Another Great Restaurant in NYC - STK and Il Voce

I just returned from a great week in NYC where I spent most of my time meeting with variour reporters and catching-up with old friends. And of course, I continued to enjoy some amazing cuisine in NYC.

The first new restaurant was a recommendation that came from one of my favorite NYC residents...Il Voce was the name and it was supposed to be amazing! And thankfully it was. We arrived a little early, but the restaurant was running a little behind. So we rand down the street for a drink - the bar was too packed to sit - and within 30 minutes we had our table. The GM was so gratious that he gave us a free glass of wine for our wait - any one we chose including the pricey Barollos and Piedmonts. We tried one of each course including an appetizer, pasta and fish. The appetizer and the pasta were fabulous, and the fish was pretty good. We also received an amazing desert on the house....we were thrilled the meal and plan to go back soon! In addition to the food being right on, the staff was very accomodating - making us feel right at home.

On to STK - I LOVED this restaurant. This is my new favorite steak place in NY - although BLT Prime will alwayst be one of the tops. The first thing that struck me about STK was the vibe - I loved it. The restaurant can be found in the meat packing district inhabiting a beautiful, cavernous space that boasts a burning fireplace in the lounge area with comfortable, sociabile seating surrounding the lounge. I felt immediately like I was in the place to be in NYC. My dinner companion and I waited about 30 minutes for our table - this seems to be the trend in NYC these days - and the place quickly filled up. Once we got our table, we immediately scoured the menu and picked out the must have items at a steak place. The wedge salad, small filet, mac and cheese, spinach and home fries. Awesome, everything was delicious - all in a fun and entertaining environment.

One interesting note - at both restaurants our tablemates at the right started talking to us - on both occasions. When did it become hip to converse with your table mates at restaurants? At Il Voce, it was an interesting pair that offered up some of their Barolo...but at STK...it was actually an annoying pair....but I guess they were being friendly.

Check these two places out at:http://www.avocerestaurant.com/ and http://www.stkhouse.com/.