Bonsai Kakigōri

Merging textured toppings, pillowy soft shaved ice, and seasonal ingredients, Bonsai Kakigōri delivers textured taste that plain ol’ ice cream could only dream of.

Kakigōri dates back to the early 11th century, frozen blocks of ice from Japan’s crisp lakes would be preserved in the early spring months to be finely shaved later. This cold base would be paired with syrups and other desserts and usually served only to japan’s elite class in the summers. With the rise of refrigeration in the 19th century, the ability to preserve ice was less costly and the delicious joy of Kakigōri could be enjoyed by the wider public.

Walking into the shop one is immediately greeted by friendly faces, and a knowledgeable prep team who are happy to indulge curious customers about the history of this frozen treat. When you sit down, expect a bright, pastel-toned environment, and plenty of fresh air circulating from the open-plan storefront. Your Bonsai team prepares your Kakigōri in front of you while providing information on each delicious layer of toppings.           

This month, Bonsai Kakigōri has introduced a tribute to Ivan Ramen with their new flavor: Ivan’s Quadruple Coffee Crunch Surprise. Do yourself a favor and skip your afternoon coffee for this instead. The sweet espresso flavor mixed with the robust coffee jelly cubes and espresso mousse are nothing to sleep on. Much like a deliciously-cold cake, this dessert melts into creamy caramel notes punctuated by the crunch of roasted almonds and a cool refreshing coffee-ice base. Get ready for this to be your new summer craving.

Behind this month’s featured Ice there’s a story to be told. From starting as a dishwasher at 15 to opening a top Ramen shop in Japan, Ivan’s journey as a chef has been extraordinary to say the least. Seeing Ivan Ramen as an inspiration, Bonsai Kakigōri set out to create a flavor as unique as his story.

 “Ivan’s an amazing chef and we’re proud to honor his work with a flavor inspired by the thoughtful way he approaches food” said one team member excitedly.

PortuGrill NYC

Stopped by Portugrill last night and WOW is all that I can say. This is hands down the best chicken I've had in the area. The staff was welcoming, warm, and greeted me with a huge smile. The menu had an array of mouthwatering choices such as grilled chicken, churasco (skirt steak), and Portuguese sausage, with great prices to match. You literally cannot go wrong with anything on the menu.

Before my meal, I stopped to ask the warm man behind the counter for recommendations.  As it turns out, the man was Al, the owner of Portugrill. Al, who is probably one of the nicest guys you will ever meet, he turned his love for his mother’s Portuguese charcoal broiled chicken into a specialized piri piri chicken dining concept. You can tell he was passionate about the food and the way it’s made - it was a local and refreshing experience.

I went with Al’s recommendation of white meat chicken with sausage and grilled pineapple. The food was beyond good. It almost felt like home cooking because of how fresh and flavorful each bite was.

While there, I took the time to learn about the Portuguese method of cooking chicken. First,  the chickens are butterflied and brined overnight. They are put into grill baskets, which rotate over a gas flame and allow the chicken to be slow grilled, while being continuously basted and seasoned with water and piri piri pepper. Then everything comes with the house special green sauce, made with avocado, garlic and yogurt.

Portuguese chicken is unique and hard to get around New York. This new spot is very important to the city and will provide some of the best authentic Portuguese foods you will ever have.

Everything I tried was delectable and the chicken is freshly grilled when you order. The potatoes, lime cilantro quinoa, and black beans were also so good -- basically everything I've tried makes me want to go back, so stop reading and go try it !!!

PortuGrill opened its doors on the Upper East Side on January 9th. PortuGrill serves fresh Perdue chicken and all of the chicken is hormone, antibiotic and blemish free, and all sides are non-GMO, sustainable and locally sourced.

PortuGrill is located at 1215 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10028 and will be open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. For further information call (917) 261-4001 or visit www.portugrillnyc.com.