Food Adventuring Around NYC
Brian Hoffman is a classically trained actor who is now a full-time tour guide, blogger, and food obsessive. He leads food and drink tours around New York City, which not only introduce tour-goers to delicious food, but gives them a historical context. He has written food articles for Gothamist and Midtown Lunch in addition to overseeing this blog and a few food video series, including Eat This, Locals Know, and Around the World in One City. His latest series is an international cooking show with his son which can be found on this site.
I’m not one to eat (or serve my son) fast food. But when the fast food in question is part of the culture and cuisine of another country, I make an exception. For the oil rich country of Brunei, we chose the country’s iconic fast food dish called Nasi Katok. Who doesn’t like some fried …
Every week, I document another dish that impressed and satiated me during my food adventures around New York City I’m hoping 2022 is the year I start eating indoors again at hip new restaurants like As You Are. I came here recently to get a breakfast sandwich and a treat to go. But I looked …
I’m counting down the 100 best dishes I tasted in 2019… The last time I put out an end of year list of best dishes, it was 2019 and the world looked very different. Not only were we not yet in the midst of a never ending pandemic, but the way I ate at restaurants …
I’m counting down the 10 best dishes I tasted in 2021… The last time I put out an end of year list of best dishes, it was 2019 and the world looked very different. Not only were we not yet in the midst of a never ending pandemic, but the way I ate at restaurants …
Every week, I document another dish that impressed and satiated me during my food adventures around New York City Outside of Korean corn dogs, Oaxacan food and housemade masa was maybe the hottest trend this year in NYC. In the old days, you’d have to head out to Elmhurst to find a restaurant that was …
Go big or go home they say. And if you don’t want to go home, maybe go to Brazil. It’s a huge country with a huge cuisine. This week, we get a little (or big) taste of the colorful and hearty food from Latin America’s largest country.
Every week, I document another dish that impressed and satiated me during my food adventures around New York City For people reading this in the future, you will either have very little memory of this topic or you will wonder about this historical ingredient called cream cheese. As I write this, New York is apparently still dealing with …
My search for the best beer in New York continues…. By now most of the leaves have fallen, we’ve had at least one serving of pumpkin pie, and winter seems to be rearing its snowy face. But I had a handful of autumnal beers the year that let me get a taste of the fall …
Every week, I document another dish that impressed and satiated me during my food adventures around New York City In theater school many moons ago, my friend and I were doing a scene from Of Mice and Men that required us to eat beans out of a can. It was possibly the most difficult acting …
My search for the best bagels in New York continues…. A while back when tourists asked me where to get a good bagel near their hotel in Times Square, I struggled a bit. They could walk to the east side to Ess-a-Bagel or further down to Chelsea to Murray’s. But back in the day, a good …
Every week, I document another dish that impressed and satiated me during my food adventures around New York City My life is pretty ridiculous. I took myself out to a trendy fancy dinner at The Tyger and agonized over what dish to order. I had a quick discussion with the server who recommended the Singaporean …
Thanks to large deposits of diamonds, Botswana is no longer the massively poor country it once was. Since the 1980’s it’s been one of the leading producers of gem diamonds in the world. Although there is still an unfortunate amount of poverty, the country itself is now one of the wealthiest in Africa. Neither Sam nor I are particularly …
Every week, I document another dish that impressed and satiated me during my food adventures around New York City I was ready to leave Lodi without ordering any food and then I was quickly seduced by an elaborately designed pastry. And when I found out what it was, I just had to order it. Lodi is a …
My search for the best beer in New York continues…. It seems like fruited sour beers have become as ubiquitous as Double IPAs were a few years ago. And when you add some lactose or milk sugar, you have a very on trend craft beer. Here are a few I’ve tried recently. And as you’ll …
Every week, I document another dish that impressed and satiated me during my food adventures around New York City To me, Thanksgiving is not just about turkey, family, and parades. The most mesmerizing part of the holiday are the rich warming cooking aromas that seep into every part of the house. And while I am probably …
My search for the best hot dog in New York continues…. Every once in a while a tour attendee asks me where they can try a truly American dish: a corn dog. The problem is that corn dogs are really a thing at street fairs or out in the mid West. It’s hard to find …
Every week, I document another dish that impressed and satiated me during my food adventures around New York City I’ve always liked fried chicken well enough but it isn’t until I’ve started approaching middle age that I really began to appreciate its genius. Isn’t that ironic? At the time I really shouldn’t be eating this …
My search for the best dumplings in New York continues…. I was not prepared for how pleasurable these cheap Chinese dumplings at King Dumplings were going to be. I should have known. I’ve had this style of jiaozi in Chinatown many, many times before, but I hadn’t realized just how long it had been and just how …
Every week, I document another dish that impressed and satiated me during my food adventures around New York City SADLY, THE BROCCOLI BAR IS NOW CLOSED. By now you have probably heard all the jokes about avocado. There were even numerous restaurants and cafes where their concepts were “All Avocado All the Time.” Hilarious, right? But did …
Before the pandemic, Sam was on his way to having a pretty full passport. We were big travelers (and hope to be again) and Sam was lucky enough to come with us on our adventures for the first three years of his life. The first country on our cooking journey that Sam has actually been to in …