🇺🇸 NYC Dining Diary 🍽️｜Delicious & Not-So-Delicious Meals This Week

This week’s food adventures ran the gamut — from delightfully savory to downright baffling. Here’s the rundown: 🍴 Txikito – A popular Basque tapas spot. The kampachi crudo was just okay, but the charred pepper-olive sauce was addictive. Octopus carpaccio stole the show — tender, oily in the best way, brightened with lemon and herbs. Grilled sweetbreads tasted like stir-fried lamb — crispy outside, soft inside — with pickled onions cutting through the richness. The enoki mushroom and shrimp rice was deeply savory, though the Basque cheesecake was dry and underwhelming. 🍴 Casa Mono – A Michelin-starred Spanish favorite. Plump, garlicky razor clams, confit goat (a bit chewy but tasty with avocado-pistachio sauce), and fideos with clams in a sherry aioli — crispy, briny, and satisfyingly rich. 🍴 LaRina Pastificio & Vino – A charming Italian spot in Brooklyn with a lovely backyard. Creamy tuna sauce with veal and mortadella on soft focaccia was a standout. Pastas were comforting — clam and white wine linguine with crunchy breadcrumbs, and soft sweet potato gnocchi in pumpkin cream sauce. 🍴 ILIS – Sister restaurant to the famous Noma. Beautiful space, but the food was… confusing. Ingredients didn’t shine, sauces were overly salty, and even the fish wasn’t properly cleaned. Desserts were the only redeeming part. 🍖 NUBIANI – Reliable Korean BBQ with fresh banchan and well-marbled meats. Always a solid choice. 🍜 TONCHIN – Michelin-recommended ramen. The noodles weren’t my favorite, but the chicken wings and matcha ice cream were delicious. 🥃 Clemente Bar – The new bar above an upscale vegan restaurant. Great cocktails, tasty snacks, and a polished vibe — perfect for dates, meetings, or casual hangs. Some hits, some misses — but that’s NYC eating in a nutshell! #NYCEats #FoodDiary #Tapas #ItalianFood #SpanishFood #KoreanBBQ #MichelinEats #NYCRestaurants #BrooklynEats #WeekinFood #NYCFoodie #HitOrMiss #DiningOut