NYC: The Spotted Pig

Goddamn, I want to own this restaurant. April Bloomfield, I could kiss you. With your perfectly potted pickles and your highly addictive chicken liver toasts and your elegantly simple Pat LaFrieda burger adorned with Roquefort. Stepping into The Spotted Pig is like stepping into my dream residence, and its insanely good food is what I would aspire to cook for myself and my friends inside that home everyday.

So kitchy, so cool

Pickled baby onions, carrots, cornichons, beets

Pickled beet...
*cough* Art *cough*

The Burger: rare, juicy, creamy roquefort cheese, beautiful cross hatch there on the soft bun..perfection

The mussels paled in comparison to the burger and dessertCask-conditioned Spotted Pig Bitter (barely carbonated!)

Lemon tart with creme fraiche

BUSHWICK: Roberta's Pizza

Bushwick. Who would have thought? Some of NYC's best neapolitan style pizza, wine bars serving wines made from Corvina and Grechecco grapes, cute coffee shops, organic markets, and tortilla factories... and it's all only 20 minutes from Union Square on the L line. Who freaking knew?
Well, Bushwick, I'm sold. And I'm definitely sold on the mecca of wood-fired pizza, home grown ingredients, flawless execution, and hipster ambience that is Roberta's Pizza. Is it a craft beer garden? Is it an urban farm? Is it an awesome Italian restaurant? Not sure. Don't care. Love hanging out here. Coming back.

Yes, I'll have my Sixpoint Righteous Ale served in a jam jar, thank you

Oysters (eek I forgot what kind but they were small and sweet!) with celery granita. Perfect pairing.

The Millenium Falco: tomato, parmigiano, pork sausage, garlic, red onion, bread crumbs, basil

So good. So good. So good. So good.

The crust had a perfectly crunchy, almost burnt bottom with a chewy interior.

The English Pea: Gin, sweet pea, lime, and mint...purrfect summer cocktail

The restaurant's small backyard farm where they plant herbs and veggies to use on their pizza and in other delectable creations. [photo credit: blindtastingclub]

261 Moore Street, Brooklyn, NY (subway: L, Morgan Ave.)

NYC: Lan Zhou Handmade Noodle

This small, hole-in-the-wall Chinatown eatery- with its rundown interior and minimal seating-is exactly the kind of place that is responsible for my love affair with NYC.

Chi town - hand pulled noodlez

This man, right here, ^ he's an artist.

Fixin's: Sriracha, sweet chili, chopped vinegary collard greens, ?, vinegar

#1: Beef Noodle Soup

...with hand pulled noodles

Perfectly al dente with a nice chew. The broth is clean, and beefy, and rich, and satisfying. Accompanied by tender, thinly sliced beef and bok choy.

Boiled pork & chive dumplings

JUICY

144 E Broadway, NYC (subway: F, East Broadway)

NYC: Bluebird Coffee Shop

Double ristretto of Counter Culture espresso in my cappuccino? Yes please! Window looking out onto the tree lined corner of 1st St and 1st Ave, the sun pouring onto my copper table? How lovely! Edible Manhattan to read while enjoying my joe? Sigh...

An enchanting Lower East Side spot for serious coffee

The clientele adds to the enchanting ambience

Bluebird uses Counter Culture coffee - an organization that brings in carefully selected beans from well cared for farms around the world. The milk comes from their own herd of cows and is bottled by Battenkill Valley Creamery. Fancy!

72 East 1st Street (subway: F, V - 2nd Ave - Lower East Side)

NYC: Nicky's Vietnamese Sandwiches

L.E.S.

Classic banh mi (Vietnamese sandwich)

with pate, Vietnamese ham, roast ground pork, pickled carrots, cucumber, cilantro, and mayo on THE BEST toastiest, yummiest, most perfectest baguette

Get the Lychee drink to go with your banh mi. It's cold and refreshing. Perfect for...UN VERANO EN NUEVA YORK
*cheers*

NYC: Taim

Taim means "tasty" in Hebrew. This West Village shack brought me back to my tasty summer spent in Israel.

The slightly spicy harissa falafel. Next on the list of Taim falafel to try: roasted red pepper, then cilantro, parsley, and mint.

222 Waverly Place, NYC (subway: W. 4th street)

NYC Trucks: Wafels & Dinges

The other day while flaneur-ing down South Street Seaport in the financial district, I came across the Wafel & Dinges truck. What a find! I had heard about this truck, with its "liege" waffles and "spekuloos" spread. I must find out about this liege waffle, with its oblong shape and brioche roots and caramelized sugar exterior!, I thought. I also quickly realized I must have my waffle slathered with the Belgian graham cracker-meets-Golden Graham-flavored spread known as Spekuloos. Boy, did I order well.

The truck is decorated with black&white old time photos. Meg looks intrigued. She wants to see more!

What to choose!? What to choooose!?

dinges (a Flemish word) means "things" or "whatchamacallits" or "toppings". Flandria, on the other hand, is an bicycle company completely unrelated to this blog post.

Liege waffle with Spekuloos spread. This spread is like, something you always wanted to exist but never thought did. It is- i'm not kidding- ground up, spiced, shortbread-like cookies made into a spread. It is gooey and salty with hints of caramel and cinnamon. This is serious stuff and if you choose, you can buy it in a jar. But that, my friend, is a serious commitment and I am not liable for any resulting addiction.

Trucks can be found all over the city, click to find out multiple locayshs