New York City 2015

I just returned from an epic vacation that consisted of the following itinerary: SLO -> Oakland -> Boston -> Rhode Island -> New York City -> Oakland -> Nevada -> SLO. I've been a bit busy catching up on life and work, which is what I am going to use as my excuse for the overly long blog silence! We decided to take a more lengthy trip this spring because Stuart had his very last spring break of all time. That's right - he will be graduating from his master's program in June, so we decided to take advantage of these last built-in breaks while we can!

We took a red-eye flight to Boston and arrived around 7am, after which we had about 9 hours to explore the city before catching a train to our friends' house in Rhode Island. We ate breakfast at Flour Bakery in Boston, which is a great place to grab a delicious meal or pastry. We then explored Quincy Market, Cambridge and Harvard, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, and the shopping on Newbury Street. A highlight was stepping in from the cold (20 degree!) day to enjoy a cup of L.A. Burdick hot chocolate.

We then hopped on a train to Providence, Rhode Island where we met up with my good college friend Ashley and her fiance Arul. They met on a plane ride back from India (how romantic!) before getting engaged during her time volunteering for the Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic. Arul cooked us an Indian food feast the first night, and the second night we went to a wonderful Italian restaurant. In between we visited the Pawtucket Wintertime Farmers' Market, which was located in a very cool warehouse building with lots of goodies on display.

On Sunday we made it to New York City, our ultimate destination! I previously featured a NYC food guide after our first trip in 2013, but this trip was truly another decadent and food-centric adventure. I can't claim that these were "budget" foodie experiences by any means - they were vacation indulgences that would not have been possible without local knowledge (my sister, a resident of NYC) and generous family members (my grandma and Auntie Roz, who joined us for part of the trip). Here we go with a summary of the top meals...

1. Casellula Cheese and Wine Cafe We enjoyed a fabulous first meal at this intimate and affordable spot. Between six of us we ordered practically the whole menu, a sampling shown below:

 

 

Pork buns - one of my favorite dishes here

Bone marrow - not a fan but gave it a try!

"Pig's Ass" sandwich - yum 

 Stuart's sundae and my cheesecake, above and below

2. Ma Peche: Momofuka We had barely digested our dinner at Casellula when it was time for lunch at Ma Peche. This is part of a popular chain of restaurants and had some interesting dishes. My favorites here included the fried chicken and the spicy pork rice.

 Spicy pork rice

 Lobster rice

 Country fried chicken

 Chicken consomme

My sister enjoying some green tea

3. Briciola This teeny tiny restaurant in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood serves up some great Italian dishes and house made pastas. They don't take reservations, but by going around 5pm we managed to fit in our party of six easily. The burrata, pastas, and tiramisu were all excellent, and the ambiance of the little space filled floor to ceiling with wine bottles can't be beat. 

 Artichoke appetizer

 Burrata appetizer

4. Decoy This dinner was a standout experience. A local restaurant owner and family friend introduced Decoy, another tiny spot that features one big communal table. We opted for the pricey pre-fixe menu option, which required a reservation about a month in advance. With the set menu you get their signature crispy duck (limited quantity served per day), as well as the option to choose a number of main dishes based on the size of your party. It was so dark that the photos simply can't do the menu justice. Dishes included pickled vegetables and fried fish skin starters, plus amazing duck, vegetable fried rice, and pork/fish/meat entrees.

 Pickled fruit and veggie appetizer

 The delicious duck, above and below

5. Hell's Kitchen We were lucky enough to eat at family friend John's newly re-opened restaurant, Hell's Kitchen, which just moved to a new location in the neighborhood. The margaritas were strong and the tortilla chips and taco options were to die for!

6. Toto Ramen This place is right next to my sister's apartment and always has a line out the door. We finally decided to try the delicious ramen they feature, which included an involved system of putting your name on a list as soon as you arrive (even if they aren't open yet, the list is on the door), ordering your food while standing outside on the sidewalk (so that it's ready as soon as you sit down), and then eating quickly so that others in line can experience the ramen after you! Cash only.

 Miso Ramen with chicken

 Spicy Ramen with pork (my favorite)

Wow, what a week!! You can bet that I stocked up on fruits and veggies as soon as we got home. This little foodie needs a detox! NYC, I can't wait to see you again.