I recall the “frozen yogurt” boom back in the late 80’s/early 90’s – TCBY boom. The frozen yogurt shops popping up every where, taunting its low-fat low calorie treats. If I recall, they came out with various kinds of flavors – including the usual vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate.
Well, it looks like the frozen yogurt boom is back – except this time its with a 21st century flare. A recent boom in Manhattan is pinkberry. This chic/modern minimalist frozen yogurt café seems to be quietly becoming the place to be for the Manhattanites. pinkberry got its start in Korean Town in Los Angeles, which quickly grew to about 10 shops in the area. Then it began its expansion into Manhattan with three stores open so far – SoHo, Korean Town (32nd Street) and UES.
The menu is quite simple. You choose either the plain or green tea flavor frozen yogurt. Then add toppings of your choice – including berries, fruits, nuts, and candies. They also have shaved ice topped with yogurt and toppings and smooties.
The dessert is bit on the pricey side. But then again, it is very good. And refreshing after a nice hearty meal and you don’t have to feel guilty about it – hey its low fat and low calories.
Give it a try.
www.pinkberry.com
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Land
There seems to be a lot of new restaurants popping up along 2nd Avenue in the Upper East Side. One such restaurant is Land, a Thai restaurant serving Northeast Thai cuisine. Land is a second restaurant opened by executive chef and owner David Bank. The sister restaurant is on the Upper West Side, also called Land Thai Kitchen.
Land does not take reservation. So when we arrived at the peak dinner time on a Saturday night, we were told that the wait is about 20-25 minutes. We left our name and a mobile phone number and waited outside. The wait was actually about 15 minutes and we were shown to our table. The dining area was small but cozy – with perhaps room large enough to seat about 50 customers.
The staff was very attentive and friendly. We ordered a papaya salad as a starter and each of us ordered a separate entrée. I ordered the special – grilled tuna with curry sauce and coconut milk served on top of green beans, asparagus, and liche – while my wife ordered cashew nut with chicken. The papaya salad was very spicy to my liking, but to those who does not like too much heat may want to ask for a medium. The entrée came in white serving plate with a side of jasmine rice. The ingredients were quite fresh. And the seasoning was not overwhelming.
The prices were reasonable. The restaurant has BYOB policy. I’m not sure if this is temporary or permanent. But given that the restaurant did not have a bar area, this is probably a permanent policy. We looked around the restaurant and there were many customers with their own bottles. As customers got seated, the wait staff quickly acknowledge the bottles by setting up glasses and offering to open the bottles.
As we left the restaurant, there was a long queue outside. The restaurant was not exceptional, but will be in a list of our weekend restaurants when we want Thai food. Also a good place to come with a group. In fact the restaurant had two large groups.
Land
1565 2nd Avenue (between 81st & 82nd)
New York, NY 10028
(212) 439-1847
www.landthaikitchen.com
Land does not take reservation. So when we arrived at the peak dinner time on a Saturday night, we were told that the wait is about 20-25 minutes. We left our name and a mobile phone number and waited outside. The wait was actually about 15 minutes and we were shown to our table. The dining area was small but cozy – with perhaps room large enough to seat about 50 customers.
The staff was very attentive and friendly. We ordered a papaya salad as a starter and each of us ordered a separate entrée. I ordered the special – grilled tuna with curry sauce and coconut milk served on top of green beans, asparagus, and liche – while my wife ordered cashew nut with chicken. The papaya salad was very spicy to my liking, but to those who does not like too much heat may want to ask for a medium. The entrée came in white serving plate with a side of jasmine rice. The ingredients were quite fresh. And the seasoning was not overwhelming.
The prices were reasonable. The restaurant has BYOB policy. I’m not sure if this is temporary or permanent. But given that the restaurant did not have a bar area, this is probably a permanent policy. We looked around the restaurant and there were many customers with their own bottles. As customers got seated, the wait staff quickly acknowledge the bottles by setting up glasses and offering to open the bottles.
As we left the restaurant, there was a long queue outside. The restaurant was not exceptional, but will be in a list of our weekend restaurants when we want Thai food. Also a good place to come with a group. In fact the restaurant had two large groups.
Land
1565 2nd Avenue (between 81st & 82nd)
New York, NY 10028
(212) 439-1847
www.landthaikitchen.com
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