Category Archives: New York City-NYC
“You can find your way across this country using burger joints the way a navigator uses stars.”
Charles Kuralt
Check my previous blog entry on Shake Shack in Madison Square Park in New York City.
These past couple of weeks have been beautiful and therefore perfect weather for the track and furthermore Shake Shack! 
My Mom and I go to Shake Shack when we’re in NYC so when I heard it was coming to the Saratoga Race Track I was itching to go. This past week was the first I had been to the track this year and it was a perfect day for it.
Post time is almost always 1pm and costs $3 to get in and around $5-10 for parking. My recommendation is to either get there around noon or better yet, wait until the 3-4 race for traffic to pass and it’s easier to find a parking spot when you’re not competing with everyone. A small program is $2.50 and a large program including past horse experience is $3.50 but usually the local papers have a list of all the horses racing if that’s what you’re looking for. Most people wait until they saw the horses and jockeys head to the course before they place their bet so around 3-1 MTP or minutes to post is when it’s going to be the most busy. You can bet as little as $1 on each horse so if you want to bet on a long shot for fun, bet a $1 and maybe you’ll win!
Before you place a bet, make sure you know what types of bets are possible. If you just want to bet on one horse to win, you just bet on it To Win. An Exacta is when you bet on two horses and they have to come in exactly that way. If you’re doing that and only betting a dollar, you might as well bet the other way too. For example, if you’re betting 4/5 exacta, you might as well bet 5/4 just in case it comes in that way exactly, also known as an ExactaBox. You can also bet for a horse to Place meaning that you’ll win as long as the horse comes in first or second or the horse can Show meaning that you’ll win if it comes in first, second or third. (You’ll win more with the Exacta) 
There are also other options to betting and I recommend looking up all these and more betting terms beforehand or bet when there’s quite a bit of time until post (15-13) because if you spend a lot of time up there, the serious betters get angry. When you hear the trumpet, go out and watch them run. It’s a lot of fun to scream for a horse to win even if you didn’t bet! I bet $1 on a horse the second race we were there and won $9.60 so anything’s possible! (My Mom and I usually base who we’re betting on, on the names, we don’t know much about horse racing stats).
Now for my favorite part, Shake Shack! 
The menu is a lot smaller than the place in NYC and the line is surely shorter too. We waited in line about 5 mins and right as we were paying our burgers and shakes were ready. My NYC friends reading this are probably thinking “No Way” since in NYC I’m used to waiting about 45 mins in line and another 20 mins for the food to be ready.
I ordered a Shack Burger which was a fantastic burger with lettuce, cheese and their special Shack Sauce which was tasty enough for the burger that I didn’t need any ketchup. 
My Mom ordered a Black & White shake (Chocolate/Vanilla) and I ordered Strawberry. I love their shakes and around the restaurant are seats to sit and eat at which are few and far between in Saratoga. Shake Shack uses Potato buns which they pride themselves on. I know I write a lot about good food on here but if you don’t listen to me for anything else TRY SHAKE SHACK. The burgers are so moist and so wonderful I can’t even describe it without my mouth-watering.
“It’s important to watch what you eat. Otherwise, how are you going to get it into your mouth ?”
Matt Diamond
I have found a few tasty things that I found in various grocery stores that I want to share:
During my recent trip to NYC, I had to make a stop in Whole Foods and found 365′s Tandoori Garlic Nann. For a price around $4-5, this bag comes with 3 pieces of naan and it is so tasty. To cook, all you have to do is coat it in oil or water and put in a frying pan for about 3 mins per side or follow the instructions on the packaging and put it in the oven. Naan means bread in Arabic and can go with anything bread can. Any sauces, any toppings, anything- but I recommend dipping it in curry!
Second, also found at Whole Foods as well as your local Hannaford is Aged White Cheddar Pirate’s Booty and Smart Puffs Real Wisconsin Cheddar. Though healthier for you than a bag of potato chips, be careful- they are addicting! They offer various flavors in various shapes. For example, Pirate’s Booty is close to a popcorn texture but tastes like cheese puffs & Smart Puffs taste and look like cheese puffs. Both don’t have that fake cheese flavor that you would find in Cheetos or Jax but a more subtle flavor that’s perfect for a snack but won’t taint your taste buds for your next meal or the meal you’re eating with these.
If you need help finding either of these items, go to their website to see where you can find them, order them online and ask your local grocer if they’ll think about stocking them. Enjoy!
“One belongs to New York instantly, one belongs to it as much in five minutes as in five years”
Thomas Wolfe
My cousin Cruise and his friends decided to go to a concert at Irving Plaza in NYC this week and in order to actually make it there safe and on time, I decided to drop them off and then spend the evening with my Aunt. 
The boys were hungry so we started at Gray’s Papaya (402 6th Avenue). I couldn’t imagine a cheap meal tasting any better. Just ask for “The Special” and you get two hot dogs and a drink for $4.95, tax included. Gray’s Papaya is obviously known for their papaya juice and I recommend that be your drink choice! You have the option of putting onions or sauerkraut on your hot dogs if you wish.
After we dropped off the boys, my Aunt and I went to Whole Foods (4 Union Square South, New York) where I purchased some things that I’ve been missing here in the 518 such as Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies, Pomegranate Vanilla Granola and Garlic Naan that I’d been craving recently. After that, we made our way to the Strand (828 Broadway @ 12th St). Those of you who don’t know about the Strand should take a stroll to the East Village and check it out. Outside are shelves of books that only cost $1.00-.48 and I’ve found many good books in that area, you just have to take the time to look.
After, we went for a stroll to 16 Handles (153 2nd Avenue). I’ve already written a blog entry on 16 Handles and how wonderful I find their ice cream to be if you want to check it out. 
16 Handles refers to the 16 handles of ice cream that you can get yourself and then add whatever toppings you’d like. This past time that I went, I had the biggest blackberries that I’d ever seen but make sure you realize that the price of your ice cream depends on the weight!
Since we had some time to kill, we then went to the movies (Regal Cinema, 850 Broadway) to see Inception. The theater was packed and luckily we bought the tickets before our ice cream or we wouldn’t have been in. If the downstairs looks packed, don’t forget the balcony! Many people don’t realize they have the option, so it gives you some time to find a seat that’s not in the very front.
After the movie, the only choice we had was to go to Max Brenner for a small dinner and a chocolate treat. 
I also have another blog entry on Max Brenner so feel free to check that out as well. We ordered the large serving of the Mediterranean Trio & Crispy Spice Dusted Pita Chips that comes with creamy hummus, Spanish eggplant dip & classic babaganoosh. The Spanish eggplant dip was a little spicy but still very good, the babaganoosh didn’t have any flavor and I wasn’t very impressed but the hummus was fantastic, I wish we had more pita to finish it off. We were just gonna walk out with that but just the smell of chocolate all around you makes you want to have some. My Aunt and I ordered the Bananas Foster which can best be described as tater tots filled with banana sprinkled in powdered sugar. We were given toffee sauce and milk chocolate sauce to dip them in. The toffee sauce tasted just like a Heath bar but was a little strange with the banana flavor. The milk chocolate was probably the smoothest melted chocolate I’ve ever had. It’s reminiscent of a Hershey’s Symphony bar, that smooth flavor that you could eat with a spoon. Luckily they didn’t give us one or I would have had that whole dish. 
*Sorry for the dark pictures but Max Brenner like to keep his restaurant dark, I did the best I could
This Week
I have decided to drop the “This Week” section of my blog because I was finding it too difficult to update all of that information at once, once a week. In order to read what’s going on this week in the 518, become a fan on Facebook to follow my status updates daily (CLICK HERE) or follow me on twitter for more instant updates on events right when I find out about them HERE.
“When you leave here, don’t forget why you came”
Adlai Stevenson, to college graduates
Third North, Freshman Year
Carlyle Court, Sophomore Year
Alumni Hall, Senior Year
Washington Square Park, NYU "campus"
Trader Joes, my grocery store for 4 years
Bobst & Kimmel, where I spent most of my time on campus; random performances in WSP
Palladium Athletic Facility, where I worked for 3 years; made my best friends here
Union Square = Love
“Without ice cream, there would be darkness and chaos.”
Don Kardong
Bamboo Basket with Lemon Sole
Forbidden Broadway Sundae & Frozen Hot Chocolate
In my opinion, there is only one way to write about Serendipty 3, and that’s the start off with pictures of the food. Honestly, the food speaks for itself. Upon entering the small doorway, I get an essence of Alice and Wonderland. Colorful items to buy are on either side of you, and if you have to wait for a table you will see how crowded that little hallway gets and the friends you make waiting to sit down.
The first time I experienced Serendipity 3 was on the 21st birthday. I went to get dessert with friends of mine. To guarantee a table, call and make a reservation (up to 8 people ) for Lunch or Dinner (they don’t accept dessert res.). Once all the members of your party are there, they will either sit you at a table downstairs or upstairs. My first time was around Christmas so we were seated right next to a pink Christmas tree, so fitting for the decor. The most recent time we were seated upstairs in a room with high ceilings, a larger than life chandelier and tables close enough where you can smell the food of the table next to you but not close enough that you could take a bite. On my birthday, I ordered a salad. The name I can’t remember, it starts with an M and it’s located on a little post-it note attached to the first page of the menu. It has avocado, fruit, blue cheese and overall it’s the best salad I’ve ever had- handsdown.
This time, me and the members of my family all found the menu a little daunting. Not only is the amount of food choices a tad overwhelming but the menu size is as well. Each of the food choices sounds so appetizing, though, that though large you have to hold it and each each option. This time I got the Bamboo Basket (Bamboo Basket of steamed vegetables and lemon sole with a ginger sesame sauce 22.00). Everything tasted great. The waiter told us that everything located under the “De La Mer” & “De La Maison” sections takes about a half hour to cook which didn’t seem long at all but I ordered a New England Clam Chowder for the wait. The soup wasn’t very hot but it wasn’t cold either, about luke warm, a little colder than perfect soup temperature but it still tasted good. The fish was very warm and was very lemony. I love when the pieces of fish just peel off so I can just cut it with a fork. If you’re going to order this, watch out for the small fish bones that caught me off guard a few times!
Next, was dessert. These desserts are NOT MEANT to be eaten alone. My cousin Marina and I ordered the Forbidden Broadway sundae (Forbidden Broadway Sundae
chocolate Blackout cake, ice cream, hot fudge topped with whipped cream 15.00). Even with the two of us, after dinner we couldn’t finish it. The brownie should probably be written as “cake.” It was heavier than a brownie but tasted amazing with the ice cream and hot fudge. It’s a chocolate lovers dream!
Serendipity is known for their frozen hot chocolate so my Mom figured that we needed to order one- also to be shared (compare it to the glass of water in the picture). One would think that it tastes like chocolate milk, but no, it was honestly frozen hot chocolate. There was a distinct hot chocolate taste not found in chocolate milk. It was like an iced hot chocolate (vs. iced coffee) but almost with ice cream consistency. My Mom and I bought the makings of it in a package for home and it tasted about the same as a “fresh” one. You can add various flavors (mint, etc) but we all decided on the original.
Photo Credit: supersizemeals.com
The ice cream Serendipity is most known for is the Golden Opulence Sundae (reservation needed 48 hours in advance, $1000). I wonder how that tastes…
225 East 60th Street
between 2nd and 3rd Avenues
New York, NY 10022
http://www.serendipity3.com
To make a reservation for lunch or dinner please call 212-838-3531
“The trouble with eating Italian food is that five or six days later you’re hungry again.”
George Miller
Immediately upon walking into Babbo in Greenwich Village NYC, you get the feel of expensive restaurant by the quality of service, look of the interior as well as the well-stocked bar right up front. We went to dinner around 5:00pm and since we stumbled upon the restaurant we weren’t dressed like we were going to a fancy dinner and we didn’t have to be. I felt comfortable being in my pants and sandals, not out-of-place, but still left with the feeling that I just had an expensive meal, very well-balanced in my opinion.
Sorry for lighting; Fancy usually = dark restaurant
We were welcomed with a place of bread and chickpeas with an olive oil seasoning on it “compliments of the chef.” Everyone seemed to get something a little different but I just liked that we were given a little snack for free. We also got bread, and though it was terrific Italian bread, my Mom was a little disappointed that the crusts were a bit burnt. I ended up with a not so burnt piece but after looking over the rest of the basket, she was right in saying that it was a little crispy.
When ordering wine, the waitress was very knowledgeable. She knew what would go well with which course, but we just ordered what we wanted anyway. My wine, the Lambrusco Emilia (Mauro Zini NV Emilia- $8/glass) was very good (Wine list can be found here). Not oaky at all & a little dry but nothing can can’t be tolerated.
My Mom had heard that the Beef Cheek Ravioli (Beef Cheek Ravioli with Crushed Squab Liver and Black Truffles $23) was something to be experienced so she ordered that. Since we were already ordering the “best” thing on the menu, according to our waitress as well, I ordered Swordfish which was a special on the menu that day and I was unable to find it on the menu online.
My swordfish was in a kind of sauce that I didn’t remember off the menu and my Mom and I couldn’t name it by taste. Regardless, it was good. Overall dinner was fantastic. Though the ravioli sounded like something I normally wouldn’t give the time of day, I would imagine it to be the best thing on the menu. If I ever end up there again, I will be ordering that.
For dessert we saw ‘rhubarb’ and ordered it (Warm Rhubarb Crostata with Spiced Ricotta Gelato and Pine Nut “Crocante” $12). 
The gelato looked liked Vanilla Bean, with black pieces inside and the rhubarb was fantastic. Everything complimented each other really well (The orange X on the gelato we thought were sugared orange rinds). What I liked about the pastry was that it seemed like it was part scone and for all I know that’s what a “Crocante” could be but it was texture of a scone. Also, I’m not a huge fan of pine nuts and the flavor wasn’t too overwhelming at all. If I didn’t know there was pine nuts in it, I wouldn’t have been able to tell. The only downside to this dessert was fighting over the rhubarb between the two of us. We were also given cookies “compliments of the chef” for dessert after we had received this dessert.
One was an almond cookie, the next a chocolate cookie and the last was a meringue. By that point, we were both so full but were able to fit in a taste of the cookies. My favorite was the chocolate, in my opinion you can’t go wrong with a chocolate cookie.
I would recommend this restaurant to anyone who’s willing to pay for it. The food was worth the price as well as the portion size. Babbo also offers tasting menus for $65 a person which looked like all good food I’d love to try.
The entire menu can be found here at the restaurant’s website – http://www.babbonyc.com/restaurant.html
“Nuts just take up space where chocolate ought to be.”
Anonymous
A week ago my Mom came to visit to spend some time in NYC as well as move me out of my dorm room. If you haven’t read before (or checked out my new “Recent News” section above) I’m graduating college this week. 4 years of Undergrad all over, just like that. To spare you the boring details, my Mom and I first packed up my stuff. All of my stuff here is now packed into two cart-fulls. After we decided to go to a usual stop, Union Square.
Mom, I caught the guy smiling. You were right!
We came upon a demonstration by Marshalls, the retail store. Apparently they’re opening up a new store in the Union Square area and were doing a bit of promotion. When you went up to one of the girls with an orange bag, they handed you a key and you had to use that key to open up various closet doors. If it opened, you won a gift certificate. Neither my Mom or I won but it was fun, and the key key chain is really cute anyway!
Next, we started to get hungry. Well, having this being the last time we will both be in the city together as I’m an NYU student we felt it proper to return to our roots, Max Brenner. Max Brenner is the go-to stop for NYU freshman when parents come to visit. Anytime family came to visit I took them to Washington Square Park, Union Square, Whole Foods & Max Brenner’s. I felt it was fitting that we end our NYC reign at the same restaurant we started at.
We both decided to get burgers. I usually go for the veggie burger. It’s really good, the add a specially spiced mayo that as the burger crumbles in your mouth just accentuates the fantastic flavors. Mmm. This time I went for the Portobello Mushroom burger. When I ordered, the waiter made sure that I realized that there was no burger in this burger, which I thought was sweet. My Mom decided on the turkey burger. Both came with spicy french fries dusted with a chocolate powder. We decided to split each of our burgers so that we’d have half of each- great idea. I love portobello mushrooms and this did not disappoint. The mushroom was a big liquidy and dripped everywhere but as my Mom says “The messier it is, the better it seems to taste.” The turkey burger tasted like a regular turkey burger. What we both decided on was that the burger was less dry than when we tend to make them at home, which was a BIG plus.
Well, you can’t go to the self-proclaimed chocolate man without getting dessert so that was our next course. It seemed as if everyone around us was getting some type of fondue so we decided to join the crowd. Most of the fondues tended to be rather expensive and we had JUST eaten so we knew we didn’t want too much. Being so involved in the chocolate, I don’t remember what the name of the exact dish was but we got churros (thicker than the ones I had in Madrid) that came with two choices of chocolate, we decided on Milk Chocolate and Dark Chocolate and a raspberry sauce (neither my Mother or I really enjoy White Chocolate). 
I honestly don’t think I could do the taste justice in words, but I’m going to try. Each chocolate was wonderfully smooth. I would equate the milk chocolate to what I would image a Hershey’s Sympathy bar tasting like melted (And if this doesn’t bring to you a specific flavor, you need to get your hands on a Sympathy bar ASAP). My Mom had the good idea of mixing the raspberry sauce and the chocolate together- could it get any better. The “churros” were pretty much long donuts but they were good for dipping in the chocolate, that’s the star of the show anyway, isn’t it? We got 6 donut sticks, and 3 per person was a PERFECT amount, as long as you have water ready!
Max Brenner is always a wonderful experience, how can one go wrong with chocolate. I’ve also gotten the paella that they serve which is one of my favorites but a bit over priced for the amount you get in my opinion. If fondue is too much chocolate (if there’s such a thing) you can also order cookies and waffles with chocolate on the side to pour on. The hot chocolate during the cold winter NYC months is also a great choice, especially if you’re at a table and you can experience the “hug mug.” Something I have yet to try is their dessert pizza, covered in chocolate, marshmallows, and more- I have 5 days left, I may have to make one more “last visit” there.
“The only reason for time is so that everything doesn’t happen at once.”
Albert Einstein
This week at NYU was senior week. We had an event (almost) everyday. Since I did and saw so much this week, I figured I’d just summarize for you all what I did. First was the Spirit Cruise at Chelsea Piers. That was fun. Sadly, it took forever for then to check all of us and our bags, take a picture, and get our tickets that we left late but still had to stay on time coming back so it wasn’t as long as most of us had liked. By the time we got settled, ate, digested, had a drink (or two) we had about 20mins to dance and have fun.
During the day on Thursday our President Barack Obama was in Cooper Union giving a speech on the economy, I believe. I live on the same street as Cooper Union (sadly, I had class) but to give you an idea of how serious NYC gets when the president visits, here’s a picture of outside my window. The walk to class was not fun, look at all the cops! 
Thursday was Dave&Busters. Those of my readers from the 518 who don’t know Dave&Busters, think Jillian’s but much bigger. We were served hors d’oeuvre and had free fountain drinks all night. Since it was senior week I decided to purchase a $10.50 Jameson and Ginger–was it worth it? Not really. Did I regret it? Helllll no. 
They had the regular arcade type games: skeeball, basketball, guitar hero, etc. Shortly into our time there, we realized that the way to get the most tickets involved the “coin games.” You shot coins at other coins to try to push them down and each coin you pushed off the ledge earned you eight tickets. We were originally given 100 points to spend. I re-filled my card at one point and you can get 48 points for $10, 100 points for $20, etc. We had a coupon where I paid $10 and got $10 free so I ended up with 100 more points.
My friend Julie and I walked away with 1580 or so tickets. She got a huge gummy bear, I mean huge, and a pretty blue shot glass. I got a stuffed animal dragon. My feeling is that you can’t go to an arcade, get a lot of tickets and not walk away with a stuffed animal, that’s the point of them. To me, arcade = stuffed animal; mine was reasonably sized, though. I also got two D&B shot glasses (why drink alone?) and a ring pop. It was a great time, the only downside is that it’s on 42nd street and you have to make your way through Times Square to find it
The streets were too busy to take a picture from the side
During the day Friday, I found myself in SoHo looking for pieces to put together to make a senior formal outfit. Well, I either could’ve gone to Union Square or SoHo but I checked where the Cupcake Stop was that day on twitter and it pretty much made my decision. After shopping for clothes and shoes for awhile, it was time for a cupcake break. I went to the Cupcake Stop with my Mom on St.Patrick’s Day and she bought an Irish Carbomb cupcake and I bought a Stout cupcake (obviously)– they were delicious!! I was a little weary to see how these cupcakes would taste, would I be able to taste the stout and I could. If you’re going into the city or looking for a sweet, follow Cupcake Stop on twitter to see when they’re in your neighborhood, for $2.50 it’s totally worth it. On Friday, I got the Strawberry Banana cupcake and as expected, it was fantastic. 
No worries, they have containers available if you want to take advantage of them being parked in your neighborhood. Small cupcakes are $1.00 and regular cupcakes are $2.50, I believe. I think next time I may try that Nutella cupcake mm.
After, I was craving food. I was done buying clothes, the Cupcake Stop made me want to buy more tasty things for me to eat. I happened to walk by Dean & Deluca so I went inside. I’ve heard about it on TV (Sex & the City/30 Rock) and there’s one on University Place that I used to walk by to get to class but all I heard was that it was expensive and it turned me off. Well, I just got a pay check so I decided to splurge a little bit.
I walked in and realized that this wasn’t like the little coffee shop uptown, this was different. I explored a little bit, the made to order foods I could get. I ended up buying a stuffed artichoke for $3 and a crab cake for $10. I didn’t realize
until after but I had asked for the $8 crab cake but he printed the wrong slip. Then I went to try out the bread. The woman that was working was very sweet. She let me try a piece of the Provolone Bread that was fantastic. Bread stuffed with cheese, she recommended adding tomato sauce for an appetizer. Everything was reasonably priced and smelt fantastic. I ended up getting a Three Berry Muffin and it tasted very good. I couldn’t tell which berries exactly were in there but they had whole berries to make me feel like my muffin was healthy. I ate the crab cake and artichoke and was disappointed. Maybe I was supposed to have prepared it differently but it was supposed to be a Thai crab cake filled with flavors of salmon, lemongrass as well as crab but all I tasted was bland fish, fried bland fish– I wish I got the clam chowder. My Mom prepares artichokes at home and this was no comparison. The artichoke was hard, the bread crumbs were over whelming. I probably could have filled a container to use them in the future. I ended up just throwing it out. The heart was hard and tasteless as well.
Next, I went to Bite where I knew I wouldn’t be disappointed. Bite is located on Bleecker and Lafayette Streets. 
Especially with the construction, make sure you look or you might miss it. The wait may be 7-10mins but it’s worth it. The food ends up being warm and fresh. I always make sure to buy hummus when I go, my favorite is the Roasted Red Pepper and the amount you get for $5 is really a deal. Also, I got a chicken, cheese & pesto sandwich and a San Peligrino sparkling orange soda which together was $7. So all of the food I got, total ended up being about $13. The sandwich took me two meals to finish and I’m still working on the hummus after a few days. With the hummus you get warm homemade pita which I would buy alone. 
Seeing the picture of my food again is making me hungry. They also have a location on 14th street. I’ve been there before and gotten their bean soup. Also, warm and fantastic and only costs around $3-4. Nothing I’ve gotten from Bite has disappointed, I’ve been meaning to try their “Iced Chocolate” but I’m going to wait until the weather is a little less rainy.
I’ve been developing my blog more and more as I’ve been writing. Also since my surroundings are going to be changing in May back to Schenectady I need to figure out new things to write about. As I’ve mentioned before, I love writing about food and I love trying out new foods I find at the grocery store so I think I’m going to begin sampling new things I’ve tried and talk about if I liked them and hopefully help readers find out if they’d like it too.
First, Mochi. Anytime I try to explain this ice cream, those who have never heard of it give me a look of disgust until I finally get them to try it. My personal favorite flavor is Strawberry. I usually get them at M2M on Third and 10th Street down here for around $1.25 but you should be able to find it at your local Japanese restaurant. I went to Mr Wasabi’s on Union Street in Schenectady and though it wasn’t on their menu, they do serve it (and also deliver it) so it doesn’t hurt to ask! (Mr Wasabi has Mango flavored that I highly recommend). Mochi, in basic terms, is ice cream wrapped in dough. Don’t scoff right off the bat, give it a try, you’ll thank me.
Next, is something new I found at Trader Joe’s- Sunflower Seed Butter. To be honest, I’ve been shopping at Trader Joe’s for 4 years and have always wanted to try it– I ran out of PB so this was my chance (also, I’m graduating in May so this was my LAST chance). When I first opened it, the top had oil on it so make sure you stir that in before each use or you’re going to have a very oily sandwich. The taste initially was like PB, same consistency and everything but right as I began to swallow it felt like I was swallowing sunflower seeds, this is definitely not fake flavoring. I like it, plus if you buy it and don’t like it you can return it to Trader Joe’s for a full refund.
“Champagne and orange juice is a great drink. The orange improves the champagne. The champagne definitely improves the orange.”
Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Today with two friends of mine, we experienced the brunch at Sushi Samba. I also attended a SushiSamba meet and tweet a month or so ago. My friends and I ate various delicious sushi rolls along with tweeting about them (we all know how much I love my twitter). We decided that night, after reading the menu, that we need to try brunch and here’s where we found ourselves this afternoon.
There are many options for the brunch menu but we opted for family style. Minimum of 2 people, $15 per person, choice of 4 things from the menu to share. Your choices are:
We decided on the Assorted Pastries and Breakfast cakes, Carmen Miranda, Eggs any Style with chorizo and the Asian Pear Pancakes. Reading what exactly these pastries are now that we were eating, they make sense. We were given the bowl of fruit, no idea what was which and I have to say the guava empanada was by favorite, that and the banana buttermilk were fantastic. With these various pastries we were given three types of condiments to put on them: raspberry jam, maple butter and some sort of tomato based jam like substance that was very sweet and very good.
Next, we received the Carmen Miranda. The seasonal fruit included raspberries, blueberries, blackberries and pineapples, just a medium size bowl of fruit- a dream. Along side was a small dish of yogurt. The yogurt was very good, with pieces of granola and I believe raisin on top. I just wish there was more yogurt for us to share, it was quite a small dish for the amount of fruit we were given.
Third, was the eggs any style platter which alone would have been worth $15. They accommodate each meal to the number of people in your party so we were given three eggs, 8 pieces of chorizo and 3 pieces of bread. Having been in Madrid last Spring, I take advantage of any opportunity to eat chorizo. It was really good. Sometimes I’ve found that restaurants make the chorizo too juicy to the point where it’s a little too oily and I find myself covered in chorizo juice which wasn’t the case here. It was the perfect amount of juicy without the actual juice spilling everywhere. Underneath the bread there was a white substance that we found to be a tad spicy. I still couldn’t tell you what it was but it was tasty as well, especially with the bread dipped in it.
Finally we had the pear pancakes. Besides the obvious fantastic taste, I loved the texture of the pancakes. I was able to cut them with my fork and they were moist but not like they were doused in syrup; they didn’t even need syrup. They gave us whipped cream but along with the fact that I can’t eat it, I don’t think it needed anything to accompany it’s flavor. Again, they knew there was 3 of us so we got 3 pancakes- perfect!
As a beverage, it being brunch, I ordered a mimosa. It was a tad strong but not noticeable in the flavor if you enjoy mimosas as I do. It was a tad pricy ($13) which I didn’t realize until I got the bill but I did enjoy it and think about it all morning. My friend Sibyl ordered hash which was spicy, something I’m not used to. It had pieces of pepper and you could taste the spices but it didn’t leave me running for my glass of water. I really enjoy food that doesn’t involve me to add additional condiments. I feel like condiments in restaurants are just a way of saying that the food doesn’t have enough flavor on it’s own (Hamburgers/Hot Dogs need ketchup/mustard, I get it, I agree). I enjoyed everything we ordered this afternoon and the best part was that after all that food I didn’t find myself so full that I felt like I needed to not eat for the rest of the day. $15 a person, how could you beat that? This is definitely a bunch I’d like to experience again.
