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 counting down the 100 best dishes I tasted in 2017… SADLY, GRISTMILL IS NOW CLOSED. Ignore the silly name for this brilliant concoction. It’s more brilliant than the complex pun makes it sound. But it’s more complex than the words smoked salmon slider implies. The Loxness Knotster is available at brunch and dinner and it is a perfect …
I’m counting down the 100 best dishes I tasted in 2017… SADLY, DALY PIE IS NOW CLOSED. By now we’ve all had salted caramel desserts, but salted lime desserts are not as common. After trying a signature pie at Daly Pie, I realized they certainly should be. Think about a margarita – clearly lime and …
Every week, I document another dish that impressed and satiated me during my food adventures around New York City SADLY, LITTLE TONG NOODLE SHOP IS NOW CLOSED. This year many restaurants opened specializing in mixian noodle soups. These rice noodles from the Yunnan region of China were not as common as say udon or ramen. But …
I’m counting down the 100 best dishes I tasted in 2017… What is a green chickpea you ask? They’re actually fresh chickpeas that have not been ripened. They taste and look a little like edamame. Leave it to Jean-Georges’ trendy new vegetarian temple to introduce them to a wider audience. The hummus is herbal and bright …
I’m counting down the 100 best dishes I tasted in 2017… This is the year I discovered a whole new cuisine so of course both dishes I tried would make my list. As far as I know, I Love Paraguay is the only restaurant of its kind in the city and I got to try …
I’m counting down the 100 best dishes I tasted in 2017… You are forgiven if you are surprised that there is a bit of a restaurant row all the way over on Avenue C. These are under-the-radar neighborhood spots but they are beloved by the community and actually worth traveling for. One of the more …
I’m counting down the 100 best dishes I tasted in 2017… It used to be whenever I was in the Times Square area and I was feeling under the weather, I would stop by Cafe Edison and after slurping up their matzo ball soup, I was cured. Sadly Cafe Edison has closed and I rarely …
I’m counting down the 100 best dishes I tasted in 2017… SADLY, EXTRACTION LAB IS NOW CLOSED. Nestled pretty far out in Industry City, Extraction Lab got a bit of press this year for selling an $18 coffee. I did not try that. But I did get a demonstration of a few coffees on their futuristic …
I’m counting down the 100 best dishes I tasted in 2017… We were not lacking for poke this year in New York. Everywhere you turned you saw advertisements for this Hawaiian bowl of raw fish on salad. It was so ubiquitous that it became rather annoying and the quality no doubt suffered since you could find it at …
I’m counting down the 100 best dishes I tasted in 2017… New York was pretty lacking with good pho until this year when it seemed like a new Vietnamese spot opened every week. Probably the most well-received was the meaty version at this slightly upscale restaurant in the East Village. The broth is cooked for 16 hours …
I’m counting down the 100 best dishes I tasted in 2017… What’s more addicting than popcorn? Thai tofu popcorn which I didn’t even know was a thing until I came to this pretty authentic joint steps away from Queens’ most famous Thai restaurant. At this more unassuming spot, the Thai community seems to hang out, drink, …
I’m counting down the 100 best dishes I tasted in 2017… There’s a lot to choose from at Caffe Marchio, one of the new Danny Meyer concepts inside the The Redbury Hotel. It’s modeled after casual Roman coffee shops where you can get pastries, sandwiches, and some serious coffee. I stopped by for a quick bite …
Every week, I document another dish that impressed and satiated me during my food adventures around New York City Every year for the second to last Dish of the Week I go searching and scouring (read: eating) at the local bakeries for some seasonal holiday-themed treat. Last week, I was lucky enough to try this jelly doughnut marshmallow …
I’m counting down the 100 best dishes I tasted in 2017… Baked potatoes always felt like an easy way out when it comes to cooking potatoes and they’re too big for a snack and not substantial enough for a meal. And frankly, they’re pretty boring. Mekelburg’s proves me wrong at every end. These salt baked tubers …
I’m counting down the 100 best dishes I tasted in 2017… There are so many ice cream trends in this city. Shaved snow, Thai rolled ice cream, ice cream cooked into a brioche. We have it all. Including the Hong Kong-style egg waffle which is more than just a pretty face. The cold ice cream (I …
I’m counting down the 100 best dishes I tasted in 2017… I didn’t realize that meat bread was a real thing until I visited Arthur Avenue and tasted the dangerously addictive ciccioli at Addeo Bakers. For three generations, the Addeo family has been practicing high quality baking from their olive loaves to their excellent bread sticks. But the …
I’m counting down the 100 best dishes I tasted in 2017… The Thai food scene in Queens continues to heat up and it’s been hard for me to keep up with it since I moved out of the borough. Thankfully, the 7 train will get me there. That’s how I got to try these beautiful little appetizers …
I’m counting down the 100 best dishes I tasted in 2017… Kubeh are Middle Eastern dumplings served in broth. Think matzo ball soup but more Sephardic than Ashkenazi. And the dumplings run deeper than just matzo meal. At the new restaurant with the same name, you can find lamb, beef, veggie, or fish dumplings. The …
I’m counting down the 100 best dishes I tasted in 2017… SADLY, EL ATORADERO BROOKLYN IS NOW CLOSED. Before Denisse Chavez moved her Mexican operation to Brooklyn, she called herself El Carnitas El Atoradero. It makes sense now that I’ve tried her crispy pork carnitas because they are out of this world delicious. The fried meaty …
I’m counting down the 100 best dishes I tasted in 2017… As a kid, I was pretty averse to whitefish salad. As an adult, I realized how wrong I was. Or at the very least I had never tasted the stuff at Shelsky’s. The chunky meaty whitefish has an irresistible smokiness and creaminess. The fish …