Gee You Should Try Yuji Ramen

Yuji Ramen in Bowery Whole Foods 

Being a huge ramen fan, I'd been hearing great things about Yuji Ramen located in the food court on the 2nd floor of Bowery Whole Foods. However, I had also heard it was a temporary pop-up shop, so I wasn't even sure if it was still there. I did hear that they were opening a second location in another location in Williamsburg though, so figured it was pretty likely. We needed to go shopping (for ramen ingredients no less) at Whole Foods so decided to find out.

Parm does no harm

Parm

Were running errands this afternoon in SoHo and were hungry for a very late lunch. I really wanted to try Torrisi Italian Specialties which has been on my list forever, but given the odd time (~3:30pm) it fell in between the awkward closed for lunch, not yet open for dinner window. But wait! Didn't I hear the Torrisi folks opened up a casual spot right next door? Well that works too.

We walked in to the kitchy shop and settled into our table to peruse the menu. It didn't take us long to decide on the Calamari, Pizza Knots, and a Meatball Parm Hero...

So-Yummy Soccarat - Nolita Edition

Stuffed Dates & Fried Artichokes 

We were meeting up with friends for dinner and one of them suggested Soccarat Nolita. Having enjoyed the Chelsea location of this restaurant, we were interested to see what the Nolita annex is like. First, it's a lot bigger than the Chelsea location, which was good for our group of 8. I also enjoyed the ambience a bit more, which surprised me, since I had assumed they would be similar. But enough about the space, let's get to the food.

We started with a selection of tapas: stuffed dates, fried artichokes, calamari and potatoes. More photos after the jump.

Little Cupcake Bakeshop of Delights

If you find yourself in Nolita, be sure to stop in to Little Cupcake Bakeshop to grab yourself a sweet treat. We picked up a Coconut Cloud cupcake and found it to be just as delightful as Billy's or Magnolia's offerings, but without a line!

No Skinny B!*&s at Rice to Riches

Finding ourselves in the Nolita area, I was excited to finally bring The Mr to Rice to Riches.  Considering rice pudding is one of his favorite desserts, this trip was long past due. 

I just love everything about this place. The flavors! The toppings! The funky, reusable containers! The snarky signs everywhere you look! Or as The Mr put it "Who knew you could have so much fun with rice pudding??" Even if you don't think you like rice pudding, I'd encourage you to try it out (unless you don't like the pudding consistency of course, that will still be a problem). This is a great place to bring an out-of-town visitor too. And if they really enjoy it, there is a kiosk built in to the wall where you can send rice pudding anywhere in the USA!

A Slice of History at Lombardi's

The Basement 

Half Pepperoni Margarita Pizza

We took advantage of our half day at work by heading over to Lombardi's to see how America's First Pizzeria stacks up. We thought we were being clever by going around 3pm in between the dinner and lunch crowds, but we were still facing a 20 minute wait (really not that bad though). After we took a quick stroll around the block, our wait time was over and we were led downstairs to our table. It didn't take us long to decide on what to order- our classic half plain/half pepperoni margarita pie.

Lovely Day, Simply Lovely

Hopped into this little charming place after a visit to The New Museum for a drink with a friend. So completely adorable- I swooned. The decor was vintage in a warm farmhouse way and everyone was super welcoming and friendly to both newcomers and regulars which added to the homey feel. We got the house sake which was delicious, but weren't hungry yet so can't say much for their food. However, I definitely plan to come back and hope the food matches the ambiance.