New York adventures

I was recently in New York for a legal technology conference and took the opportunity to visit for a day or so with my friend Chris, who is a man about town with the foodstuffs on offer in the Big Apple. He lives in Brooklyn and picked me up at the airport (making me feel like a movie star), because he is awesome. Soon after dropping off my gear at his place, we headed for the subway for a wild ride to our first stop on my New York food adventure: Bark Hot Dogs in Park Slope. Delicious dogs accompanied by disco fries and white birch beer (which I'm going to describe as a cross between wintergreen Life Savers and root beer - so not sure I'll ever order it again).

Very delicious, all natural etc. I had the classic NYC dog with sweet and sour onions and mustard. In the back is Chris' pickle dog. The food was great and I was particularly amused by the nine-year-old-going-on-25 little girl who sat beside me. She was interested in my opinions regarding the food and the beverages. Obviously I'm so very pretty and smart that everything I said to her needed to be repeated with great gravitas to her father. There is no doubt that I am a role model on the hot dog eating front, send your children.

 After hot dogs, we ambled around a bit to the Ample Hills Creamery for some of the best ice cream I've ever had. And I have had a lot of ice cream. I was tempted by the Mexican hot chocolate because I'm that way but in the end chose the salted crack caramel. Fantastic. The best part is that you get to make a very informed decision on what you're going to order because they let you try everything in the place, especially on a late January day when it's not exactly lineups around the corner in there. Not to mention, the store is crazy cute.

Now there are few things I enjoy more than street food and in Toronto, we do not have a good variety, so non-stationary food vendors were on the agenda as well. For dinner (before contra dancing!), Chris hunted down the Kimchi Taco Truck, which combined my love of food on the go with Mexican flair. Now in Manhattan, we grabbed our bags of deliciousness and walked up to Union Square to eat on a park bench on a very warm January night. I had a combo of the grilled Korean bbq short rib taco and the pulled chicken taco. Woah! Those short rib tacos were out of this world!!

The next day Chris invited me to join him and a group of friends for dim sum at a local Brooklyn restaurant (which I can't remember the name of) and it too was spectacular. We arrived early in order to get a table, which when we left through a horde of waiting and hungry diners, I understood. There were about eight of us, so we ordered many delicious things to share. It's a good number of people because it lets you try many things but you don't have to have a lot of anything. So a couple of dishes stood out, one was chicken feet, which was the only thing I was not brave enough to eat but was the choice of the birthday boy for whom we were gathered to celebrate. While the feet were not my favourite dish of the weekend, they did come out as the best photo.

I did however take a chance on the jellyfish dish as I'd never eaten it and all the rest of the food was pretty excellent so I figured this was as good a time as any. It was tasty although the texture was a bit more rubbery than I enjoy. There was also some octopus mixed in with the dish and it was all good.

So overall, probably my best-ever dim sum experience. And it was followed by a bit of Chinese new year celebrations on the street, which were enjoyable and left me with glittery bits in my hair until well into the following morning when I finally got to bed!

I left Chris on Sunday afternoon and headed to Midtown to check into the hotel and get into a work state of mind. That night I met a lawyer friend and some of her colleagues and ended up having a really fun time dancing the entire night away. Her flight was delayed and my plans for a swishy Mexican place in Chelsea didn't work out but my favourite Times Square-area standby Virgil's barbecue was called up to the plate and didn't disappoint. From the gang who had never eaten bbq before, there were smiles all around. That's the way they roll at Virgil's. Good, solid bbq that you just can't get in Toronto.

After dinner there was much dancing and carousing and when we finally got back to our hotel in the 3:30 a.m. range, my companions were hungry. So off to Ray's Pizza for some pie. Not the greatest but it hit the spot and allowed us the chance to have a meaningful conversation about health care policy with a lovely man from Seattle.

On the Monday night, I went out with one of my fellow editors and her sisters who had come down for a little r&r. We ended up at a tapas restaurant near 42nd and 8th. Nothing spectacular but a big selection of tapas and a very enjoyable variety of sangrias. A fun night out with new people, can't beat that! (bad pic taken with ye olde BlackBerry). The hit of the evening, I would hazard, were the dates wrapped in bacon. They just work.

Over the course of the next few days, ate quite a bit just around the hotel. The usual oatemeal for breakfast at the Astro Diner at 55th and 6th, which I always try to do when I'm at this conference. Had an excellent Chipotle burrito bowl (fast and convenient) and tried this odd French restaurant/sushi bar mashup Rue 57 again and had a fairly spectacular chicken pot pie.

Now all over Manhattan are these halal food carts that serve up gyros and chicken and the like. Apparently the one that is at the corner of 53rd and 6th is the most awesome. There is always a line up there, particularly late at night on the weekends after the bars close. It's quite a sight. So as I was wrapping up the trip, I decided to have my final lunch at the cart. It is a giant plate of happiness (with a Diet Coke) for $7. Underneath all that delicious white sauce there's a mouthwatering blend of lamb gyros, chicken, rice and salad. Enough food to keep you going for the whole day. Just bring breath mints because there's a big garlic punch.

So long and thanks for all the eats!

'WichCraft Gets Ya Every Time.

It's really not the rhythm that's going to get you, it's Tom Colicchio.

Yes, that's right. Evil Tom Colicchio. We're harmlessly, wheatlessly walking through the streets of Manhattan and G spots the 'WichCraft logo and of course we have to stop. And never mind that it's all crazy expensive, I can't afford the steak house so it's a 'wich for me.

I look at the menu and settle immediately on the no-brainer, meatloaf sandwich. AND OH MY GOODNESS WAS IT FANTASTICALLY COSMICALLY DELICIOUS! Meatloaf with gooey cheese... no really, look...


With very crisp bacon and my all-time fave condiment, tomato relish. Be still my rapidly beating heart. It was so amazing. The sandwich was warm but not crazy hot, the bread was a bit too thick, but the meatloaf was amazingly tender but firm, holding up well to the sloppiness of the relish and cheese. The bacon was very crisp and salty, really ideal bacon.

It was great, though honestly, this sandwich could have fed two people. It was my morning snack! (You can see why I gained ten pounds while I was gone. Thank heavens for the Wii EA Active for getting me out of bed and pumping some sort of iron.)

The Carbs Won Big.

So yeah, the Shake Shack killed me. It forced wheat down my throat and made me totally crave even more wheat. And once it's out the window, the window gets slammed shut with my will-power looking in like a whiner. So forgive this next meal...

We met up with our friend C (so nice to see him and his Buffy/Edward shirt... my peeps!), and went on a walking tour of the Lower East Side. My stomach was GRUMBLING and I was starving. My good g-free intentions were no match for C's restaurant choice. It had, he said, an amazing mac n cheese. So yes, I had to have it. With a side of fries. My arteries are still clogged....


Wow. My heart was racing and I was already feeling guilty about the stomach upset to come...but then the innards called out, and I was hooked...


Goodbye guilt!!!

Oh, and those fries???


YES! They were so crispy and well done. I absolutely loved them. Yum!!! Go C! Thanks for a great day!!! You rule!

Eating by the Water.

After heading out to the South Seaport in New York City, we had no idea what we were going to eat but knew we needed to grab some lunch. We wer starving!!

I have this weird issue with restaurants. I don't want to eat at chains as a general rule, but I am always leary of places I haven't heard of. It's an issue. So at the Seaport, we were walking around looking at the shops and the restaurants and decided to go to this Latin restaurant that had decent (read: cheap!) lunch specials.

We walked in and were seated straight-away on the patio overlooking the water. It was quite windy which made it slightly cold, but it was really a beautiful sunny day so I didn't mind at all.

First up, drinks for a vacationy Friday by the water!

G had a pina colada...


And I ordered a mojito...


My mojito was nothing but alcohol so I would take a sip and then let the ice melt for a bit, then take a sip. Sad to say, not being a big boozer, I did not get through even half of this delicious drink!

The specials were basically a soup or salad starter and a large plate of meat with rice and beans. Sounds good to me!

First up, we both had the gazpacho.


This was crazy garlicky. I am not a huge fan of gazpacho as a general rule. 1) it's cold and I don't particularly care for cold food. 2) It often tastes like a bowl of salsa, and really, I don't need to eat a bowl of salsa with a spoon. Give me chips or give me death, or something. But this was actually pretty refreshing. It was very fresh tasting and was a nice way to start the meal.

Following this, our mains came. G had ordered the chimichurri beef with no beans (she can't eat legumes of any sort any more) and when they sait it down, the smell was amazing.


The beef was pretty thin and very savory with an amazing sauce that G mixed in with everything. The onions were slightly pickled and really delicious.

I ordered the slightly less glamorous but very delicious chicken.


It was pretty plain, a grilled chicken breast or two with a slightly smokey chili sauce and a pyramid of rice. I also got beans, but wanted the pinto beans over the black beans. I mean, really, pinto beans slowly cooked with chorizo and onion over regular old black beans for the EXACT SAME PRICE. Don't waste my time with the black beans!!!


Yum!!

The chicken was a bit dry (which I quite like sometimes) and the beans added a nice smokey flavour. Really delicious.

We were quite full after this delightful meal and were well prepared for our continued walk around the city! I highly recommend this place for a cheap delicious lunch, it's on the top floor of the seaport shopping centre. I don't remember what it was called...

Mesa Grill.

G and I celebrated her birthday with dinner at the Mesa Grill. Straight away, let me say that I am not a fan of Bobby Flay. I think he's really smarmy and not in any way my favorite chef on the tv food network. But when planning our trip to NY, we had to agree that despite our great non-love for Mr. Flay, we have both always been impressed by the food he cooks, so we made the reservation and showed up on time for dinner.

We had a few rough patches initially. There was a table that was right in the doorway, and neither of us really wanted to sit in the doorway, so when we were being seated at this table (of course), we asked to be moved. The doorperson said that it may be a few minutes before we could have another table, which I said was fine. He seemed really put out that I asked. Almost immediately, he came back over and said there was a table upstairs for us. We head up and we are now being seated in the dishwashing section. No. That's not going to work either. This isn't a cheap restaurant nor were we dressed inappropriately, so I asked to be moved. We asked the server to move us, he said he understood and would personally move us to a table that is actually in the restaurant. We ended up at a great table, and taking a few deep breaths we vowed to not let this sour the experience.

And I am glad we did.

We instantly ordered a great bottle of wine and settled back in our chairs with the menu.

First up. Creamy Wild Mushroom Grits with Poached Egg, Charred Serrano Sauce, Cotija Cheese + Blue Corn Tortilla Crisps. OMG.


The egg was BRILLIANT, the cheesey grits were sensational, the crispy chips were a nice contrast to the texture of the creamy grits and cheese. It was so amazing. Honestly, between us, it was one of the most delicious things I have ever eaten in my entire life. I could eat that every day just for the sake of eating.

G ordered an amazing starter of Crispy Squash Blossoms with Ricotta, Corn, Sweet + Hot Yellow Pepper Sauce.


It's weird because in the picture, the squash blossoms don't look so crispy, but they totally are. They were wonderful. Really flavourful and crispy.

For our main, we both ordered the same thing: Sixteen Spice Duck Breast with Carrot-Habanero Sauce + Chorizo-Goat Cheese Tamale with Thyme Butter.


It was unbelievably good. The duck was meaty and pleasantly spiced and the chorizo tamale was outrageously fantastic. The cornmeal was really moist and soft and the innards were spicy but not too hot. The sauces add a really nice element.

We shared an almost unbelievable side dish of roasted corn. I could have eaten ten of them, they were so fantastic!!!


It seems silly to say that this corn was sensational because it was just a big thing of corn with some cheese and lime, but MAN ALIVE, it was lick the plate delicious.

We were totally stuffed but had to order dessert anyway.

I was drawn to the churros. It was my bad forray into wheat, but really totally worth it (again, yeah for not being celiac and only wheat intolerant!!!)!!!


G ordered the delicious shortcake. It was so good, G was in heaven!


So, our hats off to Mr. Flay. We didn't want to love it, but we totally did!!! It was amazing food and we had a great time at the restaurant. It was such a special dinner and we were happy to spend G's big birthday together. (Awww.)

The Intrepid and a Good Bowl of Chili.

G and I got to NYC pretty early in the morning, went straight to our hotel, got to check in early, and then headed out into the city. On the agenda, cupcakes (naturally) and a visit to the USS Intrepid.

Let me jump in now to say that I have a great pride in the military. My father spent most of his life in the military and I am in absolute awe of people who give so much of themselves to protect the rest of us lazy goons. But I don't enjoy military *things* like movies, museums, books. That being said, G really wanted to go to the Intrepid, and who am I to say no?

But first, LUNCH!

Our hotel was right by Grand Central Station, so on our way to the Intrepid, we stopped into the Food Court. It was a nice little luncheon area, and I was immediately drawn to the chili store. I had the Real McCoy with a mini corn muffin and a big glass of fresh brewed iced tea.


You also go two sides, so I picked sour cream and cheese. It was a non-bean chili, just absolutely wonderful bowl of chili with crumbled up corn muffins in there. So lovely.

Off to the Intrepid!

The Intrepid was quite cool. It had a totally fantastic mess hall that was restored to its former glory.


It looked like any regular regular kitchen, really. Lots of silver, huge bowls, huge utensils, all geared up to make a meal for a large group!

After you leave there, you go on to seeing the fantastic dining area...


Neat!

And after all that excitement, I had to take a nap on the bunk beds...


Okay, I didn't really sleep, but the bunk beds were a total crack-up and I just had to lay down on it. G took a picture... We also monkeyed around in the lander...


I didn't know this little girl was, but she was in the lander with me...

G hung out on the canoe...


The big blue mat was for making it rock around!

Good times were had by all!!!

So we looked at a million different planes, a submarine, a Concorde, the flight deck of the intrepid, and crawled through a bunch of little tunnels... and we watched a movie about the Intrepid's place in history, and we both got a little weepy... it was good times.

Taking a Bite Out of Big Apple Delights.

New York City. I love going to NYC to visit, and this past four day trip was no exception. While I did fall way off my no-wheat regime (thank heavens for only being gluten intolerant!), I also got to take in some of the more virtuous gluten-free offerings.

First up, Babycakes Bakery. Of course, as an eschewer of all things wheaty, I was very familiar with the Babycakes phenom and recently bought the cookbook (and will be making my first g-free treats from it tomorrow for G's birthday!). I was so excited to be going to NY and to having the opportunity to try the bakery that we went the very first day we were there!!

For those of you who don't know, Babycakes is a vegan mostly sugar and gluten free bakery in NYC. It's received a ton of press, including winning NY's best cupcake a few years back. There have been some complaints that she uses too much spelt, etc., but she's upfront about not having celiac, etc., and I think (as someone in the same position) that you make the best you can out of the situation and her cookbook offers something for a wide-range of people suffering from a wide-range of food intolerances.

I was not disappointed. I had an idea of what was on the menu because I had read the cookbook and persued the website...and I pretty much knew what I was going to be eating long before I opened the door. And there they were... beautiful cupcakes...

Oh yes!!! YES YES YES!

In the back, we have an amazing chocolate cupcake with a wondrous vanilla frosting. So chocolatey that you could hardly stand it! But in the front. OH MY WORD FOLKS. The front cupcake was amazing. It was a carrot cake with vanilla frosting. And I could eat my weight in them. It was so amazing.

The cupcakes are light, moist, not at all crazy crumbly like the g-free cupcakes I've made. There was absolutely no weird g-free flour flavour or anything of the sort. It was all kinds of good. Delish.

So what are two girls to do after g-free cupcakes?

RICE PUDDING at RICE TO RICHES of course!!!

Yum!!!! (Terrible terrible terrible picture coming up.)


Man-made mascarpone rice pudding. I dream about this stuff. G and I shared this massive bowl of the good stuff. And then waddled our way to do some shopping. Rooster table mats and a new purse! Good times were had by all. VIVA LA NEW YORK!