*THIS LOCATION HAS SHUT DOWN UNFORTUNATELY*Asian Pub 35 Cooper Square (Lower Eastside) New York, NY

Cheap drinks, cheap bar style food with an Asian twist, what's not to love? 
Asian Pub was brought to my attention by a friend that I will forever be grateful to. It has a mostly college crowd with sprinkles of all kinds of other people. Going after 7pm on Friday or Saturday may mean that you have to wait for a table...... For a while. This place gets pretty packed on the weekend. Sunday is happy hour all day.

I have tried almost everything on the menu. My favorite would be the Burgers, Korean Beef, Meat Gyoza, Negimaki, and the Salsa & Chips are so addictive. They do have some not so great things on the menu their spring rolls are always greasy, the pad thai is definitely not made from scratch, and I have had better dumplings. Its a bar though not a restaurant. 


 I love that all of their drinks are $4, but if you make it to happy hour they're only $3! They have their own menu for $4 drinks but I'm sure you can find something that you like, the classic margarita or a lychee martini. They have bombs and shots. Perfect place to get wasted ;)

Yuca Bar 111 Ave. A (Lower Eastside) New York, NY

Yuca Bar is mostly Latin food, some kind of Cuban with a New American twist. The decor is inviting they have outdoor seating and they like to keep their windows open. Price wise they are affordable. You may be hooked like me.

I love the Yuca Bar brunch menu. Its like under $20 and comes with a hot drink and a cold drink(can be alcoholic, I always get the Bloody Mary). I really enjoy the Arepa Benedictos (arepa is like a corn pancake), Huevos Rancheros, and the Steak and Eggs. Their homefries are so awesome they make it with both sweet potatoes and regular ones. It gives them a really great flavor and mixture of sweet and savory. I have been here for lunch, the salads are great, the burrito, I've had better.

Sunday is Taco day, Tuesdays are half priced Tapas and who doesn't love happy hour? They have a good variety of  tapas (hand food) and happy hour means cheaper drinks. (Monday thru Friday 1pm to 8pm)

Xe Lua 86 Mulberry Street (Chinatown) New York, NY

I love this place. The service is always great, the bathrooms are clean, and the decor is inviting. If you like Vietnamese there is nothing much to say other than you must check this place out.

 

I love the Pho, the vermicelli noodles, the spring rolls, the summer shrimp rolls, the Quail appetizer, umm pretty much everything. And I forgot to mention that everything is so affordable. This big bowl of Pho in the pic is the house special and its like $6!

You must try this place, then let me know what you think :)

Los Feliz 109 Ludlow Street (Lower East Side) New York, NY

Los Feliz is a taqueria and tequileria. They have over 150 kinds of tequila so you can definitely enjoy a drink with their variety of savory tacos.

I stumbled across this place one night when I was hanging out on Rivington Street. I thought it was a restaurant but later I discovered that there are two basements and the lounge is used for private parties. The taco serving is two small tacos, with an appetizer I was ok, but you may definitely want to order yourself 2 rounds of tacos if you're hungry.

I had the Chille Relleno tacos (Spice crusted chile chilaca, beef-pork piccadillo, black beans, and crema), I really enjoyed them and I got to steal a taste of the steak taco, the meat was seasoned and cooked well. To drink I was outgoing and tried the margarita spiced with cilantro and jalapeños, it was different but surprisingly tasty.

I will definitely come to this place again. Stay tuned for updates.

Mancora Restaurant 99 1st Ave. (Lower East Side) New York, NY

Mancora Restaurant is a Peruvian restuarant located in the lower east side. The decor is a bit dark and homey,  but I love the hand painted ocean theme (the octopus on the ceiling is my favorite). This is a great place to have a group gathering or just an intimate dinner w/ a friend or significant other.

I love that they have such a variety of ceviche (ceviche is popular in Central and South America, it is typically made from fresh raw fish or seafood marinated in citrus juices such as lemon or lime and spiced with chili peppers) I recently tried the Ceviche de Coco, the Ceviche de Mariscos, and the Ceviche de Camarones. If you like seafood salad you will definitely enjoy this part of the menu.

I took my mom here and she loved it. We ordered a bottle of wine (the wine list is great) and a carafe of sangria, the food was excellent. I had the Pescado A Lo Macho (which is a red snapper fillet steamed in a red pepper sauce and topped w/ seafood in a creamy sauce) and for dessert I ordered the Flan ( a custard like pastry). At my most recent visit I had the Entrana Marinera (which is a skirt steak that was beautifully cooked topped with a seafood mixture in a creamy sauce) served with rice.

Everytime that I have been here the service was excellent and I will continue to recommend people to go here. Check it out.

SEA The Thai Experience 114 N6th Street (Williamsburg) Brooklyn,NY

SEA is a Thai restaurant but not like any other. The decor is very artsy, east meets west. The pool seen below is one of its main attractions and has become a backdrop in almost everyone who visits pictures. The food here is awesome. Whether its the appetizers or the entrees, I enjoy this  restaurant for the most part, other than how crowded it can be on the weekends. I once waited an hour to be seated, anyone who knows me knows that I am impatient, their food must be good.

Lets start with appetizers. I have had the Martini Shrimp, Crispy Basil Spring Rolls, Duck Lettuce Wrap (which was my least favorite), Golden Fritters and Temple Steamed Dumplings. They have so many options when it comes to entrées that I will not list everything I've had but I will say that all of their fried rice is great. Unfortunately I am not a Pad Thai fan but I love their Curry, whether green or red and I love the spicy basil anything.

If you like Thai try this place out the bar gets packed and the food is great.
You will definitely enjoy yourself.
The DJ is live on weekends, they play house and techno.
The bar is crazy packed on these days so if you want to get a drink squeeze in where you fit in and be aggressive ;)

Luz Restuarant 177 Vanderbuilt Ave. (Clinton Hill) Brooklyn,NY

Luz is a pleasant place to be. Their food style are mixtures of Peruvian, Cuban, Puerto Rican and Latin American. Its upscale decor is very clean and inviting. Whether you're going for brunch or dinner I recommend it for both, although I feel like the dinner menu has more to offer flavor wise. Service is slow on Sundays, but I have never had bad service.

I had their Entrana 'n' Eggs which is their version of steak and eggs with a Mimosa. It wasn't as great as I expected but I suppose it did the job. I wish the drink came with my brunch selection, like @ the Yuca Bar (will blog about that another time). My choice for brunch was $14 plus my drink which was an additional $6. As I was eating I noticed a lady sitting at the bar who ordered the Pan de Maiz Benedicts(poached eggs, chorizo, spinach, corn bread, topped with a rocoto pepper Hollandaise sauce) which is what I originally wanted to order. Should have went with my gut because it looked awesome, always next time.

As I said before their dinner is a lot better. The first time I experienced this restaurant I had  a pan seared fish topped w/ a mango salsa and their coconut rice which is made with olives and veggies. I recently had their Salmon al Pimienton, which is a pan seared salmon in red peppers served with cilantro mashed potatoes that I substituted the coconut rice for. Also, their pitcher of white sangria is unlike any sangria I've ever had. I don't know if it was because it was kind of strong(lol) or because of the passion fruit flavor, either way I highly recommend it.

I almost forgot! Their dessert menu is also worth making room for. I had the Mexican Sorpresa (a chocolate molten cake with chili spice, served with caramelized bananas and coconut pineapple ice cream), it was incredible, but they make it when you order it so be advised it may take 15 minutes or so. You should order it as you are almost done eating your entrée, unless you don't mind the wait. I also stole a taste of the Guava Tarta (a guava tart served with cheese ice cream and a guave sauce glaze) their presentation was beautiful and the taste was excellent. I'll have to take pictures next time I go ;)

So I may not have enjoyed my brunch here as much as dinner but it will not stop me from frequenting the place. Besides I spotted Brandy here so if the stars like it, it must be a winner. Check it out. Its definitely worth traveling to Brooklyn for.