17 October 2011

My 10 Favorite Things I Ate in NYC This Weekend

This past weekend, my mama took me on a trip to New York City. You can see us in the middle picture below! My mom appreciates good food just as much as I do, so you can imagine we were in foodie heaven pretty much the whole time. It’s always hard for me to choose my food in New York, since you have limited meals/stomach space and seemingly limitless restaurant options. We did our best. The whole trip was amazing, but here are some of the edible highlights.

1. Crab Soup Dumplings from Joe’s Shanghai (middle right)
Ever since I heard about soup dumplings a couple years ago, I knew they were my food dream. Dumplings? Love. Soup? Obviously love. Combine them into one delectable bite, and you have my heart. The broth inside these babies was probably one of the best tastes I’ve ever tasted. I’ll never forget these. The company — one of my best friends from college, Taylor, and my mama — didn’t hurt, either. Taylor came all the way from Philly to hang out with us for the day. Love you, T!

2. Goat Cheese Gnocchi from Print (not pictured)
Print was our fancy-shmancy (or as I like to say, “four dollar sign”) pick. Everything we chose was a winner, but the goat cheese gnocchi was definitely the most unique thing we ordered. The gnocchi itself was goat cheese — no pasta dough at all. It was served with sauteed zucchini, squash, pea greens, cherry tomatoes, sage, and pancetta. The other highlights of this meal for me were the grilled octopus (“grilled octopus, chorizo, potatoes, olives, herb puree, lemon”) and prosciutto salad (“prosciutto, arugula, shaved parmesan, ogen melon, lemon vinaigrette,” pictured top left). Much of Print’s food is locally sourced and seasonal, which is just a bonus when you taste the food.

3. Soy Egg from Momofuko Noodle Bar (bottom left)
I didn’t know what to expect ordering a soy egg, but whatever this was, it was outstanding. Tiny chives, crispy onion, textured yolk, smoky egg white — all the best an egg has to offer and more. We also had impressive hangar steak and cured striped bass.

4. Shackburger and Shake from Shake Shack (not pictured)
I don’t know how I convinced my mom to go to Shake Shack. Burgers and shakes aren’t her idea of a nice meal. But once she tasted the rich chocolate shake, creamy pumpkin pie custard, and juicy burger, I think she understood the hype. I’m not a burger connoisseur myself, but this was the best “fast food” burger I’ve ever had, hands down.

5. Orange-Buttermilk French Toast with Maple Baked Bananas from Nice Matin (middle left)
I’m totally not a french toast person at all. I always prefer pancakes (waffles are meh to me too). But this version sounded pretty good, especially the bananas. My mom and I split this and a spicy lamb sausage scramble for brunch, and both were great. This French toast was more like dessert, and the bananas were just amazing.

6. Pork Bun from Momofuko Noodle Bar (bottom right)
This needs its own number! For whatever reason, I ended up eating a lot of pork belly on this trip. I don’t think I’ve ever had it in such abundance, and I have to say, I have no complaints. Momofuko is famous for their steamed pork buns, and these didn’t disappoint in the least. The meat seriously melted in my mouth.

7. Whitefish Salad from Barney Greengrass (bottom middle, on the bagel)
Our hosts were excited to take us to Upper West Side staple Barney Greengrass, and it definitely satisfied my smoked fish craving. I ordered a Nova salmon scramble, and we shared potato latkes and whitefish salad. Jewish soul food at its finest.

8. Lamb Tagine Casablanca from Cafe Mogadar (not pictured)
The lamb was falling off the bone, the sauce was sweet but not too sweet, and the company was perfect (Taylor and my mama again).

9. Banana Pudding from Magnolia (not pictured)
I’m going to be honest: I’m not crazy about the cupcakes from Magnolia (or cupcakes in general, really). So when we were craving dessert and in walking distance from this famous bakery, I decided to go with something a little different. I was very happy with my choice! This was my second favorite banana pudding ever (after my boyfriend’s, who really does make a MEAN banana pudding).

10. Anything eaten with my lovely BFFs and mama
Two of my best friends in the whole world, Else and Kaitlyn, live in New York. Just getting to see them was a treat. And spending time with my mom was wonderful, too. I think my favorite thing in the world is eating good food with people I love. <3