Photolog: New York City 2017

For once I’m delivering on my promise: a post on my travel eats! Here’s a photolog of my most recent trip to New York City. It will always be one of my favourite cities to visit. No matter how much time I have, NYC always guarantees me a fantastic time and lots of memories.

Cronut, Dominique Ansel Bakery.

This is my fourth trip to New York City, and my third food-centric. You won’t find any “to-do’s” here, just eating. My first food trip to NYC left me overwhelmed and hustling around Manhattan visiting hotspots. My second trip honed in on Brooklyn and Midtown. For this trip, our base was in SoHo and Tribeca. The goal? To stay south of Midtown and stay focused!

• *Recommend – if you’re in the area or have down time, go for it.
• *Highly recommend – I’d come back in a heartbeat!

Smorgasburg. (Prospect Park, Brooklyn) // The weather was beautiful when we landed on our first day so I had to take advantage of the first launch weekend of Smorgasburg, an insane concentration of food vendors in Prospect Park. The lines are long, the crowds are crazy, but the selection of vendors is awesome. *Recommended. Especially if you like a festival atmosphere, dogs, and line-ups.

East Coast Poke, Smorgasburg.

Destination Dumplings, Smorgasburg.

Dulcinea, Smorgasburg.

East Coast Poke. Spicy Salmon Poke, Soy, Sriracha Mayo with Seaweed Salad and Pineapple Sticky Rice.
Destination Dumplings. Peking Duck & Jerk Chicken.
Dulcinea. Creme Fraiche Blueberry Ice Cream Churro Sandwich.

Milk Cookie Shot, Dominique Ansel Bakery.

Treats, Dominique Ansel Bakery.

Frozen S’Mores, Dominique Ansel Bakery.

Frozen S’Mores, Dominique Ansel Bakery.

Kouign Amann, Dominique Ansel Bakery.

Cronut, Dominique Ansel Bakery.

Dominique Ansel Bakery. Cookie Milk Shot, Frozen S’mores, Dominique Kouign Amann (DKA), Cronut (Blood Orange Almond, April 2017). Go mid-day for a bite after some shopping in SoHo and don’t bother camping out before opening hours. The Cookie Milk Shot is extremely sweet. *Recommended: Frozen S’mores and Cronut.

Spicy Paitan, Totto Ramen.

Totto Ramen. Spicy Paitan (Chicken Paitan topped with Housemade Spicy Sesame Oil, Scallions, Bean Sprouts, Nori and Pork Char Siu). Joe and I come here every time we go to NYC. The chicken broth (paitan) here is amazing and they do it oh so well. *Highly recommended, multiple locations.

About Coffee. Cappuccino, Custom Blend by Gimme! Coffee. (Not shown.)

Boba Guys. Hong Kong Milk Tea. (Not shown.)

Spicy Papaya Salad, Kiin.

Tom Yum Pho, Kiin.

‘Prik Pao’ Fried Rice, Kiin.

Kiin. Spicy Papaya Salad, Tom Yum Noodle Soup, ‘Prik Pao’ Fried Rice and Fried Chicken. We actually stumbled across this while wandering through SoHo and Greenwich. It’s Michelin Guide recommended and lunch was a steal and incredibly delicious! Lots of lunch sets to choose from. *Highly recommended.

Cereal Milk Soft Serve, Milk Bar.

Milk Bar. Cereal Milk Soft Serve. *Recommended, multiple locations.

Chelsea Market.  // Previous visits to Chelsea Market always make me happy. High concentration of all things food-related, you could spend a whole day here. *Highly recommended. 

Doughnuttery. Flower Power (Hibiscus, Honey, Rose Petals) + Urban Monkey (Coffee, Banana, Coconut). (Not shown.)

Spicy Shirodashi Ramen, Wagamama.

Wagamama. Spicy Shirodashi Ramen (Slow Cooked Pork Belly Marinated in Bulgogi Sauce, Chicken Miso Broth, Pea Shoots, Menma, Spring Onions, Wakame, Half Tea-Stained Egg). I honestly just needed to use the washroom. It was the definition of ‘meh’.

Jon Jon Deragon, Crif Dogs.

Tsunami, Crif Dogs.

Tsunami, Cheese Tots, Spicy Redneck, Crif Dogs.

Crif Dogs. Tsunami (Bacon-Wrapped with Teriyaki, Pineapple, and Green Onions), Jon Jon Deragon (Cream Cheese, Scallions, and Everything Bagel Seeds), Spicy Redneck (Bacon-Wrapped with Chili, Coleslaw and Jalapeños), Cheese Tater Tots. Okay kids, pay attention. This was one of the best things I ate this trip. Maybe it’s the novelty of an underground space, the hip-hop music, or the fact that PDT (see below) is just next door but Crif Dogs is a must. I found this article helpful. *Highly recommended.

Please Don’t Tell.

Please Don’t Tell. Cape and Dagger (Sombra Mezcal, AA Badenhorst Caperitif, Pomegranate, Grapefruit, Cinnamon, Lime), Mezcal Mule (Del Maguey Vida Mezcal, Lime Juice, Boiron Passion Fruit Purée, House Ginger Beer, Cucumber, Chili), Soup to Coconut (Santory, Tahini, Honey, Coconut Water, House Ginger Beer, Lime), Planter’s Punch (Banks 7 Golden Age Rum, Cranberry Cordial, Lime Juice, Angostura Bitters). The entrance is located inside Crif Dogs. You get into a phone booth, pick up a phone and dial yourself in. Wait times are a bit crazy (45 minutes to over two hours at peak times) but you’re in East Village so there’s always something to do.

Death and Co. Flashpoint (Singani 63, Wray and Nephew Overproof White Rum, Grapefruit, Lemon, Passion Fruit, Cinnamon, Grenadine, Lime), Night in Tunisia (Plantation Jamaica 2001 Rum, Del Maguey Vida Mezcal, Ras el Hanout, Pamplemousse, Hisbiscus, Lime), Devil Made Me Do It (Ron del Barrilito Rum, El Dorado 8 Yr Rum, Wyoming Whiskey, Honey, Crème de Pêche, Chili), High Noon (Laird’s Apple Brandy, Great King St. Glasgow Scotch, Amaro Nonino, Lemon, Red Eye Bitters, Soda Water). We enjoyed Death and Co. better than PDT, the vibe was a touch fancier and our bartender really paid attention to us. I like learning so having somebody open to questions is a bonus. *Recommended. (Not shown.)

The Frog’s Crown Cafe. Beef Chili Empanadas. Across the street from Dominique Ansel Bakery. Pretty random but it was a good quick bite. (Not shown.)

Grilled Cheese, The Spotted Pig.

Cubano, The Spotted Pig.

The Spotted Pig. Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Onion Marmalade & Mustard, Cubano Sandwich with Arugula. Michelin Guide recommended (previously held a star), I was excited to try the Roquefort Burger but it wasn’t available that day for lunch or for dinner. It wasn’t meant to be. I’ll have to come back for sure! *Recommended.

Cupcake, Magnolia Bakery.

Magnolia Bakery. Chocolate Cupcake with Vanilla Buttercream. It’s a cupcake. A good one, but a cupcake.

Salty Pimp, Big Gay Ice Cream.

Big Gay Ice Cream. Salty Pimp (Salt, Dulce de Luche, Vanilla Soft Serve). Not your average soft serve, nor your average cone. See this article for elaboration. *Highly Recommended, also in mobile truck form.

Spicy Basic, Kambi Ramen.

Spicy Basic, Kambi Ramen.

Kambi Sio, Kambi Ramen.

Kambi Ramen House. Kambi Sio (Pork and Chicken Broth, Salt, Roasted Garlic, Premium Berkshire Pork Belly, Egg, Seaweed, Vegetables) with Wavy Noodles, Spicy Basic (Pork Broth) with Wavy Noodles. Two schools of thought here on which is better: Kambi or Minca (their sister restaurant). I haven’t tried Minca yet but can say that I loved Kambi’s shio. *Highly recommended.

Spicy Birdhaus Bao, Baohaus.

Baohaus. Spicy Birdhaus Bao (All Natural Fried Chicken, Brined 24 hours, served with Haus Seasoning Salt, Lemon-Garlic Aioli, Crushed Peanuts, Taiwanese Red Sugar, and Cilantro). Kind of a staple. *Recommended.

Koreano, Fuku.

Fuku. Koreano (Spicy Fried Chicken Sandwich with Pickled Daikon). A part of David Chang’s Momofuku empire. If you’re hanging in the area and want a quick bite. I’d take Baohaus over it though.

Merriweather Coffee + Kitchen.

Latte, Merriweather Coffee + Kitchen.

Merriweather Coffee + Kitchen. Latte, Counter Culture.

Hudson Eats, Brookfield Place. // To be technical, it’s a food court. But it’s amazing. Plus Le District is right downstairs for everything French. *Recommended.

Bento Bowl, Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar.

Sakana Sanshu Roll, Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar.

Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar. Bento Bowl of Green Tea Soba, Spicy Salmon, Wakame Salad, Sakana Sanshu Roll.

Dos Toros Tacqueria. Carnitas and Carne Asada Taco, Guacamole & Chips. (Not shown.)

I feel like I didn’t get a chance to eat that much this time around. Sign of aging and my body is slowing down I suppose. Here’s hoping my next trip to New York City will be filled with even more food!

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