Fantastic Doosra snack mix. Caramelized white chocolate belongs in all savory snack mixes.
Peelerz peelable gummy banana candy. These were repulsive in a delightful way; the centers were the exact consistency of mushy banana!
See also – Banana, Banana, Banana sundae — thick-sliced warmed banana bread, scoop of banana ice cream (the vegan Ben & Jerry’s one!), bruléed banana slices.
Buldak Korean black bean sauce ramen. I added an egg, sesame seeds, and scoop of peanut butter.
Roasted broccoli and super-firm tofu with a spicy peanut butter sauce (chunky peanut butter, gojuchang, gochugaru, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, garlic, and water).
Saucy chickpeas. Yellow onion sauteed with grape tomatoes, tomato paste, garlic, harissa, smoked paprika, cinnamon, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper, and butter.
My mom was in New York this weekend! She came up to see our condo and celebrate her birthday next weekend. We had a fabulous time and did all sorts of NYC things like – admiring the ceiling at Grand Central Station / admiring the ceiling at Albertine Bookstore / admiring the ceiling at Chelsea Market / admiring the snow in Central Park / shopping in Greenpoint / getting a flight of fruity milkshake beers at Evil Twin.
Here were some food highlights…
Morning coffees at home with this power duo (brown butter cookie cold foam!!?).
I had a day off for a doctor’s appointment and got myself a decadent brunch at East Rock Coffee. Tres Leches French toast! And a great iced latte.
I have to eat at least one yogurt bowl per week. I have also personally taken down a pint+ of blueberries every week for the past several months. This was vanilla bean skyr with maple pecan granola, peanut butter, blueberries, and pineberries.
We adored the peppermint coffee syrup from El Guapo but sadly I was underwhelmed by their Polynesian Kiss bitters; I tried them in coffee, seltzer, and diet coke and thought the flavor wasn’t strong enough.
Meanwhile these Every Body Eat chive and garlic crackers were delightful; like a crispy scallion pancake!
We homemade baked snack mix! Crispix cereal, crispy cheese, cheddar pretzels, and peanuts. I seasoned mine with butter, onion powder, garlic powder, and gochugaru.
This week’s dinner theme (let’s be real, there is almost always a theme) was American classics — reformatted. Poutine — dip-style. Whole Foods frozen garlic and herb parmesan fries (10/10), Jack and Annie’s jackfruit nuggets, and roasted broccoli dipped in homemade chicken gravy.
Turkey reubens — as coleslaw bowls. Russian dressing coleslaw (shredded cabbage with skyr, mayo, dijon, ketchup-style chili sauce, hot sauce, vinegar, and smoked paprika) topped with sauteed ground turkey and crispy cheese bites.
Deviled eggs — egg salad. <– meal win of the week. Hard-boiled egg whites and chopped cornichons dressed with deviled egg filling (hard-boiled yolks, mayo, skyr, dijon, and paprika). Plus shredded brussel sprouts sauteed with garlic and parmesan.
Chicken nachos — as salad. Shredded iceberg lettuce / roasted sweet onion and bell peppers / Cholula medium salsa / extra-sharp cheddar / garlic baked chicken / Beanitos white bean tortilla chips.
Buffalo chicken wings — turned bean burgers. We always love this recipe and it was perfect for Super Bowl dinner. Plus roasted zucchini, store-bought fried ravioli, and a chipotle honey aioli.
The weather warmed up enough this weekend that a long Manhattan walk was actually enjoyable! We traveled Grand Central to Essex Market and back with some great stops along the way. Also some fun in the other boroughs on Sunday. Weekend highlights…
Fern and Aurora. Filipino bakery in Queens. We got a fun assortment – ube butter mochi, a strawberry cream doughnut, and a calamansi meringue tart. Plus a great iced coffee with ube cold foam.
La La Bakeshop. We were super impressed this new East Village Vietnamese dessert spot. Taro lava bun.
And a wonderful pandan foam Vietnamese iced latte.
Noona’s. Asian-inspired ice cream in the East Village and now our favorite ice cream in NYC. If anyone remembers Ice and Vice the vibes were similar. We got banana bread mochi ice cream topped with mochi and black sesame and swooned. I also housed a slice of yuzu poppy cake with strawberry jam.
Super Bueno. I don’t know how we keep getting lucky with walk-in seats here but they make our favorite drinks in the city. Salted plum and tamarind milk punch. (My unphotographed vodka y soda with guava and pasilla is the best thing on the menu.
Milu. This is hands-down our favorite fast casual spot. We shared a great lunch. Soy-roasted chicken bowl with rice, ginger scallion sauce, and charred broccoli.
Egg yolk fries. They came with a creamy scallion sauce that was the best bite on the table.
Plus a Yuzu Palmer with jasmine flower and lime.
Dhamaka. Indian in Essex Market. The service was great but the lighting was not photo-friendly. My Bombay Blues cocktail on fire when it arrived at the table! Indian rum, basil eau de vie, cultured coconut, pineapple, genepy, celery, lime, blue spirulina, and ajwain.
Kashmiri Gosht Chaamp – lamb loin with garam masala and ghee. This was my favorite dish of the night.
The paratha was Adam’s favorite. So buttery!
House-made paneer with ajwain and yogurt.
We shared two entrees. Malai Murgh – young chicken with cream and Amul butter.
Rara Gosht – goat meat and mince with yogurt, onions, and garam masala. It is rare to find goat in the states so this was a treat.
P.S. Tonight we have fun dinner reservations at Residence of Mr. Moto. I’m carrying a small/camera-free purse but I will definitely be ordering the Aka bowl!
Smoothie #1 – iced matcha, cottage cheese, brown sugar, and frozen mango and peaches.
Smoothie #2 – chocolate protein powder, water, black sesame paste, and frozen blueberries and cherries.
Cheese plate! Craize guava corn crackers, extra-sharp cheddar, and starfruit.
McConnell’s double peanut butter chip is our all-time favorite ice cream so we were pretty jazzed to pair it with their (quite tasty) pre-cooked chocolate chunk cookies.
Peanut chicken pizza. Two-ingredient pizza dough with an egg wash sesame seed crust / sauce – peanut butter, sugar, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, rice vinegar, Sriracha, and water / baked chicken cubes / quick pickled carrots and scallion / pizza blend cheese. Plus green beans sauteed with honey, mustard, and gojuchang.
Cottage cheese dinner bowls. Topped with marinated eggs, sunflower seeds, and quick-pickled cucumber.
Chicken and cabbage bowls. Roasted cabbage topped with Nước Chấm and tons of toasted peanuts / ground chicken sauteed with ginger, scallions, and soy sauce.
I 100% get the hype around the new Hani’s Bakery. We tried a cinnamon roll and a rice krispie treat with pistachio and halvah and both were perfectly executed.
Finally tried PopUp Bagels now that we have a location out in Roslyn Long Island. We got poppy, everything, and sesame with scallion cream cheese and white fish salad. These were quite good – and we loved the toppings – but I wouldn’t call them the best bagels in NYC (I am La Bagel Delight loyal).
Finally tried Fini Pizza. Again, very good – nice chew and the white slice was rich and decadent – but not the best pizza in NYC (L’Industrie).
Italian Food at Ci Siamo. We started and peaked with the focaccia – the center was chewy yet fluffy and the crust was shatteringly crisp. We also thought the tomato conserve was just lovely.
The caramelized onion torta was also great.
Mandilli with guinea hen sausage, pecorino, and dandelion greens and cavatelli with crab, chili, and vermouth.
Lemon torta with olive oil and fantastic meringue was a perfect ending. Adam loved the chocolate budino.
Chinese Food at Antidote. I loved the Fei-Hong Fries with peanuts and lots of Sichuan chili pepper; they were so crispy! Suntory Story in the background – jasmine green tea infused Roku Gin, Haku Vodka, kumquat lemon, honey, and garnished with salted plum.
Garlic boy choy.
Tea-smoked duck fried rice.
Soft tofu with salted egg yolk and crab. This was our favorite dish; it was divine on the fried rice.
Fun things from the weekend so far included a long walk around Manhattan – it was super cold but super beautiful. We admired the Rockefeller tree, the tree at Union Square Park, and decorations at Chelsea Market, Hudson Yards, and Grand Central Station. Food highlights…
This was our first time trying Bluestone Lane‘s eggnog iced latte but we will definitely be back next year.
See also – Buzz’d Coffee‘s cold brew with espresso and bourbon eggnog cold foam.
Seasonal things from Supermoon Bakehouse – brûléed eggnog danish and a peppermint marshmallow brownie.
Plus a scoop of ube condensed milk ice cream that was fantastic.
Librae Bakery‘s za’atar labneh morning bun is the best baked good we’ve eaten this year. Their halvah chocolate pasty was a very close second but no photo because of the wind/cold/crumbles situation.
I’m not that excited about peanut M&M’s but these holiday toasty peanut ones were delicious.
Candy cane syrup! We’ve enjoyed it in ice coffee (good) and Diet Coke (better).
The best cocktail I’ve ever made – eggnog with Blue Bottle’s instant nola coffee, amaretto, and dark rum.
Lunch at Dante West Village so we could get their tiramisu eggnog – Seven Tales XO Vin Santo, amaretto, mascarpone, espresso, and whole eggs.
Plus I had a wonderful Harvest Bowl – maple miso tofu, picked red cabbage, kale, buckwheat, mutsu apple, crispy chickpeas, avocado, roasted butternut squash, soft-boiled egg, and garlic tahini dressing.
Leftover chilaquiles casserole with all the sauces.
No post last weekend because we were busy moving into OUR condo. We all (Webster included!) love it here and I feel very thankful.
Things from the past week…
Thanksgiving-themed foods abound!
I was in a celebratory mood and bought eggnog from my coffee one week early.
11/10 yogurt bowl – plain skyr with frosted bran flakes, blackberries, and persimmon.
I am a big fan of these chia Smash Bites. Blueberry and cashew butter.
Baskin Robbins seasonal ice creams – eggnog and pumpkin cheesecake. <– way better than I was anticipating, the pumpkin was loaded with cheesecake pieces and marshmallow swirl.
It’s soup season. This one was great. Chicken broth / canned diced tomatoes / roasted zucchini / sauteed onion and celery / baked chicken meatballs with garlic, panko, half and half, and hot sauce. Plus Trader Joe’s ciabatta.
Thanksgiving dinner-inspired fried rice. Leftover white rice and roasted cauliflower rice refried with eggs, smoked paprika, celery seed, butter, spicy candied pecans, dried cranberries, Trader Joe’s oven-roasted turkey breast, and sauteed onion, celery, and cremini mushroom. I topped my bowl with cranberry sauce and chipotle Cholula.
Thanksgiving dinner-inspired crunchwrap from Roast. Turkey, white cheddar, stuffing, cranberry jam, crispy onions, green beans, and mashed potatoes. Plus leftover zucchini and some blackberries.
Thanksgiving dinner nachos! Stuffing chips with Trader Joe’s unexpected cheddar, smoked turkey ham, spicy candied pecans, dried cranberries, poblanos and scallions sauteed in butter with celery seed, and topped with cranberry sauce. Plus leftover Thai green beans sauteed with gojuchang and cranberry.
Eating Chalk 