Category: food

city eats

trostlsaLeave a comment
That’s one big Burrito Enchilado!

While Cassie was here we ate and then we ate, and then we ate some more. All the places we went to were super delicious, decently priced, and all over the map. One of the things I’d been looking forward to when I moved here was exploring different cuisine so not only was the weekend awesome but getting to try new restaurants made it that much better. So I figured I’d share the new wealth with all of you! Let me know if you’ve tried any of these and how you feel about them! And if you have any suggestions for other awesome spots, I’m all ears!

Carmine’s; Times Square- Family Style Italian. Need I say more? The portions are huge and the atmosphere makes you feel like you’re in your own home…..with about 100 of your family members.  The penne a la vodka is superb.
Pizza Suprema; Chelsea- You want to eat the best pizza in NYC? Well head towards Madison Square Garden and kiddie corner to that you’ll find this hole in the wall pizza place. It’s been owned by the same family for 45 years which makes it pretty legit in my book. Let me suggest the White slice.
Nomad; East Village- I actually found this spot through a Groupon deal that I didn’t end up getting to buy but the menu looked so good we just had to go anyway. The cuisine is North African and the decor certainly matches. We shared all our food (3 appetizers, 1 entree, and dessert) and had a really great experience.  The hummus was perfect and the seafood cous cous was excellent.
Mole; Upper East Side- How else would we celebrate Cinco de Mayo than having some super large portions of Mexican food(the proof is in the picture!) The place was really crowded but it was worth the wait for the delicious food that followed. Oh, and that burrito was SO good for breakfast a couple days later, no shame in my game!!! 
3 of Cups; East Village- Of course we had to go here! It’s our most favorite place so obviously we had to take my sister! It was just a glorious as ever.
Bon Apetit!

The journey is part of the experience – an expression of the seriousness of one’s intent. One doesn’t take the A train to Mecca.

trostlsaLeave a comment

I FINALLY finished another book! I had started one that I had a lot of trouble getting into. It was a tough read and as much as I was interested in the topic it just wasn’t clicking for me. So when another book came along, with a small amount of guilt, I surrendered and switched to reading it.

Over the summer I was loaned “A Cook’s Tour: Global Adventures in Extreme Cuisines” by Anthony Bourdain from one of the chefs at the hotel. He said it was a great book and thought I would really enjoy it. I’m happy to report that he was totally right.

If you like food, have a desire to travel, and don’t mind profanity, then this is a good book for you too! It’s an account of Bourdain’s adventures as he was filming his first show “A Cook’s Tour” for the Food Network. From Vietnam to Cambodia, California to Mexico, and a few other places in between, Tony (as he usually refers to himself) gives the reader a candid account of his personal feeling and opinions on the locations, the foods, and his disdain for making a t.v. show. It also gives a look into how he grew up as a boy visiting France with his family as well as his life as the chef of Les Halles in New York City.

One particular place that Tony writes about often in the book is Vietnam. I didn’t know much about Vietnam beyond what I learned in school and growing up in America I feel like that education can be somewhat skewed. So when I began to read the chapters on Vietnam I wasn’t really sure what to expect. The way Bourdain describes the food and the people and the culture…I’m hooked. Is it a tourist friendly place like Europe, not quite, but it’s certainly not the uncivilized jungle that many try to portray it as. It’s a country of people who have been through hell and back and are still growing and rebuilding. Oh and the food….sounds amazing. If I ever had the chance I think I would definitely go to Vietnam.

I can’t help but wonder if I would feel as inspired/comfortable to travel to distant lands as I do from reading this book, if I hadn’t gone to Egypt in college. Growing up (and a little still) I was an extremely picky eater. I didn’t like anything and certainly didn’t try new foods. When I went to Egypt it was like I turned into this fearless foodie who was willing to try anything and everything. It was liberating! Sure there were things that I didn’t like but there were also SO many things that I did. It was such a great experience that opened my eyes to traveling and exploring really different places.

But enough about me. Moral of the story, this book is a great read. It’s as if you’re sitting at a table across from Anthony as he regales you with the stories of his adventures. You can practically smell the food as he describes it. I will make one warning statement though. If you are a hardcore vegetarian/vegan/peta person, this book might not be for you. Although there is a chapter where Bourdain talks about his venture into raw food, there are many many more describing his deep love for all things meat. That’s just his nature.

what a silver fox

So if you love food and travel and candid reading then I think you’ll really enjoy this book. You don’t even have to be a chef or world traveler. Big thanks to Chef Brian for letting me borrow his copy….it may come back to you a little beat up but it was well enjoyed! 🙂