Pok Pok

My sister, my nephew, and I were able to squeeze in a meal at Pok Pok in Brooklyn before my flight back to Columbia. It had been getting great reviews and my interest was peaked by Amy Karol's post on drinking vinegars so I was excited to go.  We arrived about the time it opened and there was already a line of people waiting. In Brooklyn! Crazy. Fortunately, they seated everyone pretty quickly--split between inside and the tented outside seating.

Of course we had to try the drinking vinegars--I had the raspberry and my sister had the pear:

We both loved them.  It was a fairly hot and humid day so the acidic bite of the vinegar cut the sweetness of the fruit to make this such a refreshing drink.

We shared the vegan version of the Khao Soi (coconut curry noodle soup):

and the vegan version of the Papaya Pok Pok salad:

The Khao Soi was dynamite--we ordered a second. The Papaya Pok Pok salad was a little plain but I caveat that since we had the vegan version it probably is more tasty with the salty kick of dried shrimp and fish sauce of the original version.

The one thing I was a bit disappointed in was the wait staff's underwhelming attitude in the particulars of their food, given how unique the food is at Pok Pok.  The waitress was definitely nice and not rude at all but when I expressed interest the drinking vinegars her tone was like, yeah, haha, some people like those--they're just kind of like these syrups...yeah...  And when another waitress/food runner delivered the Khao Soi, she defined the sides (pickled mustard greens, shallots, cilantro, chili paste, lime) and when I asked if I was supposed to mix these in with the noodles, her answer was sort of shruggish, yeah...if you like.  We decided to mix them in and the sides added a great fresh pop to the noodles.  Now is that so hard?

Overall, I recommend it -- the drinks and dishes are wonderfully unique and refreshing.  Looking forward to trying other flavors of those drinking vinegars!

BabyCakes

Yesterday I took Augie to check out another famous New York bakery, BabyCakes, a vegan bakery where a lot of the baked goods are also gluten-free, soy-free, and refined sugar-free. Currently Augie is allergic to wheat and eggs so I was excited to try a place where he could enjoy a little baked goodness.

We picked out a healthy assortment--mini donuts, chocolate chip cookies, a red velvet cupcake, a banana cinnamon cupcake, and a slice of corn bread:

Side note:  around the corner from the bakery, they were shooting scenes from an upcoming film, Now You See Me.

But this guy just wanted to head home and check out the treats.

Sigh. We are so related.

Augie loved it all.  It was all pretty tasty and you certainly don't miss the gluten, eggs, and dairy.  It wasn't as sweet as typical cupcake fare which, frankly, was actually pleasant.  I highly recommend the banana cinnamon cupcake and mini donuts.

I hope to take Augie back there next time I'm in New York and make it "our place" where his auntie gets him sweet treats!

Milk bar

After dinner last night, we headed to Milk Bar to grab some sweet snacks:

They're famous for their Corn and Compost cookies:

As well as their addictive Crack Pie:

We sampled their soft serve, both cereal milk (which is astonishing exactly like cereal milk and was awesome with corn crunchies) and fried apple pie, which was really, really good.  We brought back a selection of baked goods to enjoy as late night snacks.

First up, the cornflake-chocolate chip-marshmallow cookie:

This was our favorite--it had a toffee like flavor from the corn flakes, balanced by the chocolate chips and had a great chewy texture from the marshmallow. I'd get this again.  And again.

Then we tried their famous Crack Pie:

It was delicious but with all the butter and sugar, the richness is a bit overwhelming, though I have to say the oat crust was delightful and grounded the dessert as whole a bit.

Next was the Corn Cookie.  A really pleasant surprise.  Very "corny" in a surprisingly refreshing way.  Balanced sweetly, it was a unique cookie experience.

The next morning we started out the day with coffee and their famous Compost Cookie:

Presumably named for having a lot of stuff in it, including chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and coffee grounds, it was a delicious cookie where you couldn't quite put your finger on why it was so tasty. Definitely wouldn't turn down one of these if offered to me.

Overall, Milk Bar is a definite treat and I would highly recommend trying one of their unique offerings if you're in New York.

Upstate

Tonight my sister, cute nephew Augie, and I enjoyed a visit to Upstate, where she is hooked (HOOKED I say) on their fettuccine with fresh clams.  Pasta? Fresh clams?  I'm in.

We enjoyed their happy hour special which included our choice of 6 fresh oysters and a beer.  I'm more of cocktail girl myself but a cold beer can greatly enhance good food, especially seafood.  And when I do drink beer, I tend to go for wheat beers.  Upstate did not have any but the waiter steered me towards Captain's Kolsch, which was ice-cold and crisp--perfect for me and the oysters.  They had this fairly enormous list of choices from the East Coast and West Coast and frankly we kind of just picked ones from places we'd heard of, been to, or would like to visit.  They varied from briny to sweet but we enjoyed each one.  With Captain's Kolsch to spare, I'm pretty sure I could have done another plate.

See that toy car in the background?

My sister: (sighs) The battery's dying.
Me: All these adults here are going to be so bummed to hear that.

Augie: (too busy adorably reading a board book anyway)

The fettuccine arrived shortly after:

Yes--it tasted as good as it looked.  The clams were cooked just tender, the garlic cooked with presence but not overwhelming, tender noodles, and a sauce that I want to say was rich without being creamy and heavy. The first thing I remembered thinking was that I wouldn't be able to finish such a big bowl.  The next thing I remembered was staring at an empty bowl.

And what I consider a classy and brilliant move by smart restaurants--automatic dessert.  I love it when there is just one dessert and it's done so well, like this whiskey cake made by the owner's wife:

So good. It was just the perfect sweet ending to this superb meal. I hope the next time I go back to New York, my sister wants to eat there again.

Big Gay Ice Cream

While my sister still lives down the block from Big Gay Ice Cream, I manage to hit it every time I visit.

Real ice cream (vs. frozen yogurt or "light" versions I'll grab at the store) is obviously a treat for me so when I indulge, I really like to go for the unique and flavorful.

Combos that feature dulce de leche, chocolate dip and sea salt (Salty Pimp)? Yes please. Curried coconut (CocoCone)? Out there, but yes, I'm curious. Pretzels, sea salt, chocolate dip (American Globs)? I never would have guessed it would be so tasty. And for what it's worth, I kind of doubt I could recreate this combo at home.

Guess I'll have to keep coming back. Man, I can't wait to eat another cone from there soon.

Mermaid Inn - Lobsterpalooza

I hit the Mermaid Inn with my sister, BIL, and nephew, right after catching some of the March Madness games on TV. One game went really well, one didn't, but I'm still #2 in my group's brackets if you're wondering.

We managed to hit the Mermaid Inn while Happy Hour was still going on so we got some oysters and drinks. The BIL tried the Pork Slap pale ale and I enjoyed the "Dark and Stormier" cocktail  which featured Gosling's rum, Domaine de Canton (a ginger liquer), and ginger beer. 

I wish I had taken a picture of the oysters--they were the best part of the meal--so fresh, like I was enjoying them dockside.

We all went with the Lobsterpalooza which features a 1.5 pound lobster with potatoes and roasted corn cob.

I have to say this isn't the first time we've hit Lobsterpalooza, but this was probably the first time we were somewhat let down by it.  The lobster seemed a bit overcooked, as if it had been cooked earlier in the day and re-steamed right before it was served to us.  The shell was somewhat soggy (instead of the bright snap) as if boiled in water for a long time with the tail and body meat fairly tough, though the claw meat managed to be tender (at least in mine).  Given the last times we've really enjoyed Lobsterpalooza so we were somewhat disappointed to hit them on an off day.

The service is friendly and efficient--though this time, it was almost too efficient as a staff member cleared away the flat bread while we were still enjoying it post-lobster.  What didn't disappoint is their standard inclusive dessert--a mini tea cup of chocolate mousse with Fortune Teller fish.  Just the right size and sweetness to end the meal:

All in all, we'll probably hit the Maiden Inn again but we may stick to the oysters and cocktails next time.

Northern Spy Food Company

When visiting New York, I love eating out in the East Village. This morning we brunched at Northern Spy Food Company and it was awesome.

We started out with some drinks--I had the refreshing fuji-apple mimosa, where the apple was very subtle,  my BIL had their Bloody Mary, which was nice and spicy, and my sister had the lemon seltzer:

We started out with some biscuits and apple butter.  The substantial biscuits were tender and flaky and the apple butter was amazing.  I've had apple butter before but I'm guessing they make it fresh here because it was deliciously bright and flavorful:

I enjoyed the Kale Salad with two baked eggs.  The combination of the almonds and the cheeses with the kale was a wonderful savory balance to the richness of the eggs.

My sister enjoyed Polenta with eggs (which I loved as well) and my BIL had the Corned Beef Hash which was quite unlike the stuff I remembered as a kid that came in a can.  I should have taken pictures--it had hearty cubes of beef brisket with roasted potatoes.  my BIL was very impressed.

This little guy had his own food but the staff was kind enough to cut him an apple as well:

Which I have to say, the staff charmed the adults as well. The service was great, friendly, and aimed to please--from the hostess who got us our table to the waiters to the friendly kitchen staff that waved hello to my cute nephew. I'm pretty sure we'd all love to come here again.