HaitiangirlinNY

I’m a fan of hot dogs whether it’s at the ball park with loads of ketchup, mustard and onions; at the carts on the Mission district of San Francisco (and LA) bacon wrapped with all the fixings; or prepared at home slathered with canned chili, shredded cheddar cheese and onions…okay, you get the picture.  Having said all that, Crif Dogs is THE best hot dog shop I’ve been to since Pinks in LA!  Inventive toppings and combinations with something for everyone!  Post happy hour a group of five and myself stumble into Crif Dogs.  It’s a small shop on St. Mark’s Place that’s funky cool in vibe and ambiance.  But for a place like this, who cares about ambiance…on to the food!!  My sister and I order/share the following: 

- Spicy Red Neck - This bacon wrapped hot dog is topped with chili, cole slaw, and jalapenos.  I read this description and knew I had to have it for myself!  I mean what’s not to like?!  The chili with the jalapenos provided the dog with a bit of heat, and the cole slaw a crunchy creaminess.  I didn’t even dare dip ketchup on this sucker.  It was gone in a matter of five bites.

- Good Morning - This was my sister’s pick—a bacon wrapped hot dog smothered with melted cheese and a fried egg.  Pure genius—it’s like eating a breakfast sandwich!!  I just had one bite and dipped it in ketchup, but that was enough to know I’d order that again!

If you are in the mood for ice cream, you definitely need to check out Chinatown Ice Cream Factory. Dont be afraid of the name, the place is legit! They have many flavors, some that are your typical flavors but most of the flavors are more exotic, when I say exotic I mean,  flavors, based on things asians use to cook/make dessert with. For instance, almond cookie flavor, pandan, egg custard, lychee pineapple, tangerine, black sesame etc. They give out samples, so dont be afraid to ask. The place is always crowded, line is always out the door, but like all other asian places, they work super fast to serve you so you can be out of their store for the next batch of people. I heard that the ginger and lychee flavors together is the best. So that’s going to be my next stop. My friend had the mocha chip and it was fantastic, too. I tried the red bean and it’s delicious, but the flavor is not very strong and I love my red bean. 

To appreciate Mr. Chow’s one must recognize his goal is to elevate Chinese food from the “grimy” take-out joints to a more “sophisticated” experience at high-end establishment served by an impeccably  dressed staff.  This is the place where corporate CEOs and Hollywood big-shots might enjoy dining on innovative take of Chinese cuisine.

There is no menu and it’s family-style portions (meaning, plates ample enough to share). The waiter will ask whether you are in the mood for seafood, chicken, or pork and act as your ‘consultant’.   For appetizers, we ordered shredded chicken and lettuce wraps (just as good elsewhere), fried seaweed (first time trying this and tasted good), and chicken skewers with some kind of sweet sauce (chicken was bland, but sauce was fantastic); As entrees, we went with the prawns with caramelized walnuts (my favorite), lobster with scrambled eggs (tasted like bland scrambled eggs with only one piece of lobster meat), and fried rice (somewhat greasy).

I was most impressed with the concept but mixed reaction with the execution. I wasn’t disappointed with their cocktails though….I had the BEST Belvedere and vodka concoction(s).   
I was a little annoyed that they sat our party of 2 right next to a party of 3 male diners having an intense business discussion.  One of the guys  had a laptop open with slides/charts, etc.  Isn’t the goal of any ‘concept’ establishment to provide an experience for patrons to disconnect from their lives?  There were other tables available and it was lapse of judgement by maitre d’. 

Brick lane is the first in a line of curry houses on this street and has the most soul. The seating area is a narrow alley with a brick wall on one side and paintings of Goa on the other, with a straw blind covering an unused door for good effect. The staff was friendly  even though quite busy. We ate off the regular menu rather than the buffet and were delighted. The appetizers were very flavorful and spicy (cauliflower with garlic sauce and onion bhaji) and the curries were just perfect. The one thing I did have an issue with was the service.  When we arrived there was not that many people in the restaurant but it took almost 20 minutes for someone to come over to our table to ask us our drink order.  After the initial delay they did do a better job attending to our table but it was still slower than what usual service should be.

 I was at first upset at the appearance I Am Thai, as it took the place of the neighborhood’s best Chinese takeout joint. I have since been bowled over. The place has been gussied up a bit, although it’s still obviously a mostly take-out joint. However, not only does I Am Thai feature delicious Thai food for excellent prices, but the menu is quite a nice piece of work as well.  Not only are there a lot of great choices at I am Thai, but there seems to be an array of choices that veer towards street food or more basic Thai cuisine than I am used to seeing. These include the $4.95 “Everyday Deal in Bangkok” which is ground basil chicken over rice topped with a fried egg. Delicious. An order of “Thai styled Chicken over yellow rice”  saw a very simple, but nice chunk of chicken over rice. But, the menu also includes the more complex Thai dishes we’re all used to. If  you’re a Thai food aficionado, a few items on their menu may be better at your other fave Thai restaurants in Woodside, but this place serves up some tasty deals. I love the variety of foods on their menu, truly something for everyone. 

The host was very nice and we were promptly seated at our 1pm reservation time. The place was pretty much empty… there were a few other patrons, but not many. We both went for the lunch special and I ordered mine with “minestrone” soup, which was not minestrone soup. Rather, it was a mixed vegetable soup with a light chicken broth. I don’t care what these fools tell you when you question the look of the “minestrone,” ‘cause that certainly wasn’t what it was. However, I liked the mixed vegetable soup. I also went with the rigatoni with sausage. It was decent and the sauce was light and filled with chunks of tomato. Very good.  For about $10, Bella Luna wasn’t a bad deal.The restaurant serves robust Italian food at reasonable prices. My sister’s favorite pasta dishes are the seafood linguine with a generous amount of shrimp, scallops, squid, and clams in a basil tomato sauce and the bowties with salmon and fresh peas in vodka sauce. Service is excellent, and I think newcomers are treated just as well as people like us who have been coming here for years and are greeted like family when we walk in the door. The steep markup on wine is my only complaint.

I personally am obsessed with the Shack Stack, which completely makes you question your mortality, but is just too delicious for its own good (or your own good, rather).  This was my first time at an indoor Shake Shack and the food is consistent with the original Madison Sq. Park location.  Sparse and cramped seating but my friends and I still managed to get a table at dinner time on a Saturday. The burger looked like it had a lot of love put it into it - It was nicely settled into its half sized parchment bag. The buns were lightly tossed onto the beef, crispy lettuce, and juicy (but not running all the over the place) tomato.The burger is just as small or big, however you like to see your burger, as Burger Joint. So, if you have a big appetite like me, you might want to share some fries with someone or get the double burger. The fries are very crispy, and have a lot more potato than the slender fries at burger joint.  Not only are the burger and fries delicious.  The shakes and frozen yogurts and concretes are also delicious (also pretty sure equally not as good for you)  The concretes are like a mcflurry equivalent of mcdonalds.  All of which are pretty good. 

This little gem is located on 43rd street between 2nd and 3rd Ave. Everything about this place is amazing.Wonderful service, atmosphere, and most importantly the freshest sushi you can find.When I came here I ordered the Omakase. You really can’t go wrong. The texture of the sushi was perfect-soft and it felt like it melted in my mouth-like butter baby! What really got me hooked was the octopus. I never eat octopus as sushi usually because the texture is rubbery and hard to chew.
I didn’t know what to think when the master chef served me some octopus-I wasn’t going to refuse it, that would have been rude. I decided well why not? So I tried it and now it’s my favorite piece of sushi-there only!I recommend doing the omakase at the counter so the chef (mine was  Chef Yoshi, who was brilliant) can explain all the pieces that you’re eating.  Each piece of fish is expertly cut with just the right amount of rice, dab of wasabi and brushed soy sauce.  Once you try the sushi here, you’ll discover what it means to have quality fish. The only disadvantage is that it is a little pricey but hey you gotta pay good money for good food right? 

$1 for a slice of cheese pizza. Plain and simple. You can also get 2 slices of pizza and a can of soda for only $2.75. These are the best deals for food that you can get in East Village. If you are drunk from a night of drinking in the neighborhood, I suggest that you go to 2 Bros Pizza if you want something to eat, but you don’t have a lot of cash.There is usually a line that goes out the door, but you will get your pizza in no time. The cooks always keep the people moving because they are always cranking out fresh pizzas. This means that not only are you only waiting for a minute or two, but also that your pizzas are going to be fresh and hot out of the oven. 

New York City is known for their amazing pizza. I have only been to two places in the city where I can actually say the pizza was not tasty. But two bro’s is the place to go because not only is it extremely cheap (you wont find a better deal anywhere else in NY) but it is actually very very delicious. The only negative aspect I can see about this place is that they don’t deliver. If they had delivery service it would make it ten times better than it already is.

My name is Kristina Delatour and I moved to New York four years ago. Born and raised in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, my life took a completely different path when i moved to the states but more specifically here. I am 22 years old and I have been to dozens of countries varying from Italy, Spain, France, Trinidad, and they are all wonderful places but I have never been to a place as amazing and as diverse as New York. The city has changed me in so many ways and i love it even more for that. I became much more open, artistic, creative and adventurous the moment i began living here. The one thing that truly amazes me about this city is all the different variety of restaurants and cuisines there are. I absolutely adore food and this place has delicious quality food that will make your mouth instantly crave it. On my blog i will explore several types of restaurants and will mostly focus on the food and services.