$1 Pizza Truck?!

So I was in Union Square the other night and saw this random $1 Pizza Truck and totally did a double take. At first I thought it was a total joke, but people were lining up to get their $1 slice of pizza. I asked customers if the pizza was any good and they said it tasted like another other type of pizza you get at a random no-name pizzeria here in NYC. Check it out:

NYC Food and Wine Festival (Food Network)

Well it's that time of year again! Yes, the Food Network's famous Food and Wine Festival here in NYC. Special guests include a couple of my favorites, Giada De Laurentiis, and the super food nerd, Alton Brown! Check out the website for more TV Personalities and special events: Food & Wine 2010! There will be lots of wine tasting and eating going down this week so don't miss out on the fun!

Chinatown Brasserie (Restaurant Review)

NYC is filled with many mainstream and trendy Asian inspired restaurants owned by American Entrepreneurs who have taken Chinese Take-Out to the next level. I recently had the pleasure of dining at Chinatown Brasserie with co-workers for a celebratory toast to a successful end of Fashion Week.

So was it all that it was hyped up to be? Quite frankly, not really. Yes, it's a cool and dimlit restaurant that gives off the ambiance of swanky east meets west cigar/speakeasy type lounge. The architects and interior designers did a wonderful job decking out the place. The food and the service, well that's a different story. I've had better in the hole in the wall shop down in NYC's Chinatown. If you know where to go, you'll get the best $1 dumplings as opposed to paying $12 for only 6 dumplings. The food is a total rip for what it is. I hate to say it, but I think I can prepare better noodles than the greasy stuff that I ate for dinner...

I must say though, the food does come out piping hot! I took a photo of my little Vegetable Moo Shu just before I scarfed it down! It was definitely a bit oily as you can tell from the photo. The veggies were crunchy and the sauce in the noodles were tasty. Was it out of this world? No. It simply tasted like normal Moo Shu I could have ordered from the Chinese Take-Out around the corner from my apartment in Brooklyn. They were a little more successfule with their cocktail and drink menu. Very creative and new ways of mixing Chinese flavors such as Ginger and Orange Zest, which you will find in a lot of the fancier Chinese cuisines. I ordered a Kiwi Gimlet that contained gin, kiwi puree, lemon, and some lime. Not too sweet, but just enough tang. The only issue here was the tiny little kiwi seeds kept getting stuck in my teeth!

Overall, the food was mediocre and the service was slow (and it wasn't even that busy). I say don't waste your money if you want good authentic Chinese food. This is just another trendy Americanized Chinese Eatery where you're paying more for the ambiance than the quality of food. I can give you a whole list of restaurants and small shops down in Chinatown where you can find the same food at half the price or less and I gurantee you, the authenticity of flavors will satisfy your hungry tastebuds! Until next time, happy eating!

"Potluck by Deathrow!"

I recently attended a themed potluck summer housewarming party and the theme was "Potluck by Deathrow!" The goal was to cook or bring (for those who don't cook) the last meal or dish you would want to have if you were on deathrow. You also had to be creative and come up with a good reason why you were on deathrow.

So my meal of choice was Spicy Chinese Veggie Noodle Stir Fry because I love noodles and spicy food! This dish is actually a rendition of my father's old Chow Mein recipe. If you want the recipe, let me know and I'll carefully take the time to type it up. Just as a warning though, it's kind of a tedious recipe as there are a lot of ingredients and chopping involved! Anyway, the reason I was on deathrow was that I tried to rob a bank in order to save my family from being blackmailed and in lieu of it all, I shot the bank teller AND the security guard---I was on deathrow for MANSLAUGHTER! =D Very creative right? Don't worry, I would never in a million years try to rob a bank. I wouldn't know where to start and I don't think watching Ocean's Eleven/Twelve would help either!

With that said, here is a photo of my noodle dish--HOT from the frying pan! I used Sriracha to spice it up, but you can totally omit the spice if you dislike spicy food.

All the baked goodies for dessert--none of which I contributed to, but everything was delicious. We have homemade Baklava, made by a true GREEK girl using her mother's recipe--very impressive because you have to work very quickly so the philodough doesn't dry up! Of course there was red velvet cake (store bought...cheater!), peanut butter cookies, vanilla cupcakes, mini cupcake sized cheesecake tarts, and smashing pumpkin cookies! I didn't get a chance to take photos of the real food because everyone started digging in and well it didn't look that pretty so you'll just have to be creative and imagine what our last meal would have looked like!

So enjoy what's left of the great weather because Summer is officially over! Cheers and happy eating!

Egg (Restaurant Review)

So I recently decided it was time for me to go running again after months of physical therapy and being dormant from the humid summer in NYC. My friend I did a quick 5M run over the Williamsburg Bridge--straight out and back, pretty easy and relaxing despite that a**hole cyclist that yelled at us! Of course we got hungry after and had planned on brunching over at Egg on North 5th Street and Bedford over in Williamsburg as our reward!

So what was brunch at Egg like and are the Yelp/Google reviews really true?

For the most part, yes! The food is really good, the coffee strong, and the wait...well, kind of long so be patient and hopefully you're not stark raving hungry as you wait to be seated. It's a small restaurant, with blank white walls and minimal seating. My favorite part of the simple decorum were the little candle-like jars filled with crayons so you can color on the white paper tablecloth as you wait for your food to arrive! Obviously lots of hipsters frequent this hot spot because of the location, but don't let that fool you because there are quite a few Manhattanites that come in from the city to have a taste for themselves.

We started out with the Brioche French Toast, which was very delish--I have a thing for French Toast, but never can finish an order myself, so we decided to order it as an appetizer to share! What a great decision that was! I also ordered the Eggs Rothco which came with a side of broiled tomatoes and veggies or bacon/sausage for you meat eaters. My friend ordered the Grafton Cheddar Omelet w/ Broiled Tomatoes, which was just as tasty. I've never had broiled tomatoes as a side and was pleasantly surprised at how flavorful they tasted. So if you're in the area, you should definitely check it out!

The Revolutionary Rice Scooper!

Okay so for those who grew up with a rice cooker or know what a rice cooker is might appreciate this new rice scoop now available at the MoMa Store! =)

http://www.momastore.org/museum/moma/ProductDisplay_Standing%20Rice%20Scoop%20%20_10451_10001_69172_-1_11628_11628_null__

Eataly is now OPEN for business!!

So the highly anticipated EATALY finally opened up this week and I happened to be in the area and spent a good chunk of my afternoon browsing the 50,000 square food marketplace! It was definitely quite spectacular with several stations specializing in Italy's finest--a cheese station dedicated to good ol' aged cheese, a pasta station to carb your hearts desire, a dessert station to give you enough cavities for a lifetime, a coffee station filled with expresso beans so aromatic that the smell and flavor cling to your clothes as your walk pass, and the list goes on and on! There were meats, seafoods, pizzas, breads, dry pastas, jams, and even fresh produce. I can't even begin to name everything I saw and smelled. Not related to food was a cute little market place filled with Italian Housewares--who knew that the Italians were competing against the Swiss to have classy and modern housewares? (IKEA watch out!)

I was definitely impressed and quite overwhelmed by the crowd and the assortment of Italian food and delicacies available. Mr. Mario Batali and Mr. Joe Bastianich are the co-conspiring geniuses behind this Italian food mega mart. I think Eataly takes on a whole new meaning to the phrase "mega mart" especially here in NYC. So how are Manhattanites and fellow Foodies handling this extravagant Italian eatery plus some? Well, looking at the huge crowds, it sure hasn't disappointed anyone yet. It's definitely a tourist attraction located right in the heart of the Flatiron district on 23rd Street and 24th Street just across the way from Madison Square Park where we have the famous Shake Shack. So if you're in the area and the burgers and fries in the park just isn't going to cut it or if you have a dire need to try out NYC's finest Italian Cuisine, I suggest you swing by to check out the assortment of menus over at Eataly. There is also an Eataly Wine Store with very knowledgeable sales associates, (or should I be calling them wine connoisseurs?), who can help you select a bottle for your next wine and cheese soirée! Their Seasonal Rooftop Beer Garden will be open in November--I can't wait to check this out!

Seriously, swing by for a self guided tour, and EAT up!