Bistro Chic

(NoHo)

Lafayette

380 Lafayette Street, New York, NY 10003
Tel. 212-533-3000

High Chair

Much like DBGB (which we'll get into another time), Lafayette in NoHo is also as close to "having it all" as you're going to get.  It's got a number of things which are key ingredients the modern foodie family

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Rustic Chic at Monument Lane

/ West Village (103 Greenwich Ave)/
Rustic Chic at Monument Lane

(West Village)

Monument Lane

103 Greenwich Ave, New York, NY 10014

Tel. 212-255-0155

High Chair

Monument Lane,  a gastropub set in a "colonial-style" tavern in the West Village serves up one mean Bloody Mary.  In fact, I think you'll be spoiled for choices when it comes to Bloody Marys, as they literally have one section of their brunch cocktail menu dedicated entirely to bespoke Bloody Marys.  The other great thing the restaurant has going for it, apart from delicious comfort food and cute decor, is an incredibly warm and friendly staff that is decidedly baby friendly.

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A Dim Sum Baby

/ Chinatown/
A Dim Sum Baby

(Chinatown)

Living in downtown Manhattan, and so close to Chinatown at that, it would be criminal to not do dim sum every once in a while.  Although hubs often gripes about the "zoological experience," I've never walked away from a dim sum experience that I didn't enjoy.

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Flinders Lane - Antipodean Brunch

/ East Village (162 Avenue A)/
Flinders Lane - Antipodean Brunch

(East Village)

Flinders Lane

162 Avenue A, New York, NY 10009

Tel. 212-228-6900

I came to love Australian cuisine while I was living in London (check out the amazing Granger & Co if you’re ever in West London), it’s fresh and delicious, heavy on the avocado and those folks know their coffee (flat white, yes please!  See recent feature on Flat Whites at Happy Bones). Flinders Lane was the first proper sit down Aussie restaurant I’d seen in the neighborhood so we decided to give it a go for brunch with the tot and we were not disappointed!

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Early Brunching at Prune

/ East Village (54 East 1st Street)/
Early Brunching at Prune

(East Village)

Prune

54 East 1st Street, New York, NY 10003

Tel. 212-667-6221

I can’t even tell you how many foodie magazines and bespoke travel guides have raved about brunch at Prune, on 1st and 1st in the East Village.  Suffice to say, it seemed absolutely criminal to not check it out  ourselves, given that it’s just a few blocks from where we live.

So how about the experience, you ask?

For one – I would definitely go for brunch only, skip dinner (unless it’s super early and even then – chances are it might get too packed for a rambunctious and fatigued little one).

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Sant Ambroeus -- Elegant Italian in SoHo

/ SoHo (265 Lafayette Street)/
Sant Ambroeus -- Elegant Italian in SoHo

(SoHo)

Sant Ambroeus

265 Lafayette Street, New York, NY 10012

Tel. 212-966-2770

My first introduction to Sant Ambroeus was in Southampton, followed by the Upper East Side, all of which are indicative of its undeniable stamp of family friendliness.  So imagine our happy surprise when a Sant Ambroeus SoHo opened right in the neighborhood on 265 Lafayette!  It’s literally kitty-corner to Delicatessen (also a good family dining spot), but without the hustle and bustle.  

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Dinner On Ludlow – Comfort Food and Chandeliers

/ Lower East Side (95 Delancey Street)/
Dinner On Ludlow – Comfort Food and Chandeliers

(Lower East Side)

Dinner on Ludlow

95 Delancey street, New York, NY 10002

Tel. 212-228-0909

Believe it or not, our first introduction to Dinner On Ludlow was via their Sunday Vanilla Sky/White Party – which is truly a sight to behold (think throwbacks to P. Diddy, with lots of white on white on white, and loads of booty… everywhere).

Not that that’s a bad thing necessarily, it just doesn’t scream “baby friendly.”

So imagine my surprise when one Sunday morning, we cruised over to the restaurant (not sure the exact reason… proximity?), and were met with a pleasant surprise.  It wasn’t crowded (in fact it was nice and tranquil), the food was simple and delicious, and above all – beautiful chandeliers all over the place.  I mean, who doesn’t love a nice, glittering chandelier?

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