Charlotte is a 6-year-old foodie living in New York. She's open to all kinds of foods and is pretty opinionated about what she likes, dislikes and why. She joins her parents at lots of restaurants.
Catching Elephant is a theme by Andy Taylor
The Mermaid Inn, Upper West Side, New York
I got to go to The Mermaid Inn with the owners Danny, Cindy and baby Alexandra. The Mermaid has really good food and is a successful restaurant because all the customers like it. For dinner, I started with fried calamari and it was great. I don’t use the sauce with it because its a little to spicy for my taste. Then I had the mini clam bake. It had potatoes, clams, mussels, a lobster claw, shrimp and some corn. The clams, mussels and lobster were really good. The corn was my favorite. The potato was a little peppery for me. I also tried my dad’s crab cake — it was fantastic. Baby Alexandra was also fun and a little bit crazy.
We went to Costa Rica on vacation with my friend Matilda, her sister Margot and her parents. The food was great there, it was kind of Spanish and kind of Mexican. I mostly had two options for drinks - one was a frozen strawberry drink and the other was a pina colada. I like the pina coladas that are more pina than coconut. Here are some of the places we ate. My favorites were La Luna and MarLuna near Quepos.
El Jardin
This was the first restaurant I went to in Costa Rica. It was on the way from San Jose to Quepos - a 3 hour drive! I had lasagna, french fries and plantains. I had Italian food in Costa Rica!!! It was delicious.
La Luna
This is a nice fancy restaurant that I went to with Mommy and Daddy. It’s in a nice hotel down the road from our hotel. I had tagliatelle with jumbo shrimp and sauce. It was delicious because the fresh tomato pasta sauce was great. Also between our appetizers and dinner they gave us mango sorbet to get the flavor of the appetizer out of our mouths. I liked that a lot. And I got to meet the chef there and see the kitchen…that was fun.
http://www.gaiahr.com/costa_rica_dining.asp
La Mariposa
FYI this was our hotel. They had a sign on a board that said “World Famous Restaurant” so we ate breakfast there everyday. What I ate everyday was random until Matilda told me where I could find the pancakes. I said “Una pequena panceke, por favor.” Which means, “One small pancake please.” Everyday I had their great fruit too. And I have a trick for picking fruit. The darkest ones are always the sweetest.
MarLuna
This was a nice in-between fancy and not-fancy restaurant. I went with the Cox family: Will, Lynn, Matilda and Margot. I had pasta with shrimp and tomato sauce. The sauce was different than the sauce at La Luna.
River Rafting on La Sevegre
We went river rafting on a big river. I liked it a lot. Half way down the river we stopped for lunch. We had rice and beans, pineapple (the spanish way to say it is pina) and jelly cookies. I liked having lunch outside in my bathing suit.
http://www.amigosdelrio.net/whitewater_rafting_costa_rica.html
The Marlin
The Marlin is sort of outside because on a few sides it has no walls and it’s at the beach so it’s a nice place. We went there twice when we were at the beach. I had rice, beans, plantains and vegetables. They also have frozen blackberry drinks that are great.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g309274-d2435130-Reviews-Marlin_Restaurant Manuel_Antonio_National_Park_Province_of_Puntarenas.html
Cafe Milagro
I like Cafe Milagro because it is very colorful. We went there after we went to the butterfly sanctuary. I had a kidzadilla for lunch which is a small quesadilla. I also had a fruit plate and mango juice. The mango juice was good. Mommy thought it was just ok. I also had strawberry ice cream that both me and Daddy liked.
- Mazzeos, Pittsfield, Mass.
It was a four day weekend so I could go skiing with my best friend Charlotte. Her family, the Moog Helluys, and our family went skiing at Jiminy Peak. The first night we ate at Mazzeos. It’s an Italian place and had really good pasta and they had a big wine cellar that had people eating in there. Charlotte and I both had pasta and we both had ice cream sunday’s for dessert.
2. Ye Olde Forge, Lanesboro, Mass.
The next night we went to The Olde Forge. It was a crazy looking place with millions of beer signs and coasters all over the wall. And they have thousands of beers. Charlotte’s Mom and Dad, and my dad, all drank beer. Daddy’s beer was brown. Old Forge had good cheeseburgers. Charlotte ate pasta again. She’s a pasta lover, she always has that. We ordered brownie sundays for dessert. Charlotte wanted only the brownie and her sister Margot wanted only the ice cream and I wanted both together. So the waitress put everything on different plates - ice cream, brownie and whipped cream.
Also while we were waiting for the food, me and Charlotte played Doodle Buddy. I drew a red background with flowers. They also had a number flasher on the wall and we gambled on what numbers would come up.
We all liked it there except the chicken wings were a little too spicy for Daddy so he “had” to drink more beer.
B Cafe, Upper West Side, Manhattan
My cousin Aly just moved to NYC and I wanted to take her to B Cafe because it’s my favorite place and I really enjoy eating there. She brought her boyfriend Ryan. He’s nice. We had dinner and I had mussels and fries (french fries) because that’s my favorite thing there. I always have that when I go there.
Then while we were there I saw my friend Florian from school and his Mom and Dad. Florian’s Mom and Dad own B Cafe. When we were ready for dessert the waiter didn’t bring us a menu. Then they brought us a surprise because Florian’s Mom and Dad sent over four desserts! Waffles, Creme Brûlée, Molten Chocolate Cake and Cheesecake. I love the Molten Chocolate Cake. We ate every last bit of those treats.
CraftBar, Flatiron, New York
I went to CraftBar with Debbie and Todd. They are Mommy and Daddy’s friends and I didn’t really know them. They are from Washington. Todd is a pilot and Debbie is a writer. CraftBar is the restaurant of the one of the judges on Top Chef. He’s the bald one and he’s a little strict. I like Top Chef because its amazing how everyone cooks so fast in like 5 minutes or like a couple of hours for a whole meal for lots of people. I liked the food at CraftBar but it was a little big for me. After brunch we went shopping at Paragon and Mommy and Debbie bought stuff for Daddy and Todd.
Mermaid Inn, Upper West Side, Manhattan
We went out to dinner after we went to a party at the Metropolitan Museum for our friends Gerard and David who have been together for 25 years. The party was at a Andy Warhol show. The paintings were crazy and colorful. Some were giant. And some pictures repeated a bunch of times. We went to the Mermaid Inn after the party because they have good mussels — just like I like them. Dinner was good that night but my mussels were a little garlicky. But I still love them anyway and its a great place and I will keep going back.
Home Baked Apple Pie
I know this is not a restaurant story but I really like apple pie. Daddy and I baked a homemade apple pie. We used Granny Smith and Empire apples and we put a cinnamon stick in it and some brown sugar. This is a yummy recipe that you can make at home!
Coll’s Farm, Jaffrey, NH
Coll’s is a farm in NH that has fruits and vegetables. They sell all kinds of dairy things too - like eggs, milk, cheese - and honey and maple syrup. The honey and maple syrup are both delicious. But this time they were out of maple syrup to buy. They have a restaurant there that has a big window and has a really good view of a nice hill that has lots of open space and some nice houses. At the restaurant I had chicken noodle soup and it was good. Daddy had a ham and cheese sandwich that I liked a lot. I liked it better than my soup. I forget what mommy had. It was a nice place to go Thanksgiving weekend but it was cold and even was snowy a little. I want to go there again soon, I like it especially in the fall.
Big Nicks, Upper West Side, Manhattan
For Saturday night fun we went to Big Nicks. I wanted to try a new restaurant. Big Nick’s has one side for pizza and one side for burgers. We went to the burger side. It is a kooky place. It has signs everywhere. The signs were all about the food — I mean that the signs are all about any foods that you don’t know about or any new foods or drinks. I ordered three sliders (sliders are tiny burgers about the size of cookies). To drink, I got a special all-natural apple cider that they squeezed the apples right at the restaurant. Mommy got a salad and daddy got chili and a cheese burger. I didn’t like the salad or the chili but Mommy ate one of my sliders. I let her. Although it might only be my fifth favorite restaurant, I give it two thumbs up.
Blue Smoke, Flatiron, New York
I went to Blue Smoke with my friends Andy, Jackson and Harrison. We went there after our friend Pammy’s big party - Global Bazaar. It was a party in a giant room where there were little centers that were like little countries. It was fun. Blue Smoke was close to that place so we went there. I had barbecue ribs and french fries. The ribs were covered with really tasty barbecue sauce. They have a hard bone in the center and really good pork on the outside. Two other great things. First they gave us wikki stix to play with and before lunch we got to decorate cookies and then they baked them and we had them for dessert. I also had vanilla ice cream for a treat. It was fantastic. I love Blue Smoke.
Fratelli di Bufala, Upper West Side, New York
One day Brittany and I found this restaurant and we went to lunch there. We thought it was pretty good so I told Mommy and Daddy about it and we went there and it was good again. They have fun pictures of buffalo all in the restaurant. Its an easy nice restaurant that you don’t have to wear nice clothes. We had pizza from their fire oven so it was good. Mommy and Daddy had tomatoes and mozzarella too. Then i had spaghetti pomodori fresco. I liked the pasta and the sauce but not all the cherry tomatoes. Mommy had the same as me and liked it. Daddy had spicy spaghetti that was a little fat and had a hole in the middle that made it like a skinny tube (bucatini spezata). It was all very yummy and I’m going back because it’s my new favorite restaurant.
Dong Bang Grill, Ft. Lee, NJ
I went to the grill house with my aunt (Eemo), Uncle David and my cousin Kai. Mommy and Daddy didn’t go because Eemo just wanted me because she missed me. The restaurant is in NJ over near all the other Korean places and near my Nana. I can’t read the signs over there but Mommy can. The restaurant was upstairs and downstairs there was a fountain where we made wishes. I can’t say what the wish is because if I do it won’t come true.
For food, I loved the egg soup that jiggles like jello. Nana loves it and me too. I also had white radish kimchee. It’s a little crunchy and not spicy at all. I loved it. I also had mandoo (dumplings), rice, tofu, and kalbi. We cooked the kalbi right on the table. To eat the kalbi - we cut it up - and some people like Eemo and Uncle David roll it up lettuce. I don’t - I just eat it. And, they cut it there with scissors not with knives!
I had some spicy stuff that I don’t even know what it was…I didn’t know it was spicy but it was so I spit it out.
For a treat we had watermelon. Kai and I put straws in it and drank it up. It was good that way.
Flex Mussels, Greenwich Village, NY
To celebrate my first week of kindergarten we went to Flex Mussels. We went there because it was near where Daddy works and because I wanted to eat mussels. It was a little dark in there and there was a picture on the wall of the beach with a light behind it that made it really bright. It was a picture of a Prince Edward Island beach. They have a picture of that island because the mussels are from there. I really like that picture.
First we had fried calamari, shrimp and oysters. It was the first time I had oysters. They were yummy. We also had a salad that had big pieces of parmesan on it but I only ate the cheese. Next we all ordered mussels. I had the ones called Provencal (Daddy told me that word). Mommy had clams and mussels together. It was pretty good but too spicy. Daddy had mussels with calamari and shrimp and toast. His was spicy too. For our dessert I ordered an ice cream sunday but it had almonds in the ice cream and I don’t like almonds. So I had a root beer float with vanilla and chocolate gelato. It was good but I like home root beer floats the best.
There are some spicy things there so be careful what you order. If you want to try some new things there you can. Now I like Flex Mussels and B Cafe (the other place I get mussels) the same. They are both good.
The Place, Guilford, CT
On the way back from our friend Megan’s house in Rhode Island we went to The Place because we like it there. It has very good food and it’s outdoors. It has a huge stripey tent that is nice and it has a big outdoor grill. I like to sit under the tent. They have wooden tables and logs for chairs. For food, they have steamers, chicken, clams, corn, lobsters steaks, and other things. They cook all that food on a giant fire grill. I had steamers, roasted clams, corn, chicken and shrimp. My favorites were the corn and the steamers. They cooked them both on the big grill and it got a little too cooked on some parts. I didn’t eat the burned parts so daddy and mommy ate them. And the steamers were cooked in a big tin foil container. It was a good messy dinner. I think we should eat there every summer for a summer tradition.
Il Villagio Osteria, Jackson Hole, WY
While we were on vacation we also went to Il Villagio at our hotel. We ate outside and it was nice. I just had pasta with butter and parmegiano. The pasta was fusilli gigante and the pastas were gigante! Daddy had giant pastas too. I tried mommy’s brussel sprouts but it had chilis on them so it was too spicy. The food was ok for me but mommy and daddy loved it.
