Monday, April 5, 2010

Food For Friday: NYC Favorite Eats

We like to eat.  New York has a lot of amazing food.  A long list of our to-do's in the Big Apple involved sampling eats at many of the restaurants around the city.  We hung out with some friends of ours one of our last nights in NYC and they said, "Wow.  You ate your way through the City."  Yes, yes we did.  And here is a rundown of our favorites and recommended don't miss spots if you ever find yourself in the Big Apple.

Crumbs hit my sweet spot.  It far outshined the more famous cupcake shop in the city in my book (and my husband’s.)  In town for 2 weeks, a combination of business and pleasure, I won’t divulge how many visits I made to this charming cupcake shop, just blocks from Central Station.  Moist, delicious, giant cupcakes with piles of perfect icing.  Don't miss the Fluffernutter, a vanilla cupcake filled with peanut butter cream and topped with cream cheese frosting. 

As big fans of a good burger, and fairly frequent travelers, my husband and I often find ourselves seeking out the best local burgers (not excluding regional chains) as we travel around the country. Always in search of a new favorite burger, we find ourselves sometimes disappointed, but often satisfied. But rarely do we come out of a burger joint having found a patty that tops our previous favorite. After 2 stops at Shake Shack in the Upper West Side during our recent visit to NYC, we agreed that we think we’ve found our new favorite burger!

And don’t forget to save room for dessert! The shakes are top notch, holding their own beside the burgers, with rich flavor and the perfect thickness that even requires a larger-than-usual straw. I ordered a combination of peanut butter and chocolate (possible though not listed on the menu) and it was like liquid Reeses in a cup.

Five Guys, I still love you, but Shake Shack has stolen this girls’ burger heart!


I adore mac ‘n cheese, so when I heard there was an entire restaurant devoted to this American favorite, I knew we had to try it.  S’mac is gourmet mac ‘n cheese at its best. The menu provides both a list of suggested favorites, or the option to create your own unique combination from their extensive list of ingredients.  The mac ‘n cheese is rich and pleasingly gooey with just the right amount of cheesy goodness.  Try the Alpine, it was our favorite and Tru is still talking about it!


Made famous by the movie “Serendipity,” this café is quirky and full of personality.  Go for dessert.  Order their famous giant Frozen Hot Chocolate, and make it a Peanut Butter or Mint one.  Chocolatey goodness.

There may or may not have been some slurping noises at the finale of this dessert experience that made my hubby roll his eyes.  Ehem.  Moving right along...

The Doughnut Plant is known for their innovative flavors, and the doughy goodness did not disappoint. The crème brulee doughnut had an intriguing slight sugary crunch to it’s exterior and a thick, rich crème filling that reminded me of a smooth custard. The peanut butter glazed doughnut filled with blackberry jam was another favorite.  They just might be the most interesting doughnuts you’ve ever tasted.

My hubby loves, loves, loves doughnuts.  This face is the face of pure delight and followed by, "mmmmmm."

The Popover Cafe is known for its namesake popovers, which are similar to a croissant in flaky, buttery texture, but shaped like a giant muffin. By giant, I mean 6-8 inches tall!  Many of their entrees feature popovers, and nearly all of the sandwiches can be ordered on one.

I was so nervous to get on the scale after our food adventures in NYC, but lucky for me, you also do a LOT of walking, so the needle actually tipped the other way.  And we had very happy, and full, stomachs!

(You can find my complete NYC review complete with tips & hints at Trip Advisor here:  http://is.gd/bfOoA )

2 comments:

annie said...

Eating your way thru NYC is one of the BEST things to do! Try eating at 4 or 5 different places in a span of 5 hours or so the day you leave, that's tough but worth it! Glad you and Truman got to try so many eateries especially S'mac (which I still talk about also!) and Donut Plant...my two favorite places during my last visit!

Kate said...

I live just across the river from many of these fine establishments and have visited most of them. I will definately have to get over to S'Mac and the popover place tho!! They look goooood.