Amber

Shun Lee West has been a staple on the West Side for over three decades, and I am pleased to say that I have been dining here for many of those years. Thankfully, not much has changed. The decor has been slightly altered, but the fiber glass monkeys still greet people in the bar, and the large dragons hang throughout the bi-level dining room. The food is consistently good and it is always hopping, especially on Christmas Eve, a tradition for my family and friends.

"My father didn't want to lose the Cuban customer, so when he took over the restaurant in 1986, he merged the two concepts. To this day, we serve both Cuban and Chinese food, ” Richard Lam, the current owner of La Dinastia, told us.

Sweet aromas lure one into this tiny coffee and tea shop on west 70th. Originally founded in 1976 across the street, the Sensuous Bean moved to its current location in 1990 and is now co-owned by partners in life and in business, Lucretia La Mora and Tom Wilson. "People follow their noses, " explained Tom of the cafe's success. And even horses cannot resist - he recalled one peeking its head through the door as an officer grabbed a cup. "We blend to taste, " Tom added. Each day, beans are grinded on site and brewed in three roasters for a hot cup. And although small, the place is stocked with a large selection of coffees and teas sourced from a variety of regions. The chai spice tea comes from India and the Mexican Vienna brew from Zimbabwe. The assortment of flavorful tisanes includes intriguing names like red velvet cupcake or bella coola lemon lime.

When Henry Clay Frick passed away in 1919, he had placed in his will that his residence be turned into a museum forever open to public access, featuring the impressive collection he had assembled over a span of forty years. In addition, his will provided a fifteen million dollar endowment for maintenance. In 1935, the Frick Collection was opened in the expanded Gilded Age mansion originally designed by Thomas Hastings for residence, and initially transformed into the museum by John Russel Pope. The interior features spectacular selections of Old Master paintings and European sculptures in sixteen permanent collections that integrate Italian, French and Spanish works, allowing cohesive interactions from multiple regions and time periods - the way Henry enjoyed viewing art. In the center, the Garden Court, which had been Henry's driveway, is considered the museum's heart, ornamented by rushing water, a bounty of plant life, impressive sculptures, and an intriguing skylight. Today, it is the only room in which one is permitted to take photographs. I remember visiting the Frick for the first time as a teenager and declaring it my favorite museum in Manhattan. I can easily state that it remains so to this day. I never tire of introducing visitors from out of town to The Frick and I continue to appreciate each new exhibit. For me, it remains a tranquil setting to walk, contemplate and unwind as I am surrounded by art and beauty.

Established in 1904, The Explorers Club is centered on scientific discovery in all realms - land, sea, air and space. Its original headquarters were located at the Studio Building on West 67th Street, and it moved to this location in 1965. In 1918, a signature flag was introduced, capitalizing on historic routes and unabated curiosity. Since then, the flag has been proudly carried on hundreds of expeditions as members of the club were the first to make it to the North and South Poles, the summit of Mt. Everest, the deepest point in the ocean, and the surface of the moon. The club first allowed women in 1981. To this day, it is a meeting spot for all kinds of explorers, scientists and students.

With woven wicker chairs, plush red booths, tiled walls, a bar backed by an antique mirror, and many years as a topnotch restaurant, Cafe Luxembourg resounds with familiarity. And, as portrayed in the signature postcard of three naked ladies photographed by Cheryl Koralik in 1988, playfulness and boldness are always present. Customers loosen their ties, let their hair down and engage in easy conversation — "fine dining in a relaxed atmosphere. "Lynn Wagenknecht and her then husband, Keath McNally, opened the place in 1983 as a French neighborhood bistro. Now the sole proprietor, Lynn has maintained a rare level of comfort within the realm of fine dining, fully investing herself in Cafe Luxembourg as well as its sister restaurants, Cafe Cluny and The Odeon. Constantly finding inspiration from her trips to France, Lynn's warm attentiveness permeates the restaurant. "Lynn nurtures from within, " said General Manager Morgan Nevans, who has been with the company since 2008. Staff members are invited and encouraged to dine in the restaurant. "We have a lot of aspiring professors, artists, actors and doctors, " explained Morgan. A performance artist, Manager Krystel Lucas started at Cafe Luxembourg because of its proximity to her school, finding it easy to work around her wavering show schedule. "I was proud to stand at the door, " Krystel informed me, having worked her way up from hostess, server, and bartender. Customers also have an inclination to return with many coming since the restaurants' opening — regulars or not, "everyone is treated as a VIP. " The food may also have a little something to do with their loyalty. A graduate of New England Culinary Institute, Executive Chef Michael Navarette acknowledges, "food is a gateway to culture. " Everyone eats, and dishes have their own history, prepared in a variety of ways throughout all regions. His breakfast specialty, an omelet with mixed greens, exudes comforting familiarity, while his Faroe Island salmon over a salad of lentils, potatoes, onion and a curry aioli, is a more innovative concoction that breeds its own memories. "A chef is a journeyman position, " Michael smiled, "The training never ends. I learn as I go. " It seems the staff and restaurant both have a knack for refining while retaining their roots. A bistro that only gets better with age, this side street gem will always be something to look forward to.

When I first learned that this restaurant was considered one of the best sushi spots in the neighborhood, I was eager to take friends there to try it. As a vegetarian, I was able to find several of my favorite Japanese dishes offered, and others were quite pleased with their orders from Yasaka's sushi bar. I have since been back numerous times and it is no surprise to me that the restaurant has been a consistently popular dining destination since it first opened in 2011. The menu is tasty and creative and the restaurant is always filled, no matter what the time of day. Even at noon in the middle of the week, when I took the Manhattan Sideways team for lunch, there were patrons at every table. Without a reservation, no one seems to be able to grab a seat, even at the sushi counter. Surrounded by Japanese prints decorating the walls and traditional Shoji dividing screens, we ordered a bowl of edamame to share. Beginning with the house miso soup, Sideways team members Tom and Olivia tucked into a salad followed by shrimp shumai, tempura, rice, and a sushi roll of their choice, while I enjoyed an order of the steamed veggie dumplings. In addition to the excellent food, the lunch special is a great deal at $12. 00, and explains why so many choose to come in for their midday meal.

Yoko Hasegawa, the owner of this Upper West Side sushi bar, went to a temple in Japan to discover the best name for her new restaurant in Manhattan. She came back with Kaito, which means "Sea Breeze. "When I visited the twelve-seat restaurant shortly after it opened in the summer of 2017, Jorge Dionicio, one of the talented members of the team at Sushi Kaito, told me that he began making sushi in Peru. He explained to me that there is a large Japanese population in his country. "Everything started there for me a long time ago, " he said. He went to school for electrical engineering and worked at a sushi bar while attending university. "The more I know, I know nothing, " he admitted. After spending several years in New York, working at different restaurants, he realized that he needed to spend time in Japan to learn the "real" technique. In 2009, he spent one year there "to be trained, " but he continues to go back to learn more and more as often as possible. Part of the schooling, he admitted with a chuckle, is to eat in as many sushi bars as possible. Although he has been making sushi for fifteen years, Jorge has no desire to work in any other type of cuisine. Jorge chose to come to Kaito because he appreciated the philosophy of engaging with the customers and developing personal relationships with people. When I inquired whether or not the restaurant already had returning diners, Jorge enthusiastically replied, "Oh yeah - over and over. "Jorge was proud to tell me that on the evening after the first little, local write up on the restaurant was published, sixty-two people stood outside, hoping to get in. Unfortunately, there were not enough seats, and the employees had to turn dozens of people away. In a small, intimate setting that is decorated simply, so as not to take away from what is going on behind the counter, guests can pull up a chair, engage in conversation with the staff who are preparing the sushi, and savor the fresh fish that arrives on a daily basis straight from Japan. When I asked Jorge what makes the place special, he quickly responded, "Everything we do, we do with our heart, " all from scratch. "We pick our own ginger, make our own soy sauce and put an emphasis on purity. " He added that the restaurant aims for perfection. "Maybe we never get it but we are always looking for it. " He said that the employees enjoy making the people smile and giving them a memorable meal. "It's not just about food, it is a life experience. " Jorge believes that Sushi Kaito is different from other sushi bars - "We enjoy speaking with guests, answering their questions. " While the atmosphere does not feel overly serious, he emphasized, "We are, though, very serious about our product. " He continued, "Here, we are very different. We take care of everything. " The other men preparing the food side by side with Jorge all nodded in agreement. "Although it is a lot of work, it never feels like work, " one of them explained. Jorge told us, "I leave at midnight, go home, take a shower, climb into bed, and wake up eager to do it all over again the next day. I love what I do, so I never mind. "

When I first learned that this restaurant was considered one of the best sushi spots in the neighborhood, I was eager to take friends there to try it. As a vegetarian, I was able to find several of my favorite Japanese dishes offered, and others were quite pleased with their orders from Yasaka's sushi bar. I have since been back numerous times and it is no surprise to me that the restaurant has been a consistently popular dining destination since it first opened in 2011. The menu is tasty and creative and the restaurant is always filled, no matter what the time of day. Even at noon in the middle of the week, when I took the Manhattan Sideways team for lunch, there were patrons at every table. Without a reservation, no one seems to be able to grab a seat, even at the sushi counter. Surrounded by Japanese prints decorating the walls and traditional Shoji dividing screens, we ordered a bowl of edamame to share. Beginning with the house miso soup, Sideways team members Tom and Olivia tucked into a salad followed by shrimp shumai, tempura, rice, and a sushi roll of their choice, while I enjoyed an order of the steamed veggie dumplings. In addition to the excellent food, the lunch special is a great deal at $12. 00, and explains why so many choose to come in for their midday meal.