If you're thinking about trying a cooking class here, try it! I was invited by a friend to join her…read morefor a West Indian (Caribbean) cooking class. On the menu was Haitian soup, Trinidadian Doubles, Dominican rice and beans and Jerk Chicken. The chef was warm and kind and very thorough. She gave us the option off adding heat with a scotch bonnet pepper and showed us a couple of knife techniques to make cutting vegetables easier. We were supplied with aprons and name tags and worked in teams and chatted while chopping, seasoning and cooking. I appreciated the ice water and stools available to ensure I was comfortable for those hours of class. The food came out amazing and flavorful and there was plenty leftover to take home. Its great for a date night or friend group activity or even just solo bc everyone became so friendly.

My mother booked the Latkes & Sufganiyot cooking class for our family during Hanukkah. ICE was…read morepretty easy to locate inside of Brookfield Place and the space was very clean. Chef Sue was both personable and informative, and her demos were easy to follow along with the written recipes. During times when food was cooking or cooling, Sue also showed us some knife skills basics/tricks. The class went on for about 3 hours, including the time to eat at the end. I really enjoyed the experience, but in the future would choose a class with a more substantial output. The Latkes and Sufganiyot were both fried carbs, and we ended up grabbing dinner immediately after because we were still hungry for a real meal. Other than that, would recommend!

I've joined the "Kearny Kravings: Hispanic Heritage Food Tour" two years in a row (including one…read morerecently at the end of September) and loved each minute! The tour guide was friendly, knowledgeable and the new food spots (including Colombian :) were very welcoming. Among the highlights for me: Meeting fellow foodies and making new connections, traveling around an NJ town that deserves more love and lastly -- while there are too many food standouts to list -- the delicious arroz chaufa was my favorite. Very much recommend these Jersey tours!!

I definitely recommend Beyond the Plate food tours. It is such a fun experience and the selection…read moreof restaurants were great. My sister, cousin, and I had such a fun time during our Jersey City Food tour. We did the taste of downtown tour. It was definitely worth it and we left feeling super satisfied. Alessia was fantastic and I'm happy she was our tour guide for our food tour. I definitely hope to take another one soon in the near future. It honestly felt like we were hanging out with friends because your tour includes others in your group and everyone was so nice and the energy was amazing. I definitely recommend because I know I will be booking another tour with beyond the plate food tours.

Cheesy Vegetarian here:…read more I am in cheesy heaven - so many options and so little time, what can I do?!?! Findings: Unique cheeses and crackers Place is veyr well lit Staff are cordial and friendly

I heard a lot of good things about Van Hook, so gave it a try on a random weekday for dinner…read more Because it closes at 7pm, I had to rush a little bit to grab dinner, though working from home does have its perks on days like this. When you enter, you're amazed at the selection of different cheeses, chips, crackers, etc. etc. I was tempted to buy them all, but showed wise restraint. After like 5-10 minutes, the grilled cheese was ready to takeout. I ordered the classic with spicy honey. It was solid, though I was a bit surprised with the bread chosen because I've always been used to seeing super thick and chewy. However, the benefit of that is that it becomes super yummy without feeling super heavy. I was thoroughly impressed. At just under $10, it's a pretty solid deal.

Cute little place. Excellent selections! Definitely worth visiting this one. The staff is extremely…read morefriendly and very knowledgable. Went in for a special walkaround of wines+cheeses. They had over 9 combinations among 3 stations along with history and intricate details about each pairing. Full 5 stars to this one

Lovely store with an excellent selection of organic wines, for those with allergies. Knowledge…read morestaff, regular wine tastings and a nice team that works there.

There is a reason this place gets 5 stars consistently. If there were more stars they would have…read moregot those too. We hosted our daughter's 3rd birthday. From the planning through execution they demonstrated professionalism with a personal touch. Everything was meticulously planned. I hardly had to do anything - just got my family, guests, and some adult beverages. The kids had an amazing time. The parents could relax, merry, and also, engage with their kids to make pretzels. Everyone praised what they witnessed from start to finish. Many said this was their best kid's birthday party in recent times. What more can I ask as a parent! Oh and did I say how the birthday cake vanished in minutes (it was soooo yummy). I thank Rene and her TEAM of amazing party planners and chefs for making the event memorable for us and our guests. We will back soon for the cooking classes.

My daughter celebrated her 5th birthday here on May 5th - Cinco De Mayo! We went with an L.O.L…read moreSurprise theme, which I was super excited about since it's the latest craze amongst all the little girls, and I haven't seen the theme done at Bambino Chef yet. I'm a Creative Coordinator, Event Planner and CONTROL Freak! I purchased the V.I.P Package (for up to 10 kids) hoping I could step back a bit and let the awesome and sweet, Rene and her team do their B.C. magic. However, occasionally I would shoot them idea blasts on what I wanted. About 2 weeks before the event, I went full steam into contacting them again, I received the regular reminder phone call that Tuesday to re-review the event plan. I dropped off the self-made banner a couple days prior to the event so that they could have it prior to the party for setup. I created and brought my own gift bags that consisted of the L.O.L Surprise theme, in addition the kids received gift bags that come with the Bambino Chef VIP pkg, which you can choose between a mixing spoon, apron/hat OR bubbles, stickers, etc (usually items you can find at Party City). On Party Day, we arrived and were greeted by the wonderful Bambino Chef team, seeing how it was Cinco De Mayo and the team prefers the parents relax, I brought some Sangria and Guac and we parents hobnobbed while the kids did their thing. Naturally, taking tons of breaks to snap pics LOL My group initially being 10 went down to 8; we had some late arrivals, but the team was good at starting preparation for those kids who came late. Everyone still ate. Not only the Rigatoni they prepared but also the DOMINO PIZZA. Thankfully, I did not have to worry about having a cake made, because the VIP pkg does include cupcake decorating, so once the kids finished their masterpiece cupcakes we sang Happy Birthday and everyone indulged. The venue layout is awesome for children, the kids had enough space to run around and be merry. The final and most exciting touch in my opinion is the Champagne Pop! Struggled a little bit to twist that bottle, but finally got it to twist and the Birthday Girl and her friends received a beautiful Happy Ending. My only reservation for not going full on 5 stars was I didn't see my vision come to light with some of the ideas I emailed to them. There isn't one person to communicate this part with. Also, there is NO ONSITE PARKING; metered parking which you have to feed every 20 minutes. This part did make it a bit of a hassle for my guests.

Dropped by for a sip and sew class on a Sunday evening. This place was relatively easy to find…read more Located on the 9th floor. The class was 2 hours long and overall a very fun learning experience to make a tote bag. Not easy imo, but you are taught in a way with demonstrations first prior to attempting to do it on your own, a few steps at a time. I thought the hardest parts were the beginning prior to actually sewing - putting the thread in the machine and setting it up. But I'm sure with experience it becomes second nature. You're given the basics of the machine from the buttons to the different parts and the pedal. Then comes the fun part of actually putting together the tote bag. From sewing the sides to sewing the handles, the instructors were very knowledgeable and helpful! Very delighted to have taken this class, and looking forward to taking more in the future. As someone forever petite (unfortunately), I spend so much time getting clothing altered. Would love to learn more about altering my own clothes.

I took the Sewing bootcamp 101 class with Emily as the lead instructor. It ran from 10AM-6PM with a…read more1 hour lunch break at 12:30, I spent $310. We received a run down on how the machine works, learned how to thread the machine and how to fill the bobbins. Then we made a denim tote bag. This was super easy and really fast. After lunch break is the 2nd project. If you don't have your fabric, the school can sell you fabric directly inside for $16 a yard. I bought my fabric elsewhere and brought it in. I honestly recommend doing this instead of buying it from them. Because you have to wash your fabric like how you wash your laundry regularly since it shrinks naturally. We picked our patterns and I made a skirt since a skirt is faster than pants. They recommended not to make pockets or else I'll run out of time. But I HAD to add pockets. Women's clothing have little or no pockets regularly. The instructors are extremely helpful and friendly. and they immediately notice if someone is struggling or stuck. This really impressed me. For example, when I was threading the bobbin, the spool of thread was running out. The teacher was immediately behind me with a brand new spool of the same color so I can swap it out when it was finished. That was a great eye for detail! Overall, highly recommend. Just bring in your own 3 yards of cotton fabric, already washed and dried, for the 2nd project!

We did the urban beekeeping tour with NYCBeeKeeper, Nick at their Queens location and LOVED every…read morebit of it. It was fascinating to learn about urban beekeeping and get to interact with the bees. Nick was an excellent guide and clearly so passionate about bees. Cannot recommend Astor Apiaries enough!

My favorite honey now, will absolutely order again and I have already recommended to friends and…read morefamily. After I put the order in, I received a lovely personal note and the order arrived very quickly. The glass jar was carefully wrapped and was in perfect condition. Most importantly, the honey tastes delicious. Perfect on its own but it is making my tea even better. I'm so glad to have found a local apiary to support and enjoy.

This is my first review for 2021 and it had to be for a place that I love. Madame Claude Wine is…read morethe best wine shop in the Greater New York Region. I haven't found a better wine shop even in Manhattan so I keep making a trip out to Jersey whenever I need to buy wine. The wine shop has a large selection of wine, mostly from France, as the owners are French. They spend a lot of time traveling around the world to find small vineyards so I love how they try to support small, local businesses. Pretty much every bottle that they sell is under $25 and I haven't had any that I haven't liked. I also love how a lot of their wine bottles have handwritten tasting notes that tell you what food to pair the wine with. The people who work here are also really friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. They're always available to answer your questions and do everything they can to help you find what you're looking for. Madame Claude Wine has a French bistro called Madame Claude Bis not too far away from the wine shop. I haven't tried the bistro yet, but according to the people at the wine shop, all the wines that they have on the restaurant's wine list are available at the wine shop so if you find something that you like at the restaurant you can always go back to the wine shop to get it.

We wanted to pick up a bottle of wine as a gift and Madame Claude was within walking distance from…read moreour apartment. They have a pretty good selection at a wide range of prices. There are a lot of affordable bottles here! A lot of the bottles also have tags on them with notes from management, which is very helpful when you're not familiar with some of the vineyards. I'll definitely be back to add to my own collection!

My fiancee got us a private lesson with Valentina for my birthday and I can honestly say it was the…read morebest birthday gift I can remember receiving. It was really a unique and delightful experience. Valentina is warm and patient, makes it fun and easy, was on time and efficient with the lesson, brought treats and of course best of all.. taught us how to make incredibly-tasting baguettes! I very highly recommend her.

I'm so happy that Valentina is now on yelp because I think she's gonna blow up. My fiance and I…read moretook Valentina's baguette making course on the day that I proposed. We were so happy that Valentina was able to accommodate just the two of us in such short notice. It was just us, so anyone looking for an activity for their engagement day or a romantic date...this is the place to be. Also, if you gather a group, it's the same price for each class! Valentina is wonderful. Amazing teacher, hilarious and a true gourmet. (She forages her own salt!). Endless tips and tricks about baking empowers you to do it at home. Also helps you understand how brilliant those contestants are on the Great British Baking Show. After the class was over, we didn't wanna leave...just wanted to talk food and wait for her to cook us dinner and possibly adopt us. I hope that you (whoever's reading this review) gets a chance to take this course before it gets crazy. A hidden gem I'd say. Courses around town in culinary institutions are mega expensive and a bit too formal. Taking this class is like a little Italian getaway. Have fun!

This is a very cool experience…read more While this is a great date spot I went with my friend as this was on her birthday wishlist. So if you are going for a "real" art experience this may not be your vibe. This was more a sensory experience, very therapeutic. Our instructor was very thorough. The lighting and aromatherapy was very therapeutic as well. I won't give to much away only that you should try it but I will also warn you if you are doing sculpting you DO NOT take the finished product home with you. As I said this is a great therapeutic experience.

A must-try creative date or weekend hang!…read more I went to Brunch With Monet and had the best time. Love that it's part paint class, part bottomless mimosa brunch. From the moment we walked in, the space had such a chill, artsy atmosphere. The instructor was not only super talented, but also so kind and helpful. He walked us step-by-step through the painting, demonstrating each part on a sample canvas and checking in with everyone as we painted. He kept our mimosa glasses full and refreshed our paint palettes There were also fresh pastries and fruit to nibble on while we painted, and he even helped us take photos and videos throughout the class Whether you're planning a cute date, a girls day out, or just looking for something creative and fun to do in NYC, this is such a unique experience. Highly recommend and yes, I'll be back with more friends soon!