This week marked Webster’s thirteenth Buyday! We celebrated with a walk at Edgewood Oak Brush Plains Preserve.
Plus smashburgers from Paper Plate. The dog and I shared a double 🙂
The human family members also enjoyed some fries.
Also we checked out Kismet Coffee and had a honey vanilla latte. They were out of skim milk and the pistachio milk was surprisingly pleasant.
Snacks this week were most bougie/international candies. The last of my Bon Bon stash.
Blueberry and sour passionfruit gummies (both 9.5/10’s!).
Colombian guava caramel candies.
My parents sent me this hibiscus sugar for my birthday so I tried it in some fun drinks.
Like a smoothie with frozen blueberries, vanilla protein powder, and water.
And in cold foam on an iced matcha.
One of my favorite dinner combinations is cole slaw with baked chicken. This bowl was Bang Bang inspired! Cabbage slaw with plain skyr, sweet chili sauce, honey, rice vinegar, Sriracha, mayo, and dijon mustard and baked chicken that was marinated in skyr, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, brown sugar, sesame oil, oyster sauce, and sweet chili sauce.
Turkey Laab. Paired with roasted zucchini and a mix of brown rice and roasted riced cauliflower.
Leftover cauliflower/rice with marinated kale (basically this recipe) and cheesy scrambled eggs.
Tofu – baked shredded super firm tofu that I tossed in a skillet with Trader Joe’s yuzu green tea jelly, gochujang, rice vinegar, and sesame oil / sauteed baby bok choy with ginger and sesame seeds / radish cakes from the 99 Ranch freezer section.
It was a FANTASTIC weekend! We had perfect Brooklyn dates (Gowanus and Williamsburg) with the best foods, drinks, sights, and walks.
Some highlights…
Blue Brown. We really enjoyed this coffee spot and shared an espresso with palm juice and a dirty Thai iced tea.
Homemade coffee shake. Iced coffee with frozen banana, half and half, instant coffee powder, black sesame paste, vanilla protein powder, and brown sugar.
Yogurt bowl. Plain skyr with Heritage Flakes, plucot, blueberries, and birthday cake granola butter + sprinkles.
NYC tip – the Williamsburg location of Bon Bon has a beautiful storefront and all of the selections of the Lower East Side location with a tenth of the line.
Pokito is my favorite bar in the city. My paloma jell-o shot was a work of art and my frozen rum punch came with a bird I got to keep.
Finback Brewery. They didn’t have small pours/flights so I skipped beer and got a delicious Guavamente cocktail – gin, guava, sorel, lemon, and nutmeg.
Three’s Brewing. We tried a few small pours and had a nice smoked peach saison that obviously couldn’t compare their Super Burrito window. We shared a California-style burrito with carne asada, french fries, jack cheese, guacamole, sour cream, and salsa.
Taglio Pizza takeout (buffalo chicken and vodka slices for me) with roasted shredded brussels sprouts and homemade Greek yogurt ranch dip.
Cafe Mars. Aka “unusual Italian.” Aka my favorite meal I’ve ever eaten. My photos were not great with the lighting but the food tasted spectacular. Also the inside was a neon retro dream. [photo from their Instagram]
I had an unphotographed El Diablo – tequila, ginger, lime, and cassis. The service was impeccable and we also started and ended the evening with complimentary drinks. We shared a bunch of things and have some very exciting leftovers. Inside Out Italian Beef – thin sliced Italian spiced chuck eye wrapped around focaccia and giardiniera and served with pepperoncini-beef jus.
Cucamelon – with cucumber, smoked trout roe, and whey granita.
Fried nectarines (my favorite savory dish I have ever been served) – with heirloom tomatoes, ricotta, and shiso. Also garlic knot monkey bread with red sauce.
Waves – homemade pasta, with shrimp, zucchini, mint, squash blossoms, and Calabrian chili. This was the other dish that blew me away; the sauce was a tiny bit sour in a way that balanced everything perfectly.
Scallops with new potato salad, cured egg yolk, and spicy cucumber salad.
Steak Pizzaiola with penne fries.
Desserts – liquor soaked cake with a chocolate pudding sauce and candied eggplant (not for me, apparently, though Adam liked it) and a watermelon sorbet with pistachio cookies and sea salt.
Shalom Japan. Another wonderful dinner where we shared and loved many things. Two cocktails that were greatly enjoyed but I can’t remember a thing about.
Corn ribs with Kewpie, parmesan, chili, and lime. Their special was the best dish of the night, a take on a caprese salad – heirloom tomatoes, plums, umeboshi dressing, koji-marinated tofu, and shiso.
Okonomiyaki with Wagyu pastrami and bonito flakes.
Lox bowl with sushi rice, avocado, Japanese pickles, fried capers (<– divine), and chili mayo.
Matzoh ball ramen soup. We added a foie gras dumpling and a soy-marinated egg.
P.S. I couldn’t take a photo because I was immediately sticky but we also had a Milk Bar marshmallow gooey brownie that was a 20/10.
My parents are here visiting for the weekend and we had a wonderful time! We got to explore Kingston, Ridgewood, and had a perfect visit to Untermyer Gardens.
Some of our best stops included…
Orwashers. Adam and I split an everything bagel with fried egg, cheddar, and beef bacon.
Plus a tahini coffee slushie.
Evil Twin. Their beers are always great but my favorite thing this visit was the frozen cola old fasioned.
Salty Lunch Lady is definitely my current favorite NYC restaurant. We had a peanut butter banana cream pie and an Elton Mess that blew everyone’s minds. Plus Adam and I shared a sandwich on the best seeded bread with smashed chicken meatball, feta, and smoked paprika mayo.
Kingston Bread. I had an iced latte with roasted corn syrup and a marbled black and white cookie.
Yogurt bowl. Plain skyr with butterscotch syrup, blueberries and blackberries, Heritage Flakes, and peanut butter.
I tried my first yellow dragon fruit and it was delicious; way more flavorful than the pink ones.
99 Ranch snacks. The seaweed crisps were actually too spicy for me but Calbee honey butter chips are always a hit.
They clearly have a lot going on but these grape green tea and cheese ice cream bars are possibly the most satisfying frozen dessert I’ve ever eaten. The mix of creamy and chewy is perfection.
Leftover turkey lasagna with roasted broccoli.
I used leftover lasagna noodles to make (otherwise authentic) chicken pad see ew. This recipe (sidenote, I adore Recipe Tin Eats, everything we’ve tried from her site has been perfect) but I used chicken breasts instead of thighs and six-times more Chinese broccoli.
Mandu bulgogi chicken frozen dumplings – delicious – pan-fried with tons of sharp cheddar plus chili crisp and leftover sauteed Chinese broccoli.
Roast‘s weekly special was lobster rolls so we obviously had to get them. We shared a Maine and a Connecticut-style.
Plus fries and an Abomination Brewing double IPA brewed with lobster! We did not taste any crustaceans but it was a great IPA.
July 11th aka 7-11 day aka free slurpee day is my favorite summer holiday. I got cola and blue raspberry.
I found pickle crisps so obviously I had to plan a whole cheeseburger-theme dinner week.
Listed from good to great. Fried rice. Leftover white rice stir-fried with soy sauce and rice vinegar / Sugar Bomb grape tomatoes / green onion / ground turkey / pickle crisps / egg / sharp cheddar / sesame seeds. Plus eggplant that I roasted and then sauteed with a spicy sesame honey mustard sauce (1 Tbsp each German mustard, goguchang, honey, rice vinegar, tahini, and water ) and topped with Kewpie and sesame seeds.
Cheese fries. Waffle fries / sharp cheddar / ground turkey sauteed with ketchup and mustard / diced green onion, heirloom tomato, and bread and butter pickles / special sauce (for three servings – 2 Tbsp Greek yogurt and 1 Tbsp each mayo, German mustard, yellow mustard, ketchup, and honey / side of roasted purple cauliflower.
This weekend included some fun Long Island stops as well as a trip to Bushwick for dinner and my favorite street art in the city.
Some highlights…
Brunch at Orwasher’s. We shared an Edith’s tahini frozen iced coffee.
And lox toast with goat cheese and capers.
Instant coffee I carried home from Denver.
Summer fruit.
Gong Cha‘s cream brulee series has my heart. With strawberry milk and pudding.
S’mores! My sister-in-law got us a mini fire pit kit so we took Webster on a mini picnic.
I used peanut butter sandwich crackers, milk chocolate, and vegan marshmallows.
Whole Foods’ pineapple pie cookie with sprinkles!
Reminder to myself that the Whole Foods hot bar has great options when you go at lunch time. Spicy cucumber sesame salad, hard-boiled egg, sauteed veggies.
Salmon salad rolls. Canned sockeye salmon with mayo, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, celery seed, smoked paprika, and scallions on brioche hot dog rolls. Plus sauteed asparagus with lemon, pepper, and garlic.
Nowon – best dinner of the summer so far. We tried and loved their wood-fired margherita pizza with gojuchang marinara, mozzarella, basil, and chili oil.
Horchata with hibiscus, pineapple citrus, almond, and cinnamon / Smoke & Mirrors – spicy mezcal, amaretto, and pineapple / seasonal cocktail with cherry, sour plum, yuzu, and soju.
The best drink of the night was the Dew Drop with added Tito’s; lavender, yuzu, and juniper.
We shared the seven-course “Mix Tape” pre-fixe and every dish was a showstopper. Whipped ricotta toast with homemade focaccia, citrus jam, and chili oil. I was expecting not to care for this but it ended up being my second favorite dish of the night!
Broccolini a la Caesar with black sesame, parmesan, and candied anchovies.
Spicy gojuchang fried chicken.
Chopped cheese rice cakes.
Honey garlic butter tater tots. <– my favorite dish. These guys are so perfectly crunchy!
Legendary cheeseburger = double smashed patties, kimchi special sauce, roasted kimchi, pickles, onion, and American cheese. After Elder Greene, I think this is the 3rd best cheeseburger in NYC.
Plus dessert I didn’t capture – honeydew panna cotta with mint and lime.
Peanut butter iced latte! I shook warm espresso in the last of a jar of peanut butter. Plus brown sugar and skim milk.
Yogurt bowls. Plain skyr with plucot, passionfruit, and chocolate cookie granola.
Skyr, plucot, blackberries, Fix and Fogg super crunchy peanut butter, and Love Crunch espresso vanilla cream granola.
PB&J with whole wheat bread and blueberry jam.
I didn’t eat anything red-white-and-blue this week but we did enjoy some fair-inspired foods. Dirt Cake ice cream. P.S. I put mini Jr Mints on this and the combination was delightful
Cotton candy.
An easy dinner. Trader Joe’s frozen nuggets + roasted broccoli and cauliflower + homemade Greek yogurt honey mustard sauce.
BBQ plate. Baked chicken breast that I tossed in Stubbs bbq sauce and chili crisp / roasted zucchini / esquites – fresh corn off the cob sauteed with green onion, fresno chili, and cojita cheese, tossed with mayo, Greek yogurt, lime juice, and smoked paprika, gochugaru.
Hash. Roasted purple sweet potato and brussels sprouts / sauteed yellow onion, orange bell pepper, and poblano pepper / cojita cheese / Seemore chili verde chicken sausage / fried egg.
Fourth of July. Chicken sausage on a brioche bun with mustard and ketchup / fresh watermelon / homemade cole slaw (shredded cabbage with Greek yogurt, mayo, dijon mustard, lemon juice, vinegar, sugar, and celery seed).
Our 1st trip to Utopia Bagel in Manhattan. Everything with scallion cream cheese. <– worth the hype but still not as good as La Bagel Delight
Blended iced coffee. With vanilla protein powder, half and half, and black sesame paste.
The Freshly Durian iced latte from Not as Bitter stole my heart. Fresh durian with coconut milk and espresso. This was my first time trying actual durian and I loved it as much as much as I expected.
Brunch at Potluck Club. I got a green tea with citron honey, soda, and lime.
We shared too much food and had a wonderful time. French toast stuffed with salted egg yolk and topped with with condensed milk and salted butter.
Radish cakes with arugula and sunny side up eggs.
Chow Mein with hanger steak and chili oil.
Gotham Burger Social Club. We split a double smash burger, fried pickles, and perfectly crispy tater tots.
Cava takeout. My bowl was giant so I don’t remember it all but I got honey harissa chicken, roasted veggies, crazy feta, date vinaigrette, and more.
Pride Month special multi-layered cake from Red Gate Bakery. Per their Instagram – “naturally dyed vanilla bean layers with fillings that include strawberry, raspberry, clementine, mango, passionfruit, matcha, pistachio, blueberry, and cherry just to name a few.” We loved it.
Eating Chalk 