Caffe’ dei Fiori (NYC, US)

Phil and I celebrated Valentine’s Day this year with a dinner at Caffe’ dei Fiori on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. The atmosphere was romantic with a rose & lit candle at every table; and I also appreciated the cute touch that the restaurant put in sprinkling adorable Valentine themed confetti on the table! The food was great, especially the duck breast, and our waiter was attentive but not overly so. My only complaint was the distance (or almost lack of) between the tables, especially on Valentine’s Day when most couples are hoping for some space and intimacy!

Sakagura (NYC, US)

Established in 1996, Sakagura has been a pioneer in introducing New Yorkers to the world of sake. We continue to be one of the top sake bars in the United States, attracting countless sake lovers from around the world. Our one-of-a-kind menu consists of over 200 kinds of carefully selected sakes, authentic tapas-style Japanese dishes, and homemade desserts. We are known for being a “hidden jewel” of Manhattan also because of our unique and hidden location. Come find us and transport yourself to Tokyo.

– Read more here

 By hidden, they are not kidding! You will find Sakagura at the basement level of an office building in Midtown that I walked past twice before entering. One of my close friends of 10 years treated me to a delicious dinner here to kick-off my birthday week! Two new table neighbors and almost 3 hours later, we walked out as happy as two girls who ate their way through the menu could be – aka, very happy 😛

beautiful dinner @ Kyo Ya (NYC, US)

To show our gratitude to our amazing friends who hosted us for the month and a half while we were homeless (to sum up, we were in between leases for a month followed by many delays on the opening of our new home due to ongoing construction), Phil and I treated the two to a thank-you dinner at Kyo Ya, one of our new favorite restaurants! The entrance is a little hard to find, with you having to go down a flight of romantically lit stairs in the east village:

Sutton Inn (NYC, USA)

You know those days when you get off work and you’re just SO hungry? Well, today is one of those days for me because I was so busy at work that my breakfast and lunch consisted of a granola bar each. Sad. Life.

Anyway, I got to reminiscing about the time that Phil made a reservation earlier this year at Sutton Inn for our Valentine’s Day dinner ❤ The place had just opened up a few months ago in November 2014 to amazing reviews. And I remember the service at Sutton Inn being on point and the food being an interesting take on traditional American cuisine. Moreso, the restaurant had provided additional tastings to their 4-course prix fixe Valentines Day 2015 menu! Happy memories = happy me again. Now time to find food…

Complimentary: Oyster

Puerto Fuy (Santiago, Chile)

Anyone looking to splash out on a ritzier meal during their stay in Santiago should check out Puerto Fuy in the upmarket neighborhood of Vitacura! (More information on Puerto Fuy after all the yummy pictures.)

Blue Water Grill (NYC, USA)

Throwback to the delicious Restaurant Week lunch I enjoyed on NYU Stern! (#seniorperks) Anyway, Blue Water Grill was amazing and I loved the interior design of the place – did you know that it used to be the Metropolitan Bank? The building is now repurposed into a restaurant and offers a seafood based menu with live jazz on some nights!

Potato Leek Soup: grilled country bread, avocado, trout roe

Vitae (NYC, USA)

Located in Midtown, you will find the restaurant Vitae, which translates into the word “life” in English – and that is exactly what you will appreciate more after your meal here!

strawberry, cucumber & watermelon