new york Archives - Page 2 of 2

In Chinese

Shu Jiao Fu Zhou Cuisine Restaurant in New York

January 4, 2018

Shu Jiao Fu Zhou Cuisine Restaurant is a simple Chinese cafe specializing in soups, noodles, and dumplings by hand. This hole in the wall has some really cheap food. Everything is $3.50 or under. That is an amazing price for New York standards.

Interior

The inside of the restaurant isn’t anything special. A little old school but theres a bit of charm in that. You order at the counter first and then find any seat available.

Dumplings

We got the pork and chive dumpling and they came out so quickly. We started with the small size but little did we know that these were so good that we ordered a few more large sizes.

Beef Tripe with Thick Noodle Soup

The size of the noodle soup was pretty good. A good amount of noodles to go with the beef, tripe, and veggies.

Wheat Noodle with Peanut Butter Sauce

You mix these noodles with the sauce and enjoy.

Final Thought

The food here was great for the price. We ate so much and didn’t make a dent in our wallets. The dishes are very homey tasting and simple.

We Rate Shu Jiao Fu Zhou Cuisine Restaurant:

Address:
118 Eldridge St, New York

In American

Sylvia’s Restaurant: Queens of Soul Food in Harlem

January 3, 2018

Sylvia’s Restaurant in Harlem is know for their classic Soul food and was recently featured in the Worth It series by BuzzFeed. When I knew I was going to New York, I had to add them to the list.

Sylvia’s Restaurant, the “The Queen of Soul Food”, was founded by Sylvia Woods, in 1962. Established in the historic village of Harlem, Sylvia’s is a community favorite, known as the world’s kitchen. Serving authentic soul food for over 55 years, this icon remains a culinary must-visit for foodies.

Interior

The space has a good amount of tables for small to large groups, but it is always best to make a reservation if you can. We had reservations later in the evening, but decided to come earlier because we were hungry, so we ended up waiting around 15 minutes for a seat on the weekend for 3 people.

Complimentary Cornbread

As we waited for our meal to arrive, we got a lot of cornbread with butter. It was delicious and we wanted to eat more but we wanted to save our stomachs for the entrees.

Southern Fried Chicken

This was served with 2 sides and we chose traditional collard greens and baked mac & cheese. The chicken was crisp on the outside and moist inside. It did take some time for the meal to arrive at the table.

Sylvia’s World Famous Bar-B-Que Ribs and Fried Chicken

The combo came with 2 pieces of the ribs smothered in Sylvia’s Original Sassy Sauce. I got dark meat for my fried chicken. For my 2 sides, I got Okra & Tomato Gumbo and Traditional Collard Greens. The ribs were pretty mediocre and lean. The chicken was great, but I still have my favourites from other restaurants around the world. The portions were great and it was pretty hard to finish every thing on the plate.

Grandma Julia’s Fruit Punch

The fruit punch was very sugary and M didn’t like it at all.

Home Brewed Iced Tea and Lemonade

The home-brewed iced tea comes sweet, which is essential a Southern sweet tea. My friend got the lemonade to pair with the meal. We both found that all the drinks were too sweet for our liking, so we waited for the ice to melt to dilute it a bit more.

Final Thoughts

Overall, it was ok, but it’s pretty hard to find Soul Food where I come from in Canada, so it’s always a delight eating more soul food on my travels.

We Rate Sylvia’s:

Address:
328 Malcolm X Blvd, New York

Website:
http://sylviasrestaurant.com/

In Four Beakers

Russ & Daughters: Best Lox Bagel in New York

December 31, 2017

I have an addiction of smoked salmon and when my friend told me about Russ & Daughters in New York, we had to go. You can go to their shop, cafe or the Jewish Museum to get a taste of their awesome food, but we opted to go to the original shop on East Houston Street.

They are purveyors of the highest quality smoked fish, caviar, baked goods, and specialty foods in New York City. Since 1914, this landmark New York City institution has been owned and operated by four generations of the Russ family. Russ & Daughters has continued to provide the tastes and traditions of a true New York experience from the same spot on East Houston Street for more than a century. With the constant line of locals and tourists, that isn’t wrong at all.

Interior

We came early in the morning on the weekend and we were just glad there wasn’t a line out the door as it’s pretty chilly in the winter. When we got inside, we grabbed a number and waited out turn.

They have a lot of things to buy in their display case as well as around the shop. Since we were visiting, we were eyeing the different types of smoked salmon for our bagels.

A lot of people recommend the Gaspe Nova as it is mild and the pure, fresh North Atlantic taste and satiny texture will be savoured by any palate.

It took a little bit to get past the line and order. The staff take their time and don’t rush past each person to get through the queue.

My Creation

I made mine with:

Everything Bagel toasted
Gaspe Nova Salmon
Cream cheese with scallion
Onions
Capers

It was one of the most expensive lox bagels I’ve ever had at $13, but it was the best lox bagel I’ve had in my life. The quality of the ingredients really shine through. So damn good.

We Rate Russ & Daughters:

Address:
179 E Houston St, New York

Website: http://shop.russanddaughters.com/

In New York

Museum of Modern Art (MoMA): How to Get Free Admission

December 30, 2017

As a local or tourist, saving money here and there is always a plus. When we were in New York, we wanted to go to the MoMA and saw that they have “UNIQLO Free Fridays“. Admission is free for all visitors during UNIQLO Free Friday Nights, every Friday evening from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m.

To avoid long lines, we arrived after 6:00 p.m. I was carrying a backpack and my DSLR Camera, but they let me in with no problems and we didn’t have to check any of the items in. They just told me to carry my backpack in the front, but thats it. The line begins at the Museum’s 54 Street entrance.

With the free ticket, it permitted entry to all Museum galleries and exhibitions. Film admission is free, but a separate ticket is required.

It was crowded but not too bad at all in the Fall, plus it’s free, so there is going to be guaranteed a crowd.

One of the most popular pieces is Starry Night by Van Gogh where there is always a crowd in front of it.

For more free nights and discounts to attend MoMA, visit their discounts page to get all the different ways to get discounted entry.

https://www.moma.org/visit/discounts

Address:
11 W 53rd St, New York

In Bubble Tea

Bar Pa Tea: Healthy Bubble Tea and Soft Serve in New York

December 6, 2017

When in New York, I had to check out Bar Pa Tea for their bubble tea and soft serve ice cream in Lower Manhattan. They are creating a healthier alternative to bubble tea without compromising the distinct taste and experience of traditional bubble tea. On the menu, you’ll find tapioca pearls that are free of additives and drinks sweetened with pure cane sugar instead of corn syrup. We came on the weekend around 2pm and it wasn’t too busy.

Interior

The space is small, so there aren’t many seats. Just a few stools and smaller tables. Most people grab it to go.

Oolong Tea Latte Soft Serve with Mixed Bubbles

This soft serve was delicious, but on the sweeter side. We added a mix of their regular bubbles and mini bubbles to give them both a try. It was really delicious and you can instantly taste the difference and it looks different than normal bubbles.

Black Tea Latte

I love the colour of this drink where it’s 2 colours until you mix it all together. It not very sweet, which I really like. You can also get this with soy milk or almond milk if you’re lactose intolerant. After having the soft serve, this didn’t taste like much because of how less sweet it was in comparison.

Final Thoughts

It’s pretty unique since there aren’t too many shops focusing on healthy bubble tea and also create delicious tea-based soft serves. I would definitely come back for some more, but I would avoid peak times to avoid any line ups.

We Rate Bar Pa Tea:

Address:
85 Kenmare St, New York

Website:
https://www.barpatea.com

In Fast Food

Flamin’ Hot Mac n’ Cheetos: Review

December 5, 2017

Burger King has just launched the Flamin’ Hot Mac n’ Cheetos at locations across the United States. Since I was in New York, I had to go grab some because I’m a huge huge fan of Cheetos.

This portable snack of creamy mac n’ cheese is coated and dusted with Flaming Hot Cheetos. 5 come in each pack and they are pretty large in size, like a super-sized Cheetos puff.

When we took a bite, the exterior was crisp and we could instantly taste all the creamy mac and cheese. The spiciness of the Flaming Hot Cheetos hot afterwards and it had a nice kick. It was fun to give it a try, but I’m not so keep on having more since the bright red colour it a bit scary.