Zabar's + Chelsea Market = Reason enough to move to Manhattan

Wandering around Zabar's and Chelsea Market made me realize one thing ...

My dinner parties would be so much cooler if only I lived in New York.

If you haven't heard of Zabar's it is a gourmet food market, and kitchen tools/gadget store, as well as a deli/coffee shop.  Over 35,000 people per week visit Zabar's, and for good reason.  The olive and cheese sections alone (pictures only show part of the wonder) blow my mind.

Also, like all groceries seem to be in the US, the cheese is insanely CHEAP!  We picked up a couple blocks to try, along with some crackers and meat, and went to central park to people watch and snack.

The sun was shining all week in NY (with the exception of Thursday), and on this particular day, it felt like a hot summer day.  I think I even got a bit of a tan.

Chelsea Market is another foodie paradise. The bottom floor is a food court/ food mall, and the higher floors have offices for companies such as The Food Network, and Google.  Iron Chef America is filmed in Chelsea Market, as well Emeril Live, and other shows.

Does your city have good food markets, and kitchen gadget stores?

My city is not really a "foodie" city. I would kill for my city to get a Sur La Table, but I would even settle for William's Sonoma.

Food in Manhattan

Vegan Fare at Cafe Blossom on New Yorks Upper West Side:

Spaghetti Squash Alfredo

Pink Lady Juice - We watched as the bartender juiced beet, pear, ginger and pineapple.  

Vegan Chocolate Cake.  The hubby said this was one of the best cakes he has ever eaten.

The hubby's meal at Cafe Blossom was one of the best sandwiches I have ever tasted.  It was the Southern Seitan Sandwich with spiced breaded seitan, caramelized onion, avocado and chipotle aioli on rosemary focaccia.

Thai Food at Pongsri:

The hubby had the green curry and I had tom yum soup.

Eggs Benedict at Pastis:

Frozen Yogurt at 16 Handles:

This place is really cool because there are 16 different flavours of self-serve frozen yogurt and plenty of toppings.  I tried the plain flavour (which is very tart), birthday cake and New York cheesecake.  Each flavour actually tasted like the name described it, but I liked the plain stuff the best.

Miniature cupcakes from Baked by Melissa (the hubby and I shared, one bite each):

Lunch at The Green Table in Chelsea Market:

 On Tuesday evening we ate at PDT (Please Don't Tell) a cool little windowless, hidden restaurant, with no sign, that you can only access through a fake phone booth in a little hot dog shop.  You walk into the hot dog shop, go inside the phone booth and dial 1.  All of a sudden a hidden door in the phone booth opens (I didn't even realize that the side of the phone booth was a false wall) and the server asks if she can help you.  There is typically a wait, because the place is tiny and the drinks are fancy, so the server takes your cell number and calls when a table is available. 

We each ate a Wylie Dog (Deep fried Crif Dog with deep fried mayo, tomato molasses, shredded lettuce and dried onions) and we shared some torres tots.

We also had pretty amazing cookies from Levain Bakery.  

I got the double chocolate and the hubby got oatmeal raisin. 

Check this out ... 

 

Mmmmmmmmmmmm!!!

The hubby's was pretty decent too.

 

Which cookie is more your style, the double chocolate or the oatmeal raisin?

Shopping in Manhattan

We had a little too much fun shopping yesterday.  I have pretty much stopped shopping for clothes when I am at home, and instead I do all my shopping when I am on vacation.  

I think I got enough to last me until next year ...

For some reason the hubby wouldn't let me buy this ...

I have no idea why not!?

 

If you struck it rich, what is one frivolous thing you would buy just for you?

Spring in Manhattan

 















 The city is alive, and it makes me feel that way too.

What makes you feel alive?

New York, New York

After the Easter parade yesterday, we headed to Union Square Cafe for a nice, relaxing lunch.  I ordered the tuna salad sandwich.  It was so filling that I only finished 1/2 (and none of the chips).  

We spent the afternoon wandering around downtown, and then in the late afternoon (around 5:30) we made our way uptown to The Oak Room in The Plaza Hotel. 

You might remember this hotel from the movie Home Alone (one of my faves!)

It is absolutely gorgeous inside, and The Oak Room is very high end.  

The drinks started at $19 dollars a piece (and weren't necessarily worth it).

 

I had a martini, and the hubby and I shared the surf and turf dumplings.  I really liked the turf ones that were filled with lobster.  This held us over until after our off-Broadway show, Freud's Last Session, which ended around 8:30.

After the show we wanted Korean food for a late dinner.  We took the subway to Korea-town and chose a random restaurant.  We ended up at Kun Jip, and the service was again, impeccable.  It had been raining a bit, and when I walked in a young lady took my umbrella and quickly bagged it in a special plastic umbrella to-go bag.  She then dabbed the water off my coat, and ushered us to our table.  The extra side dishes kept coming, and coming, leaving us with so much food that we barely put a dent in it.  In addition to what is pictured, there was also a hot pot of eggs, miso soup, and a sweet dessert tea.  The green tea that we had at this restaurant was the best we have ever tried.

This morning we woke up late and the hubby ran down to a deli to grab breakfast.  

We had black coffee, and then shared these:

 

We did some site-seeing in the morning, and did some more wandering downtown (Mostly the Lower East Side and the Financial District). 

 

We ate lunch at the famous Lombardi's pizza.  We had some veggie pizza, and it was good, but not the best pizza we have ever had.  We have yet to eat an amazing piece of pizza in NY.  People say that NY is known for its pizza, but so far, I don't get it.  In my opinion, NY pizza is overrated.

We shopped at Century 21, and had a late afternoon snack at Pommes Frites.  We shared an order of fries, and chose 4 dips: Sweet Mango Chutney Mayo, Cheddar Cheese, Irish Curry, and Organic Black Truffle Mayo.  I would recommend this place.  The fries were super good, and the line up was out the door.

After returning to our hotel room to rest our feet for a bit, I felt the need for some veggies in my life. I tried some vegan "cheese" dried kale that I bought at Whole Foods, and it had a strange after taste, but a good crunch.  

The hubby is currently napping, but I am going to wake him up so we can go get our New York on.

What food do you think is overrated?  Is there any restaurant/city that you know of that is famous for a certain food, yet you think the fame is undeserved?

From my experience, NY should be famous for its cheesecake and bagels, but not pizza or hot dogs.