Nosh on me (nom.)

The Vegan Restaurant That Made Me Forget It Was Vegan

2026-10-12T20:32:17.755-04:00

A meal at Planta, the plant-based global kitchen where the caviar-topped potatoes are the least surprising thing on the table.

Planta bills itself as "plant-based dining, reimagined," with bold, globally inspired dishes, craveable cocktails, and vibrant spaces made for every kind of gathering. It’s a growing chain with locations across the US, and the menu runs from sushi to wok dishes to Southeast Asian street-food-style small plates, all 100 percent vegan. The room matches the pitch: it’s lively, stylish, and built for groups, with a full cocktail menu and the kind of energy that makes it work for a date night, a birthday, or a "we just want to share everything" dinner.

I Put On A Lab Coat, Did Shots, And Made Things Explode With My Boyfriend (Best Date Night Idea Ever?)

2026-10-11T16:18:43.680-04:00

Science and Sip’s Drunken Lab in Brooklyn is chemistry class if chemistry class had a DJ, a full bar, and karaoke.

This is where Drunken Lab surprised me. It’s not just a quiet experiment session. There’s a live DJ, lab battles where you compete against the other tables, science trivia, and karaoke. Win the games and you earn free shots, which gives the competitive person in your relationship a lot of motivation. (You know who you are.)

The energy shifts as the night goes on, from “let’s carefully follow the instructions” to “why are we all singing at full volume.” I mean that as the highest compliment.

I Played Squid Game IRL With 5 Friends And Nobody Got Eliminated (Emotionally, Anyway)

2026-10-11T16:06:46.492-04:00

Immersive Gamebox turns a single room into a full-on video game, and my group of six was the perfect size to take it on.

This is the Top Pick and also one of the hardest on the menu, so naturally we started there. You take on six challenges from the Netflix show, and yes, that means the games you’re picturing right now. Within minutes, six adults who share group chat memes were fully sweating over a children’s game.

The best part is how seriously everyone starts taking it. Friendships were tested. Trash talk happened. Someone suddenly became very competitive about something that, in real life, they’d never care about.

After all that chaos, Escape AI felt like a totally different mood. It’s billed as the world’s first immersive escape room, and it’s a “brain buster” where you work together to solve the mystery behind an eccentric inventor’s disappearance. It’s a bit lower on the difficulty scale than Squid Game, but it asks a different muscle of you. Instead of reflexes and nerves, it’s communication and “wait, does anyone have the thing?”

Squid Game made us yell. Escape AI made us whisper-argue. Both are valid.

Midtown’s Latin Steakhouse Is Quietly Running The Show Near Rockefeller Center

2026-10-07T10:59:09.734-04:00

Inside Amasa, where Peruvian flavors and big steakhouse energy share a dining room.

I Got Locked In A 1950s Prison And Almost Lost My Mind (10/10, Would Be Wrongfully Convicted Again)

2026-10-05T12:39:24.268-04:00

The Escape Game NYC’s Prison Break is billed as their toughest room, and I can confirm it did not come to play.

A Trip To Delmonico’s, The Restaurant That Invented Fine Dining In America

2026-10-01T11:43:20.107-04:00

Established in 1837, Delmonico’s remains the oldest restaurant in New York City. It lives in its original building at the intersection of Beaver and William Street in the financial district.

Let's get the history out of the way, because Delmonico's doesn't let you forget it for a second: this place basically invented the modern fine dining. Swiss-Italian brothers Giovanni and Pietro Delmonico opened it in 1837, and it became America's first fine dining restaurant and steakhouse, the first in New York to offer food à la carte, and even the first to print a separate wine list. They were apparently unhappy with the produce at local markets, so they just bought a farm in Brooklyn, basically inventing farm-to-table a century and a half before it became a menu buzzword. It was also the first restaurant where women could dine without a male escort, which in 1800s New York was basically scandalous behavior.

So when you sit down at Delmonico's, you're not just getting dinner: you're sitting in the room that taught rich 19th-century New Yorkers what a "restaurant" even was.

I Ate My Feelings At Shuka And I Have Thoughts

2026-09-25T12:49:13.834-04:00

Shuka is a Mediterranean spot in Soho with a menu that leans into chef Ayesha Nurdjaja’s travels through Spain, North Africa, and Tel Aviv kitchens.

This place is10/10, would dismantle this feast again. Bring people. Bring a big appetite. Bring stretchy pants.

I Ate My Way Through Very Fresh Noodles At Chelsea Market And I Need Everyone To Know About The Tingly Cumin Lamb

2026-08-25T15:03:39.192-04:00

A love letter to hand-torn noodles, numbing spice, and the eggplant dish nobody talks about enough

This is the dish. The one everyone's Yelp review is about. The noodles are hand-torn "biangbiang" style, which means they're wide, thick, and chewy in a way that makes every other noodle you have had feel like it was phoning it in. Toss in a heap of cumin, Sichuan peppercorns, chili oil, celery, and cilantro, and you get that specific "mala" sensation: spicy like a jalapeño, but also buzzy and numbing in a way that makes your lips tingle mid-bite. Lamb was tender, and coated in enough oil and spice that I was still thinking about it hours later.

If the cumin lamb is the flashy main character, this is the comforting best friend. Slow-braised beef shank, hand-pulled noodles, and a broth that's doing about six things at once. Sweet, savory, and a little tangy. It's technically a Taiwanese beef noodle soup but with a biangbiang noodle soul. Topped with pickled mustard greens, bok choy, scallion, and cilantro for crunch and brightness against all that rich broth. This is the bowl you order when it's cold outside and you want to feel hugged from the inside.

I Went To Rosa Mexicano In Union Square And Now I Understand Why Guac Has Been Famous Since 1984

2026-08-15T18:33:22.563-04:00

Tableside guac, fall-off-the-bone pork, and fajitas that arrive still sizzling...this is comfort food of my dream.

This Is What Peak Greek Food Looks Like In Midtown

2026-08-06T12:57:16.598-04:00

A full tour through pikilia, octopus, lamb chops, and one unforgettable moussaka at Delos Greek Restaurant in NYC

I Went To Mercer Labs And Now I Understand Why People Are Obsessed With It

2026-08-05T14:25:00.325-04:00

There’s a door on Dey Street in Lower Manhattan that looks like nothing. You walk through it and suddenly you are in 15 different alternate universes, one of which involves a robot arm drawing in sand like it’s got something to prove.

Here are some of the highlights of different rooms you can experience:

The Map: 5,000 square feet where classic masterpieces get remixed into full cinematic moments via 26 laser projectors and 360-degree sound. It's less "look at this painting" and more "step inside this painting's fever dream."

Infinite: A towering LED canvas boxed in by mirrors so the art multiplies into forever. Look closely enough and you become part of the piece, which is either beautiful or slightly unsettling depending on how your day is going.

The Cave: Pink hydrangeas everywhere, animated monkeys drifting through them, and a signature sparkling drink waiting for you courtesy of the Taste Lab. This is the "catch your breath" room and it's doing the most in the best way.

Freedom Room: You get to conduct a robotic cellist with a hand wave or remix a melody on interactive synths while the visuals react to you. Main character moment, no notes.

Archetype: A colossal robotic arm recreates masterpieces in sand with a level of precision that makes you spiral about whether machines have feelings now. Ten out of ten identity crisis.

Most people clock in around 60 to 90 minutes, though based on the reviews, give yourself closer to two hours if you actually want to sit with each room instead of speed-running it.

Mercer Labs is what happens when someone takes "immersive art experience" — a phrase that has been diluted into oblivion by every pop-up with a neon sign and a ball pit — and actually builds something that earns the term. It's part sensory reset, part playground, part "wait, is that robot better at art than me" existential moment.

I Went To NYC’s New “Bathing Club” And Now I Understand Why People Rave About Cold Plunges

2026-07-31T13:26:33.389-04:00

HOT. COLD. HUMAN. That’s literally the tagline and I get it now.

I Played “1000 Boxes” With Strangers On A 40-Foot LED Wall And I Have Never Screamed That Much In My Life

2026-07-27T12:04:25.038-04:00

I went in expecting a chill night out and left in a full fugue state of competitive rage.

I Went To A Georgian Restaurant In The West Village And Now I Understand Why Everyone Won't Shut Up About Khinkali

2026-07-14T00:32:28.352-04:00

Somewhere between the pomegranate-drenched eggplant rolls and the cheese boat with an egg yolk sunbathing on top, I became a person who says “khachapuri” in normal conversation.

Laliko sits at 80 Carmine Street, tucked into that stretch of the West Village that always feels like it's hiding one more good restaurant than you expected. The whole concept is built around bringing actual Eastern European Georgia to New York — not the vague "Eastern European" catch-all, but specifically centuries-old Georgian recipes, from hearty stews to lighter dishes, served in a room that regulars keep describing as cozy, warm, and a little bit like stepping into someone's home rather than a restaurant.

A lot of the staff are Georgian themselves, which shows up in how confidently the menu leans into tradition instead of diluting it for a broader audience. It's also not flying under the radar anymore — the restaurant has picked up Michelin recognition and built a genuinely devoted following, with a wine list that's almost entirely Georgian pours, a solid cocktail program, and both dinner and brunch service. People don't just eat here once; the reviews are full of regulars who've been back five, six, seven times for the same two dishes. That's the energy you're walking into.

I Somehow Won A Reservation To One Of NYC’s Hardest-To-Book Restaurants—Here’s Whether It Actually Lived Up To The Hype

2026-07-13T14:30:20.681-04:00

From melt-in-your-mouth steaks to the dessert everyone should save room for, here’s what it’s really like dining at The Eight Six.

If you've tried booking The Eight Six, you already know the struggle. Reservations disappear almost instantly, but I somehow lucked out and won a table through DoorDash.

Walking in, the restaurant immediately feels like you've stumbled upon one of New York's best-kept secrets—dimly lit, intimate, and effortlessly cool. The restaurant sits inside the old Chumley's space — the Prohibition-era speakeasy where Hemingway and Fitzgerald used to drink, and where the actual culinary term "86" was born. So the restaurant is named after the phrase that was named after the building it's in. It's giving very "the snake eating its own tail" energy, except the snake is a12oz bone-in wagyu strip. I would know, because I ordered it.

I skipped apps and went straight for the meat.

Bone-In Wagyu New York Strip — 12oz, Center Cut, Rosewood Ranch, Ennis, Texas — $90

This steak comes with a hometown. Not "wagyu." Not "strip steak." A specific ranch, a specific Texas town, basically a birth certificate. And it earns the introduction — deeply beefy, the bone doing exactly the flavor-insurance thing bones are supposed to do, char on the outside like it went through something and came out better for it.

Filet Mignon — 8oz, Center Cut, Jeff Huss and Family, Mitchell, South Dakota — $69

The filet is the quiet one at the table. Buttery, almost shy about how tender it is. If the strip is the friend who tells a great story at dinner, the filet is the friend who just quietly pays for everyone and doesn't mention it.

The sides were doing the most, in the best way

Creamed Corn Pot Pie — $19

A whole pie situation for a side dish. Croissant-layered pastry over sweet corn and 2-year-aged parmesan, so it's essentially a savory pastry impersonating a vegetable.

Roasted Tivoli Farm Mushrooms — $17

Sherry-au jus glaze, cured egg yolk on top like a little golden crown. Deeply savory, slightly indulgent.

Mashed Potatoes — $17

European butter, stated plainly on the menu like a threat. They were not lying. These potatoes have never met a diet in their life and I respect that.

Then things got a little theatrical

A lemon palate cleanser, served in a bowl of scooped lemon. I don't fully know what was happening but I felt cleansed, spiritually and palate-ly.

And then dessert, which I was not emotionally prepared for

Banana Trifle — Banana Custard, Vanilla Chantilly Cream, Dulcey Crunch, Nilla Crumble, Brown Butter Salted Caramel — $21

This is banana pudding that went to finishing school. Every spoonful hits a different texture — custard, crunch, cream, crumble — like the dessert equivalent of a boy band where everyone gets a solo.

I Ate My Way Through Murray Hill’s Sexiest Restaurant That Is Giving Me Full Riviera Fantasy

2026-07-10T13:42:19.107-04:00

Inside Leonetta, where candlelight, velvet banquettes, and Chef Ed Cotton’s Coastal Mediterranean menu are quietly running the show

Walking into Leonetta feels like someone teleported a Riviera villa onto a Murray Hill corner. Think warm woods, over 100 live plants cascading from the ceiling, buttery yellow banquettes, and just enough candlelight to make you forget you are still in Manhattan. The whole thing is the brainchild of Chef Ed Cotton, a Top Chef finalist with decades of fine-dining pedigree, who's built a menu that leans "Coastal Mediterranean" without boxing itself into any one region. It's giving sun-drenched seaside dinner party. It's giving date night. It's giving "I need to come back with everyone I know."

Tokyo Nightlife, Manhattan Address: Why Yamasaki Is The Financial District’s Best Kept Secret

2026-06-19T13:54:52.113-04:00

The Japanese restaurant on Broad Street that’s doing everything right.

Katsu is comfort food and Yamasaki respects that. The panko crust on the Chicken Katsu is properly crispy — shatters when you cut into it, not soggy, not thick — and the chicken underneath stays juicy. The creamy sesame lettuce salad alongside is the right call: cool and nutty and cuts through the richness without competing with it.

Black cod is one of those dishes that exists on menus everywhere and is done well almost nowhere. This one is done well. The yuzu ginger miso glaze hits that perfect balance of sweet, savory, and citrusy brightness, and the cod itself is buttery in the way that makes you put your fork down between bites just to appreciate what's happening. A classic executed with real care.

This is where Yamasaki makes its case. The otoro and chutoro are the kind of fatty tuna that literally dissolves — you barely have to chew, it just disappears in the most luxurious way possible. The uni was clean and oceanic with zero bitterness, which is the only acceptable version of uni. Hotate (scallop) was sweet and almost creamy. The botan ebi — spot prawn — had that delicate snap and subtle sweetness that makes you wish you'd ordered two. The ikura and salmon rounded it all out. Honestly, order more of this than you think you need.

The Kyoto Caramel Chocolate Cake is a dessert I'll think about for weeks. The white miso caramel is the move here — it takes the sweetness somewhere deeper and more complex, with a savory undercurrent that keeps it from tipping into cloying. The dark cocoa cake is dense and rich, the sea salt brings everything into focus. This is the kind of dessert that makes you briefly reconsider your life choices in a good way. Finally, the Passionfruit Sorbet is the perfect palate cleanser that earns its place. Bright, tart, intensely fruity — exactly what you need after that chocolate cake to feel human again.

Yamasaki is the Financial District restaurant you didn't know you needed and will absolutely tell everyone about. Whether you're doing à la carte sushi or working your way through the full menu, the kitchen is clearly operating with intention. Go for the black cod, stay for the otoro, leave questioning why you don't eat here every week.

I Ate At The Restaurant Hiding Beneath MoMA And Now I Have Unrealistic Standards For Everything

2026-06-18T11:05:07.062-04:00

You’re in Midtown, the least romantic neighborhood in New York, dodging tourists and construction scaffolding. And then you walk into 53 and suddenly you are somewhere else entirely.

Executive Chef Mark Yu has an interesting background. He studied fine arts and ceramics at Loyola Marymount University, then moved to São Paulo to help run his parents' garment business, before eventually following his real passion to New York and enrolling at the Culinary Institute of America. What followed was a tour through some of the most decorated kitchens in the world: Benu, The Restaurant at Meadowood, Le Bernardin, Eleven Madison Park, Providence, before landing closer to downtown at Pastis and Catch New York. All of that is to say: the menu at 53, which draws from Japan, China, and Southeast Asia with a disciplined and refined hand, did not happen by accident. You can taste the résumé in every dish.

SALMON CARPACCIO — sesame, shio kombu

This is the dish that sets the tone for the whole meal. Thin, silky sheets of salmon draped with shio kombu, and sesame lending just enough nuttiness to pull it all together. It's delicate but not shy.

OYSTER AND UNI — yuzu ponzu gelée, trout roe

This is what happens when someone decides that an oyster alone simply isn't doing enough. The yuzu ponzu gelée sits on top like a little jewel, bright and citrusy, and then the trout roe pops and the whole thing becomes this wave of oceanic richness that lingers in the best way.

CRYSTAL DUMPLING — morel mushroom, spinach

The translucent wrapper reveals the filling like a little edible snow globe. The morel mushroom filling is earthy and luxurious — morels being the kind of ingredient that makes everything taste more expensive — and the spinach keeps it grounded.

EEL CLUB — foie gras, cherry

This is decadence done with restraint — rich, silky eel paired with the buttery excess of foie gras, and then the cherry comes in and cuts right through it with a tartness that saves the whole thing from being too much.

DUCK — five spice, thai basil, cilantro

The duck is the main event and it earns that title. Five spice gives it that deeply aromatic, almost lacquered quality — the kind of duck that smells like a night market in the best possible way — and then the thai basil and cilantro bring freshness that keeps it from feeling heavy.

BOK CHOY — garlic

Simple. Perfect. The garlic is doing a lot of heavy lifting here and it knows it. The bok choy has that satisfying slight char and crunch, and it's the palate reset you need before dessert.

MANGO PUDDING — oro blanco, sago, greek yogurt ice cream

The oro blanco (a citrus fruit, somewhere between a grapefruit and a pomelo) adds this unexpected bittersweet brightness, the sago gives it texture, and the greek yogurt ice cream brings a tangy creaminess that ties it all together.

ICE CREAM SANDWICH — nutella, banana, mochi

The dessert you didn't know you needed. Nutella and banana is already a universally beloved combination and then they wrapped it in mochi — soft, chewy, slightly sticky. It's playful and it's the right note to end on. You leave smiling.

I Ate My Way Through Tucci NYC And Now I Have A New Favorite Italian Restaurant In The City

2026-05-29T11:20:41.873-04:00

Six dishes, one very full stomach, and zero regrets.

1. TUCCI MEATBALLS — Calabrian Chili Marinara, Manchego | $27

We're starting here because you should always start with meatballs, and these earn their spot on the menu. The Calabrian chili marinara brings just enough heat to feel intentional — not a garnish, not an afterthought — and the Manchego on top adds this slightly funky, salty edge that you didn't know you needed. These are not your Sunday-sauce meatballs. These are meatballs with a point of view.

Verdict: 8/10. Order them. Perfect for sharing.

2. TUNA CARPACCIO — Fennel, Capers, Crispy Shallots, Lemon Aioli | $31

This dish is doing a lot and somehow pulling all of it off. The tuna is silky and clean, the fennel keeps things bright, and the crispy shallots are the unsung hero of the whole plate. The lemon aioli ties it together in a way that feels almost too effortless. It's the kind of dish that looks delicate on the table and then hits you with actual flavor. A very good sign for what's coming.

Verdict: 9/10. The move is to order this and feel very sophisticated.

3. CACIO E PEPE E TARTUFO — Black Truffles, Bucatini, Pecorino | $46

Okay. This is the dish. If you come to Tucci and you don't order this, I genuinely don't know what you're doing. The bucatini is cooked perfectly and the black truffle situation here is generous in a way that feels almost reckless. Pecorino adds the salt and the sharpness. The pepper is present and accounted for. Every bite is deeply satisfying in that specific, pasta-brained way where you stop talking mid-sentence.

Verdict: 10/10. Non-negotiable. You're getting this.

4. FETTUCCINI FRA DIAVOLO — Jumbo Prawns, Calabrian Chili, Basil | $48

The fra diavolo is bold, spicy, and unapologetic, which honestly, respect. The jumbo prawns are cooked well — not rubbery, not overdone, just tender enough that they feel like a treat rather than an obligation. The Calabrian chili is making a second appearance on this menu and at this point I'm convinced Tucci has a type, and that type is heat with intention. The basil cuts through everything at just the right moment. A dish for people who like their pasta to talk back.

Verdict: 8.5/10. Order this if you like things spicy and your fettuccini with ambition.

5. CHICKEN PARMESAN — Smoked Vodka Sauce | $41

Listen, chicken parm is a test. Every Italian restaurant in New York City serves it and most of them are fine. Tucci's is not just fine — it's actually interesting, which is harder to pull off than it sounds. The smoked vodka sauce is the differentiator here. There's a subtle smokiness that runs through the whole dish and makes it feel like a deliberate reinvention rather than a menu filler. The chicken itself is crispy where it should be and the cheese pull is very much present and very much delivering. Classic format, surprising execution.

Verdict: 8/10. Respect to a chicken parm that has something to say.

6. DELMONICO RIBEYE — 16oz Brandt Family Farms, Braised Cipollini Onion, Natural Jus | $79

And then there's this. The ribeye arrives looking exactly like a ribeye should look — imposing, confident, already winning. The Brandt Family Farms sourcing matters here; you can taste the quality in how clean and rich the beef flavor is, with nothing masking it. The natural jus keeps things honest. The braised cipollini onion is doing its job on the side. At $79 this is the table's anchor and it holds that role without drama.

Verdict: 9/10. If you're going to do a steakhouse move at an Italian restaurant, this is the one.

Tucci NYC is the rare restaurant that plays upscale Italian without losing warmth or flavor in the process. The menu has range — from the sharp, acidic brightness of the carpaccio to the deeply savory truffle pasta to a ribeye that belongs in a conversation about the best steaks in the city — and it all feels cohesive. Not trying to be everything, just trying to be very good at one specific, delicious thing.

Go with someone you want to impress, or go alone and order the cacio e pepe. Either way, you're coming back.

I Ate A 7-Course Dinner In A Basement While The Whole Room Controlled The Playlist

2026-05-22T12:21:16.429-04:00

And it was the most fun I have had at a restaurant. Ever.

Then the food starts coming. The seven-course omakase is izakaya-style. Expect things like salmon sashimi, octopus, something braised and rich toward the end like duck, and two desserts. In case you are still hungry at the end of the meal, they serve you a surprise course of fresh slice of pizza to-go.

The talented visionary behind the food absolutely deserves her flowers. Executive Chef Ignacia Valdés is a Chilean chef who came up through Michelin-starred kitchens in Paris and New York — Ze Kitchen Galerie, Contra, and Frevo, where she was in the kitchen when it earned its Michelin star. She's also a San Pellegrino Young Chef finalist. In a field still largely dominated by men, she brings a genuinely distinct voice to the menu: Chilean roots, Japanese finesse, French technique, all coming together in a compact high-energy kitchen. She writes a new menu every evening using fresh fish flown in from Japan and Europe, which means the seven courses you get on a Tuesday will not be the same seven courses someone else got last weekend. That kind of commitment is not nothing.

Tokyo Record Bar is the rare NYC dining experience that actually earns the word "experience." It's chaotic in the best way, the food is solid to stand on its own, and there's something weirdly moving about eating dinner while a room full of people collectively curate the soundtrack. You'll leave full on izakaya courses, slightly attached to the strangers you shared a playlist with, and weirdly nostalgic for a place you were just at.

I Went To A Burlesque Dinner Show In NYC And It Genuinely Slapped

2026-05-11T11:46:00.004-04:00

Duane Park is not what you expect. It’s better.

I'd walked past Duane Park on the Bowery more times than I could count and always wondered what was happening inside. When I finally looked it up and saw the words "burlesque dinner show," I was curious enough to just go. So on a Sunday evening, I attended Beyond the Velvet Rope, stepped through the door, and immediately understood what all the mystery was about. The premise is this: the velvet rope is a literal barrier between Duane Park's world of glamor and the hum-drum grit of New York City outside. One step beyond it, and you're somewhere else entirely.

The food at a dinner-and-show situation has every reason to be an afterthought. At Duane Park it is absolutely not. The four-course dinner is part of the $149 per person package, and it earns that price tag. The burrata arrives in an english pea velouté with smoked gochujang — chaotic on paper, genius on the palate. The duck toast is duck confit on toasted brioche with a sour cherry-white miso jam that I am still thinking about. For entrees, the Szechuan Tuna au Poivre with asian pear, carrot-smoked olive oil emulsion, and ginger-soy is the kind of dish that belongs at a much more serious restaurant. And the Dubai Chocolate Cheesecake with pistachio and shredded phyllo? I genuinely considered a second one.

Seating is at 6pm sharp and they are not kidding — if you arrive more than fifteen minutes late, you forfeit your seats and still get charged the full price. Show up on time, because you do not want to miss a single minute of what happens in that room. The band is live, the singer is the kind of performer that makes you forget to check your phone, and the burlesque acts hit a level of glamor and theatricality that feels genuinely transporting. It's the kind of show that makes you understand why people used to get dressed up to go out on a Sunday night. Beyond the Velvet Rope runs Sundays at 6pm, $149 per person for the four-course dinner and show. Book it.

9 Gifts For The Person Who Considers Their Body A Long-Term Investment

2026-05-08T10:43:00.006-04:00

Forget flowers. The most romantic thing you can do in 2026 is help someone optimize their recovery, glow up their skin, and eat like they actually care about themselves.

The GR1 is not just a bag. It is a rucksack that was designed for Special Forces, is made in the USA, and comes with a lifetime guarantee. The 21L size is the sweet spot — big enough for a laptop, a change of clothes, and whatever you're hauling to the gym, small enough to not make you look like you're fleeing the country. The black colorway goes with everything. The structure doesn't collapse. The back panel sits flush and comfortable. For the person who considers their everyday carry a personal statement, this is the only statement worth making.

For the person who wants to eat clean but also wants zero part of actually cooking, Factor is the answer. Chef-crafted, dietitian-approved, fully prepared meals delivered to your door — already cooked, just heat and eat. The macros are dialed, the ingredients are quality, and there are enough options (keto, calorie-smart, protein plus, vegan, etc.) that it won't feel like a punishment. It's the gift that basically says "I want you to be healthy but I also respect your time." Extremely romantic.

In a world of endless camera rolls nobody ever looks at, there is something quietly revolutionary about a photo you can hold in your hand two seconds after taking it. The KODAK Printomatic+ prints directly onto paper (no ink, no mess) and the results are the perfect lo-fi, warm-toned, instantly nostalgic kind of image that makes everything look like a memory worth keeping. For the person who still sends physical mail, or the couple that wants to stop being the ones who say "we should print more photos" and actually do it.

Eat Clean Bro is the meal prep service for people who are genuinely tired of doing math at dinner. Every meal is macro-balanced, fresh (never frozen), and ships to your door in ready-to-heat containers. The portions are real — not sad little diet containers — and the menu rotates so it doesn't feel like a sentence. For the person whose New Year's resolution is still technically alive, or anyone who keeps ending the week with "I need to be better about food." This is how you be better about food.

This West Village Restaurant Served Me A Pork Chop So Good I’m Still Talking About It

2026-05-07T11:49:00.000-04:00

Jack and Charlie’s No. 118 brings old-school New York energy, elevated comfort food, and the kind of dinner that turns into a whole night.

We started with the Chopped Tuna, which was fresh, bright, and way more balanced than a lot of tuna starters that lean too heavy on sauce. The spicy ginger dressing had just enough kick, while avocado cooled everything down and the seaweed cracker added that perfect salty crunch. It felt light, polished, and expensive in the best way.

The Shepherd’s Pie Croquettes were pure comfort-food chaos. Crispy outside, creamy potato inside, with beef ragù packed into the center and curry mayo giving it a left-turn flavor moment. Basically Irish pub food after a glow-up

For the main, the Pork Chop A’ La Diablo arrived like it knew it was the main character. A 14oz wood-roasted prime chop with deeply caramelized edges, juicy center, and peppadew peppers cutting through the richness with sweet heat. This is the kind of entrée you order when you want everyone at the table to look over and reconsider their choices.

The Warm Cheddar Cheese Popovers deserve their own paragraph because these were dangerous. Puffy, buttery, cheesy, and served with Vermont salted butter and au jus. If bread service and French dip had a beautiful child, this would be it.

I Did A 15-Course Omakase In The Middle Of Times Square And Now I Simply Cannot Go Back To Normal Food

2026-03-04T15:14:00.000-05:00

If you had told me that the most transcendent bite of my recent dining life would happen one block from Times Square, I would not have believed you until my experience at The Chemistry Room.

Let's be clear about what Times Square is: a sensory hellscape of flashing billboards, overpriced chain restaurants, and tourists walking directly into you while staring at their phones. It is typically not a place where you go to have a religious experience over food.

And yet, nestled inside the Sanctuary Hotel on West 47th Street is The Chemistry Room, a sleek little omakase counter. I booked the 15-course omakase ($100 per person) on a Tuesday night and walked in deeply skeptical. I walked out changed.

Things start with a smoked miso soup served in a literal chemistry beaker. Aromatic smoke billows out when it arrives. The umami depth is almost unfair, and you immediately understand that this kitchen is not messing around. What follows is a parade of courses that made our table progressively quieter. A Box Set Trio of noodles topped with caviar, fried scallop with truffle shavings, and sashimi pieces. Then comes different pieces of nigiri — each pristine, each a small argument that this chef knows exactly what they're doing. The matcha cheesecake closes the meal to stick the landing.

We Went To NYC's Most Intimate Magic Show And Our Brains Have Not Recovered

2026-02-22T17:01:00.004-05:00

Daniel Roy's Parlour of Deceptions is the secret date night you didn't know you needed. And honestly? We're still not over it.

Daniel Roy's show is not simply first-rate magic, but storytelling, humor, and plot construction of the most meticulous and intricate sort. People who say they "don't really like magic shows" have walked out of this one completely converted. Whether you're showing someone a good time, planning a date night, or just want to spend 75 minutes having your mind completely broken by a charming neuroscientist-turned-magician, The Parlour of Deceptions delivers. Get tickets. Wear something nice. And maybe don't sit too close — actually, scratch that. Sit as close as you possibly can. Your brain will never forgive you. And you'll love every second of it.

Nosh on me (nom.)

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Game 1: Squid Game

Game 2: Escape AI

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First, the premise

The split-up start is NOT a drill

The set design is chef's kiss

The puzzles will test your friendships

Who should (and shouldn't) book this

A Trip To Delmonico’s, The Restaurant That Invented Fine Dining In America

I Ate My Feelings At Shuka And I Have Thoughts

I Ate My Way Through Very Fresh Noodles At Chelsea Market And I Need Everyone To Know About The Tingly Cumin Lamb

Tingly & Spicy Cumin Lamb

La Mei Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup

Tiger Salad

Chicken Wings

Fried Sticky Eggplant

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This Is What Peak Greek Food Looks Like In Midtown

I Went To Mercer Labs And Now I Understand Why People Are Obsessed With It

I Went To NYC’s New “Bathing Club” And Now I Understand Why People Rave About Cold Plunges

The Concept: Basically A Book Club, But You're All Sweating

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The Vibe: Gameshow Meets Fever Dream

The Games: Somehow Both Genius And Extremely Silly

The Verdict

I Went To A Georgian Restaurant In The West Village And Now I Understand Why Everyone Won't Shut Up About Khinkali

EGGPLANT ROLLS — $18

KHINKALI — $18

ACHARULI — $27

CHICKEN WITH ELARJI — $36

LAMB CHOPS — $48

NAPOLEON — $14

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Nori Crispy

Chicken Katsu and Miso Black Cod

Yamasaki Roll

A La Carte Sushi

Dessert

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COLD APPETIZERS

HOT APPETIZERS

GRILL

CLAY POT

DESSERT

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Appetizer

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1. KANE Revive OB

2. Viome Full Body Intelligence Kit

3. GORUCK GR1

4. Factor Meals

5. PlasmaGLO LED HALO Hair, Face and Neck Mask

6. Evergood Sausage Company

7. Mama Bird Prenatal Supplement

8. KODAK Printomatic+

9. Eat Clean Bro Meals

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I Did A 15-Course Omakase In The Middle Of Times Square And Now I Simply Cannot Go Back To Normal Food

We Went To NYC's Most Intimate Magic Show And Our Brains Have Not Recovered