A food blog.
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.
Rockaway Beach has just become so much cooler. Like a mini Smorgasburg or Hester St Fair, it's a boardwalk full of mouthwatering food vendors, like Veggie Island, with mint chocolate chip and other milkshakes, cones and smoothies that are perfect after a day reveling in the sand.
Blue Bottle is also here with their amazing overnight cold brewed New Orleans style iced coffee, rich with chicory flavor. It's a great start with the breakfast appropriate la fresh arepa from Caracas Arepas Bar - tomato, avocado, cheese and tangy sauce on a corn flour bun.
The Caracas stand, right next to the Blue Bottle stand, below.
Rockaway Taco, the curators of this awesome lineup, also have a stand - although if you want a taco, you'll still have to go to the original location on Beach 96th st.
For a (vegan) sweet craving, Babycakes is on hand with doughnuts, waffles, and brownie ice cream sandwiches.
Ode to the Elephants is a yummy looking Thai stand, with everything from satay skewers to a Thai burger.
The Veggie Island stand.
The newly opened La Cremeria has fantastic gelato. It's beyond creamy - and accented with perfect flavors, like tangy cherries and chocolate drizzle, mascarpone, or tiramisu. Insanely good.
Gott's may be the hippest roadside stand I’ve been to, starting with the mango-tangerine smoothie blended with house-made lemonade. So refreshing on a hot day.
The fish tacos were loaded with griddled mahi mahi, salsa, slaw and a spicy jalapeno cilantro sour cream.
Sweet potato fries were salty and crunchy; the special sandwich, a Korean style tender pulled pork shoulder, was on a toasted egg bun with kimchi, hoisin mayo and cilantro. For the healthier option, a thick patty of seared tuna with ginger wasabi mayo and asian slaw.
The classic bacon burger was juicy, topped with secret sauce and perfectly complimented with crunchy onion rings.
Sometimes, I crave a pb&j...in a crepe! Vive le crepe does it perfectly - a thin, soft crepe filled with peanut butter and marmalade. Fantastic.
Oxley's Carvery, a British meat stand, recently opened on Mott St. After walking by the gorgeous roasted meats a couple of times, I finally stopped in and tried the ribs - juicy, tender meat slathered in barbecue sauce and served with rosemary potatoes and spicy coleslaw. The roasted meats are seriously beautiful - check them out below.
Slabs of ribs
Lamb and pork roasts
Ham
Herb roasted turkey
One of my favorite sushi places launched a Japanese bakery in Tribeca - Takahachi Bakery. Stocked with baked goods like macarons and strawberry shortcake, there are many options of pan - like this delicious beef curry pan with a rich beef curry stew filling and a perfectly soft shell.
Happy Thanksgiving! I'll be continuing the celebration tomorrow with the Thanksgiving croissant. Thanks to Midtown Lunch for the tip.
The pizza from La Nonna in Williamsburg blew me away - the crisp is the perfect balance between thin, crispy and chewy and is deliciously seasoned with garlic and salt. This one was topped with proscuitto, arugula, mozzarella, parmiggiano reggiano and my favorite part, fresh tomatoes.
The artichoke and basil pizza was also great, topped with spicy salami and buffalo mozzarella.
What better way to start the morning than with a doughy, vegan biscuit from Babycakes with a dollop of non-dairy cream and jam?
The tacos at Fonda Nolita are fantastic - and made in a VW minibus that's parked inside a garage-like space. The laid-back place is a great place to stop for a daytime or late night snack. I tried the short rib, with tender meat, peppers and onions and the creamy corn, poblano pepper and queso fresco - and I'll be back to try the others!
