3/31/14

Tacos and Ice Cream and Barbecue...Oh my!

Ahhhhhhh Choice Eats, that fabulous glutton-inducing grub free-for-all that challenges even the strongest to a battle of overstuffing. "How long can I stay upright?" you ask yourself as you meander pass line after line, table after table you've already visited (maybe twice in the case of Salted Caramel Crack ice cream) in search of that one last amazing bite. Ultimately you succumb to biology, as we all eventually do, bottle of water in hand, your bed not far on the horizon. At least you get to wake up the next morning (in my case for all of your benefit) to photographic proof of everything you ate the night before. Get ready for an epicurean hysteria.


The event was held in a new, rather remote location at Basketball City on the river just north of the Manhattan Bridge. The space allowed the evening to flow with slightly less congestion, but as the night wore on, the lines for whichever restaurants still had food after 8pm seemed to each run into each other (all the more reason to go VIP for this one!). There were 84 restaurants, including an entire row full of dessert, and just under 3,000 attendees. Major successes of the night were BBQ and meat in general and eclectic desserts.

I hit the ground running eating with a couple of my blogger friends, Stephanie and Dave (Laura came a little bit later), and we never really looked back. First up...vegetables! You have to get the digestive system prepped after all and the folks at Dirt Candy know how to work a piece of broccoli! Their broccoli hot dogs with broccoli sauerkraut didn't make me miss meat for a second. Which leads me perfectly into my next bite (and many after that)...Kuma Inn whipped up flavorful Adobo braised pork shoulder and pan de sal bites while Swine served adorable yet delicious bacon-wrapped dates with chipotle blue cheese sauce.

Broccoli Hot Dogs from Dirt Candy
Adobo braised pork shoulder and pan de sal from Kuma Inn
Bacon-wrapped dates with chipotle blue cheese sauce from Swine
Next stop, an Astoria outpost I've been meaning to try for a while, Bear, served Siberian Style Dumplings in a light crema dill gravy so good that I ate all three! Mable's Smokehouse out of Williamsburg served my top dish of the night (and clearly a crowd favorite as they ran out early!): smoked beef brisket with candied yams. The crust on the brisket was damn near perfect and the yams were anything but what your Aunt Ida always makes for Thanksgiving--these things tasted like what diamonds would taste like, if you could eat diamonds, that is.

Siberian style dumplings from Bear
Beef brisket and candied yams from Mable's Smokehouse

The Little Prince served excellent and fresh steak tartare with fried capers, aioli and grilled bread, while Alobar took the creative route and served their beet tar tar with hearts of palm, apple coriander nage, goat feta and scallions

Steak tartare from The Little Prince
Beet tar tar from Alobar

Luke's Lobster was back with their usual fervor, although they decided to mix things up and offer crab rolls instead of the shrimp rolls they've been serving for at least the past 3 years. Red Hook Lobster Pound also opted to change their pace and served creamy lobster bisque instead of their usual rolls.

Main crab roll from Luke's Lobster
Lobster bisque from Red Hook Lobster Pound
Xe May Sandwich Shop served an array of sandwiches--I tried the flavorful lemongrass chicken with chili mayo but didn't care for the tortilla. Max stood out by offering lasagna we deemed "the good kind of mushy," and I liked the one-bite red endive cups with smoked salmon, avocado and creme fraiche presented by Anella. It was simple, elegant, and refreshing among a sea of heavy meat dishes.

Lemongrass Chicken from Xe May Sandwich Shop
Meat lasagna from Max
Red endive cups from Anella

Harlem joint Charles' Country Pan Fried Chicken seemed to bring every item from their menu, and the crowd was eating it up with a line forming early on. I really liked their mac 'n cheese and collard greens.

Charles' Country Pan Fried Chicken

Back to the meat, John Brown Smokehouse served house cured pastrami that was extra moist and Ovelia Psistaria Bar served an interesting take on Middle Eastern meat with Greek coffee steak with mushroom halloumi poutine. I was a big fan of the burnt ends at Fletcher's Brooklyn Barbecue as well as the beef meatball with classic tomato sauce and parmesan cheese from The Meatball Shop.

House cured Pastrami from John Brown Smokehouse
Greek coffee steak from Ovelia
Burnt ends at Fletcher's Brooklyn Barbecue
Beef meatball with classic tomato sauce and parmesan cheese from The Meatball Shop

One of my favorite Astoria brunch spots and soon to be featured Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives restaurants, Queens Comfort, served up their Atomic Mac and Cheese with cheddar, fontina, sriracha and buttermilk ranch sauce. It had quite the kick!

Atomic mac and cheese from Queens Comfort

Most intriguing and successful dish of the night went to Williamsburg's Egg Restaurant with pimento cheese on pork crackling bread. The name doesn't even do it justice as there was so much complexity going on I almost couldn't handle it. Another particularly delicious concoction was the "Braciole" Tortelli served with toasted garlic and herb croutons from Rubirosa. Khe-Yo served crunchy coconut rice (I could seriously pop these like candy) with Kaffir lime sausage and baby iceberg lettus.

Pimento cheese on pork crackling bread from Egg
'Braciole' tortelli from Rubirosa
Crunch coconut rice from Khe-Yo

Below-the-border cuisine was heavily represented in several successful permutations. Murray Hill hidden secret Mexico Lindo prepared banana leaf steamed local rabbit tacos with cascabel mole rojo and butternut squash, garnished with micro cilantro and almonds. Also, Fonda served delicious cochinita pibil--Yucatan style Achiote marinated slow baked port shoulder with oregano and pickled onions.

Banana leaf steamed local rabbit tacos from Mexico Lindo
Cochinita Pibil from Fonda

Although I'll admit we laughed at the name for a hot second, the Dark Men noodles from Tabata Noodle Restaurant were entirely different than anything I'd ever had and I definitely wanted more. No there weren't any bits of men (or women for that matter!) in the cups, but there was black sesame paste noodle soup with spicy ground pork and scallions.


Representing the Aussies, quite well actually, Sheep Station plated flavorful roasted leg of lamb sandwiches with sautéed onions, tomato, garlic mayo, and baby arugula on a po boy roll.

Roasted leg of lamb sandwich from Sheep Station
Before we get to the sweets, lets highlight some of the flavorful greens. Telepan Local surprised me with their broccoli rabe with white anchovies (I couldn't bring myself to eat it), egg yolk puree and parmesan. Also, Bunker prepared a Vietnamese style long bean salad with watercress, kaffir, red onions, peanuts and toasted coconut flakes.

Broccoli rabe from Telepan Local
Long bean salad from Bunker

Now for the best part (if you are not totally sick of staring at endless food pictures yet)...Choice Sweets! First up, and my favorite, was the ice cream at Ample Hills Creamery. Even after trying new-to-me flavors "Sweet as Honey" and "Gather 'Round the Campfire," the good old "Salted Crack Caramel" is still my hands down favorite. Fay Da Bakery was also a repeat favorite from last year with their bubble milk tea and other goodies.

Ample Hills Creamery Ice Cream
Bubble Milk Tea from Fay Da Bakery
Robicelli's was a hit with their chocolate chip cookie bars and I thoroughly enjoyed the do-it-yourself popsicle bar from La Newyorkina.

Chocolate chip cookie bars from Robicelli's
Popsicle bar from La Newyorkina
Another ice cream purveyor, Oddfellows Ice Cream Co., scored points with me with their cedar creamsicle with orange foam--it was woodsy and refreshing all at the same time. East Village favorite Edi and the Wolf also surprised me with their super rich chocolate gianduja with milk crunch strawberries and caramel.

Cedar creamsicle from Oddfellows Ice Cream Co.
Chocolate gianduja from Edi and the Wolf
To wash it all down, I headed over to the Singlecut Beersmiths table for their Keith English Pale Ale. I'm not usually a fan of IPAs, but I liked this a little better. Their 19-33 Lagrrr is still one of my favorites.


Before we left, we had to take advantage of the exclusive VIP lounge upstairs (and take the opportunity to catch our breath and get some space away from the very crowded venue). Little did we know, there were still lots of amazing bites to be eaten!


Something I would have been very sad to have missed if I never made it to the VIP section was a large selection of special donuts from The Donut Plant. This place is seriously AWESOME. I ordered the cashew and orange blossom cream donut, but also tried the coconut cream and peanut butter and jam. All were YUMMY!!

The Donut Plant spread
Cashew and orange blossom cream donut from The Donut Plant
As you can imagine, we were beyond stuffed at this point but we examined the rest of the samples in the VIP area anyway. I mean, it's VIP so it had to be good right? Morgan's Brooklyn Barbecue served dry rubbed Texas style barbecue which definitely held it's own, but was not as good as Mabel's Smokehouse or Fletchers. Clarke's Standard, one of my go-to lunch spots, sampled their cheeseburgers, and Grandaisy Bakery had a wide array of baked goods. We tried the cauliflower flatbread.

Texas Style Barbecue from Morgan's Brooklyn Barbecue
Cheeseburger from Clarke's Standard
Cauliflower flatbread from Grandaisy Bakery
Alas, the food was eaten, the drinks were sipped dry and everyone went home fat and happy. Until next year Choice Eats...or you can just hold out 2 more months for Choice Streets!!!

3/30/14

AWESOME ALERT: Free Donuts from Holey Donuts

I hear about a lot of openings in the city, but it's not often that one really stands out to me. Holey Donuts is opening their first store in Chelsea (101 7th Ave at 16th Street) in May and they want you to be among the first to check them out.


Holey Donuts claim to fame is "great tasting donuts without the fat, calories and guilt." While I have yet to try their goodies, this sounds like a great idea to me!

They are inviting all those in the know to stop by Thursday-Saturday May 1-3 to be treated to a VIP experience. You will be privy to a free box of donuts (filled and frosted as you watch!), gifts and their special reusable tote bag (seen above). Just picture yourself making everyone on the subway salivate by your carryall!

To be invited, you must email info@holeydonuts.net and choose the one day and time best for you to attend (put it in the subject line or they won't respond):

  • Thursday May 1st: 3 pm, 5 pm or 6:15 pm
  • Friday May 2nd: 3 pm, 5 pm or 6:15 pm
  • Saturday May 3rd: 2 pm, 5 pm or 6:15 pm

Once confirmed, you will be allowed to bring guests, however, each ticket will allow only one gift bag and free box of donuts.

3/26/14

Take Me Owwwwwww-oooooooot Tonight!

(Anyone catch the Rent reference? If not, it's all good.) This past Saturday night, I was invited out with my friend Meredith to try Take Me Out's mixology tour. I consider myself pretty well versed in the NYC bar scene, but I jumped at the chance to be chauffeured around in a limo (YES A LIMO), sped through the lines (NO WAITING IN THE COLD), and seated at a reserved table (NO STANDING AROUND EYE PULLING THE BARTENDER TO SERVE DRINKS).

Inside of the swanky limo

The night started in Union Square where we were grouped with a pair from England, two friends from Philly and Chicago, and a foursome out celebrating a birthday. Our guide for the evening was Connor, a model who was jetting off to Europe in a few months to walk in fashion week runway shows. Don't we all wish. Anyway, we were immediately served some sweet concoction of Champagne, vodka and St. Germaine. Not totally my cup of tea, but hey it was free.

Our first stop was Bathtub Gin, a speakeasy-style bar hidden behind a coffee shop in Chelsea. I had heard all about this place before, but a) never would have found it myself and b) loved the fact that I didn't have to look like a fool who didn't want to mistake a coffee shop for a bar. It's all about what you know after all.

Here we took a cue from the name (yes, we split drinks to cut costs) and tried the Bathtub Gin Martini with extra olives of course ($15).



Bathtub Gin from the outside...what's all the hubbub outside a coffee shop late at night?

Back in the limo we all went, where Connor had a bit of fun popping some corks and passing out shots of vodka. This is about the time of the night where I've learned enough in my life to not say yes just because it's free.


Next stop was uptown at the swanky Stone Rose Lounge in the Time Warner Center. This is not a place I ever would have visited in a million years on my own (hello hidden elevator that also takes you to the same floor as Per Se and Masa and $16 well drinks). However, it was fun to grab a couple of couches in the corner and watch the lights of Columbus Circle. The people watching at the bar was also unique and let's just say very James Bond, if you're into that kind of thing. We tried the Spicy Paloma ($16) with casamigos blanco tequila, thai chile aperol, grapefruit and soda.




Piling back in our stretch carriage, things began to go wrong for some of our friends. Moderation is key everyone. En route to our last stop in the Lower East Side we had to make a pit stop for some of our companions and thus Meredith and I decided to head on home before the limo turned back into a pumpkin before our very eyes.



At $150 a head, this tour is not for the casual nightlife seeker, although I've heard they offer Groupons at half off. You are essentially paying for the convenience of not having to plan your night (and the ease of getting into popular places and having a table), a 3-hour chauffeur, and some cheap drinks you're likely not going to want much of in the limo. I could definitely see this as a fun thing to do for a bachelorette party/birthday if you can fill the whole limo (so as not to have to deal with strangers with drinking habits that might derail your night). All in all we had fun, but this definitely would not be for everyone.

3/25/14

Prepping for Spring Fitness with Westin

Last week I was invited to The Westin Grand Central for their Spring Fitness Break event. As a resident of NYC, it's not often I step into hotels here, although I had actually visited this hotel when my Dad came and stayed here last year.


This event was FULL of freebies. Upon entering I got a water bottle from FiTMAPPED and a Westin t-shirt. I also got a raffle ticket to win prizes like a one-night stay at the Westin, new running shoes, or a pack of classes to Mang'Oh Yoga.


Sadly my luck was not turned on that night as I didn't win the raffle, however I went home with a bunch of great (mostly liquid!) samples. Citibike was also on hand giving out a couple yearlong memberships and free bike maps.

Plinko with the Moonwalk
Pacific Flavored Almond Milk
Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate Kind Bars
Oat Works Drinks
Bai Antioxidant Infusions

For the actual event, a panel of fitness experts including nutritionists, a fitness entrepreneur, a yoga teacher, and a wellness coach. They took questions from the audience about the best foods to eat when trying to lose belly fat (it's all about balance), exercises to try if you haven't worked out in a while (low-impact activities and yoga), and how much water/liquids we should be drinking every day (72 oz. for women and 100 oz. for men). The yoga teacher also led us in a revitalizing and relaxing stretch and meditation.

A representative from Westin gave a short presentation on their many options for health-conscious guests. First, they offer a gear rental program for hotel guests. For $5 you can have a bag of New Balance gear (shorts, shirt, shoes and socks) to use throughout your stay, and you get to keep the socks when you go home. The Westin Grand Central also offers twice-weekly group runs for guests, discounts at Mang'Oh yoga, and flavored water to keep you hydrated.


Westin running map and flavored water stations
Westin's group run leader and panel
As a side note, that Oat Works is really good stuff! They said that one bottle has as much protein as two bowls of oatmeal, and the flavors are really great. I would definitely try the peach mango again!


3/24/14

Beer & Bites Times Two

Tomorrow, 3/25, is a big day for beer pairing dinners at two fantabulous venues with menus and prices so amazing we just had to share:

The Bell's Brewery Beer Dinner
Snowdonia - 34-55 32nd St, Astoria

For only $45 you will receive a 3-course meal featuring oxtail lasagna...Mmmmmmmm!...with each course paired with a beer from the Midwestern brewery. Snowdonia is an awesome new gastropub that opened recently in my neighborhood, but just because it's in Astoria doesn't mean they don't totally know what they are doing. This is an excellent opportunity to break out of your comfort zone and try something new! Seatings are at 7 and 9:30 and can be reserved with a $15 nonrefundable deposit.


David Burke at Bloomingdales - 1000 Third Avenue at 59th Street

The iconic department store restaurant has joined forces with the classic New England brewery to offer a 4-course meal in conjunction with the Art of Shaving. Roasted duck and a chocolate panna cotta martini are on the $65 menu, with each course paired with an all-American brew. This is sure to be a culinary treat.



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