delvious

Day 6

Our last morning in New York arrived, and we had yet to get a bagel.  Since we planned to go to the American Museum of Natural History, it made sense to check out H&H Bagels and Zabar’s which are also on the Upper West Side.  You can’t get made-to-order bagels at either place, so we grabbed hot bagels from H&H and some toppings from Zabar’s.  I’m glad we improvised, because cream cheese melting from the heat of a fresh bagel with salty lox is unbeatable.

En route to the museum, we stopped by Levain Bakery for a Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookie.  One of my few regrets from the trip was not trying one of each flavor.  It was possibly the epitome of a chocolate chip cookie – it was the size of my palm, with a perfectly crisp exterior that yielded to a chewy center.  It was so good, in fact, that HC requested a Levain-esque cookie for his birthday in lieu of cake.  Levain specifically states it doesn’t give out its recipe, but links to several copycats.  I gave this recipe a try and was pleasantly pleased with the outcome.

We saved Momofuku Ssam Bar for our last lunch.  We ordered:

• A pork belly bun that was offered as a special that day.  The meat was falling-apart-tender.
• Kimchee’d apples.  These were spicy but sweet, and balanced by some crisp bacon.
• Brined mussels.  I was hesitant because the waiter warned us these were served cold, but I loved the presentation in a glass jar and the brining liquid was unexplainably addictive.
• Rice cakes in spicy sausage sauce.  The sauce was perfectly savory and the rice cakes were FRIED(!) so there was plenty of texture contrast going on.

Milk Bar is right next door, so I had to try the ice cream sampler even though we were bordering on running late to the airport.  I clearly have my priorities.  The flavors of the day were black sesame, dulce de leche, pumpkin pie, and cereal milk.  The creamy soft serve came with tastes of chocolate graham cracker crumbs and candied cornflakes.

I also splurged on four slices of pie to bring home (I honestly couldn’t choose so the only solution was to try one of each).  We ate the candy bar pie on the airplane later that night (my favorite of the bounty), and over the next several days we tried the crack pie (aptly named, and my second favorite), the grasshopper (not that memorable), and the cinnamon bun pie (only get this one if it’s fresh out of the oven – it got stale quickly).

Next Trip

Even with all that eating, I didn’t get to try everything I wanted.  Next time I will definitely eat more pizza, try the speculoos at Waffles & Dinges, see what Mario Batali has to offer at Babbo (note to self: requires advance reservations), finally try Russ & Daughters for a whitefish sandwich, and spend more time in Brooklyn at Pies ‘n’ Thighs and Four & Twenty Blackbirds.  I’ll stop here, because really the list could go on and on…

4 Comments | In: Restaurants | tags: H&H Bagels, Levain Bakery, Momofuku Milk Bar, Momofuku Ssam Bar, Zabar's. | #

Weary travelers take fewer food photos.

Day 4

Shake Shack was a bittersweet experience.  In my overzealous excitement to try the burger joint, I completely ignored the menu on the wall and ordered a cheeseburger.  Please note that you want to order a “Shake Burger” for the special sauce and the usual accoutrements – my burger came out naked on its bun aside from a slice of cheese.  To add insult to injury, HC ordered the Shake Stack – a Shake Burger plus a deep-fried, cheese-filled portobello – which he dubbed the “Cadillac of burgers.”  His lunch literally towered twice as high as mine, and I was so depressed that I didn’t even take a picture before eating.  I soon forgot my woes, because the cheeseburger really was delicious.  A few bites of the Cadillac were enough to know I’ll order that next time, lesson learned.  The fries were crispy, and I got a s’mores concrete to take with me on a walk through Central Park.

We took advantage of awesome Sunday BOGO happy hours in East Village at Destination Bar and KeyBar before heading to Caracas Arepa Bar for dinner.  We shared La Popular sampler of three arepas, each brimming with a different filling of shredded beef+plaintains, chicken+avocado, or cheese+plantains.  I do love meat, but if I had to choose a favorite I’d say the vegetarian one (La Mulata) was the tastiest.  I sure hope arepas catch on, has any one found a good place in the Bay Area?

Since it was “on the way” home (i.e. north but really not on the way in any other respect), we stopped by the 53rd and 6th Halal Cart.  There’s a vendor selling only beverages a few feet away from the halal cart, and I’ll bet he makes an easy living off all of us who overdo it on the hot sauce – it bordered on painfully spicy.

Day 5

Craving something healthy, we grabbed a refreshing strawberry raspberry thai basil smoothie at Taim.  I forgot about the healthy plan when I saw there was a sampler of traditional, harissa, and red pepper falafel.  After that marvelous snack-size taste of Taim, I hope I to get back someday to try their Sabich sandwich.

We later strolled to Chelsea Market knowing one of the restaurants there would catch our eye for lunch.  We settled on Lobster Place for an excellent tomato-based conch chowder and a lobster roll (over mayonnaised, but I suppose that is standard for most lobster rolls).  I grabbed a caramel brownie from Fat Witch Bakery (that had the perfect texture), and we enjoyed a picnic up on The High Line.  Definitely take some time to explore this unique park, which has been converted from railroad tracks that run above the city streets.

I spent a good amount of time on Yelp figuring what to eat for our last dinner in New York, and decided on Perilla.  Even though I don’t watch the show, I was interested to see what a Top Chef alum has to offer.  I ordered a fish called branzino, which was plated with an indescribable preserved lemon sauce and milk braised fennel.  HC opted for the grilled hangar steak and a side of wild mushrooms with sopresatta, shallots and thyme (possibly my favorite thing at dinner).  I also snagged a bite of a friend’s poached salmon with beet sauce, confirming that beets don’t just belong on salads – beet sauce is a good thing.

2 Comments | In: Restaurants | tags: 53rd & 6th halal cart, Caracas Arepas bar, chelsea market, fat witch bakery, lobster, new york, nyc, perilla, shake shack, taim. | #

The eating continues…

Day 2

Always in need of my morning coffee, I started out the day with a cafe con leche from Juicy Lucy Juice Bar while we walked to lunch at Katz’s Delicatessen.  HC and I shared a sizable half corned beef/half pastrami sandwich.  Hot pastrami is a weakness of mine, so I was definitely partial to that half.  We jazzed up the sandwiches with some mustard, and enjoyed the plate of housemade pickles.  Had I ordered a drink, I would have sipped the delvious celery soda common in Jewish delis.  After lunch, we walked into Russ & Daughters for a whitefish bagel, but left after realizing we were regrettably too full for a second lunch.  Next time.

That didn’t stop us from detouring to Doughnut Plant to pick up snacks to be enjoyed throughout the day.  Unable to make up my mind, I convinced HC we needed 4 doughnuts: the creme brulee (a tiny bite of heaven), the pb & blackberry jam (tasty and uniquely square shaped), the tres leches (who would have thought such an ordinary looking donut would be that amazing) and the blackout (life-changing).  These were hands-down the best “fancy” doughnuts I’ve tasted – far tastier than those at Voodoo in Portland or Psycho Donuts in San Jose, both of which seem to sell already staled donuts.

Later that afternoon, we happened to walk by a Gray’s Papaya so we shared the recession special – two hot dogs and a papaya drink.  These dogs are eaten standing up or on the go, and made for a good snack.  The lady behind us kept encouraging the hot dog maker to pile on the sauce and kraut for her, I’ll probably do the same if I ever find myself back there.

At my cousin’s recommendation, we went to a quaint Italian restaurant called Gennaro for dinner.  I loved my sausage and broccoli rabe pasta, and HC ordered some very tasty veal portabello ravioli.  I also sampled someone’s butternut squash soup (which put my recipe to shame) and a provolone broccoli pasta.  I always have room for dessert, so we indulged in some creme brulee (for the second time that day).

Day 3

Having read about the pretzel croissant at City Bakery, it was definitely a priority location on my to-try list.  I was lucky to show up right as a tray of freshly baked croissants came out of the oven.  While it was surprisingly salty, it was everything I had hoped for.  However, don’t be deceived by the gorgeous baker’s muffin – it was not very flavorful and was probably my least favorite thing from the trip (harsh, I know, but sadly something had to come in last!).

Lunch unexpectedly turned into dinner during the nearly 2 hour wait for pizza at Grimaldi’s in Brooklyn.  We were there on a Saturday, but given its reputation I’d expect that it’s always pretty crowded.  Finally seated, we ordered a half regular (tomato sauce)/half white (garlic) pizza topped with ricotta, mushrooms, olives and pepperoni.  It was delicious, but after waiting in line for that long I was ready for something life-changing.  If you do brave the wait, definitely plan to walk back to Manhattan via the Brooklyn Bridge for some awesome views.

We met up with friends for drinks at Calle Ocho, where I tried the banana lychee sangria and nibbled on homemade plantain chips.  Evidently they have an amazing sangria brunch on the weekends, but since it fills up fast it’s a good idea to make reservations if you’re going to check it out.  We headed to Greenwich Village for some nightlife, but bypassed the busier places for some seats at Vbar.  It’s a coffee shop by day and a cute candlelit wine bar by night.


Having only had two official meals that day, it was totally justifiable to join the crowd at Mamoun’s Falafel.  People line up here for a reason – the lamb sandwich and an order of $1 falafel is a perfect late-night snack.

No Comments | In: Restaurants | tags: city bakery, doughnut plant, gennaro, gray's papaya, grimaldi's, katz's, mamoun's falafel, new york, nyc. | #

Last November, HC and I were lucky enough visit New York City for six days of nearly perfect fall weather.  As much as I love the Bay Area, there is so much to do in New York and, more importantly, so much to eat!  The majority of my trip was spent on the subway en route to a dining establishment, at a dining establishment, or on Yelp deciding what to eat next.  If you do decide to sightsee between meals and will be in the city for a good amount of time, consider getting the CityPass to save some money on attraction tickets.

This is the first of four posts detailing what we ate, but if you want the short story here’s a list of my Top 6 Eats from the trip (since I couldn’t choose just 5).  In no particular order:

• Any doughnut from Doughnut Plant
• The Shake Stack from Shake Shack
• Dinner at Perilla
• The spicy rice cakes at Ssam Bar
• La Mulata arepa from Caracas
• Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookie from Levain Bakery

Thank you friends that helped me eat so much awesome food, and of course HC deserves props for being such a good hand model.  Here we go:

Day 1

Having gotten in on a red-eye, coffee was an immediate priority.  The mud mocha from MudTruck sounded intriguing, and tasted like coffee with cocoa powder.

It was also convienently parked across the street from our first lunch stop, Ippudo.  HC and I indulged in their pork buns, Akamaru Ramen and some fried chicken over rice.  All delicious, and we avoided the infamous wait for a table since we arrived at the very moment they opened their doors for lunch.

After seeing the view from the Empire State Building (tip: go in the late afternoon so you get daytime and nighttime panoramas!), we went on a pre-dinner excursion to nearby Kyochon.  The hot’n'spicy wings had a kick and the potato croquettes were our favorite, but the panko-crusted chicken tenders weren’t memorable.  Venture to the back of the first floor where you’ll find the selection of honey, garlic and jambalaya dipping sauces.

Joe’s Shanghai was my much anticipated first encounter with a soup dumpling.  We tried both varieties (I preferred the pork to the crab), some super crispy scallion cakes and an eggplant pork stirfry because I can never resist eggplant.

For dessert we not only walked around the corner to the Chinatown Ice Cream Factory for amazing black sesame and almond cookie ice cream, but down the block for some boba at Teariffic as well.

3 Comments | In: Restaurants | tags: chinatown ice cream factory, citypass, empire state building, ippudo, joe's shanghai, kyochon, mudtruck, new york, nyc, teariffic. | #

I’m going to take you on a short tour of some of the delvious treats I’ve enjoyed around the Mission in San Francisco.  Sit back, enjoy, and don’t forget wipe the drool off your chin at the end of the post.

Dynamo Donuts

As you walk down 24th Street, it’s easy to get distracted by colorful produce markets and burrito shops.  If you can keep your blinders on long enough to make it to the brown awning at 2760 24th, you will be rewarded with the perfect snack.  Dynamo Donuts offers a handful of their flavors each day, ranging from delvious Lemon Thyme and Saffron Chocolate to unusual yet mouthwatering flavors like Banana de Leche and Caramel de Sel.


Fortunately, I knew which donut I would be ordering before I was faced with the daily menu: the Maple Glazed Bacon Apple.  My friend chose a Coconut, and we walked back to a small park to enjoy the sunshine.  Texturewise, my Maple Bacon was light and soft with the crunch of the glaze and the bacon.  Tastewise, it was salty sweet perfection as with my peanut butter bacon cookies.

Humphry Slocombe

Next on my “to-eat” list was a cone from Humphry Slocombe, conveniently a few blocks away from Dynamo.  We got in long line, knowing the wait would be worthwhile.





Once we finally made it to the front of the line and got a clear look at the day’s flavors (click here for a full list of their flavors), the staff generously tolerated my sample requests:

• Blue Bottle Vietnamese Coffee – I started with this non-delvious flavor because I cannot resist Vietnamese coffee and Blue Bottle makes darn good coffee.  Incredibly tasty.
• McEvoy Olive Oil - I’ve heard good things about olive oil gelato so I’ve been curious to give it a try.  Its smooth and fruity flavor was addicting enough that a scoop nearly ended up in my bowl.
• Salt and Pepper – Since I was here for delvious reasons, I obviously had to get a taste of the peppercorn-flecked white ice cream.  The salt hit me pretty hard at first, but the flavor mellowed out to a subtly spicy sweetness that was quite pleasant.  While it was infinitely better than I could have imagined, I couldn’t have polished off a whole scoop.

I was hoping to try the famous Boccalone Prosciutto ice cream to keep with the bacon theme, but it wasn’t an option that day.  The Boccalone Lard Caramels were in stock so I picked one of those up instead.





After a few agonizing moments of decision-making, I decided on two of Humphry Slocombe’s most well-known flavors – Secret Breakfast (bourbon with cornflakes) and Jesus Juice (red wine and coke sorbet).  The bourbon in the Secret Breakfast was potent but creamy, and my mouth waters when I think about the candied cornflakes embedded within it.  It was getting to be a hot day, so the refreshing Jesus Juice hit the spot.  Wine and coke are the ingredients in a popular Spanish drink called Kalimoxto, which really should be more common in the United States.


The Boccalone caramel was not as porky as I was expecting but the bacon-y flavor was definitely present in the soft buttery brown sugary candy.





I got to snag a few more tastes from my friends’ ice creams.  I highly recommend the Balsamic Caramel and Peanut Butter Curry flavors as well.





Even though I was stuffed with sweets, I was sad to see the bottom of my bowl.  I will be standing in that Humphry Slocombe line again soon.  Very soon.


Does anyone have any great restaurant/cafe/bakery/etc suggestions for future Delvious reports?

4 Comments | In: Ice cream, Restaurants | tags: Bacon, donuts, dynamo donuts, Humphry Slocombe, Ice cream. | #