Tales from the East Coast ~ NY Eats

Food is big on my travel itinerary. I love farmer's markets and discovering local produce. I make it a point to go to the local grocery stores and seeing the difference (from the arresting smell of cardamom, cloves and cinnamon in India to the abundance of organic produce in San Francisco; countless variations of kimchi in South Korea and the dizzying choice of cheeses in Madrid). Most of all, I enjoy eating :) This affinity for food has sharpened my instinct when it comes to choosing restaurants. I spot it and I just know. 

Here's a guide to some the best eats in New York (these are not Michelin star places, don't really care about that kind of stuff, but these spots are definitely must eats!):

♥ Eataly ~ wines, cheese, antipastos, gelatos. You get the idea.
♥ Village Yokocho ~ squeeze in for Japanese and Korean comfort food in a lively setting 
♥ Bistro Les Amis ~ a cozy corner French bistro with excellent entrees 
♥ Ramen Misoya ~  the miso broth is what makes a ramen and this place has some pretty tasty ones (choose from 3 different types of miso). Great ramen minus the long wait at the more popular Ippudo.
♥ Boqueria ~ amazing tapas (highly comparable to the ones you get in Spain!) in a pretty modern setting 
♥ Saigon Kick ~ head here for a bowl of pho and sample some of their banh mis before catching a show across the street at the Comedy Cellar (prices are unbelievably cheap by NY standards)
♥ Terrace 5 at MoMa ~ have a glass of wine overlooking the museum's sculpture garden 
♥ Good Enough To Eat ~ brunch in warm and friendly surroundings, the pancakes and waffles come with strawberry butter! 
♥ Peacefood Cafe ~ great vegan food (order the dumplings!) and pastries in a cool and laid back atmosphere. 
♥ Whole Foods Market ~ when you're in a hurry or plain tired and hungry from all the walking, then there's this. An array of sushi, salads, breads, pastries and a whole lot of international cuisine. Grab a tray or two then grab a seat at their vibrant food hall. Quick and tasty!

EATALY

SoHo

East Village

Greenwich

Good Enough to Eat

Sorry for the lack of food photos, I was too hungry to remember my camera! :)

Next stop, Florida!

If you're going to San Francisco... ~ Farmer's Market

The mere fact that the Ferry Building gets blogged twice in this series shows how fantastic it is. Saturdays, like I previously mentioned, is the weekend farmer's market where local farmers sell their amazing organic produce (I tasted the sweetest tomatoes, scored Padron peppers) and some of the city's best food trucks show up (yummy Mexican fish tacos and tamales + sweet lavender lemonade). And it just so happened that this particular Saturday was also my birthday :) what a treat!

The Ferry Building

Jewels in the sun ~ yellow, red & PURPLE bell peppers!

Organic Broccoli

The cutest pumpkins ever!

Curried Mango salt, anyone?

The perfect day

The perfect date(s) (with my girlfriend Chica partially hidden in the background)

The perfect birthday! :)

things you need to know (when in greece)

Horta - boiled greens, a favorite appetizer of many which looks like a blob of deep green moss and seaweed on a plate. Served with olive oil and a generous dash of lemon, it's probably the best vegetable dish you can ever have.

Tsipouro - a crystal clear liquor from grape skins, leftovers from the wine making process to be exact. This wildly bitter drink is also known as Raki and the Greeks love to drink it with meals. I think I may be addicted to it.

Baklava - an extremely sweet Greek dessert composed of filo pastry, chopped nuts & honey. I probably won't eat it again, but having it for the first time in Santorini tastes like something I've been waiting for my entire life.

"Only in Greece..." - is a phrase you are bound to hear always especially from the men whose passion for anything Greek is fiery. "Taste this, our ocean is so rich with minerals that only in Greece will you have this kind of fish" or "You will never have an authentic Greek salad elsewhere, only in Greece can you get this kind of tomatoes..." Disagreeing is not recommended.

Hopa (!) - after a few rounds Tsipouros, Greek men especially are fond of shouting this. I asked "what does it mean?" Looks at me and shouts "We don't know!" Hopa!