Tag Archives: sauce

Pandan, Pickles, Poke

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We had an exceptional weekend, including great food, long walks, and time in Dumbo, Chelsea, and Chinatown. Some of our favorites…

Fishs Eddy‘s newish Dumbo location has a coffee bar. Their delicious Fridge Cigarette take is their house-made cola with vanilla syrup and espresso.

Bunny & Bro‘s blackberry pie iced latte.

Bahn by Lauren‘s lime drip (flashed chilled coffee with sweetened lime) is a 100/10.

Their famous pandan honeycomb cake was good but not my personal favorite.

MOTW pumpkin pie iced latte.

We also tried their butter chicken empanada.

Nine Treasure’s Creamery ice cream sandwich with kaya toast ice cream on mango crinkle cookies.

Seed and Mill‘s sesame sundae is Adam’s favorite dessert in the city. We also got a square of pb&j halvah that was amazing.

Hawaiian food from Aloha Alley. We shared their Loco Moco plate (beef patties with beef bone broth mushroom gravy, eggs, rice, and macaroni salad) and the ahi poke (tuna with scallions, seaweed salad, sweet onion, soy garlic shoyu, and crushed macadamia. Plus furikake rice).

Hots Pizza was adorable and had the nicest workers. We swooned over this pickle slice and want to go back to try their other stuff ASAP.

Big Tings in Chelsea Market served us an great jerk chicken sandwich and iced tea with sorrel.

We were totally smitten with the sandwiches from 20 Blocks, every ingredient is clearly chosen with so much care. We shared a Turkey Town (house turkey, fried green tomato, baby romaine, and Cajun mayo on honey whole-wheat) and a Corn Star (charred corn, cowboy candy, and havarti on toasted milk bread).

Dinner at the always excellent Her Name is Han. We got a Mint Garden (green tea infused soju with fresh mint, basil, and perilla leaves) and a Hallabong Spritz (basically an aperol spritz with Jeju citrus).

We shared a bunch of things and are already excited for our appetizers. Korean fried chicken (which comes with a great sauce and wonderful radish kimchi).

Rice cakes with kabocha squash, shishito peppers, and a yuzu gochujang sauce / kimchi cheese pancake topped with a poached egg.

Gochujang grilled chicken thighs (the onion slaw on the side was my favorite bite of the evening). We also had minced beef bulgogi that I forgot to photograph.

P.S. Our actual favorite item of the weekend was a 100/10 cafecito from Titi’s Empanadas on the Lower East Side.

Apple Month 2026

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Highlights from this week…

You know it’s a good week when you have two kinds of blueberries! Super Jumbo and wild.

On the Emily calendar, September is Apple Month! (October – Pumpkin, November – Pumpkin again and Cranberry, December – Eggnog, Gingerbread, and Mint). I have, of course, amassed a fun stash of apple-themed snacks.

Here was (some of!) the on-theme stuff I ate this week. The apple Altoids are weak but otherwise all winners. Also – the ruby apple Alani is a 10/10 (not a flavor I’d reach for every day but I had no notes).

Later in the week I also scored a Hal’s apple seltzer.

And some Trader Joe’s juicy apple gummies. <– hands down the best apple treat!

I made an apple syrup by boiling down apple cider with brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Apple brown betty matcha – vanilla yuzu seltzer, apple syrup, butter extract, and matcha.

Apple smile iced latte – skim milk, espresso, apple syrup, marshmallow fluff, and One Trick Pony cinnamon sugar peanut butter. This was amazing, in no small part thanks to the peanut butter which is wondrously good.

See also – New York Beanery caramel apple iced latte.

An apple-themed dinner – apple pie chicken salad. Shredded chicken breast with Duke’s, plain skyr, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, cinnamon, smoked paprika, gochugaru, sharp cheddar, green onions, and toasted walnuts. Plus green beans (steamed then sauteed with honey, yellow mustard, rice vinegar, and chili crisp), apple chips, and toasted sourdough with butter.

Spaghetti with sauce and balls. Whole-wheat spaghetti / gussied up pasta sauce – Trader Joe’s pizza sauce sauteed with roasted garlic, tomato paste, gochugaru, urfa pepper, and dried basil / baked turkey meatballs – ground turkey with panade, egg, hoisin, and urfa pepper / mozzarella pearls.

We also made spaghetti casserole – all of the ingredients above baked in a casserole with sharp cheddar on top. Plus sauteed greens – fennel and broccoli rabe with roasted garlic, smoked paprika, and gochugaru.

I don’t have a name for what this dinner bowl was but its adjective was “yummy!” Waffle fries baked with sharp cheddar, Milu everything seasoning, and za’atar / roasted baby zucchinis / soft-scrambled eggs / homemade artichoke tapenade – marinated artichokes food processed with Castelvetrano olives, capers, evoo, and lemon juice. I went back and topped my whole bowl with smoky chili crisp.

Middle Eastern-inspired rice bowls. Brown rice / roasted cauliflower rice / crispy-baked navy beans / shredded super-firm tofu baked with evoo, za’atar, and urfa pepper / roasted garlic, toasted almond silvers, chopped dried apricots, and chopped olives. This was delicious but when I make it again I would add sauteed onion.

P.S. I’m going to go make a caramel apple cocktail when I hit publish!

Banana, Bean, Black Sesame

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Highlights from last week…

Pachanga Coffee iced latte with oatmilk and guava.

Plan skyr bowl with blueberries (Sweetest Batch and Jumbos!) and Grady’s peanut butter coconut granola.

Plain skyr dessert bowl with One Trick Pony cinnamon sugar peanut butter (divine!), banana chips, chocolate chips, and granola.

Grape cruffin from Ansa Coffee (impeccable!).

We loved the banana soft-serve from Koke. I got black sesame with banana chips and black sesame sauce.

Also a perfect black sesame mochi cookie with groats in it.

A chocolate menagerie from L.A. Burdick.

Little Cupcake Bakeshop. Princess cake and a caramel peanut butter bar. They are probably my 3rd favorite cake shop in all of NY.

Gertie’s new bagel shop concept knocked our socks off. We shared a bagel with scallion cream cheese, whitefish salad, and pickled peppers and latkes with apple butter and sour cream.

Tuck Shop‘s tuna melt is my new favorite. I was also head over heels for their honey mustard mayo (2nd sauce of all time; nearly tied with the salsa I had in Taos, NM).

Mimi Cheng‘s Thai chili lime dumpling special.

Authentic Thai takeout. Pad see ew with mock duck and tom kha gai fried rice.

Curry beans. Great Northerm beans and roasted garlic sauteed with green onion, ginger, coconut milk, lime juice, red curry, soy sauce, and Sriracha. Served on a mix of brown rice and roasted riced cauliflower.

A very loose take on joomukbap. Leftover rice made into balls with sauteed kimchi, sesame seeds, shredded cheddar, canned tuna, roasted garlic, skyr, and Kewpie and coated in roasted seaweed and furikake. Plus roasted eggplant (a local baby eggplant variety!) sauteed with tahini, gochujang, sesame oil, and honey.

A loose take on callaloo. Frozen spinach cooked with yellow hot pepper, white onion, garlic, urfa chili, curry powder, coconut milk, and crab meat. I ate my bowl with a side of Vigil’s butter and mesquite beef jerky.

Brothy beans. Sauteed leak, green onion, and baby bok choy with ginger, gochugaru, butter, rice vinegar, chicken broth, and pinto beans. Served with buttered toasted sourdough bread (from Cafe d’Avignon, delicious).

Bananas, Bowls

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Highlights from the week…

Banana malted ice latte. Blended frozen banana, ice, malt powder, and chocolate milk topped with espresso. <– this was fantastic

Banana bread snack mix. Whole-wheat Chex, cinnamon sugar pretzel sticks, walnuts, and banana chips baked with butter, cinnamon, vanilla sugar, and brown sugar.

Nola malted. Vanilla ice cream blended with milk, Blue Bottle’s instant Nola coffee, and malt powder.

Garlic tofu dinner bowls. Roasted shredded brussels sprouts tossed with lemon zest and parmesan cheese / homemade pretzel bread croutons / super-firm tofu boiled and then sauteed with garlic, butter, lemon juice, miso, gochujang, and smoked paprika // I went back and topped my bowl with pickled red onion.

Veggie whipped cottage cheese dinner bowls. Food-processed cottage cheese / roasted baby zucchini / tomatoes sauteed with honey, chili oil, and gochugaru / Milu everything seasoning. Yes, there was a more significant protein component planned. No, my idea did not work out. Yes, I chased dinner with chopped cheese fries take-out.

BBQ chicken dinner bowls. Roasted riced cauliflower sauteed with blended cottage cheese and shredded sharp cheddar / baked chicken thighs tossed in a skillet with homemade bbq sauce (tomato paste, brown sugar, Trader Joe’s sweet and spicy pickled jalapeño brine, smoked pimento, onion powder, garlic powder, and water) / sauteed poblano pepper and green onion / crispy onion and garlic.

Buffalo tofu dinner bowls. Celery sauteed with green onion and then tossed with plain skyr, Duke’s, jalapeño brine, and Trader Joe’s ranch seasoning / shredded super-firm tofu baked until crispy and then tossed with Frank’s buffalo sauce / crispy onion and garlic.

Super Duper

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Weekend highlights (mostly snacks!)…

My favorite Long Island coffee spot hopped on the fridge cigarette trend. Their version is diet coke with espresso, vanilla almond syrup, and a sweet cream cold foam. <– delicious

We also loved the tiramisu ice latte from MOTW. The espresso here had fantastic body.

We did not like this ube iced coffee with pandan cold foam (that’s on us, I really just don’t care for iced coffee with milk; I am mentioning it so maybe I stop trying it).

Meanwhile we adored our assortment of sweets from Fern and Aurora. Ube coffee cake swirl muffin / blueberry pop tart / pandan coconut butter mochi (the best butter mochi I’ve ever eaten, including in HI!) / ube krispie treat. We needed excellent snacks because we went to see Super Troopers at the movie theatre (I liked it! Not as good as the original but I preferred it to the 2nd one).

I also made a super duper homemade snack mix. Wheat Chex cereal and honey mustard protein pretzels baked with butter, ranch seasoning, and gochugaru plus peanuts, sunflower seeds, and sesame seeds candied in a skillet with brown sugar.

Haribo bananas are a 9.9/10 for me.

Tori T’s is my favorite Long Island pizza. The texture on the square slices is unbeatable.

Red curry salmon cakes with a complementary dipping sauce. The cakes were a baked mix of canned salmon, red curry paste, lime zest, panko and egg. The sauce was Duke’s, red curry paste, Sriracha, honey, lime juice, and sesame oil. Plus roasted cauliflower.

Frozen dumplings (Bibigo chicken and vegetable mandu) plus frozen spinach, kale, and cauliflower rice sauteed with garlic, sesame seeds, gochugaru, rice seasoning, fish sauce, and soy sauce. Served in one bowl so I could easily top everything with chili crisp.

Open Sesame

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Things from the week…

More fun drinks. All good/would buy agains. Pineapple yuzu kombucha / pandan coconut soda / banana water (this was our favorite!).

A summer watermelon date. It was kind of disappointing, but fun to eat in the kitchen as a whole family.

This black sesame bar was nice; not roasty enough for me but also not too sweet.

Guac Shop take-out. They crammed so much food into this food! My go-to order – a rice bowl with tofu, sweet potato, roasted cabbage, corn, pico, jalapeño mango salsa, cheese, and cilantro aioli. Plus chips with guac.

Hetty McKinnon‘s hoisin garlic noodles for the New York Times (recipe). As I write this post I am realizing that I completely left out the garlic — but they were still great! Paired with roasted sprouted tofu and snap peas sauteed with garlic, sunflower seeds, and parmesan.

Spicy maple miso chicken with a maple miso tahini salad. The best meal of the week! Baked chicken thighs sauteed with maple syrup, white miso, rice wine, soy sauce, and gochujang. Plus roasted broccoli, raw fennel, and green onions tossed with maple, miso, dark soy sauce, rice vinegar, and tahini.

Sips, Sweets, Sandwiches

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It was another great weekend! We stayed local this time, but enjoyed longish walks in Manhattan and Brooklyn. And shared so many sweet treats and sweet treat drinks! I considered including slushes in the title! Like I said, a great weekend! Highlights…

Bean Monger ube biko iced latte.

Moon Coffee Lab salted caramel iced latte with banana milk. Banana is the best coffee milk.

Levain cookie milk iced latte. The cold foam was delicious but my favorite part was the espresso; I had never tried coffee from here before but I definitely will get it again!

The very best coffee of the weekend came from Smiley Coffee – espresso with coconut slushie.

We happened across a street fair that had red sorrel. The spot was serving it with mint which was lovely.

Speaking of things that tasted like home, this soursop infused coconut water was nice and not too sweet.

Tender Crush frozen Diet Coke with vanilla soft serve!

Red Gate Bakery Fudgenutter cookie.

Comfortland + Donut Diva never miss; this guava cheese Linzer tart was exceptional

Perfect frozen drinks at Antojitos BK. 2nd best texture in the city (only beaten by Connolly’s). We had an espresso martini and a Nutcracker.

Sandwich Board duck tsangwich was a 10/10 – bolo bao with roast duck, crispy duck skin, cucumber, scallion, hoisin sauce, and house chili oil.

We didn’t love our ribeye sandwich at Sanwits.

But my Halo Halo was excellent. Not exactly what I am usually used to but so creamy and I loved the caramelized plantain.

We were blown away by our meal at La Fleur Rouge. Really thoughtful, beautiful dishes in a great environment. Guava Plum – tequilla Empirical Ayuuk, pink guava, plum, and salt.

Peking duck bao.

Morel duck soup.

Crispy Chinese eggplant with pineapple, bell pepper, and sweet and sour. These were a can’t miss.

The cheeseburger, which came with pickled cucumbers and seasoned fries. This sounds mean but it is in fact the highest compliment — this tasted exactly like the breakfast sausages you used to get on planes! Doesn’t break my top five but I did love it.

Tai Chi Fried Rice with confit duck, shrimp, and squid ink. This tasted even better than it looked and kept wonderfully leftover.

Finally molten chocolate cake with rum raisin ice cream and Golden Graham crumble.

And egg yolk beignets with apricot marmalade.

The best thing we ate all weekend was the fried rice I made with our James‘ leftovers. White rice and eggs from home plus short rib ragu and charred broccolini with Waygu beef bacon.

Strawberry, Blueberry, Peach

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Highlights from the week…

This “sweet bean snack,” a blend of sugared red kidney, adzuki, navy beans, and green peas.

I wouldn’t have necessarily known peach without the label but these blueberries were extra fruity and floral.

This Barebells peanut caramel bar tastes like an even better take on a Snickers.

Trader Joe’s knocked it out of the park with their Strawberry Fields gummies. The mini mochis were quite nice as well.

Creamy peanut noodles. White rice ramen noodles / sauce – food-processed peanut butter, Sriracha, dark soy sauce, chili oil, sesame oil, lime juice, and silken tofu / roasted zucchini / tempeh stir-fried until crispy with green onions, garlic, soy sauce, maple syrup, Sriracha, and gochugaru / chili crisp.

BBQ chicken. Shredded chicken reheated in a frying pan with with gochujang, tomato paste, rice vinegar, brown sugar, fish sauce, and soy sauce // steamed green beans sauteed with Dijon, honey, sesame oil, and chili crisp.

Larb inspired chicken salad. Shredded chicken with Duke’s, Kewpie, skyr, Sriracha, lime juice, garlic powder, toasted rice powder, brown sugar, shallot, mint, pickled red onion, and crispy fried onion and garlic // salad – tomatoes, cucumber, green onion, and mint with chili crisp, gochugaru, gochujang, sesame seeds, sesame oil, and honey // plus our last frozen Apollo bagel.

P.S. We had a great, unphotographed dinner at The James, a new Long Island steakhouse. We enjoyed everything we ordered, especially the duck fat confit potato with fermented black bean, scallion, ginger, shallot, and lemon.