Food Adventuring Around NYC
THE PLACE: Kolkata Chai Co. seems to want to take the spicy, sweet black tea to the heights of the ever popular green tea matcha. This little café opened a few years back in the East Village and has slowly since expanded with small tea shops in a handful of NYC neighborhoods, including the one …
THE PLACE: Dame has been top of my list since they first started previewing their now famous fish and chips during the peak of the pandemic. Since then, this cozy Greenwich Village haunt not only continues to be a hot table in the city but also has become a reliable old standby. THE MENU: British …
THE PLACE: The long lines at Danny & Coop’s in the East Village have not only been because of the general food hysteria in NYC over the latest fad. It also has to do with the fact that this cheesesteak business is celebrity backed. You might not recognize Danny (Danny DiGiampietro, the owner of Angelo’s …
THE PLACE: Chinatown has changed. While you can (and should) still get bowls of cheap noodles and steaming dumplings in the neighborhood, you can now also find yourself in a high-brow modern restaurant taking nods from the likes of Spanish and French cuisine and serving everything from cured tuna and a comté tart to a …
Just like the rest of New York City, I’ve fallen hard (in that 90’s high school crush sort of way) for crisp, seasoned smash burgers Even if I wanted to, I can’t stop dreaming about them…
THE PLACE: Just recently transformed from the Filipino restaurant Tradisyon to the bright and airy Uncle Ray’s, this little nook in Hell’s Kitchen is welcoming and comfortable. When I stopped by for an early lunch, I was the only diner and was greeted graciously by the enthusiastic waitress and the chef himself, Sergeant Kiang (“Uncle …
THE PLACE: I’ve always felt like the Spanish restaurants in the city are never as good as the ones I have been to in Spain itself. More so than other countries I’ve travelled to. Eel Bar, which is a hip, clandestine bar/restaurant from the team behind Cervo’s and Hart’s, is the closest I’ve experienced to …
THE SPOT: If you’ve ever taken a train or a bus in or out of New York, you’ve encountered Zaro’s Family Bakery. These take-out spots are an iconic local bakery that started in the Bronx in 1927 and are now mostly found at Grand Central, Penn Station, and Port Authority Bus Terminal. They were once …
THE PLACE: Man, I miss giving the Cocktail Tours I used to run before the pandemic. Not just because they were awesome and I got to hang out at some of the best cocktail bars in town, but also because I really got to explore the local late night food scene in the East Village. …
THE PLACE: Shortly before the pandemic, I remember stopping by Nowon for a really fantastic bowl of clams in a black bean sauce. It very much felt like a late night bar stop with a burgeoning menu of Asian-influenced bar bites. Coming back all these years later, it was nice to see them in the …
THE PLACE: If you can imagine a Korean diner, Kisa would be it. When it opened in 2024, it was publicized as being inspired by a “kisa sikdang” which are restaurants aimed towards taxi cab drivers. I totally get that, but I’m afraid you won’t find many taxi drivers at this modern restaurant which often …
THE PLACE: A small little nook just steps away from the hub-bub of Roosevelt Avenue, Om Wok is a gem of a Tibetan restaurant with a welcoming staff and a faint smell of incense. It’s a cozy little spot and one that seems a bit off-the-beaten path of the other more popular momo spots in …
THE PLACE: Not exactly a “speakeasy” but Chez Zou is certainly hidden from view in the somewhat undiscovered neighborhood (or rather, development plaza) of Manhattan West – inside and upstairs a trendy Mediterranean restaurant. It feels like an extension of Zou Zou’s with large couches and a bar that is nestled into the wall. It’s …
Have you noticed that coffee shops now moonlight as florists and flower shops are now also cafés? How often do we need both flowers and coffee at the same time? Perhaps I have not thought of every single situation…. until now.
THE PLACE: While not as over-the-top with crowds as other similar trendy chef-driven places, Shukette is still a popular night out. With enough planning, reservations are not completely impossible. Even if you end up at the bar, like we did, it’s still pretty comfortable with a casual but energetic vibe. There is also a chef’s …
THE PLACE: Way off-the-beaten path in one of the lesser walked streets in the Financial District, Susukino Ramen is hidden in plain sight. It sits right next to the famous bar The Dead Rabbit, but does not seem to be the same type of destination spot. Suskino is pretty much a local haunt for business …
THE PLACE: I had a bit of post traumatic stress when I entered Buba Bureka in the former home of Manousheh. I loved that place and while they stuck it out in a very difficult neighborhood for a decade, Manousheh was forced to close last year. The Israeli-owned Buba Bureka (named for BUreka BAkery) did …
It’s scary how social and political forces have raised the price of eggs. While it’s calmed down a bit, I can’t help but notice the price of an egg sandwich at my local bodega is still higher than before. What can we do? We can sing or maybe find some other method of getting eggs …
THE PLACE: The third in a series of Hong-Kong style noodle shops opened in Chinatown a few months ago. Maxi’s Noodle has been on my list since their first location in Flushing debuted, but I find myself in Manhattan’s Chinatown much more often. When I came by, the crowd was sparse and I cozied up …
THE PLACE: Just off Bangladesh Street in Queens and amongst a sea of food carts advertising the same dishes and all claiming to be the “original”, Fuska House might be the one with the longest lines. It’s not technically the first of the carts selling a Bengali street snack called “fuska” but they have become …
