NYC is warm approaching hot and positively bursting with beautiful flowers. Of course my highlights from the week include an array of spring-y foodstuffs.
I enjoyed this passion fruit & hibiscus simple syrup in a variety of applications – diet coke (7/10), iced matcha (7.5/10), iced coffee (8.5/10), plain skyr (9/10).
Plan skyr bowl with blueberries, lolliberry strawberries, yuzu curd, honey almond granola, and edible flowers.
Whole-wheat bread with vanilla granola butter and strawberry guava jam. This was actually the best snack of the week.
These jalapeño cheddar Corn Nuts were delicious and almost too spicy for me.
Hu dark chocolate with vanilla crunch. It’s rare to find a vanilla chocolate though I wish the flavor was a little more prominent here (honestly the bar was a bit salty).
Noosa honey vanilla bean frozen yogurt gelato (so good!) with yuzu curd, strawberries, purple sprinkles, and edible flowers.
Important shout out – I am still completely head over heels for these Ben & Jerry’s s’mores bites.
This week’s dinner them was — SALAD. It was such a success, each night was better than the last! Potato salad. Baby potatoes that I boiled, smashed, topped with evoo and extra-sharp cheddar, and baked until crispy / celery / cucumber / smoked sockeye salmon and salmon candy / dressing – plain skyr, mayo, yellow mustard, dijon mustard, honey, vinegar, sesame oil, mustard powder, paprika, and celery seed.
What a fun weekend – we ate and saw so many good things! And took several long walks (including a bridge walk!). NYC is stunningly beautiful right now!
Some highlights…
Orwashers. So exciting that they have a location out in Long Island near us now! We shared a morning bun and an Edith’s tahini frozen coffee.
Plus a bagel with lox and dill cream cheese.
Tozzo for “coffee with a bottom,” aka an iced latte with a layer of pistachio cream.
Janie Bakes makes the best cookies in the city in my opinion, hands down. This blueberry lemon pie crust cookie was perfection. We also tried an (unphotographed) croissant cookie; I’ve been avoiding them but their special was s’mores and I couldn’t resist. I assumed correctly that I would rather have a cookie and a croissant separately but it was pretty damn good.
Bar Francis. We loved it here; the space, service, and cocktail menu were all wonderful. We shared some great drinks. A Balaklava (pistachio-infused tequila, Licor 43, walnut liqueur, rose water, and honeycomb) and the Sappy Child (vodka, Douglas Fir liqueur, Saler’s, Suze, honey, and citrus, carbonated)
Plus the best drink of the weekend, the No Fly List (moonshine, pineapple, lime, Suze, peanut butter, cinnamon, and nutmeg).
And a smoked salmon dip.
Arden. I got a drink with bourbon, cherry bounce, vanilla, and coke and a Painkiller.
We shared the yellowtail crudo with tangerines, yuzu, mint, and serrano.
The bok choy with nuoc cham caramel.
And the brussels sprouts with XO sauce.
And I got a cheeseburger – brioche bun, American cheese sauce, morales, kimchi, and slaw with salt and vinegar fries. The fries and the crudo were the standouts.
This week’s coffee situation was some combination of one-all of these salted caramel things with iced Bones Coffee Jamaican Me Crazy. Also one day I added coconut milk!
Berry smoothie with frozen dark cherries, fresh blueberries, and vanilla protein powder.
Many good yogurt bowls this week. This one was plain skyr with watermelon plum, blueberries, Heritage Flakes, and salted caramel granola.
Plain skyr with plum, poppy seed filling, and orange mandarin passionfruit jam.
Trader Joe’s maple pancake corn puffs are perfectly savory and sweet.
Turkey-cheese roll up – Lavash bread with smoked turkey, extra-sharp cheddar, garlic hummus, and leftover roasted green beans.
Baked tofu and roasted broccoli with homemade ranch dip (mayo, Greek yogurt, lemon juice, and ranch seasoning). The tofu was Trader Joe’s super-firm that I marinated in pickle juice and coated in pulverized potato chips, roasted seaweed, sesame seeds, and panko.
A very loose but tasty take on callaloo made with frozen spinach and broccoli (plus yellow onion, scotch bonnet pepper, ginger, urfa chili, coconut milk, crab, and turkey bacon).
Topped with pickled ginger and this soursop hot sauce from home.
And paired with rum and Coke slushies, my greatest boozy creation.
I made a great rillete (aka fish dip) in the food processor with canned sockeye salmon, smoked trout, mayo, Greek yogurt, lemon juice, chili crisp, smoked paprika, and celery seed. Scooped with orange bell pepper, cucumbers, 12 Tides everything kelp chips, and Trader Joe’s spicy tempura seaweed snacks.
Jalapeño popper turkey burgers (I mixed the cheese in and these were fantastic!), roasted cauliflower, and a big pile of crispy baked fries. Plus an array of dipping sauces (ketchup, a quick honey mustard, and leftover ranch).
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.
Things from this week — It was 70 degrees yesterday and the dog and I took an afternoon walk sans coats! Adam and I started watching Farzar on Netflix – it is basically just Paradise PD in space but both shows are so funny I can’t even fault them. Thursday was Pi(e) Day and Sunday is St. Patrick’s Day – so many theme food opportunities.
Food things —
Cherry pie smoothie – frozen dark cherries, salted caramel granola, water, vanilla protein powder, vanilla extract, brown sugar, and cinnamon.
Yogurt bowl win – plain Greek, yuzu marmalade, blueberries and blackberries, and granola.
Iced matcha with yuzu marmalade and yuzu mandarin seltzer. <– I am hooked on this combination
Adam got a Zero Gravity Irish cream porter for St. Patrick’s Day so I tried their Power Jones IPA – 9/10.
I was so excited to find these puddings at 99 Ranch but we ended up throwing them out; they tasted like slightly milky gelatin.
Haribo lemon ginger chews. Better than gummy bears but not as good as the grapefruit slices.
Cake! We brought this home from Butterfield over the weekend. This sprinkled/cookies and cream frosting filled slice is one of my favorite desserts in NYC.
I searched for this limited edition Tillamook ice cream since last summer and it fully lived up to my expectations.
This Sriracha shrimp bowl from Trader Joe’s has consistently been my favorite frozen meal option for years now. I always top it with Kewpie and more Sriracha and it is so satisfying.
Roast’s St. Patrick’s Day sandwich special – corned beef reuben with swiss, sauerkraut, onion rings, and thousand island dressing on marble rye. Plus fries and rainbow cauliflower (Trader Joe’s frozen bag that I sauteed with evoo, salt, pepper, and celery seed – delicious).
Our best meal of the week took less than 20 minutes to make. Buckwheat soba / sauteed celery / Korean steamed eggs (made with water, miso, and fish sauce) / sesame oil, sesame seeds, and chili crisp.
A take on okonomiyaki – roasted cabbage and green onion, shredded egg tofu, white pepper, gochugaru, minced ginger, flour, baking soda, lime seltzer, and eggs. Topped with Kewpie and Sriracha.
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.
Eating Chalk 