Not quite a themed roundup of any sort but here is some more brunch exploration around the city and a return to an old favorite...
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Organic green scrambled eggs - four herb eggs, quinoa hash brown
Poached organic eggs with roasted red paper hollandaise
Mediterranean sampler - hummus, tzatziki, red pepper, za'atar pita
Shakshouka - baked organic eggs in spicy tomato sauce, spinach |
When people ask me what my favorite cuisine is, I give them a good two minute death stare while I simultaneously try to think of an answer yet no matter how many times I've encountered this situation, I can never come to a conclusion. I think I've finally figured it out though, and it may be mediterranean. Balaboosta is a Yiddish term meaning the perfect housewife, homemaker, and mother. The food was indeed the homey-comforting type but it was also the perfect amount of hearty and tasty. J, R, and I loved the delicious pita that came with the mediterranean sampler and were pleasantly surprised to see how literal they took 'herbed eggs.' Also, shakshouka has to be my favorite brunch item. This was the perfect late brunch that can cure any hangover and keep you so satisfyingly full until dinner time. I want to go back for the coconut brioche french toast!
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Fresh goat cheese with fig & walnut confit
Machego & Mexican Honey |
With an extensive lineup of restaurants scattered across the city -- from its famed sushi bar and beer garden to its bakery kitchen and market, Blue Ribbon is definitely a popular name in NYC. After reading about its expansive menu of various gourmet toasts, R and I stopped by the bakery near work to grab some 'light lunch'...or so we thought. R had the goat cheese and fig toast while I settled for the manchego and mexican honey toast. The latter was like biting into heaven for me, and the former felt the exact same way for R. Maybe I'm biased but I liked the manchego toast a bit better, just because R's choice had too much goat cheese on it. The girl behind the counter even mumbled that she gave too much goat cheese...but who even complains about getting more food? Definitely a must-try!
Clinton St. Baking Co.
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| Blueberry buttermilk pancakes, raspberry jam, chorizo omelette |
I was so excited to finally try this brunch spot because I recently became a fan of buttermilk/ricotta pancakes and this place supposedly serves crack pancakes (not actually made of crack, just in case you didn't get it...) Unfortunately, it was so, so underwhelming. At least I got to check it off my list. The pancakes were nothing to write home about (even when smothered in the warm maple butter syrup and the raspberry jam served in a huge pot). Needless to say, I'm still on the hunt for buttermilk pancakes that can rival those of Founding Farmers in DC. The same goes with the omelette. I could probably make all these myself. The sad part is whilst on the way, we walked by places like Katz's Delicatessen and Russ & Daughters, both of which are probably way better and also on my checklist.
Dhaba
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| Chicken Tikka Masal, Rotti & Mirchi Paneer (tossed with onions, bell peppper, and green chillies) |
From my experience, impromptu and desperate restaurant decisions never really turn out to be so amazing. I've had my fair share of great indian food -- from Michelle Obama's fav in DC and my dad's fav in Tokyo -- and Dhaba was just okay. It was still comforting, though. The chicken was very tender but the paneer was quite tough. I'm looking forward to trying more indian restaurants around the city, especially this one South Indian restaurant (the name escapes me) that my roommate's been telling me about.
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Linguine al pesto trapanese - housemade pesto, basil, almond, garlic, chili, pecorino
Capricciosa - mozzarella, mushrooms, prosciutto, artichokes, olives, tomato sauce |
The last time I visited Eataly--an artisanal italian food emporium directed by Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich--for a meal at 9PM with L, the wait was 2 hours, so we ditched the line and went elsewhere. This time, N and I arrived at around 4PM and were called after just 20 minutes. Score. The pasta was cooked perfectly. Contrary to what people say, the pizza is actually really good. The chewy, gooey crust and fresh mozzarella were right up my alley. This is how pizza should be -- made with quality ingredients but not overwhelmingly salty, greasy, or heavy with toppings piled high. I think the reason a lot of people say Eataly pizza is not the 'real deal' is because they compare it to the indulgent pizzas from brooklyn/the bronx or the likes of artichoke and joe's. I've never been to Naples but I have a feeling real Neapolitan pizza is the kind that is light and does not make your stomach bloat after one slice. Overall, Eataly is still a concept that never ceases to amaze me and I return time and again for its lavazza coffee (and secretly to see if I'll be lucky enough to stumble into Joe or Mario when they do visit).
Ilili
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Brussel Sprouts - fig jam , walnuts, mint yogurt, grapes
Tuna Belly - avocado mousse, barberry chutney, radish |
I am eternally craving ilili. I love ilili to no end and I honestly don't know what I'll do when I leave NYC and lose the privilege of having it within walking distance when the craving kicks in. I don't even know how many times I've eaten here and how many friends I've converted but I've found heaven in the form of ilili's brussel sprouts. Everytime I go, I make sure to try something new -- whether it be a drink or a dish -- and this time it was the tuna belly, which was extremely tasty! R and I went for lunch one day and opted for a light meal, but with the two dishes combined, it was still very filling.
And finally, one last...
Locanda Verde
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Spaghetti All' Amatriciana (pancetta and pecorino romano)
Breakfast stromboli (poached eggs, fennel sausage, spinach & stracciatella)
Hazelnut crusted french toast (sour cherries and mint)
Uovo Modenese (cotechino hash spinach and tomato hollandaise) |
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Complimentary onion bread (so yum!)
Lemon ricotta pancakes - blueberries & meyer lemon curd
Crispy whole grain waffle - strawberries, basil, mascarpone crema
Sheep's milk ricotta - truffle honey & burnt orange toast |
Locanda Verde is a discovery I thank the Gods for. I decided to bring JZ (if you're reading this, here's your special name!) here along with R, J, and Q for sunday brunch. As per usual, the sheep's milk ricotta was amazing. With every bite, just as you taste the sourness and saltiness of the dip, the sweetness of the truffle honey fills your tastebuds and takes center stage. It's mind-blowing. JZ tried a similar dish in Barbuzzo down in Philly but preferred this because of the truffle honey versus Barbuzzo's olive oil-drizzled dish. The first time I had it, the hints of orange in the toast really came out but this time it seemed to be really subtle. Another winner was the lemon ricotta pancakes -- it may have beaten Maialino's just because it was very lemon-y which means it wasn't overwhelmingly sweet. I loved it. JZ's french toast was also amazing -- it was so moist and crumbly. I also sampled a bit of J's whole grain waffle, which was very soft. I'm not a fan of waffles because they're usually tasteless and hard but this was perfect. Overall, all of locanda verde's sweets were standouts, but its savory dishes -- save for the sheep's milk ricotta!!! -- were just okay.
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