New York Eats
I had a great five days in NYC recently eating my way through New York and parts of Brooklyn. Here are some of the highlights if you are planning a trip anytime soon.
Momosan Ramen & Sake
Neighborhood: Midtown At Lexington & 40th Street,
Momosan was the exact opposite of the Morimoto restaurant in Disney Springs back home in Orlando. It's small and cozy with long shared benches for communal eating with a much more laid back experience. Each guest is greeted in unison by the staff when they enter and our server was very attentive and patient with our menu questions. Reservations are not accepted here, so we made sure to go right when they opened for an early dinner.
We enjoyed Zuke don (soy marinated tuna, nori, scallions), sticky ribs and I fell in love with their Tonkotsu Ramen. If you ask my husband this was hands down his favorite meal of our trip.
Urbanspace Vanderbilt
Neighborhood: Midtown
I'm always impressed with the food halls in other cities when I travel. Orlando hasn't quite figured them out yet. Urbanspace Vanderbilt hosts over 20 counter service spots for food and drink with an open center with seating. We ended up going here twice, once for a doughnut pick up from Dough and then for a quick dinner. I had a delicious sushi burrito that I couldn't even finish it was so huge. This is a great spot for people with different taste buds looking for a quick individual meal.
La Colombe & Egg Slut
Neighborhood: There are several La Colombe cafes but we visited the one in NOHO off Lafayette Street.
La Colombe has fast become one of my favorite on-the-go coffees to grab off the shelf, but in NYC I got to visit one of their cafes. Their latte was one of the best I had on my trip, so it's clear that their canned coffee being so good is no fluke.
An added bonus what that at this particular location Egg Slut, an LA based restaurant, had popped up in the cafe. The simple egg sandwiches I will admit are pretty trendy, but still satisfying.
Cha Cha Matcha
Neighborhood: Between Little Italy and Nolita on Broome Street.
I could have gone to Cha Cha Matcha every single day of my trip, but I limited it to two stops. Not only does this place get how to properly brand themselves and utilize the small NYC space, their matcha drinks are exceptional and varied.
On my first trip I got a matcha lemonade and on my second trip I got their "Divine Drink". This rainbow drink isn't what you think. It's packed with nutrients like beetroot, ginger, blue algae, spirulina, and macadamia milk. I know that mixture may not sound appealing, but I promise you, somehow they made it delicious.
Morgenstern's Finest Ice Cream
Neighborhood: Nolita on Rivington Street
I had several ice cream spots on my list, but time and stomach stamina did not allow for a stop at all of them. I chose to visit Morgenstern's for purely photographic reasons. They drew me in with images of their black coconut ash flavor.
Truthfully the coconut ash was just alright, I found it to be on the blander side, but maybe it wasn't a fair fight because I paired it with an amazing Vietnamese coffee ice cream that won me over.
Milk Bar
Neighborhood: On this trip I visited the Chelsea location.
Basic as it may be, every trip to New York includes a stop at Milk Bar. I have such a weak spot for the cereal milk ice cream and toppings. We also got one of their crack pies and a few cookies to go.
Jack's Wife Freda
Neighborhood: Nolita neighborhood at Spring Street & Lafayette
On my past two trips to New York I tried to eat at Jack's Wife Freda but refused to wait a full hour in their insanely long line. However the perk of exploring New York during the week means shorter brunch lines. Only a reasonable 10 minute wait was endured before I could enjoy my latte and simple yet flavorful flank steak and egg breakfast. I would highly recommend eating here, however I wouldn't wait more than 20 minutes for a table. There are a few other brunch places nearby that are also good and not quite as popular.
Russ & Daughters
Neighborhood: South of the East Village
I wasn't planning on a stop here, but I just happened to walk by and figured why not at least have one bagel with lox while I was in the city. I didn't go to the full cafe, but instead stopped inside the location that is basically a gourmet grocery and buzzing deli counter. An egg bagel with fresh salmon and chive cream cheese hit the spot to continue fueling our non-stop walking.
Los Tacos No. 1
Neighborhood: Chelsea (inside the Chelsea Market)
Chelsea Market is a tourist trap that I don't really mind visiting mainly because, TACOS. There are several eateries to chose from but these tacos reel me in every time. It's quick counter service leaving you to find somewhere in the market to sit, but it's well worth any long lines you may encounter. Other noteworthy reasons to stop inside the Chelsea Market include a fresh beer at the Filling Station and walking around Artists & Fleas for some goods to take back home for yourself or friends. It was here I bought my first Virginie Millefiori necklace and Pamela Barsky bag.
Cafe Henrie
Neighborhood: Just east of Little Italy
I wasn't sure what to expect from Cafe Henrie, but I was so surprised that this was more than just a cute space. Lattes and matcha were ordered as well as a solid serving of avocado toast and a delicious chicken coconut bowl. My bowl was filled with lemongrass, poached chicken, brown rice, carrots, turmeric, an avocado add-on and coconut broth. The food was simple yet executed deliciously and the colorful surroundings were an added aesthetic bonus.
Sweet Chick
Neighborhood: Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Sweet Chick goes down in my current food history for best waffles of my life. I ordered the dried cherry waffles and chicken, and while the chicken was perfectly acceptable, the waffles were the star. Honorable mention to the three divine butters that came with them. I can't tell you what they were because the server didn't name them each, but each one added a little extra sweet and saltiness to my bites.
Sweatshop Coffee
Neighborhood: Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Owned by some chill Aussies, Sweatshop is a cozy, well branded coffee spot in Williamsburg. As far as my latte is concerend, it didn't really stand up against La Colombe, but it was good enough for a mid-day pick me up.
Doughnut Plant
Walking across the Brooklyn Bridge and then back over the Williamsburg bridge in the same day was exhausting, but the light at the end of the very long trek was Doughnut Plant. Just a few blocks off the Williamsburg bridge you will find one of their shops. Some people love Dough when they are in New York, but I am strictly a Doughnut Plant girl. This time I purchased a full dozen to take home with me. My favorite flavors are the carrot cake, wild blueberry, matcha and coffee cake. This is the only place to fill up on doughnuts when you are in the city in my personal opinion.
Where we stayed: The Renwick Hotel
What we did besides eat:
Saw Sara Bareilles in the Waitress (AMAZING)
Visited the Whitney Museum in Chelsea
Walked the High Line
Toured the Oculus structure (a beautiful disappointment)
Visited the 9/11 Memorial
Walked all over Willamsburg while we ate, shopped, and people-watched.
Not mentioned here was our dinner at TradeMark which was amazingly good, but no pictures were taken so I could fully enjoy the company of my husband and discuss why Obi-wan is probably Rey's grandfather.
This trip was all personal travel. None of this is sponsored information, all meals and travel expense was paid for personally.