food death(s)

sometimes i take it too far.

often i get too excited for the really big, important parties and drink tequila like it's going out of style and i miss everything.

sometimes, when faced with the same 'big, important, party' feeling in terms of food, i over-do it. (cured meats, cheese platters, pate, a hot, fresh pizza pie, etc)

sometimes i just can't stop. sometimes it absolutely cannot be helped. sometimes i HAVE to keep eating because its just too good to stop. and sometimes...sometimes i over do it.

this, friends, is one such occasion.

Friday, July 9th

up bright and early for my interview that i MUST have done well at because i have follow-up on Monday!!!

im trying not to count my eggs all in one basket....before they are...hatched...or...something...BUT ahem-imfeelingverypositiveaboutitandimtotallygonnanailit.

i rewarded myself for my job-well done with back to back to back episodes of AB:NR (Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations- Indonesia, Ireland, Sweden, Ghana, Beirut) and i also spent almost 2 hours video chatting/watching Top Chef with aunt Jill, uncle Frank and Mom.

later on...

i met up with my friend Megan from college and some her friends and things got fuzzy. ladies and gentlemen, my first "too much" of something:

TEQUILA. too much. too too much.

luckily i managed to get out of Chelsea in one piece and after a very brief meet up with Garret, Cathleen and Nate it was straight to bed.

SATURDAY, July 10th

Garret, Cathleen (or Leens, as she will henceforth be referred) and I set out to watch the final game of the World Cup!!! oh. well. whoops. turns out we were a day early....

so we went to Central Park instead! it was a perfect day to walk around the park- it was warm but over-cast and gave the whole park this incredible light.

i love it there. i want to go there all the time! and i WILL live there one day. i will.


since we were already way up west there was only one place to go...

Salumeria Rosi

my mom told me about this place after seeing on, guess where, Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations. what can i say? we're big time fans...

it was on his 'food porn' episode and after seeing a clip of him chowing down cured meats and lardo i was DONE. had to go. and so we did!

i practically ran in. and as i squirmed excitedly in my seat i knew we were in for it. this is a place that takes what it does very seriously. you can tell by the almost perverse way they describe their wares. if ever there was a a sexy food it is absolutely cured Italian meats.

we ordered the the Selezione del Salumerie, which is the choice of whoever happens to be working behind the glorious counter of fatty, meaty heaven. three pieces of the following:

Il Parmacotto Our signature prosciutto cotta, or cooked ham. Delicately flavored, this boneless ham is brined for several days then cooked in steam ovens until juicy and tender.

Mortadella di Bologna finely ground, cooked pork sausage, a staple in Bologna. Rose colored, dotted with cubes of port fat. Light, yet full of flavor. With our without pistachios.

Prosciutto di Parma, the Ferrari of Italian pork products. This shiny red, hind thigh of hog, rimmed with pure white fat, is simple irresistible. Salt cured and air-dried between 18 and 36 months.

Soppressata, A coarsely ground, dry-cured sausage popular in Southern Italy. Made with lean pork fat and spices of infinite combination

Arista, Slow-roasted pork loin, seasoned with salt, pepper and various spices. The superior cut of pork certainly lives up to its name- arista, from the Greek aristos, meaning "the best".

Finocchiona, A zippy, Tuscan-style salame, seasoned with fennel or finocchio. Full of flavor, it pairs well with mild foods like the saltless bread of Tuscany.

Cacciatorino, This pocket-sized salame originated as a snack for Piemontese hunters, or cacciatori. Now popular all over Italy, recipes vary from region to region.

amazing. amazing. amazing.

we also ordered a cheese selection. yeah, why not?!

Pecorino Stagionato (Toscano), Six month old sheep's milk cheese served with carrot mostarda

Parmagiano-Reggiano Stravecchio (Emilia Romanga), Hard cow's milk cheese, aged 24 months served with balsamic reduction

Gorgonzola Dolce (Lombardia), Creamy, blue veined cow's milk cheese, served with candied walnuts


so that we didn't get scurvy, we ordered a modest salad,

Rucolo E Parmigiano, Arugula, lemon vinaigrette and shaved Parmigiano Reggiano.

oh and WINE! we also had a bottle of wine! Valpolicella Classico Superiore 2007

and finally...to top off my own 'waterloo of gluttony'....

in a whispered voice, seeming to be coming from another world....


lllaarrrddddooooo

slippery, salty strips of as far as i'm concerned, the fat of some sacred, God-like pig. there is no reason for fat from the back of a pig to taste the way lardo tastes. its magic.

sooooooo yeah. we had a pretty good time.
(on a scale of 1 to 10 how jealous are you of this meal?! im jealous just re-living it)

and to make it better, Garret, most likely drunk on pork products, cheese and the wine, offered to pay for this incredible lunch. THANK YOU GARRET. thank you thank you thank you.
amazing.


so what are you supposed to do after you've eaten incredible meats and cheeses???
why, go get more, of course!!

i took them to Zabars, aka mecca. easily one of my favorite places in the entire world. i can spend HOURS here. downstairs rows and rows and shelves and shelves filled with any cheese you can imagine, olives, breads, deli products, fish, etc etc etc and upstairs rows and rows of kitchen products for every possible dish imaginable.

sooo we went a little nuts and walked away with bags full of goodies that we couldn't even fathom eating, being so full of the previous meats and cheeses...


but that didn't stop us! no way. after a nap for them and some Anthony Bourdain for me i set up our feast...

Dry salami, truffle mousse pate, olives, cornichons, caper berries, two baguettes, grilled salmon, gazpacho,

Dutch aged gouda, french goat cheese, burrata, apricot preserves, olive oil, and of course a zabars mug.

ooooof.

it was a day of excess. and i was totally feeling it. but i pressed on. we went out to Brooklyn and had beer beer beer beer!

sure! the heaviest drink after a day of nonstop eating! yeah, you bet!

and yet....there was more!!

at the bar we went to The Woods had a taco truck out back. i haven't had ANY Mexican food out here yet because all i've heard are bad reviews so i was curious. Garret and i each got 1 carne asada taco and some chips and 'guacamole'. not bad! $3 for a taco and not too shabby. the 'guacamole' was interesting. it was basically pureed avocado, lime and spices so it was really runny and weird but at least it tasted like avocado...

i went to bed full. very full.

SUNDAY, July 11th

after only hours since my last meal (taco) i was up and eating again! Garret, Leens and i, now champion eaters, went to Clinton St. Baking Co. which we had heard sooooooo much about. amazing! wonderful! best brunch ever! usually you have to wait hours to be seated but since we live so close, they put our names in and we came back to the house and relaxed instead of waiting out front. not bad! (it still took 2 hours). but boy were we excited!! with such a reputation! I ordered the special
Asparagus Benedict with truffle hollandaise served on a buttermilk biscuit. Garret got the Southern Breakfast, two eggs, sugar cured bacon, cheese grits and fried green tomatoes. Leens got the Buttermilk Breakfast Sandwich, scrambled eggs, melted cheddar, homemade tomato jam, with hash browns and bacon.


oh, AND

we shared...

Brioche French Toast with caramelized bananas, roasted pecans and warm maple butter.
(dear lord)

meh.

i dont know what happened. maybe we ordered the wrong things? but everything just kind of...lacked flavor. lacked spice. all the components were there but something was just....not amazing about it. maybe we're jadded SF diners? maybe we had eaten such incredible food the day before? i dont know....EXCEPT the Brioche French Toast. that was pretty awesome.

i spent the rest of the day rolling around on the floor in agony. two days of INSANE eating.
too much.

TOO MUCH.

i'll spare you the details of my misery but i was unhappy. and the worst part was that i had all kinds of great food in the fridge that i just could NOT eat!! sad.

im a bit ashamed to reveal the sheer volume of food that was consumed this weekend but food that delicious needs to be shared. and as my new imaginary best friend Anthony Bourdain says, "few things are better in this world than pork skin and pork fat, as far as im concerned."

so true. but i need a break.

xo
L

tony, tony, tony

i am a woman obsessed.

(well, re-obsessed. )

i just found ALLLLL of the episodes of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations on Netflix 'Watch Instantly' and its what ive been doing all week. looking for jobs is boring. and an all-day activity. so it's nice to spice it up with Tony bitching about something in the background!

(plus, if you hadn't heard, NYC is being compared to the depths of hell in terms of heat and humidity. so i stayed directly in front of the AC- only venturing out for food within a 5 block radius)

MONDAY, July 5th

it didn't feel much like a holiday for me. a holiday from what? my job? HA! so i stayed in and
searched and searched and moped and moped and watched Paris, Iceland, New Jersey and Vietnam from season 1. (Iceland is hilarious- he eats the worst food of his life including fermented shark and lamb testicles. hilarious). the boys came home and Garret and i went to Whole Foods and made this pasta salad and got some "rotis chick"and had a lovely, summery meal. (this is the picture from the magazine- i can't take credit for this brilliant food-fotography. i forgot to take one)


TUESDAY, July 6th

guess what i did today???? YES. job hunting!!! (and watched Malaysia, Sicily, Las Vegas, Uzbekistan (another hilarious one), New Zealand, China, Miami, Peru and Osaka) at least today i ventured out to get Bahn Mi from Nickey's (less than a block away and still too far to withstand the heat) but stayed mostly inside. but speaking of holidays....

TODAY was a true holiday! a holiday i could totally get behind! a holiday worth celebrating!!

NATIONAL. FRIED. CHICKEN. DAY.

since it was too f-ing hot to get fried chicken mid-day Garret and i went to Croxley Ales, our neighborhood wing-spot to get wings. (hey they're fried!) and for 5¢! gimmeafreakinbreak! 5¢ wings Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. we'll be back. i hope you all celebrated with buckets, tenders or wings.

by the way, when i watched Osaka Tony ate Okonomiyaki (Japanese omelet type of thing) and Takoyaki (fried squid balls) and it reminded me to try and find the tiny hole-in-the-wall joint that Steph and I found 4 years ago. turns out all i had to do was search 'okonomiyaki, east village and i found it! and made it my mission to eat there asap.

WEDNESDAY, July 7th

i had a phone interview today so i needed to treat myself to some breakfast. out to Gracefully to pick up the goods...i made Poached Eggs and Toast with goat cheese, lemon and olive oil dressed greens and chives. quite a lovely meal, if i do say so myself. add an iced coffee and i was feeling prepared and relaxed.

welllllllllll

either i bombed the interview or the generic email i received stating that my "background and qualifications are not a match for (their) current needs." was the reason i didn't get it. hmm. ok.

no biggie. sigh. no, really its ok. it's really easy to get a job- i'll get one. sigh. i dont even care even at all even. sigh. its cool. siigggghhhhhh.

i walked around and sat in my new favorite place to sit, on the steps of the border of Sarah Roosevelt Park on E Houston. met up with Nate at the Sunshine Cinema and we watched The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo which was great and i totally want to read the books now.

a disappointing day followed by an intense movie put me in a weird place before bed. so, naturally, i needed Tony. i chose Quebec and watched him eat an insane meal of foie gras in every possible way it can be prepared. he refers this meal as his 'waterloo of gluttony'. the following quote about foie is why i love him:

"once you've actually eaten the stuff, enjoyed its soft, unctuous texture, its ethereally unique flavor, any concerns you might have had about daffy or donald eating too much, usually goes right out the window..."

my mom just informed me that starting in 2012, California is banning foie gras. i mean..... i GUESS i get it. but honestly, how much harder is the life of a goose or duck being force-fed for foie than that of a chicken or a cow for consumption??? probably not that much worse. it's a shame. that's all im sayin...

here's a video of the 'waterloo of gluttony'. its crazy. and awesome. but if you are still feeling a little sad for the birds...

....here is a video about how foie is made. it might make you feel worse, it might make you feel better. my opinion is that of, whatever Tony says, goes. (ya know, in terms things like the best place to eat pork, why street food is great, how to remain stick-thin by smoking like a chimney and ya know, animal cruelty)

THURSDAY, July 8th

after days of sitting at home with dirty hair feeling sorry for myself i had had enough. showered, primped, and wearing a dress i went out to Ninth St Espresso with my laptop with a positive attitude.

wow, it's that easy?! i got TWO calls from two different places i had applied to weeeeeeeks ago! yeeeeeeeeeoooooowwwwwwwww! interview tomorrow at 9:30. what to do?! well, first things first- lunch. and i had a place to go...

4 years ago, (also the last time i was in nyc) Stephanie and i came on here on our way to Europe. we wandered around, got lost, got hair cuts, and then found this GEM in the east village. Otafuku is a whole in the wall serving maybe 4 items including okonomiyaki and takoyaki. i had tried okonomiyaki with Junko, our Japanese exchange lady (she was like 25 so she wasn't really a student) and Stephanie, being the little Hapa Princess that she is was no stranger to it as well. we were stoked. and ate it on a stoop across the street. look how young and sweet we were!

naturally i wanted to re-create the entire scene when i came back today. and so i did! same dress, same stoop (although it looks like it might not have been the EXACTLY same stoop or the stoop has had some damage over the years) and close-enough to the same order. Okonomiyaki with pork and Takoyaki, squid. AND it was around this exact time of year! one week earlier, 4 years ago. unfortunately, it wasn't as good as i remembered. maybe because it was really hot and i was uncomfortable. maybe it was the whole experience in nyc with Steph that was so great. it was still fun to relive it though. i just wish she was there too!! (miss you SP!)

after, i went out and got me some interview outfits and then met up with Pete, best friends with my aunt Jill (and fellow blogger-check out hers here) from college and now a member of our family. Pete is who we alllllllll stay with when we come to NYC (including me and Steph) so "his" New York on the Upper West Side, up until recently is the only NYC i knew. we met in Midtown and had Margaritas and sent text messages to Jill in an attempt to lure her out here asap.

saucy from tequila and anxious about my interview, i went to bed at like 10pm.


oooh i bet you are just on the edge of your seats to see how it went! you'll have to wait. but it will be worth it because it will include a food extravaganza that i'm currently paying for...

xo
L

L's4WLNYC: part 3- Where Brooklyn At?!

ooowheeeeee what a weekend! nipple tassels, (or pasties as the pros call them) a Hip Hop dance party and Happy Birthday America in Brooklyn...

Lindsey's 4th Week Living in NYC (L's4WLNYC)

Part 3: Where Brooklyn AT?!

by the way, i forgot to tell you guys that after i made pasta on Friday night we went to The Jane Hotel (which is reallllllllllly cool and Nate's new favorite bar) and then over the The Standard to say what up to Rob and then Garret and i got SBP and drunkenly yapped at each other, "the thing about-ing" all the way home.

SATURDAY, July 3rd

so despite the late night elixir that Rob fed us, (some crazy whiskey and Fernet concoction) i was up at 11 and wanting to wander around. and so while G and N slept in, i went out and about.

first to Ninth St. Espresso, a place i've been meaning to try on the recommendation of Man Seeking Coffee. (thanks to Luigi for giving me the website!) finally felt at home in terms of sf standards coffee houses. (sorry NYC, you have literally everything else and more except for an abundance of great coffee places at every corner) as it's a zillion degrees i'm drinking nothing but iced coffee these days. i was also fond of the way they handled the Internet issue...

and then i wandered around. and around and around and it was just peachy! all my by myself. i got a sandwich at our local gourmet grocery store, Gracefully but only ate half because good god look at it. i would have gotten meat sweats had i finished it all...

met up with Jenny, her mom Meg and others at Le Poisson Rouge to see Rosie 151 in Strip Search 2010 to be a representative for the 2010 Toronto Burlesque festival. Rosie 151 (aka Sarah Rose) is the older sister of another high school chum, Caitie Grillo and lemme tell you...after not seeing her for maybe 10 years, it was GREAT to see her donning nipple tassels, a red wig and a thong!( but seriously, she was easily the best one that night and she was robbbbbbbbed of the title.)
burlesque!!! what fun!!

here's a video of her doing her thing at The Slipper Room in May.
Rosie 151!!! Hot! Intoxicating! 151 Proof!! yeeeowww!

onward to SouthPaw in Park Slope with Jenny for the 8th anniversary of The Rub, a dj set that is easily the best hip hop to dance to ever. good LORD!! Garret came to meet us and we D.A.N.C.E.D. hard.

(i wish i had been wearing less clothing because it was hot (and hawt) up in there and my khaki trousers were no good.)

SUCH good time. plus it's just really cool to be in a bar dancing to hip hop and shouting along with the DJ "Where Brooklyn at!? Where Brooklyn at?!" and ya know actually being in Brooklyn. also, since the bathrooms had such low lighting, Jenny and I did a Jenny & Lindsey Bathroom shot by the Foosball table instead.

SUNDAY, July 4th


what better way to start a 4th of July celebration than with dawgs? after a leisurely morning we headed back over to Brooklyn for some BBQs but stopped at Crif Dogs first. i had a Bacon-Wrapped Crif Dog with sauerkraut, mustard and jalapenos. BEST bacon-wrapped dog i've ever had. those karts in the Mission aint nothin' compared to this one. if i'm eating a bacon-wrapped treat, i want my bacon to be crispy and that is a challenge for the kart guys. not for Crif.

our first Brooklyn stop was in Williamsburg to say hello to like...everyone i went to college with!! seriously it was kind of nuts. 90% of the people at this BBQ of maybe 15 i went to college with. including my friend Brett Helms. the same week i sprained my foot, Brett got into a gnarly bike accident where he punctured his knee cap to point where it was like...falling OFF or something crazy like that. he was in the ICU for a few days and is now in a full leg cast for the rest of the summer and more. poor brett....he was in high spirits though, drinking sangria out of a bowl and playing the part of an injured war vet. im planning on bringing him a goodie basket on a visit this week. yikes.

our next BBBQ (Brooklyn BBQ) was back to Rob and Andrew's house in Bushwick. after the scorching sun and beer all day i was kind of wiped out.


PLUS...i was sad and missing my SF friends really badly. while we had fun, on holidays like the 4th of July all i want to do is hang with my people and eat and drink. make some kind of awesome pasta salad and margaritas....sigh. so i was ready to go home and mope about it. Garret came with and we got some ice cream and watched The Sure Thing and went to bed.

i even missed the fireworks.

i'm anticipating mopier, sadder days (especially once it gets cold). BUT one mopey day thrown in with a month of awesome days isn't so bad... all in all it was a pretty fun day. here are some pics:

one month in guys! ive heard that you have to live in NYC for 7 years (ive also heard 5 and 10) in order to call yourself a New Yorker. one month in and i'm on my way...

L's4WLNYC- Part 2: Pasta cheer up

after 4 days of disappointing job search results and too many dumplings, bahn mi and pizza, i had had enough. what could cheer me up and lift my low spirits??

making pasta. i LOVE making pasta. sure it takes a long time and it hurts your back and it's a huge mess (especially when i do it- flour EVERYWHERE) but it's so satisfying when you do it right! and i do it right.

Lindsey's 4th Week Living in NYC (L's4WLNYC)
Part 2: Pasta Cheer UP

FRIDAY, July 2nd

i was craving mushrooms. so, on the menu for friday was Pappardelle with Mixed Mushrooms.
i went to Whole Foods and got some morels, crimini, shitake, and wood ear (which i had never cooked before!) but first things first....the pasta.

pasta is tricky. its hard work and its often extremely frustrating and you end up wasting cups and cups of flour and dozens of eggs and often tears flow as freely as the eggs all over your counter top. thankfully, i have discovered the secret and am now a pro! here is how i do it:

start with about 3 to 4 cups of flour or semolina and mix in 1 tsp of salt. (if you're a beginner i'd start with flour since you will undoubtedly need a do-over and throwing away regular flour is not going to piss you off as much) make a pretty big well in the center- i'd say around 4 inches in diameter.

next, crack 3 to 4 eggs and into a bowl (i often use 3 eggs and 2 egg yolks) and then pour all at once into the well- CAREFUL NOT TO BREAK DOWN THE SIDES. this is the trick. this is the essential challenge.
carefully, verrrry carefully begin stirring the eggs and breaking down the yolks. as you stir, you will gradually be taking flour from the sides of the well. DO NOT try to add it from the top or sides of the well. it will just happen naturally if you stir carefully, with wider and wider stirs.

it takes a long time. and your arm will feel like its going to fall off. but stay with it. be patient because if you try to rush it and add flour from the tops or the sides of your well you WILL end up with egg all over your counter. trust.

after awhile you will have a sticky dough that can be handled. YOU WILL NOT USE ALL OF YOUR FLOUR. i repeat. YOU WILL HAVE EXTRA FLOUR!!! this is the secret. once i learned this secret it was cake.

at this point you should start sprinkling flour onto your sticky dough and start to knead, incorporating in enough flour until your dough no longer sticky but still wet enough to work with. knead for another 2 to 3 min until the dough is smooth and firm. wrap in plastic and let it sit for 20 to 30 min. (see?! see how much flour is left over!!!!?)

cut the dough in half and keep the other half covered in plastic. flatten to make a disk that will fit through the lowest setting on the pasta machine. crank the disk through, folding in half 2 to 3 times until the disk is as wide as the pasta machine. run the dough through the machine, using plenty of flour between settings if necessary until you have reached your ideal thickness. for pappardelle go to the 5th setting. (unfortunately, after 2 tries now i know that i need to stop at 5. i went to 6 and ended up with clumps of pasta sticking together.

after you've reached your thickness, if you are making pappardelle or other hand-cut pasta flour both sides generously and lay the dough out onto the counter. fold the two ends into the middle, repeating and flouring between folds. cut your pasta into the desired width. using the back of a knife, slide it under the cut
dough and carefully let the pasta fall down from the folds. since my pasta was too thin my knife was cutting it in half so i used my hand after i got my knife in there.




lay out the cut pasta individually and again, flour flour flour. if you don't flour you'll end up with a mound of dry dough and a waste of an hour. repeat with the second half.

and that's it! it's cake! i haven't tried to use the cut settings on my machine yet but i plan on it! spaghetti and linguine! you betcha. im also eager to try hand rolled pasta like penne...

for my sauce i melted some butter into olive oil and threw in a whole clove of garlic. once the garlic had browned up a bit i added the wood ear mushrooms and let them fry a bit and then added the morels, crimini, and shitake. i seasoned with salt and pepper, added some crushed red pepper, a bit of chicken stock, lemon juice and truffle oil.

the pasta cooked up quickly and after tossing with the mushrooms i added fresh thyme and pecorino romano.



fabulous.

well, sort of fabulous. this is the second time ive made this recipe and it still needs...something. i'm working on it.


xo,
L

L's4WLNYC- Part 1

my life here is so weird. granted, i have been having a lot of fun but not having a daily routine, not really being a contributing member of society (apart from this extremely popular, hugeley sucessful, captivating, stimulating and inspiring blog...) is getting really old. and so is the cafe food.

its been a frustrating week of dead ends. hours and hours of internet scouring at various coffee shops with no results. starting to get a little worried guys. starting to get a lot worried...BUT, this week i'm gonna try something new and split it up into not one, not two, but THREE different posts. short(ish) and sweet.

Lindsey's 4th Week Living in NYC (L's4WLNYC)
Part 1: these are a few of my favorite things (to eat)

MONDAY, TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY June 28th, June 29th, June 30th, July 1st

being unemployed and dejected and living in the most expensive city in the entire world (AND the most exciting in terms of food) it's important to remain positive and find ways to make even the most frustrating and sticky- hot exciting and fun-food-filled. give a warm welcome to:

Dumplings, Bahn Mi, & Pizza

these have become staples in my diet. (healthy huh? whatever, its like a million degrees and i walk everywhere. i think it evens out.) while i have sampled a number of options in all three of these categories, here i present to you my favorite of favorites: (and all within 5 blocks of my house!)

1.) Pizza. doy, you know i love it. you have read a thing or two about a particular place that still moves me almost to tears every time i eat there and ex-heart-throbs like Matt Dillon also enjoys...(South Brooklyn Pizza). however, it's important for me to mix it up a bit so that i a.) don't become a house-hold name which would be sorta cool but also sort of humiliating (im already well on my way...) b.) don't get sick of it! plus i like variety!

my other go-to spot is Two Boots (which i have also blogged about). it's not THAT good, but they have many many selections of slices to choose from which i enjoy! and many many meaty options, which i also enjoy! my favorite is the Super Newman (named after the Seinfeld character- the place doubles as a Video Rental so all the 'za's have film or tv names). The Super Newman is topped with Sopressata, sweet Italian sausage, capicola ham and ricotta. other menu options include The Dude (Cajun-bacon cheeseburger pie), The Bird (spicy buffalo wings, blue cheese dressing, scallions & jalapenos on a white pie- Garret are you reading this?????) and many many more. i'm pretty traditional when it comes to 'za so i'll stick with Italian meats (and lots of them...)


2.) Dumplings. this is a brand new cheap food option for me. i've always been a pot-sticker fan but little did i know that dumplings would have such a tremendous influence on my new New York life! i've blogged about Vanessa's Dumplings twice with glowing reviews but i have found another (and i think, better) place for a dumpling fix.

Dumpling Man is located on the very happening street, Saint Marks (also know as E 8th) and is a bit pricier than Vanessa's (6 for $3.95 instead of 6 for $1) but the Dumpling Man is a.) adorable and b.) offers me options! in addition to your basic dumpling choice (pork, shrimp, chicken, veggie and surprise (!!!) i usually always got with Pork for most dumplings) you also get to choose a sauce! the possibilities! i have only tried the Hot Monster, chili, wild pepper, garlic, green onion, rice vinegar, soy sauce and peanuts but I'm just as eager to try the other options, Cool Monster, Asian Tahini, and Green Curry. the dumplings are hot and fresh and handmade like Vanessa's but they have more substance i think. they are more exciting. more complex. great attributes for a dumpling. (they also offer sweet dumplings filled with things like bananas and pumpkin pie filling but you know how i feel about sweets.)



3.) Bahn Mi. aka The Vietnamese Sandwich. ive tried three different places: Bahn Mi Saigon (from that first week) Baoguette and finally, Nicky's Vietnamese Sandwiches, which is at the end of my block. Nicky's wins for me. ive only tried Classic Bahn Mi (Pate, Vietnamese ham, Roasted ground pork w/pickled carrots, cucumber, cintroy and mayo on warm, crusty toasted baguette) but i'm
quite happy with it. the two other places i tried were also fabulous but the ground pork was marinated or cooked in a sweet, bbq-like sauce and i just prefer the savory pork at Nicky's. i also prefer my Bahn Mi to be less than a block away! and $5. all visitors will be required to try Nicky's.(don't worry mom, the cilantro comes out easily!)


while i desperately miss Mexican food (especially Little Chihuahua) i believe i can be happy with Bahn Mi, Dumplings and Pizza as my new go-to meals. and at those prices, it's hard to not eat them everyday! (however, i've been told that eating cheap dumplings everyday for an extended period of time doesn't end pretty...)