Grand Finale!

Our last stop this year is going to be a good one! The Stanton Social on the LES is beautiful (like all of us), smart (like all of us) and has had great reviews (like all of us will have shortly)! They have a wide assortment of small plates which should be perfect for sharing with a big group.

Details: Thursday, 8/10 @ 6:30

Reservation is for 10. But if you are interested in going, please sign-up and I'll see if we can up the reservation if we get more then 10. Click the "Comments" link below and respond with your name and what group you are in.

Drinks afterwards at a spot TBD for those who want to continue the celebration and tearful good-byes.

Last Stop...

Mark your calendars, the last stop for our Restaurant Tour will be Thursday, August 10th. Given there will be a lot of presentations this week, and we have the farewell cruise and some division-specific events, we'll take the week of 7/31 off.

A poll will be posted this week, but look for some serious contenders for our finale and clear your schedule the night of the 10th.

P.S.: Email me if you have any recommendations!

Next Stop...

Is Holy Basil, a Thai restaurant with rave reviews from seemingly everyone. It also comes highly recommended by Shannon Kostrowski, a fellow intern in CCSG.

Dinner is at 6:30.

Next Steps: If you'd like to go, click-below on the word "Comments" and type in your name and what group you are working with. First 10 to sign-up are in.

Location: 149 2nd Ave, between 9th and 10th St, right by NYU

Logistics: We'll meet on the other side of the turnstiles downstairs at 6:00 and take the 6 to Astor Place.

Questions: Email Victor J. Colombo

Tacosalot and Spamalot

Alas, we have no pictures from this week's dinner at Agave. All that is left are the pictures in our memories. Pictures of friends, of laughing, of laughing friends. Of hand-hacked guacamole, gooey blue corn enchiladas, and rich mole sauce poured over short ribs. These experiences...I don't think pictures would do them justice. It is best to move on and hold dinner, and Spamalot, and the pouring rain the followed, close to our hearts...forever.

Next Stop...

Nine of you have spoken and the next stop is Agave. One review notes that "the candles make the restaurant very romantic," so clearly it is the perfect place for a big group of interns! Maybe this is more relevant: it was voted Best Tequila Bar in New York a couple of years back, and was recommended by our friendly Campus Recruiting Team!

We've reserved space for 15 this week to allow more people to attend since we'll be heading to Spamalot afterwards. We eat at 6:00 which should give us plenty of time to get to the show by 7:45.

Next Steps: If you'd like to go, you need to click-below on the word "Comments" and type in your name and what group you are working with. First 15 to sign-up are in. If 15 have signed up and you want to go, email me and I'll see if we can increase the reservation.

Location: 140 Seventh Ave South, between Christopher and Greenwich Ave

Logistics: We'll meet on the other side of the turnstiles downstairs at 5:30 and take the 1 to Christopher St.

Questions: Email Victor J. Colombo

Basking in Bobby Flay's Magic

I'm late. I'm sorry. Interim presentation this week. Apologies.

So like 5 days ago now or something, another group of 10 adventuresome diners headed out to enjoy the cooking of yet another Iron Chef America star, Bobby Flay, at his highly regarded Mesa Grill outpost.

The dinner started out, as all good dinners should, with the establishment of some ground rules for the evening: there was to be no discussion of the World Cup Final (in which Italy triumphed over France to become the 2nd winningest country in World Cup history...you know, for those that missed it); and there would be no discussion of politics either (like what is the US doing in...um, never mind).

As this meal was part of Restaurant Week, each Intern got to make an appetizer, entree, and dessert selection. Some of the more popular choices included the Shirmp and Asparagus Taquito, Fire Roasted Chicken, and Yellow Corn-Crusted Chile Relleno. I think it is fun to say "taquito."

This week's group included a nice mix of Restaurant Tour vets - Erica Breckner, Cassie Walls, Mina Chang, John Paasonen and Lawrence Cho - as well as some newbies - Samantha Sugarman, Chitra Agrawal, Mike Mendelson and David Sims.

Monday, 7/10: Next Stop...

is Iron-Chef-America Bobby Flay's signature restaurant Mesa Grill. The restaurant was named Best Restaurant by New York Magazine, and the number one American Regional restaurant in New York City by Zagat for the past five years.

Next Steps: Dinner this week is Prix Fixe, $35! If you'd like to go, you need to click-below on the word "Comments" and type in your name and what group you are working with. First ten to sign-up are in.

Location: 102 Fifth Ave, just North of 14th and West of Union Square

Logistics: We'll meet on the other side of the turnstiles downstairs at 5:30 and take the 4/5 to Union Square.

Questions: Email Victor J. Colombo

"Lupa": Italian for tasty

Despite numerous roadblocks including a bizarre reservation policy (though their on-hold music is quite peppy I must say) and horrible train service Monday evening, this week's chosen ten made it to Mario Batali's Lupa for a tasty Italian dinner.

The group was split into two: The Ballers and The Bargain Hunters. The Bargain Hunters - Matt Daniels, John Paasonen, Cassie Walls, Sterling Ingui, and Mina Chang - made it out of Lupa at just over $20/head as a result of teamwork, solid planning, and flawless execution.

The Ballers on the other hand - Chris Chen, Brian Polen, Nathan Bhatt, Victor Colombo and, much to her dismay, Rachna Govani - spent about $50/head, but clearly left the more sated of the two groups. And we got to sit next to...ummm...some actress whose name I now can't recall - so pretty cool really!

Despite the disparity, all guests seemed quite pleased. Highlights included pillowy-soft gnocchi, orchiette with sausage and kale in a light buttery sauce (pictured above), and a hungry-man sized plate of Italian sausage.

Three tips from the group: don't go if you are a vegetarian, don't go if you are averse to spicy foods, and if you are going to spend $50+, you might as well aim for Babbo.

Thanks to JP for suggesting Lupa, and to Mina for snapping photos!

Next Stop...

is Lupa Osteria Romana, one of Mario Batali's more accessible restaurants, on Monday 6/26. Zagat says: "the innovative cooking is so elegant in it's simplicity that heavenly is too mild a term for it." Sounds good, eh?

Next Steps: If you'd like to go, you need to click-below on the word "Comments" and type in your name and what group you are working with. First ten to sign-up are in.

Location: 170 Thompson Street, just North of Houston at W. Broadway.

Logistics: We'll meet on the other side of the turnstiles downstairs at 5:30 to head over.

Questions: Email Victor J. Colombo

Week 3: MONDAY June 26th

First two weeks have been test-runs, but now the Restaurant Tour is open to all!

• Instructions can be found to your right
• This week's poll is below
• We're dining on Monday next week since Tuesday is our Yankee's game
• So vote and be prepared to check back Friday morning to add your name to the list as we're capping attendance at around 10 folks.

Email me with any questions!

Where should we eat on 6/20?
	Shake Shack
	Craftbar
	Monkey Town
	Zip Burger
	Lupa Osteria Romana
Free polls from Pollhost.com

Happy Hour(s) = Happy Interns

This past Tuesday, the ES Interns headed to Cafe Noir in SOHO for a bountiful selection of tapas, sangria, mojitos, and caprihinas - the latter which only one of us could pronounce properly.

Although all of the food was wonderful, two items seemed to really stand out. Erica Breckner, hailing from Wharton, couldn't get enough of the lightly battered and fried sweet pearl onions. "We don't have these in Philly" she murmured as she took the last one. Victoria Williams, from NYU Stern, disagreed however, and the two almost had to be separated. Vicky felt strongly that the thin strips of Kobe beef were the highlight - "They're so silky!" she kept repeating.

Special thanks to Rob Becker, our trusted Customer Development leader, and Rachna Govani, our in-house 501-BA-baker, for organizing the evening. And to Leander for dropping by to liven things up!

Week 2: June 20th

This week the ES interns will dine at Cafe Noir.

Next week we've got the Yankees-Braves game on Tuesday, so we'll move the Restaurant Tour to Monday June 26th. Voting will start Wednesday and will be open to all NYC interns.

First stop...

You've spoken (at least a few of you) and the week one winner is.....Mooncake Foods!

Mooncake was one of the recommendations in our on-boarding materials as it is recognized for offering great taste and good value - perfect for those under the burden of large loans! This is a no-frills stop, but from Citysearch:

The Asian comfort food works: There is a touch of attentive flair to everything, even the rich earthy flavor of the Chinese-sausage sticky rice. A terrific Thai-style steak salad is fiery with jalapenos and garlic, while a massive dose of lime juice and fresh herbs cools it down. The jicama spring rolls are refreshing, and the three wonton soups deeply satisfying; there's a sizeable sandwich of grilled, sweet-glazed pork chops and mango chutney on an Italian roll.

Location: Probably walking distance from Amex or at least a quick ride on the 1/2 to Canal. Check out the map for more info.

Time: Meet at Chevy's at 5:30 for a quick happy hour and expect to head to Mooncake around 6:30!

Note: Cash only. So leave your Black card at home today.

Action Required: Please take a minute to add your name below (click the Comments link) to indicate you plan to attend so we know how many to expect.

Week 1: June 13th

Where should the Blue Box Interns eat on 6/13?
	Craftbar (www.craftrestaurant.com/craftbar.html)
	John's of Bleeker St. (www.roadfood.com/Reviews/Overview.aspx?RefID=656)
	Mooncake Foods (www.newyork.citysearch.com/profile/36918398)
	Ideya Latin Bistro (www.ideya.net/about.html)
	Tabla @ Bread Bar (www.tablany.com/)
Free polls from Pollhost.com

So you're hungry? Well here's how the Restaurant Tour works

Although many of us are from New York, have lived in the city, or are currently going to school in the city, you can never experience all of the great food New York has to offer. And knowing how important relationship building is for all of this summer, why not combine the two?

This site will serve as the home for our weekly Restaurant tour (so bookmark it now!) Revised details on how it works are now posted on the top, right-hand side of this page, so scroll back up!

Since this will be open to all Amex interns, it should help give everyone a chance to meet folks in other groups that they might not normally have the chance to spend much time with.

We'll also try to take a few pictures to post along with a quick review of our meal.

If you are interested...the first two weeks have been mainly within ES to work the kinks out, but starting 6/27 it will be open to all!