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.
When I visit an ice cream shop, I want to try all the flavors. I expect that. But when I stop at a taco joint, I don’t expect to want to try all the cuts of pork. But Carnitas Ramirez is not your typical taco joint. The owners of Taqueria Ramirez opened this small house …
My wife who is gluten free, almost gave up gluten free bagels for good after breaking a tooth on one of them. This was during the early days of COVID and the possibility of seeing a dentist was terrifying. Don’t worry, it all turned out ok with her and her tooth. But she has been …
I hope Ras Plant Based succeeds on Bleecker Street, but I am cynical. It seems to me that this block of Bleecker between Sixth Avenue and LaGuardia is one of the most difficult streets to keep a small food business going. I can’t tell you how much turnover I have seen in the years that …
Orwashers is an institution in upper Manhattan. The bakery was opened on the Upper East Side back in 1916 by a Hungarian family. That was just a few years after Glaser’s opened in the same neighborhood and the black and white cookie was supposedly invented. So while Orwashers has changed ownership and probably wasn’t selling …
I’ve been trying to eat at Sofreh for years now. Every time we have plans to go to Barclays Center or BAM, it’s the first place I try to score a reservation. Somehow it’s nearly impossible to get into this hot Persian restaurant – even after it’s been open for 5 years. Thankfully, it got …
There are endless number of hidden gems and secrets in New York. Case in point: it took me 20 years of exploring Chinatown, a pandemic, and an abandoned shopping mall to discover this secret subterranean dumpling shop with a very long name. Fu Zhou Wei Zhong Wei Jia Xiang Feng Wei(or booth B45) has been …
When we spent a few days on the Istrian Peninsula, I knew I would have to get my fill of truffles. This fascinating bit of mountainous, waterfront land has changed hands between Italy, Slovenia, and Croatia over the years. Since the fall of Yugoslavia, this has been mostly Croatia. And lucky Croatians, they ended up …
You might be thinking, “I’ve been to Breads Bakery in Union Square or Lincoln Center or Bryant Park and I love their babka but never saw a black and white cookie on their shelves.” And you would be correct. Because the only location of Breads Bakery that has their wacky version of the New York …
We brought our son to Coney Island for the first time this summer and I knew ice cream had to be part of the experience. You can’t be on the boardwalk in the summer without a cone in your hand. The last time I was out here, the ice cream options were not great. I …
My new favorite European city is Ljubljana. Of course, dating back to the 13th century, it’s not new at all. Yet it somehow is still considered “undiscovered” or even “unheard of” by most Americans. I urge you to check out this beautiful European capital and spend a few days here. And while here, of course, …
The city is constantly changing. It’s one of the most exciting and also heartbreaking things about it. Long Island City is one of the neighborhoods that is always in flux. And it’s very obvious in the local beer scene. I used to give beer tours in this Queens community before COVID and it’s very different …
After exploring the absolutely breathtaking (and crowded) Lake Bled, I knew there was one more thing to do before heading back to Ljubljana. We needed to try some cakes. Given Slovenia’s proximity to Austria, it’s no surprise that just about each town has their own cake. We had to seek out Zima (which means “the …
Jerry Seinfeld often gets credit for making the black and white cookie so famous, but of course, this iconic New York treat predates the 90’s sitcom by a lot. While I grew up eating them in South Florida (thanks to a New York heritage), they did indeed originate in New York. The question is whether …
Our first meal on our recent whirlwind trip around Croatia and Slovenia set the stage for incredible meals to come. Despite our jet lag, we made our way to a modern little hip restaurant in the capital city of Zagreb just outside the city’s market Dolac. Gostinoica Ficlek is a really cute little spot that …
We have been very lucky to have spent some time in Greece and its surrounding islands. One place we have not visited in that part of the world is a country that many Americans don’t even realize is its own country. With lots of influence from both the Greeks and the Turks, Cyprus is very …
It seems like every other week I’m documenting either a Thai restaurant or a mushroom dish. I tend to play favorites. Well, this week I’m bringing those favorites together. Bangkok Supper Club is one of the more difficult reservations to get. It’s definitely possible but takes a bit of panning and late night Resy stalking. …
Who knew there were so many versions of biryani? I’ll admit I am not so well-versed on the regionality of Indian cuisine, but I was surprised by a lot of the items on the menu at Hyderabadi Zaiqa under the biryani section. Biryani, of course, is a rice dish mixed with spices and a range …
Hidden, secret food and drink establishments will always be fun and exciting. But an interesting location is not enough to sustain a place. Shacking Burger is the newest food establishment in the unlikeliest of places. It’s in a gas station on the outskirts of Chelsea. Not only is a prepared food restaurant in a gas …
It seems like I’ve been doing this for so long that I’ve covered all the old time spots, but that is so far from true. While I’ve been to El Castillo de Jagua, the Dominican gem in the heart of the Lower East Side, I’ve never written about it on these pages. I think I …
If only AbuQir was open back when I lived in Astoria, I would have given them all my money. I used to live in this residential part of Queens for many years and I frequented both seafood markets and Egyptian restaurants around this street, but at that time (as far as I know), no business …