Newbie Foodies v Food

We've been watching Man v Food recently with a mix of jealousy and horror and have become fans of the adorable Adam Richman. When we found ourselves with a free afternoon off of work and no plans, we decided to make the pilgrimage to Brooklyn to visit his hometown favorites.

Stop 1: Vito's Bakery

Ok, this wasn't one of Adam's picks, we were just thirsty and needed a snack, but it was good enough that it definitely warranted a mention.

Cookie

Strufoli 

Ahhhh a classic New York Bakery full as far as the eye can see with all kinds of wonder. My personal version of heaven. They also had a deli in the back which looked good, but we got our seltzer and a cookie and were on our way, sadly without a plate of strufoli- which looked divine.

Stop 2: Brennan & Carr

Brennan and Carr

Started with our roast beef sandwich at Brennan & Carr. A good solid roast beef dip, definitely a good neighborhood favorite, but not worth going out of your way for. Enjoyed the old school wood panelling and laid back friendliness of the staff.

Stop 3: L & B Spumoni Gardens

We preferred the sicilian over the regular, but L & B Spumoni Gardens falls into the same camp as Brennan & Carr. A great pit-stop if you are in the area, but not worth going out of your way for.

Dai-oh-kay

Sushi Sashimi Combo

Gallery Roll

A friend and I were having a girly movie night and wanted to start the evening with sushi. Daioh Sushi is down the block and came with a recommendation so we figured what the heck. We wound up being indecisive, so we decided not to decide and let the sushi chef pick for us with the Sushi Sashimi Combo. We also liked the sound of the Gallery Roll of spicy white tuna and avocado topped with golden abiko and snow crab. Everything was good, the service was great, and it was your typical little sushi place decor. I am alarmed to see some negative reviews though, and given that nothing screamed 'I have to come back here', I am going to have to do some more investigation before I return. That being said, we had a very pleasant dinner with absolutely no issues.

This Pizza Ain't No Patsy

Patsy's has been our go-to pizza place since we've been living in NYC. When we lived in Gramercy, and outside of their delivery zone, we would walk the mile to pick up our pie. Now that we live in Chelsea we are thrilled to be only a few blocks away. I don't have much more to say than it is great, local New York style pizza, but I just couldn't believe that we don't have a post up for them- so here it is. We'll make sure to pull out the camera on our next visit/delivery!

Finding Glee at Klee Brasserie

Purchased a Gilt City tasting menu for 2 deal to check out neighborhood spot Klee Brasserie, the restaurant love-child of Austrian Chef Daniel Angerer and his wife Lori Mason.

The Scene 

It's a casual yet intimate space with lots of attention to small detail. Right down to curling ribbon around the extra toilet paper rolls in the restroom. I was pondering why I liked that ribbon so much, when I had a mini-epiphanyh. These little details show that this restaurant is someone's labor of love. They care about everything and no detail is too small to go unnoticed. Oh and don't be fooled by it's seemingly empty appearance, this was at 7:30pm, but when we were leaving it was starting to get quite full. Luckily, they take reservations.

Lago de Garda Cocktail & Amuse Bouche

We were immediately greeted with a Lgo de Garda signature cocktail of sweet vermouth, sparkling & grapefruit. Sparkling what I don't know, I'm just reporting what was on the menu, but it was bubbly and refreshing. The amuse bouche was mini-sandwiches with some kind of cheese filling which definitely amused our mouths.

Endive Salad & Rye Bread

Next came rye bread with lemon tamarind butter and endive salads with Italian sheep's milk cheese, pumpernickel dust, and yellow mustard-herb vinaigrette. Yes, you read that correctly- pumpernickel dust! If you look closely, those are the dark spots at 6 and 9 o'clock on the salad plate. It's a lot like fairy dust, but adds flavor magic instead of flying abilities.

Hand-Crafted Spaghetti 

The appetizer on the menu is hand-crafted spaghetti with spring peas and house-made Mangalitsa pork sausage. Obviously there was a swap out for shells, but they were still fresh and accompanied by house-made sausage so absolutely no complaints here. In fact, I tend to prefer pasta shapes that catch more sauce.

Iron Chef Fried Chicken

On to the main event. This is the Iron Chef winning  Fried Chicken with popcorn crust over potato salad (the secret ingredient was beer). What a dream come true. The reason I hate watching that show is I get so incredibly jealous that I can't taste the dishes, so I finally got my wish. Delightful!

Banana Milkshake

Little banana milkshake shot palette cleansers. Weren't cold like you would expect from a milkshake, but was a tasty interlude.

Milk Cake

We finished the night with a milk cake with toasted marshmallow topping and apple butter. Personally, I love soggy foods (I'm a donut dunker), so this was right up my ally, but The Mr wasn't as excited. Use your personal texture preference judgement before ordering this one.

Overall a really wonderful experience and another great deal from Gilt City

Introducing: Kiwi Berries!

We were out on a little shopping trip to Whole Foods when I spied an intriguing new item in the produce section: Kiwi Berries. A berry that looks and tastes like kiwi? Yep. I brought them home, washed them up, and gave em a whirl. Delicious! Sweeter than a kiwi and in a much more snack-able form, these are a winner.

Banh Mi at Co Ba

We've never had Banh Mi before and were excited to try a new food. What better place for our first experience than Co Ba in Chelsea, which Serious Eats named some of the best Banh Mi in NYC? The Mr got the Banh Mi Thit Kho (pork belly) and I ordered the Banh Mi Chay (tofu). Everything was fresh & light- from the french bread to the pickled vegetables to the slice of jalapeno on top. These sandwiches reminded me of their soup cousin Pho. Basic concept and flavors, but with top ingredients, a great meal.

Where I like to Park

Don't be confused, it's a restaurant, not a parking garage 

The Main Room

Oh how I love The Park. A couple of my coworkers and I absolutely delight in indulging here for lunch whenever one of us needs a pick-me-up. Since it is a bit pricey, we don't go here every week, but about once or month or so, we head here for a lunch hour escape. There are two main seating areas: The Main Room, pictured above, that has a couple of bamboos, a huge skylight, and traditional tables and booths and The Garden (which you can see in the background) which has real trees and patio tables and during warmer months is open to fresh air. During the winter months I prefer the indoor space since The Garden can get a bit drafty, but in warm weather The Garden just can't be beat.

I would go here just for the ambiance, so the fact that they also have delicious food bumps this place up into my *love* category. Every meal starts with a serving of their rich focaccia bread topped with onions and herbs. It's so moist itself that you don't need the olive oil, but hey, the olive oil doesn't hurt either.

Focaccia and Oil

Back: Prosciutto & Arugula Pizza
Front: Acorn Squash Salad

We usually get a serving of their Rosemary French Fries, which are incredible and I heartily recommend, but on this particular day, we were trying to be good. My coworker always gets their Prosciutto & Arugula Pizza and eats the entire thing. This is a feat to behold, since she is a small girl. There was no special occasion on this visit other than she was craving it so badly. Something about feeling like you are eating outside makes me always want their fresh soups or salads. Here is their Acorn Squash salad with Pears, Chestnuts, and Maple Champagne Vinaigrette. Light, yet seasonably appropriate for the chilly weather. 

The other great thing about this place is that it's also a pretty kickin bar at night. They also have another room called The Atrium for private events and I often find myself daydreaming about getting married in there...to The Mr again of course!