Sunday, August 16, 2009

I (will always) love NY

I'm in love with New York City. My heart flutters and my mind and body get so giddy every time I'm physically in Manhattan. I've felt this way for over 10 years. It's my favorite vacation city in the U.S. In previous trips, my family would combine eating, shopping, museums, and plays. This time, we focused completely on food and eating. This was definitely a foodie trip that's so worthy for my Foodicles.

Maloney and Porcelli, Midtown East
Our family has always stayed at the New York Palace Hotel. Right next door to the Palace is this American Steakhouse. I love going here because it's so close to the hotel and it's such a quality upscale American restaurant.



Pan-seared Halibut on a bed of Sweet Corn
I ordered this to balance the meat and fat that we had been consuming. It was a nice balance to the pork shank.

Crackling Pork Shank with Firecracker Applesauce
This pork shank rivals some of the best crispy patas I've eaten. So crispy, so moist, so perfect. We order this with mignonette sauce -- vinegar and chopped onions.


Bar Americain, Theater District
One of the goals of this trip was to dine at celebrity chefs' restaurants. We've eaten at Mesa Grill in Las Vegas a few times already. Now it was time to compare Flay's restaurants. There really is not much of a difference between his two restaurants.


Brunch Menu

Sixpoint Sweet Action Craft Ale
I've been curious about trying a brew from this Brooklyn brewery. I jumped on the chance that this was on the menu. It had a clean palate, nice and malty with decent hops. The hops and the sweetness balanced well.

Bread Basket
Rolls, Pumpernickel Bread, Biscuits, and Corn Bread with Jam and Jalapeno Butter

French Fries
A decent basket of fries, but not the best. I favor thinly cut, crispy fries.

Brooklyn Hash Browns
This was definitely a different take on the hash browns that I've eaten. These were baked chunks of potatoes.

Vidalia Onion Soup
This was a bowl of southern-inspired French onion soup. The broth had a sweet barbeque taste.

Smoked Chicken Pot Pie
Flaky crust on top of the creamy chicken filling. This was definitely comfort food.

Mussels in Green Chile Broth
This had the Bobby Flay touch with the green chile broth. If you have read some of my previous blog entries, you'll see that I love mussels. This was different and tasty; however, I wish the mussels were plumper.

Burger Americain
A decent burger, but I wasn't impressed by it. The taste of the meat was lacking.


Bar Jamon, Flatiron District
Mario Batali's tapas bar. It's VERY small. We went there on Saturday night and it was packed (20 people) and deafeningly loud. We went back on Sunday night after dining at Casa Mono next door. We had a few orders of Churros and Chocolate. The churros were oily, but the chocolate had a great kick of cayenne.


Casa Mono, Flatiron District
Batali's other tapas restaurant right next door to Bar Jamon. There was more selection for tapas at this restaurant. Batali is known for training his staff to have his friendly and attentive personality, however the service was lacking that heart. The food was solid, but I'm not sure if I would repeat this place. There are so many other tapas restaurants in the city.

Open Kitchen

Bacalao Croquetas
Crispy coating and a distinct taste of bacalao (salt cod). This was one of my favorite plates.

House-Made Chorizo
These chorizos were formed into patties. It had that bold chorizo taste. Yum!

Duck Egg with Mojama
The egg was placed on a stack of fingerling potatoes. The mojama had a delicate taste with a jamon-like texture.

Fideos with Chorizo and Clams
Mmm, I love fideos! They are cut up noodles made like a paella and topped with aioli. A great order!

Piquillo Peppers with Oxtails
This was one of my favorite plates. I love stewed oxtail!

Pork Croquetas
Like the Bacalao Croquetas, these were well-fried, too. The layers of tomatoes were a refreshing contrast.

Skirt Steak
Tender and juicy skirt steaks topped with a complimenting onion marmalade.

Sepia a la Plancha
Another great order. The squid was well prepared and had a nice bite, yet not over cooked.

Tripe with Chickpeas
I wish there was more tripe! I love tripe! The addition of morcilla bits was excellent, though.



Rickshaw Dumpling Bar
, Chelsea
Anita Lo's cheap/casual eatery. Honestly, I wasn't impressed. The dumplings were on the bland side and none of the dishes wow-ed me. You want a good dumpling? Go to Ye Shanghai in Hong Kong and order the Xiao Long Bao. Sadly after this experience, I'm not inspired to try out Lo's Annisa.

The Inside
Order at the counter.

Asian Green Salad

Miso Soup and Peanut Satey Soup
The noodles were over cooked and the broth wasn't exciting.

Dumplings!
We ordered the Chicken & Thai Basil, Peking Duck, Shrimp, Edamame, Pork & Chive, and Chicken Dumplings. The best of the six was the Chicken & Thai Basil. The basil was distinct and the peanut sauce stood out. However, the dumplings weren't outstanding. I probably will not come here again.



Jasmine Rice Cakes
If you like eating lavender/jasmine flowers, you'll love this. I didn't. I thought I ate perfume.

Chocolate Shanghai Soup Dumplings
This was the best part of the meal. If I ever did come back here, I would only get this.



Momofuku
In one night, my family went to 3 out of the 4 of David Chang's Momofuku restaurants. It was one of the highlights of my NYC trip, and this was just the first night!
Momofuku Noodle Bar

Kimchee Jar
Deep spice with a hint of sweetness.

Roasted Corn
I loved this. It was cooked in bacon fat. Enough said.

Chicken Wings
Nicely cooked and so generous.

Ginger Scallion Noodles
Great tasting dish, but there was a bit too much sesame oil. The noodles were cooked perfectly -- al dente and chewy!

Momofuku Ramen
With Pork Belly, Pork Shoulder, and a Poached Egg. The egg was beautifully poached. The broth had a nice deep flavor. A tasty bowl of ramen.


Momofuku Ssam Bar

The Menu

Beverage Journal

Broadbent Country Ham
Delicate cuts...a nice starter.

Roasted Branzini
I love this fish. This was so well cooked. Nicely fried skin side!

Steamed Buns
You MUST get this! This was the highlight of our whole night. We had 3 orders.

Corn Fried Chicken
A delicious take on fried chicken. I loved the thick, crunchy corn coating.

BBQ Rib Sandwich
Another highlight of the meal. The bbq taste was deep in the pork. Mmm.


Momofuku Milkbar
This is now my favorite dessert place! We went back here twice in 4 days. I wish this place would follow me whereever I go. And at the same time, I'm glad it's across the country from me - I would gain so much weight by going there everyday.


Cereal Milk Softserve
I'm in love with this soft serve. For us Filipinos: It's like Horlicks! We added Milk Crumbs on it. Even better!

Cornflake Marshmallow Chocolate Chip Cookie
My new favorite cookie! I love the texture of the cornflakes and the bite from the marshmallow.

Dulce de Leche Cake
Yum! The dulce de leche cream also had bits of milk crumbs. Did I mention that I'm in love with this place?


Magnolia Bakery, Theater District

Banana Pudding
Vanilla wafers, fresh cut bananas, and vanilla custard. SO good, so creamy, so repeatable.

Cherry Icebox Pie
Fluffy, light cheesecake topped with cherries. Oh SO good.

Snickers Icebox Pie
The same fluffy, light cheese cake lined with peanut butter on the oreo crust. The mixture of the cheesecake and peanut butter made my heart skip a beat. I loove this!


Buttercup Bakery, Midtown East
This bakery was founded by the original owner of Magnolia Bakery.

Red Velvet & Sour Cream Spice Cupcakes
Light, creamy icings, and light, fluffy cakes. It's my new favorite place for red velvet cupcakes.



Sarabeth's
, Manhattan
This is a great bakery/eatery. It's original location is in the Upper East Side. It now has several locations around the city. We bought scones. It had generous bits of raisins, fluffy on the inside and a nice bite on the outside. However, it was not as good as Draeger's scones.



The following are places I didn't eat at but walked by. They are notable enough for me to mention:
21 Club, Midtown East
The famous fine dining restaurant and banquet room.

Cupcake Truck
The first cupcake truck in the city!

Morimoto, Meatpacking District
Iron Chef Masuharu Morimoto's New York restaurant. It's located in the Chelsea Market building. I'm definitely going here next time.


Marketplaces
Whenever I go to a new city, I love going to their local market places.
Chelsea Market


Also Home of the Food Network Offices and Test Kitchen!



Grand Central Station Market


Until next time, New York!

3 comments:

zinnia said...

Are you kidding me? All the desserts had me feenin. And a cupcake truck? DUUUUUUDE... you are in my heaven.

Rini said...

I've just drooled all over my shirt. Can we do a repeat of an eating extravaganza in the Philippines?

Angela said...

Yes!! That's one of my main goals. I wanna travel around the islands as often as possible just so I can update this blog. Please join me!