This weekend included a run on the Long Beach Boardwalk (one of my favorite weekend activities!), a long Manhattan walk, and some exploring in Brooklyn. It was a very tasty few days, here were the highlights…
Homemade iced coffees with banana cheesecake cold foam (in the blender – frozen banana, cream cheese, butter extract, vanilla bean powder, brown sugar, skim milk).
A wonderful smoothie – frozen banana and peaches, soursop juice, vanilla protein powder, and malted milk powder.
Other Half. We split a flight of mostly double IPAs but also their Mister Softee collab strawberry yuzu sour.
Saint Street Cakes. The hype about the chocolate chip cookie is real. We also really loved the miso peanut butter cookie and blackberry cornbread cake slice.
This mochi doughnut from Win Son‘s Manhattan location was probably the best thing we’ve eaten so far in 2025.
Post-run breakfast on the boardwalk! We split a turkey, egg, and cheese taco and a fresh juice with green apple, spinach, ginger, and lime. We probably wouldn’t get food from this spot again but I would definitely get another green juice.
An easy but exciting, mostly home-cooked dinner. Leftover brown rice reheated in the microwave with rice vinegar, furikake, and white sugar / mayak eggs (I also put some mini mozzarella balls down in the marinade! / broccoli roasted with evoo, five spice, and gochugaru / fried chicken tender from Dave’s Hot Chicken. P.S. I ate all of an order of fries on the drive home; they are fantastic.
Dinner at Kabawa. We had a great meal here – some of the best goat I’ve ever eaten. It wasn’t lit for photographs but I happened to get a shot of my two favorite dishes. The bread course with house-made roti and cassava dumplings and an assortment of sauces.
Birthday cake flan. This was the best flan I’ve ever eaten.
Roasted beets with hazelnut dukkah, brandied cherries, ricotta salata, and creamy herbed vinaigrette and shocking good deviled crab toast with, roasted corn and herbs and black garlic mayonnaise on toasted sourdough.
A single patty L.I. burger – dry-aged beef patty, pickles, cheese, and fancy sauce. Plus a yummy side salad.
Space Cowboy is a new coffee spot in Long Beach this year and I’m a fan. They have some inventive drinks — like this root beer cold foam cold brew. Every weekend we can we go for a run on the Long Beach Boardwalk followed by an iced coffee and it’s a great date.
Salted peanut butter David Bar = 10/10. The texture (chewy with crunchies) and flavor of these is just right for me.
We had a perfect (delicious!) afternoon at Rockaway Beach. Rockaway Beach Bakery – yuzu and mixed berry bun with cream cheese frosting.
They also served us the best cheeseburger we’ve had in NYC this year! Makes my top three list, easily. Plus crispy yet creamy, well-seasoned fries.
And you can’t go to Rockaway without getting a perfect frozen pina colada at Connolly’s.
Olmsted is sadly closing and their final dinner service is tonight. We had a nice meal there Saturday sharing a bunch of dishes. Fava bean falafel with Calabrian honey, pea shoots, and pickled shallots.
King salmon crudo with rhubarb agrodolce and cilantro. <– our favorite bite of the night
Kale and crab rangoon.
Cauliflower okonomiyaki with hazelnuts, kosho mayo, and tonkatsu sauce.
Heirloom tomato schnitzel with whipped ricotta, yuzu piperade, and basil sunflower butter.
Pasilla rubbed scallops with roasted corn and a blueberry gastrique.
Finally – chocolate mousse.
Take-out dinner. Guac Shop is a fast-casual Mexican spot near us and while they don’t have roasted zucchini they do have fantastic tofu (and some great veggie topping options). This bowl was brown rice, hot sauce, tofu, cabbage, sweet potato, corn, and cheese.
P.S. We were so taken with Varli‘s Indian food that we are heading back there for dinner tonight!
No post from me last week because we were on vacation! On a cruise!! In Alaska!!! It was a great trip and we had a fabulous time. We saw two glaciers and tons of animals (including but not limited to whales, dolphins, sealions, and orcas!).
Here were the highlights this week back at home, mostly things that scream *SUMMER!*…
Watermelon cotton candy. The texture of this Charms brand was perfection.
S’mores-y things. I also opened my very last bag of Ben & Jerry’s s’mores cookie dough bites!
Summer-flavored energy drinks and seltzers.
We tried the Shake Shake Dubai chocolate shake. Our location’s chocolate shell was not successful/crackable. I thought it was good but needed way more chocolate.
Before we got groceries we got giant take-out salads from Guac Shop. Mine had romaine (with honey mustard dressing added at home), fajita veggies, corn, cabbage, chickpeas, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, red onion, jalapeno, pico de gallo, mango salsa, roasted tofu, shredded cheese, and crispy tortilla strips.
Esquites-style pasta. Brown rice udon / roasted super-firm tofu / garlic sauteed spinach / and a loose take on esquites – fresh corn sauteed with poblano pepper, green onion, cotija cheese, Duke’s mayo, lime, gochugaru, and salt and pepper.
BBQ chicken salad. Baked chicken, corn, poblano pepper, green onion, sweet gherkin pickles, smoked almonds, and bbq kettle chips dressed with a mix of plain skyr, Dukes, Dijon, and Whole Food’s Memphis-style bbq sauce. Plus green beans (steamed then sauteed with mustard, honey, and chili crisp).
I’m at work today but starting bright and early tomorrow — I am on vacation! I am eating a take-out burrito bowl while I type but here is some of what I ate before we ran out of groceries…
Smoothie – frozen banana, blueberries, and cherries, Greek yogurt, honey, water, matcha, and vanilla protein powder.
We tried a new to us clear protein drink and were fans; this was nice and thirst-quenching.
Trader Joe’s Crunchy Curls and Everything and the Elote dip are a snack dream team.
Obviously I bought this Dubai chocolate sundae gelato. The mix-ins were a little sparse but I topped it with extra pistachio butter and chocolate shell!!
Beans with beans. Crispy beans – baked cannellini beans with evoo, panko, corn starch, salt, urfa pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder / with spicy green beans – steamed and then sauteed with evoo and butter, chopped kimchi and piquante peppers, walnuts, salt, white pepper, and sugar.
Taco turkey bowls with brown rice / baked cabbage with evoo, salt, pepper, and ranch seasoning / taco and nacho Quest protein chips / ground turkey sauteed with Jamaican curry powder, smoked paprika, onion powder, and garlic powder / sharp cheddar / sauteed bell pepper and green onion with lemon / and I topped my bowl with Blind Betty hot sauce.
Spicy California roll bowls with crispy rice. Crispy rice – leftover rice baked until crispy with dark soy sauce, chili crisp, sugar, and sesame oil / salad – cucumber, avocado, green onion, and imitation crab with soy sauce, rice vinegar, and ponzu sauce / furikake.
This pistachio butter was perfect in an iced latte.
Also in an ice cream sundae! Jeni’s darkest chocolate with pistachio butter, Heritage Flakes, and Trader Joe’s chocolate shell.
Yogurt bowl – plain Greek with blueberries and tons of fresh passionfruit.
We did not care for this Trader Joes tarragon chicken salad wrap. The flavor was hollow; we split it and neither of us wanted to finish our half.
But I did quite enjoy their packaged southwest salad.
We got take-out from the Burger Spot for the 1st time so we ordered a bunch of things to try — Country Veggie salad – chopped kale, cabbage, avocado, cucumbers, cranberries, red onion, and a homemade veggie patty with cilantro ranch dressing / fries and onion rings (their sauces were all a 10/10!) / chicken parm sandwich – chicken fillet with marinara and mozzarella on ciabatta / and the special chicken burger with pickled jalapenos, pickles, coleslaw, cheddar, and bourbon sauce. We will be back!
We also had a shockingly good meal at Little Beet – herby rice with charred broccoli, smoky maple carrots (some of the best vegetables I’ve ever eaten!), baked tofu, and chimichurri.
Savory oatmeal bowl. Trader Joe’s rolled oats with ancient grains and seeds / frozen broccoli sauteed with gochujang, ginger, fish sauce, and gouda / fried egg / chili crisp.
The 1st week of December has been fantastically festive!
Highlights include…
Red and green yogurt bowl; plain skyr with frosted bran flakes, strawberries, and pumpkin seed butter.
One of Blue Bottle‘s winter specials is a chocolate mint Nola.
I was not a fan of either of these “winter” energy drinks.
But I loved this Target brand eggnog in iced coffees.
Also with iced matcha.
Leftover brownies from Thanksgiving. I make the Baker’s Chocolate recipe – with the addition of chocolate chips and espresso powder! – and they always get rave reviews.
White chocolate peppermint ice cream from Jeni’s; it is pink!
Malai‘s ice cream has the perfect texture and their nutmeg flavor tastes exactly like eggnog.
Taco salads. Spinach / baby bell peppers / homemade dressing with Greek yogurt, mayo, lime, and ranch seasoning / sharp cheddar / Love Corn sour cream and onion corn nuts <– 10/10 / ground turkey and sweet onion sauteed with fajita seasoning / Frontera double roasted tomato salsa.
Nachos with baby bell peppers instead of chips (plus leftover turkey, salsa, and tons of sharp cheddar). I know this sounds like a bad TikTok trend but these were delicious.
Chilaquiles casserole. A spin on this recipe with shredded chicken; roasted bell pepper, poblano pepper, zucchini, and scallion; crushed tortilla chips; sharp cheddar; salsa; and eggs and chicken broth.
We’ve been to TWO holiday pop-ups already. Both were fabulously decorated and unflatteringly lit. Sunday – Sunday in Brooklyn‘s Snowday in Brooklyn.
We thought their themed drinks were great/better than last year. Noggin’ Toboggan – Australian whiskey, allspice, eggnog soft-serve, and Thai tea soda / Yule Shoot Yer Rye Out! – NY Distilling Jaywalk rye, Japanese whiskey, pawpaw fruit, pineapple, artichoke amaro, and curry leaf.
Polar Bear Club – frozen rum, Aquavit, coconut, pineapple, banana, and coffee bean.
North Pole Dancer – Haku vodka, passionfruit, popcorn tea, saffron, and sparkling sake. This was my favorite of the night and not just because it came with caramel corn.
We also had some really wonderful food. Wood-fired pita topped with spinach, artichoke, white cheddar, and bechamel.
Roasted honeynut squash with coffee tahini, brown butter, and a watercress salad.
Wood-roasted brussel sprouts with toasted pistachio, golden raisins, and lemon gremolata. <– these were 10/10 leftover
French Dip – grilled brisket, provolone, Gold’s mustard, and beef jus.
Wood-roasted chicken with Herb De Provence, roasted garlic jus, and seasoned fries.
Wednesday – Leyenda‘s Sleyenda. I am not a talented enough photographer to deal with their low lighting but they were decked to the nines.
I also only took a single food photo even though we great drinks and dinner. We shared fried plantains and I had the Panuchos – fried corn tortillas topped with coconut habanero shrimp, refried black beans, avocado, and pickled onions. Once again the themed drinks were great and better than last year! My favorite (always) was the frozen Candy Striper – Diplomatico planas rum, cachaca, coconut, maple, vanilla, peppermint, and cardamom.
Our favorite Pekin place in Long Island sadly closed but opened a new dumpling spot in Manhattan. We had steamed veggie and pan-fried chicken and corn dumplings and they were fantastic.
We tried a plethora of Thanksgiving turkey themed pastries. Trader Joe’s – cornbread stuffing, turkey, and Neufchatel cheese in a tortilla.
Starbucks – turkey sage sausage with Bechamel sauce in a danish.
Milk Bar – turkey, gravy and cranberry sauce in a herbed croissant.
Dinner at the newly reopened Kellogg’s Diner. The service/atmosphere and alcoholic drinks were meh but the food was worth it! Pimento cheese with saltines.
Short rib hash. This was great but Adam’s fried chicken and waffles was the best dish on the menu.
Desserts were the standout. Strawberry jell-o pretzel salad and passionfruit icebox pie.
Dinner at Sweetbriar. American Beauty cocktail (Rose Hip Luksosowa Vodka, lemon, rose water, egg white, and rose buds) and The Elixir (chamomile tea-infused Fords Gin, honey-ginger syrup, lemon, apricot preserves, and Laphroaig.
Cornbread with honey butter.
Wood-fired carrots with stracciatella, and salsa macha.
Roasted beets with shiso cream, green apple, avocado, and wasabi crumble.
Duck ham crostini with fig and gorgonzola.
Pistachio-crusted grilled chicken with snap peas, and red pepper pesto.
Croissant bread pudding with ice cream. This was crusted in cocoa nibs like a peppercorn steak and it was amazing.
Eating Chalk 