New York City Friedman's

Based on Friedman's website, they have 4 locations in New York. My friends and I visited the Friedman's (450 10th Avenue, New York NY 10018) at Hell's Kitchen during our day stay in New York. From the outside through the windows, the restaurant appeared small with only a few seating and a small counter/bar area; however, passed the bar area, there were more seating in the back. The establishment was quite modern looking, nice, and cozy. 

Arnold Palmer

My friends and I ordered some appetizers to share since we were still full from lunch. We got the mac 'n' cheese, grill asparagus, sweet potato fries with bleu cheese aoili, and bowl of beets. I also got the Arnold Palmer. I actually never heard of Arnold Palmer until my visit to Friedman's. It was nothing special. It was just a combination drink of ice tea with lemonade. In honor of discovering what Arnold Palmer was and also since I like ice tea and lemonade, I ordered one. Above is a picture of the "fancy" drink.

Bowl of Beets

The Bowl of Beets was a large of portion of beets with goodies which included whipped goat cheese, candied pecans, arugula, and balsamic reduction sauce. I love beets and I love this dish. The beets were mildly cold and tender. It was a light and refreshing appetizer. The whipped goat cheese and the balsamic reduction, in addition to complementing the beets, did really elevate the quality of the beets. I enjoyed the starter a lot.

Sweet Potato Fries, Asparagus, Mac 'n' Cheese, and Bleu Cheese Aioli

The other three appetizers came together on one plate. The mac 'n' cheese was good. The sauce was mildly creamy light and had the right amount of cheesiness. The macaroni was tender. The asparagus was thin; hence, easy to chew. It was charcoal grilled and you can really taste the char. The sweet potato fries were not crispy or soggy. The texture was in between. They were somewhat plain and not too sweet but with the bleu cheese aioli sauce, they were wonderful. The bleu cheese sauce was creamy and tasted like sour cream with seasonings in it. 

Carrot Cake

As girls, of course, we had to get dessert. They did not have a dessert menu. Their sweets change daily. From the three options the server provided us, we choose the carrot cake. It was delicious. It was huge and came in three layers which was perfect- one layer for each person. The cake was very moist. I can taste the fresh shredded carrots inside the cake. The cake wasn't too sweet nor was any of the spices in the cake were overpowering. The cream cheese frosting was sweet and creamy and went great with the carrot cake. Hands up. This is one the best carrot cake I ever had. 

I was quite pleased with our meal. If I happen to be in town, I would definitely not oppose going to Friedman's for food. In addition, the customer service was great. The waitress was always checking up on us, but it wasn't excessive.