Bistro Burger

There's always a lot of debate about who makes the best burger in New York City. And I can't say I've tried them all, but I can say that a definite contender is the "bistro burger" at the Corner Bistro in the West Village. The Corner B has been around for like 100 years or something, and it's basically a dirty old pub that serves McSorley's Ale (from another New York Institution - NYC's oldest continuously operated saloon) and makes a great burger.

(sagging counter to demonstrate how old the place is)

Their fries are amazing - kinda like your perfect McDonalds-esque skinny fry except it tastes vaguely like bacon, probably because of all the bacon grease that has been permeating the walls for the last century. And the bistro burger is "an eight-ounce slab of juicy grilled beef piled several inches high with melted cheese, bacon and raw onions." To quote New York Magazine again: "If you call yourself a New Yorker, consider it your civic duty to have a beer and a burger here at least once. If you're really a New Yorker, you'll know that the best time to do that is a weekday afternoon, when Corner Bistro's timeless tavern charm feels as warm as the sun streaming through the front windows".

The Best Cup of Coffee in LA

I love coffee!  I cannot start my morning without it.  I normally make my own at home using a French Press, resulting in a strong, muddy, rich cup o' Joe.  BUT, there are times when I run out of coffee or half 'n half and need to buy my daily cup.  When we lived in West Hollywood, I would always go to Kings Road Cafe to get my fix.  It was right down the street from us and on my route to work.  Since we've moved I am unable to stop there on my way to work, but I still go there on the weekends sometimes either just for the coffee or to have breakfast.  The coffee is hands down the best that I have had in LA - great flavor, really strong, and leaves a pile of mud at the bottom of the cup (which I believe is indicative of REAL GOOD coffee).  If you live in LA in the West Hollywood area and you like GOOD coffee, please go buy a cup at Kings Road.  If you don't like it, then you don't know what you're talking about! ;)

 

Grub

I had to share this picture because I love it!  Carlinhos and I had breakfast at Grub one morning and this is what they bring to your table for a pre-meal snack...FRUIT LOOPS (with a few Coco Puffs mixed in)!!!  Fruit Loops are by far my favorite sugar cereal.  And we never got to have them as kids, so they are even more special to me.  So I absolutely love that Grub gives them to people for free. :)

p.s. The food is pretty good there too!

Jitlada Thai

I have been wanting to go to Jitlada Thai Restaurant for some time now.  It is always on everyone's list for best Thai in LA.  So I finally went and it was very good!  Carlinhos and I ordered the Pad Thai, the Massman Curry and Thai Iced Tea.  This was a last minute, starved brain, indecisive decision, after staring at their gigantic menu; and after I ordered, I wanted to trade the Pad Thai out for another dish, but it was too late.  That was not because I didn't want the Pad Thai, but because I felt I should've ordered something a little more exciting.  And it was also because after we ordered I noticed that there was a dish that was featured on Food Network's The Best Thing I Ever Ate: Hot & Spicy. (I will have to try that next time).
Nevertheless, the food was very good, unwanted Pad Thai and all!  The Massaman Curry was REALLY good!  If you have never had Massaman Curry, you must order it next time you eat Thai food.  It is a Muslim dish from the South of Thailand.  The flavors are so interesting and are like a party in your mouth - such strong and distinct flavors working perfectly together.  It is usually a mix of coconut milk, peanuts, potatoes, cardamom, cinnamon, star anise, chili, sugar and tamarind.  So it's spicy and sweet, and beautifully aromatic.  I will definitely be trying to make it myself at some point.

Best. Flan. Ever.

I spoke about this particular flan in a previous post I did about a flan I made.  I love flan! And this week I have had the pleasure of eating it 2 times!  It is Dine LA this week, so Fogo de Chao is cheaper than it normally is, and that is where this amazingly delicious flan resides.  This restaurant is a chain folks, so there could be one in your neighborhood too!  Go there!  Eat the meat, eat from the gorgeous salad bar, and whatever you do, eat the flan!

Smorgasburg!!!!

Ohmygod you guys, I'm really excited about this. My new studio in Williamsburg is just a few blocks from Smorgasburg, which just the other day Siobhan was asking me about, because she read about it in Bon Appétit. It's this awesome outdoor food market that happens every Saturday, right on the River with a great view of the city. It's like a flea market, but with really amazing delicious food for sale instead of art and antiques and stuff. It's been there since this Spring, but I finally went for the first time this last weekend.

There is such a broad range of vendors here, selling really good, fresh, "artisanal" street dishes in a wide variety of styles and cuisines, as well as prepared items like pickles, jams, candies, etc. The concept is to foster the connection between upstate farmers and city purveyors of high-quality local food. Anyway I wanted to try so many different things... this was my first course:

It was a Heritage Pork Rillette with yummy mustard on a crostini. $3 and SO good. This vendor, "Betto" also had Pork Belly meatballs, which I will definitely have to go back for.

Next, I had a Panko-Chicken Taco from "Cemitas."

I would have gotten the signature Cemita - a big fat mexican sandwich - if I hadn't already had my first course, so instead I asked the nice girl in front of me if I could take a picture of hers. As you can see, it's huge. I'll have it another time:

After my taco I did some more grazing. This was a sample of duck bacon with hot plum chutney, very tasty (and I bought some apple butter from this lady):

It started to pour rain so I had to hang out at this lovely sweet stand, and the gentleman there instisted I try all his brittle and toffee. The strange and exotic brittle you see below was amazing.., read the ingredients! Lemongrass!? Daring right? But so yummy: 

Then I saw this mini cupcake stand. OMG, little bite-sized cakes for a dollar or 2! I had the Chocolate Lavender. So delish:

Another one for next time... LOOK AT THESE DOUGHNUTS. In case you can't read the tags, there is a hibiscus frosting, a passion fruit.. and they're just huge and so fresh looking.

I took home some other treats like a fantastic cilantro-lime-jalapeno condiment - which was perfect with the baked salmon we had for dinner last night - and a bottle of cold brew iced coffee for the studio. There are so many more things I have to try. For example, the longest line was at "Mighty Quinns," for their slow-smoked brisket sandwich:

I've heard this is amazing, and the line confirmed. This is tops on my list for next time. All in all, it was a great lunch and my tail was SUPER wagging here folks, I can't wait to go back. 

Oliverio

For those of you folks who live in LA, you must check out Oliverio Restaurant at the Avalon Hotel if you haven't already.

It is an Italian restaurant that is situated around the pool at the Avalon Hotel in Beverly Hills.  The ambiance is great and the food is even better!

Rosarito!

Over the 4th of July weekend,  I went to Rosarito Beach for a short getaway...and to eat lobster!  Aaaaaah the food in any part of Mexico is so good!  Here is a little taste of what we had while in Rosarito...

This is what we ate when we arrived.  It's a little permanent taco stand called Tacos El Yaqui.  They start by melting cheese inside the tortilla, then follow it up with pinto beans, carne asada, guacamole, onions and cilantro.  They only have one kind of taco, but after you eat it you don't need anything else...except maybe a REAL coke.

We stayed at Rosarito Beach Hotel and each morning we had the breakfast buffet.  I usually stay away from buffets but I had to try it the first day, and let me tell you, it was awesome!  Red and Green Chilaquiles, scrambled eggs with chorizo, beans, rice, tortillas made right in front of you, fresh squeezed OJ, coffee, tons of actually RIPE fruit (the mango and papaya were heavenly!), yogurt...and that's just to name a few.  And did I mention it was a buffet??  You could go back as many times as you wanted!

Then there was the lobster...always served with fresh tortillas, beans, rice, guacamole, salsa and of course clarified butter.  And I think the most we spent for all that was $30.

Oh, and there was usually a margarita involved with these lobster dinners as well.  In case you ever make a trip to Rosarito, the best lobster meal we had was at Puerto Nuevo Restaurant #1.  Yes, there are 2 - #1 and #2 - right next door to each other, and apparently it is the same family that owns them.  But #1 is a little more hole-in-the-wall-esque and #2 is a bit fancier.  #1 was way tastier, cheaper and the margaritas were HUGE and so good!  And don't worry, you will know which one is which when you see the line out the door of Puerto Nuevo #1...and it will be well worth the wait, I promise!
We will definitely be back down there soon, even if it's only for a day to eat lobster! :)

Taberna

Last night Carlinhos took me out on a date to a new Mexican restaurant that opened in Beverly Hills - Taberna.  It was pretty good, nothing to rush back for (except the flan).  I predict it will not last long with the prices and the average tasting food.  Here is what we had:  they bring a basket of "chips" - a mix of blue corn chips, plantain chips, and yucca chips - with a red and a green salsa (the red was best).

I ordered this margarita in honor of Shauna's last post.  It was tequila, cointreau, orange juice, ginger and jalapeno.  It was ok - nothing too special.  I don't like a margarita to be too sweet, but this one was lacking a bit of sweetness in my opinion.

For my entree I had Cochinita Pibil.  It was good but in an average kind of way.  It was served with pickled onions, fried bananas and crema.

Carlinhos had chicken and chorizo "do it yourself" tacos.  It was basically the same set up as above minus the accoutrements.  And how can you have tacos without accoutrements you might ask.  Well we asked the same thing!

The redeeming part of the meal was the dessert.  Flan!  And it was lovely!  It was a thicker, more cheesecak-ier flan that you normally get at a Mexican restaurant.  Not the best we've ever had, but a very good contender.

Overall, I'd say it was average.  Carlinhos and I had a nice date on the patio of the restaurant since it was such a nice night out.  But as for the food, I'm not so sure I would rush back with the price to taste ratio being a little off balance.

I would eat that s**t

Today Jimmy and I went to Light Horse Tavern for brunch, mostly because we desired the delightful Bloody Mary they serve there.

Little did we know we were about to have one of the most amazing plates of food ever. One of the specials of the day was Chocolate Chip-Bourbon Banana Pancakes. That's right, Chocolate Chip-Bourbon Banana Pancakes. So clearly we were going to order that, and there was also an intriguing Garden Omelette with asparagus, roasted tomatoes and mozzarella cheese.

So we went splitsies. The green omelette was very good. But holy-chocolate-chips these pancakes were AMAZING. I commented that "I'm generally a savory breakfast person, but if these pancakes were on the menu I'd eat that shit everytime". I'm sorry to swear but I really was THAT excited. 

Then Jimmy suggested that while "The Foodies Finn" is cute, we should totally change the name of our blog to "I Would Eat That Shit." What do you think?

Lunch time cool-out snack

Look at this healthiness!!

It's so hot here so I'm staying in, working at home with the air conditioner on, and can't bare to even eat anything warm. Sabra Hummus: it's good stuff by the way. It's no Hummus Place Hummus, but for store-bought, it works. I am now reminded that I need to go back to Hummus Place. When we lived in the East Village, it was one of my staples. The Hummus Fava is amazing.

Buon compleanno Cheemee

It was Jimmy's Birthday Wednesday, and since we both had to work and have an early night, I just made a simple pasta, namely Tagliatelle with prosciutto and orange. It was super easy and really yummy! (The recipe was in Bon Appétit's "The Italy Issue" - you can find it here. A quick tomato sauce with some orange juice squeezed in is also very good, fyi. :) We followed it all up with one of his faves, cupcakes from Billy's. (In case you're not aware, Billy's is a very wonderful cupcake shop in NYC). We tried a new flavor: the lemon cupcake. mmm!

Best. Tacos. Ever.

We've been enjoying the super-good tacos at Jersey City's Taqueria Downtown since we moved here. These dudes originally from LA are bringing serious authentic Mexican-flavored realness. But in the 3 years or so that Jimmy and I have been eating here, we've rarely ordered outside our usual repertoire of tacos: Carnitas, Bistec and Pescado. I've gone for the Nopalitos (cactus) taco a couple times, and it is also delicious. And I do love the avocado and bean tostada. But usually we're all about pork, steak and fish tacos... because they are amazing, seriously. Last night however, we ventured out. I got the Chorizo taco, and it was yummy enough. But Jimmy got the Barbacoa (lamb) and OH MY GOD, so freakin good. I think we have a new regular in the rotation.

P.S. For those of you living in Manhattan or Brooklyn, the Taqueria has recently opened a 2nd location on the Lower East Side. You better go.

Happy Sunday!

I heard some talk about Jimmy cooking up some Eggs Benedict for breakfast this morning. In the meantime, I wanted to give a shout out to our favorite brunch place in the city, or definitely at least one of them. When we lived in the East Village we went to Cafe Mogador like every weekend. We went back last Saturday, and sure enough they still have the best brunch scenario around: for just $13 {used to be 12, but whatevs} you get the benny of your choice with the best potatoes and a yummy salad, coffee and fresh orange juice. It's the best!!!

UPDATE

He deed it! Behold, Jimmy's first Eggs Benedict! Using a clever technique of vinegar {a tablespoon or 2} in just boiled {but no longer boiling} water, he dropped the eggs right into our fancy little egg rings to keep everything in place. Then he turned the heat off and covered, and poached the eggs for about 4.5 minutes:

Meanwhile, he cooked up some bacon for one version of the benny, and using the same pan {wiped out, but retaining some of the precious bacon grease}, sauteed some red onion then wilted some baby spinach for the other version. Here they are awaiting the eggs...

Then, it was all topped of course with Hollandaise. For his first attempted he just used a Knor packet, but next time we're going to make the sauce from scratch. YUM!

Vinegar Hill House

Friday night Jimmy and I went to an art opening in DUMBO, so it was the perfect opportunity to go to a restaurant that I’ve been meaning to try for ages.

Vinegar Hill House is like this little country cabin oasis in the middle of industrial, urban DUMBO {Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass}. It is so adorable! They have this great out-door space where we waited for our table over couple of yummy Gin Bucks...

...and the food was really awesome. In this pic, our starters: charred pork belly with watercress, sour cream and pumpkin seeds, and a clam pie with bacon potato and parsley.

SO yummy. Siobhan, we have to go here next time you’re in NYC.