Eating and Drinking My Way Through New York City

Eric and I (my other BFF)

Petey and me (My new BFF)

Party at Eric’s

I got suckered into cooking dinner with Johanna and Eric for a small party they threw at Eric’s place. Jk….it was fun grocery shopping and cooking with them and they never make me feel like a third wheel J We made a taco bar with three kinds of filling, a homemade pico de gallo (by Johanna), homemade guacamole (by Eric), chipotle, beef, and fish taco filling. Good times!

BLT Burger

I had to leave NYC with a food bang….so Eric and I decided to go eat gourmet burgers at BLT Burger (which they have one in Las Vegas as well). Cute place with a big ole cow head hanging from the wall. I had the American Kobe burger which is like double the price, but honestly my beef taste buds did not quite notice the difference. Anyone think there is a huge difference in American Wagyu and good ole American ground sirloin? We shared chili cheese waffle fries and some Vidalia onion rings. Eric had the strawberry banana shake and I had the Black and White. If anyone is reading this and it thinking we are gluttonous pigs, you are correct. Whenever I am with Chang….we go big….green side always up.

My Medium Done American Kobe Burger
Eric's Burger and Onion Rings

Strawberry/Banana and Black and White Milkshakes

Momofuku Ssam, Blue Owl Bar, and Waffle Truck

My good friend Gina who used to be my drinking and eating buddy in the West LA area moved to NYC in August after getting married. So of course we had to go out and eat and drink in New York together. Gina took me to Momofuku Ssam, one of David Chang’s restaurants. The menu was quite eclectic: we had the Pork Belly Bun Sandwich, Fried Brussel Sprouts, and Spicy Pork and Rice Cake Stir-fry. Everything was yummy and had really good flavors. Definitely want to try his 2 star restaurant, the OG Momofuku next time. After dinner, we walked across the street to a cute little bar called the Blue Owl for some martinis. Then after drinks we saw a waffle truck and immediately decided to grab some dessert. We shared a chewy one and a crispy one….we both liked the chewy one. There is something about standing on the street in front of a food truck eating hot food.

Gina and I at her Midtown Apartment

Yum....chewy waffle on the streets of NYC

Gina in front of the waffle truck
Spicy Pork and Mochi

Fried Brussel Sprouts....Everything is better when it's fried!

Pork Belly Steamed Bun

Veselka Black and White Cookie (it mysteriously disappeared the next day...Eric!!!)
My two loves:)

Decibel

After a whole day of eating with my good friend Malcolm we ended up at Decibel a sake bar to meet up with Eric. Having just drunk two large beer steins, I was not only full but slightly buzzed. I got a nice and smooth sake which further the buzzed state. This was cool and dark with lots of kissing couples.

Sake at Decibel

Ippudo

While in NYC, my old high school classmate told me about Ippudo and claimed it was the best ramen she’d ever had. Being Japanese, I am a bit particular about ramen although I am no connoisseur by any means. Malcolm and I continued our eating trek and dropped by to check out this place. It must be good because when we got there, it was a 45 minute wait on a Monday night. It exceeded my expectations…probably the best ramen I’ve had in a very very long time. They specialize in Tonkotsu ramen which is a pork bone broth base. The noodles are thin and straight. I had the spicy noodle and Mac had the miso ramen. Both quite good and the broth was so good I wanted to drink the entire bowl. For a starter we had a braised pork steamed bun sandwich which was excellent and shared some chicken wings which were ok (Furaibo is better in my opinion). Then for dessert we splurged on green tea crème brulee. During the meal we chatted up the kitchen staff…two really nice girls. Mac finagled the girl into giving us some of her homemade butterscotch brownie she was eating behind the counter. I drank two big cups of beer and I was pretty buzzed, hence the redness in the photo.

Green Tea Creme Brulee
My Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen
Mac and I at Ippudo (after 2 large beers)
Mac's Miso Ramen
Fried Chicken...Japanese Style
Steamed Pork Buns (nice thumb)

Shake Shack

One day Malcolm and I kept continuously eating and drinking (lamb on rice, hamburger, beer, ramen, sake, then late night cookie at Veselka bakery). We happened to be walking around Madison Square Park and Malcolm told me about this great burger place that happens to always be crowded. But since it was a bit chilly out, there was no line. We decided to get an afternoon snack so we shared a cheeseburger and shake. I thought the burger was better than In and Out and for $4, comparable in price. Something about the bun….it was the chewiest bun I’ve ever had and the burger meat was quite flavorful and tender.

Mac and Burger
Shake Shack

Rafiqi’s Lamb on Rice

Malcolm….good ole Mac…always introducing me to the cheap but good eats of NYC. Last time he took me to a lunch cart called Rafiqi’s where they specialize in Halal food. Basically gyros type food….I had the yummy lamb on rice. Oh so good. Kind of like sliced gyros over rice, with this red and white sauce. Again with the sauces…have no idea what’s in them, but they are so damn good on the food. I remembered this time to take photos so you can see what I’m talking about. For $5, you get all this food.

Lamb on Rice
Mac in front of the Rafiqi's Lunch Truck

Rice to Riches
After the Arepas, we all stopped by a new place that serve solely rice pudding in all sorts of flavors ( coconut, cheesecake, regular, etc.). I am a lover of rice pudding, but seriously after three bites, you are pretty dang full. Of course unless your name is Eric Chang or you have a tapeworm in your system. They came in these cute plastic rice bowls that were like tupperware. For $6 a bowl, I took my bowl home with me and washed it out.
Haeli, Mac, Eric, and Niroshi
Love this sign!
OH my.....that is a lot of rice pudding (three bites and your done unless your name is Eric Chang)

Caracas Arepa Bar

Malcolm kept talking about the Venezuelan place that specialized in Arepa, a corn based bread that looks kind of like a pita which is filled with a variety of ingredients. I tried one with chorizo, grilled pepper, jalapeno, and white cheese. They had some delicious sauce in a bottle that you squeeze onto each bite. It was so delicious, I immediately started searching for an arepa place in Los Angeles (has anyone tried Coupa Café?).

www.caracasarepabar.com

My chorizo Arepa
Mac and Haeli

Niroshi

Niroshi was my classmate from high school whom I recently have become closer to. We both realized last time I was in NYC that we had so much in common, mainly crafting! This time around, Niroshi was kind enough to let me stay at her place in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Thanks Niroshi and for waking up at the crack of dawn to let me in.

Lemon Tart and Coffee French Macaroon from Thomas Keller's Bouchon
Niroshi and I in Central Park

Joe Shanghai

The soup dumplings or shao lum bao are a must eat in NYC Chinatown. Much bigger than the ones at Din Tai Fung, Joe Shanghai is always on my list of places to visit, despite its crazy long wait and ridiculous fire hazard seating. This visit, we went with a group of 9 which took awhile to seat, but allowed us to get more food. Pork, Pork/Crab dumpling, chicken fried rice, onion cake, flat noodle, fish noodle soup, scallop stir fry, and shrimp. I think I ate 6 dumplings and I was thoroughly satisfied! If you like dumplings these soup dumplings are the best.

Joe Shanghai sampler (pork dumpling, flat noodle, and onion pancake)

NYC is such an awesome place….made even better with the group of close friends I have out there (Niroshi, Eric, Malcolm, and Gina). Thanks guys for making my trip a memorable one. I hope to be back soon!