Every week, I document another dish that impressed and satiated me during my food adventures around New York City

Hunky Dory has gotten a lot of attention lately for their sustainable practices. That is something I am very excited about. I’m the guy who walks around with his own coffee mug, re-fillable water bottle, sacks to buy food in bulk, and even my own take-out containers.

Sustainability is very important to me. I haven’t looked at a straw in a long while. Except in the delicious mocktail at Hunky Dory where the straw is washable and reusable.

One of the other things I’ve tried to do for the environment is eat less meat. I love burgers as much as the next omnivore, but I’vm aware that eating meat for every meal (or even every day) is not the best solution to help save the planet.

And so I appreciate that Hunky Dory, in addition to being mindful about food waste and water usage, also puts vegetables on a pedestal. And while there are a few additions of meat on the menu, I was immediately drawn to their celery root sandwich.

I couldn’t quite imagine how that would play out, but when the owner described it to me as a vegetarian play on the now ubiquitous pork katsu sandwich, I was immediately sold.

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My search for the best ice cream in New York continues ….

There was a time when I was known as the “ice cream guy” among friends. And it’s not because I always ate ice cream, but rather because I would always make it. I became somewhat obsessed with trying to create every flavor as an ice cream.

And for a while, it was an ambition to have my own ice cream business. In my mind (and through conversations with friends) I dreamed up many different ice cream concepts. None of them came to pass but they were all fun ideas that I thought nobody had created yet.

One of my ideas was to turn alcoholic drinks into ice cream and create a line-up of booze-inspired ice cream. I had seen wine sorbets and a few rum raisins, but nobody to my knowledge had mastered things like “Gin and Tonic” sorbet or “Margarita” ice cream.

And then along came Tipsy Scoop. I first heard about them in 2017 when they debuted in NYC offering booze-inspired ice cream. It has always been a priority of mine to see how this concept worked out, but for some reason it took me almost two years to get my boozy ice cream on.

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Every week, I document another dish that impressed and satiated me during my food adventures around New York City

Blood sausage has not been mentioned too much on this blog. That’s mostly because the squirm-inducing dish is not always my favorite. And it’s not because I have a problem eating blood

Insa has been on my radar since the owners of The Good Fork opened this Korean food hall/karaoke bar in the middle of gentrifying Gowanus in 2015. I just never had a chance to make it out here at meal time until recently. And truthfully, it wasn’t until I read that Chef and owner Sohui Kim became a semi-finalist for a James Beard Award, that I made it a priority to come and see what the fuss is about.

The fuss is often made over both the private karaoke rooms (there were two tweenagers birthdays happening while I was eating) and the tableside barbecue. I didn’t partake in either.

Instead, I ordered two very unusual (for me) appetizers. Both were really unique and delicious. The Seafood “Corn Dog” is not at all what I would have expected. Stuck on two carnival-like sticks and topped with mayo and ketchup, the hearty seafood sausage was deep fried (minus breading), tender, and tasty.

But I was slightly more taken by the sondae (or blood sausage).

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Every week, I document another dish that impressed and satiated me during my food adventures around New York City

If someone were to try to sell me on a salmon cake, I would imagine it would be somewhat similar to a crab cake, but of course using salmon in place of crab. I never would have guessed it would be closer to a piece of breakfast cake.

That surprising twist is what convinced me I needed to order a second piece of pastry one morning. I was actually at Burrow showing the bakery off to one of the tour guests on the Dumbo tour I’ve started leading (use code UANYC1 for 10% off).

Burrow is one of the most under-the-radar bakeries in the entire city, partly because it is hidden inside the lobby of an office building in Dumbo. There is literally no indication outside the building hinting that you would be allowed to walk in and explore this lobby. But you should.

In addition to this amazing Japanese bakery, there is also a cool historical engraving on the floor letting you know this used to be the home of Grand Union Tea Company (which later became Grand Union grocery store).

Sorry for my tour guide tangent, let’s get back to that salmon cake. (more…)

My search for the best pizza in New York continues….

I don’t know if it’s because I haven’t indulged in many typical NY slices in the last few years or if now that I’ve dabbled again, I’ve lucked out. But I have had two excellent slices in a row at cheap unassuming spots.

Granted both come recommended by local pizza experts – but that alone is not always a successful factor. In the case of both NY Pizza Suprema and now L’Industrie, those pizza conossieurs (Slice Harvester and ) earn their stripes.

L’Industire is a literal hole in the wall on a side street on the south side of Williamsburg. I had heard about it and then randomly wandered by on my way somewhere else. It’s also run by a chef from Florence, so it has legit Italian cred.

One thing that most impressed me is that they will serve any of their specialty pizzas by the slice – even the burrata. I was tempted to go full on decadence, but I was actually on my way to a more formal lunch and wanted to test out the standard margherita.

To be honest, when it was handed to me, It looked pretty sad. Just a regular generic slice topped with basil and some shaved parmesan strips. But the taste was something completely different.

It stands up to most of the city’s other to-go slice joints. The crust is impeccably crisp and the cheese and sauce combo had a nice rich tang. I was tempted to cancel my lunch plans and turn around to order a few more slices.

Is L’Industrie the best pizza in NY? Looks can be deceiving as this random looking slice gets a 9 out of 10 for flavor, texture, and all around goodness. 

Every week, I document another dish that impressed and satiated me during my food adventures around New York City

There was a time when I was doing video versions of these Dishes of the Week. And maybe one day I’ll go back to it again. But for this entry, I’m somewhat relieved that you don’t have to hear me butcher the restaurant name Çka Ka Qëllu.

The Albanian phrase is difficult to translate (from what I understand) but it is a welcoming phrase of hospitality. Please just don’t ask me to attempt to pronounce it.

It’s located just outside the famous Arthur Avenue Retail Market where Italian food reigns supreme. But what most locals know is that this neighborhood of Belmont is today as Albanian as it is Italian.

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