Where to Get Fried Chicken and Spicy Beef

Here are a couple of recommendations from one of our readers:

"Cornerstone Grill does fried chicken and sweet potato fries like no one else! I love how hot the food arrives -- not bad for a little take out joint."

"Go to Mai House just to see the lovely entrance and great decor! The food is creative and spicy just like the drinks. A fun night out for my 40th birthday. Spicy Beef and Pomelo and Three Spice Lamb Chop were good. "

Bubble Lounge

Bubble Lounge is in the news hosting the NYC TV award winners. See link to DowntownExpress.com to get the full story.

In the mean time, one of our readers offers the following recommendation:

"The Bubble Lounge is a fun place to get a bite and a drink with someone you care about. They have good grilled sandwich like the Fontina with wild mushrooms and white truffle oil."

City Hall

Dining with children does not mean you have to sacrifice taste. Not in Tribeca! A local parent shares a review of City Hall:

"City Hall has really made dining with kids easy. We went for an early Saturday dinner with 5 children and 3 adults. We sat in the bar area (lovely) with another family with twin babies one table over. Menu placemats with fun pictures to color, Wikki Sticks to bend and sculpt, and juice cups with lids kept everyone happy until the food arrived. The fried oysters are not to be missed. The crab cakes are also yummy. Most of the kids picked burgers with fries. I wish the burgers came with more veggies -- but that is the mom in me. "

Tribeca Treats

A local parent describes a happy indulgence:

"If I walk down Reade Street with the kids, I have to expect a "PLEEEASE!". I know what they're talking about without any more details. Translation: "Can we stop at Tribeca Treats?" And it is a treat--these are not the kind of cookies you'll see at the school bake sales (and certainly not coming out of my kitchen). These are exquisite, caramel-filled, or ganache filled sandwich cookies ( a description that hardly does them justice). And I don't feel so bad about splurging--I suspect the ingredients used are top-quality and hardly the stuff you'll find in the shrink-wrapped chocolate chip cookies at the deli. They're dainty and satisfying without inducing guilt. For a place that deals in so much sugar there's a calm serene atmosphere: a table to sit at and cookbooks to peruse. So okay, sometimes we all need a treat."

Native Texan Finds Great Tribeca Alternative to Chicken Fried Steak Dinner

From a longtime downtown resident and native Texan:

Last week, I had dinner at Tribeca's Bubby's, whose buttermilk fried chicken is already famous. I was happy to find that one of the daily specials on Friday was Chicken Fried Chicken—a tender piece of white meat chicken battered and fried, then topped with a rich gravy and caramelized onions. It was incredibly flavorful and much healthier than the smothered chicken fried steak of my youth. Three tasty southern influenced sides came with the dish: hush puppies, collard greens and black eyed peas cooked with bacon. Accompanied with a chilled beer on tap, friendly, attentive service, and a modest tab, the meal was a keeper for this Texan turned New Yorker.

David Bouley Talks About Brushstrokes

David Bouley recently talked about the opening of his new restaurant Brushstrokes in Tribeca. The venture, being launched in conjunction with the Tsuji school of Japan will focus on healthy food that is also very flavorful. The new restaurant was recently awarded a liquor license by CB1. See David discussing the new restaurant at Shecky's.

Zucker's

Zucker's on Chambers Street has quickly become a neigborhood favorite. They will be participating in the Taste of Tribeca and have provided bagels and the works for many neighborhood and school functions. It is affiliated with Murray's Bagels, so in addition to serving great smoked salmon, it has great bagels.

A regular wrote in :"Zucker's makes it's own handmade bagels!! it's a great place for kids after school, smoked salmon and holiday platters, but I keep going back for the bagels!!! (They are) chewy, tender with a nice mouth feel. They are my favorite NYC bagels!"