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Chinatown, Restaurants
Banh Mi (Vietnamese Sandwich) at Pho So 1 – NYC
04.13.09 | Permalink | 3 Comments

My usual go-to banh mi (Vietnamese sandwich) spot is Banh Mi Saigon on Mott Street. I used to prefer the other popular shop in Alphabet City, but then last summer, I got a severe case of food poisoning one day after eating a banh mi there. After that, I’ve been a bit wary of the place, and have been sticking to the Vietnamese sandwiches in Chinatown. Because trust me, if I got sick, something must have been terribly wrong.

Last week, I got off the N train on Canal Street with a craving for a banh mi, but for some reason, I didn’t want to go above Canal Street. Instead, I ended up wandering down Mott Street when I saw the grand opening sign for Pho So 1 advertising a ten percent discount off all of their Vietnamese sandwiches (take-out only). Banh mis, usually in the $3-$4 range, are cheap as is, but a ten percent discount on top of that was pretty ridiculous. So where some people would be scared of a discount on food in Chinatown, I readily descended into the depths of Pho So 1. MORE »
Hell's Kitchen, Small Shops
Sullivan Street Bakery aka Carb Heaven – NYC
04.02.09 | Permalink | 9 Comments

The bad thing about ever denying yourself anything, is that you’ll crave it even more and overindulge when given the chance. Case in point, the end of last year, I decided to reduce my carbohydrate intake. Subsequently, two weeks ago, I finally gave in to my cravings and ate three Chinese pastries immediately after eating a bowl of pho. Yeah, not so good. So instead of delaying the inevitable, I decided to forgo the carb diet nonsense, and have been happily spending my lunches at Sullivan Street Bakery, aka Carb Heaven. MORE »
Chinatown, Restaurants
Afternoon Snacking at Sun Say Kai – NYC
03.27.09 | Permalink | Comment?

Char-Siu Bao @ Sun Say Kai

I should really title this post “Desserts at Sun Say Kai,” since I went there after eating a few spring rolls and an entire bowl of pho, but Chinese pastries aren’t really desserts. They’re more like portable mini-meals that a normal person would probably eat for breakfast or a mid-day snack. So, for the sake of appearing less like a glutton, let’s just say the snacking took place a few hours after lunch, not a few minutes.

At a Chinese bakery, I normally get either a roast pork bun (char-siu bao), a pineapple bun (bo lo bao), or a slice of rice cake (baak tong gou). At an attempt to watch my weight, I decided to nix the pineapple bun and got a sticky rice roll, a roast pork bun, and a slice of rice cake. Yes, I could have gotten just one pastry, but my rationale at the time was that I would just have a few bites of each. Of course that didn’t happen, but each baked good was only seventy to ninety cents. In my mind, if it’s that cheap, it doesn’t really count. MORE »
Small Shops, Street Eats
Wafels & Waffles – NYC/NY
03.01.09 | Permalink | 4 Comments

Since Vermont, I’ve become determined to find a good waffle in the city. Not the heavy IHOP version covered in a downpour of powdered sugar, cloying “maple” syrup, and slimed with fluorescent berry ooze, but light Belgian waffles, crisp with caramelized sugar. Last year, the interwebs went crazy over Wafels & Dinges, which at the time I ignored completely. I assumed the worst, and to be honest, was too lazy to go on the hunt for the elusive Wafels & Dinges truck. Last week however, as a serious waffle craving haunted my every minute, especially after an unsatisfying waffle experience over the weekend at Windham, I decided it was finally time to check out the waffles from Wafels & Dinges. But first, I had to find the truck. MORE »
Chinatown, Midtown, Street Eats
Summer Cravings – NYC
07.24.08 | Permalink | Comment?

Chicken Biryani from the Biryani Cart

Summer cravings are a strange thing for me. I never know what I’ll crave. Usually it’ll be something really flavorful, because when it’s so hot out, I lose my appetite and I need something strong to awaken my taste buds. Last year, all I ever wanted to eat was chicken biryani from the biryani cart on 46th Street. Delicious dark meat chicken and basmati rice flavored with chili peppers and heavy on the cardamom, what more could you ask for? Maybe some of the mango pickles they throw in… MORE »