Levain Bakery { NYC }

If the Oreo is America's favorite cookie (now, Milk's favorite cookie), the chocolate chip cookie is America's best friend.  And the tiny, below-street level bakery located in the Upper West Side of New York City* that produces the queen mother of all chocolate chip cookies is none other than Levain Bakery.

* Now Levain has two other locations: (1) Harlem and (2) the Hamptons, neither of which are (sadly) easier to reach than the UWS.

The space is tiny.  I honestly don't think more than 10 people can stand inside at a given time without creating a safety hazard.  But the staff acts quickly to move things along and get their customers what they want in a no-nonsense manner.  Welcome to New York City.

A few sandwich, scone, and bread options, but let's be honest -- I'm here for the cookies.

Looks tasty... but where are the cookies?

Coooookie!

After you barely survive the ordering, paying, and fleeing, you will open up your bag or box and be greeted by this monstrous-sized thing.  Is this even a cookie?!

Seriously, scone or cookie?

Whether it's a scone or a cookie, you will stop caring as soon as you take a bite.
Holy moly.
The cookie/ scone (scookie?) is slightly flaky and crispy on the outside and slightly under-baked and gooey on the inside.  Overall, it's ridiculously decadent.  A few bites will go a long way, but nibbling it during your walk through Central Park will bring a lasting chocolate-stained smile.

Oatmeal Raisin.

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter.

Dark Chocolate, Chocolate Chip.

Classic Chocolate Chip.

Here're some things you ought to know before you go taste these 6-oz. cookies with sky-high  expectations:

• These cookies are priced at $4/ pop.  In other words, ain't cheap.
• These cookies, and the bakery, are owned/ started by two former triathaloners and avid athletes, Pam Weekes and Connie McDonald.  Weekes and McDonald used to eat these cookies to fuel for race day!
• The average weight of a single cookie is 6 oz. (!)
• Neither of them went to culinary or pastry school.
• But both are incredibly dedicated and committed to their business (hence its success).
• There are plenty of other delicious treats produced at the bakery, including scones and baguette with butter & jam.  Full menu here.
•  They have a Levain Cam, which is both funny and creepy at the same time.
• I love that the owners embrace healthy activities, but acknowledge the importance that eating in moderation, not DIEts, are key.  { interview }
• Some inspiration: 
• What advice would you offer women who want to start their own businesses? Trust your instincts and follow your heart, even if it doesn’t always seem logical. Be patient and don’t give up, persistence pays off if you truly believe in what you’re doing. And, of course, be prepared to work harder than you ever thought possible. We always say the bakery is the Ironman of our lives. - Pam Weekes

cuisine: Bakery
location: Upper West Side, NYC (on 74th btwn Columbus & Amsterdam)
nearest subway stations: 72nd St (on 1, 2, 3)
hours: Mon-Sat: 8am-7pm; Sun: 9am-7pm
websites: { LB | yelp | facebook | twitter | instagram }
notes: Good for take-away; not much room for sit down munching.  Thick, massive cookies, but worth every eventual bite.

Feast { NYC }

In New York City and craving a feast?  Then, Feast.*

Note: This meal took place nearly nine months ago when Feast was within its first few months of opening.  Since then, it has been evolving into a true star.  Feast changes their menu on a seasonal basis, but I wholeheartedly believe what they offer now is as good as what I feasted on last spring.  Also, please don't judge me on my very belated updating.  Better late than never, right?! ;)

* I had a many "feast," "feasty," "f(i)esty" witticisms running through my head, but I decided to keep it simple, for your sake and also my own.

The space is small and intimate, lively and fun, rustic and inviting.  It's the perfect family-style dining spot to commune with old friends, which is precisely what I did. If you are a claustrophobe, you may feel anxious dining there, but maybe a seat at the bar or the back table can subdue your uneasiness.

On Feast's menu, you'll find a la carte items and two prix-fixe feasts: "Farmer's Market Feast" (veggie) and "Game Feast" (carnivores unite).  Naturally, we went with the game feast because (1) we didn't want to feel short-changed in our feasting and (2) Nose-to-tail dining sounded more intriguing.  The meat of choice for the night? Lamb!

Game Feast was priced at $48/pp, full table participation required.

Shepherd's Pie with Lamb Belly, sweet potato, and pesto.

Lamb Merguez Stew topped with quail eggs.

Julienned green apple wrapped in lamb carpaccio with cognac mustard and almonds.

The zing and zest of the mustard paired nicely with the crispness of the apple and saltiness of the carpaccio.

Potato Gratin with vandouvan (spice).

Rack of Lamb with herbed crust and port.

Lamb Shank "Lasagna" with goat cheese, 

Pear Galette with lightly sweetened and "drunken bourbon" creams.

Pear Galette had the most heavenly, buttery crust.

The Drunken Bourbon had just the right amount of bourbon to end the night with comfort.

Red velvet cupcake.

Though prices are on the steep side, Feast is everything that you would want in a hearty feast. With the best of many worlds colliding, it is worthy of a visit!



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cuisine: New American
location: East Village, NYC
nearest Metro: 3rd Ave; 14th St.; Union Sq.
hours: M-F: 10am - 3pm; 6pm - 11pm; Sat: 11am - 3pm; 6pm - midnight; Sun: 11am - 3pm; 5:30pm - 10pm.
websites: { feast | yelp | facebook | twitter | opentable }
notes: Make reservations!
other reviews: { nydaily | NYT | nymag }

Ess-A-Bagel & Russ & Daughters { NYC }

Bagels, bagels, bagels!  

I'm not sure it's the water, the air, or the hands that craft the round bundles of dense, doughy, deliciousness, but bagels never taste the same in LA, SF, Boston, DC, or any place other than NYC. It's not a mental thing; it's reality.

And if you want to sink your teeth into a bagel with a chewy center, a schmear of silky cream cheese, and perfectly smoked and brined salmon, aka - lox (capers and onions, optional), you go to none other than Russ & Daughters.  It's non-negotiable.  Even Anthony Bourdain mentioned it in his list of "13 Places to Eat Before You Die" article.

Russ & Daughters, founded by Joel Russ in 1914, is one of NY's finest appetizing stores that serves up a world-famous lox bagel.  As NYMag puts it, "[t]o understand how a slab of smoked salmon lying across a bagel became the symbol for an entire city, you have to come to Russ & Daughters." [ link ]

Upon entering its doors, you will be greeted by a strong scent of fish. Before it begins to make you queasy, your eyes will quickly scan the rows of salmon, herring, caviar, olives, pickles, schmears, dried fruit, chocolates, and various other delicacies of Eastern European Jewish cuisine.  And of course, the bagels.  Take a number and wait your turn.

 

Every variety of salmon you need.

Bagel wrapped in its signature blue fish wrapping.

Ugh...

Do not ask about the lox in the above photo. I committed a horrible mistake that still upsets me, nine months later.
 


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cuisine: Bagels
location: Lower East Side, NYC
nearest Metro: 2nd Ave; Delancey; Essex
hours: Open Daily. M-F: 8am - 8pm; Sat: 8am - 7pm; Sun: 8am - 5:30pm
websites: { R&D | yelp | facebook | twitter | wiki }
notes: It's a deli, so don't expect any seating. It's going to be busy, so put that NY game face on.
other reviews: { grab your fork |  gastronomy | pigpig's corner }

* * *

If you can't easily make it to the Lower East Side because well, it's the Lower East Side, there are plenty of other bagel shops in the City.  Ess-A-Bagel (or Yes, a bagel!), with its two locations, is always a solid choice.

 Upon entering the original Ess-A-Bagel location, allow the wonderful smell of freshly-baked bread to fill your nostrils.  Then, prepare yourself for a crispy-crusted bagel with a pillowy inside with a variety choice of sweet, savory, or salty spreads.  If you feel especially creative, try their tofu or apple cinnamon cream cheese.  I just stuck with the typical NY style -- gimme the lox, baby (mainly to redeem my previous error).

Homey set-up.

Bagels galore.

Row of schmears.

Bagel + coffee = morning may begin.

Poppyseed bagel with cream cheese, lox, and capers.

Yummy!

So which serves a better bagel?  That, my friend, is a question that forever remains...



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cuisine: Bagels
location: Stuvy Town; Gramercy (21st and 1st)
nearest Metro: 1st Ave; 3rd Ave; 23 St.
hours: M-F: 6am - 9pm; Sat-Sun: 6am - 5pm
websites:{ Ess-A-Bagel | yelp | facebook }
notes: Be prepared for long lines during morning rush hour.  

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Parm (NYC)

Much to my dismay, I still haven't featured all the wonderful places from Doah's Hungry's DC & NYC Food Tour that happened... seven months ago (eek).  This may make me the worst food blogger ever, or maybe the best because I'm sharing some of the best places each city has to offer.  Take your pick! ;)

Parm is a shop that specializes in cooking up lovely, breaded cutlets of chicken, veal, or eggplant.  So while there are plenty of other yummy-sounding items on the menu, my attention went directly to this:

Full online menus here.

Since I stopped by Parm for a "mere snack," I ordered the Chicken Parm -- or what Tom from Parks & Rec calls, a "chiki chiki, parm parm" -- on a roll.  Would that make it a chicky chicky, parm parm, samdoozle?.  Anyway, a humble choice, you would think...

Chicken Parm Roll -- $9

Wha-zaa!

The roll is regular-sized, but the chicken parm, covered in mozzarella glory, is almost twice the size of the bun and around the size of my face.  Wowee!  But who's complaining?  Not I.

Another angle of the impressive chicky chicky, parm parm breast.

Mainly, I'm not complaining because the sandwich is good -- really good.  The generous portion of breaded protein may not be ideal for the heart, and the soft sweet roll may not be good for the waistline, but when it's chilly outside and you want something warm and hearty in your body, this is where you go. And this is what you eat.

Unfortunately, the restaurant space is quite small, but once you're happily noshing away, you'll hardly notice that you're practically sitting on top of the person sitting next to you.  There's no such thing as personal space in NYC anyway.  But for the food, it is all so worthwhile!

More reasons to check out Parm: (1) It's owned by two Italian-American guys "who, once had a restaurant of their own, decided to cok what is a kind of soul food for them and for millions of other Americans, even those with no Italian ancestors"; (2) It's located on Mulberry Street (aww); and (3) It provides Comfort food with a capital "C."

Parm it up, friends!


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dine-in date: March 19, 2013; 2pm
order: Chicken parm; meatball parm; eggplant parm; pizza knots.
cuisine: Italian
location: NoLita | 248 Mulberry Street (btwn Spring & Prince)
subway stops: Broadway/ Lafayette; Prince St; or Spring St.
hours: Sun-W: 11AM - 11PM; Th-Sat: 11AM - midnight
websites: { Parm | yelp | facebook | instagram }
attire: Casual
notes: No reservations
other reviews: { gastronomy | just add cheese | NYT | much more }