Hangry in LA: NYC Foodventure

By: Conchita Widjojo

Ah, New York City. Where common courtesy gets thrown out the window and people always seem to be in a rush to go somewhere. But that’s the beauty of it all. Not only is it a fashion capital of the world, but it offers some of the best food and restaurants in any city. I went to New York for Easter break, and it was quite the trip. At least for my stomach. Here are some of my top picks for the week!

DAY 1:

Shake Shack

You can say it is the In N Out of the East Coast, but trust me – it’s much more than that. Don’t get me wrong, In N Out is probably still one of the best things life has to offer, but Shake Shack offers a larger menu and it does not disappoint. The ShackBurger, a cheeseburger with Shack sauce and possibly the best burger bun on Earth, is probably the nicest combination of texture and taste you can have in a burger. Also, they have hotdogs and seasonal milkshake flavors that change every week. Thankfully, we were blessed enough to have one open up recently here in West Hollywood. Beware, there are very long lines. Check it out!

Levain Bakery

No meal would be complete without dessert. A fantastic crisp, chewy, and fat cookie from Levain Bakery is a fantastic cherry on top of a superb lunch. Despite the long lines, the service moves pretty fast. Next thing you know, you’re in and out with possibly the best cookie you’ll ever taste right in your grasp. The most popular menu items are the chocolate chip walnut cookie and the dark chocolate peanut butter cookie. As soon as you order it, you get the luxury of receiving when it’s fresh and hot out of the oven. When you crack in half, the chocolate and steam oozes out delivering an irresistible look of love at first sight. Definitely worth the five-hour plane ride to NYC, at least in my book.

Marea

Listed as one of the best (and probably the most expensive) Italian restaurants in the city, Marea is a renowned name that will ring a bell anywhere you go. One of the best dishes is the fusilli with bone marrow and octopus. Scratch that, the best pasta dish you’ll ever taste, guaranteed. Tip: dress a little fancy, and don’t show up with a t-shirt that has a tequila brand slapped right across the chest. You will get confused looks from the waiters and other diners.

Momofuku Milk Bar

Nothing tops off a beautiful first day like some cereal milk ice cream and some cornflake crunch. Prepare for another long line, though – this place has people coming from all over the world. Christina Tosi changed the world of desserts when she took over as the pastry chef for the Momofuku restaurant group. She invented the extremely creative recipes for the famous cookies Milk Bar has to offer, as well as the delicious cereal milk. Definitely go during the day while the sun’s still out; as soon as the sun sets, the lines start getting longer and longer.

DAY 2:

The Bagel Store – Bedford Ave.

No doubt everyone’s heard of the colorful rainbow bagel epidemic. Basic as it is, it’s worth the distance and the craze. The Bagel Store on Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn has a wide range of colorful bagels, from flavors and combinations called purple haze, cotton candy, original rainbow, limited edition, banana, and essentially every color you can think of in the color wheel. If that wasn’t crazy enough, you also have the option to choose from the best variation of different flavored cream cheeses, including funfetti, cookie dough, Oreo, and many more. Since they apparently only make 800 rainbow bagels a day, it’s best to go early in the morning during the weekday when everyone is working and the line is shorter. They open at 7 am, so set those alarms!

Dough

If you’re a donut fanatic like me, then this is the perfect place for you. Dough donuts are quite possibly the best donuts I’ve ever tasted in my entire life. The dough is so fluffy and soft, as well as light so when you bite into it, it doesn’t feel as dense as normal donuts. The donuts are extremely fat in size, and they come in exotic flavors such as dulce de leche, hibiscus, passion fruit, lemon poppy, cafe au lait, chocolate sea salt, and many more. They even have a donut of the day displayed right in front of their window. And if you feel guilty after immersing yourself in the delectable flavors of this donut, you can always walk to the Flatiron Building which is a couple blocks right around the corner. Take caution, there is the infamous Eataly right in front of the attraction.

Mighty Quinn’s BBQ

Perhaps you may have read my previous post about being a vegetarian. Well, clearly that didn’t work out. As much as I liked not eating meat, every now and then it’s a protein my body needs, and this was a great way to spend my hall pass for the week. The first thing you see in front of the restaurant is a big sign that says: Slow Smoked Barbeque. Now doesn’t your mouth salivate when you read that? The restaurant is cafeteria style, but don’t take that the wrong way – service is fast. Order the Brontosaurus Rib, which may be $23 and much more expensive than the $9 single servings of the other meats, but is totally worth it. If you’re a big rib fan, imagine that but probably 100x bigger, and the meat just falling from the bone. And don’t forget a Dirty Frites on the side, which are french fries smothered in smoky barbeque sauce and bits of meat. It doesn’t get any better than that.

Schmackery’s

Last stop of the day. You’d think at this point I’d be full, and I was, but I was in New York City and I was going to make the most of my visit. I’m a huge cookie fan, and this place definitely hits the spot. The cookies range from flavors like green tea, cookies and cream, funfetti, and many more. And that’s not it. These warm cookies are topped with a frosting to match their every flavor. In addition, the young man that assisted me was probably the nicest person I’ve ever met from New York City. Ever. Another great reason! Located next to all the big broadway theaters, this place is definitely worth a visit.

DAY 3:

Lunetta Pizzeria

Is it the last day already? Sadness. But that’s why we should make the best of it by starting the day off with the best slice of pizza in the entire universe. That’s a big claim, but if you don’t believe me, hop on a plane and give it a try. I probably visited this place at least once every day. Their menu offers a wide variety of combinations between modern and old-fashioned pizza flavors, but nothing beats the classic margherita with its own Lunetta twist: a beautiful thin crust pizza with fresh mozzarella and dollops of flavorful crushed tomatoes (not from a can!).  

Wafels & Dinges

Love waffles? How about liege waffles? Wafels & Dinges serve the best waffles a food truck in NYC has to offer. Always located in Central Park South, conveniently right in front of Bergdorf Goodman, this place never disappoints. You can get a variety of different “dinges” (toppings on top of your waffles), and the best part is that it is all fresh, even the waffles. It comes straight from the waffle iron, so it’s steaming hot and oozing with little bits of caramel from the sugar crystals incorporated in the dough. My personal favorite? A liege waffle with spekuloos spread and bananas. Delish!

Xi’an Famous Foods

Always finish a trip with a bang. And that’s exactly what I did. Initially, I had reservations to the fancy Buddakan down at the Meatpacking District, but I canceled it the morning of and decided to go old-school Chinese food, where you’d need at least three cold water bottles to wash it all down. Located by the Empire State Building, this place serves the best Chinese street food perfect for fulfilling a craving or certain guilty pleasure. Essentially everything on the menu is spicy, but without a doubt extremely satisfying and delicious. I ordered the Spicy Cumin Lamb Noodles, as well as the Spicy and Sour dumplings. The taste? Picture a delicious lamb kebab and a Thai Pad See Ew dish combined with the best spices from the most exotic places on Earth. That is what it tasted like, and despite how spicy and full it made me, I could not stop eating. The dumplings on the other hand were crispy and soft at the same time, coated with the same spicy soy sauce that is to die for. Definitely gives you a taste of what Western Chinese cuisine is like.

Momofuku Milk Bar

Psych! It’s not over yet. I had to visit the Milk Bar one last time, just for the cereal milk ice cream, only to discover that when I got there they had completely run out. Sad times. But ice cream was still being served, and it was the pretzel soft serve. I like pretzels, so why not? Thankfully, the cornflake crunch was still around, so the combination of a salty-sweet pretzel ice cream as well as the sweet, crunchy topping was like peanut butter and jelly. It was absolutely delicious, and did not disappoint. So folks, if the cereal milk is ever out (and it usually is by the time you arrive at night), the pretzel soft serve suffices as a great backup.

Alas, my NYC foodventure has come to an end, but not to worry, as I’ll be traveling again soon.

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