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Farmers on 57th: daikon sprout harvest

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Bruce eats New York: from cheesecake to yogurt and everything in between

4 Comments January 5, 2010

This is the third post in a three-part travel series called Bruce eats New York, where Tiny Bites contributor Bruce Nguyen chronicles his ‘New York virgin’ dining experiences during the summer of 2009.

  1. Fried chicken overload at Momofuku Noodle Bar
  2. Republic and Viet-Cafe in a Vietnamese showdown! (Pho-down?)
  3. From cheesecake to yogurt and everything in between

New York is home to some of the most upscale restaurants in the world but it can also be done on a budget. After all, the foods that bear the city’s name include the bagel, the pizza, and the cheesecake. Speaking of which, let me first state that the advertised “World’s largest cheesecake” really wasn’t all that large.

Below is a selection of tasting notes from the rest of the trip.

Ippudo

Ramen – very tender slices of pork. Noodles were well textured and not overdone. The decadence of eating ramen with what is more ladle than a spoon has to be experienced. Still, it was the pork belly cutlets which really shone. And that’s saying a lot.

Friends appreciated the ramen here more than at that at Momofuku Noodle Bar.

Ramen is better with HUGE SPOONS!

Ippudo
65 4th Avenue | East Village, New York
(212) 388-0088

Ippudo on Urbanspoon

Cafe Fiorello

Cafe Fiorello was recommended by the same trusted hotel concierge that recommended Ippudo, so our a group of twelve met there with promises of some of the best pizza in town.

Meal post-mortem: preference still leans towards properly prepared Chicago style deep dish pizza. Maybe I just need to try a non-white-tablecloth pizzeria. Their sangria, however, is pretty amazing. Can’t put my finger on what made it stand out…cinnamon and something else that I couldn’t identify.

Fiorello's exterior

Cafe Fiorello
1900 Broadway | Upper West Side, New York
(212) 595-5330

Cafe Fiorello on Urbanspoon

Pinkberry

Pinkberry, where the frozen yogurt craze first gained popularity. The plain yogurt itself didn’t have that slightly sour tang I’ve become accustomed to. The toppings I tried (blackberries, mochi, coconut, manga) were all fresh tasting with the mochi winning much praise.

Yes, I realize the picture below is not what I just described above. Blame my horrible photography patience when food is involved.

Pomegranate Yogurt with Blackberries and Coconut

Pinkberry
330 W 58th St | Columbus Circle, New York
(212) 397-0412

Pinkberry on Urbanspoon

Katz’s Deli

My experience with deli meats are of the cold cut variety. It may have been the glitz of being in New York with some of my closest friends combined with the lack of sleep, but that late-night pastrami seemed like tender cuts of heaven served between two slices of bread.

Heaven between two slices of bread

Katz’s Deli
205 E Houston St | Lower East Side, New York
(212) 254-2246

Katz's Deli on Urbanspoon

And there you have it: my effort to eat my way though a weekend in the Big Apple. Throughout this series, I’ve made mention of the eateries that were memorable. The full photo gallery below contains pictures from lesser pit stops, including the not-so-large-world’s-largest-cheesecake.

Fiorello's exterior Wine NY Pizza Lindy's exterior Lindy's sign Lindy's menu Largest chocolate cake? It's not THAT large NY Cheesecake Mochacinno New York 2009 012 Ricotta and figs Spelt bread Prosciutto plate New York 2009 018 New York 2009 019 Kirin on draft Ippudo interior Deep fried pork belly Pork bun Ramen is better with HUGE SPOONS! Bubbly! (video) Can't remember what it is, but it smelled good and it bubbled Can't remember what it is, but it smelled good and it bubbled Can't remember what it is, but it smelled good and it bubbled Katz Deli Katz Deli Katz Deli Heaven between two slices of bread Pinkberry, Columbus Circle Pinkberry, Columbus Circle Pomegranate Yogurt with Blackberries and Coconut Coconut Yogurt with Mango and Mochi Pomegranate Yogurt with Blackberries and Coconut Coconut Yogurt with Mango and Mochi

Categories: Food, Restaurants, Travel, USA

Comments

4 Responses to “Bruce eats New York: from cheesecake to yogurt and everything in between”

  1. Bruce eats New York: fried chicken overload at Momofuku Noodle Bar : Tiny Bites on January 5th, 2010 11:11 am

    [...] From cheescake to yogurt and everything in between [...]

  2. Bruce eats New York: Republic and Viet-Cafe in a Vietnamese showdown! (Pho-down?) : Tiny Bites on January 5th, 2010 11:13 am

    [...] From cheesecake to yogurt and everything in between [...]

  3. Eight O'Clock Coffee on February 8th, 2010 1:50 pm

    Nice adventure revealed by the photo gallery above. By the way, how was your NY Mochacinno?

  4. Bruce Nguyen on February 8th, 2010 4:44 pm

    Thanks, Eight O’Clock Coffee! It was actually a friend that ordered the mochacinno; in her words, she would have liked it to be more ‘mocha-ey’. But she’s also a chocolate fiend.

    I had some nice espressos in New York, but nothing worth raving about. Then again, I didn’t go out looking for great coffee either.

    Nice site, by the way. I’m a big fan of after-dinner coffees.

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