NYC Tastes

I happened to be on a Metro North train back into the city last week and it let me out downstairs. Walking out I noticed that Magnolia bakery was smack dab in front of me. Not being a person with any sort of “sweets” will power I walked right over and got in line. I’ve had Magnolia a bunch of times before and as you probably already know I think the best things here aren’t truly the cupcakes. They make an amazing banana pudding, fantastic peanut butter pie and luscious red velvet cake. However I was in a cupcake mood and noticed some new choices I hadn’t seen before so I ordered the Grand Central special and the red velvet cupcake. The Grand Central is marble cake on the bottom, topped with green vanilla butter cream and a dark chocolate disk on top. I had a few issues with this cupcake. First of all the cake was really cold. Keeping the cake so cold made it tough and nowhere near the airy moist dessert I usually enjoy. Second the icing was super sugary. Now I’ll be honest- Magno

The New Amsterdam Market returned this past Sunday and I made the long trek down to the Seaport in this disgusting hot humid weather. By the time I arrived I was covered in sweat and had to use one of the cheese stand programs to fan myself off for about 15 minutes. I think the weather had deterred a lot of people since the market was looking pretty sparse when I first arrived. That’s good though- more free samples for me! I walked around and tried out everything. Delicious Mexican chocolate from Taza, fresh baked bread from Balthazar’s and some stinky blue cheese from Berkshire. There were a lot of stands I remember from last year but a few new additions as well. Saxelby Cheesemongers were grilling up a fantastic looking kimcheeze sandwich (cute name). Unfortunately I hate kimchee so I had to pass but I decided to pick myself up some cheese curds from another stand nearby. I hadn’t eaten anything yet that day so even after all the free cheese and bread samples I was starving

I have yet to enjoy a full meal in the dining room at Mailino but the bar has become quite a cozy serene place for a glass of wine and some tasty small bites. We stopped by for some Father’s Day drinks with Mr. T’s parents and enjoyed one of the best appetizer’s I think I have had yet there- the Ricotta Fritta. Fresh churned ricotta cheese is fried but somehow remained almost impossibly light and airy. Pair that with Mailino’s unbelievably tasty tomato sauce with fresh basil and you have one stellar plate of food. These little balls of cheese just melted in your mouth and changed the way I look at fried cheese sticks forever. Another little morsel of delight I had last week wasn’t nearly as wonderful but it still was pretty good- a hot dog from the Boat Basin Café. First of all it looks pretty funny. One lone hot dog in a basket? I think it was supposed to come with potato chips but they forgot. The hot dog was cooked well done just as I like, with some charred bits outside a

As you all know I love going out for a solo meal. Lunch is particularly my favorite since there are so many “lunch deals” in this city. However I always do these solo lunches when I have a vacation day. Once the normal workday comes I usually bring something to the office and work right through my lunch hour.  Last week however I had to travel from one office in Brooklyn to one in Manhattan and it happened to be right around lunchtime when I did. I got off in Union Square planning to walk a couple of blocks and pick up a Subway sandwich when I thought to myself. Take a break- eat something different. There are literally a TON of restaurant around right now.  So I did and I headed Blue Water Grill and got a nice table by the bar. It was right around 1:30 and Blue Water grill was packed! I mean really packed! I couldn't get over how many people were there. Apparently most other people don’t work through lunch like me. They had a great tasting 3 course lunch prix fix for o

After a long hot day watching World Cup soccer at the Boat Basin I came home to Mr. T who was just finishing up work. Not being able to take the day off and drink beer and watch sports did not make him a happy camper. I knew only one thing would cheer him up- Steamers. We hopped in a cab and headed down to Pearl Oyster Bar. We put our name in, had a quick drink at Blind Tiger and were seated 20 minutes later at the bar. We always order the same exact thing every time we come here- steamers and a lobster roll. Here is our large pot of clams. These clams were quite a bit smaller than usual but maybe the season’s a little off. These little buggers are so incredibly tender and delicious. Simply slip off the black part, do a quick bathe in the broth, then a dip in the butter and voila! Seafood perfection! I could happily eat these all day. But then I wouldn’t have room for one of my favorite things ever- the Lobster Roll. I’ve written about this roll many times so I won’t go into

A big shout out to all of you Dad's out there- mine of course at the top of that shout out list! We're spending the day with Mr. T's folks and heading to dinner at the ever so awesome Minetta tavern. I can't wait to try out their steak again and see if it truly is better than Luger's.   Can't get a reservation at Minetta and need a place to take Dad? Why not the Frying Pan? It's supposed to be a beautiful day today so why not take your Dad somewhere to chill out and relax in the sun. Mr. T and I went again two Saturdays ago. Although the Grilled Chicken Cesar salad wasn't quite as good as I remember (the chicken needed a little more crispy char) the burger was still great and man I could eat those huge pieces of garlic in the fries all day!

I was back in the Buffalo area again last week for my (gasp) 10 year college reunion. I truly still feel like I’m 21 years old so this shocking slap back into reality stung a little bit. Driving back onto the St. Bonaventure campus I felt like I was having some weird out of body experience. I had spent so much time here and yet it felt completely foreign to me. Luckily we ran into some old friends right outside our building and after a few minutes (and a couple of beers) I felt a LOT more at ease. The weekend was divided up with various class events both on and off campus. After the first night’s disgusting food showing at the Old Library (think Munster cheese on top a hard overcooked filet mignon) Mr. T and I decided to do our own food events the rest of the weekend. Our first stop Saturday morning was for a Bonaventure staple- the Burton Burger. They take a nice thick patty, throw it on an indoor grill and top it with a slice of cheddar cheese. The meat is pretty good, s

Another flight out of JetBlue’s new Terminal 5 means another stop for some airport food. Thursday we headed out for Buffalo in somewhat rough shape. Mr. T had been working all night- literally. He never got a chance to go to bed the night before and he was running on steam only. I suggested a big piece of protein might help him get through the trip so we stopped into 5ivesteak. 5ivesteak is basically a classic steakhouse inside the airport. They have all the same cuts of meat as a usual steakhouse and all the same prices as well. We weren’t looking to spend a fortunate right before the trip so we ordered the Hanger Steak. About 15 minutes later our dish arrived. As you can see the steak was cooked perfectly and had the potential to be amazing. However look at all that oil! It was ridiculous. Sometimes a little chimichurri sauce on the plate is nice but this tasted like they just dumped a bottle of olive oil on the plate and called it a day. It was really too bad since the wonderf

Whenever I go to the Brooklyn Heights office I almost always walk home for some fresh air and exercise. I usually do the same route- across the Brooklyn Bridge, through the courthouses, into Chinatown, Little Italy, over to Bowery and up through the East Village finally to home. I’ve been doing this same route for years now, always on the lookout for new food shops and restaurants along the way. So imagine my surprise when I realize all of this time I had been passing a delicious hidden dessert spot. Everything Frosted is located right on the edge of Chinatown on short little Mosco Street. I always walk up this street and even stop on occasion to pick up some frozen dumplings directly across from Everything Frosted. How could I not have noticed! Honestly there’s not much signage and it is up a shady looking flight of stairs, but go to the top and you will be rewarded with a variety of tasty looking treats in a simplistic setting. They had green tea chocolate truffles, white chocola

After my somewhat tepid experience with the spicy tuna roll at the Lobster Place last time I decided to go back and see if it was just a fluke. After all, it was the day after a three day weekend. So the fish freshness may not have been up to par. I was going tom get the same thing but then I noticed a Spicy Yellowtail roll being offered. I had never even heard of Spicy Yellowtail being offered anywhere before. I love Yellowtail and with the addition of some spice and mayo what’s not to love. And I was correct- on both accounts. The fish was extremely fresh, yellowtail goes just as well spicy style as tuna, and the tepid experience last week was a distant memory. I’m happy to have the Lobster Place on my regularly rotating lunch list.

Sometimes one indulges a wee too much in the pleasures of beer and wine. I like to refer to it as tippling. Tippling defined actually means drinking alcohol in small doses over a long period of time. Hmmm… sometimes those small doses really add up and your tippling leads to toppling. For those mornings when you’ve “toppled” let’s say luckily there a place you can go to cure those hangover blues- Resto. I’ve written about Resto a bunch before. Its right near my apartment, carries a great selection of Belgian beers and has a fantastic brunch. The one brunch dish I’ve failed to highlight before however is the Hangover Pasta. Yes that’s actually the name and oh so appropriate. A big bowl of noodles comes out littered with big chunks of Vermont Ham, creamy gruyere cheese, spicy black pepper and topped off with a fried egg. It’s seriously rich and seriously delicious. This dish will coat your stomach in two seconds flat. Follow it up with a side of crispy bacon and you're set to go. This

I haven’t been to Momofuku in quite a while. In fact, since they stopped selling their amazing cakes by the slice I think I’ve kind of been boycotting them. Then last week something changed. I had been reading Serious Eats when I saw a post about Cake truffles now being available at Momofuku Milk bar. Cake truffles! I was so excited to check them out it was unreal. Unfortunately it was late Monday night so I had to wait until Tuesday and all through a long work day until I could get my fix. It was excruciating. Finally I was zipping off the train and walking inside the bar. They had about 3 different flavors but with 3 truffles in one bag I thought trying out just two flavors for now was more than enough. I know I have no will power when it come s to sweets so whatever I buy is going to be eaten within seconds. I got one bag of chocolate and one bag of birthday cake.   The chocolate cake truffle looked like a regular chocolate truffle you could buy anywhere. Cocoa powder dusting on

My Memorial Day weekend started off with a bang at Yankee Stadium Friday night, where Mr. T and I watched them beat the Indians 8-2. Of course I missed the Robinson Cano grand slam. I just had to use the bathroom at that very moment and I missed it. It really never fails- that stuff always happens to me. To make up for it Mr. T got me a nice big McSorley’s and a hot dog at the game. The dog was just your standard Nathans but such a better choice than my cheese steak last time. Games are meant for hot dogs…and didn’t he do a nice photogenic job of putting the mustard on!   Oh and yes- they had full flowing kegs of Goose Island and McSorleys. Apparently they learned that people really like these beers and they were fully prepared to stay in stock unlike last time. The rest of my weekend was filled with friends visiting, multiple brunches, lots of beer drinking and just relaxing on the roof. I came back to work Tuesday not quite happy but a little refreshed. I happen to be downtown