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 2015… In Chinatown, it’s always the places you’re least likely to wander into that are worth wondering into. All the incredibly cheap dishes (nothing was over $4) at Shu Jia Fu Zhou were worth much more than I paid. I even liked the scary sounding …
I’m counting down the 100 best dishes I tasted in 2015… I have been completely seduced by Persian food this year. Keep your eyes peeled for a video all about my adventures discovering this aromatic cuisine. My favorite place to eat it is at Taste of Persia where every dish is intoxicating. Always on the …
I’m counting down the 100 best dishes I tasted in 2015… Maiden Lane is trying to demystify the stigmas of eating fish from a can or a tin. They have bars just like this one all over Portugal and Spain where you can make a three-course meal from preserved sardines, mussels, and octopus. I love …
I’m counting down the 100 best dishes I tasted in 2015… This little stand in the Essex Street Market gives the nearby Russ & Daughters a run for their money. Instead of focusing on this neighborhood’s Jewish history of preserving fish, Nordic Preserves is catering to the city’s Scandinavian community. You can get all your …
I’m counting down the 100 best dishes I tasted in 2015… It was no fluke that Coney Shack won the Vendy Award for Rookie of the Year. Lawrence Mach and his crew are turning out some realy unique and tasty Southeast Asian tacos. I can’t get enough of their crispy calamari tacos which are seasoned with …
I’m counting down the 100 best dishes I tasted in 2015… It’s hard to wow me at brunch, but I quite enjoyed my early afternoon weekend meal at French Louie. This clean, classy French bistro served soft scrambled eggs in a bowl (a unique preparation) and they were mixed beautifully with smoked trout, some créme …
I’m counting down the 100 best dishes I tasted in 2015… Angel’s Share, a Japanese owned and influenced bar, was the first of the modern day speakeasies to open in this city. It’s still going strong more than 25 years later and is still somewhat of a secret. I won’t tell you exactly where it …
I’m counting down the 100 best dishes I tasted in 2015… Earlier this year, a temple to my favorite taco filling opened up in the East Village. There’s no better combination than marinated spiced pork and juicy tart pineapple. Empellón al Pastor specializes in these tacos (and others) and does it the traditional way – …
I’m counting down the 100 best dishes I tasted in 2015… I was ecstatic when I learned that coconut water, in addition to being uber-trendy, is actually healthy. There’s nothing like the transporting feeling and flavors of drinking the water straight from the nut and then scooping out the coconut flesh. The team at Coco …
I’m counting down the 100 best dishes I tasted in 2015… After a debilitating fire, Colonia Verde jumped back into the game earlier this year and cemented itself as one of the best standby restaurants in Brooklyn. This gluten-free coconut yuca cake is irresistibly moist and tropical. It’s topped with some housemade whipped cream and …
I’m counting down the 100 best dishes I tasted in 2015… Most people come to The Pickle Guys in the Lower East Side for their sour cucumbers or maybe their pickled tomatoes. But how many realized that this old time Jewish emporium also makes pickled fruits? My favorite are the surprising pickled mangoes. Instead of …
I’m counting down the 100 best dishes I tasted in 2015… Some bars specialize in rum drinks, some in craft beer, some in tiki cocktails. The Late Late specializes in Guinness. That’s right, the Irish beer. But they don’t just pour a perfectly creamy pint. They also mix the dark stout into cocktails. The one …
I’m counting down the 100 best dishes I tasted in 2015… Hi-Collar is a really unusual place. Modeled after Japanese tea and coffee parlors, it is a bar for breakfast and lunch (like rice-stuffed omelets topped with ketchup) with fantastic tea and coffee. But at night, the bar switches over to accommodate sake drinkers and features …
Every week, I document another dish that impressed and satiated me during my food adventures around New York City SADLY, KIIN THAI EATERY IS NOW CLOSED. I have walked by Kiin in Greenwich Village so many times and have always written it off as an extension of some NYU cafeteria. I say that in jest, of …
I’m counting down the 100 best dishes I tasted in 2015… Mast Brothers are constantly re-inventing ways to fully taste the deep, rich notes of chocolate beans. Last year, I was taken by their cold brewed chocolate (treated like coffee) and this year they debuted coffee beer. Now this isn’t a dark stout or ale with …
My search for the best pickles in New York continues…. There was a time when the Lower East Side was intoxicating with the smell of pickle brine. Originally, pickle vendors would hawk their bites from pushcarts along Orchard and Hester Street. At that time, pickles were a more common food than hot dogs. Today, it’s …
I’m counting down the 100 best dishes I tasted in 2015… Num Pang is known for their meat-heavy Cambodian-style sandwiches. And they’re great with cilantro and pickled vegetables on a buttery baguette, but I discovered that the flavors are just as bold and unique in salad form. I’ve been addicted to their chimchurri-glazed chicken salad this …
I’m counting down the 100 best dishes I tasted in 2015… Cha An Tea House is a pretty unique oasis in the East Village. This small Japanese tea house provides you with a refined experience for after or pre-dinner tea, toasts, and desserts. I like to end the night here with a few sweets, most …
I’m counting down the 100 best dishes I tasted in 2015… Mochi is more common today than ever, but it’s usually inside of ice cream or on top of some frozen yogurt. For the uninitiated, mochi is a chewy, stretchy Japanese rice cake. Almost like a marshmallow, but not as fluffy and with a really unique texture. …
I’m counting down the 100 best dishes I tasted in 2015… How could a noodle dish be good without the noodles? Brilliantly, SkyIce (who are also known for their unique Thai ice creams) swaps out noodles for strips of papaya. They retain the same crunch and tenderness as the traditional noodles and with the rest …