Top 5 NYC Food Memories

I grew up in central New Jersey with New York City in my backyard. Now that I live in LA, I always jump at the chance to visit. I love the people (yes, I think New Yorkers are very warm and friendly contrary to any stereotype) and the vibe of that great city as well as what it has to offer in terms of culture and, of course, FOOD!

I just spent last week in NYC, knowing the food there was going to be one of the highlights of my trip. The Big Apple never disappoints and I had some amazing food while I was there. Here are my top 5 from this trip:

Uncle Jack’s Steakhouse (Midtown)

44 West 56th St., New York, NY 10019
www.unclejacks.com

This place has a great, old school vibe with food that’s off the chart. I could definitely see the Rat Pack sitting around and enjoying some prime rib at this joint! The menu is on a chalkboard, the waiters wear tuxes, and the sides are all served a la carte. These are a few of my favorite things! The crab cake appetizer was excellent but I had a NY Strip that knocked me on my ass. I definitely recommend you save room for dessert because the sweets are as good as the steaks.

Uncle Jack’s is fantastic but not cheap. A 16-ounce NY steak costs $35 (and worth every freakin’ penny!).


John's Pizzera of Bleecker St.

278 Bleecker Street, (between 6th and 7th Aves), New York, NY 10014
www.johnsbrickovenpizza.com/

Also has some strong atmosphere going on with its funky art and church-pew styled booths and tables. Its a no-frills type of joint where they serve the pizza on trays and Cokes in plastic cups. Honey, with food this good, I'd eat it off of a dirty paper plate. My native NY friend said John’s is consistently vote as one of the Top 3 pizza places in the city. Hey, in case you didn’t know, there’s a pizza place on every corner in the city so that’s sayin’ something. I recommend pepperoni.

Dafni

325 West 42nd Street (between 8th Ave & 9th Ave), New York, NY 10036
www.dafnitaverna.com

According to Greek mythology, Apollo fell in love with a beautiful nymph named Dafni. It didn’t work out so she opened a restaurant in Midtown. I had a delectable moussaka with a side of green beans in Greek-style marinara sauce. The Gods and Goddesses were smiling on us the day my traveling buddy found that joint. A world traveler, she lived in Greece and swears its one of the most authentic Greek food she's had. It was easily some of the best moussaka I’ve ever had (and I’ve had a lot!)

Halal Food
corner of Broadway and Cedar St. (Wall Street)

There’s a little truck on Wall Street with the most killer gyros ever. On a whim, I decide to try some street food and wasn’t disappointed. Five dollars bought me a mountain of rice, gyros, and salad covered in this deliciously tangy tzatziki sauce. Not sure if it was the way the meat was cooked or the seasonings but it had my taste buds doing the Macarena. I know those street guys vary from place to place (and tend to be territorial) so be sure to check them out if you're on Wall Street.

Mr. Softee

found on street corners all over the City

If you’re a kid who grew up in the Northeast, chances are you have some great memories of a soft serve ice cream cone somewhere in your memory bank labeled under “summertime.” I’m no exception. I grew up on soft serve ice cream and rainbow sprinkles. Since there wasn’t a Carvel readily available, Mr. Softee was the obvious choice for soft serve. The creamy sweet consistency brought me back to the Jersey shore, circa 1979. Three dollar make you holla: why don’t they have this in LA?

Extra credit: Long Island bagels

Long Island has the best tap water in the country so it only makes sense that they have the best bagels in the world. They’re the perfect consistency and go great with any ole schmear you decide to top them with. My wise mother-in-law did say there are a lot of different places selling bagels and that the best bet is to stay with a joint that specializes in them.

As always, "The City That Never Sleeps" was kind to me and the places I've named were absolute stand-outs. Definitely be sure to visit the folks above and have one for me!

Quinoa Pancakes

Once again, being the Girl Who Lives In the Bubble when it comes to food allergies, I found breakfast to be one of the toughest meals to improvise. Luckily, I found a great recipe that I made my own revisions to and am super pleased with the results.

To make delicious wheat-free/gluten-free pancakes you'll need:

2 eggs
1/2 cup of quinoa flour
1/4 cup of apple sauce
2 tablespoons of water
a dash of cinammon

Mix it all up and...I hate to admit that I never really knew how to make a pancake so I'll share some about that too...

Be sure your skillet or frying pan has a minute to warm up before adding your batter. Once you do, start keeping an eye out for bubbles in the batter. You'll see them crop up and, before they all burst, turn your pancake. It seemed to me that quinoa cooked faster than any wheat batter I had ever used so be aware.

Once the pancakes are done, they can be topped with fruit & whipped cream or butter and syrup. Viola! -- breakfast of non-wheat-eating champions.