Schnitzel and Things Food Truck in NYC, New York

Aren't food trucks wonderful and fun? I love food trucks, not only because they usually propose great food (for most of them) at a reasonable price considering the lower expenses they incur compared to a brick and mortar restaurant, but also because their owners have to be really creative to be different, having only a limited menu. 

My last discovery has been Schnitzel & Things. Schnitzel is normally some tenderized meat that is breaded and fried. At Schnitzel & Things, they propose either pork, chicken, cod or eggplant for the vegetarians. 

So I decided to try the chicken:

And the eggplant:

Cupcakes at Butter Lane in the East Village, NYC, New York

After we went to Molly's cupcakes and did not like it, we decided to find a cupcake place in the East Village. Thanks to the internet, we found Butter Lane Cupcakes. The place is quaint and its configuration can change whether or not they give a class or not (the second time we went, they were giving an icing course.

There, similar to lots of places, they offer to build your own. I love that because that way, although the choice is limited, you eat what you like and do not feel too limited by the choices they propose.

The first time we went, we built our own. The ritual is always the same: you pick the cake, then the frosting.

I went for a banana cake with sea salt chocolate.

Jodi went for a vanilla cake with coconut icing.

Food trucks at Pier 13 in Hoboken, NJ

If you love food trucks and love walking along the Hudson River, overlooking the beautiful NYC skyline, then the food trucks at Pier 13 are for you. Ok, you never know what you will get, except if you check on their facebook page, because it is never the same food trucks, although some are coming more often than others.

We went few times and tried quite few dishes. The first time was pizza at Pizza Vita, from Summit, NJ.

This is crazy: they have a wood fire oven on the side of the truck and in a matter of minutes, you will get a delicious Neapolitan pizza. 

We decided to go first with the margherita pizza. 

And then with mushrooms and truffle. 

Both were personal pizzas, that were thin in the center and puffed up on the outside (like any Neapolitan pizza should!). They had a nice char thanks to the magic of the oven.

Sandwiches at Francois Payard Bakery in NYC, New York

I went to Francois Payard few times already, mainly their location on West Houston. This time, we decided to go to the one near Columbus Circle to grab sandwiches. I always like to go there because their pastries look fantastic. 

We decided to order a croque Monsieur first. 

It was made with big pieces of ham, cheese and bechamel sauce, served between two slices of white bread. It was very good; the bechamel sauce adding some gooey-ness to it. It is one of the best ones I had so far for a reasonable price. No need to serve it fancy, just simply!

Then, we ordered the ham and Brie. 

Johnny Rockets in Hoboken, NJ

I went to Johnny Rockets for a second time: it is a place like no other, like traveling in the past! Everything makes you think about the 50's, from the decor to the music, although the first restaurant opened in 1986. 

Let's start first with the decor: You have two types of seats: at the counter or in a booth. The entire decor reminds me of American movies or TV series we use to watch in France, when I was a kid. TV series like Happy Days, called "Les jours heureux", a literal translation. 

Then there is the tiny jukebox in every booth: you put 5 cents (provided by the restaurant), pick a song and the choices from the patrons will play sequentially (hopefully...).

In term of food, they have a large selection of burgers, sandwiches and salads. We decided to start with some fried pickles:

They were pretty good, not greasy, crunchy, with a delicious sour taste.

Then, Jodi ordered the route 66:

Republic in Union Square, NYC, New York

One of my favorite reasonably priced fast serving restaurant in Union Square is Republic. I went few times and have never been disappointed! 

The pluses besides the prices?

- they have a nice selection of small plates that are perfect for sharing. 

- several menu items are vegetarian. 

- fast service. 

The minuses:

- the noise level, especially the music. 

The decor is very simple with amazing photos featuring noodles (they have several dishes made with it). There are only communal tables, but they usually sit you on your own table, except if it is too crowded. 

So we decided to order small dishes. 

We first shared the sauteed mini dumplings. 

It was the first time we ordered this and I was surprised because I was expecting a plate similar to what I eat in a Chinese restaurant ! It was served like a salad, with cabbage, ginger, cilantro and scallions. The sauce was oyster sauce. The dumplings, made with minced pork, were light and softer than I expected. I guess the salad made it look like an healthy dish! Great dish in fact!

Then Jodi ordered the vegetarian salad.

Papatzul Mexican restaurant in Soho, NYC, New York

Papatzul is a Mexican restaurant located in Soho. It has this fantastic dining room decorated with colorful posters, but also because of the sunlight coming from the window on the roof. It feels authentic for sure.

We went there for brunch and their menu offers standard Mexican dishes, most of them at a reasonable price. We started of with the dish we always order in a Mexican restaurant: guacamole.

Although it looked homemade, we definitely could see from the oxidation of the avocado that it was done a little earlier and not a la minute. It was good otherwise, served with some crispy corn chips.

Then, I ordred Huevos Rancheros. Unfortunately, the waiter did not understand me and came back with Huevos con chorizo or scrambled eggs with chorizo. As we were in a bit of a hurry, I did not bother and decided to try.

BCD Tofu House in Korea Town NYC, New York

If you follow this blog, you may remember this wonderful moment I had at BCD Tofu House for their Grand Opening back in April (check out the post here!). I had the honor and privilege to be part of the ribbon cutting ceremony, standing next to the President and Founder of BCD Tofu House, Mrs Hee Sook Lee! 

Courtesy of AD Group Communique

So we decided to go back as regular customers. We went on a Saturday, for an early dinner and showed up there around 6:15pm. Believe me or not, but the place was packed! We waited 10 minutes and got our table, excited to try their food.

While looking at the menu, we noticed the table sets that had some sentences in Korean translated in English and with some help for the pronunciation. Reading it, I clearly realized that the couple of words I know in Korean might not be pronounced properly! Hopefully, I never offended anybody!!!

After we ordered, they brought to us some side dishes, called banchan, ritual that is typical of a Korean restaurant.

As we were looking, trying to figure out what was what, they gracefully explained each dish, although I admit that I do not remember the details for all of them.

The Pink Tea Cup in NYC, New York - CLOSED!

I would not call our last visit to The Pink Tea Cup a revisit per se as it was the first time we went to their location near Union Square. Yes, close to the start of the blog, we went to their location downtown, that closed few months later. Then, few years ago, this one popped up and I promised myself to try it someday. That day had come! The place was for sure different: no communal table but a large painting taking an entire wall, pink walls in the back. 

This place serves comfort food and there was one particular Southern dish I really wanted to try there: chicken and waffles. Weird combination, but so good! It is like having an entree and dessert at the same time! What makes this place so particular is that they serve different proteins with waffles, such as catfish, shrimp...Also, they make all kind of waffles: plain, sweet potato, raspberry...

To start, we decided to share the fried green tomatoes. 

When the plate came, it did not look that appetizing. We had to ask for a sauce and they only had some caesar dressing that was pretty salty. We barely ate them! The tomatoes were a bit mushy and the breading we were expecting was breaking apart and quasi none existent. These are fried tomatoes! Don't be shy about the frying: we were not expecting a healthy dish!

Dino & Harry's steakhouse in Hoboken, NJ

Yes!!! A dinner at Dino & Harry, one of my favorite steakhouses in Hoboken! We were so excited to go there as we always had great food there (well except for Restaurant Week where the quality of the steaks was not that great...)! My only complaints would be the noise level, but we asked to be seated next to the windows where it is quieter (also for the light for the photos...).

So, the ritual is always the same: we get the bread basket and butter.

Then, we got our steaks! Jodi ordered her usual petite filet mignon, served with mushrooms.

She also ordered some delicious béarnaise sauce with it. I think it is great when steakhouses propose a petite version if a filet, because otherwise, the pieces of meat can be so big! So it can satisfy anybody with a small appetite (compared to me...). The filet was very good as usual, tender and perfectly cooked (Jodi asked medium-well). Also, we appreciated the fact that the mushrooms were not overpowering at all!

Then was my steak: ribeye!

Vive La Crepe in Greenwich Village, NYC, New York

Crepes: a typically French dish that some people call thin pancakes...I love crepes. In fact I learned how to make crepes at school, when I was probably 7 or 8... So I was really excited to try Vive La Crepe, located near Union Square! It is Jodi who found this place and we added it to the long list of places to try. 

This small place was fairly busy and the staff was efficient. At least, they had five crepe makers to work with!

The menu offers sweet and savory choices, French inspired for the most part. 

Jodi ordered the ham and gruyere crepe:

I ordered the raclette:

Raclette is a dish popular in France and Switzerland, where cheese is melted on potatoes. So this crepe was made of cheese, boiled potatoes and prosciutto. There was enough meat, but clearly not enough cheese! Also, the potatoes were bland; I would have preferred less potatoes or maybe skin on would have given a bit of taste. 

The ham and cheese did not have enough ham...and cheese either!

What was very disappointing was the crepe batter: weird taste! I do not understand how they can screw it up! It is so simple to make ( I should post the recipe!). 

For dessert, we ordered the sugar and butter crepe and the banana and Nutella one:

I could unfortunately not get past the taste of the batter. Too bad because there was a lot of nutella!

So it was clearly disappointing ! And pricey! Bar Suzette remains for me the best so far, although I am always amazed by the cost of this cheap dish!

Enjoy (...)!

If you like this post or the photos, feel free to share it using the toolbar below or to write a comment! 

And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!

Brunch at Craftbar in NYC, New York

I have become a fan of Tom Colicchio: not for his personality on TV, but his food! We tried Colicchio and Sons and the famous TC Burger that is for me the best burger so far in New York City. So, last time, we were close to Union Square, trying to find a place for brunch and decided to try Craftbar as it was on my wish list of restaurants (trust me: it is a very long list). The place is gorgeous: high ceilings, dark wood with a gateway across the restaurant joining the wine cellar that you cannot miss.

Similar to Colicchio and Sons, although a bit industrial looking, there is this sense of space, modernity and warmth. 

For brunch, the menu offers pretty standard brunch dishes, but just reading their description, you know that it is different and you wish you could order everything! After a difficult time to make up our mind, we ordered our food. Jodi ordered the croque Madame:

Croque Madame is a croque Monsieur with a fried egg. It was served with mustard and pickles.

Island Burgers and Shakes in Hell's Kitchen, NYC, New York

Island burger is a burger joint located in Hell's Kitchen. This place has been there for years and I probably went there 8 years ago! I think that at the time, the menu was simpler. This time, I was very impressed by the wide variety of dishes: they have close to sixty different types of burgers with names like Bourbon Street, Hippo or El Camino, each being prepared with different ingredients and a different level of spiciness. They also propose the same dish in two ways: burger or churascos, that is grilled chicken.

I decided to pick The people's choice burger, made with swiss cheese, sauteed mushrooms and sauteed onions.

It came with slices of tomatoes, onions, pickles and lettuce. The bread was a potato bun with lots of sesame seeds, too many I have to say.

The Capltal Grille in Midtown, NYC, New York

I went recently to The Capital Grille, for lunch. It was a first time. I guess I always thought that this was a big chain where quantity would be the priority over quality. I was wrong...entering the restaurant, you can immediately feel it is a fancy steakhouse!

As a proof, they have lockers on both sides of the entrance that regulars can rent for $350 a year to store their wine. 

On the left is the giant bar:

In the front is the dining room, that kept the feel that steakhouses use to be places for men, with darker colors and leather. Good light though, not as dimmed as in most of the steakhouses I visited, although it was lunch time and not dinner.

Then the main dining room that is huge!  It is on two floors with very high ceilings giving incredible dimension to the place. What I liked were the booths, accommodating two people.  I love booths: we do not have that in France and at first, I discovered them in movies and TV series. Love it!

An interesting thing they do is changing the color of the napkin depending on the color of you outfit: white napkins are linty so if you wear dark colors, they will replace them with black ones! Very thoughtful.

After they brought us some bread and butter with a bit of salt, I was ready to order!