Winter Break Day 2

It's good to be home.

I got back from Paris tonight and felt that I didn't have the heart to unpack...so I decided to blog instead. It's definitely fun to take a trip once in a while but having to venture more than 15 feet to get a cup of tea is way too much work for me. I like my hot beverages close and made to my liking hehe. In any case, I'll get around to putting up some french food porn before the week is through.

And now, back to ny and fooding from last week that I never got to blog about!

After homecoming at ye olde high school, Sarah, Johnny, Diana and I trekked down to union square in spite of the severe cold. (It actually wasn't that cold, but I was foolish enough to think that I didn't need to wear socks that day :( ) The holiday fair was bustling as usual but we paid no heed for we had a more glorious destination in mind-namely, Momofuku! David Chang's Momofuku actually has three locations within a few blocks of each other- the noodle bar being the original establishment and the ssam bar and bakery being later progeny. If you haven't heard of David Chang, give his name a quick google so that we can talk about him and how freaking awesome he is. One of these days I'll put up a post about all the chefs I'm madly in love with and why they're as amazing as I fervently claim they are. Erm...and returning from that tangent, back to the food!



We went at a bit of an awkward hour (3?4?) but the place was still packed.

Decisions, decisions...

Sarah's wonderful lychee soda that I completely swiped from her. I really only meant to take one sip but it was so fizzily delicious that I must have had at least half...my apologies!

Momofuku ramen with pork and a poached egg.



The chicken ramen.

The ginger scallion noodles with seasonal vegetables...this also happens to be the only vegetarian option on the menu.

The seemingly mundane steamed pork buns.

And...HAH! Not so mundane now, huh?! These were wonderfully soft and juicy but a little too fatty for me. I actually had to cut all the odd globs of half-melted fat off the pork because the sensation of grease slowly melting down the back of my throat was just too weird for me. Otherwise they were out of this world and definitely unlike any other pork buns I have ever encountered.

Momofuku Noodle Bar
171 First Avenue (bet. 10th/11th)
New York, NY 10003


Next up:
Chocolate by the Bald Man
Macarons Galore from Pierre Herme and Laduree

Winter Break Day 1

Happy winter break everyone! Now that I have my very own camera and tons of free time, I can almost guarantee a steady stream of posts for the next couple of days. And yes...all the photos that have appeared on this blog thus far were generously provided by friends. Thank you for putting up with me, guys!

So let's see...breakfast was a quiet affair in ktown at Cafe Muse. Samson and I were hungry after the somewhat depressing mood at the DMV and stopped by the first cafe we saw.

Almost deserted at ten in the morning.



Hey there handsome~

Samson, I don't know if you're comfortable with this photo being online...but I just found this to be oh so cute!! Gosh one of these days I'm going to put you in a pokeball and carry you around in my pocket...

After buying some nice containers at the Container Store (aka the happiest place in the world) and walking up and down 5th avenue we went to Hooters for lunch. Yes that's right...Hooters. It's not a terrible restaurant per se and the scantily-clad women are friendlier than most waitstaff, so don't be too quick to judge!

And we ascend...

I don't want to seem like a total creeper but I wanted to give an idea of the..uh..ambience.

I thought that the steak sandwich would be a fairly boring affair but oh how very wrong I was! I don't know what made this sandwich so good...the steak on its own was kind of tough and the bread was chewy but together, each component canceled out the other's flaws to make a harmonious whole. Kind of yin and yang, except in the form of a Hooters sandwich.

Samson's entree part 1...these had a fun name that I don't quite recall...Rio Grande fries? Mexican something fries? In any case, you can't go wrong with piling sour cream, cheese, beans, meat and guacamole on a tower of curly fries!

Samson's entree part 2...a basic bacon cheeseburger!

And finally...the wings- oh glorious things! Notice how they glisten with their freshly deep-fried loveliness.

Cafe Muse.
43 W. 32nd Street
New York, NY 10001
(212) 290-1414

Hooters
211 W 56th St # 2
New York, NY 10019
(212) 581-5656

Fro-Yo

So here's a question that some of you may have been wondering about in the dusty corners of your mind: what is UP with koreans and their obsession with fro-yo??! (Or maybe I'm the only one who's been pondering this riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma...) It seems like franchises have been popping up all over the states from L.A. to N.Y. with each city having its own particular brand and the associated fierce brand loyalty. Near campus we have both a Sweet Green and an Iceberry within 5 blocks of each other, and the old Korean men at Iceberry have revealed that they're trying to make a deal with Epicurean to sell fro-yo there as well. It's madness, I tell you! Tangy, creamy madness!

Iceberry is similar to other fro-yo places that I've visited (Pinkberry, Red Mango, etc) but stands out with its lovely variety of fro-yo flavors! The honeydew tastes so much like Melon Bar ice cream that it makes me want to weep with joy. In addition to the honeydew, I think that they have green tea, strawberry, chocolate, and of course, the original flavor. So yea....I will declare my Iceberry loyalty here because uh...Sweet Green has neither awesomely tasty flavors nor mochi. :D

The cheery exterior.

The cheerier interior!

Green tea with honeydew.



Strawberry.

All good things must come to an end...

And that's it! Have a WONDERFUL winter break guys~!

Iceberry
30th and M Sts.
Washington D.C. 20057
(It only opened a little while ago, so there's no phone number available just yet)

The Tombs

It's about high time that I mentioned the Tombs on this blog! Although I haven't been in D.C. for too long, it seems that the Tombs is beloved to the point that it's become an institution here. Conveniently located a stone's throw from the gates, it serves up a nice selection of comfort/bar foods that are for the most part, fairly good and inexpensive. More than anything, it's a restaurant as solid as the brick walls that house it...the vegetarian ravioli is probably the closest you'll get to an exotic dish on the menu, if you get what I mean :P

One last note before the photos...it kills me that all the waiters/matronly waitresses wear cute little bow ties.

Behold the cheeseburger in all of its cheesy glory! This thing was such a monster I felt like I had to eat it before it ate me.

Gosh this photo makes me hungry...

The buffalo chicken sandwich.

Derrick's steak as he makes the first stab (Et tu Brute?!)

Gumbo?

Frank claims that this is a salad...but aren't salads supposed to have more greens than toppings? To tell the truth, I don't even know what this is a photo of...

Salt and Pepper stand tall!

Group shot without Michael who is unfortunately the one behind the camera :(

**Photo props to Derrick!**

The Tombs
1226 36th St NW
Washington, DC 20007
(202) 337-6668‎
www.tombs.com

A Cartoon

So here is a little peek of what I usually spend my time doing in class...the Deadweight Dragon is a character I made up in Microeconomics one day when we were learning about deadweight losses. He's a dragon who doesn't yet know how to fly...it gets him into all sorts of scrapes and adventures in the margins of my notes. (Thanks for uploading it Shannon! :P )

The first caption is "The Deadweight Dragon did not have anywhere to sleep that night" and the second is, "The Deadweight Dragon never did learn the mashed potato mambo..."

I might put up another one of the Integra Bull, another one of my characters, this time from the barren wasteland of my calculus notes. (Hehe get it? Integra Bull --> Integrable!)

Main Street Bakery

I found these old photos while browsing my albums and realized that I have yet to write up anything on Main Street Bakery! This was where I had my very first job so it holds a special place in my heart. In the warm, golden-brown section of my heart reserved exclusively for bakeries, of course :P I guess I could say that I really began to understand the importance of quality while working there and as a result, became a fanatic about butter, tea, and overall presentation. If you happen to live in Port Washington, I strongly urge you to go have a look at it because there is nowhere else that you can get bread from Balthazar other than Main Street Bakery and Balthazar itself. (Hooray for exclusive distribution contracts!) The scones, baguettes, and croissants sell like, well...uh...hot cakes and are usually gone by 9 or 10 in the morning, so get there early if you can!

Here are some photos from brunch with my mom and auntie:
Reflection shot!

My mom eats espresso granita and patiently waits for our order.

The eggs benedict. Sometimes I feel like my love for eggs benedict borders the extreme, but when it's well-prepared, I feel like my passion is justified. Toasted english muffin + crispy canadian bacon + perfectly poached egg + liberal serving of hollandaise sauce = happiness!

French toast with strawberry maple syrup.

fruit tart!

The fruit tart is joined by its companion, the raspberry cheesecake, while key lime pie and tiramisu lurk in the background.

Main Street Bakery
170 Main St.
Port Washington
516-304-5214