Food Adventuring Around NYC
The Place: I’ve mostly missed the pop-up phenomenon that started during COVID as I no longer have the time and patience to handle insane wait times and special instructions. However, I was very happy to experience Amanda’s Good Morning Café, which seems to have turned into a sort of permanent pop-up. Certain mornings of the …
THE PLACE: Even though I had read about and bookmarked Fonty’s, it felt like a real undiscovered hidden gem when I accidentally wandered by one day in the maze-like streets of the West Village. Inside there are lots of tempting food products (mostly Indian or Indian-inspired and influenced) with colorful designs and intriguing flavors. The …
I really should learn my lesson and not be sucked in by the newest gimmick in the food world. It almost always sets me up for disappointment. But Moonrise Bagels, which is the hottest new bagel opening in the city and has garnered the predictable long lines and social media hysteria, is something I had …
The Place: Nestled on the other side of the elevated subway in Astoria, this corner coffee shop is a true oasis. The tables were all taken (and there was even a wait) when I stopped by on a weekday morning. Not sure if this is just a beloved local hangout (there were lots of meetings …
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 SPOT: I stumbled upon a bight blue storefront in Williamsburg the other day that I thought had to be a pizzeria or Italian spot. The name Paolina threw me off. But I saw a big sign that advertised falafel. Turns out this spot, which is destined to be a hit with the Instagram set, …
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 …
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: Not one of the smash burger places that gets all the hype in NYC, Lovely’s Old Fashioned has been sitting under-the-radar in Hell’s Kitchen for the last year or so. The old-fashioned name and feel, along with a lack of tables (only a lunch counter overlooking the griddle), truly gives a sense that …
It’s embarrassing that I never ate at Frankel’s before now. They’ve been opened in that narrow corner between Williamsburg and Greenpoint since 2016. And they name check lots of the iconic NYC dishes I search for on this blog: pastrami, bagels, smoked salmon, hot dogs. Perhaps the overwhelming number of New York-Jewish specialities has been …
Surprise food stands are the best. We were visiting the Brooklyn Botanical Garden this weekend for our annual cherry blossom peeping. My son demanded a treat from a Mr. Softee truck and I got lucky by catching this new “summer house” during their soft opening. Aunts et Uncles is a Caribbean plant based café in …
Smash burgers, which have infiltrated their way throughout every neighborhood of NYC, are good and all but they get a bit boring. A crisped peppery flattened patty usually topped with American cheese, onions, and pickles. And probably on a potato bun or something similar. Yes, without a doubt, simple, nostalgic, and tasty when done right. …
In their old space, I think I may have worked my way through Superiority Burger’s menu of inventive vegetarian fast food. I’m a bit ashamed that I hadn’t been able to visit them in their new location until now. This spring, they came back in a much larger space (with wait staff) in an old …
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 …
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 …
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 …
Peter Shelsky, the man behind the appetizing revolution in Brooklyn, moved to Paris with his family during the pandemic. His staff is keeping the shop running without missing a beat and everything is always great. However, it’s always nice to catch Peter himself in the store from time to time when he comes back every …
It used to be BBQ ribs and then for a while it was chicken wings, but now it’s mushrooms. If these items are on a restaurant menu, it will be very difficult for me to not order them. So when I checked out the online menu from the recently opened vegetable-forward The Wesley and saw …
Every once in a while, the trendy food halls of this city host an exciting new vendor that makes braving the tourist and business lunch crowds worth it. That was the case with Bark Barbecue when they opened their first permanent location at the Time Out Market in the crowded Empire Stores on the Dumbo …