Ocean House Oyster Bar & Grill

Ocean House (49 N. Riverside Dr., Croton-on-Hudson, NY) - 8/9/09

I think this was our third visit to Ocean House, a cozy BYOB seafood restaurant in Westchester, not far from the city. Mom's friend eats here all the time, and she told us about a crab fest that was being planned for this particular Sunday... so of course we were there! There's nothing like steamed Chesapeake Bay crabs, old bay seasoning and Ommegang Witte Ale (and some Magic Hat, as well). Love it. And we sure did. The crabs were perfect. With hammer in hand, we easily devoured about 10 crabs each! No joke. In addition to refreshing beer to wash down the sweet/salty/spicy deliciousness, mom and dad were treated to the finest vanilla rum for dessert (straight from St. Barths). Ella had the ice cream.

Chung Dam Dong Restaurant

Chung Dam Dong - (118 Broad Ave., Palisades Park, NJ) - 8/7/09

We love discovering great Korean restaurants. Thanks to our friends - the Lee family - we found what has become our new favorite spot in New Jersey! Chung Dam Dong in Pal Park is located on the second floor of a mall-like building... very easy to miss. But it has, by far, several of the best dishes imaginable. Basically, you need to order the following. First, some cold soju. Then order up a few portions of the Chadolbegi (beef brisket grilled at the table) - it is the best in town and the restaurant's choice offering. Then get the sauteed Baby Octopus & Triple-layered pork. Wow, ... so good. The waitress then makes some delicious fried rice at your table using the leftover spiciness. Yes, she does. And this place also has the best Al Jigae (spicy codfish roe stew). Trust us. You will love this restaurant.

Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar & Grill

Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar & Grill (308 W 58th St., NYC) - 7/19/09

We love Sundays... a day of rest and fun with the family. On this particular day, we decided to spend the morning at Victoria Gardens (Wollman Rink, Central Park), a nice little summertime amusement park setup for little kids. Coincidentally, the park is walking distance from one of our favorite spots ... Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar & Grill:) I'm sure many of you know and love the Blue Ribbon restaurants downtown on Thompson Street and elsewhere. Well this one - in the lobby of 6 Columbus Hotel, across from the Time Warner Center - has now become our favorite location. So after a wonderful morning of rides and games, we strolled over to our chosen eatery for some good food. We were starving. And Blue Ribbon did not disappoint. Mom and dad were thirsty, and there's nothing like a cold bottle of Asahi beer to cool you down and whet your appetite. Yes. With that taken care of, we ordered up some deliciousness. We started with the Kani Sunomono (blue crab wrapped in cucumber with vinegar sauce) and Kanpachi Usuzukuri (amberjack with yuzu peper) - both excellent. We then moved on to the Sushi Deluxe with some additional pieces of our favorites - mirugai, ikura, unagi, and uni. So fresh. So tasty. And then came our favorite... Fried Chicken "Blue Ribbon Style" with a wasabi & honey dipping sauce. Man,... that was good. You have to taste this fried chicken! After pigging out, we strolled over to visit the Pinkberry on the same block. It was a beautiful Sunday.