New York: Food Adventures

I'm sure there are a thousand things I could tell you about my trip this weekend, but I'll try and break it down into multiple posts so you don't want to murder me after reading the longest post in the history of blogging.

So lets start with the best part--food!

I wasn't terribly stressed out about eating on the trip. I knew there would be "cheat" times, and I knew that it would be difficult to eat clean on vacation. But I was okay with that. The great thing is, New York is full of diverse restaurants, bakeries, and cafes, which provides plenty of options to find something that I was comfortable eating. Here's a recap of some of my favorite things:

1. In New York, there are delis everywhere! And the funny thing is, the sandwiches, pizza, and paninis are already made. Once you order, they grab the sandwich and throw it on the grill to heat it back up. I had a delicious eggplant parmesan panini the first night, and it didn't taste reheated at all. The pita bread was still chewy and soft, and not soggy. The eggplant with fresh basil and tomato sauce were really fantastic as well. I have not had too much success making eggplant parmesan, but I think I'm going to have to try again!

 2. We found this fantastic little place called Au Bon Pain by accident, and it was fantastic! Their pastries and cookies are really what drew us in, but they also had a great soup and sandwich bar. The best part? Everything was labeled with the amount of calories. Love it! I tried their pumpkin soup and pumpkin muffin (yes, I'm addicted) but by far the best treat there was the cranberry almond macaroons. Nice and "coconutty"--and once, we even got them while the chocolate was still hot and melty. Yum!

 3. One night we went to a gorgeous place called Eataly. It was established by the great Mario Batalli as a place where Americans can go and experience Italy. There were fish, pasta, and pizza restaurants, as well as multiple Italian food markets. There was a vegetable section, which had the most fantastic veggies (I'm pretty sure I was in heaven!), many of which I had never seen before! There were white eggplants, purple baby artichokes, pink beans, and gorgeous herbs. I wanted to buy everything and take it home with me, but I have a feeling they wouldn't have survived the plane.

4. I love Greek food. There is nothing I don't love, from hummus to falafels to lamb gyros. All of it is delicious and makes my tummy very happy! Besides picking up some awesome gyros from a street cart, we also went to a nicer Greek restaurant called Daphni.  I shared the Greek salad and lamb kabobs with Mom, and both were delicious. 

5. My favorite restaurant was probably Yum Yum Thai food. Which of course, I was too busy inhaling my food to get a decent picture. But believe me when I say that it was awesome. I had veggie and tofu in a ginger sauce with brown rice, with a spicy shrimp soup as a starter. I loved the ginger sauce, and I finally fulfilled my week long craving for tofu! Yes, I crave tofu. I know I'm weird. Anyways, Thai is definitely one of my favorite cuisines, and Yum Yum's didn't disappoint.


Coming up next...the Broadway Experience!