Hello again! I promised to post about the food I ate in NYC and here it is.
I can't afford overly fancy dining so my budget for eating was generally under $20 per person. I spent a little more Sunday brunch but besides that, we stood by our budget. I researched some restaurants in advance before we came to NYC, but some places were spontaneously picked. I chose these restaurants based on my interest as well as the route we were going to take that day.
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The first place we went to was Bella Vita Pizzeria on W43rd St. NYC is famous for their pizza so I was excited to try it. We ordered a Sicilian-style pizza with sausage and spinach. You order the base first (Sicilian-style, thin-crust, etc.) then add additional toppings in which the cost will vary.
The pizza's crust was pretty sublime. I prefer thinner crusts but for those who love eating crust, this was the pizza for you. The toppings were fresh and the sauce was just right--not too heavily seasoned and had the right acidity.
I believe the pizza was about $30 (plus tip) in total and it can probably feed 6 people easy. We had three slices left over and brought it home.
I would recommend this place! They also sell their pizza by the slice.
Next up, Woorijip Korean Restaurant on W32nd St. The picture doesn't do it justice, but this was my favourite eatery during my stay here. You pay for the food per pound; $7.99/lb to be exact. There were a variety of foods from banchans, -jeons, bulgogi, fried chicken, kimbaps, etc. They also sell many korean drinks and sell pre-packaged kimbaps and foods. I think this food tray + a sikhye drink costed me $10. Such a bargain for good Korean comfort food.
Next eatery was Balthazar. This restaurant is more upscale that what I'm used to with the price range at $20+ per person. If you're wondering about what this flower arrangement has to do with the restaurant, it was just pretty, that's all.
It was unbelievably crowded in there.
Inez eating her smoked salmon platter.
I ordered the corned beef hash. It was $20 and it was quite good. It had crispy corned beef, onions, potatoes, frisee leaves, and topped with an over-easy egg.
The final bill for the four of us...where we find out that the sparkling water was $15?!? Honestly, the waitress just asked if we wanted juice or sparkling water. I knew I should've asked for tap water.
Next stop was Ferrara in Little Italy. They sold many Italian sweets and pastries, as well as gelato and coffee. I saw the glorious piles of cannoli and I knew I had to get one.
At $4 each, they're not cheap but wow, they were sublime. The filling was creamy and not too sweet. The shell around it was perfectly crisp and not soggy at all. Perfect.
For breakfast the next day we went to a bagel shop on 8th Ave. It was supposed to be called "Bagel Stix" but when we arrived there the name changed to "Pick A Bagel" . This is the lox bagel with cream cheese and tomato on their sesame seed bagel. It was delicious...and pricey at $10 a pop. They also had a lot of cream cheese flavours like vegetable tofu, raisin walnut, etc. I would definitely try those next time.
We ate at Shakeshack for lunch. Not the cheapest burger joint but it seemed like a must-try when in NYC. There were a lot of locations--since we were coming from Central Park, we went to the closest location on Columbus Ave. The verdict? Really good burger and fries (fries cost extra, $2.85). The burger I got was the single ShackBurger ($4.75). The bun was really moist, with a good garlic butter flavour. The patty was thin but had a really tasty crust on it. They also sell a lot of milkshakes and frozen custards that are worth a try!
It's time for Thai food at Pam Real Thai on W49th St. near our hotel. I had really good Thai food in California and was hoping that this place was as good, and it was! The portions were just a little small for my liking. The drinks above are Thai Iced Tea at $2 each--I love this stuff and they rarely sell it in Canada.
This is Larb ($6). It's ground beef, red onion, cilantro, mint leaves, chili, lime and roasted rice powder. You scoop up the beef mixture with lettuce leaves. This one was quite acidic but I didn't really mind--definitely a must try.
I can't remember exactly which one this was...but I think it was Pad Key Mao at ($7.50). Really, really good. The noodles were thicker than what I'm used to but it had such a good texture and a nice sweet, spicy flavour.
Crispy pork with Chinese broccoli. I didn't remember the price but I think it was $8. Really good--cooked perfectly with crispy double-fried pork.
I figured that we had to try one of the curries--this is their Panang Curry with pork ($8). Great flavour and not too heavy with coconut milk. The pork was a little tough though.
We also ate at Tasty Dumpling in Chinatown and it was unbelievably cheap, but honestly it was nothing special. If you want a quick, filling meal, definitely try their boiled chicken and mushroom dumpling.
Anywho, food in NYC was pretty good! The final part of the NYC trip will be posted soon.
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