Eating the Big Apple

Food in New York City. Wow! The variety, the selection, the ubiquity-- it has to be amazing to fuel the city that never sleeps.  In planning this trip, we took into consideration how many meals and snacks would fit into five days. Below is my top 5 (not in any certain order):

1) Prosperity Dumpling - On our last morning in the city, we wanted to have something that would hold us for the flight back home.  We were so focused on traversing the boroughs that we overlooked this gem that was literally around the corner from the studio we rented for the week. The best thing there was the sesame pancake with egg; my girlfriend and I still talk about this meal. The pork and chive dumplings were a safe bet as well. 

2) Banh Mi Saigon is like a mullet-- business in the front, party in the back. The front of the store sells jewelry-- strands of pearls and pendants of jade, while the back of the store sells the best pork Bahn Mi that I have had in the year or so of being introduced to this sandwich.  Banh mis usually are not eaten for breakfast, but it's never too early to eat this sandwich. We arrived right when the store opened at 9AM-- it was fresh and no long lines.  Move over McGriddle; hello Pork Banh Mi!!!

3) Cafe Habana - tired from walking around NYC on our first day, we ended our night at Cafe Habana in Nolita (North of Little Italy).  This Cuban restaurant served as an ambassador to my tastebuds of the variety of meals that I would eat while in NYC.  If you leave without eating the roasted corn, then you did it wrong.  Fun fact: Lenny Kravitz shot scenes of his Again video at the location.

4) Jing Fong - Upon entering the establishment for dim sum, this huge escalator looms before you. As you get on the escalator, it feels as one is imparting the earth and entering the heavens. The gustatory contentment here definitely put me on cloud nine. The pork and shrimp shu mai was phenomenal; dim sum here in Louisville cannot even compare anymore.  I got 3 stamps on my card of just shu mai alone.  Everything else, while just as delicious, is just a footnote.

5) Cafe Espanol - Although I have never been to Espana, I imagined that this is what a tapas restaurant would be in Madrid.  Sharing the small plates as well as the sangria carafe with friends made the meal even more enjoyable and intimate as we were able to sample and converse.  My girlfriend commented that the seafood paella was wonderful.  

6) Joe's Shanghai - Hands down, this was my favorite meal in New York City. These dumplings are filled with a savory pork and crab soup, and the fun part is learning how to eat it. The scallion and egg fried rice was punctuated the meal with an exclamation point. And everything is always better with chili oil. This food sums up how great Chinatown was for me. 

7)  Rosa Mexicano - Table. Side. Guacamole.  I have never had the notion of ordering dip made in front of you; I imagined it's hibachi only with avocados and limes. When this guy [pictured] rolled out with his cart and molcajete, I knew that it was going to be a game changer.  It was a meal in itself, but I was able to scarf down fish tacos as well.

Bonus: Levain Bakery sells the most delicious lumps of baked dough I have ever tasted. These cookies are as big as your fist and baked to perfection. We tried chocolate walnut and dark chocolate. I heard their oatmeal raisin and chocolate peanut butter are also good, but I'm saving that for my next trip.  The best part is eating them at Central Park, which is only blocks away

Honorable mentions (which means every meal we remember having):
1. Thai Son (Vietnamese in Chinatown)
2. Benny Tudino's (Pizzeria in Hoboken)
3. East LA (Mexican in Hoboken)
4. Bhatti (Indian in Curry Hill)
5. Seoul Garden (Korean in Midtown)
6. Sea Thai (Thai in Williamsburg)
7. Kun Jip (Korean in Midtown)
8. Two Lizards (Mexican in Upper East Side)
9. Delizia 73 (Italian in Upper East Side)

Bright Lights, Big City

With much anticipation on my end, I give you some snapshots of my experience in New York City.  It was my first time visiting the Big Apple, Concrete Jungle, The Empire City, The City That Never Sleeps-- you get it.  I was not disappointed, as it lived up to the hype.  As soon as we landed in Newark, I was excited to experience the many things that I have seen on television and heard in music.  To be truly corny, my little town blues indeed melted away, and I wanted to be a part of it, New York, New York.  Frank knew what he was talking about. 

We were in NYC to witness and celebrate the wedding of our friends in Central Park.  We went a few days early to ensure we had enough time to visit friends and family and to sightsee. Thank you very much to those friends and family that carved out time to hang out with us.  We stayed in a studio apartment in Chinatown that we rented through AirBNB.  By going this route, we were able to focus more on the food than were we rested our head.  At a later date, I will blog about my week of gastronomy. Hold me to it.

To spare you the minute details of our trip, my favorite non-food experiences of my trip were:

1) Walking across the Brooklyn Bridge at sunset. This is a must-do. The mile plus walk is definitely worth the views.

2) Visiting the 9/11 Memorial. There are no words for what they have done here. It's remarkable.

3) Eating a cookie from Levain Bakery on the Great Lawn at Central Park. Hands down, the best chocolate chip cookie ever. Everyone at the park was jealous of this cookie. Is cookie a food? Does it belong on this list?

4) Walking through the DUMBO Arts Festival. DUMBO = Down Under Manhattan Bridge Overpass.  A lot of areas you hear about in NYC are just acronyms. (Soho, TriBeCa, NoLiTa to name a few)

5) Walking along the High Line (an abandoned rail station that was converted to a walking park)

6) Subway Hopping. We refused to ride a taxi-- if you want to do NYC, you gotta do it right. (plus I had the fortune of having my girlfriend navigate us, as she was an intern in the city before moving back to Kentucky).

7) Visiting the Flatiron District

8) and Eating....sorry, I lied, but the food was amazing.  It was a great melting pot of cultures, which was reflected with its culinary cuisines. 

9) Going to Hoboken to see the New York skyline across the Hudson River and to eat the biggest pizza slice in Jersey.

10) Making a friend drive us through Brooklyn (Williamsburg, Crown Heights, and Bed-Stuy).

I'm told that snowflakes, fingerprints, and visits to NYC are all unique-- there's not one that's the same at any given time.  I'm looking forward to experiencing more sights, sounds, tastes, and yes, even smells, for the next time I visit this great city. It won't be until next June, but I hope the anticipation and waiting goes by like a New York minute.

Little Italy

DUMBO

Manhattan Bridge (from Dumbo)

Chess Players at Union Square

Chinatown

Empire State Building from Hoboken, NJ

The Mall at Central Park

Bethesda Terrace

9/11 Memorial

Times Square

Brooklyn Bridge

Manhattan Bridge

Gansevoort (Meatpacking District) 

MTA Subway

Flatiron District