IN from Scoop St. - Get Inside New York

It’s that time of the year when you just can’t get enough of great company and the winter cheer, especially in a warm atmosphere (considering we just came off a snowstorm!). There are so many great places to dine in New York City and Scoop St. is here to give you guys a helping hand at one of our favorite Asian-fusion restaurants. Scoop $50 of Japanese cuisine and sake at Neo Sushi for $20 – that’s 60% off!

Neo Sushi isn’t your average restaurant; expect creative and innovative dishes on their menu that will have you kicking yourself for thinking you already found the perfect sushi spot. Located in the heart of the Upper West Side, Neo Sushi offers a cozy atmosphere that welcomes a more intimate experience with new twists on favorite Japenese rolls. Salmon receives a garlic-onion aioli treatment; snapper glistens under a translucent wash of amber vinegar glaze while tuna is topped with a light lemony tofu puree. We just went to foodie heaven and back.

Décor isn’t the only innovative element of Neo Sushi as the food selection offers unparalleled Japanese cuisine with imaginative cooking techniques. The chefs apply a special methodology using various sauces that are uniquely prepared for each dish. Each sauce has just the right level of ingredient to enhance flavor and make your sushi experience perfect with no need for anything extra.

As Neo means “new” in Latin, Neo Sushi certainly lives up to its name. Its constantly evolving menu has even the regulars on their toes to see what delicious concoctions would land on their plates next. As New York Magazine wrote, the choices of plunging into this new world of sushi is yours to pick with “yuzu miso cod appropriately moist and silky with an addictively sweet miso sauce; or the hamachi serrano chili including slices of buttery yellowtail, arranged like petals of a flower around a tower of crunchy grated daikon, and sauced with a tart blend of yuzu and soy.” Sounds delectable, if we do say so ourselves.

This scoop is good for $50 worth of anything on the menu, including sake, soju and wide ranges of alcoholic beverages. New to the world of sake or soju? Not a problem at Neo Sushi; you can check out the Sake Sampler and broaden your horizons.

Buzz Around Town

Neo Sushi is OpenTable’s Diner’s Choice Winner 2009 with 4 of 5 stars on Yelp, loved for the restaurant’s fantastic service, experience and most importantly, cuisine:

• “OMG, this is the BEST sushi I have ever eaten!!!”- Briandrea S.

*_”My favorite sushi in NYC. Always great service and the food is outstanding, a little twist on your traditional sushi. Presentation is very nice and the staff is knowledgeable and helpful with your order and with sake selection.”_- Jonathon G., Yelp

*_”There’s no way that anyone has fresher sushi. I couldn’t even say which was my favorite roll or piece because each was better than the next.”_- “Sushi Lover”, Menu Pages

*_”The eel roll with cucumber and roe on top…with that amazing eel sauce spread around the dish was FANTASTIC. I’ve had plenty of eel in my life, and this took the cake! I couldn’t stop eating it! I was really impressed by how much time and effort they put into the creations that were coming to our table. Everything was flawless. And beautiful. And tasty!”_- Joanna K., Yelp

Whether you’re looking for a romantic evening or long hours of laughter in great company, enjoy a night out at Neo Sushi for an adventurous appetite. Your palates will thank you for the change of scene with today’s scoop!

The frigid weather we thought would never come is finally here, and it has all of us in New York City hurrying about with hunched shoulders. Today’s scoop at Yelo Spa is for those with tensions or tight muscles, whether it be from the cold weather, stressful work days or even more stressful holiday shopping. The relaxing cure of massage and napping (yes, napping) comes to you for just $30 – 54% off a $65 value!

With the current economy and the holiday season arriving, wallets are thinner, but it’s hard to skip on luxurious necessities of our routine. Not to brag or anything, but we like to be lifesavers in that department. Your scoop is good for the 20/20 Combination, consisting of 20 minutes of shoulder or foot massage and 20 minutes of YeloNap.

The 20/20 Combination is one of the most acclaimed options offered by Yelo Spa, famous for its best of both worlds offer (of treatment that is!). It encompasses a relaxing massage on your tense shoulders or your tired feet, to be followed by a luxurious power nap within a cocoon-like treatment room called the YeloCab. Choose your own aromatherapy, lighting and sounds while enveloped in thickly cushioned leather, 500-thread count linens and fine cashmere. Both your mind and body will be led to a deep state of relaxation as this chair reclines to allow your legs to be raised over your heart in a zero-gravity position, which produces a feeling of weightlessness. Spoiled? No, that’s just the standard in our book.

Yelo Spa is a vacation spot in midtown Manhattan, for those who yearn for a getaway even for just a day or lunch break. Sip artisanal tea from a floating Lantern and refresh with a scented hot towel as you embark on your Yelo journey. The tasteful color schemes of the spa (inspired by the robes and sash of Tibetan Monks) and the oriental ambience will welcome the tired and the tempest-tossed. The details and every customized setting are made to cater to your every need. The change will be immediate but the bliss long lasting.

Since this scoop gives you a combination of a massage and YeloNap, your body lets go of pain, discomfort and tension before your refreshing nap, letting you experience the ultimate indulgence. These certificates are good for 12 months, so stock up for Christmas, birthdays, Mother’s / Father’s Day or maybe even for a tireless colleague who considers the cubicle home. And hey you can always buy more for yourself (there’s no quantity limit with today’s scoop) so you can have the greatest break whenever you most need it!

Reviews

Yelo Spa has been featured on multiple news channels like ABC, CBS, FOX, and CNN. It was also part of Vogue’s Travel Issue: 15 Reasons to Go to New York! The founder and CEO, Nicolas Ronco, describes Yelo Spa as “A corporate wellness center. For people who are overstressed and overworked…a power nap is a way to recharge naturally without caffeine.” New Yorkers can’t stop talking about their outstanding experiences, rating Yelo Spa 4 out of 5 stars on Yelp and a perfect 5 stars on CitySearch.

*_“Yelo is beautifully designed and brilliantly staffed, and every detail makes you feel good from the moment you walk in the door. From the wonderful tea served in unusual hand blown glasses, to the lighting, and the perfect energy of the people who greeted and took care of me— a home run experience.”_ – Debbie W., Yelp

*_“Yelo is a little piece of heaven in the big city”_ – Stephanie C., Yelp

*_“The cashmere blankets are beautiful and the scents are delicious.”_ – Katharine H., Yelp

“Sleep is the new bottled water” according to the New York Times. Have you had your dose of good night’s sleep today? Probably not. Come join Scoop St., on the other side of rejuvenation with today’s scoop at YeloSpa.

Today’s scoop is perfect for some self-indulgent pampering during the hectic and stressful holiday season. Take some time off and relax with your choice of three different facial treatments performed by Rose Alcido at The Beauty Nook for $70. That’s over 60% off! Rejuvenate, pamper and protect your skin this winter – arguably, the hardest time of the year keeping skin healthy across New York’s icily windy streets.

Believe us boys, your girl will love the opportunity to be pampered like this as it’s not very often that we get to have everything done for us – consider this a suggestion for all those guys lost about what women want (and no this is not alluding to the movie). And hey, this isn’t just for the ladies; all of you fellas deserve to get treated with aromas and cleansing masks to improve your skin and mood.

Your Scoop is good for your choice of the following 3 treatments:

• 60-min Simply Relaxing Facial with 15 minute reflexology – a $145 value
• 60-min Glowing Me Facial – a $170 value
• Series of 3 Deep Cleansing Peels (de-clog, rehydrate and regenerate are just a few of the amazing options!) – a $180 value

The relaxing facial includes steamed towels with the aroma of lavender, sage, rosemary and bergamot. A renowned and licensed aesthetician, Rose lightly massages your head, neck and shoulders, en route to soothing your soul. The Glow and Shine peel has the exfoliating properties of lime, papaya, paprika and a dash of lactic and madelic acids, with no oils to clog your skin, with only Rose Alcido’s signature and proprietary product – the I’ll Never Tell Serum (seriously, we can’t tell). Furthermore, this peel includes a combination of massage technique to stimulate, tone, tighten and firm the face.

This salon is perfect for first timers since it offers an intimate, comfortable, private and personal space and an appointment time which is a tailored process solely devoted to each individual. As it’s so daunting to go for a facial for the first time and have no clue what anything means, Rose consults with you before each facial, making sure your treatment aligns to your skin type. Facials at The Beauty Nook are tailored to you, guaranteeing that no facial is the same!

Reviews

Rose is an intelligent, skilled and experienced woman in the field of aesthetics, medical and cosmetics. She has been featured on WABC Channel 7 Eyewitness News with Lauren Glassberg, Entertainment Tonight with Rachel Hunt, Oxygen’s “New Attitude” shows, and in Allure and Seventeen magazines. 12 New York Yelpers rave about her gentle and customized treatments – rating The Beauty Nook 4 out of 5 stars.

As the wintry mix settles in, treat yourself to an explosion of warm, tropical flavors of Southeast Asia. Today’s scoop at Kuta House gets you $25 of flavorful Asian-fusion dishes and sake cocktails in the LES for a mere tenner. That’s 60% off! As the Daily News highlighted, once you set foot in Kuta, you’ll feel like you took a “trip to Bali and beyond.” That’s something we’re more than happy to jump on – considering many of us here at Scoop St. are still working off the Thanksgiving tryptophan.

With a menu that incorporates far-flung Indonesian locales and an intimate, candle-lit dining room replete with dark teak wood and Balinese masks, it’s clear where Kuta’s heart lies. Although the name Kuta has its roots back to a renowned surf mecca in Bali, Kuta’s bill of fare makes sure to include its neighbors in Thailand, Korea, India and Malaysia with the restaurant’s signature satays. Begin your meal with Kuta Satay House’s eponymous char-grilled specialities – small skewered bites of meat and seafood. From amongst the dozen satay selections, try the Malaysian chicken curry ($4.25), grilled short-rib Korean kalbi ($4.95), lamb tandoori ($5.95) or the succulent Jimbaran tiger shrimp ($6.50), all served to order with a cup of cooling cucumber relish and sweet chili dipping sauce.

Follow your pan-Asian excursion into Balinese fare with pot stickers – pillowy dumplings stuffed with ground sirloin and chives ($8.95), curry puffs ($6.95) or Jimbaran crab cake – a gigantic disk of lumped crabmeat infused with red and green bell peppers, chili aioli and a powerhouse of Indonesian spices ($9.95).

For entrees, Kuta’s dishes accentuate the perfect juxtaposition of delicate flavors found in traditional Southeast Asian cuisine. If you’re in the adventurous mood, order Kuta’s signature Balinese cashew chicken accentuated with tamarind sauce ($15.95), Manado spicy duck curry ($21.95) or grilled red-curry-lemongrass chicken and garlic frites ($21.95). Otherwise, sample Kuta House’s fresh fusion take on pan-Asian classics such as pad thai ($11.95), nasi goreng ($12.95) or experience an old favorite, Balinese style: a succulent, 10oz. Kuta sirloin burger with grilled pineapple, garlic fries and spicy dipping sauce ($12.95).

Phew! That’s just a taste (no pun intended) behind what Time Out New York calls “some of the best Asian food” they’ve ever had. Quench down the spices with a wide beer selection spanning from Thailand to Laos, seven different types of sake or eclectic specialty cocktails (watermelon sake martinis or Korean soju with pomegranate, anyone?).

With every dish on Kuta’s menu under $25, treat yourself to a feast through the Orient with today’s scoop!

The New York Buzz on Kuta House

• “Kuta Satay House is many waves away from the surfer’s mecca of Kuta Beach, Bali. But island details—menus made of rough-hewn wood, over-the-top flowers—add equatorial flair to the otherwise city-sleek room…Who doesn’t love meat on a stick? Befitting the restaurant’s name, satays are top-notch among a menu of Indonesian and Southeast Asian specialties. Flavors are fierce: Intoxicating lemongrass and kaffir lime dominate the Balinese shrimp, while ground coriander speckles the surface of tender beef.” – Citysearch

• “I have been to Kuta 3 times since living in the area and each time I have had great fun. First the space is intimate but cute, the atmosphere is dark and atmospheric without being annoyingly so. The food is very very good. The crabcake appetizer is wonderful. The pot stickers are incredible. I had the vermicelli beef entree which was excellent. My date and I left STUFFED to the gills. Also the staff are VERY kind and attentive.” – Eloni F, Yelp

• “The crab cakes were quite possibly the best crab cakes I have ever had in my life. The rosemary lamb satay was unbelievably scrumptious…The lychee martini is DIVINE! The service was WONDERFUL! The atmosphere is very cute..it’s a super small place, but has a wonderful, cozy ambiance. Especially the tables in the back – it’s like being in a little alcove. I will definitely be back!” – Jasneet G, Yelp