Veritasty: Truthfully Delicious

Alex lives down the block from a local neighborhood-y place called Mona Lisa Bakery.  They are known primarily for their Italian pastries (my family used to buy cheesecake from their old storefront on Bath Avenue and it was a joy for little ol' me to stand and gawk at the beautiful cookies and cannoli in the glass case), but they also serve sit-down meals of pizza and pasta.  I've eaten here a handful of times because it's so nearby, the prices are decent, and sometimes you just crave Italian food like someone's nonna makes it.  This weekend, however, having dinner at Mona Lisa Bakery was among one of the worst ideas ever to strike a human's brain. When we entered the restaurant, it was Live Music Saturday.  Not like a saxophonist playing jazzy tunes in the corner.  Rather, like a busty 50-something blond lady in a red sequin dress (which had an inappropriately-high slit) singing karaoke in front of spinning strobe lights.  We were a party of five ...

One of my favorite holidays, especially when we were in college, was Macaron Day.  On Macaron Day, you go around the bakeries and patisseries around New York and smile and get free macarons.  Okay so maybe it's not a bank holiday, but it should be.  The fabulous Frenchman who brought the miracle of Macaron Day to New York was Francois Payard.  Chef Payard has several bakeries in New York and around the world, and he has just opened Francois Payard Patisserie to be his flagship restaurant. Francois Payard Patisserie is in a pretty swanky neighborhood with boutique shops, right next to the Museum Mile on the Upper East Side.  Incidentally, there is another Francois Payard outpost in the Village, Francois Payard Bakery on West Houston.  It's conveniently located right around NYU and definitely reflects the clientele.  You could definitely whip out your laptop and linger over coffee and macarons at the Bakery. Similarly, the Patisserie...