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.
A Greek diner is all too common around the tri-state area. But a modern hipster Greek diner? That is something different. Baby Blues Luncheonette is a very cool local Williamsburg hang-out that opened in 2022 and has been a super fun hangout, especially for breakfast. I found the prices a bit high, but the food …
What was I doing ordering a plain bagel?? That is very out of character for me. Don’t worry – I am not going vanilla in my old age. I chose it because when I asked my usual “Which is the hottest?” question, it was unfortunately the only answer I got. Granted, I’m sure all the …
My yearly resolution for some time now has been to eat less meat. I’m not ready to go full vegan (but wouldn’t be surprised if I find myself there in the future), yet I am eager and more than willing to try as many of the plant-based New York food businesses as possible. I recently …
I’m counting down the 10 best dishes I tasted in 2023… My eating out was definitely different this year. I let go of the need to visit all the latest “hot spots” and found much more comfort and enjoyment in old standbys and casual neighborhood spots. The pricing at new middle-tier restaurants also reached peak …
When I awarded Lin & Daughters a perfect 10 our of 10 last year, I did not think I would get better (or as good) dumplings for a long time. But that is because I had not yet been to Samniwago. It was not for lack of trying. I visited the Mott Street Eatery (one of the …
I’m counting down the 10 best dishes I tasted in 2023… Eating out was definitely different this year for me. I let go of the need to visit all the latest “hot spots” (still have not been to Bad Roman or Tatiana) and found much more comfort and enjoyment in old standbys and casual neighborhood …
Even though they spell out how special they are in their name, I was late to the game when it came to Winner. Their original Park Slope location had been on my radar since they opened days before the pandemic became a pandemic. Since then the lines to get loaves of bread, sandwiches, and cookies …
I keep saying that the quality of Thai food all over the city has drastically improved in the last few years. And now we get one of the best restaurants yet. It’s not surprising that Untable has popped up on a few food critics’ best of the year lists (it may just be on mine …
There are certain dishes that get credit for being invented in New York. Baked Alaska, Waldorf salad, the Cronut, among many others. But on that often gets overlooked are those ubiquitous Cold Sesame Noodles. Found in most Chinese takeout restaurants, the story goes these were invented by Taiwanese chef Shorty Tang at his restaurant Hwa …
I’m not sure I really understand the difference between a finger and a nugget when it comes to chicken. The birds, of course, don’t have either. I’m sure the difference comes from the shape of the fritter. It wasn’t until I was ordering the house made versions at the local favorite Krupa Grocery that I …
My search for the best pizza in New York continues…. I think there was a time not that long ago that I thought I would try every pizzeria in the city. Others have attempted to do that, but of course with so many opening and closing all the time, it’s not really possible. I also …
Before I discovered the wonders of Elmhurst, for me, Hell’s Kitchen was the center of Thai food in New York. In fairness, it was the center of a lot for me since I had spent most of my time in the Theater District and I would wander west to discover as much interesting international food …
In the past, I would always try to match the Dish of the Week to the upcoming holiday. For Thanksgiving, it was always turkey, pumpkin something or other, mashed potatoes, or the like. I often forgot about the second half of the holiday – the giving part. Sea & Soil is an incredible new neighborhood …
Back in 2021, a now closed dumpling spot did the unthinkable and made pickle ice cream. Of course, I had to try it (especially since it checks two boxes for me: pickles and ice cream). I never thought I would encounter it again, but while walking through the new Moynihan Hall at Penn Station, I …
When it comes to food, I usually like to steer people to the dishes a place is known for. When visitors ask me for the best cheesesteak in the city, I tell them to hop a train to the city of Brotherly Love. Likewise, when someone wants to eat Montreal bagels in New York, I …
Unlike Martin Short’s character on Only Murders in the Building, I have never been someone who could make a meal out of dips. It does make sense though – how are dips and bread much different than pizza or a deconstructed sandwich? I get it, but it’s just never seem to be my thing. That …
Perhaps by the end of this adventure, we’ll have learned how to say “coast” in every language? Doubtful, but last time we visited a Spanish-speaking coast (Costa Rica) and this stop will be a French-speaking coast in Western Africa. While we could have included this country with the letter “I”s since most Americans know it …
I have finally gotten over my PTSD with the restaurant formerly known as Eisenberg’s. Back when I started this blog, I wrote a less-than-stellar review of their corned beef/pastrami and chided the owner’s collection of “celebrity” photos. Well, the owner fired back contributing to my first expletive-filled comment section. Since then, Eisenberg’s was sold to …
I have been sorely out of tocuh with the craft cocktail scene as of late. Before COVID, I was on top of it, even leading cocktail tours. Boy, I miss those days! Well, when we had a night out for my birthday without our well-under 21 year old son, a cocktail bar was in order. …
For my recent birthday dinner, deciding on a special sushi meal was easy. The hard part was deciding which of the moderately priced sushi restaurants to visit. I feel like there has been an overwhelming number of them in the last few years. It came down to two – a more traditional Japanese omakase or …