I just want 2 eat

Sunday, August 11, 2013

Cupcakes at Butter Lane in the East Village, NYC, New York

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image of Cupcakes at Butter Lane in the East Village, NYC, New York

After we went to Molly's cupcakes and did not like it, we decided to find a cupcake place in the East Village. Thanks to the internet, we found Butter Lane Cupcakes. The place is quaint and its configuration can change whether or not they give a class or not (the second time we went, they were giving an icing course.
image of Cupcakes at Butter Lane in the East Village, NYC, New York

There, similar to lots of places, they offer to build your own. I love that because that way, although the choice is limited, you eat what you like and do not feel too limited by the choices they propose.
image of Cupcakes at Butter Lane in the East Village, NYC, New York

The first time we went, we built our own. The ritual is always the same: you pick the cake, then the frosting.

I went for a banana cake with sea salt chocolate.
image of banana cake with sea salt chocolate Cupcake at Butter Lane in the East Village, NYC, New York

Jodi went for a vanilla cake with coconut icing.
image of vanilla cake with coconut icing Cupcake at Butter Lane in the East Village, NYC, New York

Both cakes were very good, airy and moist. The icing was perfect: not too sweet, on the one I ordered, the combination of chocolate, caramel and sea salt was succulent. Not to mention that banana and chocolate are the perfect pairing too!

Then, the second time we went, Jodi got the chocolate cake with coconut icing and I got the vanilla cake with lemon icing.
image of chocolate cake with coconut icing and vanilla cake with lemon icing Cupcake at Butter Lane in the East Village, NYC, New York

There again, it was good, although the cake was dryer than the previous time and the icing a bit sweeter, but with a nice ratio cake/icing. However, they should put a bit more coconut on top.

I think Butter Lane Cupcakes is a great place for cupcakes, but overshadowed by the more trendy Big Gay Ice Cream Guy. We definitely have to go another time to try some other creations and why not attend a class!

Enjoy (I did)!

Butter Lane Cupcakes on Urbanspoon

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Food trucks at Pier 13 in Hoboken, NJ

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image of Food trucks at Pier 13 in Hoboken, NJ

If you love food trucks and love walking along the Hudson River, overlooking the beautiful NYC skyline, then the food trucks at Pier 13 are for you. Ok, you never know what you will get, except if you check on their facebook page, because it is never the same food trucks, although some are coming more often than others.

image of nyc skyline at Food trucks at Pier 13 in Hoboken, NJ

We went few times and tried quite few dishes. The first time was pizza at Pizza Vita, from Summit, NJ.

image of pizza vita food truck at Pier 13 in Hoboken, NJ

This is crazy: they have a wood fire oven on the side of the truck and in a matter of minutes, you will get a delicious Neapolitan pizza. 
image of pizza vita food truck at Pier 13 in Hoboken, NJ


We decided to go first with the margherita pizza. 
image of margherita pizza at pizza vita food truck at Pier 13 in Hoboken, NJ


And then with mushrooms and truffle. 
image of mushroom and truffle pizza at pizza vita food truck at Pier 13 in Hoboken, NJ


Both were personal pizzas, that were thin in the center and puffed up on the outside (like any Neapolitan pizza should!). They had a nice char thanks to the magic of the oven.

image of mushroom and truffle pizza at pizza vita food truck at Pier 13 in Hoboken, NJ

If I had to pick my favorite, it would be the truffled one: plenty of delicious fresh mushrooms (not canned) and that wonderful truffle oil smell (they put a lot of it). 

This pizza is definitely a must try!

The second truck we tried was Hibachi Heaven. 
image of Hibachi heaven food truck at Pier 13 in Hoboken, NJ


When I think about hibachi, I think about the chef making a show in front of you while cooking. Well, in the truck, it is a bit difficult...so, no show!

Jodi got a vegetarian version, served with tofu. 
image of tofu dish at Hibachi heaven food truck at Pier 13 in Hoboken, NJ


I got the one with shrimp. 
image of shrimp dish at Hibachi heaven food truck at Pier 13 in Hoboken, NJ


We asked for fried rice. The two dishes were made with the same vegetables. Then, for mine, I was excited because there were lots of shrimp (a dozen) of a good size. 

image of shrimp dish at Hibachi heaven food truck at Pier 13 in Hoboken, NJ
But they were just ok: they were a bit overcooked and, in fact, it tasted like the food you would get from a buffet, whether it was the shrimp, the veggies or the rice. The tofu was no better! 
So, definitely, this is no heaven!!!

The third truck was Shorty's. they have a brick and mortar restaurant near Port Authority, that I did not try yet. 
image of Shorty's food truck at Pier 13 in Hoboken, NJ


They serve hoagies, salads and...cheesesteaks with bread shipped daily from Philly and baked in the truck. 

So here we are ordering our sandwiches. Jodi goes with American cheese. 
image of Cheesesteak at Shorty's food truck at Pier 13 in Hoboken, NJ


I decided to go with cheese wiz. I know it is bad, but I had cheese wiz at Tony Luke in Philly and it was delicious. 
image of Cheesesteak at Shorty's food truck at Pier 13 in Hoboken, NJ


This time, it was not! Way too much of it and do salty! Too bad because the meat was perfect: tender and juicy; the bread was also soft and tasted fresh. I ended up eating more the half of Jodi's cheesesteak that she was not eating than mine!

So, Shorty's is recommended, but avoid the cheese wiz!!!

The fourth truck is a well known truck as well as restaurant: Luke's Lobster.
image of Luke's Lobster food truck at Pier 13 in Hoboken, NJ

They serve lobster, crab or shrimp rolls. I went for the lobster roll. There, there is no choice: it is poached in butter, so there is no mayo to overpower the lobster! And for $16, they give you a lot of lobster!
image of lobster roll at Luke's Lobster food truck at Pier 13 in Hoboken, NJ

It was heavenly buttery and the lobster, that tasted fresh, was perfectly cooked. 

The last truck we tried was The French Quarter.
image of The French Quarter food truck at Pier 13 in Hoboken, NJ

There, while I was having my lobster roll, Jodi ordered a muffelata. What is great at the French Quarter is that you can order a whole, half or a quarter of it. She went for a quarter that was already a good size. 
image of Muffelata sandwich at The French Quarter food truck at Pier 13 in Hoboken, NJ

I liked the taste of the olives and the freshness the veggies were bringing to the sandwich. It was pretty good. 

With it, we ordered some beignets, with some nostalgia from the time we went to New Orleans and had beignets at Cafe du Monde every morning (they were so good that we could not resist). 
image of Beignets at The French Quarter food truck at Pier 13 in Hoboken, NJ

The beignets from The French Quarter were made to order and really looked like the ones from Cafe du Monde. Unfortunately, there was this overpowering almond taste to it. Why? I bet that without it, it would have been a hit!!!
Ok, the beignets were not great for me, but I am ready to try their jambalaya next time...

So, as you can see, there are things for all palates there! My favorite is definitely the pizzeria, but all the other trucks have interesting menus at affordable prices that I will surely discover!

Enjoy (I did)!

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Thursday, August 8, 2013

Sandwiches at Francois Payard Bakery in NYC, New York

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image of Francois Payard Bakery in NYC, New York

I went to Francois Payard few times already, mainly their location on West Houston. This time, we decided to go to the one near Columbus Circle to grab sandwiches. I always like to go there because their pastries look fantastic. 
image of Francois Payard Bakery in NYC, New York

We decided to order a croque Monsieur first. 
image of croque monsieur at Francois Payard Bakery in NYC, New York

It was made with big pieces of ham, cheese and bechamel sauce, served between two slices of white bread. It was very good; the bechamel sauce adding some gooey-ness to it. It is one of the best ones I had so far for a reasonable price. No need to serve it fancy, just simply!

Then, we ordered the ham and Brie. 

image of brie and cheese at Francois Payard Bakery in NYC, New York

They asked us if we wanted it heated: we said no as we wanted to go authentic. There again, there was a lot of ham and thick slices of Brie. They made it with a piece of salad, some butter and some mustard. I personally would have preferred just butter, ham and Brie, the mustard over powering at time the sandwich. Also, the bread was not that fresh. I guess that it is because they prepare it in the morning (we went after 2pm) and keep it refrigerated. 

Still, I love Francois Payard: they have good sandwiches and amazing pastries. 

Francois Payard Bakery
Midtown West
1775 Broadway
New York, NY

Enjoy (I did)!

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Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Johnny Rockets in Hoboken, NJ

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image of Johnny Rockets in Hoboken, NJ

I went to Johnny Rockets for a second time: it is a place like no other, like traveling in the past! Everything makes you think about the 50's, from the decor to the music, although the first restaurant opened in 1986. 
image of Johnny Rockets in Hoboken, NJ

Let's start first with the decor: You have two types of seats: at the counter or in a booth. The entire decor reminds me of American movies or TV series we use to watch in France, when I was a kid. TV series like Happy Days, called "Les jours heureux", a literal translation. 
image of jukebox at Johnny Rockets in Hoboken, NJ

Then there is the tiny jukebox in every booth: you put 5 cents (provided by the restaurant), pick a song and the choices from the patrons will play sequentially (hopefully...).
image of jukebox at Johnny Rockets in Hoboken, NJ

In term of food, they have a large selection of burgers, sandwiches and salads. We decided to start with some fried pickles:
image of fried pickles at Johnny Rockets in Hoboken, NJ

They were pretty good, not greasy, crunchy, with a delicious sour taste.

Then, Jodi ordered the route 66:
image of route 66 burger at Johnny Rockets in Hoboken, NJ

A beef patty with fried onions and mushrooms. It was just ok: the onions were too big and a bit messy to eat!

On my side, I got the Smokehouse burger:
image of Smokehouse burger at Johnny Rockets in Hoboken, NJ

A beef patty with moked bacon, crispy sourdough onion rings, cheddar cheese and their special barbecue-ranch sauce. It was good with a nice crispiness coming from the bacon that added some smokiness on top of the one coming from the BBQ sauce.
image of onion rings and fries at Johnny Rockets in Hoboken, NJ

With it, we shared onion rings and fries that were pretty good, especially the onion rings that were crunchy and not greasy.

Of course, I could not go to Johnny Rockets without trying their vanilla milk shake!
image of Vanilla milkshake at Johnny Rockets in Hoboken, NJ

The presentation, straight from the 50's was fantastic and it was a very good shake: very tasty and not too thick. Know that they give you a lot of it!

It might not have been the best burgers, but I think that just the experience makes Johnny Rockets worth the trip!

Enjoy (I did)!

Johnny Rockets on Urbanspoon

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Sunday, August 4, 2013

Republic in Union Square, NYC, New York

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One of my favorite reasonably priced fast serving restaurant in Union Square is Republic. I went few times and have never been disappointed! 
The pluses besides the prices?
- they have a nice selection of small plates that are perfect for sharing. 
- several menu items are vegetarian. 
- fast service. 

The minuses:
- the noise level, especially the music. 

The decor is very simple with amazing photos featuring noodles (they have several dishes made with it). There are only communal tables, but they usually sit you on your own table, except if it is too crowded. 

So we decided to order small dishes. 

We first shared the sauteed mini dumplings. 

It was the first time we ordered this and I was surprised because I was expecting a plate similar to what I eat in a Chinese restaurant ! It was served like a salad, with cabbage, ginger, cilantro and scallions. The sauce was oyster sauce. The dumplings, made with minced pork, were light and softer than I expected. I guess the salad made it look like an healthy dish! Great dish in fact!

Then Jodi ordered the vegetarian salad.

It was of course with some fried tofu (not greasy), cabbage, carrots, broccoli...Lots of veggies for sure with a delicious ginger dressing. Light and fresh!

I ordered the fried calamari. 

For sure, I was not expecting the Italian version if the dish! It was an Asian rendition that was quite successful! It was lightly breaded calamari dipped in a spicy mayo, topped with sesame seeds. 

I also ordered the Vietnamese Chicken Salad:

It was made of shredded chicken, napa cabbage, carrots, shallots, asian basil, with a ginger dressing. There was quite a lot of chicken considering it was a small dish. It was very refreshing and light.

This was again a great dinner and perfect as we were heading to a concert at Irving Plaza! Definitely a good spot for a quick, affordable and delicious food!

Republic
37 Union Sq W
New York, NY 10003

Enjoy (I did)!

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Friday, August 2, 2013

Papatzul Mexican restaurant in Soho, NYC, New York

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image of Papatzul Mexican restaurant in Soho, NYC, New York

Papatzul is a Mexican restaurant located in Soho. It has this fantastic dining room decorated with colorful posters, but also because of the sunlight coming from the window on the roof. It feels authentic for sure.

We went there for brunch and their menu offers standard Mexican dishes, most of them at a reasonable price. We started of with the dish we always order in a Mexican restaurant: guacamole.
image of guacamole at Papatzul Mexican restaurant in Soho, NYC, New York

Although it looked homemade, we definitely could see from the oxidation of the avocado that it was done a little earlier and not a la minute. It was good otherwise, served with some crispy corn chips.
Image of tortilla chips at Papatzul Mexican restaurant in Soho, NYC, New York

Then, I ordred Huevos Rancheros. Unfortunately, the waiter did not understand me and came back with Huevos con chorizo or scrambled eggs with chorizo. As we were in a bit of a hurry, I did not bother and decided to try.
image of Huevos con chorizo at Papatzul Mexican restaurant in Soho, NYC, New York

It was the driest eggs I ever tried and only ate the refried beans that were good...and the soft tortilla...
image of Soft tortilla at Papatzul Mexican restaurant in Soho, NYC, New York


Jodi ordred the Torta de Aguacate y Queso Panela:
image of Aguacate y Queso Panela at Papatzul Mexican restaurant in Soho, NYC, New York

It is a sandwich made with avocado, panela cheese, refried beans, tomatoes, lettuce and a sauce I could not really identify! It was passable and a bit spicy.

We were craving Mexican food and left disappointed. The service was also just ok and they did not even ask if there was a problem with my dish. Interestingly, all the restaurants around were packed except this one: there might have been a reason!

Enjoy (...)!

Papatzul on Urbanspoon

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