Wise Men is a Smart Bet

Wise Men: Blood and Sand & Kentucky Buck

We were having a pretty killer night that started out with lobster rolls from Luke's, an arepa from Caracas Arepa Bar To Go, and drinks from Angel's Share. But we weren't quite ready to call it a night, so we walked down to Wise Men. Despite what the name would lead you to believe, this low profile little spot is actually owned by three women.

A Heavenly Evening at Angels Share

Angel's Share

Angel's Share has been on my list of must try speakeasies since moving to the city more than 4 years ago. Tonight, I made that wish come true. When The Mr. announced that he was craving a lobster roll from Luke's, we jumped in a cab and I requested that we be dropped of at St Mark's & 3rd instead of 1st Ave. I identified Village Yokocho and confidently walked up the stairs. When I reached the top I spied an inconspicuous door to my left, so without pause I made a beeline there. Opening it I found a jam packed foyer to the bar. I squeezed through to the hostess and put my name on the 2 hour wait list.

Go To Caracas Arepa Bar To Go

Caracas Arepas Bar To Go: Inside

After grabbing a bite at Luke's Lobster, I was still a bit peckish because for some reason I only ordered half a lobster roll like a fool. So when we started walking down the street and The Mr. paused at the red door of Caracas Arepa Bar To Go, no words needed to be exchanged. In we went.

Hooked on Luke's Lobster

Luke's Lobster: Half Lobster Roll, Pickle, Chips, & Maine Root Sodas

We were lucky to discover Luke's Lobster pretty early on in our NYC adventures and we immediately declared them to be our favorite lobster rolls (see our original post on Luke's). Since then we've repeatedly traveled throughout New England and have yet to taste a lobster roll that even comes close to comparing. Yes, even in Maine itself. This is one of our absolute favorite places to grab a quick bite, especially when friends visit from out of town. Time after time you take your first bite (either ever or just of the night) and have to pause to breathlessly say "Woooow." Yes, it's that good. If you've never tried it and are wondering if it lives up to the hype/price tag, stop wondering and just go do it.

Bar Hopping: Dear Irving, Amor y Amargo, Crif Dogs

Dear Irving: Samoa & True Patriot

After a pre-theatre jaunt to St. Andrews and watching The Realistic Joneses we weren't quite ready for our night to end. We walked almost all the way down to Penn Station before I was struck with a brilliant idea. Didn't the folks behind fabulous speakeasy Raines Law Room just open up a new cocktail establishment with 3 rooms that capture 3 eras? We were in a cab heading over to Gramercy within 2 minutes.

A perfect night: Apotheke, The Boil, & Pouring Ribbons

Apotheke: Interior

Tonight we headed down to the Lower East Side to have a crawfish boil at one of our favorite spots, The Boil. Since it's obviously a lot of other people's favorite places too we were looking at a bit of a wait. It seemed the perfect opportunity to meander on in to an unassuming pharmacy in Chinatown.

Golden Ticket to Minca Ramen Factory

Minca: Pork Gyoza

We recently had dinner with a friend and not surprisingly, the subject of Ramen came up (we're a little obsessed). He mentioned that his brother lived in Japan for a time, so is a ramen snob and chose Minca Ramen Factory as the destination the last time he visited NYC. We quickly bookmarked Minca and headed there at our next available opportunity.

Finding the pot of gold at Veselka

Veselka: Borscht

Veselka has been on my "to try" list since we originally moved to NYC almost 4 years ago. While I've been wanting to try the pierogi, I also had their burger bookmarked for The Mr since it frequently shows up on "Best Burgers of NYC" lists. On a frosty night we finally made our way out to see what this little "coffee shop" has to offer.

Shabu-Tatsu Not Too Shabby

Shabu-Tatsu: Sake

Today we were headed to Sunrise Market in the East Village to pick-up some ramen making supplies so we finally got to try a restaurant that's been on my list for a long time now: Shabu-Tatsu. We've never had hotpot before Japanese or otherwise, so this was an exciting new adventure for the Newbie Foodies. We started with a lovely bottle of unfiltered sake and settled in to see where the meal would take us.

Gee, I know this great Italian Place: Giano!

Giano Restaurant

Tonight, I was invited to try Giano and as I walked down the street past some of my favorite East Village restaurants, I was excited because to hold your own in this neighborhood, you have to be something special. I walked in and was immediately enchanted. I'm pleased because usually I don't get great interior shots, but I really love how this one captures the restaurant.

The weather is just starting to cool, so it was just a little too chilly to dine in the back garden, but it was still nice enough to leave the entire front part of the restaurant open and enjoy the evening. Our first plate of the evening was a trio of Appetizers: 

Great Jonesin' for Nola at Great Jones Cafe

Great Jones Cafe Menu

We have been trying to find a restaurant that serves up some good New Orleans style grub here in NYC. We've tried a few and left disappointed each time. Today, we decided to try Great Jones Cafe after reading some good things about it online. We walked in to a small, one-room establishment. Lots of NoLa tchotchkes, but it felt more authentic than theme parkish.

Fried Chicken Dinner at Momofuku Noodle Bar

Pork Buns

I finally got to try the Momofuku Fried Chicken Dinner, but it wasn't for The Mr.'s birthday or some other personal momentous occasion, but for a team dinner. That's right, that's what happens when you work for an internet company and have a really cool boss. 

We started the meal with shrimp and pork buns, because to go to Momofuku Noodle Bar and not get their buns is a straight up crime. Finally, an assortment of condiments arrived, heralding the arrival of the chicken...

Hot Diggity Crif Dogs

Crif Dogs

I had always hoped to come to Crif Dogs one night in order to go to PDT via the phone booth and for that reason, it had never occurred to me to just...go to Crif Dogs itself. So when my friend suggested we go there for brunch I was thoroughly thrown off. But I'm a flexible person, so we hopped in a cab.

Dessert Club, ChikaLicious

Banana Dessert

We were having a date night when we got an urge for dessert. Immediately, Chikalicious popped into my head, because I've been hearing great things about it for so long. We arrived on E 10th in the East Village and were immediately confused by the TWO Chikalicious locations across the street from one another. We quickly assessed that the Dessert Bar is a bit more upscale, an intimate bar seating environment perfect for a romantic date. However, we really just wanted to grab a quick sweet snack, so the Dessert Club was more up our alley for this evening.

Loco for Boka

We intended to take our out of town guests to Momofuku Noodle Bar, but when we got there we were facing a 2 hour wait. We love our Momofuku, but when you are ready for dinner, that is just too long to wait. So we were milling about on the sidewalk discussing our options when we hit upon Korean Fried Chicken. Bingo! Luckily for us, Boka on St Marks was but a hop skip and a jump away.

We'd actually already been here once, but it was when we had just moved to the city and before the blog was in full swing. Last time we were here, I was very envious of the Watermelon Soju I saw everyone enjoying and vowed to myself that one day I would come back and make this sweet bowl of fruit and liquor mine. And so I did.

Watermelon Soju

Getting our fix at Momofuku Milk Bar

Crack Pie & Candy Bar Pie
Pistachio Truffles & Birthday Cake Truffles

Momofuku Milk Bar is one of those places that we love so much that it was a complete shock to me  that we don't have a post for them. Now I will officially right this wrong. In a nutshell, everything is fantastic here and yes, it is worth going out of your way for. Any time we find ourselves in the East Village we swing by and load up on their goodies, such as the stash shown above. Not pictured though is the cereal milk soft serve, because duh, we had to eat that as we walked home or it would melt.

Bonus Tip: Did you know that you can have Momofuku baked goods shipped across the country?!?

Bonus Video: Chef Christina Tosi's appearance on Conan.

Bo Ssam at Momofuku Ssam

One of our friends was celebrating her birthday and arranged for a group of us to have the Bo Ssam Dinner at Momofuku Ssam. I've never been so excited about someone else's birthday dinner, I've been hearing about this meal since we've moved to NYC!

Momofuku Noodle Bar Part Deux

When guests come to town one of the first places we will take them is to Momofuku Noodle Bar. When we are having a special dinner out, one of the first places we consider is Momofuku Noodle Bar. This week we had both occasions, so we wound up eating there two nights in a row. But we are definitely not complaining.

Night 1 (Date Night):

Started with our usual order of Pork Buns and Momofuku Ramen.

Pork Buns 

Momofuku Ramen

Overdue Momofuku Review (+ Pommes Frites)

It's The Mr's birthday week, so of course we were headed to Momofuku Noodle Bar. I then realized to my complete shock and horror, that we somehow do not have a Momofuku post up! How? What?! Why! So many questions, so few answers. So here my friends, is the much overdue Momofuku Review.

Pork Buns

*sigh* Even though we were just there I miss these little guys already. The bun is so heavenly soft, like what I imagine clouds to feel like. Then the salty, fatty pork is accented by the crisp, fresh cucumber. With just a dash of their hot sauce this is one or two bites of pure bliss.

Brisket Ramen

Now normally we split the Momofuku Ramen, but we'd never seen Brisket Ramen on the menu and we were intrigued. It's a much smaller portion (which is good if you don't have someone to split with). It was very good and we enjoyed it a lot, but I don't think we'd choose it over our beloved classic Momofuku Ramen again. Although their ramen gets a lot of flack for not being 'authentic' by the purists, it is one of our absolute favorites in the city, and we have suffered through many a long wait time to fulfill our craving.

Pommes Frites

The Fries

Since we were expecting the larger portioned ramen we had a bit of room in our stomach. We originally just planned on getting some soft serve, but then I was struck by inspiration. We have been wanting to try Pommes Frites for the past year, but we usually find ourselves either hungry for a full meal or totally stuffed when we are in the East Village. The opportunity to try these famous fries had finally presented itself. Similar to Burger Co, the story here is aaaaaallll about the sauces. We chose the Curry Ketchup, Rosemary Garlic Mayo, Mango Chutney, & Truffle Mayo. At this point the fries are just a utensil for these delicious condiments. If you find yourself wandering around the East Village hankering for a snack, this is your place.

Taking it to the Max

We were invited out to Max Restaurant's East Village location to get a taste of what they're all about.

Bread & Dipping Sauce 

The first taste of bread and dipping sauce (olive oil, olives, & roasted tomato pate) let us know we were in for something good. Personally, I would love to see this dipping sauce served default with the bread instead of being on the menu as a side, but this is my last and only criticism of this meal.

Mozzarella di Bufala & Melanzane a Funghetto 

Here's where things took a drastic turn. This mozzarella was like no mozzarella we have ever tasted anywhere. There were actually two different textures happening, a firmer outer edge which gave yield to a soft, creamy center. And the explosion of deliciousness didn't end there, to the right of our new cheesy friend you will find the melanzane a funghetto- fried eggplant in tomato sauce with basil. At this point of the meal the entire table agreed that we could go home more than happy, but there were more delights awaiting us...so many more.

Lasagna Fatta In Casa

Pasta #1: Beef lasanga with bechamel. I'm such a noob I thought that bechamel sauce was only used in white/cream based pasta dishes. Oh how wrong I was. No wonder this dish was a mini stack of heaven. Also note that this is a tasting portion which was like, 1/8 of the full order. It is massive, so if you want some of this incredible layered bliss make sure to plan to split or bring some home...or just be really, really hungry.

Fettuccine Al Sugo Toscano

Pasta #2: Fettuccine with tomato meat sauce. Full steam ahead with fresh, house-made pastas and sauces.

Spaghetti Alla Chitarra

Pasta #3: Spaghetti with lamb ragu. This dish is topped with Pecorino cheese, where the rest of the pasta dishes have the traditional Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Gnocchi Alla Sorrentina

Pasta #4: Gnocchi with tomato sauce, basil, and mozzarella.

Ravioli of the Day

Pasta #5: The Ravioli of the Day. It involved truffle- lucky us!

Filetto Di Baccala Al Forno

Ok, at this point we've tried five different types of pasta. And while normally we are good at pacing ourselves, they were so good that we couldn't stop. Needless to say, at this point we are pretty stuffed to the point of being uncomfortable. Yet somehow, this pan seared cod in truffle oil with mashed potatoes was still delicious.

And then the desserts came out:

Pannacotta

Tiramisu

Creme Brulee

Of course, we all found our second wind and tucked in to these desserts, but oh my goodness- so much rich food and wine. If you want straight up amazing, classic Italian food, this is it. One of the best meals we've had in New York. Thank goodness there are two of them...and thank goodness I don't live across the street from one of them, because honestly, I can't control myself around food this good.


*My meal was provided by the restaurant as part of a Press Dinner.