Last month I had the pleasure of visiting the city I would be living in had I not settled in Chicago: New York City! For me, travelling is equivalent to a binge-eating spree, with everything in between meals serving only as a way to kill time before I get hungry again. Naturally, I saw this trip as a perfect opportunity to expand my food horizons.
Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera with me at all times and was forced to take photos with my phone, which inexplicably broke down shortly after my journey; the good news is that though the photos are gone forever, the memories remain, and these undocumented places will not go unmentioned.
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First place I visited was Landmarc at Columbus Circle, per my lifetime New Yorker friend's recommendation. She described the pain perdu there as her favorite French toast, and I gotta say - she wasn't wrong. However, nothing could have prepared me for the beast that lay before me:
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| What is this???? |
We also ordered the eggs Norwegian, which was your standard eggs benedict with smoked salmon. Good, but nothing earth-shattering like the pain perdu.
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My last hurrah before my return to Chicago was gelato at Grom, which my aforementioned lifetime New Yorker friend described as the best gelato she's ever had (and she's been all over Italy!). I'm not sure if I've had enough gelato to be an adequate judge, but I find it hard to imagine that gelato in Italy (or anywhere, for that matter) could get much better than this.
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My next meal in New York was an introduction to southern Indian cuisine (which I now understand is quite different from the more commonplace northern counterpart), courtesy of my awesome South Indian friend. While he was planning on taking me to an all-vegetarian place, we actually ended up at Anjappar (where they serve poultry and seafood) due to my carnivorous urges. As a huge fan of curry and naan, I ordered the chicken thali, which looked something like this:
This meal was...interesting? I had no idea what any of it was - other than the rice and the chicken curry in the corner - and I still don't. I do remember, however, that the bowl of white stuff was literally just plain yogurt.
"What am I supposed to do with it?" I asked my friend, confused.
"You're supposed to mix it with your rice," he replied.
"Um......I think I'll pass."
To my friend's utter dismay, my verdict was that north Indian cuisine is vastly superior, thus why it was popularized in the United States (though my taste buds may eventually convert after prolonged exposure).
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Dinner the same day was at Totto Ramen; my friend and I arrived at 9 PM and waited approximately 45 minutes for a bowl of ramen. It was the best Japanese ramen I have ever had (granted, I haven't had much of it), and I would gladly wait 45 minutes for it again and again for the rest of my life.
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Next day's brunch was at The Smith in Midtown, which was no better or worse than any other highly trafficked brunch place I have been to in the past (though I did appreciate the free orange juice and unlimited bread refills). My friend ordered an eggs benedict and I ordered the ranchero scramble (scrambled eggs, black beans, salsa, cheese, and avocado on top of a tortilla).
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| I tragically forgot to take a picture until I was almost done with it. |
My last hurrah before my return to Chicago was gelato at Grom, which my aforementioned lifetime New Yorker friend described as the best gelato she's ever had (and she's been all over Italy!). I'm not sure if I've had enough gelato to be an adequate judge, but I find it hard to imagine that gelato in Italy (or anywhere, for that matter) could get much better than this.
Some gelato is just ice cream masquerading as such, but this was not the case with Grom's gelato; the way it formed stiff peaks while it was being scooped and eaten was a dead giveaway. I'm no expert, but something about the way gelato is made creates that elastic texture and dense body, and it's a nice deviation from the ice cream - froyo - Frappuccino cold dessert rotation I've got going on in my life.
New York is an impossibly large city, and I've barely even begun to scratch the surface of the myriad restaurants in and around the area. But I think this is a good start, and I've already got a pipeline of restaurants I'd like to try the next time I'm in the area (which will hopefully be soon).
Restaurants mentioned:
Landmarc
10 Columbus Cir #3
New York, NY 10019
(212) 823-6123
landmarc-restaurant.comAnjappar Chettinad
116 Lexington Ave
Manhattan, NY 10016
(212) 265-3663
www.anjapparusa.com
Totto Ramen
366 W 52nd St
New York, NY 10019
(212) 582-0052
tottoramen.com
The Smith
956 2nd Ave
New York, NY 10022
(212) 644-2700
www.thesmithnyc.com
Grom
1796 Broadway
New York, NY 10019 http://www.grom.it/en/
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