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

Smorgasburg: Brooklyn Flea Food Market

27 N 6th St.  Brooklyn, NY
http://www.brooklynflea.com/smorgasburg/

Never have I had an entire day that revolved solely around food. And never have I been so full in my LIFE after visiting the Smorgasburg Brooklyn Flea Market. My mom, dad, and I originally planned to spend the day in Brooklyn going to each of the different flea markets, but we ended up actually spending the majority of our time there at Smorgasburg. This was definitely my favorite Flea Market of all time…how can you NOT love walking through and tasting tons and tons of food from a variety of different unique vendors?
The amount of things that we tried at the flea market was absurd. But keep in mind, portions were small and we were sharing!!!! ;)  Warning: this post may cause severe hunger.

Here are the booths we tried:

DOUGH
Dough Doughnuts are based out of Brooklyn, New York, and offers a very diverse selection of doughnut flavors, from traditional to more uncommon and creative flavors.

Between the 3 of us, we tried the Dulce de Leche doughnut. It was topped with almonds adding a small crunch factor.  It was super light and soft, and did not disappoint. 

 LUMPIA SHACK
 Filipino lumpia (loom-pee-ah), or fried spring rolls, are featured at Lumpia shack. They are one of the culture's most popular snacks.

Since we were being adventurous, we decided to try our first ever lumpia. We ordered the Peking Duck lumpia, with ginger scallions, hoisin and siracha sauce. I enjoyed these spring rolls. They were really crispy and full of flavor. They also served a nice portion size.

 BITE ME CHEESECAKES
Their motto: "Making Cheese, and Smashing Cakes," Bite Me Cheesecakes offers adorable bite-sized cheesecakes to easily satisfy a sweet tooth. The co-founders are Michigan natives, so obviously we had to offer our support!

My dad tried the Limoncello Meringue. It's topped with a Limoncello curd, encased in toasted meringue. They describe this flavor as the closet thing to crack, and I would agree! It definitely would be addictive. Their signature crust is sweet and buttery and plain awesome. The lemon curd was tangy and made this mini-cheesecake perfectly bittersweet. Definitely one of the day's favorites.

 PARANTHA ALLEY
My parents being huge fans of Indian food, the food at Parantha Alley definitely was intriguing. Paranthas are pan fried Indian flatbreads, and at this booth, they offered different fillings for the paranthas.

We decided to try 2 of them:the Keema, which was filled with chicken and spices, and the weekly special, filled with yummy figs and goat cheese. From just looking, one might think they are nothing but plain flatbread. But they would be wrong. The flatbreads were actually bursting with flavor. The special of the week was my favorite of the two--it was both sweet and savory, and really delicious. They were served alongside three sauces for dipping: a yogurt sauce, chutney, and mango pickle. This was one of my parents' favorite stops of the day.

NEW YORK NATURALS: RAW VEGAN KALE CHIPS

I LOVE Kale chips. I think they are a great alternative to potato chips or any unhealthy snack food for that matter. New York Naturals offers raw vegan kale chips made with all natural ingredients. These chips are even as healthy as eating a kale salad, but add lots of fun and yummy flavors.

I tasted both the salt and vinegar and vegan "cheese" flavors and they were both so good! In fact, they were so good that my mom bought 2 packs to bring back home to Michigan. The salt and vinegar was tangy and added a nice salty touch, and obviously I'm always on board for anything cheesy-tasting. I definitely recommend trying these out, as they are hand-made, super healthy, and extremely addictive! 

ANARCHY IN A JAR

Anarchy in a Jar specializes in making homemade jams, and has over 14 varieties of jams, jellies, chutneys and marmalades. Everything is cooked by hand, and everything is all natural. 

HOW can you resist homemade pop tarts?!?

I'm trying this one next time...

We all shared the 3 Berry Pop Tart, which was filled with a sweet berry jam filling. Well, I'm sure your not surprised to hear that these knock regular pop tarts FAR out of the park. The outer crust was buttery and flaky, and was awesome with the jam. Such a great pastry splurge.

My parents loved the first pop tart so much that they went back to try one more. Or two. They tried one of each of the mini pop tart flavors: Spicy Pear and Hot Pepper and Goat Cheese. They thought they were both absolutely delicious, but being a bigger fan of sweeter pastries, the Spicy Pear took the cake.

KELVIN NATURAL SLUSH CO.

Kelvin Natural Slushies was the one food vendor that had a long line waiting to be served. Why might you ask? Being that it was extremely hot and humid and felt like it was 200 degrees, anyone in their right mind would go for a delicious refreshing slushy. What better of a place than Kelvin, serving all-natural intricate flavors for a cold, refreshing slush.

We got the Arnold Palmer slush, with a raspberry mix in. This was the ultimate refresher. It was ice cold and had excellent flavor. The raspberry added additional sweetness and really complimented the lemonade and iced tea. We downed this one fast.

ROB & ANNA'S

It's just bananas! Genius!!!! My family and I are huge banana lovers, and so the soft serve bananas at Rob & Anna's were calling our names. This nutritional dessert alternative is just bananas. That's it. No sugar added and no preservatives. It looks and tastes just like ice cream, without all the mysterious and unhealthy ingredients.

We got the Banana Soft Serve (duh) and topped it off with a little hot fudge so it would resemble a chocolate covered banana. And it tasted just like one. The banana soft serve was unbelievably soft and smooth, and honestly, I think I may like it better than traditional ice cream or froyo. The flavor is so simple and delicious, and the texture cannot be beat. I would come back just for a LAARGE helping of this.

YUJI RAMEN

Yuji Ramen serves a certain style of Ramen which is served without broth. Huh?! Don't worry…it's still full of flavor with its sauces and toppings. The noodles are also served chilled, which was nice under the blazing NYC heat.

The array of vegetable toppings, spices, and sauces.

Our Ramen Noodle Bowl, with freshly grilled zucchini and squash, chili flakes, a seasoning mixture, and spicy tuna. It was actually surprisingly good to eat chilled, and I liked all the seasoning flavors on top.

BITE SIZE KITCHEN
After having tried my first steamed bun on our vacation to California this past winter, I am now a huge fan. At Smorgasburg the vender Bite Size Kitchen served steamed  buns with a variety of different fillings.

We tried the Red Curry Coconut Chicken bun with toasted crushed peanuts, cilantro, and lime. This was sooo good! The bun was warm and soft and I liked the subtle coconut essence to the chicken. The sauce was bright and flavorful and the whole thing was great.

SCHNITZE

We came to a general consensus that Schnitze might have been one of our favorite vendors of the day. They offer different chicken Schnitzel sandwiches on pretzel rolls. Not sure how it can be any better than that.

OUR SCHNITZEL!!!!! We got the Bamburg Schnitze, which had parsley and panko bread crumbs, caramelized onion, pickled cucumbers, daikon, ginger, shallots, and mustard with basil and cumin. That DEFINITELY has to be the most sophisticated schnitzel I have ever eaten. It was sOoOo good. There were so many different flavors packed into that pretzel roll that made it truly the ultimate sandwich.

HANDSOME HANK'S FISH HUT
One of the booths had I had been eying since the beginning was Handome Hank's. They serve different fried seafood varieties that have a zesty twist. The different options on their menu seemed perfectly appealing while we were already on a roll with our eating.

My mom and I decided on the soft-shell crab, that was served alongside a generous portion of creamy cole slaw. Although we don't tend to have fried food very often, this was definitely an exception. The crab was so crispy and perfectly seasoned. This was actually my first time eating soft-shell crab, and I really enjoyed it. The coleslaw was perfect to compliment the richer flavor of the crab.

SALUD
After all the different foods we had been eating throughout the day, a refreshing and HEALTHY smoothie was extremely necessary.

After skimming the options with cute and clever names, we decided on "You Are Berry Nice," made with strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, bananas, and oatmeal. Seriously after all the junk we had been eating all day, something semi-nutritious was spot-on. The smoothie was really good and wasn't too strong in flavor. It was cold yummy and refreshing.

THE GOOD BATCH

One very last thing before we left: a cookie ice cream sandwich from The Good Batch. At this point I wasn't even hungry, but we still decided to get one, for good luck of course. 

We went straight for the Goodwich: an oat chocolate chip cookie with sea salt, drizzled fudge, and filled with vanilla ice cream. The cookie was so good because of the sweet and salty contrast. Then adding a little bit more sweet with the ice cream, the whole ice cream sandwich was perfection.

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Aside from what we got this time around, there were still plenty of other booths and vendors that we didn't get a chance to try (this time, at least). Here is a taste of some of the other foods that Smorgasburg had to offer:

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So basically, our day at the Smorgasburg flea market was quite a success. Such a success that we went straight to the gym afterwards. It's hard to believe, looking back, how many different types of food we got to try, and really how much we ate. I got a taste of so many fun places in New York that I never would've known about otherwise. I am planning on heading back soon because I don't think I can leave this city without trying some of the food from the other vendors, and of course trying some of the same things a second time. Since Brooklyn tends to be a hotspot for flea markets, Smorgasburg should definitely be a priority for those who go.

XOXO,
Danielle