52/365: Meal time

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Ramen Santouka: understated signage

Ramen Santouka: storefront

Ramen Santouka: done, all too soon

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

4 Comments Bruce NguyenJanuary 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

Tiny Bites 2009: a year in review

Leave a Comment Karen HamiltonDecember 31, 2009

Sentro 1771: sizzling tofu

As 2009 winds down to a close, I’d like to share the most memorable stories, experiences, and images of our threesome’s year in food.

Key Moments

What a time of transition. A new business, new contributors, and a new life to welcome into the world. 2010 is gonna be huge.

Baby, me, and 'baby' Beef Wellington at 38 weeks

Dining Out

These are just a few of the places that Bruce, Degan, and I adored in 2009.

Medina Cafe: waffle with lavender milk chocolate

Events Around Town

As a newly occupied parent, I’m sure that I’ll have to bow out of and/or delegate many of the events that we had enjoyed in 2009. This list is mostly for me to dwell in nostalgia as I tend to my little one in 2010.

Wines of Chile 2009

Home Cooking

We sure did a lot of cooking this year!

PICA: Cooking with Chocolate lesson

Culinary Travel

I’m not going to be able to do nearly as much jetsetting in 2010 as our trio did in 2009. Here are the highlights of where we’ve been.

Tiny Bites makes its mark on Panglao Island

Favourite Visuals

With so much going on this past year, it was difficult to write about everything we experienced. Consequently, these became hidden gems in my Flickr photostream. Here they are again for your viewing pleasure.

Dirty Apron: a lesson in chocolate

Favourite Discoveries

These people, events, and treats helped make 2009 an even yummier year.  Please check them out.

Shark Truth inaugural fundraiser

Categories: Events, Food, Miscellany, Recipes, Restaurants, Travel

Bruce eats New York: Republic and Viet-Cafe in a Vietnamese showdown! (Pho-down?)

4 Comments Bruce NguyenNovember 24, 2009

This is the second 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

Growing up, my family was never very adventurous in our culinary tastes. For each new city we’d visit, while we would try to dine on the local cuisine, by the end of the trip we would invariably end up eating at a local Vietnamese restaurant. The quality would vary, but at least my parents would be darned sure of their opinion. No “that’s was an interesting dish” remarks for us!

Once I was old enough and mobile enough to have non-family travel plans, experiencing new flavour combinations and arrangements would be the new norm. But every now and then, especially on a hectic or stressful day, a restaurant sign with Vietnamese writing would draw me in like a sailor to a lighthouse.

So it’s understandable why, on hearing that I dined at two Vietnamese restaurants during my short stint in New York, people ask if I was homesick or under duress. Believe it or not, neither of these restaurants were my choice but the choice of my dining companions.

I just didn’t complain when they made their suggestions.

Republic

Republic has the byline of “Vietnamese Sandwich Shop” but carries a ranging menu including twists on the standard beef noodle soup (pho). We tried a dish with a seafood base, one with a duck base, and a spicy beef variety, the last being the only traditional Vietnamese noodle soup – Bun Bo Hue.

Three Vietnamese soup dishes (by Bruce Nguyen)

We also shared a standard Vietnamese submarine sandwich, complete with three types of cold cuts, pate, pickled veggies and cilantro. The pate was not very noticeable and I would have liked a touch more. The sandwich came with a papaya salad pre-seasoned with fish sauce. It was good if not jaw-dropping. What was jaw-dropping, however, was the price. $10 USD for the same quality and quantity of what you can get in Vancouver for $6 CDN – $3 or less if you only want the sandwich.

Traditional vietnamese sandwich (by Bruce Nguyen)

One thing I must comment on the menu is the inclusion of “Iced Thai Coffee”. With a restaurant byline of “Vietnamese Sandwich Shop” why the insistance on calling it an iced Thai coffee? I tasted coffee, condensed milk, and ice. To me, that’s an iced Vietnamese coffee.

In the end, while I can’t in good faith recommend their sandwiches because of the price, I can recommend their noodle soup. The duck was excellent and the spicy beef and seafood varieties were very good, all of which are beyond the typical fare you’ll find in any Vietnamese restaurant in Vancouver.

Republic
37 Union Sq W | Gramercy/Flatiron, New York
(212) 627-7168

Republic on Urbanspoon

Republic Republic At Republic Republic patio Iced Thai coffee Iced Thai coffee Traditional vietnamese sandwich Papaya salad Three Vietnamese soup dishes

Viet Cafe

Crispy Spring Rolls (Cha Gio) (by Bruce Nguyen)

Wasn’t much a fan of the veggie spring rolls. They were good but were nonetheless rather standard fare. The pork spring rolls, however, were memorable. Using deep fried rice paper as the wrap gives it a paradoxically crunchy yet chewy outer layer.

Herbed Chicken Soup (Pho Ga) (by Bruce Nguyen)

The chicken pho was clean tasting without any hints of MSG or added oil. If you’re a fan of ‘dirty’ pho, this particular dish may not be for you. I was a fan.

Viet Cafe
345 Greenwich Street | Tribeca, New York
(212) 431-5888

Vietcafe on Urbanspoon

Viet Cafe - Exterior Viet Cafe - Entrance Viet Cafe - Interior Viet Cafe - Interior Veggie Spring Rolls, Summer Roll Crispy Spring Rolls (Cha Gio) Crispy Spring Rolls (Cha Gio) Viet Steak Sandwhich (Banh Mi) New York 2009 206 Herbed Chicken Soup (Pho Ga) Duck Lettuce Wrap Duck Lettuce Wrap

Categories: Food, Restaurants, Travel, USA

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