Tap This

This is definitely the new tapas in town. The wait is usually about 2 hours on any given night. Luckily Erika and I were able to get down there early one day after work and slipped in after only a 20 minute wait. It was great. The food is interesting, colourful, and more importantly, delicious. We ordered too much food but we were also happy to try so many different things. Sadly I only have a few photos (while the natural light was still available) Once the food started coming, it was too dark to capture the dishes. I look forward to going back again soon. We tried everything from the deviled eggs, to this fresh sardine salad, to brussels sprouts to the lamb dish. We got a really good sampling of most of the menu.


Tertulia
359 6th Avenue
 New York, NY
(646) 559-9909

Comfort Food

I love making soba at home. It takes me back to my days living in Tokyo attempting to cook
Japanese food. I love going to the Japanese grocery store around the corner from my place and carefully choosing all the necessary ingredients. I love to improvise, to add in something new
each time, just to surprise myself :) My usual fixings are scallions, enoki mushrooms, fried tofu,
ground sesame and of course shichimi for a little kick. But tonight I added a touch of my special ingredient, this garlic chili sauce from Japan. It was a gift from a friend from Tokyo. I usually use it
in the vinegar dipping sauce for my gyoza (which I had as an appetizer :) so I decided to try it in the soba too. Delicious! I also had a small side of Kinpira, which is burdock root preparing Japanese-style. It's very common in Japan on Izakaya menus but less common here in the US and never on sushi menus. It's really good for digestion.

Smoking Beef

Loving this bresaola salad at Inoteca. The perfect amount of meat with bitter wild arugula and
topped with simple Pecorino cheese and pickled red onions (nice touch). This and a nice glass of cold white vino on a hot day, makes me so happy.

Get Fresh

Vietnamese is one of my favourite cuisines. It's light, healthy and delicious but almost impossible to find in New York. Good ones that is. Omai is so far the best taste I've found in New York, they use higher quality ingredients and deliver a relaxing dinning experience in their zen-like space in Chelsea. Every place I've worked on the west side I make it a point to eat Omai at least twice a week. The Omai Salad (pictured here) is my favourite, it's like the ultimate "Bun", with grilled pork, charbroiled jumbo shrimp and crispy spring rolls. Their beef pho is also incredible, it's made with oxtail broth which gives it a nice rich flavour, again probably the best I've had in New York.

Omai
158 9th Ave (nr 20th st)
New York NY
(212) 633-0550

Sweet Thang

Being Canadian and all I love maple syrup. This was a gift from my friend Emily, its my favourite new ingredient. I use it on everything! From my morning cafe lattes and breakfast yogurt to my afternoon tea. It's the perfect replacement for sugar and adds a little sweetness to my life .

Get it Fried

The new cool pie in town is fried. Everyone is talking (and writing) about the Montanara pizza and Forcella is dishing it out. It's basically a pizza dough that's been rolled out then fried, then topped and baked in the oven. The taste is unique and suprisingly delicious. They opened their newest location on the Bowery and the pizza is up to snuff.

Forcella
334 Bowery St.
New York, NY

For the Love of Lobster

Lobster rolls are one of those things that I dream about. The unique texture of the meat, the cold freshness of the fish and citrus mixed with the chewiness of the bun. That is the way a good lobster roll should feel. When I'm having a lobster roll craving I usually go to Ed's but I've been dying to try it at Chelsea Market. So I went in there, ordered myself a very decadent lobster roll for lunch and enjoyed it at a nearby counter top. It was fantastic! Everyone around me was devouring lobster! It was so wonderful to see all these randoms, both tourists and locals getting their lobster on! Most people were there alone, with their faces down in full lobsters. Its the real deal, nice and raw, just there for the love of lobster. I met these two italian boys who were visiting and we ended up sharing and tasting each others meals, it was all delicious!

Lobster Place (Chelsea Market)
75 Ninth Avenue
New York, NY
212-255-5672

Wild is Where Its At

There's nothing like a delicious home cooked meal. Fresh wild fish is the only way to go. I went to Chelsea Market last week to pick up some italian groceries and was blown away by all the amazing fish at the Fish Market. This was some fresh wild caught Great Lakes Pike. I breaded it in almond flour, which is my new favourite thing. I love using it with chicken too, it browns nicely and has a great nutty flavour from the almond. We paired it with some sauteed swiss chard and quinoa salad. I want to eat that every night.

The Cherry On Top

These sour cherries pancakes, which were the daily special at Bubby's this weekend, just made my favourite pancakes even better! This brunch is always solid and we took our servers recommendations and of course ordered too much food! We also tried the Huevos Rancheros which was also amazing. Their bloody mary's are great too.

Bubby's
120 Hudson Street
New York, NY

Warm Up With Oden

Ippudo is serving up Oden on their menu again. It's such a treat. I love oden. It's always the perfect healthy alternative to the deliciously rich ramen. We had some great appetizers this time, super fresh and beautifully presented hamachi and a miso cod dish which was also to die for.