Macbar

54 Prince St.  New York, NY
www.macbar.net

Price: $$
Favorite flavor: Four Cheese

Mac and cheese lovers rejoice! Finally, a restaurant solely devoted to the beloved all-American favorite of Macaroni and Cheese. Macbar makes their devotion clear the second you walk in their doors. The interior decor is all yellow, and the food is served in macaroni-shaped yellow plastic packaging. Clearly they are obsessed and committed to all things mac and cheese.
The restaurant seems like it is mostly for carry-out, in that the seating is a bit scarce, especially for a crowded night. There is one row of small tables to one side, and that is it. However, their neighbor restaurant, Delicatessen, has a whole section of their menu serving up Macbar specialties. If you're looking for a sit-down, and a slightly nicer meal, then I would recommend trying their Mac and Cheese over there.
Erica, Jenna, and I went to MacBar recently, and we had been anticipating this visit since we first got together this summer. When ordering, you can choose your size, and from what we got, there was really no noticeable difference in size between the small and medium (but there was a slight difference in price).


Here's what we got:

MacBar seating area

Two classics, and one 4-cheese. YUM

CHEEEEESY

The Four Cheese, with queso blanco, fontina, emmental, and gouda.

The Classic…elbow macaroni with American and Cheddar Cheese.

I think she likes it.

she's a little camera shy :)

look at that cheese

come to me

looks too good

Honestly, for Mac and Cheese lovers, MacBar could easily become an addiction. For me, I thought the Mac and Cheese was good, but not fantastic. It hit the spot, and was as comforting as always, but I wouldn't say it was the best I'd ever had. Erica and Jenna might beg to differ, as they seemed to love theirs.
I do like the fact that this restaurant specializes in one thing, and gives customers many many options to choose from…some of them being quite unique, like the Mac Lobsta' and the Margarita Mac. After finishing your Mac, you can conveniently take leftovers home with you in your plastic Macaroni to-go container. (I took mine home as a souvenir). Too cute!

XOXO,
Danielle

Bianca

5 Bleecker St. #1  New York, NY
www.biancanyc.com

Price: $$ --everything is extremely well priced… but cash only!
Favorite dish: Artichoke Salad

Sara and Frankie went to dinner at Bianca one night and couldn't stop raving about how good it was afterwards. So, for a nice, fun, middle of the week dinner, I decided to drag the two of them back to Bianca so I could get a taste of what was so good.
After arriving, I noticed the vibe at Bianca was loud and trendy. The restaurant is set up to look almost like a kitchen, so we would feel right at home. Because they don't take reservations, we did have a little wait for a table, being that the restaurant is not all that big and super crowded.
After looking at the menu, I found so many things that I wanted. But what I really noticed was how reasonably priced everything was. That must have been the first time I had thought that since I got to New York. Main dishes for no more than $15? Yes please!

Here's what we got:

My favorite!! Fresh bread and olive oil. 

For a starter, Sara and I shared the Carciofini, or in other words, an artichoke salad. It was thin slices of artichokes  with fresh parmesan and a lemon dressing. I absolutely adored this dish. It was so light and refreshing. The artichokes were super delicious and I loved how it was something I'd never really seen before. I have been craving this sole dish ever since I ate there, and I am yearning to go back for it.

An unobstructed view of the salad. yuuuummmyyyy

The Tagliatelle alla Bolognese. This was probably my favorite of the pasta dishes. The meat sauce was really flavorful and was enriched with lots of tomatoes and mushrooms. You could taste how the pasta was homemade and so perfectly cooked. Deliciousness!

The Ravioli di Ricotta con Burro e Salvia. Translation:  a fresh ricotta ravioli with butter and sage. Again, this ravioli was so light and deliciously handmade. It was a bit bland, however, and could've used some salt. But from subtle flavors I tasted I really liked them.

The Gnocchi con Formaggio, or gorgonzola cheese sauce. This gnocchi was so awesome. I am not a huge fan of gorgonzola but the creaminess of the sauce overtook the gorgonzola. It was, however, very heavy, so after eating some of it I felt like I could be done. The pasta's texture was really good and it was really super tasty.

This restaurant was totally adorbs and a good time. The only small detail that you should be aware of before heading over is that it is cash only. Not the biggest deal in the world, being that you really are getting great quality food, delicious flavors, and a fun atmosphere without breaking the bank. This is definitely going to be one of my go-to spots for any future visits [or perhaps for when I live here ;)]

XOXO,
Danielle

Jacob's Pickles

509 Amsterdam Ave.  New York, NY
www.jacobspickles.com

Price: $$
Favorite thing: Biscuits & Spicy Jalapeño pickles

A few weeks back, my family and I met up with some extended family while in the city. We decided to visit a restaurant that my dad had been wanting to take me to for some time: Jacob's Pickles. My entire family is obsessed with pickles. Everyone (except for my mom) adores pickles and we always seem to devour them quickly at Friday night dinners…so trying Jacob's Pickles was a must. This shop on the Upper West Side features homemade pickles in addition to home-brewed beers. They are open for both dinner and brunch, so we chose to stop in for brunch. Their menu is massive…much more than I would expect from a pickle shop.


Here's what we got:

The Lox Eggs Benedict, with cured salmon and poached eggs served atop biscuits, with fresh hollandaise and home fries.

The Biscuits French Toast, served with fresh cut strawberries and powdered sugar. Being that the biscuits were so amazing, this dish was so delicious and moist.

The Veggie Cheese Omelet, with asparagus, spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, and cheddar cheese, served with home fries.

The Fruit Yogurt and Granola, with greek yogurt, local honey, fresh fruit, and granola.

I got the Salmon Platter, which came with house smoked salmon, cream cheese, capers, red onion, olives, scallions, lettuce, tomato, and a biscuit. I loved having this salmon platter with a biscuit instead of a bagel or toast. The flavors were 10x better and the dish made for a perfectly light meal.

Fresh beer and homemade pickles

Pickles on pickles on pickles on pickles

The brunch at Jacob's Pickles was such a pleasant surprise. The food was quite delicious and had a nice atmosphere with a wide open entrance so I felt like we could be outside while remaining cool. The decor is really homey and fun with an array of jars and bottles of pickles lining the walls. You could truly tell the pickles were homemade and they were fresh and tangy and delicious!


XOXO,
Danielle

Cafe Habana

17 Prince St.  New York, NY

www.cafehabana.com

Price: $$

Favorite thing: Mexican Grilled Corn (is that a question??)

You might have learned from my previous post about Dos Caminos that I am a huge huge huge fan of Mexican Grilled corn. Also known in Spanish known as 'elote,' Mexican Grilled Corn is a very common street food found in many parts of Mexico. One of the absolute best places to get an amazing and authentic version of this goodness is at Cafe Habana in Soho. After grilling each ear of corn to perfection and quickly jamming it on to a stick, they smother it with a lime-y mayonnaise rub, cover it all over with Cotija cheese, and then top it all off with some lime juice and cayenne pepper. Voila! Now is that not the best looking/sounding corn in the entire history of the world?

One ear of corn for my mom dad and I. Not nearly enough…….

The first bite. HEAVEN

Not too shabby.

Well hello beautiful

Goodbye :(

I have never gone to Cafe Habana before for anything other than the Mexican Grilled Corn, but from what I have heard, they're mexican food is delicious and very authentic. However, first and foremost, I highly recommend stopping in and ordering like 5 ears of Mexican Grilled Corn for yourself, because they are perfectly hot and flavorful and creamy and zingy and salty and, well, simply irresistible.

XOXO,

Danielle

Balaboosta

214 Mulberry St.  New York, NY

www.balaboostanyc.com

Price: $$$

Favorite dish: Patatas Bravas 

A few weeks back, my parents, my uncle, my cousin Allison and I went out to dinner the night before my parents went back home. This was the night after we visited Smorgasburg in Brooklyn, so I have no idea how I was hungry. But I was, so why not go out for a great meal? My parents had wanted to take me to Balaboosta, which means 'perfect housewife' in Yiddish. If the food is being prepared by a Balaboosta, we should be in good hands. The food is Mediterranean and has Israeli roots. Absolutely my kind of restaurant!

Here is what we got:

For a starter and pre-dinner treat, we were served little crisps that were well seasoned, as well as crunchy, light, and airy. They were extremely addictive, and to add extra flavor, we started adding a little bit of the black salt, because why not?!

Some black salt for the table to pinch and drizzle over everything.

For a starter, how could we resist the Hummus, served with a mortar and pestle. It came along with straight out of the oven pita bread covered with an amazing amount of seasoning (which I'm sure you can tell from the photo).  The hummus was really really good, and super fresh. The pita was my favorite part though… so warm and flavorful.

For another starter, we got the Burrata... always a classic. It was local burrata cheese, with Challah toast, a wonderful whole roasted tomato, and a hint of basil. The cheese was really fresh and creamy, and the tomato was awesome.

Probably my favorite part of the meal was our last appetizer: the Patatas Bravas, which was chunks of crispy potatoes, with za'atar and a roasted garlic aioli. The potatoes were SO HOT…I burnt my tongue twice, but that's probably because I was so obsessed. I think it was the aioli that really made it so good. The Za'atar was amazing (a blend of herbs, sesame, and salt), and all in all, the potatoes and the dip made a heavenly couple.

Allie and I both ordered the Boneless Half Chicken, cooked "under the brick," served with Israeli couscous with dried apricots and green leeks, and a gremolata sauce. We decided that we definitely should have shared had we known the actual size of the chicken, but it was really really good! The chicken was juicy and had a nice skin. I really liked the sweetness of the couscous along with it. 

My dad got one of the specials of the evening featuring a fresh fish selection, with roasted vegetables and a tomato sauce.

My Uncle got an amazing Grilled Spice Rubbed Skirt steak. The steak was bursting with flavor. It was absolutely delicious. I hadn't had steak in a while which made it all the better. The meat was tender and juicy and perfect.

My mom was still full from Smorgasburg earlier in the day, so she ate light. She got the appetizer portion of the Ceviche, which was made with a white fish, bulgar, cilantro, orange, chili, and lemon. I am a huge fan of ceviche, and this one was really fresh tasting and had a really good flavor combinations.

I was really excited to eat at Balaboosta because it was my first really good full Mediterranean meal of the summer! It was totally worth visiting and, having browsed through their lunch and brunch menus, I definitely see another visit in my future (Shakshouka here I come!)

XOXO,
Danielle

Rice to Riches

37 Spring St.  New York, NY

www.ricetoriches.com

I have been waiting sOOO long to write this post. Since I've been in NYC, I've been sitting, waiting, wishing for when I would find time to go to Rice to Riches. Being an avid lover of all things rice and pudding, Rice to Riches creates the ultimate and absolutely perfect rice pudding for those who crave a unique and incredibly tasty treat. Rice to Riches serves their rice pudding frozen yogurt style, giving customers a huge selection of different fun flavors, like "Cinnamon Sling," "Coconut Coma," 'Fluent in French Toast," and "Hazelnut Chocolate Bear Hug." Then you can select toppings, or as they call them, Jesus Droppings, to top your rice pudding. There is literally nothing better than this.

In addition to the fun and witty flavors and names, the shop's signs and sayings are another factor that helps attract as many customers as they do.  A few of my favorites:

WORD.

Clearly my new motto: "Never diet on an empty stomach."

So true.

At least they're honest!

Ya! Seriously!

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind.

yuuuuuum

Flavors on flavors on flavors on flavors on flavors.

My favorite. Simple, creamy, original vanilla.

Here's what we shared:

Here it is. Our masterpiece. Looks too good to eat, right? WRONG. Obviously I dug right into this baby. We got the Understanding Vanilla topped with oven roasted strawberries. Um seriously, hello heaven. The rice pudding was so thick and rich and creamy and absolutely scrumptious I couldn't get enough. Even though we got the small to share amongst all of us, it was still plenty to get my fix. 

Toppings galore!! 

I've come to the conclusion that if you think you don't like rice pudding, you're wrong. Everyone likes pudding. That's basically it. There is absolutely nothing not to like about this genius of a snack/dessert. If you have never tried it, you must. Even if lumpy rice pudding sounds a tad unappealing, you'd be surprised how unbelievable it can taste. You MUST see for yourself.

This pretty much says it all.

XOXO,
Danielle