Introduction

E-mail from Dad, 10:57 p.m.: What was name of restaurant we went to with Aunt Susan for Brunch in SOHO. Turkish? Just south of Spring?
E-mail from Me, 10:58 p.m.: Antique Garage
E-mail from Dad, 11:05 p.m.: You never cease to amaze me

That brunch Dad was referring to was over 5 years ago, and I can still recite to you every one's order. Not because it was a special meal (great food, wonderful jazz), but because it's what I do. There are few things I compulsively spend money on. I don't wear designer jeans and my iTunes account hasn't been used since I bought my first laptop. But there is one thing I will gladly fork over my entire piggy bank for, and that's a great bite of food.

As New York City inhabitants, we certainly dine out much more than the rest of the population. Maybe it's because our grocery stores are scant larger than an East Village loft, or the Fresh Direct delivery window is 50-times longer than that of the local Chinese take-out. I love to cook, don't get me wrong, but my kitchen is small, and when you get home from the gym at 9 p.m., the last thing you want to do is wait for you hot plate (a.k.a. stove), to try and boil water. Instead, we make like "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire," and phone a friend for dinner, and if it's a weeknight, we suggest a place on our subway line.

Which is where this blog comes in. I keep a draft in my e-mail of restaurants I want to try (thank you Grubstreet, NY Mag, NY Times and Time Out New York), and slowly but surely, make through the list. At this point I would also like to thank all of my wonderful friends, and for the more pricey places, my parents, for indulging in my culinary obsession. I'm constantly asked what my favorite Italian restaurant is, or where a good date spot is in midtown, or if there are any non-asian BYOB places in NYC (there are!), and I'm starting to draw blanks. Not because I don't have an answer, but my mental rolodex of restaurants is starting to get the best of me.

So, my Mom said I should start a blog, in hopes it would one day spiral into a movie headlining Stanley Tucci (jk), where I could share my thoughts with more than my friends and family. Since you should always listen to your mother, here it is. It is my hope to forever keep a digital record of these wonderful meals, share some experiences, and hopefully through the help of readers out there, find new ways to satiate my appetite.