Famously, New York has meant many things to different people. Le Corbusier thought it was a "beautiful catastrophe", James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem was also in love with it but it was bringing him down and the late Gil Scott-Heron confessed that "NY is killing me". Maybe it did in the end. We will never know.
Needless to say I am also in love with New York but my ultimate goal after this 5 days trip was not to get killed by it but rather to have the city's cooks make me fat. As I boarded my plane at Dublin Airport, I was mentally finalising a list of things I had to eat and venues I had to visit.
In my view, New York is still unrivaled when it comes to the sheer endless amount of world cuisines that have found a new home in the Big Apple. Berlin might have taken over as the world's coolest city, but nowhere can one let one's taste buds travel to so many different countries in one go like one can in New York.
Hence, my plan of action was decided. Fuck culture, praise the chefs!
What follows next is my record of foodie havens that I graced with a royal visit. Maybe you'll find a useful tip or two for your own visit to the city. Go on... Indulge!
The best bit were the two women at the next door table who kept throwing us nosy looks whenever a new dish arrived and eventually asked for our entire order to make sure they also got the same dishes.
Whole Foods Market - I know what you might think but I don't care really. When it comes to Supermarket quality, Whole Foods is way ahead of any other brand that I know of. The selection of vegetables, meat, fish, freshly baked bread and salads alone is worth jizzing your pants over. On top come the huge selection of things like Granola, organic sauces and dressings, juice, coffee, spices, oils .... The list is endless. The best thing about it is: You can get yourself a nice big breakfast downstairs and then head up to the restaurant area and eat all the goodness you just bought right there and then. Where can you do this at an Albert Heijn without looking like a bum? That's right.
Stumptown Coffee Roasters - after having visited their first coffee shop in Portland, OR earlier this year, I couldn't believe my eyes when I found out they had also set up shop in NYC. Located in the fancy Ace Hotel, Stumptown is famous not only for its absurdly good coffee but also for its cute staff wearing vintage hats. Having set myself the goal of avoiding Starfucks at all costs I happily traveled across half of Manhattan to join the long line for a Stumptown brew.
Nobu Next Door - on my second night in New York, my dear host and friend Theo took me out to experience Nobu. After having heard plenty about the mind blowing Japanese food and impossibly long waiting list I thought Theo was kidding when he said "So, tonight we're going for dinner at Nobu bitch." Obviously it turned out he had a friend there who managed to get us a perfect corner table at with perfect view of the whole restaurant. Needless to say, the food was beyond what I expected. As I sucked on my cucumber Martini, the waiter kept filling our table with dishes such as: Black Cod in Miso, Kobe Beef sliders, Kushiyaki Chicken Skewers, Bigeye Tuna and soft shell crab Sushi, Prawn Tempura and Blueberry Cheesecake. The best bit were the two women at the next door table who kept throwing us nosy looks whenever a new dish arrived and eventually asked for our entire order to make sure they also got the same dishes.
KumGangSan - no visit to Manhattan can be complete without an extended lunch at one of the various Korean restaurants on 49th Street (also called Korea Avenue). Korean food is a rather acquired taste and definitely not in everyone's top 5 but if you love Kimchi as much as me then you'll know what you're in for. Ok, the restaurant decor is pretty tacky with it's waterfall and piano balcony but it's all part of the experience. Pretend you're showing your respect to the late beloved leader. As soon as we had sat down our table was covered in a dozen tiny dishes containing everything pickled under the sun and lots and lots of Kimchi. I went for a Duk Man Doo, which is essentially a traditional Korean broth with meat dumplings and rice cakes. It was actually quite good.
Alice's Tea Cup - after spending an hour staring at the very bizarre Maurizio Cattelan exhibition "All" at the Guggenheim Museum we wandered across Central Park to the Upper West Side to enjoy a hot cup of tea at what my friend's friend called "New York's only Alice in Wonderland themed tea room". Luckily they also do "tea to go" because after hearing a concerto of screaming kids in the main room I appreciated the fact that they had a 1 hour wait for a table. I got myself a cup of delicious Lavender Earl Grey and a dangerously rich Chocolate cup cake that had me fearing for the state of my enamel.
Remedy Diner NYC - one of the items I was after the most was a good "Pulled Pork Sandwich". There is very little in terms of comfort food that comes anywhere near this typical American favourite. The last time I had one was at the Hard Rock Cafe in Amsterdam and that was, well as you would expect. Thus, when I walked past this diner on Houston Street I could not help myself but get a table right away and order a "Pulled Pork Sandwich". Admittedly, it was not as great as the one I had in Miami earlier this year but it satisfied my need for barbequed meat as much as when someone offers you a Camel when all you want is a Marlboro Light.
Sweet Spring Restaurant - unless you are fluent in Cantonese, Mandarin or you know exactly where to go for juicy dumplings you might end up feeling rather lost in New York's buzzling China Town. Lucky for me, my friend Courtney had sent me a link to a "Flight of the Concords" walk as suggested by Time Out Magazine NY. I don't quite remember what Bret and Jermain's connection was to this tiny Chinese dumpling joint but I can guarantee that this is dumpling making at its best. The menu is mostly in Chinese and the lady behind the counter seemed to understand little more than 1,2,3 so I pointed at the menu with the intention of getting my hands on 3 steamed pork and chive dumplings. What I eventually got (after every other Chinese person in the shop got served) was a box full of steaming hot dumplings (15 in total rather than the 3 I wanted because they came in sets of 5) for $3,45. BARGAIN! I went to sit on a little bench around the corner and didn't let anyone, not even those horrible looking pigeons bother me as I sucked out the delicious juice from every single one of those tiny drops of heaven.
Bagelsmith - what Febo is to Amesterdam, Bagels are to New York. If you leave without having had one you should be tied up and thrown in the Hudson River. One of Brooklyn's most frequented joints also has the rather delicious Pumpernickel bagels on offer. Open 24 hours, these richly filled bread rings are also the perfect alternative to getting a greasy Kebab after a wild night out. My ham and cheese bagel was so stacked I could barely get it in my mouth.
Bakeri - one of the things I enjoyed the most about Brooklyn was the laid back and friendly atmosphere everywhere. Especially in the various little coffee shops and bakeries. This one got very high marks for just being so cuuuuuuttteee. All the girls working here were dressed in 50's vintage clothes and all the delicious little pastries were baked in an ancient tiled oven at the back of the shop. I got myself some fabulous Lavender Short Bread to go with my latte which my friend Courtney described as "biting into a biscuit made of of bath salts".
I stared back at my lasagna and remembered a scene from Sex and the City where Samantha spent an entire evening eating raw soups and other strange concoctions in order to get in Smith's pants.
Momofuku Noodle Bar - obviously after visiting Nobu Next Door, any other Japanese food I would enjoy would have to be Ramen. These piping hot and extremely delicious noodle soups are one of the most heart warming dishes ever invented. Having been told about Momofuku by a friend (supposedly chef David Chang is quite celebrated) I was curious to find out what NY's take on this traditional dish was. The last time I had Ramen was in Kyoto and I have refused to try them anywhere else for danger of being rather poop. I was quickly ushered to one of the stools at the bar and got myself a bowl of the signature dish; pork belly, pork shoulder and poached egg Ramen as well as a serving of 5 spice potato chips. It wasn't really bad or anything but I suppose when you've eaten this dish at a traditional Japanese hole in the wall over in Nippon nothing will ever quite taste the same again.
Pure Food and Wine - for about 2 months prior to my arrival in NY I got the daily Groupon New York newsletter because I was curious to see what kind of restaurants they would suggest. One day, this raw and vegan place close to Union Square appeared and I decided to buy the lunch option for $10. The restaurant is in a basement location just off Irving Place and a bit dark in my opinion. By the time I actually got there I had forgotten about the fact that it was all raw so I ordered myself the spicy sesame salad followed by a courgette and tomato lasagna and a lemon finger for desert. The first dish was actually rather good but when the main course arrived and I took my first bite I had a bit of a "???%%&^$@!???" moment. I waved over the waiter and said: "Ehm, my dish is cold." "Oh yea, haha," he goes. "It's all raw. We don't cook anything." "Riiiighhhht, oh yes I must have forgotten, ehehehe." I stared back at my lasagna and remembered a scene from Sex and the City where Samantha spent an entire evening eating raw soups and other strange concoctions in order to get in Smith's pants. I suppose the fact that it had a bit of a novelty factor made it taste rather ok but I doubt I'd head here for lunch every day if I worked around the corner. The funniest thing was one of my friends who lives in NY actually worked at this place until that day (which I didn't know) and on the same evening when we met at a bar I told him and his friends about my strange experience and they all burst out laughing.
Think Coffee - my endless quest for finding local coffee shops also brought me to Think Coffee a couple of times. This local NYC outfit with a random location in Seoul, Korea has some of the best coffee I tasted. I also loved their engagement with the local communities and the fact that the Baristas really knew what the hell they were doing. Logically I got myself a pack of delicious smelling El Salvador coffee to take home.
Bare Burger - if there's one thing Americans are good at then it's making a really damn fine burger. Following my friend Rhylie's friend's suggestion we meandered through the NYU area of Manhattan to get our hands on what they called "the best fucking burger in town". Not only did they have a seriously awesome selection of all organic burgers but also the best onion rings I have ever tasted. Obviously I went for the biggest fuck off burger on the menu, the promisingly named "Bare Burger Supreme" and as a choice of meat I went for organic Bison. Yum???? You bet your ass it was. They also had Lamb, Ostrich, Elk, Wild Boar, various types of Chicken and of course your all time favourite: Organic Beef.
Bark Hot Dogs - ok, I am coming to the end of my list and yes, I haven't forgotten about them ok? Christ. Calm yourself! Yes, we all know NY is also famous for its hot dogs. Yes, I walked past a dozen street vendors selling this tiny sausage-in-a-bun but why go with the masses when you can also have a more gourmet version? Exactly. Thus, while I explored the area around 5th avenue in Brooklyn on my last day I stumbled across this little wood cabin lookalike joint that specialises in: Exactly. Hot Dogs. I got myself a "Beans + Frank" dog and sipped an organic Lime and Lemonade while watching the hipsters outside hobble down the street. It was a rather delightful dog I have to say.
Gorilla Coffee - last but not least, especially because of their fucking awesome packaging, one last recommendation for getting a great coffee while you're out in Brooklyn. These guys have only one shop but they are so cool that even Wholefoods has started selling their Brooklyn roasted coffee beans. If hipsters and young mums gather somewhere in this neighbourhood you can rest assured it will be here.
So, I have come to the end of my foodie haven list. I am glad I have an excellent metabolism because I can assure you I would otherwise have come back to Amsterdam several kilos heavier.
If you ever head to any of these places let me know what you think. I am rather curious to hear your views. Much love xxx
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