Bye Bye NYC, Hello TLV

Our lovely family is going to be on the airplane to Tel-Aviv in half an hour! We are so exited, especially Bubik. She laughs with her 2 teeth every time I'm telling her "Bubik nosaat le Tel-Aviv!"*.Finally we are going to have some new scenery to get inspired from. As much as we love New York City, this is a place where we work and lately there was too much of it! Kind of draining. But oto-to**, we are going to be recharging and partying our heads off in one of the most welcoming cities in the world, while savta** is babysitting :) Those who never been to Tel-Aviv and are not familiar with this city, will be able to learn all about it in my further posts. 

In a meanwhile lets talk a little more about NYC. There are two places I have recently visited that I would like to share. The best sushi in NYC, period, is Sushi of Gari.  402 E 78th St, NYC (212) 517-5340 (the original location). 

This place well deserves its Michelin star together with a wide recognition from many of Manhattanites. Chef's sushi 

omakase is probably the best choice you can make to get your overall impression.This will consist of 12 pieces of 

sushi out of this world.Though it wasn't our first time we still like to order omakase and to be surprised. No soy sause 

is used at this place, as one of the rules of the chef, and you will have no regrets.

So it all started with a little appetizer -salad with sesame dressing

then the sets started to arrive.. set#1 from left to right: Diced eel with avocado; seared Fatty Tuna with hint of Garlic and Ginger  sauce;  Japanese red snapper with topping of seasoned baby greens, roasted pine nuts and Crispy Lotus Root; Tuna with Tofu sause.set#2: as you can see, piece number one was gone with the speed of light... so from right to  left; Tuna tartar with seaweed; yellowtail halapeno; seared salmon; clams in basil sauce

set#3: salmon tomato(one of the favorites); Seared toro with garlic and ginger sauce; white fish with truffle.sushi with foie gras was the highlight of this dinner, I mean, really..halibut with truffle oil an poached quail egg -another highlight...   

And as it was my Bday, desert has arrived to the dancing and singing "Happy Bday to you" of all the waiters and sushi masters behind the counter- was very unexpected and fun :)   After such a feast, for some reason, I wanted to sit in a cosy place and sip hot chocolate. The weather was still chilly and it was just the right thing to do. This winter I have tried probably 80% of all hot chocolates in the city which could be a post in itself  so I was on a roll. Anyway after long deliberation and bitching that NYC is not like Tel Aviv, in a sense that there are no coffee places here where you can sit and chat with a friend for hours drinking the same cup, here, most likely, you will be required to order dinner and to get out as soon as you done, we decided to head to Carlyle hotel, a very discreet place, that for some reason not many aware of well probably not after this post. Carlyle features a restaurant; a famous Bemelmans bar; cafe, where Woody Allen likes to give his weekly act with Eddy Davis jazz band and a Gallery inspired by Topkapi dining room, in which we were comfortably accommodated on antique kilims. Very intimate atmosphere and jazz music coming from the adjacent bar, made the time pleasant and hot chocolate to last long.

This will be probably it for now, we are starting exactly to board, see you soon in Tel-Aviv...**some hebrew vocabularyBubik nosaat le Tel-Aviv-Bubik is going to Tel-Avivoto-to - very very soonSavta-Grandmother