Red Farm

When we ordered the Pac Man shrimp dumplings at Red Farm, we had no idea they would come out looking like Pac Man! The presentation value alone makes them worth ordering.

The pork & crab soup dumplings are not your average soup dumpling - the broth has a rich smoky flavor. The egg roll is also a riff on tradition, made with Katz's pastrami and so good.

The crispy skin chicken has a great crunchy skin and is served with garlic sauce; vegetable fried rice in the background.

The Bowery Diner

 

The Bowery Diner is a great, modern diner with an excellent brunch - starting with doughnuts! This one is orange blossom, with a delicious bloody mary behind it.

I loved the chocolate frosted doughnut oozing with pistachio cream.

 The Colombian breakfast is amazing and worth returning many times for - thick cut slices of bacon, crispy on the edges and scored into chunks; spicy sausage; fried eggs; plantain cakes; salsa; queso fresco; avocado and fried eggs. Amazing.

The burger is also a hit - thick and juicy in a buttery bun with a side of fries and a pickle.

Coppelia

Coppelia is great for brunch; for dinner I could eat there all the time for dishes like their mac and cheese. It's spicy and has crispy pork belly and chicharron mixed in.

The fish tacos are also really nice with soft tortilla, crispy flounder, spicy chipotle slaw and guacamole.

As good as the savory part of the menu is, it's the desserts that really shine. The chocolate cake is rich, dense and is layered with dulce de leche frosting, covered in caramel, topped with chocolate spheres and served with chocolate sauce and powdered sugar.

Even better is the torrejas de oliva, a bread pudding served with blackberries, fresh cream, a couple dabs of olive oil and a crunchy/salty bread crumb mix.

My favorite was the angel food cake in a margarita glaze - toasted meringue with hints of lime and salt and an effervescent texture, served with blueberries - amazing.

Bouchon Bakery Cafe

The Bouchon Bakery Cafe in the Time Warner Center is a great place for a glass of wine and a bite to eat on a chilly night. The butternut squash soup was accented with cinnamon creme fraiche and cranberries.

The squash sandwich was topped with pickled cabbage and a creamy cheese. For dessert, a chunk of ice cream smothered in chocolate on a cookie base, served with ice cream and fresh cream was a rich way to end.

Dominique Ansel Bakery

 The newly opened Dominique Ansel Bakery is dangerously close to my office - dangerous because the pastries and desserts are amazing and I want to go there every single day. There are beautiful slices of Torta de Santiago, a Spanish almond cake; glossy espresso tarts; lemon poundcakes; rich flourless chocolate cookies...the list goes on and on!

The Pan American

Re-opened after a fire closed them down for most of the year, The Pan-American is a great place for a Latin-inspired feast with locally-sourced, seasonal ingredients. The fresh-made guacamole was a great start, with the unusual addition of corn to the mix for a sweet twist.

The tomato soup swirled with tomato cream and basil oil had a sweet, smoky flavor and came with an adorable trio of mini grilled cheese tortillas.

The spicy blue corn jalapenos stuffed with farmers cheese was nicely complimented with a sweet berry jam.

A thick beef tenderloin was encrusted with chimichurri spices and served over a bed of butternut squash puree with steamed kale and sweet cherry tomatoes.

Dessert was amazing - two slivers of impossible chocolate cake, topped with flan and served with caramel and chocolate sauces, whipped cream and strawberries.

Grub Street Food Festival

The Grub Street Food Festival moved to spacious new digs this year, and hosted a ton of great vendors. I started with the doughnut holes drizzled with caramel sauce and powdered sugar from Wonder City Coffee & Doughnuts.

Moving on to a brief savory stop, Pies 'n' Thighs served a delicious buttered biscuit with a fried piece of chicken covered in hot sauce.

 

A great newcomer, HS Chocolate Co., made their debut with inventive candy bars like the figgy blue, with blue cheese, fig ganache and nougat in dark chocolate, and chocolate disks filled with peanut butter, maple syrup and roasted peanuts.

 

A perennial favorite, Stuffed Artisan Cannolis, had a seasonal pumpkin pie cannoli alongside regular flavors like choco loco.

Blue cheese seemed to be a theme, with Robicelli's Iona cupcake - an amazing pear olive oil cake topped with Roquefort buttercream frosting, almonds and a port reduction.

Fatty Cakes NY had a great selection of yummy looking cookies, like the smashing pumpkin and an old-fashioned made with whiskey, cherries and orange cream.

The fried apple pie from Melt Bakery was fantastic - gooey cinnamon apple filling in a crunchy shell coated with sugar...mmmm.

Taka Taka

Taka Taka, Mexican sushi & Japanese taco joint, is a fun new place in soho. There's a full menu with hybrids of the two genres, like the fried soft shell crab roll with avocado and chipotle mayo, but the fun part is the conveyor belt that circulates through the restaurant with various rolls, with numbers for identification and on color-coded plates for prices.

The yakuza roll is delicious, with squid, salmon skin, cucumber and siracha sauce for a little kick.

I loved the spicy tuna tartar roll, coated in a layer of chives.

Coppelia

Coppelia is the perfect diner with Cuban influenced fare in a low-key but hip setting. The oxtail empanadas was rich and crunchy with crema fresca, cojita cheese and pico de gallo.

A dish of scrambled eggs with peppers accompanied by a fried rice with beans, chorizo and cilantro with an arepa is great for brunch.

The Huevos con bistec is perfectly pounded thin juicy steak with fried eggs and traditional rice and beans.

But maybe the most exciting part is the dessert menu created by Pichet Ong. With desserts ranging from angel food cake with meringue glaze to salty peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies, the desserts are impossible to resist.

Prince St. Cafe

Thank you, Prince St. Cafe, for being open today! After being holed up inside for the hurricane, a cup of coffee and eggs benedict with a smear of creamy pesto spread was perfect.

Legend

Legend, in an unusual Chelsea location, serves up some authentic and delicious Sichuan food, judging by the huge crowd there on a recent Friday night. The dry spicy tasty diced chicken makes a great bar snack or appetizer – small chunks of chicken fried to a crisp with a mild at first but slowly building heat, mixed with super spicy and not so spicy peppers.

Red Hook Lobster Pound Truck

The lobster roll from the Red Hook Lobster Pound Truck is pretty to look at and feels so summery, with chilled lobster fresh from Maine dressed in a mayo and celery salad with a dash of bright paprika on a buttery toasted bun (also from Maine) and served with a Brooklyn Brine pickle.

Luke's Lobster Truck

The Luke's Lobster "Nauti" Truck has their amazing lobster roll to go - huge chunks of fresh Maine lobster (including whole claws!) served chilled on a bun with a little bit of mayo, a little bit of lemon butter and a lot of delicious spices.

Bistro Truck

The Bistro Truck is a fantastic addition to the food-truck scene. There are sandwiches, but the food leans towards French-Moroccan plates instead of street-food - like the light and fluffy poached tilapia in extra virgin olive oil with Moroccan spices, basmati rice, and a salad with a mustard vinaigrette.

Community Garden Cafe on Cleveland Pl

A new cafe (official name is unclear) has taken over the former What Happens When/Le Jardin Bistro space on Cleveland Pl. The menu has soups, sandwiches, salads, desserts and brunch - like the creamy biscuits and gravy served with fruit & salad - and is best eaten out back in the spacious and lush garden.

Spritzenhaus

To be honest, I usually prefer a cocktail den or wine bar to a beer hall, but Spritzenhaus in Williamsburg is a major exception. The big, open, airy space was full without being overcrowded, it feels modern, and the menu includes a selection of oysters and good sausages, like this chicken sausage with curry ketchup.

The salty pretzel with mustard.

A side of sweet sauerkraut is a great addition to any of the sausages.