#10: Schnippers
Watching the Food Network late at night does in fact, help. On an episode of that Bobby Flay show, where he challenges restaurants and cooks their famous dish, what was it called? Challenge? Anyway Schnippers was on that show. Schnippers does Sloppy Joes. I have always wanted to try sloppy joe's!!! Bobby Flay won that throw down...THROW DOWN! Thats the name of the show!! So when Bobby won, I thought... that can't be right. So I went to try it for myself. And it.was.gooooood. So much flavor. So much history behind this dish. Granted it's not duck a l'orange but it was what it was. Good. I'd go back for more.
I think that show was rigged.
#9: Papaya King
This was a tough one. Because New Yorkers are known for their hot dogs. There's Nathan's, Gray's Papaya, Papaya Dog, Katz's Deli, Crif Dogs...But for some reason I was drawn to Papaya King. Now I don't know what the deal is behind all these Papaya hot dog places. But what I do know is that this Papaya Juice has made me a convert. I used to H.A.T.E payaya anything. But this juice, and this hot dog, were the PERFECT combo for a cold day pick me up in NYC. Highly recommended.
#8: Roberta's
I know. How could Roberta's be number 8?! Well, for one, Roberta's is allll the way out in Brooklyn. So for a Manhattan tourist that's like walking into the badlands. But its WORTH it. Roberta's is also at number 8 because there was an hour and a half wait minimum for a table. Only for Dumbo's finest pizza connoisseurs I guess. Never mind the out of town tourist. Pffft. So instead I took my pizza with me back on the L train. Funny story: my cell phone ran out of charge in Brooklyn. Had no metro card to go back to the city. And commited a minor felony by entering through the emergency exit down to the trains! Shhh....don't tell... #i #will #commit #crimes #for #pizza. It basically froze by the time I got back to my hotel room. But that's ok. I love cold pizza. Also I had major Home Alone 2 vibes. Remember?
#7: The Halal Guys
You guys.....*SIGH* All I'll say is order whatever you're having with extra white sauce. EXTRA WHITE SAUCE. Got it?
Tip: the new cart is in the East Village. They're also opening their first flagship restaurant there! Congrats Halal Guys!!
#6: Burger Joint
So let me get this straight? There's a great burger place right in the corner of a lobby of a 5 star hotel? Now this I gotta check out. << my thought process after hearing about the Burger Joint at Le Parker Meridien. Be warned. The wait is as long as Rockin' Roller Coaster at Disney World. You'll see the line of people creeping out of an ominous red curtain. Just stand there. And wait. You shall be rewarded. I promise. It's a great burger. The bun is perfect. The meat is ugggnnh SO tender and juicy. I got why people waited. So I waited. And now I hope you will wait. If not for the burger at least for the story.
#5: Balthazar
I heard Balthazar was over rated. I'm here to tell you that it's not. The staff were friendly. The atmosphere was as close to a Parisian bistro as one would get in SoHo. And the food...might be a bit more delicious than Paris...I know! Blasphemy! But what can I say. That steak was as close to perfection as it gets!! And I stopped ordering steak because everyone gets it wrong. Not at Balthazar. Oh and that béarnaise. Ugh! TDF!! Don't even get me started on those fries!!!!!
PS. The mushroom and asparagus croissant at the bakery next door, is the answer to life's mysteries. THE ANSWER I TELL YOU!
#4: ABC Kitchen
As I was ordering the crab toast, my waiter was like, "Niiice."
The crab toast was a revelation. I can honestly say it was one of the best things I've eaten in 2014 thus far. If I may be so bold and say probably all year.
I just keep thinking back to Luke's Lobster. Comparing the two, this is just so much more complex. Luke's is for the purists. It's a classic. Like an expertly made laser cut dress from Alaïa. The ABC crab toast is like the finale dress from Dolce and Gabbana. The embellishments in this case being the lemon and the mayo (which is light and divine), the herbs, and the spices. And the way the oil shines around the sourdough bread, almost like an adipose halo. Truly a genius of a tartine.
Somewhere in that sundae is a peanut brittle to end all peanut brittles. The first bite was lackluster and I thought -"Oh what have I done! I over hyped the dessert!" but curiously enough every subsequent bite got more and more complex. The salt and the sugar started up a marvelous harmony that my taste buds couldn't ignore. Along with the faultless base line of the chocolate sauce, and the brassy crunch of the popcorn, this melody is one of the sweetest tunes ever to be tasted. And deserves an encore. The minute it starts turning into a marbleized beige soup, that's when it culminates to a flavorful extravaganza.
Leave feeling stuffed but ridiculously well fed.
The crab toast was a revelation. I can honestly say it was one of the best things I've eaten in 2014 thus far. If I may be so bold and say probably all year.
I just keep thinking back to Luke's Lobster. Comparing the two, this is just so much more complex. Luke's is for the purists. It's a classic. Like an expertly made laser cut dress from Alaïa. The ABC crab toast is like the finale dress from Dolce and Gabbana. The embellishments in this case being the lemon and the mayo (which is light and divine), the herbs, and the spices. And the way the oil shines around the sourdough bread, almost like an adipose halo. Truly a genius of a tartine.
Somewhere in that sundae is a peanut brittle to end all peanut brittles. The first bite was lackluster and I thought -"Oh what have I done! I over hyped the dessert!" but curiously enough every subsequent bite got more and more complex. The salt and the sugar started up a marvelous harmony that my taste buds couldn't ignore. Along with the faultless base line of the chocolate sauce, and the brassy crunch of the popcorn, this melody is one of the sweetest tunes ever to be tasted. And deserves an encore. The minute it starts turning into a marbleized beige soup, that's when it culminates to a flavorful extravaganza.
Leave feeling stuffed but ridiculously well fed.
#3: Los Tacos No.1 at Chelsea Market
BEST.CARNE.ASADA.EVERRRR!! Order it on the corn tortilla. SO GOOD!!!
(i dream about this taco, almost every day...)
#2: Lukes Lobster at the Plaza Food Hall
What can I say about Luke's Lobster? Tender. Delicious. Buttery. Salty. Sweet. MMMMmmmm. I had this Lobster Roll two times during my trip! TWO TIMES! Yes I went back. In my hectic schedule of restaurant hopping I came back. Because it was that good. The lady at the beauty counter at Henri Bendel's told me to go to the Plaza Food Hall and have the Lobster Roll and the green tea crepe cake. I doubly obliged. Listen to the locals people!! My advice! Can't leave New York without trying these two things. You.just. CAN'T!!!!
#1: Momofuku Ko
{image source: bionicbites.com}
The Best. Try to get a table. Then you'll know why. Best overall meal of my life. I wrote almost 20 pages in my notebook about the food that was presented to me. David Chang famously banned mobile phone photography in his little atelier of YUM. So sorry, no photos. But if any of you are curious enough, I might do a post about the meal. So, are you as curiously hungry as I am? ;)
**Honorable Mention: Katz Deli
One can.not go to NYC and skip this iconic deli. Needless to say order the pastrami. And don't forget to tip your carver!
