What I Ate: 1/8/16 - 1/14/16
Inspired by "Grub Street Diet", I wanted to start chronicling my meals for posterity and sharing my favorite dishes with others. Each diary will cover food eaten in one week, no matter how big or small.
This week: Back-to-Back Greek and CHICKFILA!
Friday, 1/8/16
Lunch from Jack’s Wife Freda was a disappointment. The burger was bland and the chicken wings were kind of dry. Perhaps it had to do with it being delivered vs eating there but I don’t get what the hype is about (always a crazy line out the door). After work, I met up with my friend for a portrait session around Tribeca. We started things off with a red velvet cupcake at Billy’s Bakery and a few hours later, we stopped by Church Street Tavern for a snack: a bowl of creamy risotto. Dinner was at Basta Pasta where we snagged two bar seats without the usual 30 min wait. I’ve been working my way down the menu to try every pasta dish and enjoyed my bowl of bowtie pasta with smoked salmon, tomatoes, asparagus with a kick from the the grain mustard cream sauce.
Saturday, 1/9/16
Back to back photoshoots. My friend and talented dancer, Monica Thysell needed some pics for her portfolio so I trekked out to Astoria for the day. First stop was at Burnside Biscuits for The Moose - a gigantic breakfast sandwich accompanied by the most delicious grits (I ordered a second one).
After a zen moment at Astoria Park, and a few wardrobe changes later, we were famished. Met up with her husband Mark at MP Taverna for some perfectly grilled dorade. On our walk back, I picked up an al pastor tostada from El Rey Taco Truck.
Sunday 1/10/16
My roommate Christian was out of the country for a few weeks and so I welcomed him back at Limani, a Greek spot near Rockefeller Center. We noshed on hummus dip, avocado salad with shrimp, dorade royale, and lambchops.
Later that night, I had the oxtail bone marrow fried rice from Blue Ribbon Sushi. Yup, still as enlightening as the first time.
Monday, 1/11/16
Headed to Hudson Market for spicy pork bibimbop with Julia. For $11, you get a massive bowl of rice (white or brown), veggies (carrots, bean sprouts, squash, mushrooms, red bell peppers, kimchi, spinach, radishes), protein (chicken breast, bulgogi, or spicy pork bulgogi) and optional fried egg. Big enough for two portions and highly recommended if you work near Tribeca.
I was pumped for dinner because I’m the biggest Chick-Fil-A fan! Now with a push of a button, someone will deliver my #1 with waffle fries and strawberry shake to my door. Thank you Postmates!
Tuesday, 1/12/16
A coworker had just completed all of the Disney marathons and to celebrate, we broke her diet hard at Bubby’s with biscuits, mac n cheese, and other “they shall not be named” guilty pleasures.
Dinner was at the hotly anticipated Nishi, David Chang’s new Italian/Asian fusion spot. There was about an hour wait so we grabbed drinks at Bathtub Gin, a hidden speakeasy in the back of a coffee shop. I’m a sucker for clandestine places and this one didn’t disappoint. Attentive service, strong drinks, and a vibe that transports you back in time.
There were hits and misses (they were still new) but I instagrammed my favorite dishes. I enjoyed this fried shrimp app that had a great ratio of breading (not too thick to distract from the shrimp). Of course we ordered their famous pasta dish with creamy chickpea hozon, a riff off of pasta carbonara. The noodles were super al dente and the flavor was fine, I just wish that the $24 dish came with more than a spoonful of noodles. While we sat at the bar, I noticed a guy taking photo with a portable light. Didn’t recognize him with the hat but it was FoodieMagician who I met briefly at Spotted Pig a few months back. My favorite dish hands down was the scallops. Velvety and voluptuous. Sweet and briny. After our meal, DC came out of the kitchen to take the temp of the room. Sammy mentioned how much he liked the korean stew and DC nods his head in agreement.
“I know right? It’s so fucking good, it baffles me why white people don’t like it!”
I point to a caucasian chef prepping near the bar. "What about him?"
DC laughs and says, "He's the only white guy that likes it."
The chef doesn't look up and smiles as he continues prepping.
Sammy graciously paid for the meal after losing in credit card roulette. See the full story here
Wednesday, 1/13/16
It was a slow day for our finance analysts so we went across the street to Church Street Tavern for a rare sit-down lunch. I’ve had the Tavern Burger so today I tried their new “Double Royale with Cheese” an elevated Big Mac with better dry-aged meat. Pretty good but I still prefer the original Tavern Burger.
Dinner was Chick-Fil-A again because why not? I felt kinda bad because the delivery guy was holding my shake in one hand while pedaling on his Razor scooter in 30F weather. I gave a good tip.
Thursday, 1/14/16
The best antidote to freezing weather is a big bowl of pho. Xavier and I went to our go to spot in chinatown, Thai Son, but ordered the stewed beef noodle soup (#14B, no tendon) to change things up. Hearty and delicious with a tomato based broth, ample chunks of tender meat, and slices of lime to lift up the broth. Highly recommended.
The asian theme continued to dinner where I seamlessed hot sour soup and a tray of soup dumplings from Joe’s Shanghai.
WEEKLY SUMMARY
Dined out: 18 times
Restaurants Visited: Church Street Tavern (2x), Basta Pasta, Billy’s Bakery, Jack’s Wife Freda, Burnside Biscuit, MP Taverna, El Rey Taco Truck, Limani, Blue Ribbon Sushi, Hudson Market, Chick-Fil-A (2x), Bubby’s, Bathtub Gin, Nishi, Thai Son, Joe’s Shanghai
Highlights: Nishi; raw diver scallops | Burnside Biscuit; The Moose and pepperjack grits with Tabasco | MP Taverna; grilled dorade
