Champagne and Caroling at the Gansevoort Hotel with the Broadway Dolls - Black Tie Style!

By: Anne M. Raso

Wow! The Champagne And Caroling black tie event at Winston's Champagne Bar in the Gansevoort Hotel  was one of our final parties of the holiday season and one of the most elegant. Broadway luminaries, executives from Bernstein Global Wealth Management (who presented the event to benefit the Broadway Dreams Foundation) and just regular folks who like a good party put on their tuxes and best evening gowns and grooved to holiday sounds as provided by the Broadway Dolls! Guests danced cheek to cheek "old school style" and here was not a single holiday "standards" missed by the Broadway Dolls. The five member "girl group" took requests as well.

Basking In BBQ Brotherly Love At Brother Jimmy's New York City!

By: Anne M. Raso

I have lived by the Brother Jimmy's BBQ Upper East Side location for 13 or 14 years now, and when I am dying for a real piece of Southern style BBQ, I will order their Dry Rub Ribs (with the 20 "secret" rub ingredients) and my two side choices are usually the collard greens (when I am trying to be healthy) and their black eyed peas...but I occasionally weaken and do the fries. Nevertheless, I finally, after all these years decided to try their second of many locations--the Union Square restaurant at the easy-to-remeber 116 East 16th Street (between Irving Place and Park Avenue).

Brisket and Pulled Pork

McDonald’s Big Mac Snack Wrap is Back!

"Good things in small packages..."

Well here's some good news for those who love the comfort food goodness of a Big Mac but don't want the extra calories around the hips -- McDonald’s Mac Snack Wrap is back at restaurants nationwide, for a limited time only, through January 2, 2012! The Mac Snack Wrap, the Big Mac’s snack-size counterpart, features half of a quarter pound 100 percent beef patty, the Big Mac special sauce, shredded lettuce, American cheese, pickles and chopped onions wrapped in a soft flour tortilla.

Resorts World New York City: Good Effort But No Dice

"I heard that you were trouble but I couldn't resist..."

Resorts World Casino is the first entertainment destination of its kind in the five boroughs of New York City. Owned by the Genting Group, this property operates over 4,200 video lottery terminals (VLT), 470 electronic table games, 4 VIP lounges, 18 food and beverage outlets (with two fine dining options) and boasts the largest catering and events space in Queens. Last week, the casino held a private party / tour for media to preview the second and third floors of their brand new facility just prior to the public opening that afternoon.

It's Chic to Be Cost Conscious: Luxe Holiday Gifts that Won't Break the Bank!

"Looking for my goodies..."

This holiday season, with the European debt crisis and the shaky US economy, shoppers more than ever need to focus on spending less while still looking good. We here at financefoodie.com especially understand (being personally affected by the volatility in the stock market) and are here to help find the perfect gifts for yourself or the fabulous ladies in your life. Best of all, these recs are all wallet-friendly yet still super chic alternatives to the luxury goods featured in Harper's Bazaar's 2011 Best Gifts for Women. So you might look like a million bucks after buying all this swag, but you don't have to pay a million to do so!

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The Something-for-Everyone Holiday Gift Guide: From Kim Kardashian's Fragrance to Homemade Soda!

By: Anne M. Raso and Finance Foodie

Like Santa, we here at financefoodie.com have been making a list and checking it twice, but also have been looking to make holiday shopping as easy as possible. By no means is this considered a complete guide to shopping made easy, but there are always a few classics that you can purchase in multiples instead of roaming from store to store or website to website. Here are a bunch of gifts we (or relative/friend/little sibling have tested under our careful supervision!) that came out with rave reviews for holiday giving.

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Beauty Bar: The Best Of Beauty In A Super-Chic Setting!

By: Anne M. Raso

We were lucky enough to get a sneak peek at the new Beauty Bar in Manhasset a few hours before its big opening night party! Set in the center of the tres chic Americana shopping center at 2034 Northern Boulevard--which is anchored by such legendary stores as Chanel and Tiffany--this upscale beauty store features hundreds of brand names that many other popular beauty stores do not carry (especially smaller luxury brands like Wellbox, Ren and By Terry). Of course, the big luxury cosmetic, skincare and fragrance brands are here and there is a particularly lovely and large display of Bond No. 9. It's easy to spend an hour just trying the numerous Bond No. 9 testers and we fell in love with the Little Italy scent, which interestingly enough, smells like an orange orchard

A Power Packed Business Lunch at Philippe's Restaurant and Lounge Houston

“In and out and on your way”

Philippe's Restaurant and Lounge, the “Texas Cowboy meets French Artist” themed resto by Chef / Owner Philippe Schmit, features a wide array of delectable yet approachable dishes for the Gallera/Uptown set. The lunch menu includes a vast variety of tempting delights (such as the parmesean + white truffle oil soufflé), but I opted for their signature Business Lunch – three courses, $20, and as they say, “gets you in, out and on your way”!