Best Carrot Cake: The Dish

The Mr. and I decided to grab lunch at The Dish, but once it came time to order we decided to just split a slice of carrot cake. The hubs is a big carrot cake connoisseur and immediately declared it the best carrot cake ever. When I pressed him on it he admitted that it actually wasn't THE best, but that it was definitely in the top five, and it was DEFinitely the best he's had in New York. So if you're a carrot cake lover yourself, check it out.

Maxie's does Brunch to the max

I wanted a delicious Saturday brunch, my friends wanted to watch the World Cup, I thought for sure I would have to sacrifice my dreams of eggs & coffee and settle for a sports bar. Which is kind of what I thought Maxie's Bar & Grill would be, but was happily mistaken. This sidecar bar of Angelo & Maxie's Steakhouse is a perfect blend between a relaxed place to watch a game and a nice restaurant. Us gals ordered their Breakfast Sandwich Slider Sampler- eggs & cheese on mini bagels. Not anything too special taste-wise, but I loved the concept. The boys ordered the Banana Bread French Toast which has started a new obsession with the Mr. and I now have two loaves of banana bread sitting in my freezer waiting for me to experiment with some weekend morning. The comforting thing is that knowing if I fail, Maxie's Grill is right down the street.

The Wonder of Raj Mahal

We still have not had Indian food since we've lived in the city, which is especially embarrassing since we live so close to Murray (Curry) Hill. Tonight we rectified this situation and ordered in from Raj Mahal. Here's what we ate:

Coconut Samosas $2.75
Vegetable Samosas $2.75
Meat Samosas $2.75 (we really like Samosas ok?)
Garlic Naan $3.50
Chicken Tikka Masala $9.95
Sag Paneer $8.95
Rasmalai $2.50
Firni- Free!

A feast of a meal...in reality, a few meals, all for a whopping grand total of $38.40. Not too shabby and it was gooooooood. As you can see, we like us some samosas and theirs met our standards. We ordered the Tikka Masala and the Sag Paneer spicy and for once got exactly that, even a little to spicy for The Mr. Every true New Yorker has their go-to Indian take-out place, and now we finally have ours.

Not over the moon for Moonstruck Diner

Myself & The Mr found ourselves hungry and in Chelsea one morning looking for a laid back brunch spot with no wait when I remembered that Empire Diner has been on my radar for a while and was a few blocks away. So away we went, yet we arrived to find it boarded up and definitively closed. Well, looks like I missed out on trying this iconic diner. Darn. Well Moonstruck Diner is nearby and will have to fit the bill.

First thing we were struck by was of course the decor. It is quintessential USA diner in here folks and not in a fun, nostalgic 50s diner way. Faded, in need of repair, lame pastels. The menu was just as typical diner although I was impressed to find a 'Dieter's Delight' section. I will also say that it was impressive in it's extensiveness. I went for an egg white vegetarian omelette and The Mr. got the Monte Cristo breakfast sandwich. Greasy, typical diner fare. Which was our big take-away from this joint- go if you are looking for the most dinerish diner experience possible, but not for any other reason.

Cinco Estrellas para Dos Toros

One day The Mr. comes home from shooting some pool claiming that he's found his new taco joint. We had been told that it was pretty hard to find decent Mexican food in NYC, so we were both pretty excited, especially since it's just south of Union Square. It's a small walk-in taco joint with very limited seating and a pretty basic menu. The best way to get your tacos here is 'crispy' which is just the soft tortilla fried a little bit (as opposed to your normal hard shell). We got one of each- chicken, steak, and rice & beans. Each one better than the last. Perfect place to pop in for a quick taco fix and we will be doing just that again and again.