Saveur Summer Cookout

For those who don't know, Saveur is a prominent culinary magazine and when W told me that they were hosting a Summer Cookout featuring over 20 of the country's hottest chefs and mixologists, I knew I had to attend! The event took place at the Boat Basin Cafe which is a lovely location on the upper west side with breathtaking views of the sunset. The food was a all you can eat/drink which was quite a treat as many of the dishes were extremely tasty and many food events usually only let you take one dish per chef (I don't need to explain why all you can drink is a treat right?). The event also was not too crowded but it was unfortunately raining which dampened the mood a little. I also saw Alex Guarnaschelli and Scott Conant so that was pretty cool since I am a Food Network fiend.  Overall I had a great time and look forward to more similar events in the future!

Chinese Takeout

Because sometimes we all need a little crappy greasy Chinese takeout in our lives :D

Big Gay Ice Cream

With a name like that, Big Gay Ice Cream is sure to attract some attention and it definitely caught mine. What started out as an ice cream truck now has several outposts in New York and its popularity does not seem to be waning any time soon! The shop had cute and colorful decorations and these yummy treats were perfect for a summer day.

The Salty Pimp - Vanilla Ice Cream, Dulce de Leche, Sea Salt, and Chocolate Dip
This is the shop's most popular item and while it is not exactly a unique flavor, I can see why. The ice cream is very silky and creamy and instead of merely swirling the dulce de leche on top, it is actually punctured into the ice cream which ensures decadent sweetness in every bite. The sea salt was not too prominent but the chocolate dip was perfectly crunchy. I think this is a great choice for a more classic approach but I actually preferred M's choice (below) more.

Bea Arthur, Vanilla Ice Cream, Dulce de Leche, Crushed 'Nilla Wafers
Mmmmmm this was so yummy! The crushed wafers gave this a fluffy yet crunchy aspect which was really interesting and delicious. The vanilla wafer flavor was also quite strong which I loved and it went really well with the caramel-y taste of the dulce de leche. 

I thoroughly enjoyed my cone and while I was hoping for more unique flavors, I would definitely come again and try other flavors, however, sometimes I see a massive line and I probably would not stand in a long line for this!

Big Gay Ice Cream

125 East 7th Street

East Village

New York

NY 10009

Norma's

Norma's at the Le Parker Meridien Hotel is one of New York's quintessential breakfast spots. It is know for its over the top dishes including "The Zillion Dollar Lobster Frittata", and while it does not actually cost a zillion dollars, is priced at an absurd $1000 usd thanks to the 100 oz of caviar plopped on top. The meal starts off with a complimentary shot of the smoothie of the day and it is actually a smart little trick to get you to order the smoothie after. They also offer you orange juice right away and gives you an impression that this may also be complimentary but it is not, so remember that! The menu is here so you can get a sense of all the gut blasting dishes on offer here. The food was not bad, but definitely not refined in any way and also quite pricy. I don't think I would return as I think they only rely on their fame and shock factor of how much stuff they can load on the plate.

Super Cheesy French Toast with Caramelized Onions and Applewood Smoked Bacon
I don't really see why this is called a french toast since it was just a ton of cheese loaded on top of two croissants. The bacon was nicely cooked and the caramelized onions were also very flavorful, but as you can imagine this was extremely heavy and I also don't think it't quite possible to make this combination taste bad unless you were to completely ruin it some how. I did like the addition of maple syrup as the sweetness made this dish even more decadent and gooey. 

Eggs Benedict - Buttermilk Pancake Layered with Canadian Bacon and Grilled Asparagus
I thought the change of english muffins to pancakes was quite clever and the hollandaise sauce was made very well. However, apart from that it wasn't particularly special.

I would not say the meal was not enjoyable, my dish was actually quite satisfying but it was just extremely heavy and I don't think it's worth the hype and price. 

Norma's

Le Parker Meridien Hotel

119 W 56th St

New York

NY 10019

Sushi Seki

I heard that there is a restaurant that serves an omakase similar to that of Gari in which the sushi pieces are a result of interesting and non-traditional flavor combinations. While I like Gari, I've had a few hits and misses there and I hear that Sushi Seki is actually better so I was very keen on trying it out for myself. I was delighted to find out that I was able to snag a few seats at the bar even though I only called a few days ahead. I am happy to also say that the dinner was absolutely delicious! I (and the sushi chef) felt like the omakase can go on forever but I finally called it quits after my ikura quail egg piece. The servers and sushi chefs were very polite and professional and I enjoyed every item of my meal. They had some pieces that were very similar to Gari such as the salmon tomato and eel avocado. I personally thought the salmon tomato was better at Seki but W felt the opposite. The toro was melt in your mouth and the spicy scallop roll was also a must order! Everything was expertly prepared, perfectly seasoned, and extremely fresh. While I don't remember exactly how many pieces I ate at Gari, Seki definitely seems to be pricier so this would not be a place to hit up every weekend unfortunately, we did have two big bottles of sake so that could have also contributed to the tab ;). Also, I had a few more pieces than pictured. Sushi porn lovers will adore this post... so without further ado... enjoy!

We all left the restaurant feeling very satisfied! I would highly recommend this restaurant.

Sushi Seki 

1143 1st Avenue 

New York

NY 10065

The Meatball Shop

The Meatball Shop is probably one of the first NYC restaurants that I heard about. It has been years since I first heard of it and I finally got around to trying it out last week. Unfortunately it was rather disappointing but I've heard that it has inconsistency issues with its various locations. I think the idea is really cute and I love the set up of the menu, however, the food was not that great and while it was not so bad that I would never return, I also would not specifically recommend it.

I loved how you can pick and choose your own dish (you also do that with the ice cream sandwiches for dessert) 

Classic Beef Meatballs with Marinara Sauce over Polenta 
Our waitress recommended the classic beef balls but they were a complete let down! They were very stiff and definitely needed more fat in the mixture. The marinara sauce was also much too tart and the polenta was not creamy or rich enough. 

Spicy Pork Meatballs with Spicy Meat Sauce 
The pork balls were much more flavorful and also richer in texture. The spicy meat sauce was also more complex in flavors and not as sour. 

Ice Cream Sandwich
The cookies weren't soft enough and my ice cream melted SUPER fast. Flavors were good though and I loved how you can pick two flavors of cookies and the ice cream filling. 

Overall, it was not a bad meal and I would come again for the pork meatballs and perhaps try the mushroom gravy but this is definitely not a place I am particularly yearning to return to. The wines are very reasonably priced though and the atmosphere is casual and cute. I hear that there is another meatball shop called Polpette nearby so I will give that a go next!

The Meatball Shop

447 Amsterdam Avenue

New York

NY 10024

Jado Sushi

While I love traditional sushi, I do enjoy elaborate sushi rolls here and there. I was meeting D and M for dinner and D suggested we go to Jado Sushi in Harlem as she's been multiple times and has enjoyed her meal there. The food was really good and I would be happy to return even though it took quite long for us to get our dishes. Our server was really friendly and everything was well made. The chicken karage was super crispy and juicy and all the rolls were tasty and interesting.

Jado Sushi

2118 Frederick Douglas Blvd

New York 

NY 10026