Foodie Trip to NYC

Friday night
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Hole in the Wall Chinese place on Canal Street (that was open at 10:50) between Broadway and West Broadway on the south side of the street

fried Pork Dumplings
Hot and Sour Soup
Egg Drop Soup
Spring Rolls

Certainly nothing to write home about, but all perfectly acceptable and surprisingly not overly greasy. The pork dumplings had a filling that was slightly different and quite tasty. The Hot and Sour soup was very perky and quite good - although a little thin on the veggies. We were very happy that they let us in and fed us, to be perfectly honest. Everyone who came after us was turned away.

Saturday
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Argo Tea Cafe
75 University Place
http://www.argotea.com/

I had my first bubble tea (coconut) because this was the very first place I've found that will make a bubble tea with soy milk. It was very sweet, but quite tasty and the tapioca was vegan, but it was also little squares instead of pearls which was a bit odd.

Union Square Green Market
http://www.cenyc.org/unionsquaregreenmarket
We picked up a lovely bagette and some jam from a producer who had driven down from western mass that morning. We also got some blueberries, good, but on the sour side. Some olive rosemary rolls which were heavy and dry and not very tasty. Some whitefish salad that seemed to be unsmoked and was also rather blah. An emergency brownie which I carried around all day in my purse "in case of emergency" an emergency mini cherry pie (see bus ride home below). We liked the baguette and jam best of all, but it was a fun way to have breakfast and we sat at a little table in the shade of the trees and enjoyed trying everything.


Dim Sum Go Go
5 E. Broadway
http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/3/26073/restaurant/Chinatown/Dim-Sum-Go-Go-New-York
I like being able to order the exact dumplings I want... we ordered about 10 different ones. My favorite was the stuffed mushrooms, the bean curd skin rolls, the duck and cabbage. Everything was well flavored and very fresh and hot. Flavors were subtle and clean. The setting is modern looking and crowded - although we showed up the two of us at 12:30 on a Saturday and were seated right away. I would certainly go back.


A wine bar/bistro
On the south east corner of 8th and 18th
1/2 bottle of syrah and pommes frites (and emergency brownie)
We had to break into our emergency brownie because the waiter was ignoring us. We had to go in search of him to even order the pomme frites. But we got to sit at the huge open window looking out across the intersection of 8th and 18th and it was easy to keep an eye out for our friend that we were meeting. Nothing special about the pomme frites. Nothing good to say about the service. The brownie was a little disappointing to.

City Cakes
251 West 18th Street, Lower Level
http://www.citycakesny.com/
4 cupcakes
1 chocolate with basil frosting was most interesting... the favorite was the golden cake with the chocolate frosting - a sort of idealized homemade cupcake

Chez Oskar
211 DeKalb Ave.
Fort Greene, Brooklyn
http://www.chezoskar.com/
A lovely seat outside on a warm summer night at a cafe table. A glass of cidre... a lovely salad of arugala, green apple and grapefruit... two very rare lamb chops with couscous... risotto ... tarte tatin... and decaf espresso... all lovely as can be.

Cake Man Raven
708 Fulton Street
Brooklyn
the very best Red Velvet Cake I've ever had... a huge slice (well, it should be for $6.00)... but amazing.


Sunday
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Russ and Daughters
179 E. Houston Street
http://www.russanddaughters.com/
bagels, gravlax, reg. cream cheese, tofu scallion cream cheese, white fish salad, german potato salad, pickles, bagel bread pudding, orange juice... the gravlax was amazingly rich and dill infused...the white fish salad was quite smoky. We took our picnic to a nearby park and sat and indulged under the spreading trees... yum.

Rice
81 Washington Street
Dumbo, Brooklyn
http://www.riceny.com/home.php
We didn't actually eat here, but it looked amazing and they were kind enough to let us use their bathrooms without making us purchase anything (so that we could really enjoy our walk across the Brooklyn Bridge). Kelli was wearing a Red Sox hat and the man who showed us the restrooms said, "Anything for a Red Sox fan." Who knew that her Boston cap would be our ticket into the bathroom in Brooklyn? They have the very coolest bathrooms ever. I'd definitely go back to have some food anytime.

Tasty Hand'pulled Noodles
1 Doyers Street
Chinatown
very small, not overly tidy or clean, slow, and our pan fried noodles with chicken and shrimp were mysteriously missing the shrimp, but all that said, the noodles were delicious. I'd probably go back and try it again.

bus ride home
emergency cherry pie from Union Square Green Market
This pie was fantastic... I want to go back and pick up a few more... thin, but very good pastry, crisp on the bottom, tart cherries...just perfect!

Eating in Seattle

Here are some of the highlights of my time in Seattle. You may get the impression that I spent the entire week eating and... you would be correct. It was delicious and fun, but I'm sure there are other things to do in Seattle... there must be right?!

Wallingford (hip neighborhood west of the U District)
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Trophy Cupcakes (flavors like Mexican hot chocolate, marguerita, hummingbird (banana with added fruits) very pretty and very delicious.
http://www.trophycupcakes.com

Chocolate Cafe - there is one of these here in Wallingford, but there is another one at Green Lake so you could combine consumption with a walk around the lake to burn it off and another one near the cool library downtown ( 1000 4th Ave.) to refresh yourself after touring that temple of librarianship.


International District (downtown - a kind of Chinatown ++)
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Uwajimaya - giant Japanese supermarket (http://www.uwajimaya.com/)
Kinokuniya Bookstore (in one corner of Uwajimaya) - 525 South Weller Street (Uwajimaya Village) opens at 10:00am (great pens, notebooks, all things Japanese)

We had Dim Sum at Jade Garden 424 7th Avenue South which was delicious, varied and interesting. We took some of the leftovers home and they were even better the next day. We had Chinese broccoli with a thick soy sauce, bbq pork inside a puff pastry roll sprinkled with sesame seeds, shrimp and seaweed wrapped in tofu skin... and we kept on going)

Also in this neighborhood we stumbled on a cool store on 602-608 Jackson called Kobo (http://www.koboseattle.com/flash.html) with crafts, jewelry and interesting things from Japan. They had the pretties umbrellas in there too.


U District
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Blue C Sushi is the Tokyo style conveyor belt sushi spot that everyone (in our party) agreed was the tastiest and freshest in Seattle. It is in University Village (a sort of outdoor mall) but don't let that turn you off. The food was very good and the whole experience is very fun... although I think one tends to eat too much since you feel like you might miss something interesting as it goes by. They also have Happy Hour out there in Seattle so stop by then and food is cheaper. The one we went to is at 4601 26th Avenue NE, but there is another one in the Fremont neighborhood. (http://www.bluecsushi.com/)

Queen Mary Tea Room
This was an all out Anglo-fest with great tea and great food. We had the Afternoon Tea which comes on a three tiered silver tray, but you can select different options. It is cozy so if you want to go call and make a reservation - appartently it is hard to get in. (http://queenmarytea.com)


Queen Anne/BellTown
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Macrina: Great bakery and lovely neighborhood to walk around in. You must try their chocolate chip-orange brioche... it was amazing! (www.macrinabakery.com/cafes/index.html)


Downtown
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Cafe Campagne: the truth squad is forcing me to admit that I didn't actually eat here, but it comes highly recommended by my foodie friend Seong who suggests going at Happy Hour to sample some of their onion tart and pate on the cheap (http://www.campagnerestaurant.com)


West Seattle
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Alki Beach - go hang out, walk along the beach and enjoy the sunset and feel like your in some vacation spot (as long as it is sunny outside).

Cactus on Alki (http://www.cactusrestaurants.com/alki.html)

There is also a great bakery if you are over there in West Seattle to check out. Bakery Nouveau (http://www.bakerynouveau.com/welcome/) famous for their double baked almond croissants... yum!


Other restaurants of note:
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Also, Carmelita's (http://www.carmelita.net/) a fine vegetarian restaurant to check out.
and from my previous trip to Seattle try La Carta de Oaxaca at 5431 Ballard Ave, NW Seattle for an authentic Mexican night out (http://www.lacartadeoaxaca.com) - it is in cool neighborhood to walk around.


Other than eating
(I'll admit it. There are a few other things to do in Seattle, but all of these outtings combine nicely with a stop for refreshments.)
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Walk around Green Lake.
Walk around Queen Anne Neighborhood.
Walk around the International District.
Visit the Central Library and make sure not to miss the 4th floor, the children's room etc.
Don't forget the visit to the Ballard locks too to see the salmon running...(http://www.ci.seattle.wa.us/tour/locks.htm)

Notes from Shemetra on New Orleans

These are my notes - taken in haste - while waiting for our first course at Delfino's last week. If anyone is traveling to N.O. anytime soon check these places out and report back.

Okay, here are my notes from Shemetra who begs a big disclaimer that although she has been back one time since Katrina she hasn't lived in N.O. since Katrina so she's afraid some of this might be outdated. Plus, she has refrained from sending you to places that have great food, but that (in her words) "you'd be shot dead if you went there."

Also, she said, her favorite place to eat in N.O. is her mother's kitchen and since that wasn't a real option for you I'm not listing it. She said not to bother getting red beans and rice since her mom's his the best, but I'm not entirely sure you need to follow her advice that closely...

Lunch:
Mendina's (off Canal Street - take street car all the way up - before the bend where all the cemetaries are)

French style lunch: Degas (across from City Park and Museum). She says go to the museum in the morning and have lunch at Degas.

Spanish style lunch: Lola's paella (byob) - near the fair grounds

At 10:00am go to Mother's and order the package "Gumbo to Go" - freeze it and then right before leaving for the airport wrap it in a double layer of aluminum foil and bring it home with you - make gumbo when you get back and fell like your still in N.O.
(Shemetra says don't eat at Mother's - always crowded and overrated in her opinion, but if you ignore her advice she says that you could get a good Po' Boy there)

Places with great service:
A must: Antoine's (in the French Quarter) for Eggs Benedict.
Galatoire's (old N.O. style service) try the bread pudding souffle
Bayona's kind of nuovo, but amazing

You could go to Paul Prudhomme's restaurant "Cape Halls" - she gives it a nod.

Then she stressed "be careful what neighborhood you go to and what time of day - I have no idea where the bad neighborhoods are these days."

And the final vague suggestion (she couldn't remember the name), "there is a great place off the causeway for barbeque shrimp"... for what it is worth.

Hope you have a great time and enjoy some great eats.