Hey guys, I just got back from NYC! While I was there, this ol’ blog celebrated her 4th birthday, and our little nephew celebrated his 1st birthday! It was a cake and champagne kind of weekend. Shouldn’t all weekends be filled with cake and champagne, though?
We mastered the subway (for real this time, no missed flights due to subway mishaps!), saw an off-Broadway show, sloshed through a soaking wet rainy Central Park, and drank a whole lot of Intelligentsia coffee. And, as usual, we ate. So many good new-to-us spots, plus a few favorites that we discovered on our last trip to the big apple. Here are a bunch of my (iPhone) pics from our trip, and the run-down on our eats:
Adrienne’s Pizza: On our first night in town, we met up with family at this pizza spot in the financial district. It just so happens that on Thursday evenings this street closes down and becomes an outdoor happy hour spot for the Wall Street crowd. We don’t see too many suits in Seattle (please, our “financial district” is, like, 2 buildings), so that was fun! Also…the pizza. Is there any bad pizza in NYC? Because I haven’t had it. The “old fashioned” style pizzas at this place were super tasty—big baking sheets of pizza, with really, really good crispy little pepperoni rounds.
Russ & Daughters: We went here last time, and had to go back. I’m pretty sure we can’t go to NYC without going to this classic bagel shop. Tons of different kinds of smoked fish, cream cheeses, and fish spreads, and the best bagels ever. I had a bialy—which is basically a Polish bagel, and the hole is filled in with an oniony-poppyseed mixture—with cream cheese and smoked salmon. Um, yes please!
Shake Shack: Another NYC must. Just as with last time, we went more than once. Shack Burger, I dream of you.
BaoHaus: Two words: Eddie Huang. The man himself. Sitting right next to us, chowing down on his own goods. I had two baos: the birdhaus (fried chicken…the best), and the chairman (pork belly), and we shared the taro fries. I just want this to be in Seattle. I just want to eat that fried chicken steamed bun forever.
Ippudo: We met our friend Jim (who lives in NYC) at this ramen house. Jim moved to New York to live the Seinfeld life, and I think he’s doing just that. Oh, also, the ramen was awesome. I had pork ramen topped with miso paste, cabbage, sesame mushrooms, scallions, garlic oil, and a soft-boiled egg. Evan had the spicy one, which was maybe even better than mine. Would definitely recommend, would definitely go back.
Balthazar: We went for weekday breakfast, so no wait or reservations! Breakfast was delish, and I loved the atmosphere. Too bad we were too full to try the pastries at the bakery!
Nom Wah Tea Parlor: Dim sum! I loved this place…we ordered pretty much every item on the menu. Scallion pancake and shrimp buns for days. The restaurant is over 90 years old, in the same location in China town. And the street its on is "the deadliest street in NYC." The one from Gangs of New York. Super cool. And ps. who doesn't love dim sum!?
The Meatball Shop: Another one we had already been too. Evan and I just love the vibe of this place. You pick your meat (pork, beef, etc), pick your sauce, pick your sides, or have the meatballs on a sandwich. I've probably had better meatballs, but I seriously think this is the most genius restaurant concept.
Les Halles: So, we decided to do one fancy French dinner, and figured if Les Halles was good enough for Bourdain, it was good enough for us. But you know what? I think they need Tony back! The appetizers—bone marrow, escargot, and French onion soup—were pretty good. But the entree? Meh. Took forever (seriously, like an hour… everyone around us that came after us finished eating before our entrees came out), and then the steak itself…nothing special. Oh well, you win some, you lose some!
And after all that… I'm stoked to get back in the kitchen and do my own cooking. I love eating out and traveling, but man it feels good to eat a homemade dinner!
