Hosive

when people come into the city, we are always surprised by where they want to visit or to go eat. they are equally surprised that we do not frequent those places or want to go eat there. no. i do not want to eat at ruby tuesdays , bennigans or tgifridays in times square. then they ask where we go……so here are the places we like…not the best or the cheapest or whatever category….just where we go and go on a regular basis…

we found a lot of symmetry in our labor day trip across the bridge ending in a meal at a brooklyn heights joint recommended to us by a number of people for good polish and ukrainian food. first, the unnamed place turned out to be called teresa’s. then my dad said he used to come here when he worked in brooklyn. all the pieces came together serendipitously.

we started out with soup….one of these is the regular borscht and one of them was the special borscht. both excellent. don’t worry which to order….just make sure to order some borscht!

many of us went with the standard winner of beef stroganoff with or without noodles. i think steph got this avocado salad that looked yummy even to carnivores.

my mom got the roast chicken and as you can see all the meals came with sides like corn, cucumber salad, french fries or a few other choices. hearty, yummy food at non-manhattan prices! a great meal to finish off our new york loving, affirming night. hope to make it back soon.

when people come into the city, we are always surprised by where they want to visit or to go eat. they are equally surprised that we do not frequent those places or want to go eat there. no. i do not want to eat at ruby tuesdays , bennigans or tgifridays in times square. then they ask where we go……so here are the places we like…not the best or the cheapest or whatever category….just where we go and go on a regular basis…

being both a tourist and native favorite is a hard thing to juggle. however, being at the other end of the brooklyn bridge helps a lot. after many trek from manhattan to the dark side, they know about the pizza that’s served around the corner. but in between waiting on line and taking iconic pictures on the waterfront, they also take in some home made ice cream. i suspect in the summertime, they kill.

we went in the early fall and did not get pizza…but we still got ice cream.

no exotic flavors but plenty of favorites: chocolate chip with chunks, butter pecan, strawberry, vanilla……

…and all my women were happy!

even my little one!

but she’ll have to wait til next time for a taste.

when people come into the city, we are always surprised by where they want to visit or to go eat. they are equally surprised that we do not frequent those places or want to go eat there. no. i do not want to eat at ruby tuesdays , bennigans or tgifridays in times square. then they ask where we go……so here are the places we like…not the best or the cheapest or whatever category….just where we go and go on a regular basis…

there’s been a(mild)buzz about the donut wars in nyc because canadian import tim hortons has replaced a dozen dunkin donuts in manhattan. canadians have been enthusiastic in their welcoming and endorsement. after doing some research, we surmised that we were not going to try any of the standard stuff that all donut eateries fry up but to wait for their signature items…the ones that contain maple flavoring. not a simple thing since not all of the shops carry all of the flavors due to space limitations and they are still trying to figure out what menu will work in the city.

we have enjoyed this particular item….its like a boston creme but with a maple glaze on top instead of chocolate. on the inside, there’s a gooey creme filling that is delightful accompanying the maple’y topping. we went through a couple of takes including one time when the lady packaged the donuts wrong and the handling paper was smushed against the maple so when we removed the wrapping, the maple was removed along with it! aboo!

but this time, i asked for something to avoid that and the lady at the counter delightfully offered me this box. i in turn ordered the last four of these.

a great fall treat!

if you look closely, you will see a glimpse of a future tim hortons fan. she is anxious to move beyond milk!

when people come into the city, we are always surprised by where they want to visit or to go eat. they are equally surprised that we do not frequent those places or want to go eat there. no. i do not want to eat at ruby tuesdays , bennigans or tgifridays in times square. then they ask where we go……so here are the places we like…not the best or the cheapest or whatever category….just where we go and go on a regular basis…

i suspect that wichcraft is something that tourists stumble upon but decline because of the price of the sandwiches. maybe some are scared off by the name! they’re not pricey for a nyc lunch…..but for a sandwich? however, wichcrafts are everywhere in accessible places like bryant park and the concourse at rockefeller center; and they are part of top chef’s tom colicchio’s food empire..so i expect more outsiders to pay closer attention soon if they have not already.

i will be ok if i got to keep this a secret: these are not just sandwiches…they are a magical journey. real flavor is the point. not just meat colored cardboard slapped down between bread colored cardboard. its painful to eat some of these “subs” at fast food deli’s. at wichcraft, no pain here…but rather, one of my small pleasures in life. i usually get a combo with one of the soups of the day….today was a rich tomato with strips of cheese. my favorite item on the menu is the slow roasted pork with red cabbage, jalapenos & mustard on ciabatta roll. i also like the grilled cheese with smoked ham, pear & mustard on cranberry-pecan bread.

no way i would go to subways or quizno’s when this is around.

i love being a middle class person living in the city with access to occasional small tastes of luxury and flavor reserved for those above my pay scale. i’m sure they eat much better than this but i pretend.

here’s a closer look at the juicy goodness………splurge and spend the extra $3. your soul will thank you.

when people come into the city, we are always surprised by where they want to visit or to go eat. they are equally surprised that we do not frequent those places or want to go eat there. no. i do not want to eat at ruby tuesdays , bennigans or tgifridays in times square. then they ask where we go……so here are the places we like…not the best or the cheapest or whatever category….just where we go and go on a regular basis…

some days, living in new york is like living in any place in the world. we do mundane things: we go to work, wash up, eat(everyday things)or maybe not. we go to bed and reboot. then there are days we find extraordinary people with no line on the horizon visions who decide new york is the place for their realities. welcome to the doughnut plant.

there are doughnuts and then there’s this place. this is high art. off the website, here are some of the featured flavors: coconut glaze with coconut cream, creme brulee, cashew, peanut butter glaze/strawberry jelly, vanilla bean, tres leches…

the taste and feel of the pastries: decadent. these are some of the best doughnuts i have ever tasted. this is the way doughnuts are supposed to taste. everywhere else are serving fraudulent doughnuts.

i am glad that i do not live near the lower east side….i would be at least 50 pounds overweight if not obese. and fat pastors are so cliche with their shrill reprimands about our temple of god bodies and social justice for the poor and hungry. hard sells when you fit through the turnstiles sideways.

but i am starting to run again and for special occasions…usually when i’m eating with my parents near congee village or when i am at the starbucks at allen and delancey…i make a stop here and pick up a few for my family…

here are chocolate something doesn’t matter its awesome, pistachio and tres leches. tres leches was magical. i’ve had other varities here and magical is the word.

the upside is that i rarely eat doughnuts knowing that this place is out there. its ruined my taste for what others try to pawn off on me. so when i do get a chance to buy these up, i feel no guilt.

when people come into the city, we are always surprised by where they want to visit or to go eat. they are equally surprised that we do not frequent those places or want to go eat there. no. i do not want to eat at ruby tuesdays , bennigans or tgifridays in times square. then they ask where we go……so here are the places we like…not the best or the cheapest or whatever category….just where we go and go on a regular basis…

there are a lot of prententious places in the city along with their pretentious prices…even for a simple bowl of noodles. not here. tucked away, just around the corner from the places we do not want to eat at is a place we eat at all the time. a no nonsense, cheap for manhattan always delivers for the common man ramen place is sapporo. this place feels like a noodle diner. not a first date place but maybe a i’ve been married and feel comfortable with you and appreciate a night off from cooking place. very filling and satisfying….like eating at someone’s home.

i like the meaty noodles. theresa likes the summer noodles but settles for this in the winter. my mom got the seafood noodle.  both were the biggest bowls. you can get extra ingredients/add ons if you like.

here are some other variations…..great for a winter meal….or for this spring that we’re getting right now. “spring”. glad that my boy calvin turned me on this place.

when people come into the city, we are always surprised by where they want to visit or to go eat. they are equally surprised that we do not frequent those places or want to go eat there. no. i do not want to eat at ruby tuesdays , bennigans or tgifridays in times square. then they ask where we go……so here are the places we like…not the best or the cheapest or whatever category….just where we go and go on a regular basis…

i don’t always trust my tastes when it comes to chinese food. sometimes i settle for mediocre stuff. so i go with my parents and make them order.

the real measure of good chinese is of course…where the chinese go to eat. and across the board, congee village is the choice of new york chinese. my parents almost exclusively ask to meet here for the selection, authenticity, taste and price point. on a weekend evening and sometimes even during the week, expect a long wait…maybe an hour plus…and don’t expect people to drop out early either.

this place is consistently named amongst the top cantonese restaurants in the city….it certainly is a tsang family favorite! we are here on average once a month.

meats are popular from the house chicken to ribs to pork chops to stir fried beef. seafood and veggies are also excellent. of course, congee village is good for their namesake. congee is usually an appetizer for the main dishes seen here.

during the holidays, we came here a lot with friends, family and palm: the pastoral and lay ministry group that ministers to ministers hosted their annual christmas luncheon here. we came here for chinese new year as well.

this place is not in the more touristy parts of chinatown but people in the know seek it out. that is in keeping with our food mission statement that i slap on each food post. this also helps with crowds not being completely out of control….just regular busy crowded. we used to live pretty close to congee village, on the lower east side when we first got back to nyc….and miss being able to make late night runs a few blocks away. it was a treasure.

when people come into the city, we are always surprised by where they want to visit or to go eat. they are equally surprised that we do not frequent those places or want to go eat there. no. i do not want to eat at ruby tuesdays , bennigans or tgifridays in times square. then they ask where we go……so here are the places we like…not the best or the cheapest or whatever category….just where we go and go on a regular basis…

this east village diner does serve the usual diner food during the usual diner hours(all day/all night/24/7) but i can’t recommend any of that…because i’ve never ordered or eaten the diner food from here. instead, i order from a selection of ukranian dishes…not from a secret menu or an alternate menu handed only offered to special customers….they a part of the everyday menu which makes this unlike any other diner that i’ve been to.

if you are down with the standard eggs, pancakes or burgers, ok. but if you want something special on the side or as a main…something eastern european, welcome to nyfrakincity(last battlestar this week). and to veselka

for example, this special christmas borscht with dumplings. i think it was a winter time special but also named for that crazy red color. i love it.

i usually go for one of the stews…either the ghoulash, beef stroganoff or here the bigos with kielbasa, roast pork, sauerkraut and onions with mashed potatoes. really filling.

i’ve read some reviews that this is not authentic stuff…and i will defer to real ukranians to give their stamp of approval or not. but i am thrilled with the fake ukranian!

here are the pierogi’s….dumplings with either meats, potatos, sweet potatos, cheese or mushroom.

we had a great time! henry is reacting to the camera….not the food!

the city that never sleeps often refers to decadence, ungodly work hours or the blinding lights that are on until dawn….but for non-working, non-partying night owls, there is also real life culture that is abundant….and good eats besides pizza and nonsense. this would be one of my top 3:30a go to places. great to know that i can eat like this any time of the day!

when people come into the city, we are always surprised by where they want to visit or to go eat. they are equally surprised that we do not frequent those places or want to go eat there. no. i do not want to eat at ruby tuesdays , bennigans or tgifridays in times square. then they ask where we go……so here are the places we like…not the best or the cheapest or whatever category….just where we go and go on a regular basis…

turns out that i don’t have to go downtown to get a good burger. all i have to do is go down the block to this new eatery in my slowly gentrifying hood. though i still like shake shack the best, when the weather outside is frightful and i’m hungry, this place is darn good. we sometimes get rotisserie chicken here …..

but we primarily come here for the burgers! they just started putting up burgers with their own signature names…here are 2 that we ordered on that day. but there are other yummy combos. as you can see, the prices are much more reasonable…and the burgers are bigger! so its a better value.

we also got some sweet potato fries…a favorite that is not found everywhere.

as for taste……there you go! look at that slobbery goodness. if a vegan looks at this and is disgusted….then i think i’m in the right place! the meat is real…and not meat from a box…tasting fresh, made to order…a much better option over mcdonald’s in the city. again, not as good as shake shack but i’ve served these to a number of guests and they were surprised at how good they were. yay for my neighborhood!

just ask my boy, q. he looks like he’s having the time of his life.

Posted under new york eats, some favorite(NYC)things

when people come into the city, we are always surprised by where they want to visit or to go eat. they are equally surprised that we do not frequent those places or want to go eat there. no. i do not want to eat at ruby tuesdays , bennigans or tgifridays in times square. then they ask where we go……so here are the places we like…not the best or the cheapest or whatever category….just where we go and go on a regular basis…

my boy leonard introduced me to this place when he used to work near here. its a narrow, nearly always packed for lunch, ramen place. not the cheap pack o’ noodles for .79 cents but real noodles with meats, egg, veggies in different broths including curry. really perfect on a winter’s day. like today…a snowy march morning.

i suggested it to my movie loving friends above…..one of them was excited for handmade noodles. the other was confused about why we were paying a premium for something we can make ourselves with hot water at home.

the food is consistently tasty, consistently quick…and relatively inexpensive for a midtown lunch. the ingredients and the amount of ingredients vary according to your appetite, tailored to your taste(and ability to pay)…the top bowl clearly has more meat while the bowl on the bottom has more mushroom and tofu. the broths are probably msg water…but still hard to resist. i would recommend the curry broth too(mentioned earlier) though i did not order it this time around. i usually get that when theresa is not around since she merely tolerates curry.

not everyone knows ramen means this good stuff. and sometimes its not. i still laugh at the time we paid $50 for a feeds 2-3 dish advertised as ramen on a menu and it was actually a .79 cent brick placed into the broth by the waitress. she didn’t even try to mask or hide the fact. i paid $50 plus tax and tip….and they add a less than dollar’s worth of ingredients. brillaint business model!

but that’s another place. this place is solid. i might trek through the snow to get some.