Lexington Brass: Happy Hour

I enjoyed a lovely brunch the Lexington brass just a few months ago (post here!), and I said I'd happily return. Not long ago, a friend I happened to be nearby right around happy hour. We exchanged the 'shall we?' look and popped inside. We found 2 seats at the gorgeous marble bar and had the same server (Mishaya-- I am sure I'm spelling that improperly--sorry) as Brad & I did last time. She's friendly, helpful, and mixes a mean drink.

Our drinks were not only beautiful to look at, they were absolutely delicious. The Anjou was light, sweet without being overly so and absolutely refreshing.
The Anjou ($13) for me: with pear vodka, spiced pear, lemon & ginger fizz.

The Sweet Savannah ($12) for my gal pal: Absolut wild tea vodka, white peach, crushed mint. Aren't they lovely?

The cheese plate was delicious with a chewy raisin bread, rich fig chutney and a sensational thick, delicious honey to go with the blue cheese and other harder cheeses.

This is not a cheap eats, per se, but it's definitely a bargain. Perfectly mixed drinks with refreshingly welcome service and a great atmosphere where we could actually hear each other talk -what a nice change!

Fig chutney, bleu cheese, manchego drizzled w/honey

There's a good after work crowd, and of course visitors staying at the attached hotel. It's a sorely-needed spot in that bit of Midtown East.

Lexington Brass
517 Lexington Avenue
New York, NY 10017
(212) 392-5976

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Avra

A friend of mine was in town for business, and invited me to join him and some other media types for dinner. If you have to talk business, you might as well do it over some delicious food, amirite??

I suggested Avra, a restaurant known for Greek/Mediterranean style food, especially grilled seafood.


We started with fried calamari for the four of us to share. This was delicious. Tender, not too briny, and two great sauces. The green one had a lot of parsley and dare I say some anchovies? Yum yum yum.

We also all shared a piece of flaky, just-salty-enough spanakopita, or baked pyllo dough with spinach, feta cheese, and leeks. This was really good and had a great balance of pastry and filling.

We also ordered a bottle of Malbec: a 2010 Zuccardi from Argentina's Mendoza region. This was luscious and a great pick for everyone, especially considering our range of wine preferences.

Charcoal-grilled seafood is the specialty at Avra, so that's exactly what I ordered: grilled tsipoura (royal dorado), a nice, flaky white fish from the Mediterranean. They present it whole but deboned, and dress it only with some olive oil, lemon juice, and capers. Heaven. Sweet, seafood heaven.

I didn't know everyone that well at the table, so I held back from taking pictures of their dishes, but I knew the friend to my left quite well (back from our days in TV News), and he ordered the tuna tartare. I declined his offer to try it, but only because I was already stuffed.
(Okay, okay, I may have swiped a beet slice or two-- I love beets!)
The meal was fantastic, from the company to the service to the very last bite of food & drop of wine. You definitely need to make a reservation, but if you're anywhere near Avra, pop in for a taste of super-fresh charcoal grilled fish-- and a killer wine to match.

Avra
141 East 48th Street
New York, NY 10017
212 759-8550

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Scotty's Diner

After a drinks-only Happy Hour with ABF (at a nice, cheap, cozy little dive bar), we were in dire need of some actual FOOD. Thank goodness Scotty's diner was a) right around the corner and b) open 24 hours!

Considering it was after 10pm at the moment, Scotty's was pretty busy! We sat immediately in one of the time-worn but clean booths.

We each ordered a burger-- "Texas" style for me (jalapenos and Monterey Jack cheese)with sweet potato fries and "California" style for ABF, with mushrooms and avocado--LOTS of avocado. These came out so fast I could hardly believe it--but wasted no time in diving in for a delicious bite!

They do NOT skimp on an avocado. He had more than half of an entire avocado on that burger--and it was perfectly ripe.

I liked my fries a lot-- even though ABF called them "soggy." That's exactly how I like mine! His fries were crispier, much more to his liking than mine.

My burger was perfectly medium, juicy, delicious, I ate every bite and every single tangy, pickled jalapeno!

We shared a piece of their carrot cake, which was incredibly tasty! It had this awesome layer of what I'd call a cheesecake mousse in the middle. Our server said that's the REAL New York carrot cake. I cannot confirm that, but I can confirm that it was pretty freaking delicious.

While ABF ordered a coffee, I ordered a hot chocolate, imagining it to be some standard, boring affair. Not so! It came in a fancy cappuccino glass with whipped cream and a dusting of cinnamon-- delectable!!

Scotty's was a win for us. It's your basic diner that is the life's blood of many a city-- nothing fancy, but man, it was good! We also noticed local after local coming in for takeout (a few of them actually wearing PJs), so that gave me another vote of confidence. It's walking distance from Grand Central Station and the subways, so it's cheap, convenient, and came to our late-night rescue. Grab a pint nearby, then fill your belly here!

Scotty's Diner

336 Lexington Avenue

New York, NY 10016

(212) 986-1520

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Lexington Brass

Lexington Brass is attached to the Midtown East Hyatt 48 Lex hotel, where my dear friend BH was staying. The lobby of the hotel leads right into the bar/bistro, so there's no need to step out into the cold (and oh, was it cold that morning)! You can enter from the street, too, but we were feelin' fancy.

We sat at the gorgeous marble slab bar. Gorgeous. And roomy! Our server was welcoming and friendly, and quickly brought us drinks: a mimosa for BH (on the left in that first photo) and a bellini for me. Smooth, tart, just a touch of sweet--these were nice.

I start my day with a cup of coffee, though-- and they carry Stumptown Roasters at LB. What a wonderful cup of coffee! Rich, lush, not bitter at all. This was glorious.

We decided to get sweet & savory, starting with some scrambled eggs and lightly drizzled tossed greens (2 of my favorite things!) Eggs: perfectly cooked, sprinkled with herbs. Side salad--so, so good.

For the sweet, we ordered their challah french toast, which comes with a ginger orange syrup! That was fantastic. The syrup was bright, not-too-sweet, and really made the whole dish.

We also ordered some of their home fries, which were perfectly crisped and nicely seasoned, and a side of (chicken) sausage. The sausage was not my thing. It was cooked just fine, and BH liked it, but I didn't care for the flavor.

This was a delicious, delightful meal in an area that I don't normally visit. But it's close to lots of places-- a 10 minute walk to Rockefeller Center (where we later saw the Christmas tree), Times Square, minutes from Grand Central. It's a primo spot that I'd never have tried without my friend's invite. If you're staying at the Hyatt 48 Lex, it's a must-try for breakfast. Tourist-AND-local friendly, kind to the wallet, and a convenient corner spot, perfect for people-watching (one of the best things to do here in NYC)!

Lexington Brass

517 Lexington Ave

New York, NY 10017

(212) 392-5976

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