snackin' around: new york city

the best and just okayest bites I had in the big apple

hey hi hellllooo,

Just got back from NYC!! oh my GOD, I didn’t want to leave. *spends 4 days in the city and suddenly I’m checking street easy every 20 minutes* I have not felt that alive in… girl, it’s been a minute.

Last week on IG, I gathered reccs from all of you on where to eat. (Here is the map of follower provided reccs, which I obvi didn’t get to hit *most* of these, so if you go and hate them… I’m absolving myself of any blame here!!) I went to as many as I could with about 3 days of time to spare.

So, this is less of a city guide and more of “everything I ate and what I thought” Mostly because, I’m probably not the most efficient “guide” to a place I spent 4 days in. I walked in many a circle and ended up in similar areas in the same day hitting all the spots I wanted + ones that were recommended to me throughout my time. So, I can’t tell you to start your day here, make your way here and finish things off with this.

So here’s everything, mostly in the order in which I ate them, not divided up by borough- though most of my time was spent bopping around Brooklyn and bits of Manhattan!

ALSO quickly, before we get into it!! There were a few spots that didn’t do it for me, buuuuut that’s based off only getting one or two items. I feel like normally to give a place a good stamp of approval or a hard pass, ya gotta try more than 1 thing. Take it all with a grain of salt is what I’m sayin’. These are reviews of what I got an not necessarily each spot as a whole, though sometimes you can catch the vibe off one offering. ANYWAYS,

DAY ONE:

Win Son, Williamsburg, BK:

• The mortadella scallion pancake was an insane first bite intro to the food of NY. Holy shit, it’s soOo good, like perfect hang over food and by hang over I mean hopping off a red-eye feeling absolutely deranged. I’m a salty girl and this??? the mortadella + the havarti?? I know the BEC is getting alot of love online but more people need to try this one!

  • Also had the mochi donut. Which imo, was just fine and I’d prob skip if I ever went back.

ppl, Williamsburg, BK:

• Y’all know I’m on my journey to liking matcha. And no matter how cold it is outside *literally snowing* I’m getting an iced drink (expect for later in this when I get a hot chocolate… shut up). The flavor of the matcha was fairly subtle- which at this point in my matcha loving journey- I appreciate. Incredibly creamy in texture- whole milk and lightly sweetened. Not a matcha I’d go out of my way for but if you’re close by and in need of a caffeine boost, I’d stop in.

Rosa’s, Williamsburg, BK:

• Can I tell ya why this was my favorite pizza I had in NY? Not really. I think it’s similar to the LA taco- the one that’s the closest to you is prob the best/your fave. They’re all good, so proximity is the defining factor. So for me, the fact that it was the first authentic New York slice made it the best for me?

  

1915 Lanzhou Hand Pulled Noodles, Kips Bay, MAN:

• A meal so nice ya gotta have it twice!! We came here our first night in town and hit it on our last night too. I got the dry beef with thick noodles. The flavor?? Perfect, and the heat level was right where the dish needed it to be. Also, a pretty heavy hand on the cilantro which I love- it adds a refreshing bite to the meal.

  • We also go the pan fried buns and the pan fried dumplings. If I had to choose one over the other I’d do the dumplings every single time. There was a yeastiness to the bun that was a little too strong for me personally, but the filling was well seasoned. Everything here is perfectly seasoned imo!

DAY TWO:

Radio Bakery, Greenpoint, BK:

• I’ve come to the conclusion that I did not get enough while I was here. I met up with Mei, which meant I was able to try a little more than if I came alone (I had lots of food ground to cover, sharing makes it easier to try more!!) Together we got the triple chocolate croissant, the rhubarb danish, the mushroom danish and the earl grey morning bun.

  • Trip Choc Crx: tbh, didn’t love. The thing about chocolate croissant dough is a lot of times it just ends up on the drier side with not enough chocolate flavor pay off to make it worth it. Very subtle cocoa flavor in the dough. There’s also a caramelized chocolate component in this one, which I did not pick up on.

  • The mushroom danish: The flavors on this were absolutely on point. The seasonings on the béchamel were phenom- loved the saltiness! I think this one would benefit from being eaten either fresh from the oven or after a little reheat in the arifryer/oven just to warm up the bech a bit.

  • The poached rhubarb danish: I go back and forth between this and the earl grey bun as being my fave. The rhubarb is poached in campari and has this faint hint of a floral note. The vanilla custard the rhubarb sits on is so creamy and the vanilla is fragrant. I’m drooling just thinking about her.

  • The earl grey morning bun: Perfectly flakey and sweet. The earl grey and bergamot notes are not over powering. The tea is also very finely ground into the sugar, which it usually my gripe with tea things, when you can feel the tea leaves while you chew- not here tho! Radio was def the favorite of all the bakeries I tried <33 def worth making your way to!

Edy’s Grocer, Greenpoint, BK:

• After the feast at Radio I couldn’t muster the will to eat more, so I only got a tahini brownie and pistachio halva hot chocolate.

  • The hot choc was perfect, because I was really feeling the cold. It was starting to permeate me soul. It was not a thick hot chocolate, thank GOD. A thick hot choc honestly, is way too much so I appreciate this one alot. There were pistachios and sesame seeds floating around in her, which I liked the textural contrast in the drink.

  • This next bit, headass, I know. But, the brownie, whatever chocolate they’re using- I was picking up on some fruity grape notes which paired with the nutty tahini swirls gave elevated PBJ vibes. The texture was fudgey. Loved Edy’s and would def go back just for the brownie and hot choc but also to try the meze they offer!

Pan Pan, Vino Vino, Greenpoint, BK:

• I feel like I cannot accurately place this one in a recommend/don’t pile. Because by the time I made it in the pastry case was pretty picked over and all I got was the sesame chocolate chip cookie. Which, I was not a fan of. The sesame in the cookie was a bit over powering and there wasn’t much chocolate in the cookie either.

Apollo Bagel, Williamsburg, BK:

• This was the only bagel I had while in NY and I think I also should have hit a more classic bagel spot. But, this was a good bagel. I personally think Layla in LA is a better bagel. BUT THAT’S JUST ME. Could have used a little more cream cheese but like a fine bagel experience overall.

tomat n smoked salmon boiis

Bakeri, Williamsburg, BK:

• The skolebrod, was really dry and the baked custard in the center was over baked to the point it was a little rubbery, which was not a pleasant experience.

• The texture of the rosemary hazelnut chocolate chip cookie was my ideal chocolate chip cookie and the amount of rosemary in the cookie was perfectly complementary to the choc + hazelnuts. Would def recommend if you’re looking for a more interesting choc chip cookie.

• The bread on the avo tartine would have benefitted from being toasted. It had a nice sour chew to it but it needs that slight textural contrast from the mash avo. The cumin + flakes of salt were a nice flavorful pop to the tartine tho. One of those things that like I wouldn’t seek it out and nothing to write home about but if I were in the area I might get again.

looking back we also go the oat cookie(?) idk but lackluster if you consider the fact I completely forgot about it

Peter Pan Donuts, Greenpoint, BK:

• Pretty solid, classic donuts. Not sure I’d tell anyone they have to make their way here to try them. But, ya know, if you happen to walk by it’s always worth it to pop in for a donut that’s not gonna break the bank yet still gets the job done.

  

L’industrie, Williamsburg, BK:

• If we take the novelty fact that Rosa’s was my first slice of NY pizza, this one *might* top it (once again, if the getting’s good then the closest slice is the best slice!!!) I got the spicy salami and vodka pesto guys. Idk y’all honestly when I’m having bomb ass pizza the words leave my brain. and the words to describe have left my brain, so it’s bomb.

  • The pistachio and clementine gelato soft serve? Stand out of the dessert trio we sampled. Obvi, get it with the olive oil drizzle and flakey salt sprinkles. The citrus pistachio swirl works so well together. The texture is so lush. I know for a fact I’d frequent this spot for soft serve if I lived here.

  • Tiramisu- I mean, after the gelato everything pales in comparison. A little boozy but honestly fell a little flat for me. Needed to get a bit more mascarpone flavor to do it for me ya know. The best bites of it were when there was a flake of salt left over on my spoon from the gelato. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

  • Choc chip cookie- fine fine fine and fine choc chip cookie but would not choose it over the gelato ya know.

Chocolate’s from Paige, the bottom of my Bon Bon bag:

• Paige surprised me with a few chocolates, they were perfect. The shell was thin and even. The filling was so decadent and creamy but not too rich. Perfect perfect perfect, just like her. If ya follow her on IG and see her selling chocolates for a holiday, HOP ON IT and get ‘em.

DAY THREE:

Supermoon Bakehouse, Lower East Side, MAN:

• I had big plans for Day 3, but I woke up late and tired as hell so I cut my bakery crawl down to 2. For personal reasons I *had* to hit Supermoon. IFKYK. And hit it I did. After getting confused on the subway and almost ending up in Jersey I made it. The vibe inside gave serial killer butcher. They did not have donuts, which I guess is a weekend only thing? IDK, I’m docking a proverbial point for that. I got the ham and cheese as the Honey Roasted Cornflakes, Macadamia & White Choc Cookie.

  • I make croissants for a living, and nothing irks me more than a single slice of ham in a ham and cheese croissant ESPECIALLy when you’re charging me almost $8 for it. And because I work a lot in laminated pastry, I know how much labor goes into it and the COG etc etc and I know that a second piece of ham, will not kill ya. The croissant itself was fine but a little on the dry side.

  • The cookie was too sweet imo, which like yeah its a white choc cookie its gonna be sweeter but there wasn’t any nutty macadamia flavor to kinda cut through it. Overall, kinda let down.

Elbow Bread, Chinatown, MAN:

• Pretzels are out after 10 y’all! TY Paige for letting me know!! Though by the time I got there they were out of the jalapeno cheese and only had mustard left for dipping. Mustard gives me the bubble guts for lack of a better term. So, I raw dogged that pretzel sans dipping sauce, and she was a good pretzel. Perfectly salty.

• The pretzel tho imo did not hold a candle to the schmaltz bun. Not even close, that bun??? When i tell you it was the softest, most plush bread I’ve ever had- believe it. Even on a frigid day- which will affect the texture of your baked goods y’all!! The bun was still so so so soft and tender. With immaculate flavor. Would recommend going out of your way for this one!

Scarr’s Pizza, Lower East Side, MAN:

• Good slice of pizza, yes. Worth going out of your way for? no. Scarr’s has been known to get bumpin’ and its not a slice I would wait in a line for. I stumbled upon it while walking around pretty close to when they opened so only a few people inside (I was behind Colman Domingo in line and I must say stunning, gorgeous, beautiful man!!) I do appreciate that the jalapenos they use on the slices are fresh » not pickled. It’s a different experience, which I prefer.

crappy pics sooooorry

Lost Bread Co. @ Union Square Greenmarket, Union Square Park:

• If I see a canele, I’m stopping to get a canele. The one at Lost Bread Co. uses einkorn flour in the custard, which gives the pastry lightly spiced caramel notes. The bottom edge of the pastry felt and tasted almost exactly like a chocolate chip cookie. Delish.

  • I also grabbed the lacey oat cookie. She was a little over baked so the flavor around the edges leaned a bit bitter. BUT, the textural contrast going on in the cookie was omg, I need to make an oat cookie like this one. The oats are coarsely ground leaving the cookie with some varying sized oats- some more finely ground but not yet in the oat flour territory. A very fun texture in a cookie, would have again for the texture alone.

Kijitora, Williamsburg, BK:

• Was told I needed to get the strawberry matcha buuut the black sesame latte sub espresso for matcha beckoned for me. Very sesame heavy, very nutty and over powers the flavor of the matcha. But, like we know, i’m not huge on matcha yet, so thats fine by me!

  • Also got the yuzu pistachio hot chocolate, was feeling freaky and it’s seasaonal. don’t. I should have thought, I should have known that the acidity of the yuzu would curdle the milk. Yet, still got it. It was curdled, which is so unpleasant when you’re like not not expecting it but hoping it doesn’t happen… u know what im sayin’?

The shawarma cart near Khalifa Grill on Bedford Ave, Williamsburg, BK:

• I really wish I had the name of the cart for y’all. Alexys went out for Khalifa, and ordered from this cart on accident thinking it was Khalifa. Then ended up also ordering the same meal from Khalifa- to compare and contrast as one does. But, she ordered from the cart, realized it was the wrong cart, got the food, went to the second truck, ordered and waited for the food, walked 10 minutes back to the hotel, and the food from the first cart was still PIPING hot. The food from Khalifa was cold by the time it got to lil princess, me. Both were still so good- but the flavor of the first spot was much better. The meat in the gyro was grilled and had a nice like crisp edge to it and was slice thinner than the other spot. Def seek this place out and if you catch the name of the car LET ME KNOW.

when it’s been a long day so you lay down a towel and go to town on the food in bed watching SaTC!!

DAY FOUR:

Nothing exciting. We had actual work to do… the whole point of this trip UGH. So, mostly made my way through leftovers. Then went out to 1915 again to celebrate a job well done. But, here’s some scenes from the cake class Alexys taught with Huda Beauty:

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It was such a fun trip and I’m eagerly anticipating going back to try more of what New York has to offer- until then I’ll be tinkering around with recreating the Lost Bread lacey oat cookie!

ttyl!