Adelyn Melnikoff & Alex Perez
Wine & Dine
Amali
This restaurant is very close to our heart, as it is directly next door to the restaurant where we worked together (The Bar Room). Amali has delicious Mediterranean food and an incredible wine selection; their dishes are great to share and this is a perfect spot for lunch or dinner! Be sure to stop by The Bar Room afterwards for a cocktail.
Upland
We are partial to the appetizers and shared plates here, and this is a beautiful restaurant to visit for some delicious pizzas and pastas to share amongst friends. They also have a fantastic burger that is only served during lunch hours.
Daily Provisions
With multiple locations in the city including Union Square (address listed above), Hudson Yards, Upper West Side, and the West Village, this is one of our absolute favorite spots for a coffee, sweet treat, or savory bite to-go. Amazing sandwiches, delicious pastries, and the best crullers you will ever have – we cannot recommend this place enough. We have never been able to make it more than a few steps outside the restaurant before finishing our crullers, and we have a feeling you’ll have the same experience.
Joe's Pizza
Joe's Pizza serves our favorite slice in New York, hands down. We would spend most Friday nights driving to their Brooklyn location and eating our slices in the Whole Food's parking garage before our weekly grocery shop. And people say romance is dead.
Quality Eats
A perfect option for brunch or dinner, this restaurant never disappoints. Be sure to take a look at the cocktail list (no matter what time of day you choose to visit), and same goes for the brown-bag curly fries.
Sadelle's
Adelyn only wishes that Alex would stare at her the way he stares at the Sadelle’s fish tower. Their smoked salmon and white fish towers not only look impressive, but taste incredible. Don't forget the freshly made bagels, and if you’re ready to carbo-load (or if you’re like us and can’t get through brunch without something sweet) we cannot recommend the French toast enough. Ps, they have pigs-in-a-blanket as an appetizer. You’re welcome.
Uva
A quick cab ride from the hotel, Uva is a local spot for delicious Italian food and wine. Be sure you don’t pass on the Carciofi Fritti (pan fried baby artichokes), and they have a great late-night menu available till 2am for those with cravings after-hours.
Sushi Ishikawa
A tiny spot on the Upper East Side with some of our favorite omakase, and don’t be so quick to discount the sake pairings - it is a celebratory weekend after all!
The Penrose
Great fried chicken sandwich, great cocktails. Need we say more?
Atoboy
Introduced to us by close friends, we are still dreaming of the chestnut rice and cocktails we had at this Korean restaurant. Despite the restaurant offering a set tasting menu, we proceeded to shamelessly beg for extra orders of rice (we are pleased to report they happily obliged).
The Up & Up
In the heart of Greenwich Village, a nondescript staircase takes you from the busy sidewalk down into one of our favorite cocktail bars. While they only serve light snacks, there are so many amazing restaurants nearby that you can't go wrong starting (or ending) your night here.
Jones Wood Foundry
A British gastropub on the Upper East Side, we came here with two close friends and sat outside in 30 degree weather for their British classics. While we don't necessarily recommend you sit outside in January during NY winter (looking at you, Floridians), their food is most definitely worth it.
Cookshop
This is one of our favorite spots for an easy-to-please brunch, and we definitely recommend stopping here after walking along the High Line.
Bemelmans Bar
Described as a "sophisticated, upscale piano bar" (thank you Google) located in the Carlyle Hotel, this is the perfect spot for classic cocktails in New York's classic Upper East Side.