I usually visit New York in the fall, but I had some mileage to use up so guess where I spent Memorial Day weekend. Hanging out, eating, shopping... nothing too crazy. However, I did have one of the most memorable food-related experiences of my life, which of course will be shared on this blog. Here is a brief overview of how I spent my time.
- Biryani cart: chennai kati roll based on a seriouseats recommendation. Probably the worst kati roll I've ever had and I wish I went with my gut and got a different one.
- Shake Shack: finally! This is one of the places that I had surprisingly never been to, mostly because I've never wanted to stand in that bloody line. I endured the ridic hour-long wait despite going against the odds and got my single Shack Burger and vanilla frozen custard. The meat was very fatty and juicy, and the potato bun was really soft and chewy. However, apart from the bun I don't think it was much better than in n out. [Ice cream #1] At first I didn't understand why they called their ice cream "frozen custard," because almost all ice creams are custard-based and therefore frozen custards. However, theirs was definitely thicker and I think they just used more egg yolks or something.
- Ippudo: who would eat ramen on a blazing hot day? Me. When I went to Tokyo last month I thought about stopping by there (it's a chain in Japan), but I felt that I would be wasting a meal since it's here in the states. Well, I'm glad I waited because Ippudo's style, while good, just wasn't the type of ramen I like. Their broth was rich, porky, and pretty complex with deep flavor... but was just too subtle for me. Their noodles were very thin, almost like vermicelli, but still had a nice bite... but I just prefer thicker, chewier noodles. They also have pork buns in the Momofuku fashion, which were tasty.
- Momofuku noodle bar/milk bar: [Ice cream #3] I stopped by the Noodle Bar to pick up their rhubarb/shortcake/maple crumble sundae. It was great that I didn't have to wait in line to be seated or anything because you can just pick it up to go. It had a nice sweet and sour combo going on. I also finally went to the Milk Bar, which had opened right after my last visit to nyc. First of all, um what? It was not what I expected - more bar than bakery, which I guess makes sense since they're going to be changing the focus to experimental mixed drinks (according to my cousin). Their sweets are definitely all about comfort food, and the choice of movie-theater-inspired soft servce flavors were fun - the "sour gummy" was literally made from sour patch kids, and tasted exactly like it (this sample would be ice cream #4, or, the fourth time I had ice cream in one day!). But um, crack pie? It is seriously all about instant gratification - straight sugar = nasty. But, you know, that's just what some people want. The winners: corn cookie (yum!) and pistachio layered cake. Green curry banana bread had some nice heat, as well.
- Brooklyn Flea: I made it out to Fort Greene on a lovely, cooler day, and got a steak huarache from the Red Hook vendors, and the "Wang Ding" from Asia Dog. It seems like New Yorkers mostly love the Red Hook vendors since there really aren't many options for Latin American/Mexican street food, unlike CA where there's a ton.
- Di Fara: a few years ago Mike went on a pizza tour and claimed Di Fara changed his life. While it is not everyone's favorite NY-style pie, it was definitely an experience! Details and photos/vids to come later.
- Jacques Torres: while we were really looking for some ice cream sandwiches, I got a chocolate chip cookie instead since they were out. Chewy and slightly underbaked, just the way I like them.
- Le Bernardin: <3
- Ray's Candy Store: Stopped in for an egg cream. Family-run, a bit ghetto, but at $1.50 why not
- Veselka: I needed a snack so I picked up some pierogies. Their potato ones were good, but in general nothing special. I believe it's more of a late-night-fix joint anyway.
- Zenon Taverna: Greek in Astoria - sooo much food! Mmm pork meatballs and red caviar spread!
2 comments:
Good seeing you kathy! I had just tried Jacques Torres the day before you came and not impressed at all (thought the cookie was way too sugary), you should have stopped around the corner at levain's (http://www.levainbakery.com/) and gotten the chocolate chip walnut cookies-super yummy! And i think the briyani kart deserves another try...the king koti roll is pretty good. Greek place in astoria sounds great, especially having watched that video on their website.
It was great seeing you too! =) The Jacques Torres I went to was the DUMBO location, so maybe that made a difference? Either way, I'll have to check out Levain Bakery next time!
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