Coffee Shop Crawl

One thing I've learned about NYC and college is that it makes you LOVE coffee. I never liked coffee before this year. I couldn't even stand the smell of it, but I slowly started getting myself used to it and now...I'm addicted. But how can I not like coffee while living in NYC, surrounded by coffee shops?

Do you know what a Pub Crawl is? It's basically a night (sometimes a day) of going from pub/bar to pub and getting schwasteddd. The Santa Con pub crawl is hilarious because you just watch drunk Santa Claus's walk around the city all day. But what I suggest is that there be a Coffee Shop Crawl and every coffee shop that participates can have coffee at half price or something. Or they can just give out free samples...that would be nice.

With this nice weather I just can't stay cooped up in my room and do my work so I've been going to different coffee shops and doing work there and also trying their coffee and pastries. Sooo basically I'm doing my own Coffee Shop Crawl. The only thing is I'm paying full price...

One I really enjoy doing work in is Bees Knees Bakery on 113 W. 10th St. It is a small room with one large table in the middle so I sit down and I am surrounded by others doing work as well and I don't feel so lonely. They serve Gorilla Coffee and the first time I went I got a Chai Latte and then a coffee with almond milk. Both drinks were very satisfying. This bakery put a twist on the traditional cupcake and has created a treat called the cakecup, which is literally cake in a cup. Now, I don't like cake (I know, I'm crazy, right? That's about the only sweet I don't like), but I tried the banana caramel cakecup and I was enlightened. I also had their homemade granola with steamed almond milk (sort of my obsession right now) and it was soo good.

These are the cakecups: banana marshmallow caramel and chocolate slated caramel (I don't remember the exact names, but they were something like that). The guys who work there (at least the three times I've been) are really cool and funny. They called me a nerd for studying there for three hours on a Saturday evening haha. I'm proud of being a nerd. The music is a lot of old, classic rock and more modern chill rock songs so this place is for very cool people. Or nerds.

This guy is so cool.

So I am currently sitting in another coffee shop that I really like called MOJO coffee on 128 Charles St. It's in the West Village, which is my favorite part of the city, and this place is a small room with a wooden wall and a brick wall and it just has a very cool vibe. The coffee is AMAZING and the large house blend is only $2.50 (I got charged for a small house blend even though I got a large!) The tables are parts of a tree trunk and everything is basically made out of wood. It kind of looks like you're in a log cabin. The pastries also look delicious: apple walnut muffins, blueberry crumb cake, toffee pecan cookies, cheese biscuits, nutella cookies and so much more! The music is so chill and perfect for studying, which is what I'm NOT doing right now because I was just so inspired that I had to write a blog post. But, seriously, I highly recommend this place. I reallyyyy liked it. And there's Sam studying! The artwork behind her is amazing. The artist, Nina Boesch, made the collages out of metro cards! 

Here's her website: http://metrocardcollages.com. So MOJO is definitely on my Favorite Coffee Shops list...not that I have a list, but I could start one and MOJO would SO be on it. I recommend getting your mojo together and going to MOJO.

Jack's Stir Brew Coffee on 138 W. 10th St. also has really great coffee. It's a really cute, narrow, brick building and it's just so homey and the people are really nice. The girl behind the counter was so sweet that I told her about this blog and asked to take her picture. I got a mixed berry muffin and an apple cinnamon donut (I have no idea why I'm not like 700 lbs) and hot apple cider. I went back another time and had an apple walnut scone. I think I may have a slight addiction to apple pastries...

 This is the apple cinnamon donut:

And this is the berry muffin. Yumm it was so good. And all homemade!

The coffee is great, the people are super nice, and the pastries are deliciousssss! If it's not busy, it's a good place to study and has a large window with a view of a pretty West Village street. And if it is busy, since it probably will be because it's awesome, then it's nice to stop by for an afternoon treat. Either way, you're going to Jack's.

So I've been meaning to go to Joe Coffee for a while, and Joe the Art of Coffee on Waverly St. is a little small to go study in, but I recently discovered that there is another Joe on 9 E 13th St. that is larger and has wide tables and enough room to go study there.

I got a House Blend, which on that day happened to be a Brazilian coffee and they also have coffee from other places in the world, like Bolivia, Peru and Papua New Guinea. They bring in new coffee from different places all the time, which is awesome. And let me just tell you, the coffee I had was soo good so I can only imagine what other blends are like. I'm definitely going back to find out.

The Grey Dog. Also called The Best New York Cafe. And I didn't make that up; when you search them, it actually says that. As it should, because The Grey Dog is amazing. I know I exaggerate a lot about food because I'm obsessed, but when I say this place is amazing, I'm not the only one who thinks so. Not only is their food all homemade, but they have such a wide variety to choose from, the people who work there are so cool, and the atmosphere and feel of the cafe is awesome. I think I convert hipster when I go in there. And that's not a bad thing! I've always wanted to be more hipster. Anyway,
 I've been here numerous times and my expectations are surpassed each time. The first few times I went, I went for breakfast and they have this baked oatmeal that I just couldn't say no to so I never tried anything new until recently.

But seriously, how good does that look?! And trust me, it's life-changing. It's cooked oatmeal with raisins and then it's baked and served with warm milk and strawberries. I finish the entire thing every time, no matter how full I am (because oatmeal is very filling, but so good for you) because you know my love of oatmeal. So when I started liking coffee, I tried the hazelnut coffee here and it's so good. I feel like I'm running out of ways to say "so good". Sometimes it's the only way to describe what I'm feeling though. Because The Grey Dog (as well as all these other coffee shops) is so good. So I finally had to go at an hour after they stop serving breakfast (which is 3pm) so that I didn't order the oatmeal. So one day to reward myself after my long run (I'm training for a half marathon, yay!) I went for lunch and ordered one of their Michigan Sandwiches, which are around $10 and there's many to choose from.

I got the Granny Smith apple with turkey and brie and raspberry mustard sandwich on rye (I got it a second time on nine-grain bread). I can't even describe the explosion of tastes that occurred in my mouth. It was just (wait for it) so good. Last weekend I went to The Grey Dog twice in one day! I just HAD to. For lunch I got this same turkey sandwich and for dinner I tried the Cuban Press with pulled pork, ham, swiss, and mustard on nine-grain bread and it was just delicious. They have an endless list of sandwiches to choose from, salads, small plates, and of course let's not forget...the desserts. Their homemade muffins look so good and when I went there for breakfast with Christina, she ordered the blackberry yogurt muffin and asked for them to heat it up. It was delicious (I tried some obviously). Also, I forgot to mention, they do free coffee refills in the mornings when it's not too busy.

So I really really really want you to go to The Grey Dog. Please, don't let me down. It's on 90 University Place and they have other locations: 242 W 16th St. and 244 Mulberry St. Any location you go to, it's going to be great. So if you don't listen to anything I say (why are you reading this blog in the first place?), but please listen to me here: go to The Grey Dog!


So this is my Coffee Shop Crawl. I hope you enjoyed it and I will keep adding to this as I discover other awesome coffee shops :) Take my advice and try at least one of these places. They have good prices (because I don't just spend my money for nothing), chill music, a cool vibe, and awesomeeee food/coffee. Now...go!

Como Amo A Mi Casa

For those of you who don't understand Spanish, this blog is about the food at my house, but scroll down to the bottom where I left two Argentinean restaurant recommendations in NYC!

Esto es para mis papis porque los amo.

Mirá...a los tres años ya estaba con la lengua afuera lista para comer jaja :)

Soy una de las pocas personas de mi edad que le gusta las anchoas. A mi hermano también les gusta y él tiene 14. Nuestra mamá nos daba de comer pescado y mariscos hasta cuando eramos muy chiquitos. Lo que pasa es que nuestros papás cocinan muy bien y siempre nos malcriaron con la comida. A mi mamá le encanta hacer pescado al horno con repollitos de Bruselas...es un manjar. Mi papá es el asador. Y cuando te digo que sus asados son los mejores que he comido en toda mi vida, no estoy mintiendo. Somos argentinos así que conocemos la carne mejor que cualquiera ;) Pero te juro que la molleja, el chorizo y la entraña y otros cortes que hace son una delicia.

Bueno ya te dejé babeando, no? Solo quería explicarte por qué tengo una obsesión con la comida y si vivieras en mi casa y tuvieras la comida que tengo yo, entenderías.

En febrero volví a casa un fin de semana que tenía unas vacaciones cortas. Siempre después de ir a casa, vuelvo rodando a Nueva York. Es que no puedo parar de comer cuando voy a casa! Mis papás saben cuales son mis comidas preferidas así que siendo los santos que son, me cocinan basicamente TODO lo que me gusta. Los amo. Mi papá siempre me hace un asadito. Puede haber menos zero grados afuera pero él igual me lo hace. No porque lo obligo! Jaja no te preocupes, no soy una pendeja malcriada. Él lo hace porque lo ama. O si no le pido que me haga ñoquis caseros de batata con salsa de tomate casera. Mmmmm que suerte que tengo. También amo que me haga polenta o pastel de papas o milanesas con puré.

Mami también hace mis comidas preferidas, como tomates rellenos de arróz y atún, y cuando fui la última vez, papi estaba en Florida así que ella se encargó de darme todos los gustos. Las pizzas caseras que hace mi mamá son únicas. Ella hace masa con harina integral y otra masa con harina blana (para mi hermano) y después organiza la cocina con platos con anchoas, espinaca, tomates, aceitunas, mozzarella, salsa de tomate, ajo, y de todo más. Después cada uno amasa su propia masa y después elige que le quiere poner.

Esta era mi pizza... y no sabés la delicia que fue. Además de hacernos pizzas, mi mamá nos hizo empanadas! Como amo las empandas! Ayer estaba caminando por la calle 23 en NYC y vi una camioneta que decía empanadas. Así que fui a ver que tenían y tenían una empanada que se llamaba "the Argentine empanada" y era de carne con morrón y no se que más. Bueno, me volvi loca obviamente porque extraño tanto la comida de Argentina y de casa así que compré una y estuvo muyyy rica. La compañía de comida se llama Nuchas y no se si tienen un restorante pero he visto esta camioneta en algunas partes de NYC. También tienen alfajores Cachafaz! Me quería morirrrrr. Amo los alfajores Cachafaz pero estaban muy caros así que cuando tenga más plata, me voy a dar el gusto y comprar una caja de alfajores Cachafaz. Pero les estaba contando de las empanadas de mi mamá. Mirá que lindas que son! Estuvieron muy ricas! Tengo tanta suerte de tener tanta comida rica. Bueno, además de comer

pizza y empanadas, comimos....paella! Y encíma está no es una paella qualquiera. Está paella es casera y absolutamente deliciosa. Se hace al disco y tiene mariscos de todos tipos. Tiene mejillones, almejas, camarones, pulpo, y además de mariscos, tiene un chorizo exquisito.
Por favor, solo mirá la foto. Te hace agua a la boca. Y el único lugar donde vas a  encontrar esto es mi casa. Así que tendrás que venir en algún momento.

Bueno ya los dejo de torturar con tantas comidas ricas. Solo queda una cosa más. El postre....
Mami hace un flan casero (viste...todo casero...por eso es todo buenísimo) y te juro que es el mejor flan que he comido en mi vida. De verdad, no estoy exagerando solo por qué es mi mamá. Probé flan en muchos restaurantes ricos y buenísimos de Argentina, pero igual no hay un flan má rico que el de mami. Además comimos el flan con dulce de leche...mmm qué rico! Dulce de leche bien argentino llamado La Salamandra que viene de una zona rural a 90 km de Buenos Aires.

Así que se dan cuenta por qué me gusta y disfruto tanto la comida. Mis papis cocinan muchísimas comidas ricas y por eso ahora que no estoy vivendo en casa, sigo buscando otras comidas ricas. Si quieren probar comida argentina buena, vayan a Novecento en
343 W Broadway en SoHo.

http://www.novecento.com/

O a Estancia 460 en 460 Greenwich St. en Tribeca.

http://estancia460.com/index2.php#!/Home

And for all of you who don't speak/understand Spanish, this blog is about why I have such a love for food. I wrote about my parents' Argentinian cooking and delicious recipes. If you want to try good Argentine cuisine, go to Novecento in Soho or Estancia 460 at the addresses above. Obviously there's other Argentinean restaurants in NYC, but I've been to these two so, as an Argentinean, I can personally say that they're great.

Chau locos!

What's The Name Of The Cafe?

Cafe. It's called Cafe Cafe. I'm not kidding about the name. Now, you might say that Cafe Cafe is unoriginal, but I beg to differ. The name is simple, yet unique because most Cafe's wouldn't think of naming themselves Cafe Cafe. It's just too easy. Anyway, this charming place in the beautiful SOHO, is on 470 Broome Street. My friend Christina, a foodie in a matching jacket, found it online so we decided to go on a walk on a rainy and gloomy day and reward ourselves with Cafe Cafe. For some crazy reason I decided to give up sweets for lent, although not for religious reasons, just because I felt like it. So of course I've been craving sweets more than ever now. The baked goods at Cafe Cafe didn't help either. They are baked every morning from scratch! The muffins look like they
were made by angels. Some of the detectible muffin options are blueberry crumb, apple crumb, iced pumpkin (YUM), and much much more that I just can't even mention because it's too tempting. Another pastry that caught my eye in addition to the muffins was the pecan pie. Pies are honestly my weakness. OK that's actually a lie; every baked good is my weakness. But this pecan pie just looked SO good I can't even describe it. I also noticed a HUGE oatmeal raisin cookie, a ginger cookie, and a peanut butter cookie that all looked just so wonderful. Anyway, while I was crying on the inside wanting to order the pecan pie, I decided to distract myself from the pastries and focus on the drinks. I ordered a Chai Latte, but the coffee smelled very nice (yes I could smell it, I have super senses for food) so I was in between the latte and the Cappuccino and the Macchiato. Christina ordered coffee and she was satisfied so that's saying something because she loves her coffee. Oh and the hot chocolate is made with Belgian chocolate...just saying. This picture I took is of the downstairs part of Cafe Cafe. After getting our drinks, we went up the stairs to the top of the cafe and sat at stools connected to a bar that looked over the lower-level of the cafe. This place is so cute.

 I can't decide if I want to get breakfast or lunch next time I go. When you see the menu you will understand. For breakfast, they have bagels and organic eggs, as well as some breakfast favorites: pancakes (with fruit) and French toast (made with French brioche bread and served on yogurt). SO GOOD. And for lunch, you can create your own salad and choose from basically every salad option you desire. I just noticed that they make homemade empanadas! Empanadas are little circles of dough with meat, corn, spinach, chicken, ham & cheese, or other fillings inside that are closed up into half-moon shapes. You don't understand how much I love empanadas. My parents make the best empanadas so I always get excited when I find them at restaurants and cafes. Cafe Cafe also offers quiches, homemade soups, and sandwiches. Some of the sandwiches include chicken milanesa (ahh another Argentinean food I love!) with avocado, prosciutto and sopressata salami, and they hava special sandwich of the day Monday-Saturday. So have I convinced you to go yet? If not, then what are you doing on this blog? But seriously, Cafe Cafe is a definite must. Just go for a walk in SOHO on a rainy day and reward yourself for getting outside by getting a muffin (or anything you're in the mood for) and something to drink at Cafe Cafe.

It Sure Lured Me In

The last day of Restaurant Week two friends and I made the best last-minute decision possible. We found a restaurant near us that we could go have lunch at for the fixed price of $25. Lure was the place that truly lured us in. This classy restaurant on the corner of Mercer and Prince st. is underground and decorated to look like the inside of a boat. So clever!

The menu for restaurant week had so many delicious options, including kabocha squash soup (which I ordered), oysters on the half shell, and salmon tartar as appetizers. For the main course, I picked the roasted Atlantic salmon with apple purée and mushrooms, but other options were honey-glazed cod and a sushi combo. And let's not forget the dessert! Before I tell you the piece of heaven that I ordered, I want to show you some pictures. When I go to a restaurant I like, I go crazy with pictures!

 This is the entrance of the restaurant, which looks like you are entering the subway station, except you're not! You're actually entering into another realm of deliciousness.


And this is a window on the inside; just like a boat! It was snowing/hailing/raining/disgustingness on the day we went so we ordered a nice coffee with our desserts and that was just lovely.




Brace yourself for the next pictures because they are quite amazing...

This was Mia's appetizer, fresh shucked oysters. Mmmmmm

 This was my kabocha squash soup. I had a cold and this soup was just what I needed. Good thing I don't lose my sense of taste when I have cold.

Christina ordered the Salmon Tartare. Yeah, she's pretty classy.

This was my main course, the roasted Atlantic

salmo with mushrooms and apple purée.

Now are you ready to see what I ordered for dessert? I don't think you are.

For dessert I ordered the Apple walnut crumble...

I swear, this is food porn.

And this was Christina and Mia's dessert...warm chocolate cake with salted caramel ice cream and candied popcorn. I honestly don't know which one looks better. Food is so beautiful.

 The entire meal was absolutely amazinggg. I have such a sweet tooth (nooo, really?) that I looked forward to dessert during the appetizer and entree. This is why the dessert menu should be hidden from me until after I finish my main course because if not, I just get distracted. The apple walnut crumble was seriously a gift from heaven. My goodness it was just perfection. I was in such an apple mood (could you tell? with the apple in the soup and puree in the salmon) that day and it truly satisfied all my cravings. Now that is hard to accomplish. Actually no it's not, I'm not picky at all, it's a problem, but that's a different story. If you want fresh seafood, delectable dishes and, not to mention, mouth-watering desserts, Lure is where it's at. It is not one of my cheap finds, but it is MOST DEFINITELY worth to splurge on a little. A meal at Lure meets the value it costs and surpasses it because it is honestly incredible. So treat yourself to an unforgettable meal. Or just have your boyfriend/hubby take you ;) 142 Mercer St.
 
P.S: I took all the pictures in this blog, but this is Lure's tumblr if you want to see the menu and more pictures: http://lurefishbar.tumblr.com/

Ramen Is The Best Comfort Food

So I crossed one of my list! I went to Ramen Takumi on 90 University Place with a fellow foodie friend convinced me to go last week and it's a good thing she did. I was sick and feeling kinda ehh but the Curry Ramen (#9 on the menu) not only cleared my sinuses, it was also just so delicious! And it wasn't just the food that made this place great. We walked in on a Friday night with no reservations and were instantly seated even though it was busy. The waiter was so cute and enthusiastic and he helped us decide what to order because, let's be honest, when is it EVER easy to choose what to order when EVERYTHING looks so tempting? Christina got octopus, vegetable tempura, and miso soup. It was my first time trying curry and I loved it...shocker! (not)
It literally took 6 minutes for us to get our food. I looked at the time as my stomach grumbled and next thing I knew I had this amazing plate of ramen in front of me. The octopus that Christina ordered was obviously fresh and my ramen was warm and delicious. Such a quick easy dinner and a wonderful experience with a friend.

The restaurant is quaint and has a nice, homey feeling with very authentic cooking and good people. I truly recommend it if you like ramen (and if you don't, what's wrong with you?) or seafood (again, who doesn't like seafood?) and other traditional Japanese foods like spicy miso soup. It's cheap too. Our bill was under $20 and we just kept ordering more and more small plates. So no excuses. This one is a must. And just look at how cute it is inside!

Here is some more food to make you hungry!

 

Octopus

 Vegetable Tempura

How can you resist? It look so tempting, right? You should probably just go right now. Oh and they don't have an official website so you're just gonna have to go to the restaurant itself and try it :)

More Than Just Cookies

If you comment on any of my posts, I'll buy you a cookie. I'm not kidding. Unless you're a creep. Then I'm not going to buy you a cookie. But if I like you I will take you to Rocco's Pasticceria. Now, if you've ever been to this bakery, you understand why this is such a good offer. It's amazingggg.

Am I right?! Of course I'm right. Just look at this delicious assortment of cookies. Beyond the cookies are more baked wonders. You can select from an abundance of cakes, gelato, mousse, pies, lobster tails and of course CANNOLIS. They make the cannoli creams every day and fill the shell right in front of you when you order. Mmmmm sounds so good. Next time I go, I'm getting a cannoli. I really shouldn't write these posts so late at night because I just get hungry. Anyway, the first time I stepped in Rocco's Pasticceria was with my Finding NYC class. I think our professor only took us inside so we could salivate because he let us look at the pastries for a good five minutes and then didn't give us time to order anything because we had other places to visit. It was torture!! So I just HAD to go back on my own time. So last October I went and ordered a Marshmallow brownie cookie. I honestly didn't even pass the cookie section so I didn't realize how many other things I could choose from. But I'm a sucker for cookies. And, trust me, it was one GOOD cookie. Still, when I go back to 243 Bleecker St. I might get the chocolate eclair, the chocolate lovers mousse, the turtle cheesecake, or tiramisu. You know what? I'm going to order a black & white cannoli, which is hand-dipped in white & milk chocolate. Ahhhh! I can't wait to go back. While I indulge in the world-famous cannoli, I plan on ordering a butterscotch hot chocolate. And no you did NOT just read that wrong. They actually make butterscotch hot chocolate, in addition to caramel, white chocolate, peppermint, and even a butterscotch white hot chocolate! This place has been on Bleecker Street since 1974 and is now run by Rocco's children. It opens at 7:30am every day and closes at midnight or later. What a hard-working family :) The prices are as awesome as the pastries. The large cookie I got was $3.00 and the famous cannolis are $4.25 at the most. The cake and pie slices all cost under $7.00. Actually everything on the menu is UNDER $7.00. As Chandler would say, could this bakery BE any better? And if you don't understand the reference to Friends, then just leave.... Nah I'm kidding you can stay. But you HAVE to go and eat/drink these authentic Italian treats. And yes, I am forcing you.

http://pasticceriarocco.com/

I Needed To Start A List

These past few days have been so busy that I haven't had time to post about some other places I've eaten at. I spent all of Saturday outside and while I walked from Chelsea down to Greenwich Village, I scouted for new cafes and restaurants that I want to try. I decided I needed to start a list because if not I'm just going to forget everywhere I want to go!

Doughboy Bake Shop- 435 Hudson St.

The Meatball Shop

Li-Lac Chocolates- 40 8th Ave 

French Roast- 78 W 11th St.
Magnolia Bakery- 401 Bleecker St.
Momofuku Noodle Bar- 171 1st Ave
L'Artusi- 228 W 10th St.
Vive La Crepe- University Place
Ramen Takumi- 90 University Place
MUD- 307 E 9th St
Il Laboratorio Gelato- 188 Ludlow St.
Saigon Market- 93 University Place
Village Taverna- 81 University Place
Mission Chinese Food- 154 Orchard St.
Clinton Street Bakery- 4 Clinton St.
Max Brenner- 841 Broadway
Eataly- 200 5th Ave
Balthazar- 80 Spring St.
Otto- 1 5th Ave
Sweetery NYC truck- usually on W. 4th St.
Murray's Cheese- 254 Bleecker St.
City Bakery- W 18th St
Ruben's Empanadas- 505 Broome St.
Di Fiore Marquet- 15 E 12th St.
Joe Coffee- 141 Waverly Place
Tertulia- 359 6th Ave
Caffe Vivaldi- 32 Jones St.
La Isla- 104 Washington St, Hoboken, NJ (I've heard great things about this Cuban Restaurant's breakfast, particularly Omar's French Toast and Hoboken is so nice!)
SEA- 835 Washington St.
Camaje Bistro & Lounge- 85 Macdougal St.
Jack Stir Brew- 138 W 10th St.
Havana Alma de Cuba- 94 Christopher St.
Mary's Fish Camp- 64 Charles St.
Marie Belle- 484 Broome St.
sNice Cafe- 45 8th Avenue
Chocolate Bar- 19 8th Avenue
Bee's Knees Baking Co.- 113 W 10th St.
Taboonette- E 12th St
Mamoun's Falafel- 119 Macdougal St.
Risotto Bar- 270 Bleecker St.
Murray's Cheese Bar- 268 Bleecker St.
Ayza (Chocolate wine bar)- 1 7th Ave
Do Hwa (Korean)- 55 Carmine St
Market Table- 54 Carmine St.
Berimbau (Brazilian)- 43 Carmine St.
Cafe Blossom- 41 Carmine St.
Prodigy Coffee- 33 Carmine St.
Sushi Samba- 87 7th Ave.
Grano Trattoria- 21 Greenwich Ave.
Perla- 24 Minetta Ln.
Zucca- 95 7th Ave.
La Bonbonniere- 28 8th Ave.
Murray's Bagels- 500 Avenue of the Americas
Birdbath Neighborhood Green Bakery- 160 Prince St.
La Churreria- 284 Mulberry St.
Ovenly- 31 Greenpoint Ave, Brooklyn
Aska- Kinfolk Studies 90 Wythe Ave, Brooklyn
Pok Pok NY- 127 Columbia St, Brooklyn
Mile End Deli- 53 Bond St.
Milk & Cookies Bakery- 19 Commerce St.
Hanjan- 36 W 26th St.
Home Restaurant- 20 Cornelia St.
MOJO Coffee- 128 Charles St.
Westville




This is a work in progress and since I'm going to keep passing and hearing about so many good places, I'll just add them to the list! If you have any recommendations, PLEASE comment and let me know! Us foodies need to stick together!

When It's OK To Stuff Your Face

I love food. Of course you already know that, but seriously, I'm not picky at all and I'm not afraid to try different cuisines. Blue cheese, cucumbers, and kiwis are the only three foods that I can honestly say I don't like. So when my friend told me about this place called Veselka, I was curious to try Ukrainian food. It was a very spontaneous decision that we made around 3 am after Salsa dancing. We were looking for a 24-hour breakfast place and we couldn't have picked a better place than Veselka. The place was packed! It's obviously very popular, even at 3 am. I took this picture of the wall because it encouraged me to stuff my face.

While some people were gorging down the Ukrainian Meatball Hero sandwich, with mushroom gravy and sauerkraut on a challah bagel, and the Baczynski, which is polish ham with Ukrainian salami, podlaski cheese, and pickled vegetable relish on potato bread, I settled on pancakes. The pancakes are made from scratch! So, because of my love for Jack Johnson, I ordered banana pancakes. If you haven't noticed, breakfast food is my favorite and these pancakes were sooo good. They also have Ukrainian-style crepes called blintzes and buttermilk waffles made from scratch. And challah french toast! Yummmm! And of course, how could I forget oatmeal? Old-fashioned and slow cooked with milk. I have yet to try it but when I go back I'll order oatmeal with a warm mixed berry compote or a crunchy vanilla topping for $6.50. Breakfast food isn't all, however. Homemade soups, such as the Ukrainian borscht, and sandwiches among other specials are offered. Everything on the menu is so tempting that you're not going to be able to make up your mind. Oh and burgers! They have a traditional lamb & feta burger and appetizing Ukrainian specials like grilled kielbasa, goulash, beef stroganoff. I definitely have to go back. Comment on this and we'll go together! Either way, promise me you will go to Veselka. Traditional Ukranian soul food in the East Village, 144 Second Ave at the corner of 9th street. Grab your coat, gloves, a hat and go!

What's A Knish?

Last semester I took a class called Finding NYC where one of my assignments was to go to a NYC food place that contains a lot of history. So on 137 East Houston Street on the Lower East Side, a small place called The Original Yonah Schimmel Knishery exists and has been there since 1910. This small, cozy place only has seven tables and smells like freshly baked dough and potatoes. Yum!  Yet, do you know what a knish even is? Because I had no idea before I went and I had never tried a knish until I visited this knishery, but let me just tell you, there probably isn't a better place to try your first knish. Yonah Schimmel's offers all different kinds of knishes, including blueberry with cheese, apple strudel, and even cabbage. However, the difficult decision is whether to order a sweet knish, like a dessert, or a salty one, like the more original knishes. The menu explains that a knish is a snack food from Eastern Europe that was made popular in North America by Jewish immigrants. A knish is baked, never fried (healthy!) and it contains the filling of your choice. Oh and Yonah Schimmel’s is the oldest Knishery in America! Isn't that interesting? The menu also taught me that most traditional knishes have fillings made of mashed potato, onions, kasha, or cheese. Yonah Schimmel's menu includes all these options, in addition to more modern knishes made with sweet potato, fruit, broccoli, spinach, and jalapeño fillings. One knish is less than $5! The menu even has the recipe for how to make your own knish at home! I'm not going to tell you the recipe, however, because I encourage you to visit Yonah's Schimmery, try a knish, fall in love with it, and then write down the recipe yourself.

I finally decided on the spinach knish. On the walls, pictures and newspaper articles hang and have headings that say, “Lucky City Dwellers Know Their Knishes” and “New Twists on the Knish Tradition” and “A Knish Giant Celebrates 100 Years.” Obviously, the public adores this knish place and it has a great reputation. So go! See for yourself! People also sent the knishery postcards that are also on the walls and say, “Best Knish Ever” and “The knishes are AMAZING”. Praise the knish!

The last thing I noticed during my visit was especially remarkable. At the end of each of the tables lies a journal that says  “Memories in Yonah Schimmel Knishery” on the cover. I flipped through it and read entries in English, French, Spanish, and even Swedish. Ok I couldn't exactly understand the  entries in Swedish, but I can tell you that people from all over the world visit this place. One of the entries from 2009 says that he (the person who wrote the entry) started coming to the Yonah Schimmel Knishery in 1980 and loves it just as much every time he returns now. The journal is completely filled up with comments, but I managed to squeeze in a little comment at the end and I wrote, “Just had my first knish and it was delicious! Thank you, I will be back!” and signed my name. I'm telling you, go visit The Original Yonah Schimmel Knishery. I promise, if you like dough and fillings and just food in general (which you should because if not why are you on my blog?) you will enjoy a knish. I know that I will go again to try perhaps the sweet potato or maybe the blueberry cheese knish. And just remember, in the words of the knishery itself:

P.S: I forgot to take pictures while I was there (I know, how could I?!) so the picture of the spinach knish is from Google so don't give me credit for it. Don't worry, next time I'll take a picture myself ;)

P.P.S: I saw some people eating the knish with mustard on it. I guess that's common. Well, I'm not a very big mustard fan but if you are, go for it!