Snacks at Momofuku Milk Bar in NYC!

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Saturday was a perfect day for a walk. Of course, walking burns calories, so you need to replenish your system with a snack (hehe). Hence the visit to Momofuku Milk Bar in the East Village...

Momofuku is a group of restaurants (Momofuku noodle Bar, Momofuku Ssiam...) owned by Chef David Chang. In Japanese, it could be translated to "Lucky peach", but Chef David Chang once mentioned that it was in honor of Momofuku Ando, the inventor of the instant ramen.

There are several locations for the Milk Bar. The one in the East Village is small and I was not surprised to see a big line waiting to get their treats! They propose different items: Milk Shakes, pies, cookies...but not your regular ones. For instance, the special of the day was a deep fried apple pie that my arteries would have surely appreciated.

I went for the cereal milk milkshake: I love milkshakes. Surprisingly, one of the best milkshakes are at...McDonald's! So I tried this one: it was thick for sure and tasted like the milk that is remaining in your bowl after you have eaten all your corn flakes. I thought there would be a bit of crunchiness, but it was not the case. It was just ok for me. I think it would have been better with chocolate cereals! Everything is better with chocolate!

Then I tried the cookie: I chose the corn flakes, chocolate chips and marshmallow cookie. I liked it! It was very chewy with a nice layering of taste of the three main ingredients. However, the chocolate chips were small.

I then finished with the cake bites. We picked Birthday cake (that is in fact a birthday truffle). It was very good. Although I had in mind the cake bites we got in the Public Market in Milwaukee. Maybe it is the lack of chocolate to cover the cake. Still, I would have that again!

If I were in the area and if I was hungry, I would probably go back for the cookies and cake bites, but I do not think I would go back just for this place. It was good, but clearly it did not wow me like Spot Dessert Bar did!

Enjoy (I did)!

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Bagel on the Hudson in Hoboken - Great Bagels!

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I love a good bagel with either cream cheese and lox or tuna salad. Finding a good bagel place is not that easy. In New York, my favorite is H&H bagels. In Hoboken, it is Bagel on the Hudson. It is a small place that makes awesome bagels! 

My favorite bagels are the plain and the everything (topped with a poppy seed, sesame seed, garlic, onion and salt mixture - photo below).

They of course have other standard bagels like egg, whole wheat or salt.

If you do not have anything to put on your bagel, they sell lox, cream cheese or tuna salad. All of good quality.

This is definitely a great place for bagels!

Enjoy (I did)!

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Awesome BBQ at Brother Jimmy's BBQ in NYC

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Chain restaurants are not always great: average quality of food and bland. So I did not expect much when I went to Brother Jimmy's BBQ Midtown, after seeing an horror movie (I was hungry for meat; mmh...can it be related???).

The restaurant had two floors: bar in the bottom (hence checking my ID) and the restaurant upstairs, quieter. Definitely, you do not go there for a romantic dinner: it is a bar like feel. Anyway, I prefer that they focus on the food, not the decor!!!

As I love meat, I went for the Jimmy's pig pick that is your selection of four choices between:

- Ribs: either Northern, Southern or Dry rub style,

- Pulled pork,

- Brisket,

- BBQ chicken or pulled chicken.

I went for:

• The Northern style ribs that are smoked and then grilled with Brother Jimmy's original BBQ sauce. It was delicious: the meat was tender and had a very nice smokiness.
• The dry rub ribs: smoked with Brother Jimmy's signature rub that tastes like a country sausage. It was just ok for me: it definitely tasted like sausage, but it was too dry. I added some BBQ sauce that was on the table. I should have gone with the Southern style!
• The BBQ chicken: nicely cooked and moist. Loved it.
• The brisket: it was smoked for up to 12 hours; I am happy I did not wait that long! It was very good. The meat was lean and nicely smoked.

They serve the plate with hush puppies (cornmeal deep fried meatball) and cole slaw. I like the slaw that was a good thing to eat from time to time between the meat, but did not like the hush puppies that were too dry.

The plate was huge and overall pretty good. It was a lot of food and there was no place for any dessert!

I was also able to try the cheeseburger: good and juicy. The meat had some taste!

And the Mac and Cheese (with the cheeseburger, you pick a side): not the best but pretty decent. It was not dry but a bit more cheese would have been great.

For those who like to drink, they also have some giant fishbowls full of alcohol! Could be a good way to forget that you will eat that big plate you ordered or that you will have to pay for dinner to apologize for the poor attitude you have when you are...drunk...

A the end of the dinner, I was stuffed! Brother Jimmy's BBQ is definitely a good place to go for BBQ.

Enjoy (I did)!

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Follow me on Twitter!

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I Just Want To Eat is now on Twitter! Look on the top right side of this blog!

Follow me (I never thought I would say that!).

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Sol Caribe in Hoboken - My advice: improve your cooking!

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Sol Caribe in Hoboken is a latin fusion restaurant that opened recently, replacing Harvest Cuisine. It is located Midtown Hoboken, so it is not a bad location to attract dinners. The restaurant has been fully renovated with bamboo everywhere and a Caribbean feel. Each time we passed in front of it, we did not see that many people though. So I got curious. I can tell you that when we entered, they jumped on us! They are probably dying to have customers, but I suggest they make some changes, otherwise it is not going to happen. Yes, the food was not that great. The way they set it up is the following: you can order a la carte or have the all day special for $7.99. It is comprised of: rice (Morro or yellow), meat (chicken, pork or beef) or fish, plantains or yuca, soup or salad. All of this is prepared buffet style.

We first started with a cheese empanada. I really liked it: there was enough cheese and it was not too greasy.

Then, we went for the $7.99 menu: we chose the morro rice (made with rice and black beans), chicken and skirt steak with fried vegetables, maduros (plantains) and Caribbean salad.

I did not care about the salad: it was made with potatoes, beans and corn with a pink dressing that I guess was made of yoghurt. It was bland!
The rice was dry: they should have prepared the rice with some black bean sauce so it does not dry out as fast.

The skirt steak was like eating my shoe! I did not even finish it! This is very rare as would people who know me say.

The only things I liked were the chicken (just a drumstick) and the maduros. I also had a batido of banana (Latin American handmade blended beverage similar to smoothies, made with milk, fruit, and usually ice) that was very delicious.

The food is definitely not good, even for the price! We ended up spending as much as what we spent at La Isla, where we would have had a better quality meal!

Hopefully, they will improve, otherwise, I am not sure how they will be able to stay opened! There are so many good restaurants in the area, that you have to serve decent food and Sol Caribe failed to do it!

No enjoy this time!

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Urban Spice - Indian buffet in Iselin, New Jersey

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This week, with my colleagues, we decided to eat at Urban Spice, an Indian restaurant located in Iselin.  We went there few times and my friends of Indian origin consider it very good. We always go for their lunch buffet: good price and good food!

The restaurant is pretty nice and I was impressed by the two wooden doors located behind the buffet. The service has always been good and efficient.

The buffet varies and is always composed of:

- a soup

- some vegetarian entrees

- some meat entrees

- a dessert (why only one???)

They also bring some naan at the table.

This time, for the buffet, we got:

Vegetarian Pakora: 

Assorted vegetables dipped in a seasoned gram flour batter that is then deep fried.

Gram flour is a cereale flour made of chickpea also called chickpea flour or garbanzo flour. It is used in vegan cooking to replace eggs.

The pakora were good and not greasy at all.

Dal Makhni:

Black lentils slow cooked, finished with butter and cream.

One of my favorites!!! 

Kadai Paneer:

Cottage cheese sauteed with a julienne of tomatoes, onions and bell peppers.

This was delicious! Creamy and very tasty.

Methi Corn:

Methi is in hindi fenugreek. 

I unfortunately could not find how they made this dish. Too bad, because it was very good! I guess they are using sweet corn, because it had a nice sweetness to it!

Malai Kebab:

I am not sure what spices they put with the chicken, but it was tasty and moist.

Fish Curry:

I believe it was tilapia, prepared with herbs and coconut milk. The sauce was delicious, but I did not really like the fish.

Tandoori Chicken:

Tandoori is cooked in a clay oven. This was good but I hurt my palate with a bone as they cut the drumstick probably with a meat cleaver, leaving some sharp bones. I would have kept the piece whole!

Otherwise, it was good....

The last part of the meal is the dessert! The only regret I have in this place is that they only have one! This time, it was Dubble Ka Mitha, a sort of bread and nuts (I guess cashew) dipped in sweetened milk. If you like sweet desserts, you will like this!

On top of this delicious buffet, they had different "complements" such as raita. This was definitely a feast! If you are in the area, Urban Spice is a good place to go for Indian food (there are several restaurants in the area and an Indian market by the way).

Enjoy (I did)!

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Happy Valentine's Day!

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Found last Sunday while eating chips!!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Ok, I will not write a cheesy post about Love! But, just remember that is a great day for good food. Although you cannot forget as most of the stores and restaurants start to advertise about it right after the New Year! I usually do not go to restaurants and cook a nice dinner with my lovely wife, as I found that usually, restaurants tend to sacrifice quality over price. But whatever you do, enjoy! I will!

Side note for my nephew Valentin: bonne fete!

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Pastrami Reuben and cheesecake at Junior's in New York!

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Who doesn't know Junior's? Well, I did not know it until, few years ago, my cousin Sandrine who came in New York for a visit, told me that she absolutely needed to go there. I remember that, at the time, the only cheesecake I tried were in various restaurants and I was just ok with that dessert. After going to Junior's, I was addicted!

What is Junior's? It all started in 1929, when the Rosen family opened a diner in Brooklyn. It is only in 1950, that they decided to change the name to Junior's, apparently referring to Rosen's two sons, Marvin and Walter. What I discovered is that in 1982, Governor Mario Cuomo declared May 27th Junior's restaurant day! I love this type of celebration!
I never went to the restaurant in Brooklyn or Grand Central, but I am sure the food is as good. I always went to the one in Time Square: it is like a beehive! Always crowded! Although, at the top of the Financial crisis in 2008, Junior saw a decrease in its number of customers and had to layoff 7 staff members. Based on what I saw yesterday, I guess they are doing well now!

I go to Junior's for two reasons: the deli and the cheesecake! I think that with Katz's, Carnegie Deli and 2nd Avenue Deli,  Junior's is at the top. They offer the traditional deli food as well as diner food. Their menu is quite big. Like any good deli, they will start by bringing pickles. I love the pickled beets!

Yesterday, we tried some classics:

Matzoh ball soup: one of the best we had. But note that the soup does not contain any vegetables like for instance at the 2nd Avenue Deli. 

Potato pancake: very good! Not overcooked, not greasy and served with a fantastic homemade apple sauce.

Pastrami Reuben: pastrami, grilled sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and Russian dressing (blend of mayonnaise and ketchup complemented with such additional ingredients as horseradish, pimentos, chives and spices) served in a toasted rye bread. You need a solid appetite to eat this, especially if you go for dessert after! This was awesome: the meat was very tender and the toasted rye bread and grilled sauerkraut added a bit of crunchiness to the sandwich. I love the layer of flavors between the bread, the cheese, the sauerkraut and the meat! Definitely one of my favorites!

They also have other great dishes:

• Tuna melt sandwich: they serve it open face on a big (trust me, big) English muffin. For those who do not know what it is, it is tuna salad on a piece of bread with melted cheese on top.
• Pastrami or salami sandwiches: classics!
• Grilled cheese made with thick Challah bread.
• Chopped liver served with lettuce and onions.

I also tried their roasted chicken, but did not really like it.

Some of the dishes are served with fries: know that these fries are thick cut (I prefer the thin and crispy ones!).

Yesterday, we saw some Mac & Cheese at the next table: they looked good...Maybe for the next time!

So, now, let's talk about dessert and of course the famous cheesecake! Yesterday, they had a special: red velvet cheesecake. As I already know the traditional one, I decided to try the special. It was made of several layers: cream cheese frosting, red velvet cake and traditional cheesecake. It was very good, not too sweet and kind of light (yeah, right). But my heart goes to the traditional one: dense and tasty.

Of course, they are smart: if you do not have time to eat at the restaurant, they have a place for take out. You can also order online...

Junior's is definitely a great place to go for deli and cheesecake, with good quality food that is not always easy to find when you are too close to Time Square!

Enjoy (I did)!

If you have any question, story or comment on Junior's, enter a comment below!

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Poor Service at Napoli's pizza in Hoboken!

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Imagine: we went to Napoli's pizza in Hoboken, New Jersey today and there was barely anybody in the restaurant: a table who already ordered and got their food, and us. First, we arrive and although they see us, they do not come to seat us. So we decide to seat at a table close to the windows. Couple of minutes later, they realize we are there and bring us the menu. They do not ask at this point if we would like anything to drink. Then, seeing that nobody is taking care of us, I go to the counter and the cook tells me that somebody will take care of us; he then calls the waiter. Five minutes later, still nobody asking for our order, although there were 4 people behind the counter. We decided to leave at that point and it is only then that they decide to ask us if we are ready to order. Yeah right! And then the pizza will take two hours to come???

We ended up at Benny Tudino's and had a great slice and a nice and efficient service! Look at the size of this pizza compared to the fork!

Seriously, with all the pizzeria in Hoboken, owners should make sure their restaurant treats customers properly!

Enjoy (I sure did...at Benny Tudino's)!

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Restaurant review- The Pink Tea Cup (NYC) - CLOSED!!!

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Update February 11th 2012:
Apparently this restaurant closed! Well, I am wondering if the high prices and so so service mentioned in my post caused their demised!


The Pink Tea Cup is a restaurant located in the village that serves soul food. The decor was very nice with a lot of pink (surprising!) and a large communal table in the middle of the main room. The ambiance was ok, although the live band they advertise was not there! There is a good choice of food from typical brunch (oatmeal, pancakes) to soul food (grits, chicken and waffles...).

At the beginning, they bring you biscuits: they were delicious! I then had a chicken and Waffle. The waffle was good but not outstanding and the chicken was cooked perfectly and not greasy. However, they give you only one piece of chicken and for $17, I was surprised. The service was so so. Was it a bad day? Maybe...

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New on I Just Want To Eat!

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A new page has been added to I Just Want To Eat! It is the Pick Of The Month. On a Monthly basis, I will suggest a place I really liked and if you go there, leave me a comment to tell us all if you liked it! 

Enjoy (we all will)!

And remember: I Just Want To Eat!

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Tang Pavillion in New York, New York

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Tang Pavillion is a chinese restaurant located outside of Chinatown, Midtown. The cuisine is supposed to be from Shanghai and Soo Chow provinces. But, normally, Shanghai cuisine is spicy and Tang Pavillion is not. So is it a true good Chinese restaurant? Well, each time I went, I saw a lot of Asian people eating there: this is a sign that the cuisine is authentic. They probably make it less or not spicy to satisfy a greater number of customers. 

The atmosphere in the restaurant differs if you go for lunch during the week, for dinner or during the week end. During the week, it is a madhouse! So, what people take as rudeness, is efficiency (note that all the staff says "Hello" when we enter the restaurant and get seated)! Think about it: the rent for a restaurant in Midtown must be high; the prices, although not cheap (I would lower them by 10%), are still low for the area, so they need a high turnover. Hence the food coming quickly and the fast service.

Concerning the decor, there is nothing that wow me. The main room is in the back and there are no windows, increasing the sense of busyness at lunch time! Not the best place for a romantic dinner.

When seated, you can get some tea (free) and they bring you some appetizers: peanuts and pickles.

I always ask for pickled turnips: crunchy and tasty.

Concerning the food, I tasted several dishes there:

I love the duck with black bean sauce: the meat is well cooked and the sauce delicious! They serve it with peppers and onions. A bit salty though. 

The chicken with cashew nuts is also very good and the meat is usually moist.

The shrimp with vegetables are for those who think it is a healthy dish. Not my favorite. I think it might need more seasoning.

I also tried their chicken pan fried noodles: awesome! At least they put some noodles if you see what I mean Ollies!!! The General Tso is also delicious with a choice of chicken or shrimp. It is not too spicy, but has enough kick! 

One time I went for their dim sum: I loved it. I do not like when the shell is too thick; theirs is perfectly made.

Last, for dessert, they always bring a fortune cookie and fruits. Nice attention that helps clean your palate!

Tang Pavillion is definitely one of my favorite Chinese restaurants (with the Peking Duck House) outside of Chinatown. Don't get fooled if you get rushed: the food is great!

Enjoy (I did)!

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