Veritasty: Truthfully Delicious

In New York City, you often hear the names of hip and popular restaurants being thrown around.  One of these hallowed eateries that I've oft heard but never tried is Locanda Verde.  It has been featured on plenty of Food Network shows and highly rated on Yelp and Eater NY and all that jazz.  It had been on my NYC foodie bucket list for a while, and we finally had the opportunity to dine there!   Dinner at Locanda Verde was a highly cherished occasion for me.  Apparently, reservations at Locanda Verde are also highly cherished, since it was packed on a weeknight and it took a lot of sweet-talking to get us in. We had dinner with Alex's gregarious and wonderful cousin Sam and Sam's beautiful and talented girlfriend, Jenn - both of whom are very dear to me.  It was one of those meals you hope would never end: romantic, delicious, and shared with good company. Locanda Verde rocks a very sexy vibe, if that makes sense.  It's dark inside, eve...

I am very grateful for the opportunity to have eaten at Brooklyn Crab with Alex's family a little while back.  I still think back at that dinner fondly and wish I had someone who could drive me to Red Hook at the drop of a hat. Brooklyn Crab is a really dive-y restaurant out in Red Hook. It literally looks like a shack on a beach, with mismatched furniture and surf boards, fishing bait and tackle, and a big plastic shark hanging off the walls.  The tables are nothing more than picnic benches with paper plates and a roll of paper towels.  There are bottles of hot sauce lining the tables and booths so you can grab any of dozens of varieties to season your seafood to taste.  The wide-open windows afford a beautiful view of Manhattan, especially breathtaking at sunset! We did a bit of family-style dining with appetizers, and I had a fish sandwich for my meal.  We shared peel-and-eat shrimp, fried oysters, fried calamari, and fried clam strips.  My cu...