If You Think In-N-Out is Good...

TRY FIVE GUYS BURGER!!!

During my trip to Jersey for Thanksgiving, my brother and I decided to have our own pig-out session after seeing Harry Potter. 

ATTENTION: 

5 Guys can send people in a burger induced trance.

It was that good.

First of all, that picture does not do it justice, but it is all I could do since my hands were pretty full.

So you walk into Five Guys, then you see a blackboard saying:

"Our potatoes are from ____", that day they were from Idaho. 

I love that the potatoes are fresh and real!

Then, you see barrels of peanuts surrounding the counter. 

PEANUTS!

You get to crack open some peanuts while you wait for your meal. Insane.

Then you order your burger with so many free options, such as onions, tomatoes, lettuce, etc. Some places, those toppings have a charge, just sayin'.

Then you get your amazing burger and your amazing fries and you dig in.

It was quite the experience. 

Overall:

A+ for burgers and fries.

Also, a chain, and you would never know that.

Website:

With locations near you!

www.fiveguys.com

Pasta! (November 2010)

On a chilly Thursday night, a week before Thanksgiving, my friend Emma and I decided to grab a bite after class...

We went to Bueno Sera Italian Restaurant in Union Square.

We started with an amazing salad with a strawberry vinaigrette sadly, I forgot to take a picture. 

But the main course was photo-worthy. (See above)

This dish consisted of homemade tube pasta, tomato basil sauce, cold ricotta, and fresh mozzarella and some parmesan. 

It  was absolutely perfect. 

The cold ricotta mixing with the warm tomato sauce was simply perfecto!

Overall:

A great little gem in the middle of Union Square.

Great place for people watching (we sat next to the window) and a great plate of pasta!

Website:

No website available, google it!

Ipuddo! Noodle Soup!

So Ipuddo, Japanese Noodle Soup House!

On 4th Ave at 10th Street.

Beware:

Wait was an hour, but WORTH it!

Also, you cannot take out, or bring any food home after, so GO WITH AN APPETITE! 

I went to Ipuddo with my friend Alex, also my dining buddy, and it was only 1 block from where I live! 

We started off with the Hirata buns which were steam buns filled with pork marinated in their house special sauce!!  2/$8 Pork was soooOO tender and out of this world. A must.

Alex ordered their Akamura Modern noodle soup which is what all of the  foodies in the world rave about, including people on "The Best Thing I Ever Ate" (Chopsticks Edition) on Food Network.

 I didn't order it because it was spicy.

Instead, I ordered the  Shiromaru Hakata Classic which was $14. This is described as "the original tonkotsu' soup noodle with pork loin chashu, kikurage, menma, 1/2 boiled egg, red pickled ginger, sesame & scallions."

This picture does not do the soup justice. Sorry.

We were very stuffed, but we could not pass up the Green Tea Ice Cream.

OUT OF THIS WORLD!

Overall:

Food was excellent and cooked too perfection. 

A bit pricey, but definitely worth it for quality. 

Busy busy.. expect to wait. 

Fun ambiance..Service was on point.

Place is original..5 star place and I mean it.

Website:

http://www.ippudony.com/

What? MORE Cupcakes?!

So it is pretty obvious that I love dessert and even more obvious I love cupcakes.

So...

Here are some more!

First up to bat...

Baked By Melissa = adorable tiny filled cupcakes!

We found the tiny stand on Spring Street but the main shop is on 14th St. in Union Square.

My friend Emma and I devoured them within 45 seconds.

They have fun flavors like mint grasshopper, chocolate chip cookie pancake, and red velvet.

It was $5.00 for 6 little ones. Not the best deal.

Overall:

These were too small to really feel satisfied.

BUT, they were too cute.

Website:

bakedbymelissa.com

NEXT!

Butter Lane!

HUGE UPGRADE FROM THE ABOVE!

(And from Magnolia, jus' sayin'!)

Butter Lane is located on 7th Street near Ave A.
I went on a nice walk with my friend Stacy one night and we made a stop on our way home!

On the left, chocolate cake with BURBON VANILLA frosting- AMAZING

On the right, chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting-AMAZING!

Both had moist cake, they were out of vanilla cake so I did double chocolate.

The frosting was flavorful, rich, creamy, sinful!

It was also $2.00 a cupcake day. Win!

Overall:

Perfect cupcakes!

Website:

butterlane.com

DRUMROLL PLEASE

CRUMBS!!!

Crumbs cupcakes are fantastic!

There is a rivalry between Crumbs and Magnolia, and I still have not decided which side I am on. 

Moist cake, melt in your mouth frosting, very crave-able!

I had the one on the very left, my friends had the other ones!

It was basic vanilla/vanilla, and I was very happy!

There are a lot of fun crazy flavors to try, but I am a traditional when it comes to some desserts!

I went to the one on 8th Street in Greenwich Village.

Overall:

Another great cupcake! Bigger in size than both above!

Website:

www.crumbs.com

Homemade Chili (November 2010)

So I took a break from dining out one cold autumn evening and decided to make...

CHILI! 

I wanted to stay healthy and make something that would last me the entire week so I hit up Whole Foods in Union Square for some fresh ingredients!

My recipe:

-Extremely lean cut meat (beef, turkey, tofurky whatever)

-Kidney Beans

-Cannellini Beans (the white Italian version of Kidney Beans)

-Tomatoes 

-Tomato Sauce

-Zucchini 

-Yellow Squash

-Carrots

-Onions

-Corn

-Cauliflower 

-Beer

-Tad bit of olive oil

What to do:

Basically oil a big pan, add onions, then add meat, brown it.

Then add tomato sauce, then the veggies, then the beer

and SHAZAM!

Chili!

Healthy!

Warm!

Filling!

You can garnish with cheese, tortilla chips, sour cream, anything!

Enjoy!

Lovely Greens

One nice afternoon, Alex and I went to "The Smith" which is located 55 Third Avenue in the East Village.

We decided to go to happy hour and have some beers and snacks.

I ordered the String Bean Salad (photo below, courtesy of Katie Hanzlik).

This salad had green beans, tomatoes, almonds, ricotta salata, and an amazing vinaigrette.

I ate every last bean! This is one of the best apps I have ever had in my life! All of the flavors blended beautifully and the almonds really added something special to the beans.

I love veggies and I think this could even be a meal on its own for lunch or a light dinner.

Alex had the "Fork and Knife Caesar Salad" which was equally tasty, just not pictured.

Overall:

Excellent food, beers on tap, and setting. During the summer the big garage door opens in the front which is perfect for people-watching!

The Smith is a must-go if you are near the East Village.

Website:

http://www.ctrnyc.com/THESMITH/index.html

Dessert! (Mid October 2010)

So my best friend Katie came to visit me in NYC! 

During our travels, we visited many dessert spots, but the following were documented.

Our mutual friend Alex was with us during most of our adventures because he also goes to school at NYU. 

Katie and I looking rather badass at a bar called "The Village Pourhouse" we made fun of it and called it "The Village Whore-house" Ha. 

On to dessert! 

The first the 3 of us went to was called "The Olive Tree" which is located on 117 Macdougal Street in the West Village.

This place is open until 4am and also has the "Comedy Cellar" in the basement for entertainment.  

As you can see in the photo below, the tables are like chalk boards! You can draw pictures during your meal! Very fun!

This is a full service restaurant but we just went there for dessert.

Alex had the Red Velvet Cake (Above) and I had the Cheesecake (also above).

We made jokes about the fact that one may have a power trip. 

Both were mediocre, the red velvet was a little dry and the cheesecake was just okay. Nothing too special. 

 Katie had the Tiramasu. It was very rich and flavorful.

The presentation was also very cute! 

Overall:

I was disappointed in "The Olive Tree". Alex tells me the cheesecake is usually better than it was. I am curious to try their lunch or dinner.

Website:

http://www.comedycellar.com/olive.shtml

The next place we went for dessert (a different night, don't worry) was a place called "Veselka".

This is a Ukrainian restaurant and it is located 144 2nd Avenue in the East Village.

I had the Carrot Cake (left), Alex had the Cheesecake (middle), and Katie had the Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake (right). 

The carrot cake was terrible. I am usually very kind about reviewing food, but I was just plain offended! The cake was dry, the frosting was way too sugary and had a plastic taste. 
I did not finish my carrot cake.

The cheesecake was also pretty disappointing. Alex did not finish it. It had a weird aftertaste and a different flavor than most cheesecakes.

The "mousse" was not actually a mousse. We were not really sure what it was. It was a kind of cheesecake density and it was extremely light in color. We could not find the triple chocolate nor the mousse. 

Overall:

2 Big Thumbs DOWN. 

"Sorry."

Website:

http://www.veselka.com/

"Let's hit up Magnolia and mack on some cupcakes"
Which is exactly what Katie and I did!

On a fine afternoon of sightseeing in NYC in late October we trekked through the cold to 
Magnolia Bakery on Bleecker Street in the West Village. This place is famous because Carrie and Miranda came here on Sex and The City TV series and Andy Samberg and Chris Parnell used these cupcakes in their hit "Lazy Sunday" which Katie and I re-entacted in the above pictures.


Katie had the Red Velvet and I had the buttercream.


We enjoyed them, but we both decided that we've had better cupcakes. The cake wasn't as moist as we like and the frosting was extremely "buttery". 


The red velvet cupcake did not have a cream cheese frosting, it just had a sugary buttercream frosting, rather disappointing. 


Overall:
Way too much hype, but a quick afternoon snack if the lines are not long. Go on a weekday not a weekend, very touristy.


Website:
http://www.magnoliabakery.com/home.php

Peanut Butter Jelly Time! (Early September 2010)

On a rainy summer afternoon my friend Christina and I went on a field trip to

On 240 Sullivan Street in the West Village  

I had "The Elvis"

This consisted of peanut butter, banana, and honey, toasted to perfection.

It also came with carrot sticks and potato chips, just like mom used to make!

This restaurant was adorable and retro, even the diet coke was in an old-school bottle! 

I realized (after I ate my sandwich) that I could have ordered "The Elvis" without the crust.  Alas, it was wonderful either way! 

I was stuffed after the first half of the sandwich so I took the other half to go, all wrapped in foil. 

Overall:

This themed restaurant was a lot of fun and if you are a peanut butter lover like I am, then you will LOVE it. 

Perfect for an afternoon lunch!

Other selections include "The Fluffernutter" and "The Jerry Seinfeld" which the website describes.

Also, the homemade peanut butter made on-site is also sold in many flavors such as "Chocolate Dream" "The Bee's Knee's" (Honey) "Cinnamon Swirl" & More!

Website:

http://ilovepeanutbutter.com/

Cocktail Hour! (August 30th)

During our NYU errand day, we decided to stop for cocktail hour in the heart of Greenwich Village at a place called...

This place was so cute! It is an Asian Fusion Cuisine with a stellar bar and an affordable happy hour. 

I had the strawberry margarita. VERY strong, so lightweights (like myself) beware, this will get you buzzed! 

My sister had the Lindemans Framboise Raspberry Lambic Beer. For those of you who do not particularly like beer, try this and you will be very pleased! It is almost like a sweet wine, very pleasant taste! 

We also shared some spring rolls and other appetizers and everything was 1/2 off! 

Overall:

Great decor

HUGE restaurant

Cheap/Tasty drinks

Great spot for NYU Student-Watching.

Website:

http://www.applerestaurant.com

Authentic Italian Cuisine (August 28th, 2010)

One night we decided to dress up and go out to eat to this hole-in-the-wall place called 

Mercato 

Mercato is 252 West 39th St. in Hells Kitchen

This is us in the same place where the people in the above picture are eating.

We had the SALMONE ALLA GRIGLIA IN SALSA DI MOSTARDA E ROSMARINO 

       grilled salmon in mustard and rosemary vinaigrette 

AND

SPAGHETTI FATTI IN CASA AL POMODORO FRESCO 

home made spaghetti with fresh tomato, garlic & basil

(No pictures available yet...)

The spaghetti was some of the best we had EVER eaten. Perfect texture and amazing sauce to spaghetti ratio. The salmon was okay, nothing too special.

The bar was pretty old school and very charming.

The waiters were authentic Italians from Tuscany who spent about 30 minutes talking to us, but then again, my mother does like to talk.

Overall:

Best bet for homemade spaghetti in NYC. 

Very rustic, small, and simple.

I truly felt like I was eating in New York for the first time at Mercato.

It is open LATE which is a plus!

Website:

http://www.mercatonyc.com/

Pizza Time! (August 27th, 2010)

We decided to walk around 8th Street (Basically NYU's playground for GOOD food) and we got a slice of pizza from...

On 8th Street at Broadway

This is a 1/2 of a slice of the Cheese Pizza. If you know my family, then you'll understand why it is cut in 1/2. 

My sister Rebecca, a fan of Famiglia. 

Overall:

This was EXCELLENT pizza. We favor Famiglia over Ray's (both are NYC chains). Pizza has thin crust, sweet sauce, and the perfect amount of cheese. Plus, the guys who work there are very kind and you can tell they love their job! Also, it is fun to eat there for people watching and looking at the pictures of famous people on the walls eating some 'za. 

Website:

http://www.famousfamiglia.com/

One of the first stops. (August 26th, 2010)

One of the first bars my sister, my mom and I went to was called...

This bar is on 34 East 4th Street in the East Village. My sis and my mom ditched me at the NYU ID Card Center to grab a cold one and I met them here.

We had the Ommegang Witte, a traditional Belgian-style wheat ale with whispers of sweet orange and a touch of tart lemon. Soft and seductive, Ommegang Witte is this summer’s version of spicy intrigue and refreshing flavor. (Yes I got this description from the website)

Swift stands out in the East Village as an old-time pub. The church-pew booths, wall mural and antiqued tables and bars all pay homage to Irish literary great Jonathan Swift.

Swift's Mascot, my mother.

Overall: 

A great place to stop by for a good beer after a long day of walking in the city.

Website:

http://www.swiftnycbar.com/