A bananas good cup of ice cream from Cold Stone. Banana pudding ice cream with bananas, peanut butter, caramel, and graham cracker pie crust.
Very spicy vegan dan dan noodles from Very Fresh Noodles. These wonderfully numbingly spicy hand-pulled noodles are some of the very chewiest (aka best) I’ve ever eaten. I adore how cooling the cucumber salad is with it.
Best meal of the weekend/month – homemade flatbreads. Lavash bread drizzled with olive oil and baked until crispy then topped with extra-sharp cheddar, baked chicken, and marinated artichoke hearts and baked again. We loved it! Plus steamed green beans sauteed with dijon mustard, yellow mustard, maple syrup, Sriracha, and rice vinegar.
No post from me last weekend because I was away in Kingston! My cousin invited me to go with her and some friends for the weekend and we had a fabulous time. I had not seen her since her wedding last summer and it was so good to catch up! Also Kingston is super cute and packed with coffee spots and bakeries — I will be bringing Adam for a day-trip ASAP. And this weekend we are heading to PA to visit Adam’s family for Easter.
Some things I ate between trips…
This Chameleon Cafe Cubano Cold Brew was great. I wasn’t super impressed with the last few bottles I tried from them but this had good body and roastiness.
I found super juicy, ruby colored watermelon plums at Trader Joe’s so obviously my yogurt bowls this week were winners. Plain Greek with plum and salted caramel granola.
Plain Greek with plum, peanut butter, honey, and Heritage Flakes.
I am usually not a snack cake person but these Lidl milk & honey bars were lovely. Maybe I would also like Devil Dogs if they were served cold?
This boring photo is a reminder to myself that hummus makes a great after-work snack.
So much Easter candy!
P.S. Dad – the Brach’s jelly beans were great this year and totally worth buying. There is a grape flavor now!
See also – I infused Peeps into vodka. Served with lemon seltzer and edible glitter.
Dinner date at Youta Ramen. They have the sake jelly drinks!
We shared spicy cucumber salad (Persian cucumber, Serrano lime cilantro sauce, with sesame oil).
And Karaage (deep fried chicken with garlic mayo).
And I got the veggie ramen – truffle veggie broth, maitake, shitake, wood ear tempura, fermented bamboo shoots, and scallion – plus an egg and chili paste.
Brinner wraps. I sauteed Trader Joe’s soyrizo with red onion then scrambled in eggs and extra-sharp cheddar. Wrapped in a TJ’s lavash bread. Plus roasted baby cauliflower.
Sandwich roll-ups on TJ’s whole-wheat lavash – baked honey harissa chicken, roasted garlic hummus, chopped cucumber and yellow bell pepper. Plus a raw bok choy salad with homemade miso vinaigrette (1 Tbsp miso paste whisked with 1 Tbsp warm water until smooth, 1 Tbsp each sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and sesame seeds, 1/2 Tbsp Sriracha, and 3 Tbsp seasoned rice vinegar).
Best meal of the week was these loaded baked potatoes. I rubbed the potatoes in evoo and salt and baked at 400 for 60 minutes without wrapping in foil and they were perfect. Topped with leftover soyrizo, roasted broccoli and red onion, and extra-sharp cheddar.
St. Patrick’s Day iced latte. A Shamrock vanilla protein shake that I dyed green plus Starbucks espresso and pistachio sauce. I also topped it with gold sprinkles! This tasted fantastic.
I also brought home a s’mores bar and a blondie that were some of the gooiest and most decadent desserts we’ve ever tasted.
Will I ever get tired of yogurt bowls? Unlikely! Plain Greek with blueberries, blackberries, Heritage Flakes, and chocolate chips.
We both were fans of these lemon frosted Trader Joe’s animal crackers. Crispy without being too crunchy and the lemon was well-balanced.
Loaded salad from Burrito Blvd. With chicken, zucchini, tomato, corn salsa, and cheese. I added ranch dressing and hot sauce at home. Plus chips and guacamole.
We got take-out from Brooklyn Dip & Burger and their steak sandwich blew my mind. Thin sliced black angus ribeye, cheddar, and five spice dusted fried onions on a buttery brioche hero. Plus a mountain of fries that were crispy and well-seasoned. We got a bunch of their appetizers and loved those too!
Brie-bimpap bowls, inspired by Cafe Maddy. I bought light Brie at Trader Joe’s and it tasted like nothing and thus added nothing to the bowl but my bibimpap base was a 10/10. Brown rice / terrible brie / this sauce / crispy tofu – extra-firm tofu that I shredded and marinated (gochugaru, sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar) overnight before baking at 400 degrees for 40 minutes / sauteed brown beech mushrooms / roasted zucchini / frozen chopped spinach sauteed with chili oil, sesame oil, and sesame seeds / fried egg.
Sushi roll bowl. Leftover brown rice reheated with gochugaru, Sichuan pepper salt, seaweed, and butter / Sriracha salmon salad made with Kewpie, Sriracha, and hot smoked salmon / spicy cucumber salad / pickled ginger.
Coffee at Frame. The Upper West Side location is currently our favorite Manhattan coffee. We got the special latte with cinnamon and caramel.
We had to make a couple of stops to find worthwhile bagels near us in Long Island but this everything egg with salmon cream cheese did the trick.
We did a very fun 1990’s theme night and watched “Hey Dude” and “Are You Afraid of the Dark?” while eating throwback snacks. The Combos were lackluster but we had forgotten just how wonderful Bugles and Gushers are.
I tried tanghulu for the first time and loved it. Fresh fruit with a delicate layer of crispy sugar.
Treats at Lady Wong. The baked ube rice cake was the very best thing we ate all weekend.
Lunch at Bahn. This was the best meal of the weekend. Egg cream cold brew!!
We shared vermicelli bowls with butter beef.
And beer-battered chicken.
Dinner at Maldon and Mignonette. The lighting was bad but the food was surprisingly good. I had a nice cocktail with tequila and passionfruit and a crunchy salt rim.
Seasoned roasted carrots.
We share two (amazing) pastas. Ravioli with duck confit, sweet potato, sage, and pecorino and pappardelle with short rib and vodka sauce.
And two desserts. Cinnamon bundt cake and cheesecake-stuffed oatmeal cookies!
Some highlights from an exceptionally delicious weekend…
Homemade cookie dough cold foam iced latte with frothed milk, brown sugar, vanilla bean paste, and baking soda.
Banana sesame protein coffee. Blended – coffee, chocolate milk, frozen banana, black sesame paste, vanilla protein powder.
Cookies and creme protein bar. Yes, I paired this with the cookie latte.
Golda. Breakfast plate – two eggs [over easy], spiced home fries, sourdough toast, and housemade hot sauce.
Brooklyn Kolache. We shared pimento cheese, beef sausage, and a sweet poppy seed.
Also a wonderful ube iced latte.
Fan Fan Doughnuts. I was underwhelmed by the dough today, sadly, but the toppings were top-notch. Dark chocolate with meringue / salted brown butter / lemon / Iranian Love with labne frosting.
Petee’s Pie. I am sad that we slept on this spot for so long because we were quite impressed. I had the Maine blueberry crumble pie with maple whipped cream.
These jelly sake cans – particularly in yuzu – are one of my favorite things.
This photo isn’t that exciting but it’s mostly a reminder to myself that the chicken and poblano pepper burrito from Whole Foods is pretty darn good.
I forgot to take a photo of my turkey cheeseburger salad – red lettuce, sauteed red kale, ranch dressing, ground turkey, tomatoes, extra-sharp cheddar, and sesame seeds – but we paired it with creamy dill potato chips.
Lula Mae – Cambodian food and the best meal of 2024. They had a pre-fixe happening for Restaurant Week and we got to try a ton of (amazing!) things. Spicy mezcal mule and a Tokyo Mae – Suntori whiskey, Cynar, yuzu, anise, and sarsaparilla bitters.
Cha kway fried bread with tom yum butter and pickles. <– mindblowing
Tuna on crispy rice.
50:50 fried chicken – dry rubbed with a lemon pepper dressing and a soy tamarind sauce.
Braised short-rib and morning glory greens in a tamarind stew.
I bought this cute squeezie-tube sweetened condensed milk and enjoyed it in some fun coffees. INCLUDING root beer with cold brew and condensed milk and coconut water with instant espresso and condensed milk.
Yogurt bowl – plain skyr with blueberries, blackberries, chia seeds, almond crunch granola, and Oat Haus vanilla granola butter.
Blackberries and an Autumn Glory apple with granola butter.
The best citrus fruit (Sumo mandarins) with the best bar (Perfect cookie dough).
Trader Joe’s garlic hummus with rosemary and olive oil crackers.
Mentioning again how much I enjoy the passionfruit mochi from Bubbies.
I was a big fan of this Heartbreaker canned cocktail from Livewire; it was balanced and not too sweet.
Root beer with golden rum and sweetened condensed milk; this was even better than a float.
This is a photo of my chips and guacamole appetizer because burritos are unphotogenic, but I did have a great steak burrito from Burrito Blvd with zucchini, corn, cheese, rice, and serrano mayo.
A wonderful and wonderfully easy dinner thanks to a microwavable base.
Quinoa and Nasoya Korean bbq plant-based steak (we loved this, the taste and texture were perfect) plus peanuts and a cold cucumber salad with tahini and gojuchang.
Creamy crab and tomato pasta. Buckwheat soba noodles / crab claws / roasted zucchini / sauce – shallots, garlic, butter, fresno chili, tomato paste, smoked paprika, half and half / topped with gochugaru and lemon zest.
This dinner was unhinged but successful – turkey cheeseburger egg salad! Ground turkey and medium-boiled eggs with sauteed shallots, chopped dill pickle, cheddar cheese, sesame seeds, paprika, mayo, and yellow mustard.
Plus potato tots and roasted broccoli with a homemade Greek yogurt ranch.
It was a great weekend! I had the best doughnut of 2024, the best coffee of the past 5 years, and tried a new favorite dessert. Plus we took two long city walks and saw a thousand beautiful things! My absolute favorite was the instillation of these tulle tree sculptures in Madison Square Park.
Highlights…
Butterscotch iced latte. Frame is definitely our new favorite coffee spot.
A fun home-coffee combo – cold brew with cold foam.
Plain skyr bowl with blueberries, pineberries, blueberry jam, and chia seeds.
Absolute Bagels‘ everything with olive and pimento cream cheese. We quite liked it but thought it could not compare to La Bagel Delight.
An after-school snack plate. Note to self – I don’t like that flavor of Mid-Day Squares, the chocolate is too thick. But apple slices with peanut butter is a classic for a reaason.
Bear Donut. We had a cookies and cream mochi doughnut and a filled tiramisu doughnut that was outstanding; the coffee center was roasty and the icing was a bit crispy.
Ănjelly, a newish Vietnamese dessert spot. We had a wonderful pandan latte and my new favorite dessert – a cacao jelly cat with passionfruit honey. Apparently cacao and passionfruit is the flavor combination my life was missing.
Gigantic sandwiches from Milano Market. I got rosemary focaccia with maple turkey, cheddar, horseradish sauce, and pickles.
Dinner at Rosella. We tried a bunch of dishes but my camera was dying. Some favorite were the smoked trout nigiri.
A maki roll with fatty bluefin tuna and housemade kimchi.
And the stunning grits with shrimp, mushrooms, and XO sauce.
10/10 homemade sheet-pan hash dinner. Roasted Japanese sweet potatoes and baby bok choy / Kewpie and Sriracha / candied smoked sockeye salmon and hot smoked sockeye salmon / pickled ginger.
Breakfast from Simple Loaf Bakehouse – a giant, cheesy turkey cheddar jalapeño croissant.
Scrambled eggs with Dubliner cheddar and chili crisp. Plus cucumber on the side.
Mentioning these dried baby pineapples again because we are still loving them.
The vegan tuna salad I was obsessed with at the Charlottesville Whole Foods has finally made its way to Long Island.
Giant ice cream sundae. I topped Phish Food with melted peanut butter, sprinkles, granola, and cocktail cherries.
This Trader Joe’s Sriracha shrimp bowl remains my favorite frozen meal. It is so satisfying. I do always add more hot sauce and a bit of Kewpie though.
We got bowls and Cava and loved them. I got rice and honey harissa chicken with so many toppings I can’t remember them all. Plus the amazing pita crisps. Best of all – we hit the soda fountain and had diet cola mixed with blueberry soda!
Eating Chalk 