Tonkotsu Heaven @ Ippudo in New York

Ippudo was definitely one of the highlights of our weeklong stay in New York last March, yes it’s taken me a long while to finally come to this point.

Sandwich Heaven at Katz

It’s been nearly a year since we were in New York and I still haven’t written about Ippudo or Katz. Disgraceful.

Shame on me as these were the two places we really wanted to eat at, and I’m glad we did as they lived up to expectations. 

Momofuku - A lush revisit

I’m a big fan of David Chang and his Momofuku Noodle Bar, this was our second visit in a couple of years and it gave us a good reminder of why we enjoyed it here the first time.

Oddly enough we actually ordered the same two dishes as last time, and what we had was as good now as it was two years ago.

Burgers @ The Corner Bistro

I cannot remember who told me about the Corner Bistro, but whoever it was, I thank you.

The pub or bar looks nothing special on the outside but inside it is a tad dingy, and I like that, I have a thing for lived in places, I find them much more interesting than sanitised restaurants that sadly are becoming the norm these days.

Burgers Heaven @ Shake Shack

I am a devotee of Shake Shack and all they do. This for me is semi burger heaven, I wish we could have Shake Shack here in London, then I would be in heaven. I should be content with Byron or even Meat Liquor etc, but I’m not. I want Shake Shack and I want it now. I’m such a fan, I even follow them on instagram. Sad I know, maybe I should start up a “Bring Shake Shack to Blighty” campaign.

The Meatball Shop

Even though I'm a big fan of meatballs in any guise, I just don’t eat enough of them. From the slightly cumin scented Moroccan to heavily spiced Indian to the herby Italian meatballs. I love them all. So why don’t I eat more of them.

So when I came across The Meatball Shop on my research for this trip, I set aside a night for these wondrous little balls of goodness.

Burger Joint at Le Parker – A Revisit

I love this place, the trashy look of the joint adds to its appeal. The fact that it sits inside the upscale Le Parker Merdien Hotel is a true testament to the great burgers that they produce.

Lobster in a roll @ Luke's

I love short menus. I hate long menus. Long menus normally mean the dishes are brought in and normally of a lower quality than if they were cooked on site. Well that does depend on the chef of course.

Some New York Coffee Shops

I always seem to map out where I can get a good cup of coffee wherever I travel to these days.

Although on that 10 week trip through 5 Asian countries with work, a year and a half a go, I never drank such bad coffee on a regular basis before. I vowed it would never happen again.

Saying that, I remember in Chile when I asked for an espresso in a coffee shop, they gave me a tin of Nescafe and a jug of hot water to make my own. Unreal. Apparently I found out Chile is bad for coffee, where as its neighbour and/or enemy, Argentina is quite good.

New York Tales : Chelsea Market

2 years ago when we were first in New York returning from our year in Colombia, we found Chelsea Market and loved it.

It was relatively unfrequented back then, and finding somewhere to eat was not a problem. Rolls on 2 years, and all this has changed. Chelsea Market is definitely one of the more popular places to eat on this side of Manhattan.

New York Tales : Amy Ruth's in Harlem

Walking around Harlem you can see the majesty it once had, the magnificent buildings and townhouses give an inkling into its once great past and hopefully resurgent future.

It’s a shame we came to Harlem midweek and not on a weekend, as the mood was slightly subdued than what we were expecting, but this did mean we were able to get a table at the institution known as Amy Ruth’s. So not all bad.

New York Tales : The Caracas Arepa Bar

After living in Colombia for nearly a year and being married to one for over 10 years, I have come to appreciate the arepa.

I have to admit it’s not my favourite food. I find it quite bland, but that may just be the Colombian arepa. Their food is rather bland anyhows.

But the wife loves them, if she could she would eat one probably twice a day everyday. Which when she is in Colombia she does.

New York Tales : Crack Pie @ The Milk Bar

The small hole in the wall that is Momofuku’s Milk Bar in the East Village was not what we were expecting.

For some reason after eating in the noodle bar a couple of times, and seeing the other restaurants I was expecting something similar.

So the surprise of finding a small shop with some other bleary eyes people queuing for one thing and one thing only was a surprise but a good one.

New York Tales : John's Pizzeria

New Yorkers claim they have the best pizza or pie (as they call it) in the world. Well they have quite a long tradition of it, with a gentleman called Gennaro Lombardo opening the first Pizzeria in Little Italy in 1905.

We were tempted to sample the pizza’s at Lombardo’s, but for some reason we just never got round to it. As is.

As we were staying quite close to West Village, John’s Pizzeria’s name crept up when we asked the hotel staff where we could get some good pizza close by.

Foto Friday # 94

A hot dog vendor selling his all beef sausages on the streets of New York

We're in New York

Yup that's right, we are in New York for a week of eating, drinking and sightseeing, although more on the first two than the latter for me.
Maybe not the best time to go away as I've no job and not much hope of finding another, but who cares.
Live for the moment is my new motto, much to my wife's dismay.

Foto Friday # 70

Sometimes it's best to go by the restaurant rules than your own.

Foto Friday # 29

I'm sure it was also. 3 Corner Field Farmers Market close to Greenwich Village