I arrived at the modest restaurant on Alton Road crammed between a Starbucks and a sushi place. Bernie's L.A. Cafe is pretty plain with the exception of colorful signage on the window, and a bright red tile wall, but edible treasures await for all who venture inside.

Bernie arrived wearing a casual gray t-shirt and immediately greeted me with a smile and a handshake. After a brief anecdote about Castro's Cuban takeover, his parents emigrating to Miami and his subsequent upbringing in a Cuban-Catholic neighborhood, we started to talk about his passion-turned-business. Matz said he's been cooking since he was a kid. His metaphorical bread and butter used to be a media company, which he says went downhill after 9/11. So, after that he went to culinary school. And hated it.

The owners of Highlands, a contemporary Scottish gastropub, and Mary Queen of Scots have done it again, and this time with Gin. Whitehall, located on Greenwich Avenue in the West Village, is a Restaurant/Bar that is trying to capture the quintessence of modern British cuisine while crafting cocktails celebrating the complex, and beautiful aromatic flavors of an underrated spirit, gin.

The dim lit restaurant sweeps you off the streets of New York City, and brings you to London where the structure and decor of the restaurant have been influenced by the city's green gardens and train stations, according to Whitehall's website. The modern light bulbs produce a romantic, intimate yet comfortable atmosphere, making it the perfect place to have a first date or dine with your closest friends.

Japanese SAMBAHour launched on February 1st and is a Japanese inspired happy hour at both Sushisamba locations. The happy hour, which is available on weekdays, takes place from 4-7pm, and features Japanese entertainment and workshops. Enjoy delectable bites such as kuromitsu glazed pork belly buns and spicy scallop gunkan, as well as a selection of Japanese beers and sakes.

But that's not all that's going on this month at the well-known resto. On February 18th, Sushisamba will be hosting a special Carnaval to mark Rio de Janeiro's most noted celebration. Enjoy live performances by shimmering samba dancers, dance to batucada drummers, and pick dishes off of their regular a la carte menu. The celebration will commence at 9pm and (sadly) end at 1am. Both locations will broadcast a live feed of the celebration in Brazil and will be serving up their tasty Carnaval Cocktail ($12, leblon, domaine de canton, fresh kiwi, champagne). There will also be yummy carnval food specials!

Shimmy your way to Sushisamba this month and partake in all of their lively festivities inspired by countries around the world!

Stop by Mercadito this month and try Chef David Blonsky's smoked pork cheek taco as part of Chef Patricio Sandoval's Tacos for Strength campaign.

“It’s the taco lovechild of the best of Mexican and barbeque flavors," says Chef Blonsky, of Bull & Bear and Public House. More complex than many of the other tacos on Mercadito's menu, tender pork cheek is nestled in a housemade corn tortilla and topped with salsa verde and crispy shallots, queso fresco and espelette pepper. An order of four tacos is $16.50 at dinner and a lunch order of three is $12.50. Five percent of the proceeds from these tacos will go to Share Our Strength, dedicated to ending childhood hunger.

ATTENTION ALL DONUT LOVERS: Here is a list of must-haves in the donut department. From glazed to jelly to Boston creme, we know where to get the best deep fried dough in the city!

Dough

305 Franklin Avenue Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn

347 533 7544

There is nothing like having one of their Nutella cream-filled donuts when they are hot and fresh. No wonder this place made it on the top of our list, Dough plays around with creative flavors like hibiscus, dulce de leche with toasted almonds and chocolate with cacao nibs. In the mood to try something different, enjoy a Foie Gras and Jelly filled donut at Bed Stuy's Do or Dine, which uses Dough's classic jelly donut and adds delicious duck liver. Worth every calorie!

I always like a one stop shop and Huckleberry Bar, in the part of Williamsburg that has not yet been entirely consumed by gentrification and uber-emo trenders, is a gem. With a comfortable charm that feels both new and old, every walk is welcomed. And my walk was steadied by their selection of focused yet thoughtful food and drink. Thus my two visits, an evening and the subsequent sensible brunch, yielded fabulous edible finds for any time the clock tells - even for a slim wallet.

We understand that for some of you foodies out there with a love for football, Super Bowl Sunday poses a dilemma on where to watch the game. Well, you have come to the right place for the solution. Here are some places that you can dine-in or take-out food during the game while satisfying your taste buds.

134 Reade Street 10013 212 941 9401

Iron Chef, Marc Forgione, will be turning his two-star restaurant into a casual bar by bringing in flat screens to watch the game on this Sunday. The menu will include a burger, spicy chicken wings, suckling pig sliders with $5 Miller High Life beers to wash them down. A DJ will also be part of this scene to get the party started.

123 2nd Avenue New York, NY 10003

These Belgian fries are freshly cut and fried (twice) to a golden crisp, then garnished and paired with your choice of sauce. Forget about ketchup to go with these authentic fries, you get to choose from various mustards, mayos and curries. Perfectly crisp on the outside and soft on the inside

18 Bedford Avenue Greenpoint, NY 11222

Here, the fries are good, and the truffle fries --even better. This place packs in a crowd and is especially popular during brunch. Expect to wait, but as for the fries, the wait is well worth it.

New coffee blends and trends are already roasting in the new year as Starbucks switches from dark roasts to blondes and multiple celebrities, such as Leonardo DiCaprio, filmmaker David Lynch, Dave Mustaine from Megadeth and Lcd Soundsystem star James Murphy, enter the profitable industry.

After years of everyone being told by the coffee connoisseur that dark roasts are superior, coffee companies decided to attract a new market of coffee drinkers during this economic slump. This trend has already become a norm in many European countries, where they brew the blondes strong.

209 East 49th st. between 2nd and 3rd avenue 212 751 4545

Executive Chef Richard Sandoval opened a new tapas lounge located under another one of his venues, Pampano. This newly designed Mexican tapas bar offers 30 small plates, that are perfect for sharing, to go with their Latin-inspired wine list, tequila menu and eight different flavored sangrias.

474 Columbus Ave. 646-596-7434

My new favorite part of waking up is a breakfast of crunchy granola from Nature's Hand. Their flavors include Maple Pecan, Wild Blueberry, Cranberry Delight, Raisin Hazelnut, and Cinnamon Apple, my favorite of all. Nature's Hand is made in Minnesotra and they use quality ingredients, like real sugar, molasses and honey to sweeten the whole grain wheat and oats. I especailly love the plentiful sunflower seeds in the mix that add a sublte nutty flavor. None of their granola includes unpronounceable ingredients that look like they belong in science experiments.