Taste of Times Square

On Monday, June 3rd from 5:00-9:00 PM, Times Square will be hosting an event called, Taste of Times Square, which will be located on 46th Street between Broadway and 9th Avenue.  Right in the center of all the action of Times Square, people will get the chance to taste different foods from New York City's best restaurants!

Taste of Times Square is an outdoor food and music festival, which features international foods from the city's best restaurants. Times Square’s most popular culinary destinations set up tables on the street to offer “tastes” of their signature dishes.

People can enjoy cuisine from around the world including Italian, Chilean, Irish, Latin, Asian and more.  If you love food, you don't want to miss this event!

Click on the link below to view all of the Taste of Times Square  Participating Restaurants:

Taste of Times Square Restaurants

This is not only a great way to get the community involved, but an excellent way to get restaurants to advertise their food to a large number of people.  By getting a small taste of a restaurant's food is an excellent way to get people to come back to you.  Food is always a sure thing when it comes to events, and is always a large crowd draw.  I know I want to go and try all the different food selections!  I think it would be a fun date or afternoon with friends to go around and try everything.  Some of my favorite restaurants are listed to be there as well.  Check it out !

Singing Waiters, Oh My!

If you ever want to go to a fun, family restauraunt, Ellen's Stardust Diner is the place to go.  Located on the corner of 51st and Broadway (my office is convienenetly right next door), this New York Broadway diner is famous for their singing wait staff along with their retro 1950s theme.

 

The diner is named and owned by Ellen Hart, a former Misss Subway back in the 1950s.  "Miss Subway" was a beauty compeition that was held for more than 3 decades, but ended in the 70s.   The winners were featured on Subway trains, and back in the day, riding the subway was considered a luxury where people dressed up.  Below is a great and interesting video which talks about the story of Miss Subway and features Ellen Hart, owner of Ellen's Stardust Diner.

Ellen Hart has photos of all the Miss Subways that won from decades ago featured all over the diner.  The singing wait staff is also dressed up in 50s attire.  It's a great place to go back in time and relive that era!  If you check out their website, you can get a feel of the atmosphere and what Ms. Subway is all about.

Check out the main website:
  Ellen's Stardust Diner

The website features a bunch of articles regarding "Miss Subway" events, as well as photos of the singing waiters.  This diner is not just any restaurant, it's a unique and famous tourist destination.
 

The restaurant itself is known for it's fun energitic atmosphere, not so much the food.  It's your basic American-style food, but nothing out of this world.  I came across a food blog that mentions Ellen's Stardust diner and the blogger's experiences with it.

Adventures of the Foodaholic

The blogger, named Maria, also describes the food and the atmosphoere.  It's a wonderful place for Tourists, but not if you want to eat the best of the best.  You go more for the environment and the singing, not the quality of food.  I personally think they are a bit overpriced, but the salads and burgers are pretty good!

 All of the waiters are aspiring actors, hoping to catch their big break if an agent or manager happens to discover them. Since it is located in the heart of the theater district, is the perfect place for actor's to work! My boss, who is a booking agent, sometimes goes down to the diner if she needs to find a singer for an event we may have. It's essentially a showcase for actor's and at the same time a way for them to make a few bucks.

 

However, if you don't like singing, this probably isn't the place for you!  Check it out, it's a really fun restaurant to be in!

Restaurant Row

Restaurant Row is one of the funnest areas to eat in Midtown.  It's located on 46th Street between Broadway and 9th  Avenue in the heart of the Theater District.  The name says it all; it's simply a row of restaurants.  There is such a variety to choose from, and you can enjoy cuisine from all over the world.   

This are is perfect for those who are going to see a Broadway show, and many of the restaurants have pre-fixed menus.  It's fun to go at night and walk down the street trying to decide which restaurant to go to.  As you walk down the street, hosts from the restaurants stand outside trying to get you to come in.  It can be overwhelming, but it's still fun to experience. 

Le Rivage is my favorite French restaurant to go to.  It's been a tradition of my mom and I to go here before we see a show!  Check out their website: Le Rivage
It's located on 340 West 46th Street, between 8th & 9th Avenue.  The service is always great, and the atmosphere is nice.  It's cozy and intimate, and the food is great too!  Yum!

To get a list of the other restaurants on Restaurant Row check out:  Restaurant Row
Here you can see the variety of places to choose from.  There are Italian, Greek, American, French, Brazilian, Mexican, Irish, and more.  This area is great because there is something for everyone. 

Time Out New York has a great  review of their top ten favorite restaurants in Restaurant Row: Timeout New York

I reccommend Restaurant Row for anyone who hasn't been to New York and is seeing a Broadway show.  It's a perfect combination for a night out on the town!

The Grand Place

I decided to shake things up a little, and thought it would be fun to write about another famous square. 

The Grand Place is located in Brussels, Belgium.   I've been here many times and I think it's one of the most beautiful places to visit.   Here are some of my personal photos taken last year in the Grand Place.

 You will see hundreds of people walking around or sitting outside having coffee or desert.  By the way, the chocolates in Belgium are delish!  Within the square, there is a narrow ally with a row of restaurants (similar to restaurant row in Times Square), where my family and I love to eat.  The atmosphere is full of energy, and of course, always full of tourists.  Around the holiday season, there are lights on the buildings that are synced to flash with music playing over speakers.  It's a very cool sight to see!

 This square is the most important tourist destination in Brussels. Every two years in August, an enormous “flower carpet” is set up in the Grand Place for a few days. A million colorful flowers are set up in patterns covering pretty much the entire square.  If you ever plan a trip to Brussels, this is definitely the place to go.  



Unlike Times Square, there aren't a bunch of vendors here trying to sell you things.  I also find it to be cleaner and less cluttered.  There are very few street performers as well.  Europe is a different culture with a different feel.  As I mentioned, I love The Grand Place and can't get enough of it. 

Stay tuned readers, I just might post about more famous squares around the world.

Hungry? Tony's DiNapoli is A Must!

Whenever people ask me where to eat in Midtown Manhattan I ALWAYS suggest Tony's DiNapoli.  Right on 43rd and 7th,  it's THE BEST Italian restaurant in midtown.  Check out their website: 
http://www.tonysnyc.com/


Tony DiNapoli's is a family style restaurant, so if you're with a large group of people, this is the place to be.  My friends and I always go here when we want some great Italian Food.  My favorite dish to eat is the chicken parm and penne vodka.  DELISH!  

The atmosphere is awesome and the service is always great.  The walls are covered with photographs of famous people so it's always fun to look around and see who you recognize.

I highly recommend this restaurant to anyone who wants to have a good meal in Times Square.  If you love Italian food, this is the place to be!