Most of us eat on the go. It's American culture, run into a store pick something up and walk and eat. These days at least one of our meals is prepared outside of the
home. 

Today was one of those days for me.  I woke up at 5:45 am  and made a cup of oatmeal to start the day before I caught this bus to NYC.  By noon when I got off the bus I was starving. (sidebar - the driver on the Megabus was rude, he was speeding down the street and was making hard stops, I told him nicely to low down and he yelled at me "Don't tell him how to drive!" the nerve)

I used to work around the 34th street area and it always amazes me when I'm in the area all the new restaurants that pop up.

I needed something to eat and I was not in the mood for 'junk'. I saw in a distance "Organic to go",
The outside of the store had balloons all over celebrating there grand opening.  "WHAT I need to check that out".

I went inside and saw a great selection of food: Organic Moroccan Spiced Orzo, Organic Spicy Sesame - Ginger Thai noodles,and interesting selection of paninis. I had the grilled chicken, artichoke and mozzarella panini made with a seven grain bread.  They also had a selection of organic desserts, Fresh & Co. uses only the freshest, highest quality, natural or organic ingredients when ever possible.
My panini and German Chocolate cake came up to about $13, a little pricey, but that NY for you.

Other notables about Fresh & Co.

They support the tri- state area farming community by buying locally grown fruits and vegetables
All of there products are washed with " clean greens" an organic  and vegetable wash.

So if we have to eat on the go at least I know there are healthy options out there.  Any other places like this in your neighborhood? There is a lot of buzz about eating organic, I get conflicting
articles about it.  Maybe we should discuss it in the Gourmet Diva Lounge?


Fresh & Co
363 7th Avenue
Corner of 30th Street
Freshandconyc.com
Twitter freshandco

I had the pleasure of eating at Bensi Ristorante in New Jersey for a wedding rehersal dinner.. Bensi is a New Jersey Italian chain restaurant serving traditional Italian food.

Once we entered Bensi we were greeted with smiles. The decor is contemporary with the color scheme in dark shades of red and black. The dining room had a huge black & white photo across the walls with pictures of people enjoying Italian food.

The drink menu had a variety of cocktails and wines. The favorite amoung the guest was the white wine sangria. The food menu had traditional Italian dishes as well as Bensi inspired dishes. For starters I would recommend the Fried Calamari. It was lightly fried and not too chewy :) For entrees we had the choice of   Penne Bensi (Chicken, broccoli, fresh tomatoes, garlic and basil), Eggplant parmigiana and Grilled Salmon and Chicken Marsala.  Pasta, vegetables, and salad were served family style. All were excellent and huge portions.

For dessert we had dessert platter filled with slices of chocolate cake filled with chocolate moose and cannoli's and the Bensi Tiramisu. The cannoli was too sweet for my taste. The tiramisu was my favorite.

Overall this was a great choice, lots of food for a great price. Check out www.bensirestaurants.com for the nearest Bensi.

What is your favorite Italian dish?