Last week I had the pleasure of dining at Donatella, in Chelsea, along with Donatella Arpaia and fellow food bloggers. We were getting a taste of the summer menu plus some of the dishes from the regular menu. Each dish were expertly prepared by chef Jarett Appell. We were also lucky enough to have Chef Appell talk about the inspirations behind the new menu. Then pastry chef Andrea Jarosh presented us a plethora of crazy delicious desserts. This may just be one of my favorite 2.5 hour lunch and I can't wait to go back to try more!
To tell you the truth, I have always found Donatella Arpaia a little intimidating but that was all from watching her on TV being a judge on the Food Network. In reality and in person, she's super nice and such a great person to talk food with.
So this............happened yesterday at Donatella in Chelsea.
Last week I went to get happy hour oysters ($1 each) plus a $4 pint of Kelso and it was a great way to spend few hours at 
Where would I be without my friends on my own birthday? I probably be grumpy and alone and eating my dying asparagus. Birthdays do not have to be elaborate or showy. All you need are friends (and a boss) to surprise you with a container of breakfast items from an Amish Market. Then your boss goes out to buy you a 
