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My NYC Dining Vacation (Warning: Pic Heavy)

Posted on 11/20/14 at 12:03 pm
Posted by bbrou33
Big Apple, NY
Member since Oct 2011
7164 posts
Posted on 11/20/14 at 12:03 pm
TLDR: I love NYC. I ate food and had a great time.
I spent a few days in NYC last week enjoying the sites, visiting some friends, drinking some drinks, and eating some food. Here is a recap of some of the places I visited as well as pictures and stuff.
Day 1 Nov 12
Landed around 2 EST, made my way to my friend’s place, visited a bit, then headed to a cool little beer bar. My friends live a block off Time Square in the Hell’s Kitchen area.

Pony Bar
Pony Bar is a decent sized little beer bar. One wall is full of fridges full of bottles. Bottles can be bought and opened on site or taken off site. Great selection of bottles. Also a great tap selection usually. Food menu is a little lacking and I really wish they would improve it some. But overall it’s good. I ordered an Italiano sammidge with an Allagash White to accompany it. Sandwich was really good. Could have used more meat, but it was enjoyable. They also had a Sierra Nevada Narwhal Tap Takeover and I enjoyed that before having to go. Takeover featured 2014 and 2013 version, 2014 on cask, and Bourbon Barrel Aged version.

Jolly Monk
I then went meet my friends at Jolly Monk for dinner (their decision). A neat little place with a simple menu. More of a sports bar type of place. They were running a 2 for 1 deal on some kind of a beer, so my friend and I split that. I ordered steak and fries. Steak was cooked perfectly (sorry no pic) and fries were fries. $26. Idk if it was worth it, but it was good. And I was starving so it sufficed. After dinner I went meet some other “friends” at a wine bar to end the night.

Punch Restaurant NYC
This was a cool little wine bar. Bottom floor was a restaurant with a regular bar. Upstairs was strictly wine. They may have had other alcohol but I don’t believe. Both upstairs and downstairs were pretty empty. Very dimly lit place with a decent wine selection. I had about 4 or so glasses of pinot noir and then called it a night once they made us leave. Great staff though.

Posted by bbrou33
Big Apple, NY
Member since Oct 2011
7164 posts
Posted on 11/20/14 at 12:03 pm to
Day 2 Nov 13
Day started with me making an omelet at my friend’s place. Figured since they had the eggs and other ingredients, I may as well save a few bucks. I then bundled up and headed out for round 2 of breakfast. Donuts.
Donut Plant
I had heard about this place before and then NOLA’s own District Donuts recommended I check it out, so I did. Donut Plant claims to use all natural, fresh ingredients. So they are “healthy” right? I sat and had a cold brew coffee, a Crème Brulee doughseed, and a Peanut Butter and Banana Cream filled square doughnut. Coffee was excellent, the doughseed was really really good, and the square doughnut was delightful. Both were filled with cream. And I enjoyed every bite.

From here on out I wandered around the city. Saw some sights. Did some things. Took some pics but forgot to upload them and they don’t involve food or drinks so I’ll keep it at that. I did check out a cool little bottle shop, Top Hops Beer Shop, which had an excellent bottle selection and about 22 taps of pretty good stuff.
I didn’t really eat again until dinner that night. I did have a snack here and there, met up with ladies I was going to dinner with, and stopped at Ladurée for some macaroons. shite they were good. I had cherry, salted caramel, coffee, and I believe one more flavor that I can’t remember. The salted caramel was amazing.
A few hours later it was dinner time:
Buddakan
This probably was a top 5 meal of my life. I haven’t eaten at many AMAZING places, but I really enjoyed the whole experience here. Walking in you feel like you are at a club. Dark atmosphere, loud music, packed full of people. I loved it. We were seated and ordered our first round of drinks. I don’t remember any of the drinks names, but all were great. There is one Gin drink which was probably my favorite overall.

Our server recommended as a party of 3 we order 3 small plates, 3 entrees, and 1 side. We did just that and decided to add 2 desserts to it.
3 Apps: Edamame Dumplings, King Crab and Lobster Siu Mai, and Pork Belly Potstickers. The Edamame Dumplings really stood out here, which was a surprise. It was like an edamame hummus inside. But the different textures and flavors were mind blowing. Siu Mai was pretty good, and Pork Belly Potstickers are always excellent.
3 Entrees: Sizzling Short Rib with Mushroom Chow Fun, Mongolian Lamb Chops, Ginger Glazed Lobster. The Lamb Chops probably won this round but the Short Rib was a close second. The short rib was extremely tender and flavorful. I took small bites to have it last longer.
1 Side (Not Pictured): Asian Vegetables
Another round of drinks
2 Desserts: Almond Bread Pudding w/ Whiskey Ice Cream, Crying Chocolate Cake with Vietnamese Coffee Ice Cream. This is what really made the dinner stand out. The bread pudding was one of the top I’ve ever had and paired perfectly with the ice cream. But the favorite overall dish was the Crying Cake. Basically a molten lava cake, however the cake was made of 2 different chocolates and the inside chocolate was so rich and amazing. Caramel symbols lined the side of the plate and the Vietnamese Coffee ice cream was probably one of the best ice creams I’ve ever had. Orgasmic.
Espresso Machiato w/ Honey to close the night











After that amazing feast we made our way to the Gansevoort Hotel for some rooftop drinks. It was rainy outside so we stayed in the bar area. A nice crowd with a good view and good drinks. Once we left we got a late night slice of pizza from a random little place, which was excellent at 230 AM, then went to bed.


This post was edited on 11/20/14 at 12:19 pm
Posted by bbrou33
Big Apple, NY
Member since Oct 2011
7164 posts
Posted on 11/20/14 at 12:04 pm to
Day 3 Nov 14
Woke up a little late and met a friend for a late Brunch at Pigalle since it’s right on the corner of where I was staying. She got the French Toast and I ordered the Omelet (No pics of her or food). Both were pretty good for the price.
After eating I believe I took a quick nap since I was still tired from the night before, then made my way to Chelsea Market. Very cool place. Unfortunately I wasn’t very hungry, and I was trying to save myself for my next meal and not over do it. But there were several great looking places to eat and drink. My next visit will for sure be to enjoy some food. While in the area I also checked out the Highline and walked it for a few blocks.


From there my travels took me to Momofuku Noodle Bar. I arrived at 3:30ish. I was to be joined by the ladies from the night before. However they didn’t decide to leave to join me until 3:50ish. They were on the other side of NYC, not very familiar with the subway system, and females. They arrived at 4:35. Momofuku shuts down form lunch at 4:30 on the dot. After that, no one new is let inside. So I sadly was not able to eat a meal. I did however drink 2 beers, watch them make some great food, and I did have some pork buns while waiting. Should have gone with the wings like Wise suggested to me. Next time

Being the nice guy I am, I immediately got on FourSquare and did research. We all were craving Ramen now and lucky for us, only a few blocks away from where we stood was a great little place that more than satisfied our cravings.
Ippudo (East Village Location)
I believe this place was featured on one of the Food Network Shows “Best thing I ever ate”. Thanks the FourSquare, a tip was given saying they open doors at 5 but a line starts forming before. Make sure to arrive early for an early spot. We hopped in line at 4:45 and at 5 on the dot the doors opened. Decent sized place. Darker lighting with more loud music. Right up my alley. As soon as you walk from the bar to the dining area the hostess yells something in Japanese. The entire staff responds back with something else in Japanese. This happened the entire time. Also when a dish was taken from the kitchen Japanese words were yelled and a response was given. It was a really cool thing to see and hear. The kitchen was open so you could see all the magic happening.
We opted out on drinks but ordered Pork Buns (can never get too many) and their special app of the day Misso Sage Pumpkin Gnocchi. I was sad the buns were served with lettuce rather than KimChi. The Gnocchi was really fantastic. I’m not a huge gnocchi fan but I loved this.


We all ordered the Akamaru Modern Ramen which is their basic Pork based Ramen. It was a pretty large portion and I destroyed that thing. Although I was struggling at the end, I powered it out. I’m not very versed in Ramen so I can’t judge it well, but I really enjoyed it. Great flavors. I do wish I would have ordered it spicy though. Was still a fantastic dish.

After dinner we went straight to MSG for the Knick vs Jazz game. No food was consumed but 2 beers were had.


After the Knicks buzzer beater loss, we walked to 230 Fifth for a drink or two and some views. The night was finished in some random bars before ending up in bed.

Posted by bbrou33
Big Apple, NY
Member since Oct 2011
7164 posts
Posted on 11/20/14 at 12:04 pm to
Day 4 Nov 15
Murray’s Bagels
I love this place. Fast and tons of options. I got the Cinnamon Raisin Bagel with Maple Raisin Cream Cheese. It was more like the cream cheese with a side of bagel. I loved it.

Wandered around the city a bit then hit a late lunch with some friends. At Jolly Monk a few nights before we were told where the best burgers in the city were so we figured we better get them.
Umami Burger
Cool little place that seems to be constantly packed but moves people in and out pretty well. As soon as you walk in you are slapped in the face with the smell of Truffle. It was a great thing. My original plan was to order the Truffle Burger, but once given a menu I saw their special was the Duck Burger. I couldn’t pass it up. But I should have. It was decent, a very good burger, but not amazing. One friend got the truffle burger, which he said was phenomenal. We also ordered sides (not pictured) of sweet potato fries, fried pickles, truffle fries, and cheesy tots. All were above average sides especially the fries and tots.

It was then dessert time so we walked a few blocks to our next stop
Big Gay Ice Cream
I had seen this place featured on the Food Network and Travel Channel I believe. Small little ice cream shop but be warned, the only bathroom around, besides bars, is in the Starbucks across the street. The line was probably 10 people deep when I walked in and the workers at BGIC said it’s always like that. Anyway I got the Salted Pimp. Cone with Caramel on the inside, vanilla ice cream, caramel drizzled on top, some salt, then dipped in chocolate. Very good soft serve, perfect sweetness, great flavors. We asked why the place was called what it was, our guess was that the cows where the milk is gathered were gay. We were wrong. They said it’s just a random name.

My final food experience in NYC wasn’t until that night. And was sort of an accident.
Tao Downtown
This place is massive. Another Club/Dining experience. I have a picture of the inside however it’s too dark to make out a good representation of what I was trying to capture. I’ve never seen so many tables full of people. Our original plan was to just have a few drinks here and enjoy the atmosphere before heading out, however as we stood in the bar area sipping on round 1, a bouncer removed a rope from a roped off section of tables with Reserved signs on them. After a table of 2 were seated in that area, we decided we’d try our luck. We sat at one of the tables, placed the Reserved sign on the ground, and waited. Within a minute a very nice waitress came up to our table and asked if we’d like anything to drink. From there we ordered a few rounds of drinks then an order of Inside Out Soup Dumplings, which were very very good. Another round of drinks were ordered and 2 more random apps. The drinks came out but food didn’t. Soon it was almost 2 AM and we were informed the kitchen was closing soon. I asked about our order and turns out it was never put it. Waitress apologized a million times and told us her Manager would take care of it since it was too late for the kitchen to make our original order. A few minutes later she returns with 2 plates of giant desserts. 6 Mochi balls and a massive cream filled Fortune cookie with fruit. The desserts and a round of drinks ended up being on the house. Not a bad night for not meaning to eat there. I’d like to go back for an actual dinner next time. Menu looked fantastic.






We left Tao and headed a few blocks to Marquee nightclub where we had our names on the list for instant free entrance. Drinks were had. Dancing was done. Headed to Brooklyn at 4 AM to another club. No drinks were had. Left at 5 AM. In bed for 6 AM. Night done
Day 5 Nov 16. Final Day
Slept until 10. Packed. Ate a slice of pizza from the fridge. Then headed to the Airport. Made it just in time for boarding and had a quick minute to get my final taste of NYC.
Chicken cob wrap and turkey jerky stick


Overall this was an extremely successful vacation. Ate some good things, saw some good things, partied, and enjoyed myself.
Until next time.
Posted by arseinclarse
Algiers Purnt
Member since Apr 2007
34412 posts
Posted on 11/20/14 at 12:09 pm to
Damn strong.

I want these



Posted by wickowick
Head of Island
Member since Dec 2006
45814 posts
Posted on 11/20/14 at 12:14 pm to
Very nice review...
Posted by bbrou33
Big Apple, NY
Member since Oct 2011
7164 posts
Posted on 11/20/14 at 12:14 pm to
quote:

arseinclarse

Posted by Fun Bunch
New Orleans
Member since May 2008
115957 posts
Posted on 11/20/14 at 12:23 pm to
You went to a few places I went to last time I was there and a few I really wanted to go to. Great review.
Posted by Matisyeezy
End of the bar, Drunk
Member since Feb 2012
16624 posts
Posted on 11/20/14 at 12:27 pm to
quote:

After dinner I went meet some other “friends” at a wine bar to end the night


Code for Tinder dates.
Posted by Count Chocula
Tier 5 and proud
Member since Feb 2009
63908 posts
Posted on 11/20/14 at 12:41 pm to
These!

Posted by Gris Gris
OTIS!NO RULES FOR SAUCES ON STEAK!!
Member since Feb 2008
47386 posts
Posted on 11/20/14 at 12:45 pm to

Gosh, I'm hungry now.
Posted by tracytiger
Baton Rouge
Member since May 2009
3631 posts
Posted on 11/20/14 at 1:01 pm to
Bravo!

Posted by LouisianaLady
Member since Mar 2009
81210 posts
Posted on 11/20/14 at 1:02 pm to


Everything except the desserts/donuts.
Posted by LSUvegasbombed
Red Stick
Member since Sep 2013
15464 posts
Posted on 11/20/14 at 1:03 pm to


Very detailed
Posted by ladytiger118
Member since Aug 2009
20922 posts
Posted on 11/20/14 at 1:10 pm to
I think theres a Buddakan in Jersey & in Philly too. All of your food looks absolutely delicious!
Posted by arseinclarse
Algiers Purnt
Member since Apr 2007
34412 posts
Posted on 11/20/14 at 1:12 pm to
quote:

Everything except the desserts/donuts


Get that shite out of here!
Posted by hiltacular
NYC
Member since Jan 2011
19678 posts
Posted on 11/20/14 at 1:17 pm to
Big Gay Ice Cream is doing a US tour of sorts right now. I enjoyed their ice cream but it was hardly worth the line I had to stand in to get it.

Great review bbrou

This post was edited on 11/20/14 at 1:23 pm
Posted by LSU0358
Member since Jan 2005
7918 posts
Posted on 11/20/14 at 1:23 pm to
Awesome work.

I just got back from a trip to NYC myself and had great food at several spots. The top two for me were Keens Steakhouse and Balthazar.

I've got to figure out how to post pics so I can post the mutton chop from Keens.
This post was edited on 11/20/14 at 1:39 pm
Posted by LouisianaLady
Member since Mar 2009
81210 posts
Posted on 11/20/14 at 1:36 pm to
quote:

Get that shite out of here!


Those donuts make my stomach feel sick and my head hurt. I wish I could do it, but I just can't
Posted by tigerfootball10
Member since Sep 2005
9496 posts
Posted on 11/20/14 at 2:09 pm to
Table for 3 and two of the drinks are Cosmos. Congrats on the threesome Bro! You Dirty Dog
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