NYC Eats

Hello NYC foodies! Recently on a trip downtown, a friend and I went to this fantastic hole-in-the-wall taco place, Tacombi! 

This was actually my second time going, and I'm glad I went again! As it was on a weekend, it was pretty crowded, but we were still seated within 10 minutes. The casual restaurant has a completely open front, and I got some pictures:

The decor inside and outside was so colorful and fun! Here are some more random pictures of the inside:

I ordered two tacos: chicken and vegetarian (each comes with two soft shells and enough filling for two, so really I got two of each.) Both were so good! It could get a little messy, but that just added to the experience.

My friend and I also split a cup of corn- if you go, you MUST get the cup of corn! I don't even know what's on it or how it's prepared, but it's absolutely amazing! 

Besides the stellar food, what's really cool about this place is that all the food is prepared in this vehicle-like, small kitchen! So cool, right?

If you couldn't tell, I absolutely adore this place. My rating (out of 5)?

Decor- 4.5

Taste- 4.8

Service- 4.5

Price- $$ (out of 3)

I was SUPER excited to finally go to  on 83rd and 3rd! They'd been popping up everywhere and I was desperately wanting to go and get some yummy salad! (Green Cafe on 89th and Lex. also makes superb custom salads.)

When my friend and I got in line, there was a worker ready to take our order with a menu-notepad in his hand. Then we each got a piece of paper with our order info, like this:

The photo is a little blurry, sorry. I looked at the menu before I arrived, so I already knew I wanted the Hudson Valley Mix which comprised: baby spinach, butternut squash, broccoli, apples, goat cheese, beets, pumpkin seeds, multigrain croutons, and low-fat horseradish chive dressing. It's one of the only vegetarian salads on the menu. 

It is possible to make your own salad, but it would take me wayyy too long to decide, so I didn't. Once we handed our mini-order-paper-thing, we waited in line to have our salad assembled.

Getting your salad comes in two steps: first, all the ingredients are put into a bowl.

Then, someone else chops/mixes it all together and puts it back into the plastic bowl, ready to eat! 

My friend sat at the window, and the cash register/salad-making area was all behind me. 

Yuck! I realize how horrible my pictures are! Guess you'll have to go for yourself to see what it's like ;) How was my salad? Great! It was pretty big, but it was perfectly filling and delicious! I love that they had a spinach-based salad... I loathe iceberg/romaine lettuce-based salads. The toppings in this salad were perfect (I especially liked the goat cheese.) Whatever salad you get, whether it be one on the menu or custom-made, it will be delicious!

There are tons of locations in midtown Manhattan, if you want to check it out. But if you do, I recommend checking out the menu online first, so you aren't overwhelmed with options when you get there. 

I recently visited Red Hook, Brooklyn. Not a huge food-scene, if you know what I mean, but I was led to Court Street Grocers, which had apparently opened up recently.

What kind of food do they have? Sandwiches. Sandwiches are the food made here, while you can also get some packaged goods from the wall. I just made a quick lunch stop here, so I don't have many pictures, but here's the back/kitchen: 

I wanted to get a picture of the mini-seating area, but there were people there and I try to keep people out of my pictures as much as possible. I got the only vegetarian option: the Uncle Chucky. 

I thought $9 was expensive, and it was, but at least the sandwich was big! 

A lot of the mashed eggplant oozed out from the side, which made eating it messy, for better or for worse. Overall it was a good sandwich- my only problem would be the price. $9 for something I could assemble in 5 min for ingredients worth no more than $4? 

My review:

Decor- 4

Service- 4

Taste- 4

This is the last of my catch-up posts! A few nights ago a friend and I went to Jado Sushi, a cool, new sushi place on 115th and Fredrick Douglas Blvd. The menu was a few pages long, but only the first 1/3 of it was food... the rest was alcohol I think, although I wasn't in the mood. 

This was the view of the restaurant from my table:

I ordered the Jado Bento Box, which came with the option of a salad first. 

It was AMAZING! I love salads anyway, but this was really spectacular. It was mixed greens (I identified spinach and lettuce,) a mandarin orange slice, cashews, and this incredible sesame/wasabi dressing! The dressing really made this salad: it had the perfect amount of wasabi flavor. I was impressed.

Now, my food. It was a rectangular bento box that was divided into three compartments, so each gets its own photo. 

  (shrimp and vegetable tempura)

 (salmon, mackerel, and ? sushi)

(teriyaki chicken with purple potato puree) 

Each bit was FANTASTIC! I love that I got a sampling of three different dishes in one! The portion size was perfect too- I was perfectly content when I was finished eating... but that doesn't mean I didn't have room for dessert! ;)

I had difficulty choosing which dessert I wanted! I chose the double-layered cheesecake/mango pudding dome. The dome has a bottom layer of cheesecake (it had a whipped consistency- it definitely wasn't baked) and a top layer of mango pudding. It's surrounded in delicious raspberry sauce and decorated with colored vanilla on the plate. 

The perfect dessert to end a perfect meal. My final review (out of 5):

Decor- 4.6

Service- 4.7

Taste- 4.8

A friend chose this location for its convenient location (45th btwn 5th and Madison), and we went in without any expectations. 

I couldn't get any good pictures of the atmosphere inside/outside, and this one below is the only other non-food ones.

Now, onto the menu. I had a lot of difficulty choosing something! But after much contemplation, I decided on the Scottish Salmon with Grilled Vegetables as my side. 

SO DELICIOUS! The house salad was simple and yummy. But the salmon... wow. The salmon was fantastic! And with all those veggies! Amazing. I don't think I could've picked better.

Sorry this is such a short post. My final review (out of 5):

Decor- 4.5

Service- 4.7

Taste- 4.7

I am SO glad I heard about this before it ended! I heard about it Saturday morning, and luckily I was free that day, so I spontaneously ventured downtown to see what this was all about! It was held in a little warehouse-type space, with small booths of different vendors set up. I got as much food I could take home (and I could afford) as possible. 

1. Cornflake Chocolate Chip Marshmallow Cookie from Momofuku Milk Bar 

Of course, I could've gotten this at any other MMB location in the city, but why not? And yes, I was on the street when I took this picture, because I wanted a quick bite before I got home, haha. Being a MMB cookie, it was amazing, of course. (Price: $$)

2. Blue Bottle Vietnamese Coffee ice cream from Humphry Slocombe 

Why haven't you heard of this ice cream place? Because unfortunately, it currently only has one storefront in San Francisco, not NYC.

Other options from the menu: 

It was delicious, as ice cream should be. (Price: $$)

3. Maple & Bacon cornbread from Jack's Ched Bred

I usually play it safe when it comes to food, so I decided to be a bit daring this time. It was an okay choice- it wasn't that great. I couldn't taste much maple and there was too much black pepper with the bacon. I think I would've been better off playing it safe. (Price: $$)

4. Mini Key Lime Pie from Steve's Authentic Key Lime Pies.. I don't have a picture for this one! :( It was really delicious, though! It was a perfect size for one person and the taste was on-spot. Yum! (Price: $$) 

I ate delicious food from three different places (all on the UES), and I don't have enough pictures to create whole posts on any of them, so here they are! 

1. Le Pain Quotidien: 

I got the "Organic Raspberry Crunola Parfait." To be completely honest, I didn't like this very much. The taste was good, but the texture was not. I felt like I was endlessly chewing on something.. seeds? granola? I have no idea. I'm sure it's supposed to be that way, it just wasn't for me. (Price: $$)

2. Laduree: macarons

I can always count on Laduree for a good treat. Always. This time I got salted caramel, raspberry, and chocolate coconut. YUM! It's such a good idea to get some with a friend and enjoy your macarons in central park... (Price: $$$)

3. Via Quadronno: sorbet

Having practically grown up next to Ciao Bella (a fantastic sorbet/gelato place) I've been skeptical on trying other sorbets, for fear of being disappointed. I got the peach flavor, and I loved it! It was definitely different from Ciao Bella's sorbets, which are smooth and luxurious. This sorbet had little specks of pulp/peach (I think) and felt lighter. VQ's sorbet was amazing too, though! (Price: $$)

In an effort to be more adventurous and find new food spots, I was taking a long walk in lower manhattan, when I came across Francois Payard Bakery! It is a magical moment when you stumble upon one of the most famous bakeries in the city. Naturally, I had to go inside.

I was just looking around at all the delicious looking food, and I was planning on getting a chocolate chip cookie (it's my go-to cafe/bakery treat.) But then I saw this:

I had seen this amazing dessert on Unique Sweets, so I had to do it! I got the strawberry cheesecake macaron ice cream sandwich. 

After purchasing this, I took a few snaps of the atmosphere:

Now, more about this brilliant creation. As I have posted about macarons before, you know I love a good macaron (or any at all.) And I also adore ice cream. Any kind of ice cream, any time, anywhere. So a macaron filled with ice cream?! Perfection. The strawberry and cheesecake flavors were both there.... I have nothing bad I can say about this at all. It was worth $5! It's just as expensive as a normal ice cream sandwich you can get off a street cart in Manhattan nowadays anyway... 

My review (out of 5):

Decor- 4.5

Taste- 5

Service- 4.5

Price (out of 3)- $$

Hello, NYC Eaters!

Even though I haven't been posting much, I have been eating out and about, so I have posts to come! Back in late July (it seems like so long ago!) a friend and I went to Forty Carrots to enjoy some FROYO. 

It's on one of the upper floors of Bloomingdales, on the same floor as bedding and interior stuff. In the back there is a restaurant, but the front area is froyo. 

^ is where the magic happens.

My friend and I had a lot of trouble picking the flavors we wanted... #firstworldproblems 

Forty Carrots is known for being SUPER generous with their portions, so my friend and I shared one. We were able to get two flavors (coffee and plain) in one cup, though, so it was perfect. I mean look at this thing. Massive. 

As toppings (which they put UNDER the froyo) we got Nature Valley Honey oats and strawberries. Delicious! It does get pretty expensive, but for this much froyo, it's worth it. 

My rating (out of 5):

Decor- 4.5

Service- 4.5

Taste-4.8

Price (out of 3)- $$

After a day in the Chelsea area, a friend and I took a walk down the Highline.

We saw people with lots of shopping bags from different stores and, of course, food. There are tons of good places to eat in Chelsea (ehem, Chelsea Market?) and the Highline caters (pun intended) to that desire for good food perfectly. Near the Gansevoort exit, there are lots of food stands: Taco Truck, Brooklyn Soda Works, and Melt Bakery were nearby, but we chose to stop at People's Pops. 

I first heard of People's Pops on Unique Sweets, a TV show on Cooking Channel I often look to for food-spiration, but considering they have a stand in Chelsea Market, I knew it was something special. It is known for using real, fresh fruit to make their pops, as well as putting bits of fruit in it!

Out of the flavors above, I chose the Yellow Plum Blueberry Popsicle. I've never been a huge fan of popsicles- I don't like their artificial flavoring and how they get so sticky! But this was a People's Pops popsicle. Now that's a different story. As I was eating, I found some plum along with real, whole blueberries! No artificial flavoring here. And since I ate it relatively quickly, I didn't have to deal with a sticky mess. 

The friend I was with got a Rhubarb Basil shave ice (*different from shaved ice)- which they shave right in front of you! There's literally a block of ice, and the employee shaves it and puts it in a cup, followed by the fresh syrup. So cool (pun not intended.)

My final review (out of 5):

Decor- 4 (it was a stand, so there's not much to go on...)

Service- 4.6

Taste- 4.8

Price (out of 3)- $$

Like I said, it has locations in Chelsea Market and on the Highline, but also East Village, Brooklyn Flea, and Smorgasbord (check for more details on the latter two.) Their flavors change often so if you don't like the options one time, go again the next day and see what's available! 

Boy, do I love macarons. I've never bought a macaron and regretted it... ever (although my wallet might disagree.) One of the first things that amazed me about La Maison du Macaron was the bright and colorful display of endless flavors of macarons! My friend and I had a lot of trouble deciding which to get.

After much contemplation, I decided on Banana Nutella (over Dark Chocolate and Caramel Milk Chocolate.) The shell was a yellow banana flavor and the filling was chocolate hazelnut. The filling didn't taste much like Nutella, to be honest, but it was still tasted chocolate-y and nutty. 

My friend got the other two: Graham Cracker Key Lime Pie and Salted Caramel, which she was generous enough to let me try both of. GCKLP was very key-lime-y and refreshing, but also sweet. The Salted Caramel was saltier than I expected, but in a good way! Of her two flavors I liked this one better.

My final review (out of 5):

Decor- 4.5

Service- 3.7

Taste- 4.9

Price (out of 3)- $$ ...$2.50 for a macaron in NYC is average, I would say...

I don't think it's worth making a special trip here, but if you're in the area, I do recommend to stop by and enjoy a macaron in their cozy, rustic-style seating area. 

My first thought: a store that ONLY sells dumplings?! It has to be amazing, right? 

I was there for two reasons: to get a nice cup of cold water and air conditioning to get away from the blistering NYC heat, and more importantly, to indulge in the chocolate dumpling that was recommended to me. 

There weren't many people when my friend and I went, so we did not wait in line at all and our orders were ready within a few minutes, during which we enjoyed some cool water and this wall mural:

She ordered pork and chive dumplings because she was wanting substantial food,

but I got the one dessert item on the menu: the Chocolate Shanghai Soup Dumpling. What is this, exactly? Molten chocolate inside of a hot sticky rice dumpling covered in sesame seeds. Translation? Heaven. 

It was so hot when I got it that I had to use a fork to break it open at first! When I took off the top area of dumpling, there was just a pool of warm, dark (the flavor and the color) chocolate sitting inside. Once it was cool enough, I started eating it, which led to my hands being covered in liquid dark chocolate. Lucky for me, there weren't many people around, so I had  no shame in licking my fingers free of the chocolate like a little kid.

My final rating (out of 5):

Decor- 4

Taste- 5 for the chocolate dumpling, 4.5 for the pork and chive

Service- 3.5

Price (out of 3)- $$

On a blazing NYC summer day recently, a friend and I made an impromptu stop at Vivi Bubble Tea to get some, you guessed it, bubble tea. 

Lots of flavors to choose from, but to cool down I got the Pineapple Ice Jelly. It had pineapple pulp AND bubbles! Yum! 

There were a bit too much bubbles for me, but the taste was fine. Pineapple flavored with pineapple pulp... pretty cool, right?

My friend got almond bubble tea, which, it seems like, was also very delicious. 

My friend and I went to the Doughnut Plant location on 23rd Street between 7th and 8th Avenues. 

Walking in, the decor was amazing! Doughnut chairs, bench (no picture, sorry!), and wall!

Then, of course, the food. We split two of its filled cake doughnuts: Carrot Cake and Tres Leches. These aren't filled in the middle, liked filled Dunkin' Donuts doughnuts (which is the correct spelling?) They're still in a ring-shape, and there is filling running throughout! 

The carrot cake had raisins in the filling, which I thought was awesome! The tres leches wasn't as great to me; besides the filling, it was an average, sweet, yummy doughnut. Not a bad thing, of course, it just didn't stand out like the carrot cake. 

In future visits I want to try a yeast doughnut, a doughseed doughnut, and a square filled one! And as many flavors as possible ;) 

Our final rating (out of 5):

Decor- 4.9

Taste- 4.8

Service- 4

Price (out of 3)- $$

Soba Totto is a great authentic Japanese soba place on 43rd between 3rd and 2nd avenue. 

It opens at 11:45, and if you're one of the first 20 people to ask for it, you can get the Bara Chirashi Set for just $10! What a steal! 

It starts with a salad, which is simple and has these fried sprinkles on top. 

One of the dishes is dice-cut sashimi over sushi rice. I remember there being tuna, salmon, avocado, mackerel, Flying fish roe, and eggs. Seriously, SO delicious! (I'm a huge sushi fan, both from the Green Roll and real sushi, haha.)

The other dish is soba, either hot or cold depending on your preference. I got hot soba, and it was great. 

I actually couldn't finish this huge meal, but for only $10 I will definitely remember this place. Amazing food at an incredible price! I didn't even look at the other items on the menu, to be honest. 

My final rating (out of 5):

Decor- 4

Taste- 4.8

Service- 4.3

Price- $$ (out of 3,) but this meal set was $ for its worth

L'Arte del Gelato is this adorable gelato store in Chelsea Market. It took me a good 10 minutes to decide which dessert I wanted from CM, because there are just so many options! I browsed my options at LdG for a while before deciding that gelato is what I wanted.

All of the flavors' names were in Italian, so I had trouble knowing what some were, but I decided on Amaretto and Mint Chocolate Chip (you can have two flavors in one small cup). So. Darn. Delicious. Seriously, the Amaretto flavor is amazing. 

It's kind of hard to tell, but the left side is Amaretto and the right side is Mint Chocolate Chip. I can't tell you how amazing this gelato was. Honestly, if you're in the area, go get it. (They also have two more locations: Lincoln Center Plaza and the Highline.)

My rating (out of 5):

Decor- 4.5

Taste- 4.9

Service- 4

I don't live near Chelsea Market, but once I found out about this place, I made an effort to go. After drooling over the menu online (http://beyondsushinyc.com/menu.html), I was amazed at the healthy-ness of the place! It is 100% vegan and partly gluten-free! This means the roll is filled with all veggies and they use mixed or black rice instead of white. 

I was sharing with a family member, so I got the Combo 1: a roll and 2 individual pieces. I chose the Spicy Mang as the roll and the snow pea and tofu individuals. Sorry I couldn't get good pics! 

The roll was amazing! I could taste every flavor! It's not in the picture but they gave us a small tube of cayenne sauce... yum. I've never had black rice before, but it didn't taste that different and the color was interesting! As for the two individuals, I only had the snow pea individual. Nothing super special about it- it was good. 

I didn't get any, but it also has healthy desserts, like the black bean sweet potato brownie. Next time I go I will be sure to get a healthy dessert, too. 

My rating (out of 5):

Decor- 4

Taste- 4.8

Service- 4.8

Price- $$ (out of 3)