Eating in NYC: Oh the Decisions!
Brooklyn Bridge Pizza from Grimaldi’s Pizzeria
There are so many good places to eat in New York City that its overwhelming. You can find anything you’re looking for. There are the New York classics, places that bring memories of other places, and entirely new dishes to discover. I’ll share what we ate and why. This shouldn’t be the only place you research NYC food. I’m sure I missed something amazing or a new place has opened. I’ll just have to discover them next time. So here are some of the places I ate in New York City and why.
Secret Food Tours
I had been on a Secret Food Tour in a different city and really enjoyed it. So we went on the Greenwich Village Food tour through them. Food tours are good because you get a little bit of a lot of classics and in the case of Secret Food Tours they are are places you probably wouldn’t find on your own. Its enough food for a meal and you get some history of the area as well. We had falafel, bagels, pizza, donuts, and a few other tasty treats. Would recommend, do again and go on other tours with them.
Grand Central Station
The hotel we stayed at was a few blocks from Grand Central Station. Not only was this convenient, for getting places, but it also has a dining concourse. We ate there for lunch our first day and most breakfasts. Tartinery was where we ate the most, their patisserie is very good. The nice thing about the dining concourse is the option to get it to go from different places and eat at one of the communal tables. Doughnut Plant had a nice variety of doughnuts from classics to new and interseting flavors. I especially enjoyed the peanut butter and blackberry jam.
Travel Tip - Get Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding at Grand Station instead of making a special trip to their flagship.
Scarpetta
As avid watchers of Food Network, we wanted to try one Food Network person’s restaurant. Since there was also a budget on this trip we decided on one very nice restaurant. Scarpetta, filled both these tasks, kind of. It, at one time, was owned by a Food Network star, but not at the time we ate there. We decided it still fit. Sarpetta had a lovely atmosphere, with darker tones, but still light filled. The food was very good. The one dish that blew me out of the water was my dessert. A marscapone panna cotta with macerated cherries, crispy milk, yogurt sorbet, and rose gelee. I don’t usually like floral tastes, but the rose gelee balanced with the milky flavors. The pop of cherry added a nice bit of tartness along with the yogurt sorbet.
The Markets
Chelsea Market - This being New York City I assumed Chelsea Market would be open later than it was. When we got there a little before 7 and had a look around we found that when we circled back to something it was closed. I would recommend coming here for lunch or an early dinner. Even though the building is open until 10pm, most places close by 7pm. We did have delicious halvah and korean fried chicken, but there were some other thing we missed out on.
Time Out Market - For a dinner in Brooklyn we went to the Time Out Market, specifically for their rooftop bar, but it started to rain. It got very crowed because of the rain, but we eventually found a place to sit. In spite of the rain, we had a nice drink and then went downstairs to pick which food stalls to eat from. I got the macaroni and cheese from Jacob’s Pickle., I was feeling childhood comfort food on a rainy evening. It was amazing!
Bao by Kaya
Pork Belly Bao and Popcorn Chicken
I love bao and since NYC has every cuisine imaginable I knew that I could find some good Taiwanese bao. Bao by Kaya did not disappoint. Their Taiwanese popcorn chicken was also delicious. The 2 baos and popcorn chicken combo is a pretty good deal. Added a milk tea, for a wonderful Taiwanese lunch.
Angelina
I first went to Angelina when I was in college. I was in Paris for a cross cultural class and my Aunt said her friend had been and it was delicious. She was right. Best hot chocolate I’ve ever had. So when I learned that Angelina had a restaurant in NYC, I had to go. The hot chocolate (which you stir whipped cream into to thin it out) was just as delicious as I remembered. I got a little excited when pouring my cup and forgot about adding the whipped cream. A dessert to go with the hot chocolate is a must. However, I would steer toward a non chocolate dessert. I love chocolate, but the first time I had Angelina’s hot chocolate I also had a chocolate tart. It was too much even for me. I love the Mont Blanc with it. Layers of light meringue, chantilly cream and chesnut cream. This is an especially fun place to go if you are on a girls trip.
Fraunces Tavern
Established in 1762, Fraunces Tavern is New York City’s oldest bar and restaurant. George Washington used it as a headquarters and famously said Farewell to a group of officers after the last British soldiers left America in December 1783. There is a nice little museum upstairs that is well worth it if you are interested in Revolutionary War history. Great historical atmosphere, topped off with scrumptious food. We had a wonderful cheese board with accompaniments and I had the fish and chips with mushy peas. It was pretty surreal to think about the fact I was eating in the same place George Washington had done the same over 200 years ago.
Worth Mentioning
Nom Wah Tea Parlor - Great Dim Sum, I especially enjoyed the scallion pancakes, roast pork bun and rice roll with fried dough.
Dominque Ansel Workshop - Dominque Ansel is known for the cronut. I didn’t want to stand in line early in the morning and would rather try the Kouign Amann anyway. So we went to the Dominque Ansel Workshop. Much less crowed with many choices for pastry, just not the cronut. I couldn’t get just one thing and ordered a cannele as well.
Tiger Sugar - Boba, but instead of having it with milk tea its just milk and a brown sugar syrup. It made a wonderful dessert.
Juniors - New York Cheesecake - enough said
