Best Carrot Cake: The Dish

The Mr. and I decided to grab lunch at The Dish, but once it came time to order we decided to just split a slice of carrot cake. The hubs is a big carrot cake connoisseur and immediately declared it the best carrot cake ever. When I pressed him on it he admitted that it actually wasn't THE best, but that it was definitely in the top five, and it was DEFinitely the best he's had in New York. So if you're a carrot cake lover yourself, check it out.

Maxie's does Brunch to the max

I wanted a delicious Saturday brunch, my friends wanted to watch the World Cup, I thought for sure I would have to sacrifice my dreams of eggs & coffee and settle for a sports bar. Which is kind of what I thought Maxie's Bar & Grill would be, but was happily mistaken. This sidecar bar of Angelo & Maxie's Steakhouse is a perfect blend between a relaxed place to watch a game and a nice restaurant. Us gals ordered their Breakfast Sandwich Slider Sampler- eggs & cheese on mini bagels. Not anything too special taste-wise, but I loved the concept. The boys ordered the Banana Bread French Toast which has started a new obsession with the Mr. and I now have two loaves of banana bread sitting in my freezer waiting for me to experiment with some weekend morning. The comforting thing is that knowing if I fail, Maxie's Grill is right down the street.

The Wonder of Raj Mahal

We still have not had Indian food since we've lived in the city, which is especially embarrassing since we live so close to Murray (Curry) Hill. Tonight we rectified this situation and ordered in from Raj Mahal. Here's what we ate:

Coconut Samosas $2.75
Vegetable Samosas $2.75
Meat Samosas $2.75 (we really like Samosas ok?)
Garlic Naan $3.50
Chicken Tikka Masala $9.95
Sag Paneer $8.95
Rasmalai $2.50
Firni- Free!

A feast of a meal...in reality, a few meals, all for a whopping grand total of $38.40. Not too shabby and it was gooooooood. As you can see, we like us some samosas and theirs met our standards. We ordered the Tikka Masala and the Sag Paneer spicy and for once got exactly that, even a little to spicy for The Mr. Every true New Yorker has their go-to Indian take-out place, and now we finally have ours.

Not over the moon for Moonstruck Diner

Myself & The Mr found ourselves hungry and in Chelsea one morning looking for a laid back brunch spot with no wait when I remembered that Empire Diner has been on my radar for a while and was a few blocks away. So away we went, yet we arrived to find it boarded up and definitively closed. Well, looks like I missed out on trying this iconic diner. Darn. Well Moonstruck Diner is nearby and will have to fit the bill.

First thing we were struck by was of course the decor. It is quintessential USA diner in here folks and not in a fun, nostalgic 50s diner way. Faded, in need of repair, lame pastels. The menu was just as typical diner although I was impressed to find a 'Dieter's Delight' section. I will also say that it was impressive in it's extensiveness. I went for an egg white vegetarian omelette and The Mr. got the Monte Cristo breakfast sandwich. Greasy, typical diner fare. Which was our big take-away from this joint- go if you are looking for the most dinerish diner experience possible, but not for any other reason.

Cinco Estrellas para Dos Toros

One day The Mr. comes home from shooting some pool claiming that he's found his new taco joint. We had been told that it was pretty hard to find decent Mexican food in NYC, so we were both pretty excited, especially since it's just south of Union Square. It's a small walk-in taco joint with very limited seating and a pretty basic menu. The best way to get your tacos here is 'crispy' which is just the soft tortilla fried a little bit (as opposed to your normal hard shell). We got one of each- chicken, steak, and rice & beans. Each one better than the last. Perfect place to pop in for a quick taco fix and we will be doing just that again and again.

TBSP: Table for Two

This morning we discovered the perfect brunch spot. Two blocks away, no wait, super quaint (but not in a way that makes the Mr. brush it off as a 'chick joint), and yummy simple, wholesome food. They have a to-go bar full of pre-made foods, baking mixes, jams, and baked goods, but we were in a dine-in mood. I went with their granola & fruit bowl which was also served with a mini mason jar of fresh yogurt and organic honey- amazing. The Mr went for the good ole breakfast staple The Pancake. Mmmm delicious and fluffy and everything a wonderful pancake should be. We will definitely be headed back here to spend another lazy weekend morning.

Madangsui: Dang Good

Even though The Mr is half Korean, for some reason he has never had Korean BBQ. So when we were deciding what to do for dinner tonight I decided it was finally time for us to pop our Korean BBQ cherry.

The decor is going for the modern, industrial look (a la Chipotle), but winds up just looking a bit too industrial due to the flourescent lighting. The service is incredibly fast and efficient- bringing food as soon as it's ready, regardless of the order. All this adds up to a lack of atmosphere, so don't go if you are looking for a romantic date night, go for the food. We ordered the Jap-Chae, Kim-chi-Jeun (kimchi pancake), and Joo-Mool-Jeok (marinated short-rib) and were not disappointed with our first Korean BBQ experience.

Austin Edition: Texas Chili Parlor

In all my time living in Austin, I had never been to the Texas Chili Parlor. They are supposed to have one of the hottest bowls of chili in town, so we decided to go their to satisfy my need for heat.

I enjoyed the meal completely, from the laid back vibe to the friendly waitresses, but am sad to say that I did not find the chili particularly spicy. The waitress was incredibly impressed that I was eating the XXX without flinching, perhaps it just wasn't that spicy of a batch that day? Regardless, it was still a great meal.