Eating the East Village

It seems like this is the umpteenth food festival event I've posted about in the last couple months, and though sometimes I feel this blog should be called Awesome Food in New York, deal with it. I heart food.

East Village Eats was put on by the non-profit organization Fourth Arts Block, which promotes the East 4th Street Cultural District, as a chance for locals and tourists alike to wander around the East Village eating and discovering some pretty snazzy restaurants and drinking establishments.  You already know that when food and wandering is involved, I'm there before you can even print out the map, so I was excited to bring along my boyfriend Mike and his college roommate in from out of town, Ben. The weather was perfect for this type of activity and we were hungry for our 15 "bites" from area restaurants. 

Me with my East Village Eats goodies. We got sporks!

Mike and Ben inside Bond Street Chocolate

I must admit that I was weary after the first stop at Bond Street Chocolate, where we were offered only a smidgen piece of flavored dark chocolate, but stop #2, Cucina de Pesce, was tre magnifique! We were offered a table and each received a plate full of Italian antipasto -- tomato, mozzarella and white bean bruschettas, tomato and mozzarella caprese and eggplant stuffed with goat cheese and roasted peppers.

Cold Antipasto "Feast" at Cucina de Pesce

Next, we made our way to the eclectic Mediterranean restaurant Nomad. The decor made me feel like I'd hopped on a plane and landed in Morocco, but no one was trying to sell me carpets or a fez, so that was good. We were each offered a seat at the bar and served plates of Moorish chicken skewers flavored with African spices, crispy pita and hummus. Although I didn't want to start out filling up on bread, this pita was delicious and the chicken succulent. I'll definitely be back!

Chicken, pita and humus from Nomad

We made our way east to the new Korean eatery Mono + Mono and from the second we walked in I was enamored by the decor. We all agreed that we want our house to look like this restaurant. It only opened a month prior, and with dark wood, high ceilings, a wall filled with 30,000 Jazz record albums (and an electronic system that carries them around the dining room) and a shelving unit displaying jars of colorful fruit and vegetables above the bar, it's truly a site to see. The food held up to the grandeur of the surroundings as well. Mono + Mono was sampling their Korean-style fried chicken wings - moist on the inside and perfectly crispy on the outside with a honey flavor all over, we all wanted seconds and thirds. 

Mono + Mono

Korean-style fried chicken wing

I was super excited to visit Supper for our next bite, but compared to our previous stops, it felt like they didn't try as hard. Nevertheless, we arrived at the cozy, comfy Italian bistro and were offered what they called a Mushroom Trifolati, but it was really just cooked mushrooms on top of their grilled crusty bread. Again, not trying to fill up on bread, I mostly just ate the fungi. Slightly cold, they were still good.

Plates of Mushroom Trifolati at Supper

Now, it seems like Vietnamese sandwich shops have been popping up in every neighborhood like wildflowers within the last year. The problem is, they all seem to be the same - chicken, pate, daikon, cilantro, pickled carrots, crusty bread, done. I'm personally a fan of the catfish version from Baoguette, but I digress. Next door to Supper, we went to Nicky's Vietnamese Sandwiches for our next "bite." Half a sandwich later, I can say that I've found a different sort of Vietnamese sandwich shop, but a place where you can still find the classic. Mike and Ben both tried the sardine, but not wanting a salt overload I opted for the BBQ chicken. 

Our "bite" from Nicky's Vietnamese Sandwiches

Heading north, we stopped at Souen for some steamed seitan dumplings. I had seen all the ads from Fresh Direct on the bus stops about seitan being a super food, but I had never actually tried it so I was intrigued. Souen is a pretty cool place with neat decor and trendy lighting, though long and skinny and hard to move around in, but it hasn't turned me on to seitan. Oh well, not the best item to feature for a general audience, but I'm sure someone loved it.

Souen East Village

Seitan Dumplings at Souen

The fabulous Luke's Lobster was next on the list, and though I had never been to the East Village location before, it seemed like everyone else from the food tour hadn't either. There were probably 40 people crammed into the tiny storefront oogling about the maritime wall decorations and the mouth-watering menu, waiting for their shrimp rolls to be ready. I took this opportunity to let the boys wait for the rolls as I headed down the block to Xoom smoothies, where they were offering $3 smoothies to East Village Eats participants. Nothing like a cold guava and mango elixir to wash down a shrimp roll :)

Yum!

A glimpse of the crowd descending on the Luke's Lobster counter

Making our way to the Tuck Shop, I was beginning to get very very full. We slowed down the walking  pace a little to give our stomaches digestive breaks. But upon entering the Australian meat-pie shop (perfect 3 a.m. food by the way), we were offered small portions of their pork and sage sausage rolls. While it was good, I much prefer the chook (aka: chicken) meat pie and a Lamington or Vanilla Slice for dessert. Grab a Cooper's beer while your at it because no one actually drinks Foster's in Australia. 

Pork and Sage Sausage Roll from Tuck Shop

The next two stops were disappointing because I expected a lot and was let down. Though this was probably for the best because there was a lot of food backing up in me by this point. First we went to Xi'an Famous Foods which was sampling their "Cold Skin Noodles" or what they described as bouncy and chewy wheat noodles mixed with seitan (there it was again) and vegetables, and tossed with secret spicy sauces to make a cool, delicious mess. Well, the only mess it made was a very spicy one in my mouth. Spicy to the point where I couldn't taste anything but heat and I had to throw mine away. Note to vendors: never serve something super hot to a general audience. I can handle spicy, but this was a bit much. S'mac was another sad story. I had walked by it so many times before and each time thought to myself that I need to try it one day. They were sampling their classic four cheese mac 'n cheese, but it was from a chafing dish outside the restaurant - that was their downfall. The cheese wasn't able to stay melty and instead it was crusty, crumbly and just bad if you can believe it. I'm hoping this was just a fluke, because never before have I thrown out mac 'n cheese and I don't intend to ever again. 

Big bowl of VERY spicy noodles from Xi'an Famous Foods

Mac 'n Cheese with hardened cheese from S'Mac

The food tour did redeem itself as we went on. Tulu's bakery had the most amazing mini red velvet cupcakes with vanilla cream cheese frosting. Pretty simple and typical as far as NYC cupcakes go, but these were gluten-free! I know a couple of people that would be in love with this place after learning that. Also, the cupcakes were the perfect size for a bite of sweetness.

Mini red velvet cupcake with vanilla cream cheese frosting from Tulu's Gluten-Free Bakery

Ben and Mike hanging out at Tulu's

Just in time for a pick-me-up, we stumbled on the MUD truck in Astor Place for a latte for me and straight coffee for the boys. I'm not a big coffee drinker as it messes with my stomach, but my small orange cup was the perfect size to warm me up and let me get a taste of MUD's great brew.

T-Shirts for sale on the MUD truck

Me with my MUD cup

Inside the Cooper Square Hotel, we were able to get a glimpse of the full dining room at Faustina inside the futuristic tower hovering over the older buildings in Cooper Square. We were also treated to Garlic Nodini - basically garlic knots with a dollop of whipped ricotta in the middle. Ricotta is one of my magic words, so I was happy, but honestly, the last thing I wanted at this point was more bread.

Garlic Nodini at Faustina

The final stop on the tour was one I was very much looking forward to as I've read review after review about how amazing Hecho en Dumbo is. We sampled their Tostadas de Dzik: chilled salad of braised venison ossobucco with tomato, red onion, sour orange, chile habenero, radish and avocado served on a bed of crisp, hand pressed corn tostadas. You could really taste the love that went into this dish, and being from California where you can get fresh Mexican food on every street corner, I much appreciated the handmade tostadas. In a city where my qualification of a decent Mexican joint is one that gives you chips and (good) salsa for free, I'm happy to have discovered Hecho en Dumbo for myself and I can't wait to go back.

Tostadas de Dzik at Hecho en Dumbo

Mike and I outside Hecho en Dumbo

I want to thank Fourth Arts Block for enabling my friends and me to partake in this awesome afternoon of food and wandering. Can't wait to do it again next year! Did you attend? I want to hear your thoughts on the event!

Because Sometimes A Good Rub Down Does the Trick

Spa treatments are one of life's luxuries. Every time I find myself under the soothing lavender steam having a facial or as loose and relaxed as I could possibly be while knots are being smoothed out of my neck and shoulders, I can't help but feel happy and lucky.

Unfortunately, this feeling doesn't often come cheap. While we always have our trusted group buying sites offering various spa treatments at often unheard of spas, we have all bought one or four with the best of intentions and can never seem to find the time to make the actual appointment. There's a new site in town with the sole focus of fixing that issue and pampering you by finding and offering the best last minute spa deals around.

bTreated, which launches officially on Monday November 15, partners up with spas and other luxury local businesses to offer treatments like massages, facials, haircuts, coloring and manicures up to 80% off.  All deals are last minute, with sale events starting daily at 9 a.m. the day before an appointment.

All this sounds pretty wonderful to me and you know I always share the wealth. bTreated is holding a pre-launch contest. The top three people who refer the most members to the site before Monday will win a massage, facial or haircut of their choice! So what are you waiting for? Sign up now. That massage table has your name on it.

AWESOME GIVEAWAY: 2 Tickets to See Lombardi!

It's rare to walk into a Broadway theater surrounded by a swarm of big, burly men in suits. So when I entered the Circle in the Square Theater to see Lombardi, I knew something would be different. With the stage set up in the round, and not a single "bad" seat available, Lombardi stars Dan Lauria from "The Wonder Years" as famed Green Bay Packers head coach Vince Lombardi and Judith Light, most recently from "Ugly Betty," as his wife Marie. Following the premise of a young sports journalist trying to write a Pulitzer Prize winning story on the football coach, the audience learns a great deal about both the professional and home lives of Lombardi and his families, because as the show states, he truly loved his players.

I'm not a huge sports fan, but I love a good sports movie, and if you're the same, you will appreciate this show. Of course those big, burly men in the theater came because they love football, so ladies, this is your chance to get your man to a Broadway show!

One lucky reader will receive two tickets to see Lombardi on a night of his or her choosing. The tickets must be picked up at the box office the day of the show. There are 4 easy ways to win and each comment counts as an entry. Please include your email in any comments so I know how to contact you if you are the winner.

1) REQUIRED - Follow this blog by clicking on the button on the right panel and leave a comment below letting me know you did so.

2) REQUIRED - Leave a comment below letting me know why you want to go to this show and how you heard about this contest.

3) Follow me on Twitter @yaelleah and leave a comment below letting me know you did so.

4) Tweet or blog about this event and let me know with a comment below with a link to your tweet or blog.

A winner will be chosen using Random.org on Thursay 11/4. You have until Thursday 11/4 at 12 p.m. EST to enter the contest. Good luck!

A winner has been chosen! Congratulations to Sofia for being the 13th commenter! I hope you enjoy the show! Thanks to everyone for entering!

Tasting the West Village

I love food. You know that by now. I also love the West Village. Put the two together, and I'm pretty much in awesome heaven. Group buying site The Dealist recently organized a food tour called Taste of the Village: West and I was all over that. I especially liked how the title left open the possibility of a sequel in either of the Villages Greenwich or East. 

The deal, if purchased through the site, was $17 for six tastes at W. Village establishments plus drink specials at different bars along the way. My dad was in town for the weekend so he came along on my culinary tour. 

First stop was the hole-in-the-wall Vietnamese sandwich shop, Num Pang. A huge crowd gathered outside in line to participate in the tasting and we were able to select from either the Duroc Pulled Pork or Veal Hoisin Meatball slider. We tried one of each and they were delicious. The meat was moist and the bread was not too overbearing, as it can often be with these sandwiches. I thought the little eating nook up the spiral staircase was charming and felt like a little hideaway from nearby Union Square. The outside line reminded me of a drive-thru of sorts, without the cars obviously, but that just made it all the more New York.

Sign at Num Pang welcoming food tour participants

Duroc Pulled Pork and Veal Hoisin Meatball Sliders from Num Pang

Me enjoying the sliders

Next we walked south to Cabrito. I've heard about this colorful Mexican joint before so I was eager to try it. Although not on the menu, they were offering fish tacos for the tour and I love a good fish taco. The fish was nice and crispy on the outside but definitely not too oily, which I appreciated. With cabbage, avocado and radish slices on a fresh flour tortilla, I felt not to far away from the beaches of Cabo. My dad went for the spicier pork taco, and while it was tasty, the spice was far too overwhelming and even after the one bite I had of his, I felt the heat all the way through the next stop on the tour. They were offering $6 margaritas, and though we passed on them, I'll definitely be back because they use the real stuff - no syrup there.

Fish and Pork tacos from Cabrito

Just down the block was stop #3, Spunto thin-crust pizza. I've never been much of a pizza afficionado, but I like a good thin crust (almost as much as a juicy thick-crust). There's something so delicate about a crispy crust that still maintains a bready consistency with flavorful sauce and gooey cheese that strings from your mouth when you take a bite that I can appreciate. Spunto has perfected this. We were each able to sample (an understated word in this case) a piece of cheese and a piece of pepperoni. This could have been a whole meal in itself! Out of all the stops, this was my Dad's favorite and we'll definitely be back.

Thin-crust pizza from Spunto

Next, we made our way north to the long and skinny Satay Junction. The sample choices here were two satay sticks with a choice of chicken, beef, pork, lamb, shrimp and tofu. Since satay is on a stick and meant to be eaten easily and quickly, and with only 45 minutes left in the tour, we figured we'd be quick here and make our way on. However, this was not the case. After placing our order, we waited 15 minutes before we even got an update on our food. While it did feel good to sit down for a bit, we were weary of missing our last stops, and I decided to walk up to the Donut Pub to pick up our samples there before the tour was over. Of course the satay came minutes after I left, as it always does, but honestly, it wasn't that good. Oh well.

Half-eaten lamb and shrimp satay

Donut Pub - what a great name - excited me because they had advertised red velvet donut bites. When I got there however, all they had left were glazed and powdered sugar. After the long satay debacle, I wasn't going to turn down donuts.  WIth only five minutes left in the food tour, I picked up four mini donuts for my dad and I and headed back to Satay Junction.

Impressive donut display at The Donut Pub

We took our treats up to the Highline for a fantastic sunset. I love the architecture around the old elevated train tracks and I love showing it off to visitors even more.

Although we didn't make it to Pasticceria Rocco for mini-canolis, I was full and happy from a successful tour. Thanks to The Dealist, my dad and I had a wonderful afternoon and I can't wait for (hopefully) Part 2 and 3!

Food, History, Food, Drinks & More Food

With Mom in town, the fun never stops. Not that I am much at a lack for things to do on my own, but I'm pretty sure every hour is booked up down to the minute when we hang out. After a gluttonous breakfast at The Breslin, we made our way downtown to my newest infatuation -- Eataly. Opened by Mario Batali and his business parter Joe Bastianich, Eataly is a whirlwind tour of all things that have anything to do with food and Italy and it's pretty much amazing. 

The market section has rows and rows of pasta shapes you've never heard of, olive oils enriched and flavored with herbs and spices and pasta sauces enough to supply your spaghetti habit for your entire life. Of course it's all available ready to jump into your shopping bag in exchange for lots and lots of money, but it's just so pretty to look at. 

With grocery offerings like fresh produce and a "vegetable butcher" to slice and dice your greens while you shop, handmade pasta cranked out while you watch, any kind of meat or fish you could ever want to cook as well as daily-made mozzarella, bread and other baked goods, Eataly is really a sanctuary for worshipping food. It also boasts sit-down restaurants, a central marketplace where you can sample wine and cheese plates, a gelato bar, panini stand and espresso bar. Even if you don't anticipate buying anything, I'd recommend a simple walk around the former toy-factory building and dropping your jaw at the selection of awesomeness. 

Next up, we ambled north for an Open House New York (OHNY) tour of Grand Central Terminal. OHNY is an annual weekend program where all sorts of buildings, architectural spaces and some residences are opened up for behind-the-scenes tours led by architects, designers and other influential "building" people. It's free to the public, but to get on the more desired tours, you need a reservation. I was lucky enough to score two spaces on the GCT tour but unfortunately didn't get on the Woolworth Building or the new World Trade Center Building tours - those went within 10 seconds of the reservations being available!

Two representatives from the Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners, who completed the refurbishment in the 1990s, enlightened us with fun facts and history about the magnificent building. We learned about the "whispering corners" downstairs by the food court. Because of the vaulted ceilings in that section, when two people stand at opposite corners and whisper, the sound carries like the volume of a normal conversation. It's a little Harry Potter, but you have to find it and try it out for yourself. We also learned that after they cleaned up the thick black layer of gunk and grime from the beautiful sky-inspired mural on the ceiling and restored the building to it's former glory, a small patch of the original dirt was left to remind people of how bad it was left to get. If you look in the Southwest corner of the ceiling, you may be able to spot it!

The OHNY experience was great and I would recommend it to anyone interested in just about any building in the five boroughs. I also know they were doing tours of Diane von Furstenburg's studios in the Meatpacking and the Marble Cemetery in the East Village. I would have loved to do both, but the Metropolitan Museum of Art called.

My mom has been obsessed with the Met's roof garden since I told her about it two years ago. We made it up to see the tail end of Big Bambu on the roof. The drinks are pricey, but remember the Met's "suggested donation" policy and you don't really have to pay anything to get into the museum. So grab yourself a couple of drinks and consider that your donation to the arts. Big Bambu was quite the spectacle. Part of me wanted to go up Swiss Family Robinson-style, but it seemed a little rickety to make me feel totally safe about it. We hung out down below and enjoyed the miraculous views across the park and downtown as the sun set. Big Bambu is only on view through 10/31, so if you haven't seen it yet, make sure to go this week! 

Our last adventure of the day was a foodie one, back to my beloved Braeburn. Through Village Vines, we got 30% off our entire meal, and we were lucky enough to get there mere days after they switched over to their fall menu. Although I was bummed not to be able to get the Black Pepper Fettucine again, I was a very happy girl to ate what I ate.

We started with the Roasted Beet Salad with braeburn apples (of course), spicy walnuts and goat cheese fondue. I can help but be in love with the combination of beets and goat cheese. It's pretty much heaven. Next, I had the Breast of Long Island Duck with kohlrabi, wheat berries, duck confit and bing cherry sauce. This was a great fall dish. The warmth of the cherries and wheat berries mixed with the crispy duck confit was great and I wanted more when it was done. Lastly, my mom and my favorite candy bar is Almond Joy so we were thrilled to see a "deconstructed" version almond cake, coconut, dark chocolate and coconut squash sauce on the dessert menu. Although I'm pretty in love with the candy bar, this was a wonderful, more sophisticated version. All in all, it was great to finally eat an entire meal at this West Village gem and I can't wait to go back!

Roasted Beet Salad

Breast of Long Island Duck

"Almond Joy"

Sorry for the mish-mash of stuff in this post, but I just had to prove that my mom and I really can fit a lot into a single day :)

AWESOME GIVEAWAY: 2 Tickets to A Little Night Music

With so many musicals trying to be new and different these days, it's always refreshing to see a classic that just does everything right and is memorable for that alone. A Little Night Music is one of those shows. I was invited to watch an exquisite performance last week and was really in awe of the fact that multiple-award winning actresses Bernadette Peters and Elaine Stritch were on the stage in front of me. Though the setting is a conservative country villa in turn-of-the-century Sweeden, the dialogue is full of wit and snark and you really grow to love each and every character for their personalities. By the end, you are singing the songs and want to go on a weekend in the country of your own.

A Little Night Music is playing at the Walter Kerr Theater only until January 9, but I'm giving away tickets! 

One lucky reader will receive two tickets to see A Little Night Music on a night of his or her choosing. The tickets must be picked up at the box office the day of the show.  There are 4 easy ways to win and each comment counts as an entry. Please include your email in any comments so I know how to contact you if you are the winner.

1) REQUIRED - Follow this blog by clicking on the button on the right panel and leave a comment below letting me know you did so.
2) REQUIRED - Leave a comment below letting me know why you want to go to this show and how you heard about this contest.
3) Follow me on Twitter @yaelleah and leave a comment below letting me know you did so.
4) Tweet or blog about this event and let me know with a comment below with a link to your tweet or blog.

A winner will be chosen using Random.org on Friday 10/29. You have until Friday 10/29 at 12 p.m. EST to enter this contest. Good luck!

A winner has been chosen! Congrats Kathleen, you were the 10th commenter! I hope you and your mother enjoy the show. Let us know how you liked it! 


If you didn't win this time around - stay tuned! You can win tickets to another hot Broadway play on Monday.