This week’s restaurants…

When I moved to New York, I imagined myself running through the streets, overwhelmed with how many restaurant choices I had, and twirling around while throwing my beret in the air…

What actually happens is I end up at my company’s cafeteria 3-4 lunches a week (though they have surprisingly good dishes that range from swordfish to paella to a delicious salad bar) and then I come home to a glowing Seamless app on my tablet, wooing me to sit on the couch and watch re-runs of The Dick Van Dyke Show. (For those of you counting, that’s two Mary Tyler Moore references so far.)

That said, my excursions away from the “norm” this week were pretty successful and it reminded me that I need to be more explorative in my food choices.

On Saturday, my wife found a great breakfast spot on the Upper West Side called Good Enough To Eat, where I had a hearty Corned Beef Hash and she had a terrifically flavorful bacon, tomato and Gruyère omelet. Perfect meal before a day of museum hopping.

That night we had our choice of many places while walking through K-town and discovered a new love for soju (a Korean liquor) with our squid hot stone bowl and bulgogi.

And today, I braved the rain to try a Cuban restaurant everyone talks about called Tina’s and was not disappointed. I ordered the Cuban sandwich this time (but can’t wait to try the entrees later) and found a great meal that I now can order within ten minutes of leaving my desk.

So – though the weather is getting worse – wish me luck in my excursions to turn my overly romanticized idea of eating in New York into a reality. Even if it just means going down the street to Park Slope and finding the jalapeño cream cheese I’ve been craving since I left the West (which I found at Bagel Pub on 9th St.), and which happens to be not that far from where Mary Tyler Moore was born in Brooklyn, boom! that’s three…

Sugarcane in Brooklyn…

I got to have a terrific meal at Sugarcane in Brooklyn (Flatbush and Bergen) the other night. My wife and I have a soft spot for Caribbean food as we met and had our first few dates in Jamaica, while working on a humanitarian project. Therefore, we are always searching for the amazing food that reminds of those times.

Which is why we were so excited to find Sugarcane! The atmosphere alone was worth going back for. There was an excited, happy energy running through the entire place that didn’t let up the entire meal. The seating was cozy and made for a very friendly, comfortable experience. The stranger seated to my right even said “Enjoy!” as our dinner was served.

I had the Heritage Stew Chicken with fried plantains and macaroni pie, while my wife had the Jerk Chicken with Callaloo soup and coconut rice. Everything was amazing. The flavors from my chicken were full and developed and the meat was tender and juicy. The jerk had a perfect balance of sweet and hot that made us smile with every bite. Even as leftovers a couple of nights later, the flavor still made my eyes roll.

I can’t wait to go back to try the roti (one of my wife’s favorite Caribbean snacks) and possibly the Creole Whole Snapper. That was the dish we had on our first date in Port Royal off the coast of Kingston and though we won’t be able to watch them fish it out of the water next to our table like we did in Jamaica, I know it will still be fantastic.

The Burger Bistro in Bay Ridge…

Last night we went to Burger Bistro’s Bay Ridge Location. We got to sit out on the back patio with a nice “almost-autumn” breeze and enjoy the stylings of Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin. I really like the concept of making your own burger and checking the box for your preferred items on a laminated menu. Options included everything from which type of meat you wanted your burger made out of, how you wanted it cooked, what toppings, sauces, buns, sides, drinks, etc…

The burger was delicious. It was a hefty, thick patty, that had a homemade taste to it and was made of high quality meat. I enjoyed mine with jalapeño mayo, cheddar and frizzled onions. Nothing was greasy, just fresh tasting and flavorful.

The only issue I had with Burger Bistro was the price. I don’t mind paying more for a high quality burger, but each topping was extra (except tomato, lettuce and onion) and that included the sauces. So if you want cheese, a condiment, and a couple other things to round out the flavor, multiply each one by $1.50. Doesn’t seem bad until you realize you’ve just added $7.50 to a $9 burger. I’m guessing that they don’t want people ruining the burger’s taste by adding every topping on the menu and I respect that, but I’m not one to overdo it. I just want a flavorful burger with a little kick and a layering of flavors.

I feel like this concept could be great, while at the same time not picking through your wallet on every little detail. Make more of the toppings and the first sauce free, then maybe the “$5-fries-a-la-carte” won’t seem so gouge-y either. Again, loved the burger, just didn’t love the feeling that I would be charged if I asked for another napkin.

Nightingale 9 in Brooklyn…

A couple weeks ago I went to Nightingale 9 for lunch in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn. The sign for their “Bahn mi and drink for $10” lunch special was too great of a deal for me to pass up.

I chose the “redfish” Bahn mi which was very tasty. The fish was lightly breaded, the sauce had a mild, but noticeable flavor and the cilantro wasn’t overpowering (I’m one of those weird people who is biologically averse to cilantro, so I love when it doesn’t overpower a dish).

With my sandwich I chose the Vietnamese beer “33” Export. For some reason I have a soft spot for Asian beers – Singha, Sapporo, Tiger, Chang, all of them (probably the memories) – and this one just got added to the list.

I’d definitely go back for lunch or maybe for a late drink as they had a pretty extensive bar as well.

Check out Los Bucaros in Briarwood…

While looking at apartments in Briarwood, my wife and stopped off at Los Bucaros on Queens Blvd. for lunch. I’m a sucker for Colombian food and I’m glad we went in. The staff were very friendly and helpful.

We ended up sharing the fried snapper dish (which was huge, so I’m glad we did). It came with a salad, extremely flavorful white rice, and fried plantains on the side. All for $14.

I also tried a Buñuelo Colombiano, which I’d never had before, and which I’ll now have every chance I get. A buñuelo is a deep-fried sphere (and I mean, perfect sphere) of corn starch, yucca flour, a salty cheese. I loved this snack and had it with aguapanela (cold), but am going to try to make them this winter to have with coffee or hot chocolate.

So the next time you’re in the hot spot that is Briarwood, make sure to check out Los Bucaros.

In the last month…

Since I’ve been awful about writing in the past month, I figured I’d do a quick overview of its food highlights:

AMORE CUCINA & BAR – Stamford, CT

Really delicious meal and can’t wait to go back. Great atmosphere, tons of great looking options on the menu and a list of very intriguing cocktails. We ordered the Ferentini pizza. Toppings included: spicy salami, green olives, tomato, mozzarella, and san marzano purée. This pizza won “Best Traditional,” at the Las Vegas Pizza Expo.

BACON WRAPPED SALMON with MASHED POTATOES and BRUSSELS SPROUTS

This was a home cooked meal that I made for my wife and family. I had a package of bacon to use (twist my arm) so I made three dishes, all using bacon somehow. Kind of Iron Chef style, except without the iron chefs, or a chef in general, and Alton Brown didn’t respond to my invite… Still, the end result was pretty dang good. “Allez Cuisine!”

WHITE CASTLE – Harlem, New York City.

You know when you build up something in your head as amazing and you can’t wait to go back, especially when it’s not in the part of the country you live, so when you finally have the chance to do it, you’re like, “Yeah, let’s do it!,” but then you realize that you’ve built it up A LOT, and though it may not be horrible, it’s really not worth the feeling you get afterwards? Yeahhhhh…

CHOCOPOLOGIE – Norwalk, CT

We searched a while to find this place, not realizing it had moved last November, but we finally made it. I had heard amazing things about the chocolate and that the owner, Fritz Knipschildt was one of the best chocolatiers in the world.

I ordered the Swiss Chocolate Cake, which was terrific. My problem came with ordering a drink. Being that this place is known for chocolate I ordered a mocha, which used a cocoa of which they were out. So I ordered the Mexican Coffee, which of course used the same cocoa and if I wanted the whiskey version instead…they were out of that too.

The barista was very nice and apologized, but how do you run out of chocolate at a place called Chocopologie…oh wait, I get it now…

NATHAN’S FAMOUS ORIGINAL – Coney Island, NY

I’ve always wanted to have a Nathan’s hot dog at the original location in Coney Island. Though they’re not 5 cents anymore, they are still delicious. And getting to eat one on the Coney Island boardwalk while drinking a Coney Island beer, made it even better. On a non-food-related note, check out the band I saw playing on the boardwalk called A Flying Dodo Society for a terrifically fun musical experience.

Of course, there were a few other restaurants and meals here and there, but those are enough highlights for now!

First post on the East Coast…

I’m back! As I mentioned in the last post, my wife and I started a new adventure! About a month ago, we quit our jobs, sold anything that wouldn’t fit in a New York apartment, packed everything else in a medium-sized box, and drove across the country.

My wife (the more talented and smarter of the two of us) landed a job in Manhattan right off the bat. I have yet to do the same, so until we both have incomes, we’re staying with my sister in Stamford, Connecticut.

Which leads me to today’s lunch. Needing a break from job hunting, I decided to check out some of the towns around Stamford. With a little help from the Best Restaurants in Connecticut article from connecticutmag.com, I found Little Pub in the town of Wilton.

The free valet immediately set the tone for a worry free lunch. As I walked in I headed for the bar which sported the gilded lettering of “Prescriptions” across the top.

After looking over the menu I decided on a beer from Maine Beer Company called A Little Beautiful Something. This refreshing ale had almost an “airy” quality to it and completely hit the spot on a warm day.

For lunch I chose off of their small plate menu and ordered poutine. I like to try poutine whenever I see it on the menu because it always amazes me how something so seemingly simple, can be made in so many delicious variations. The Little Pub version replaced the cheese curds with cheddar jack and added chopped bacon. To be honest, it completely negated any “light, fresh summer feeling” I had cultivated up to this point and made me want to pull snow boots over my flip-flops, but it was worth it. The (huge) serving managed to keep a rich flavor without being too salty as poutine can sometimes be and the bacon added a nice smokiness to it.

Not only was the lunch satisfying, it was extremely reasonably priced and I was able to grab a to-go bag to take home half of the plate for another meal.

If you find yourself in Wilton (or near their other two locations in Ridgefield and Cos Cob), make sure to stop in to this spot for a great meal in a great atmosphere.