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A trio of fish tacos from my dinner break at Haru sushi, near Union Square.

Tuna, Salmon and Yellowtail in a Yuzu apple marinade with avocado, peppers and shallots. Just the right amount of sweet and salty with crunch. They were a little pricey for a break, but delicious.

Yes, social media helped me find Cha Cha Matcha! So, when I walked by it on the way to Seamore's, I knew where I was going for dessert!

Although the matcha soft serve sounded amazing, I thought it would be best to skip the dairy for this meal. I opted for their version of a cronut, a doughssant, filled with matcha cream and perfectly flaky. 

For my drink, I chose a soy match latte, iced, of course! I was also amused by the number of other Asian girls in the shop, taking photos of their drinks and food...there's not a blog called "Asians Taking Pictures of Food" for no reason!

I made the mistake of thinking Seamore's opened earlier for brunch, so I had to sweat it out in Little Italy for about 15 minutes before settling in to eat. (Usually, not a problem, but it was over 90 degrees and super humid.)

It had been awhile since I had been to Seamore's, but I knew I had to get something on their brunch menu. I went for one of the "bagel stacks." Consisting of an Everything bagel from another one of my favs, Russ & Daughters, avocado, roasted tomatoes, poached eggs and chili flakes. I opted for a side of Seamore's greens instead of fries (who am I?), which was a smart choice in the heat.

At first, I was puzzled when the waiter brought me a steak knife, but once my food arrived, I realized it was a smart idea. There was no way you could pick up the bagel and eat it...it was best cutting it up into manageable bites.

After a few delicious meals at Pizza Loves Emily in Brooklyn, I knew I had to try their newest restaurant, Emmy Squared. My first attempt was thwarted by a late June monsoon, which flooded the kitchen  and forced them to close for the evening. However, I was able to score a reservation and went back with my friend, Kristi, to catch up on life and enjoy some Detroit-style slices.

I chose the Deluxe: sauce, mozzarella, sausage, green peppers, mushrooms and added those little crispy pepperoni slices. Something about that crispy, burnt cheese crust made it everything. I'm drooling a bit, just thinking about it.

I can't wait to go back and have another pie!

When I was little, I thought pistachio ice cream sounded gross...but as I've gotten old and my tastes have expanded, I realized that I actually really like it!

So, this was my first time trying a real Spumoni ice cream and what better place to try it than at L&B Spumoni Gardens!? I got a cup of the swirled vanilla, chocolate and pistachio and it was dreamy! Even a few bees couldn't stop me and Christina from enjoying our ice cream before heading to Coney Island to see New Kids on the Block!

For my first time at Spumoni Gardens, I chose a traditional square cheese slice and a Pepsi. The thick crust on this slice was particularly tasty and it held up all the sauce and cheese well.

Of course, like a true Nebraskan, I can to get a can of Pepsi. No Coca-Cola for this girl.

Since I've been working near Union Square for almost 5 years, sometimes it's hard to find something new that I like to eat during my break. Recently, Republic has had some great lunchtime bento box specials. I think they change up every now and then, but this has been my favorite set for a bit.

Three cubes of crispy tofu in a peanut sesame & mustard sauce (even though I'm not usually a fan of mustard, this sauce wasn't too tart), a bowl of wonton soup with shrimp & pork in a clear broth with vegetables and shallots and the main entree, a large bowl of glass noodles with sauteed chicken, carrots, celery, garlic and cilantro (which I promptly picked out). All of these dishes set me back just under $20, which isn't too bad, considering their usual entrees can run $15-$17 anyways.

I decided to spend the last day of my staycation uptown and FINALLY visiting the Isaac Mizrahi exhibit at the Jewish Museum. Luckily, there's also one of my favorite restaurants connected to the museum.

The wait was a little long for a table for one, so I took my order to go and sat in Central Park to eat it. I chose the Gaspe Nova smoked salmon on an everything bagel with a side of bagel chips and a Dr. Brown's Black Cherry Cola. 

I can't help but dream of that deliciously smoky salmon...and the saltiness of that bagel...

I spent part of my staycation in Flushing with Christopher, shopping, finding wonderful Asian treats, checking out all sorts of Korean beauty products and eating.

Luckily, we stopped into Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao for lunch before a downpour started! Several families around us found themselves trapped by the monsoon, but we just sat and enjoyed our meal.

I got a plate of fried rice cakes with shredded pork and a fried bun with chives and egg. 

It's hard to believe that this was my first time trying the banana pudding at Magnolia Bakery (What's wrong with me?)! It was the perfect treat on a hot day in the city.

I got a small of the classic banana pudding - layers of vanilla wafers, fresh bananas and a creamy vanilla pudding; served chilled.

I also got a slice of the peanut butter Icebox Pie - a vanilla wafer crust layered with caramel and peanut butter whipped cream with a cream cheese filling and topped with Reese's peanut butter cups. No photo of this one, as it melted a bit in my bag before I got home to enjoy it.

I was happy to spend part of my staycation out at brunch with a friend and some of her theatre buddies! (In fact, one of them and I were talking so much about Hamilton, that his boyfriend offered to switch seats with me.)

The boys had chosen Barraca in the West Village, which I had never been to, but the menu looked amazing! I got some crispy potatoes, but the best part was this "Coca e Kale" - a flatbread with crispy kale, manchego cheese, caramelized onions, chili flakes and fried egg.

I would easily come back here again for the food and company.

After a few stressful weeks, I met up with my friend, Christina, to catch up on life and enjoy some tacos at Tacomi in NoLita.

Of course I had to get the chorizo breakfast taco & a crispy fish taco. We wanted to try the special tostadas, but somehow ended up with chips & guac instead.

Oh well, the meal was still delicious and just what the doctor ordered to help clear up those blues!

Another sweltering New York City day and I decided to swing by the Midtown location of Xi'an Famous Foods for some noodles and a burger. 

Since I'm not the biggest fan of spice, but I can't get enough of those chewy, hand-pulled noodles, I got the N4: stewed pork noodles and B1: stewed pork burger with a jasmine tea.

If only I could make noodles this good at home!

After a little bit of hiatus from Shake Shack, I checked the ShackCam on this sweltering NYC day and saw a short line; so I rushed up the 4 blocks to Madison Square Park. 

They were featuring the "Bacon Cheddar Shack" - a Shake Shack burger with Niman Ranch bacon and Wisconsin aged cheddar cheese sauce. Of course, I had to get a side of cheese fries (Yes, I ordered the cheese sauce on the side, but it still came ON the fries!) and an iced tea.

Who knew that by getting the special, I would wait almost 50 minutes from the time I ordered until when I got my food!? Oof. And in 90+ degree weather, it wasn't fun. I watched order after order come up & finally asked where my food was.

Luckily, my co-workers were understanding and let me take an extra 10 minutes on my break to enjoy my food! And, thanks to the power of Twitter, I got an apology from Shake Shack for the crazy wait!

Bring on the summer heat wave! Yes, I walked up 4 blocks vs. down 2 blocks to the Dig Inn on 23rd Street! They have a different menu than the other location and I can't get enough of their charred chicken over brown rice.

With the change in seasons, comes the change in sides: so, I chose broccoli & tomatoes with cantaloupe and an iced passion black tea. 

After a rough week, I treated myself to dinner at the Meatball Shop. Not exactly a #fatfriday indulgence, but straying a bit from my "healthier" track of eating.

Even though I chose my standard of chicken meatballs with mushroom gravy, I decided to top my balls with "the family jewels" or more widely known as a fried egg. Of course, I needed my carbs, so TMS' buttery, smooth mashed potatoes won out as my side of choice.

If you haven't been to City Kitchen near the Theatre District, you should go. It's a great place to eat before/after a show or to grab a snack when you're having a two-show day, like I often do!

After seeing a matinee of "An Act of God" with Sean Hayes, my friend, Adriane & I stopped by City Kitchen. Once inside, I quickly noticed that Dough had a Horchata doughnut as their special of the day; so, naturally, I had to get one!

Something about that mixture of cinnamon, sugar and rice milk, makes it an easy favorite of mine!

After running some errands on my lunch break, I decided to walk to the other side of Union Square and eat at Dorado. 

I got two of their Baja fish tacos - beer battered Atlantic whitefish with cabbage, pickled onions and salsa fresca with a side of rice and a Masala Chai tea from Plan Tea.

Usually, I'm not a big fan of beer battered things, but these tacos hit the spot with just enough rich flavor and crispiness.

My friend, Emily, was also raving about the ice cream sandwiches at Nowadays. From "It's It" in San Francisco, where they are a tradition; this ice cream sandwich consists of two oatmeal cookies and a selection of ice cream flavors & then it's dipped in dark chocolate and frozen.

Amazing.

I chose the traditional vanilla for my first experience, but will have to try all the flavors eventually. 

After a day at the beach with friends, we went to Nowadays in Ridgewood for dinner & drinks. My friend, Emily, kept going on and on about their grilled cheese, so I knew that was what I had to get.

Since it was also the 4th of July Weekend, I had to get a hot dog too...#fatsaturday, anyone? 

Their hot dog is a beef frank served "mash style" with sweet spicy ketchup, chips and caramelized onions. Their grilled cheese is made with American cheese and Munster cheese with arugula and a side of potato chips.

This meal totally hit the spot after getting really sunburned at Brighton Beach!

Another month of a delicious "dumps of the month" with Whitney! This month, Mimi Cheng's featured a pork & beef meatball dumpling in marinara sauce. I got a side of their Taiwanese street cart greens with fried shallots and an iced mint tea.

The thin marinara sauce was a nice addition to the richness of the meatballs in the dumplings with their crispy, fried bottoms. Not as great as their Thanksgiving dumpling or brunch dumpling, but I would easily come back to get these if they were a special again.

Post #fatfriday meal at Juniper, Emily and I walked to Van Leeuwen near the water to get some ice cream. Unlike me, Em isn't a big sweets person, but I convinced her to try some of their unusual flavors.

For myself, I opted for a scoop of their Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough and a scoop of their Vegan Matcha Green Tea in a waffle cone.

We sat at their beautiful counter top, similar to one you might have found in an old malt shop & enjoyed our scoops while talking about boys.

It had been a few months since I had the chance to catch up with my friend, Emily, so we decided to meet after work to eat and drink. Since the restaurant was BYOB, she even brought a bottle of pink Moscato (since it's my fav)!

On the way into the restaurant, we ran into an old coworker of ours; which started off the great night of stories filled with laughter and fun. 

I settled on the chorizo burger, where the sausage was blended into the ground beef to make the patty! I chose regular fries and a mixed green salad. Em got the truffle burger with mushrooms and truffle oil with a side of spicy fries.

Since I'm such a lightweight, the moscato quickly made me chatty and we kept talking, while walking through Williamsburg towards our dessert destination.

It had been awhile since I had been to Hill Country Chicken for a #fatfriday! So, I made the 6 block hike up 5th Avenue to 25th street for some Texas Tenders, with a buttermilk biscuit, a side of cheesy fried mashed potatoes and a Cowboy mini pie cup.

I love the coating on the Texas Tenders, but they are almost too big! I ordered two tenders (when I used to get three), but could only finish one and a half! The addition of french fries into the mashed potatoes only made it a better #fatfriday and then I needed something sweet; so that fountain Boylan's Black Cherry soda hit the spot. 

I saved my mini pie for later...

I love pasta! I was hoping for some garlic olive oil & broccoli rabe, but opted for some orrechiette with Genovese basil pesto, roasted tomatoes, shrimp and grated parmesan cheese.

Going to Al Vicoletto is on the pricier side for my meal break, but it's nice to sit down in a restaurant every now and then. They always have great bread and usually I'm one of few customers in there, which makes for great people watching of their staff. It's like my own episode of Top Chef or Waiting!

A few months ago a new place to eat popped up near my work. Union Fare showcases a coffee bar, gastropub, bakery and some food stalls where you can get pizza, burgers, tacos or poke.

For my first time, I wanted to try something on the "lighter" side and opted for the salmon e poke bowl. Tossed with shiitake mushrooms, edamame, brown rice, mixed greens & shallots the meal was a bit pricey and the sauce was a little too sharp for my tastes. 

Also, I seemed to have stopped by during the turnover of their lunch to dinner service. They haven't found the best way to shuffle customers out, so they can flip tables...it was awkward at best.

Next round: definitely a burger or pizza!

After checking out the "Egg Rolls, Empanadas & Egg Cream" Festival on the Lower East Side, I was still hungry. My friend from high school, Shannon and her husband, Lapo had come into the city from White Plains for the day. We met up with another high school friend, Jonathan, and my date, Nolan, to see what was going on at this festival.

While walking through Chinatown, my clumsy self tripped over a curb and banged up my knees pretty badly. Shannon & Lapo graciously helped me clean up my wounds and Nolan took me to get bandages, while Jonathan waited to meet up with us all.

The festival was pretty cool and there were lots of activities from these three cultures that inhabit the LES; but the food was not plentiful. Luckily, Jonathan and Nolan knew of a great place within walking distance for brunch. 

We grabbed a table in the back, ordered some food and talked for a few hours. I had a hard time choosing what to get, but ended up ordering the breakfast burrito: scrambled eggs, chorizo, potatoes and cheddar cheese with a mixed greens salad and a ginger ale. I would definitely come back here again!

After running some errands, I had some time to kill and figured why not grab a burger at Umami Burger before heading into work? Having burgers used to be an almost daily occurrence for me until I learned that I had really high cholesterol about two years ago. 

I went cold turkey off of fried foods (for the most part) and now give myself #fatfriday as a cheat day for burgers, pizza, fried chicken, etc.

I got the "Umami" burger, which consists of parmesan frico, shiitake mushrooms, roasted tomato, caramelized onions and umami ketchup with a side of thin fries and a real cane sugar Pepsi. It totally hit the spot.

I've been working in the Flatiron District for almost 5 years, so every now and then I start to run out of places that I feel like going to eat. Luckily, a new location of Paris Baguette opened up on 23rd and Park Ave S., so I walked up there.

They have this great Pesto Chicken Salad and a wonderfully refreshing fresh fruit sangria. The weather was just right to eat outside and watch some kids play around in the park, before heading back to work.

Their version of this salad comes with orecchiette in pesto, cubes of white cheddar cheese, grilled chicken, cherry tomatoes and croutons on a bed of romaine lettuce.

I hardly ever get a Sunday off, so I try to have a "proper" brunch when I can. I met up with my college best friend, Phil, at Upland on Park Ave South.

We talked about the Tony Awards, like any good gay boy/straight girl couple and caught up on life. I was excited to share my last good date story with him, while we waited for our food and consumed a mixed bread basket as an appetizer.

My brunch meal consisted of two poached eggs, arugula, smashed potatoes, bacon and a slice of charred bread. I should have ordered a mimosa to make it more "proper," but opted to save some money instead.

After a busy afternoon of playing tour guide for some friends from LA, I needed sustenance and quick. We had been shopping around Herald Square, so naturally, Koreatown was my first thought for dinner.

I was craving something salty, so when I looked at Shanghai Mong's menu and found that I could get noodles AND rice; I knew it was where I was going to eat.

I got an order of the fried "Home Dumplings" and beef japchae with white rice. Plenty of carbs to please my heart (but maybe not my arteries...)!

Even a little rain couldn't keep me from eating a meal outside on a cool NYC day. I got the trofie al pesto - pasta with homemade Genovese basil pesto, potatoes, string beans and pine nuts. 

Delicious and just the right amount of food for fuel before heading back to work for the evening.

I hadn't been to Pies 'n' Thighs in Williamsburg for years, which is sad, considering how much I love fried Southern food and how close it is to my apartment.

Since I already knew the chicken biscuit sandwich was great, I opted for the "Rob Evans" - a split biscuit, with soft scrambled eggs, cheese and sausage gravy. I also couldn't resist ordering a sweet tea to help wash it all down. Then I walked across the Williamsburg bridge into the city, which definitely helped burn off those excess calories!

After many months of wanting to go together to Matchabar, my coworker, Alison & I finally made it on my birthday! We both love matcha, so it was hard to decide what kind of drink to get!

I finally decided on a coconut milk chai matcha, which was perfect for this warm, muggy day!

I decided to take a long weekend to attend the Vulture Festival and to celebrate my birthday, which fell on a Tuesday this year. So, I had a Monday off and spent it in the city and grabbing lunch at Veselka.

The weather was beautiful, so it was a great day to sit outside, people watch and enjoy some great food. I got the meat combo plate with a meat-stuffed cabbage covered in mushroom gravy with two potato & two meat pierogies.

It's the closest thing to a Runza that I can find in the city, just minus the bread. 

After my salty lunch, I was craving a sweet snack. Fortunately, I'd already taken some Lactaid with my chicken pot pie from Tuck Shop, so grabbing gelato sounded like a great idea.

I chose two flavors: amarena varigato (sour cherry) & chocolato al latte (milk chocolate) and sat in a park across from Chelsea Market before heading back to the Vulture Festival.

In between panels at New York Magazine's Vulture Festival, I stopped into Chelsea Market for lunch. I was really craving some mashed potatoes from Tuck Shop, but they were out. So, I took a quick spin around the other restaurants to see if there was anything else I'd want and ended up back right where I started.

I grabbed a chicken pot pie and a Coke and found a small table amongst the crowds of tourists to stand and eat before heading back to another panel.

Several years ago, I stumbled upon Boba Guys in San Francisco. Flash forward to 2015 and they have opened up a store in NYC. It might have taken me months to finally make it here, but it was worth the wait. They don't call them "Grade A balls" for no reason!

I got the jasmine green tea with soy milk and boba and now I hear that they have larger sized cold drinks...guess this won't be the last time I trek to the lower east side for this tea.

Well, I was short on cash and my Mom had sent me a $25 gift card to Red Lobster...so, before going to see She Loves Me, I stopped by the Red Lobster in Times Square for a meal.

I got the parmesan-crusted tilapia with a side of sauteed broccoli, mashed potatoes and of course, cheddar bay biscuits!

The most awkward part: they sat me at a table for 4, by myself. Oh well.

After a failed attempt to meet up with some friends for dim sum in Chinatown, I decided to grab lunch at Cha Chan Tang. Introduced to me by my high school best friend and old roommate, Jim, they have all sorts of delicious noodle & rice dishes.

For this meal, I chose the Portuguese style baked chicken with potatoes and carrots in a yellow curry over a bed of white rice. Rich, creamy and super hot; I had to get an iced tea to help combat the heat.

Just a little snack of a few horchata doughnut holes and a chocolate creme doughnut on a long Friday. I was trying to get the matcha special, but didn't check my order and wound up with the chocolate creme when I was back at work.

It ended up being ok, but those horchata doughnut holes were to die for!

I'm not really a morning person, but if I have to be up early, you can bet you'll find me with a breakfast sandwich in hand. This particular morning, I found myself in Dumbo & early for an appointment...luckily I found Le Bagel Delight and grabbed a sausage & egg (no cheese) on a plain bagel, t8o save my morning!

Bonus: This Gossip Girl-y shot of the Manhattan Bridge.

After checking out the new Pintrill store in Williamsburg, I still had some time to kill before going into the city and into work. So, I hit up one of my favorite Williamsburg spot: The Meatball Shop.

I usually get their biscuits & gravy, but after a so-so experience the last time, I decided to try their Balls Benedict. I chose the breakfast sausage meatballs and they came with two poached eggs on top of a slice of thick cut brioche bread and bacon, which was then covered in Hollandaise and green onions. Another solid egg dish to add to my list of favorites.

Just about 10 minutes from my apartment is this lovely brunch spot, Cafe Ghia. They have some great weekend-only specials, so I figured why not spend this weekday trying out something new.

I got their "Potato Bowl," which was pretty much made for me. Diced, roasted potatoes topped with white cheddar, a fried egg, scallions and bacon. I added a side of roasted broccoli and an iced tea.

The restaurant is small, but being there on an "off" day and time  and dining alone, helped me get at the bar..

One of my favorite places to eat when I worked at the office was Glaze Teriyaki. It had been awhile since I had eaten there and they had remodeled slightly. It's only on the other side of Union Square, but it's sort of a challenge to get that far away on my break, eat and get back to the store in less than an hour.

So, I chose wisely and got the teriyaki combo with salmon & tofu over brown rice with a side salad and carrot ginger dressing.

Jack's Wife Frieda is one of those notorious brunch places in NYC with lines always outside of the restaurant. Tempestt's husband, Rem, had picked Mercer Kitchen for his birthday dinner, but they changed their mind to Jack's Wife Frieda, which was a tad more kid-friendly.

I was coming straight from work, so they went ahead and ordered for me & based off the menu online, I think I did a good job with choosing the right meal.

The Madame Frieda: a pressed sandwich with duck prosciutto, cheddar bechamel, gruyere and a sunny side up egg. Served with fries. Definitely a knife and fork sandwich though.

Tempestt & I finally got to meet up with a former co-worker, Karen & her baby, Ryan! Since she was coming from Long Island and Tempestt is in Jackson Heights, we chose a place in Astoria to meet for lunch.

We had some great appetizers and I got this mouth-wateringly good panini. Berkshire smoked ham with truffle aioli, dirty chips and aged cheddar cheese. Yes, I would travel back to Astoria for this sandwich, but luckily, they just opened a location in the city.

My first trip to Burger & Lobster was to try the burger in a slider version, made with Nebraska beef! It just so happened that the Governor of Nebraska was there, along with someone who knew my Dad and a sister of one of my high school friends!

This time, was craving a burger on my #fatfriday excursion and decided to finally go and eat a whole burger.

The corn-fed Nebraska beef patty is served on a sesame bun with lettuce, tomato, American cheese and pickles. It came with a small side of fries and a house salad. Just a bit of home in the city!

Whenever I'm craving a sweet treat, but don't want the hassle of dairy or taking Lactaid, I'm lucky that Chloe's is right near work! All of their "frozen fruit" is served like fro-yo and is great for lactose intolerant people, like me!

One of their best creations is this one, the "Crunchy Salty" Sundae. Swirled banana & dark chocolate soft serve, topped with bananas, dark chocolate chips, pretzel sticks and covered in peanut butter sauce.

After spending a day off at the new Whitney Museum, I trekked up to Doughnut Plant to grab some of their monthly specials.

I always prefer a cake doughnut to a yeast doughnut and was glad that I was still able to get a matcha green tea cake doughnut and a banana pecan cake doughnut.

The weather finally turned in the city and it was nice enough to sit outside on my lunch break. Thankfully, Mom has supplied me with several gift cards to Chipotle, so it made for an easy lunch choice.

I got a chicken burrito bowl with some fajita veggies, corn salsa, tomatoes, loads of cheese and lettuce. The bag of chips was a nice addition for a sort of plate of nachos.

One of my favorite places to go for dinner after work is Vapiano just off Union Square. You might have to wait a bit for your fresh pasta to be prepared, but you can watch one of their chefs toss everything together right infront of you.

They also have a unique card ordering system, so each item that you select gets added to your card & then swiped upon exit, so you can pay.

I have a slight addiction to their bolognese - a tomato sauce with pork & beef and some sliced carrots. I rarely waiver from this choice and the one time I did, I regretted it. I almost always choose the campanelle as my pasta selection, since it's all fresh pasta, it's the perfect al dente texture; just a little bit chewy.

After celebrating a friend's birthday, a few other friends & I ventured over to Genuine Liquorette for their signature "Cha-Chunked Cocktails" - mini cans of soda with mini bottles of liquor on top.

I got an Absolute Mandarin/Sprite and Brynn got a Jameson/Seagram's Ginger Ale.

Sometimes I luck out on a lunch break and a #fatfriday & there's no line at Shake Shack in Madison Square Park! This Friday was one of those days, so I ran the 4 blocks up to 23rd on my lunch break and grabbed a single cheeseburger, crinkle cut fries with cheese sauce and the special concrete, malted marshmallow milk chocolate.

#fatfriday, indeed.

I usually have a craving for pasta or some sort of carb, so this pappardelle really hit the spot! It was served with short rib ragu, fried sage, parsley and pecorino. I also got a side of Brussels sprouts topped with bacon, parmesan and malt vinegar.

Overall, a solid meal, even if the service was a bit spotty. A great addition to the KC dining scene.

On my last day in Kansas City, I met up with some high school friends for dinner and to catch up on life and their move back to KC from the West Coast.

We split the deviled eggs appetizer with 3 bacon eggs and 2 cured smoked salmon eggs over egg yolk with dijon & capers. The salmon ones were definitely better than the bacon, if you can believe that!

Another old co-worker reunion, when I grabbed lunch with Kristen (a former Manager with me at Urban) and Charity. We met up at Unforked in Overland Park and had some great food and caught up on life and her three kids!

I tried out the Akaushi beef burger with lettuce and a roma tomato on an egg bun with a side of truffle fries with truffle salt & parsley.

The burger was a little tasteless, but the fries were delicious!

I finally got to catch up with my bestie, Jenn and her son, Isaiah! We watched some movies and went out to dinner at Taco Republic. With the gorgeous weather, we chose to sit at a table outside.

I got a bowl of fundido - melted chihuhua cheese with roasted poblano peppers, chorizo and flour tortillas. Jenn chose some tacos - vegetable and shrimp. We shared some chips and guacamole with salsa. 

We let Isaiah run around the outside tables and play a little cornhole, until he got hit in the face with a bean bag by one of the other kids. Whoops.

Yes, it's true; some of the best KC BBQ comes from inside a gas station! However, I found myself in a weird predicament as all of my KC-based friends are now vegetarian or vegan. 

So, I went with my cousin and her 3-month-old baby to get my BBQ fix. She sat out in the car and nursed the baby, while I got a pulled pork sandwich and some dirty rice.

It totally hit the spot, but would have been much better with a partner in crime to eat with me!

Sometimes a trip to Kansas City gives me enough time to drive home and back, but not on this trip. Still, I can get a little piece of home by eating a Runza in Mission, Kansas; at least until I go home at Christmas or "Taste of Nebraska" comes back to NYC again.

I got my usual: a #1 with an Original Runza (ground beef, cabbage, spices baked in a bun), Frings! (crinkle cut fries with double battered onion rings) and a Pepsi.

When I worked on the Country Club Plaza at Urban Outfitters with Charity & Christian, we used to go to Latte Land for coffee, tea and the super sugary wedding cake cookies. Well, now Latte Land has been replaced with Kaldi's Coffee, it was good, but just not the same.

We got an assortment of drinks and when we sat down, I noticed the nice ombre effect of all our drinks, so I had to line them up and take a photo.

From the left to right: chocolate chai, soy chocolate chai (mine), vanilla chai and an almond milk vanilla coffee.

Of course, when you're in the Midwest you have to load up on carbs! My friend, Christian, his husband, Aiden and their son, Alexander drove in from St. Louis to meet up with me in Kansas City. 

However, since they are vegetarian/gluten-free, I had to find a place to satisfy all of our cravings! From some helpful photos on Yelp, I found The Big Biscuit, which was only a few minutes drive from my friend, Charity's house, where I was staying.

We split a sticky bun and I chose the "Country Benedict" composed of biscuits topped with sausage patties, poached eggs and country gravy. Of course, it came with a side of hashbrowns and was called a "The Big Biscuit Specialty!"

Big Daddy's Diner is one of my favorite #fatfriday places to eat and a bit of a guilty pleasure, since it was shown in the background during an episode of "SMASH!"

For this meal, I tried out the Sunday Brunch Benedict: two hashbrown patties topped with Canadian bacon, poached eggs and hollandaise with a side of tater tots.

Since my friend, Michelle, moved to Seattle, I'm rarely in this part of Williamsburg anymore, but when I am, I love stopping at Grass Roots Juicery for a smoothie.

This one is the PB&J: vanilla soy milk, peanut butter, purple grapes, flax seeds and agave. Delicious!

When my friend, Jasmine and I heard that Ben & Jerry's was giving away free ice cream in Union Square, we immediately went over to try and get a bowl. However, it turned out to be a marketing/campaigning ply from Bernie Sanders. We were there a little too late and they ran out of ice cream.

In order to satisfy our craving, we walked over to Amorino for some gelato. The best part? They build your cone into a flower of various flavors!

I clearly had a hard time deciding, but stopped with four flavors: pistachio, chocolate, vanilla with cherries (aka amarena) and speculoos! I quickly snapped this photo, before my phone died. Oops.

After our Easter dim sum, Whitney and I walked to Ice & Vice for more ice cream & Pie Felicia!

This time I got a scoop of "Crack O'Lantern" - pumpkin seed oil with crystallized ginger topped with a scoop of "Shade" - smoked dark chocolate with caramelized white chocolate ganache in a The Konery vanilla cone with funfetti sprinkles!

For the past few years, my friend, Whitney and I have been celebrating Easter with dim sum in Chinatown. This year, we decided to try a new spot, Dim Sum Go-Go, a slightly more modern take on the traditional dim sum carts at Jing Fong and Golden Unicorn.

We ordered lots of plates, but here's the more colorful of the two photos: Three-Star dumplings (in a pink wrapper), lotus leaf with sticky rice, shrimp shui mai and rice rolls with beef.

This restaurant was a lot of fun and they had some non-typical dishes and it was nice that we could order straight from a menu vs. guessing when the food we wanted would wheel by on the carts.

I've liked eating at Paris Baguette ever since I went into their location in Korea-Town. I stumbled upon a newer location on 23rd and Park Ave. South, easily walkable from work and with some great food & most importantly, bubble tea 

This day, I opted for their Pesto Chicken Salad: grilled chicken, mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, orecchiette with pesto, black olives and white cheddar cheese. 

It may have had dairy in it, which I usually try to avoid as much as possible, but this salad was so good, I'm sure I'll be back soon for another.

Although I'm not usually one for vegan treats, I DO love ice cream and the less times that I have to eat more and more Lactaid, I'm in!

This time I got two flavors: a scoop of peanut butter chip and a scoop of chocolate chip cookie dough. 

Seriously, Van Leeuwen has the best vegan ice cream I've ever had (except for that store in Denver...), but I digress. They have a solid rotation of great flavors and the consistency of the ice cream is the closest thing to "real" ice cream that I've eaten.

On a random weekday off, a high school friend of mine, Shannon, came into the city from White Plains for some food and a show. We were walking down 3rd Avenue, towards a healthier meal of sushi, when we passed by Sticky's Finger Joint. 

I got some of the poppers (aka nuggets) with a side of gravy and some truffle parmesan fries. I definitely got my money's worth! There were SO many nuggets, I couldn't finish them all!

I've been a fan of Russ & Daughters Cafe in the Lower East Side for awhile, so when Tempestt & I found out they were opening another location inside the Jewish Museum, we knew we had to go there.

I opted for the smoked salmon eggs benedict over a piece of challah bread and Tempestt got the "Fancy Delancey" board with smoked yellowfin tuna, horseradish & dill cream cheese and wasabi microgreens and a bagel.

We also made friends with a woman & her mother, who were seated at the table next to us. She even told us all about her own children when they were Ellie's age, although they were both grown and in college now. The mother seemed to care less. 

After our large brunch, Lily & walked around the Lower East Side in search of a good place for dessert. Immediately, my mind went to Spot Dessert Bar on St. Mark's Place. They have great conceptual desserts, which are fun to eat and tasty!

This time, I got their "Green Tea-Ramisu." Layers of green tea chiffon cake, mascarpone cream and candied crispy rice. It also came with a green tea "injection" which I got to squeeze into the cake.

A friend's Snapchat lead me to Root & Bone for brunch on a day off with Lily. We split a side of their mac & cheese with a bread crumb topping.

I chose the biscuits & sausage gravy with what I called "semi-poached" eggs and she got the fried chicken & waffle sandwich with pickled green tomatoes, baby kale and cheddar on a buckwheat waffle with whiskey maple syrup.

The meal was tasty, but it wasn't my favorite plate of biscuits & gravy and the loud group of teenage/early 20's girls next to us made the meal a little less enjoyable. At least it photographed well.

When my friend, Daryl, got a new job pretty quickly; I decided we were well overdue for a catch-up date and what better way to catch up than over lots of BBQ? One of my favorite places for BBQ in the city is the Justin Timberlake-owned, Southern Hospitality in Hell's Kitchen.

We split some fried pickles, sides and black pepper smoked brisket and pulled pork shoulder. Of course, the sides are some of the best part of getting BBQ, so it's good to have a friend to share with. We chose cornbread with honey butter, mac & cheese and the tater tot casserole with cheese & bacon. 

#fatfriday for sure!

I finally got to catch up with an old friend from work over cheesy quesadilla at Calexico in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Filled with mushrooms, caramelized onions and Jack cheese, Calexico's quesadilla was perfectly toasted on the outside and I added a side of Mexican rice with pico.

When work sent me on an errand in Soho, why wouldn't I stop by Egg Shop for a meal?,

I got one of their "Cruiser Bowls" with poached eggs, Black Forest bacon, a gluten-free English muffin that was diced up and super crispy, topped with a Meyer lemon citronette. Of course, I added a side of hashbrowns!

I met up with a college friend before going into the Flower Show for my first and only closing shift. We grabbed some sandwiches and caught up on life and our love of art.

On my way out, I grabbed a piece of this pound cake, because I'm a sucker for desserts and because the purple rock candy topping matched my nails. How could I resist?

Last year, I fell in love with the variety of whoopie pies at Flying Monkey bakery in Reading Terminal. This time around was no exception, but I got a few cupcakes too.

They made a special "Death Valley" cupcake inspired by this year's Flower Show. Basically, "death by chocolate" as it was a chocolate cupcake with chocolate ganache and chocolate swiss meringue buttercream! 

One of my friends, Mandy, from home works in Philly, so we agreed to meet up on our lunch breaks for a quick catch up. Apparently, I just missed Philly's Benjamin Franklin impersonator eating at Jake's Sandwich Board before I arrived!

We chatted about our mutal friends and our love of theatre; and some hometown friends who are now making their own impact on Broadway! (Lincoln, Nebraska...who knew?)

I grabbed the "Skinny Turkey" with roasted and pulled turkey, roasted veggies and baby spinach on a wheat roll. Of course, I had to get the side of "mini potato pancakes" which were really just like the hashbrowns you can get at any Dunkin' Doughnuts. Anyways, it was a delicious meal that I got a cherry soda with.

Luckily, I got another chance to share a meal with Michael, while I was in town. This also worked to our advantage, as I was craving some fresh pasta and there were two dishes that I wanted to try.

The top is a photo of Brigantessa's black chick pea pappardelle with whey braised lamb and fennel pollen. The pappardelle was a bit grainy, but the lamb ragu was delicious and the first time I'd ever had lamb (hard to believe, right?). 

The bottom is a photo of their special semolina flour gnocchi, but it was baked in their wood-fired pizza over, so it was more like a block of polenta, topped with a pork ragu and parmesan. This was my favorite dish of the night! If it's on their list of specials, I would recommend it.

On my first meal break, I wasn't sure where to go in Reading Terminal. I walked by a few places and just walked myself back for another burger at Hunger Burger.

This time I chose the Fun Guy Burger: a beef patty with cheddar cheese, grilled mushrooms, onions, green leaf lettuce, tomato and HB sauce with a side of scalloped potatoes.

I kind of missed out on the fried egg from the Yo!lk Burger from last year, but I figured I should try new things, right?

Hunger Burger's slogan is also "Patties with a Purpose," as they use part of their profits from each burger sold to help feed a child in need. If you're in the Philly area, I would suggest you check them out!

My train got into Philly around 7pm, so my friend, Michael, picked up me up at the train station and then we went out to dinner. He always knows the good places to go, so we stopp by Cheu Noodle Bar; a recently opened restaurant by the same guys who own Bing Bing Dim Sum; where we ate last year, when I was in town for the Flower Show.

We placed our order and about 20 minutes later, our waitress came over to say that she had forgotten to enter in our order. (WHAT!?) Well, we did get some free appetizers, but so many that we were hardly hungry enough to eat the rest of our meal.

The highlight for me: these pizza dumplings! Pork dumplings with chile oil and parmesan cheese. I can't remember what the crispy topping was, but I could have eaten a bunch of it! 

Not pictured: our free caramelized onion ragoon made with goat cheese and brown butter sweet & sour sauce and my bowl of fried chicken tantan served with collards, a sweet tea egg and cornbread furikake.

Before heading to Philadelphia to work at the Flower Show, I met up with some friends in the Meatpacking District to celebrate Aly's birthday! We got a few tables in the back and enjoyed Paradou's "bottomless" brunch drinks until I had to head to the train station.

I can't pronounce eggs in French for the life of me, but Christopher saved the day and ordered for both of us; the Oeufs Paradaou. Which was really just a fancy way of saying the smoked salmon benedict. However, instead of English muffins, the salmon & eggs were on top a slice of brioche bread.

I did take a photo of my whole plate of biscuits & gravy from brunch at Sweet Chick, but when I sliced into this poached egg and the yolk didn't break...I couldn't resist this photo.

After stopping by the Opening Ceremony Sample Sale in Brooklyn with a friend, I decide to treat myself to a little brunch at one of my favorite places in Williamsburg.

The biscuits & gravy with mushroom gravy and a gorgeously poached egg definitely his the spot.

I can never pronounce Le Pain Quotidien right, but they do have some great food! I was set to get a smoked salmon tartine, but then I saw this grain bowl.

Quinoa, heirloom black rice, roasted broccoli, sweet potato with spiced pumpkin seeds, pomegranate seeds over a bed of kale & argula with grilled chicken.

Filling and delicious, but as always, I ate all the toppings before I got through all the greens. Whoops.

Bonus! The extra day for Leap Year, meant I had one more chance to get the special doughnuts at Doughnut Plant. Although the guy infront of my got the last pistachio cake doughnut, I was able to score a pistaschio yeast doughnut and a coffee cake cake doughnut.

I met up with my friend, Laurel, her boyfriend and a few of their friends after work for some Korean BBQ. Between the six of us, we easily split the "large pork set" and an order of bulgogi.

We were almost overwhemled by the amount of plates that came out, but the food was good. Certainly a fun way for Laurel & me to experience our Korean roots together!

Yes, I only knew about Ice & Vice from Instagram, but I'm so glad that I did! Post #dumpofthemonth, Whitney and I went to the "ends of the Earth" to try out Ice & Vice. She was obsessed with their Pie Felicia and I wanted to try a few flavors and a Konery flavored ice cream cone.

I chose "The Drop" sorbet - banana, peanut butter, smoked serrano and peanut crumb on top of "Milk Money" - toasted milk, sea salt, dark chocolate ganache in a chai spiced dark chocolate cone. 

Seriously, I could eat this ice cream and cone all the time...except for all of the lactose.

Another edition of #dumpofthemonth with Whitney! This time, Mimi Cheng's was serving up the Chicken Pot Pie dumpling! Organic chicken with fresh carrots, caramelized onions, celery, peas, sauteed cremini mushrooms and thyme. I got them with a side of sauteed broccoli for some greens, before we headed to dessert!

Among some of my favorite "dumplings of the month" from Mimi Cheng's, but I'm still craving those brunch dumplings!

It's fair to say that I spend most of my days off at the theatre, but a special two-night only performance of The Secret Garden at Lincoln Center meant going Monday night, after I woke up from an overnight shift at work.

After waking up around 4pm, I got ready and trudged up to Lincoln Square. I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to eat, but figured I could get some food at The Smith, which is right across the street from Lincoln Center; however, the wait was really long.

I found a seat at the bar and ordered some pasta. I chose the Tagliatelle, which was black pasta with sauteed shrimp, scallions and grumbled garlic bread on top. It was delicious and hit the spot before the show. If only I could afford to go to The Smith more often.

As you might know, I almost always am craving pasta or noodles. Well, I met up with Lily after work and we headed to our usual pasta spot, Vapiano, just South of Union Squre. However, their pasta line was crazy-long; we opted for pizza.

I got the Ham & Funghi: Italian ham with fresh mushrooms on homemade tomato sauce with mozzarella. It was probably more cheese than I needed to eat, but it was a good subsitution without having to wait in the pasta line.

It's always nice to have a #fatfriday where I'm at work, so I can run to all my old haunts for my meal break. This #fatfriday, I was training with a new manager on how to close the store, so of course, we checked out the ShackCam! Luckily, it was a bit brisk outside, so it was easy to see the short line.

We quickly walked the four blocks up to Madison Square Park to grab dinner. Finally, the Chick'n Shack is available at all Shake Shacks, so I knew I had to get that one! The Chick'n Shack is a 100% all-natural, cage-free chicken breast fried super crispy with lettuce, pickles and buttermilk herb mayo. 

Since I had already taken my Lactaid, I got a side of cheese fries and their Concrete of the Week, which was "Golden Sponge Cake," aka Twinkie. I feel fatter just writing about this.

I guess one benefit to working on Sunday is getting a chance to grab brunch on your break. I've become a fan of Al Vicoletto on 17th Street, even if it replaced one of my favorite cafes to grab breakfast at. 

I got the smoked salmon eggs benedict with hashbrowns, which were really more like potato latkes. Either way, the meal was still delicious.

My friend, Aly and I had been talking about going to see On Your Feet! for several months. We finally found a time when we both weren't working to check it out. And where else to go before a show than Steak 'N Shake!

Well, that mostly had to do with my Mom sending me around $75 in Steak 'N Shake gift cards. So, a free meal for both of us! 

I got the Signature Double Steakburger with cheese and grilled onions vs. raw ones with a side of their fries. They also have one of those soda machines where you can mix in all sorts of flavors, so I went with a cherry flavored Dr. Pepper. 

Sometimes I forget what it's like to have a normal weekend day/night off. That's why I was glad when I few of my co-workers and I got the chance to hang out, outside of work.

We met up for drinks and then went to Extra Fancy for dinner. Even though they're known for their seafood, I went with their patty melt. Dry-aged beef with cheddar and onions on rye bread with a side of fries. I'm not much of a beer drinker, so I got a Downeast Cider.

After a long week of work, I finally had a weekend day off and met up for a brunch date in Bushwick. I don't think my date knew it, but it was only a 10 minute walk from my apartment. Surprisingly, I had never been to Cafe Ghia before. They serve brunch all week long, but on weekends they have some specials.

Everything on the menu looked amazing and I eventually chose to go with the weekend only biscuits & gravy over the "potato bowl." I opted for the mushroom gravy with bacon & scallions, which was really more like shredded pork. I added a fried egg and a side of roasted cauliflower to my meal. The gravy was rich and savory, but a bit soupy for my normal gravy tastes. Sounds like I"m going to have to come back soon and try out that potato bowl!

I had been craving a burger for awhile, so for my next #fatfriday cheat day, I walked over to New York Burger Company for dinner. 

I got a cheeseburger with portobello mushrooms, grilled onions, American cheese, lettuce and tomato. The burger also came with a little bag full of Idaho fries and my own custom cherry Dr. Pepper from their fancy soda machine.

I have my friend, Lily, to thank for introducing me to the beauty that is Vapiano's pasta bar. There's something about watching it being made and prepped right infront of you that makes is all the better.

This time, I chose the campanelle pasta (which reminds me of flowers) and the bolognese (their classic pork & beef sauce) with some shredded parmesan on top. 

The pasta is always al dente and the sauce is so rich, that it's been easy for me to take the leftovers home and make more pasta to eat with it later.

All the girls at work have been raving about Sweetgreen. Now, I'm not usually one for salads all the time, but their grain bowls are certainly of interest to me.

For the winter, they're featuring a Bento Bowl: roasted chicken, organic wild rice, baby spinach, cucumber, shredded cabbage, tomato, nori furikake and miso sesame ginger dressing. I got an iced jasmine green tea and a some bread, which looks a little bit like a napping bunny (can you see it?).

It had been over a year since I had been to Pizza Loves Emily (aka Emily Pizza) in Brooklyn. After months of talking about going, I finally met up with an old coworker and friend, Brynn, to catch up on life and eat all my daily calories in one sitting.

Only a few of the Emmy Burgers are made each day, so we patiently waited for over an hour for a seat at the restaurant. The Emmy Burger is Fleisher's grass-fed dry-aged beef, on top of a Tom Cat pretzel bun, Emmy sauce, caramelized onions, Grafton cheddar cheese and cornichon with a side of thin fries.

We also got an Emily Pizza (white pie with mozzarella, pistachios, truffle sottocenere and honey) to share, but this burger photo takes the cake. 

Chick-Fil-A may have popped up in Lincoln, Nebraska while I was away, but it was quite a big deal when one opened up in NYC, just on the edge of Koreatown. 

Although I find some of their business practices a bit shady, I can't resist that juicy chicken sandwich. It was also another chance to meet up with Tempestt & Ellie and introduce the kiddo to her first taste of chicken nuggets and waffle fries.

Even if the line looks long, there's a waiter that walks with you in the line, while entering your order into a mobile system. Then, by the time you get up to the register, your food is ready and you can pay. Genius.

I got the #1: original chicken sandwich with waffle fries and a Dr. Pepper. I might have wanted some ice cream or a milkshake, but being this close to Koreatown, I had to get a bubble tea, instead.

It was mine & Ellie's first time trying the Frozen Hot Chocolate at Serendipity 3. She was a little bit fussy, but the sweet chocolate drink seemed to do the trick.

Tempestt, Ellie & I had a great lunch, watched Ellie dance around in a giant mirror at the restaurant and strolled along the Upper East Side until it was too cold for us to be up and about.

It's like The Meatball Shop knows the way to my heart: hearty meatballs in flavors I can't resist. This stop, I sat at the kitchen bar and watched the chefs prep & cook all the meals, while jamming out to some Tupac.

I grabbed two of the special balls, Shepherd's Pie, as sliders with mushroom gravy. And how could I resist the risotto of the day? Especially when it was butternut squash with fried sage? 

I spent another #fatfriday at Hill Country Chicken, but this time I got their chicken pot pie. A flaky, buttery pastry crust with a little star cutout and filled with spicy chunks of white meat chicken and vegetable stew.

It's still a bit on the spicy side for me, but too delicious to resist!

Granted, I was a little bit sad when GoodBurger close and then turned into Clarke's Standard. Then, Clarke's closed and turned into a Roast Kitchen. 

I'd been to another location, on the other side of Union Square before where I was a bit underwhelmed. However, this new location looked more appealing and I think I may have found a new favorite lunch spot.

I got one of the hot grain bowls with basmati rice, kale, roasted corn, sesame seeds and edamame (which I subbed in for the bean sprouts). Topped with ginger scallion dressing and shio koji marinated pork, it was just the spicy, semi-healthy meal I craved.

If you haven't heard of Pat LaFrieda, maybe you're not a meat lover. This butcher makes some of the best cuts of meats that are supplied to restaurants in the city. They also make the blend of meats for my favorite Shake Shack burgers!

So, when my friend Christina wanted to meet up at the Pennsy before we went to see O-Town, this was a no brainer. The Pennsy just opened in the old Borders Bookstore space, next to Penn Station. There are several vendors inside the fancy food court, but I was immediately drawn to Pat LaFrieda.

I got the country ham, truffle & cheese with a bag of fresh kettle chips. The sandwich had truffle cheese spread and gouda on a crispy, crunchy cibatta roll. It was seasoned with dijonnaise and peppadew. It was a bit too cheesy for my taste, but the ham was delicious!

One of my favorite places to drop by when I'm on the Upper West Side is Parm. They're known for their chicken parmigana sandwiches, but sometimes I don't need a whole hero. After watching the last episode of Aziz Ansari's Master of None, I knew I had to go and satisfy my pasta craving.

I was sad to find out that the orecchitte with garlic & olive oil with broccoli rabe & sausage wasn't on the menu anymore. It was always one of my non-dairy go to's.

However, I got the fusili with bolognese and meat gravy. The noodles were super sized for the fusili that I've grown accustomed to eating. 

Another successful "Dumps of the Month" with Whitney! For January, Mimi Cheng's was serving up a brunch dumpling! Each dumpling was filled with maple breakfast sausage, scrambled eggs, cheddar cheese, caramelized onions and topped with everything seasoning. They even came with a small jar of Sir Kensington's ketchup! 

If only it was still January...

For my first time at Korilla BBQ's store front, I had to try a little bit of everything. I chose the Rice Bowl with purple rice, marinated chicken, spicy string beans, pico, broccoli and mushrooms. Of course, I had to add a fried egg. I also grabbed a bottle of their housemade Korchata: rice milk with cinnamon, malt and honey to help tame the spicy in my main dish.

I keep missing the Korilla BBQ truck when it's outside of my work, so I'll just have to keep an eye out...I'm still craving that purple rice!

I figured there's no better way to start the New Year, than to stop by The Meatball Shop for brunch. I got their special brunch ball, the breakfast sausage, with biscuits, mushroom gravy and fried eggs.

A delicious meal and now I'm craving eggs.

Before meeting up with Tempestt, her husband, Rem and Ellie, I stopped into La Colombe for a snack and drink. I got an almond milk mocha, since they don't have soy milk, and a peanut butter cookie.

While they look pretty, I think I must have some sensitivity to almond milk, because I felt disgusting later that day. The cookie was good though.

Before going out to some of the bars downtown, I met up with my gay husband, Eric and our friend, Kent for dinner at Leadbelly. I was more interested in the Huskers Football bowl game, but they just wanted to get drunk and smoke.

At least I had this amazing burger to keep me company! A 100% ground chuck patty topped with Mexican tastee (Greta's gourmet chorizo seasoned with housemade salsa), chopped romaine and a fried egg. The crinkle cut fries weren't as good as Shake Shack's, but they were just the carbs I wanted.

Another great college hang out was Yia Yia's Pizza & Beer on "O" Street. I grew up in a mostly Valentino's and DaVinci's pizza household, so I didn't start getting pizza at Yia Yia's until I was in college.

 I met up with one of my high school friends, Bryan and his boyfriend, Chris. We grabbed a few slices and some cheesy garlic bread to catch up on life.

I got some sliced potatoes, mushrooms and beef on my slice. If only more places offered slice potatoes for their pies!

One of my favorite places to eat in college was Bison Witches. The company's logo is a small bison with a witches hat flying on a broom. Plus their name is a pun! (Buy sandwiches, get it?)

I crave their chili con queso and have yet to find a place in NYC that makes queso this delicious. Since I only get back here about once a year I had to get the soup & sandwich special. A bread bowl of potato bacon soup with a club sandwich on wheat (sans mayonnaise) with a side of tortilla chips & CCQ. It definitely hit the spot. And further proof why I could never be gluten free!

After having a late lunch with my Mom, I was still hungry. I saw this dessert on the menu for $2.45 and figured it couldn't be too much food. I was wrong. 

A gooey brownie easily the size of a large bagel, covered in a giant scoop of vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce. No wonder there are so many overweight people in the Midwest! Maybe we all need a little portion control!

Another usual stop on my trips home is The Oven: Indian Restaurant. It might sound funny to find a quality Indian restaurant in downtown Lincoln, Nebraska but it's been one of my Dad's favorites for ages.

I almost always get a pile of Basmati rice with the Reshmi Kabab. It's boneless pieces of chicken marinated in a ginger garlic paste and cooked in the tandoor oven. I'm drooling just thinking about it.

It might not look like much, but to a true Nebraskan driving through a Runza Drive-Inn and getting an almost too hot to eat Runza sandwich is everything. 

It's always been my first stop for food when I go home. I have to get the #1 with the Original Runza (ground beef, cabbage, onions and spices baked in bread) with a side of Frings! (crinkle cut french fries and double batter dipped onion rings) with a Pepsi.

It just tastes like home.

The one plus side to a super early morning flight to head back home for the holidays; breakfast pizza. Combine that with Wolfgang Puck, and it was pretty easy to suck me into buying a pie.

This pizza featured scrambled eggs, bacon, cheddar cheese and scallions on a pizza crust. I couldn't finish the whole thing, but it was well worth it.

My last meal in NYC, before I head home for Christmas. Since it was Sunday, I was trying to grab some brunch, but also going on break from work around 3pm.

I stopped by Coffee Shop Bar for some arepas, but they were sold out. Thus, I got the smoked salmon benedict with home fries. A solid way to satisfy my egg craving.

When I lived in St. Louis for the summer of 2004, I ate a lot of Steak 'n Shake. It's not as delicious as Shake Shack, but with those thin, cripsy fries and two steakburger patties, it's still hard to resist. 

So, before a two show day, I met up with an old friend, who went to college in St. Louis and we made great use of the gift card my mom had given me ages ago. 

I got the classic cheeseburger and fries with a cherry Dr. Pepper, since they have one of those fancy soda machines where you can customize your drink with various flavors.

On a day off, I was walking through Williamsburg, finishing up my Christmas shopping, when I noticed the new-ish Van Leeuwen shop. It was a little bit cold out, but nothing keeps me from a dairy-free ice cream treat! Van Leeuwen has lots of vegan ice cream flavors and I was stoked to see that they had match and pumpkin!

On another lunch/play date with Tempestt & Ellie, we stopped by Alice's Tea Cup on the Upper West Side. 

I got a pot of chocolate chai tea and Tempestt got a pot of Alice's Tea. We split the ham & cheese scone and I got a Black Forest ham sandwich with gruyere cheese. The savory ham & cheese was balanced with a golden raisin semolina and a tasty mixed greens salad. (Seriously. I liked the salad!)

The last few times that I've eaten at Republic in Union Square, I must have just missed out on their Bento Box lunch special. I went in with a craving for rice/noodles/dumplings, as usual and found the perfect solution: Bento Box #4!

It came packed with everything!

Fried Wontons: minced shrimp, Chinese mushrooms, baby corn, celery, carrots, watercress in a pimento-plum sauce.

Peanut Noodle Salad: cold wheat noodles, bean sprouts, carrots, peanuts, mint, fried shallots and jicama in a peanut sauce.

Chicken and Mushrooms: Broken rice, shiitake & woodear mushrooms, broccoli, snow peas, carrots, cabbage, Asian basil and bean paste.

I left full, satisfied and all that for only $17!? A great deal, when their entrees are usually $15.

When one of my friends quit working at Madewell, earlier this year, we kept chatting about catching up. Finally, I had a weekday off where we decided to meet up and grab lunch.

I chose Cookshop in Chelsea, which is right by the art gallery that she works at. I got the roast beef sandwich with grilled balsamic onions, fontina cheese on rye with a mixed greens salad and fries.

I'll definitely be back there another time, to check out more items on their menus, since everything looked so good.

When I used to work in Soho, Delicatessen was one of my favorite spots to grab a meal. A coworker introduced me to their neighboring restaurant, MacBar, a macaroni & cheese concept and I was instantly in love.

Although I have tried many of their flavors, I keep coming back to the Cheeseburger Mac. So, when I had a random day off in Soho and realized that Delicatessen was now carrying MacBar items on their menu, the choice was easy.

The mini cast iron skillet was still bubbling as my waiter sat it down on my table. Filled with cheddar & American cheeses, ground Angus beef and macaroni noodles, it totall hit the spot on a rainy, dreay day.

After our Thanksgiving Dumpling excursion, we walked a few blocks down to Momofuku Milk Bar for the return of their Thanksgiving Croissant! Whitney and I must have been the only ones "in the know," as everyone else was lining up for cookies and cereal milk soft serve.

We got two toasty croissants, filled with turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce. Delicious! Another reason to look forward to November each year.

My friend, Whitney, is a great buddy for all my random eating adventures. After our success with the Emmy Burger dumplings a few months ago, we had to return to Mimi Cheng's Dumplings for their "Thanksgiving" dumpling!

Just as delicious as it sounds, the dumplings were filled with Pino's free-range turkey, sage cranberry stuffing, housemade gravy and cranberry sauce. I also got a side of fried rice with carrots, scallions and free-range scrambled eggs.

I probably would have gotten the larger dumpling order, but there were still more Thanksgiving treats to be had!

When a former co-worker of mine was in town for Thanksgiving, we decided to meet for a pre-Black Friday feast at the Meatball Shop in Chelsea. 

I got my standard order, chicken meatballs with mushroom gravy, but this time I got it over a bowl of rigatoni and with a side of sauteed broccoli. Khadiyjah opted for the beef meatball hero with mozzarella and marinara with a side salad.

Totally energy fuel for the crazy shoppers out and about, looking for deals.

Ever since I moved to NYC, I've spent Thanksgiving at my best friend, Jeffrey's apartment with an assortment of friends and other NYC orphans for the feasting holiday. Jeffrey always cooks a feast and we watch Clueless.

So, on our 6th Friendsgiving together, nothing else would be any different. Of course, I had to load my plate with side dishes: mashed potatoes, mac & cheese, green bean casserole, stuffing, brussels sprouts and a pasta dish that Jeffrey's boyfriend, Allan, brought. Sure, there was a little bit of turkey and ham, but the side dishes make the meal.

Two years ago, I altered a vanilla cupcakes recipe to make Bailey's Irish Cream cupcakes for Friendsgiving at Jeffrey's apartment; then only 6 of the two dozen were eaten. Last year, I didn't make them and I disappointed many gay boys.

So, this year, I brought them back in full-force, all while humming "sugar...butter...flour" from the upcoming Waitress:  The Musical by Sara Bareilles.

I mixed some Irish Creme into the batter and filled them with cherries from a can of pie filling. Then, I made the frosting from scratch with a whole lot of confectioner's sugar and some more cherries blended in for texture, taste.

I have to say, these were even better than the ones from years' past!

One of the many benefits of working only 4 blocks from the Madison Square Shake Shack is taking advantage of the "Shack Cam" on rainy days. When you pull up the Shake Shack website, you can see the view of the line at MSP and this day there were only three people in line!

I ran up 5th Avenue and scored a cheeseburger, cheese fries and a chocolate peppermint milkshake. Dairy overload? Maybe, but it was totally worth it and nothing a few Lactaid pills couldn't help fix.

My first time trying dosa (rice/lentil crepe) and I chose the goan fish with coconut curry. It also came with pickled onions, tawa masala spices, coconut and coriander pestos over romaine lettuce. Plus, I got a side of samosas.

Lots of food, with just the right amount of spice. Definitely left me feeling full for the afternoon of work!

One of the perks of working across the street from Dough's newest location is fresh doughnuts and a rotating menu of seasonal flavors.

I stopped by one evening after work and picked up an apple tart doughnut for a #fatfriday treat.

The apple filling was a nice surprise and I hope that this flavor will be back next fall/winter! Usually, I'm not the biggest fan of Dough's yeast doughnuts, as they can be a bit greasy on the bottom, but I'm hoping as they introduce more cake doughnuts into their menu, they'll be less greasy.

One of the perks of having random weekdays off, is being able to meet up with one of my closest friends, Tempestt, and her adorable baby, Ellie. We usually plan a fun activity and a great place to eat. 

For today's adventure, we chose to go to Umami Burger, since Tempestt had never been there. We both got the Umami Burger: parmesan frico, shiittake mushroom, roasted tomato, caramelized onions and umami ketchup. 

Ellie was not interested in the burger, but really was happy about all the thin french fries, as evidenced by this photo!

After watching Consumed on CNBC earlier this year, I was anxiously waiting to go and try out Michael Chernow's new restaurant concept, Seamore's in NoLita. I was fascinated how Chernow developed this restaurant, sustainable fish, and how the concept came about after working at The Meatball Shop (one of my favorites) and deciding to divest from that brand.

I enlisted two of my other favorite foodies/Instagrammers, the Hoshikawa Twins and we met up for dinner after work. 

Many dishes were ordered and all were delicious. Here, you can see the remains of our poke: tuna with avocado, crushed peanuts and ponzu sauce with blue corn tortilla chips. I got a pair of the crispy fish tacos, which on this night were dogfish with kale, guacamole and chipotle mayo on corn tortillas.

I also got a cone of the Oddfellows pumpkin ice cream, since it was vegan (thus dairy free) and covered in toasted pumpkin seeds. Delicious!

As a fan of Eddie Huang, cooking, book & TV show, I always love grabbing some bao from Baohaus. After walking around in the city with a friend, we stopped by for a quick bite.

I got two bao: the Uncle Jesse Bao (L) organic fried tofu with haus seasoning salt, crushed peanuts, Taiwanese red sugar, cilantro and haus sauce and the Birdhaus Bao (R) all natural fried chicken, brined for 24 hours with haus seasoning salt, lemon-garlic aioli, crushed peanuts, Taiwanese red sugar and cilantro.

Hit the spot for sure.

I don't know why I ever change my usual order at Num Pang. Anytime I don't get the peppercorn catfish sandwich, I leave a little bit disappointed. Now, if only they would put this catfish into one of their noodle or rice bowls, that would really make my culinary dreams come true!

This break, I stuck with the usual, even if I'm not a big fan of the chili mayo that comes on the sandwich. I got an order of the charred corn, which is slathered in the chili mayo, coconut flakes and black pepper. All of the salty was easily complimented by a black cherry Boylan's Soda.

Even months after Shake Shack had introduced the Chicken Shack at all of their Brooklyn locations, I had yet to try it. So, when a day off coincided with a #fatfriday, I made my way to the location right by Barclays Center in Brooklyn. 

After having the Fuku spicy chicken sandwich, the Chicken Shack was a welcome cooling off point for my tastebuds. I'm usually not a big fan of sauces, but the buttermilk mayo on this sandwich was great and complimented the chicken and lettuce well.

Of course, since it was almost the end of October, I had to get the special custard. This month it was the "Pumpkin Pie Oh My!" and consisted of a slice of pumpkin pie blended into vanilla custard with whipped cream. I'm drooling just thinking about it and reliving that taste!

It's a good thing that my Dr.'s office is right down the street from Melt Shop, right? So far I've tried two different grilled cheese sandwiches there, but have yet to find one that's my absolute favorite.

This time I got the Burger Melt, which was a hamburger patty with pepperjack cheese, pickles, caramelized onions, cheese sauce & burger sauce on sourdough. I complimented this with a stack of cheesy tots; which I'm still thinking I should have just gotten plain, as I'm not a fan of tart, crumbly cheeses.

Sure, I had to be into work by 9pm at night, but I figured I could still stop by the Hello Kitty Cafe truck in Times Square! It was pretty rainy & dreary out, so the line wasn't too long to pick up treats from the truck, which was parked just outside of the Sanrio Pop-Up Store in Times Square.

I chose to get a set of Hello Kitty macarons, petit fours and a bottle of "bow water." 

Apparently, Cevich had been open in Union Square for over a year before I walked by and "discovered" it. 

I decided to try one of their signature rice bowls, the Cali Fresh. White fish ceviche, avocado, lettuce and mango covered in a chipotle garlic sauce served over a bed of coconut rice.

It was delicious and I'm sure I'll be back for more soon.

One of the benefits of working for a big company is that sometimes they ask you to go and work in another location. I volunteered to go help in White Plains, NY at our store at The Westchester Mall, because I liked going out there and that also meant that I could take the 7:12am train and get a breakfast sandwich at Shake Shack, which opens at 7am.

The nice guy at the counter even took my order before 7am and "dropped' my order in, so I got it right at 7:01am and was on the platform to wait for my train with plenty of time.

Now, while it didn't bring me back to my breakfast sandwich euphoria at Eggslut in Los Angeles, it was a good sandwich. Something about that Martin's Potato Roll and the slightly sweet taste of the sausage patty was just right.

There are so many places in the city with monthly rotating specials, but the Doughnut Plant is one that I hit up regularly. Even since my friend, Michelle, introduced me to the Doughnut Plant, I've been a fan. And sorry, their cake doughnuts are just SO much better than Dough (and much less greasy)!

Candy Corn: Not the best, but certainly cool to look at! Something about the corn pudding stuffed inside that just didn't sit well with me.

Apple Cinnamon: Sweet and delicious with small pieces of apple covering the doughnut.

Pumpkin: Perfectly sweet glaze with pumpkin seeds on top.

On a random day, I was in Williamsburg and decided to stop into The Meatball Shop for lunch. Little did I know that their Daily Special was going to be a Chicken Pot Pie meatball!

I decided to top mine with some mushroom gravy and a side of sauteed broccoli with some red pepper flakes. Both were delicious and hit the spot before I had to head into the city and into work.

The hometon ice cream shoppe, Ivanna Cone. They have a rotating selection of flavors and make them all in house.

I choose to get two scoops: cinnamon and Dutch chocolate. It was the perfect Fall day to sit outside and have some ice cream with my bestie, Eric, who indulged in the Roca Pumpkin Patch with me earlier in the day.

My Mom's side of the family are creatues of habit, so it was nice that they changed their Sunday breakfast spot to Cracker Barrel for me!

Unbeknownst to me, Cracker Barrel had just introduced mini chicken biscuit sandwiches to their menu, so of course, that's what I had to get!

I chose to get poached eggs with my meal and a nice heaping side of their hashbrown casserole, which makes my mouth water, just thinking about it now. I was pleasantly surprised that my Aunt, who usually only gets oatmeal, opted for these sandwiches too!

One of the stops on Bryce's list was Di Fara Pizza, known in some circles as "The Best Pizza in Brooklyn." All the pies are still made by Dom Di Fara in one small oven in his shop in Midwood. Usually the line wraps around the block and people have been known to wait up to 3 hours for their pies.

Due to the rainy weather, there wasn't much of a wait, so we ordered a pepperoni pie and lurked, waiting for a table to open in the seating area for about 20 customers only. We watched customers come and go, some with several pies and some with slices.

After a little over an hour, our pizza arrived, and while colorful and tasty, I'm not sure it was worth the wait. Well, at least I can say that I've had the experience now.

A whirlwind day, while playing tour guide to my high school friend, Bryce and his friend, John, who were visiting from Denver for a short weekend trip of eating and sight seeing; our first stop, brunch at Sweet Chick on the Lower East Side.

I got their version of Eggs Benedict: two poached eggs on buttermilk biscuits with shredded chicken, smoked ham, gravy and hollandaise. Both the boys decided to go sweet with their meals and got waffles and pancakes, but they needed to save room for all the other food they wanted to consume during the day.

After I posted this photo of my sundae on Instagram, Chloe's Soft Serve Fruit picked me as the winner of their #MyChloesCreation contest!

I still have yet to redeem my prize, since I need to round up 3 friends, but here's what won me some free sundaes:

Dark chocolate & banana twist soft serve fruit with slicd bananas and granola.

After a long day of adventures and learning how to boogie board in the ocean with my cousin, we walked over to the California Pizza Kitchen right by their apartment. I figured that even if there are CPK's in NYC, the least I could do was get a healthier pizza or California option.

Thus, the "California Club" pizza! Roasted chicken, Nueske's applewood smoked bacon, mozzarella baked in CPK's hearth oven, before being topped with avocado, arugula, basil & romaine tossed in a lemon-pepper mayonnaise.

Another recommendation from Maggie, the brunch at The Cottage in La Jolla. I had some time to kill and this place is so popular, even on a Thursday morning, that I had to wait about 30 minutes.

Since the weather is always beautiful in Southern California, I walked around the shops in the neighborhood while waiting for my table. Once I was seated, I glanced at the menu and settled on the "Eggs La Jolla."

A nice version of Eggs Benedict, they were two poached eggs on top of an English muffin with Canadian bacon, mushrooms, spinach, roasted tomatoes topped with balsamic & Hollandaise. Served with a side of home fries and pineapple. Definitely worth the wait.

No wonder the employees wear t-shirts that say "I Love Carbs!" This place was a dream! Thanks to a recommendation from my friend, Maggie, I went to this place in San Diego, before meeting up with my cousin to stay at her place in Solana Beach.

Devine Pastabilites is known for their "Torpasta" sandwiches, which were based off the owner's love of spaghetti sandwiches. They take a sesame roll and hollow out the inside, toast it and fill it with a variety of pasta and sauces. I went with the classic spaghetti & meatballs with a side of "bread holes," which as the insides of these rolls that are toasted and covered in butter and garlic.

I definitely felt disgustingly full after eating these, but they were worth it.

I will always be a Shack Shack loyalist, but I couldn't go to Southern California and NOT get a burger from In-N-Out, especially since I didn't grab one when I was in Las Vegas in January.

On my last day with Courtney in Encinitas, we went to the In-N-Out just down the street from her apartment and grabbed some lunch, before she went into work.

I got a Double Double with some cheese fries and a chocolate milkshake! Ooh, that shiny, yellow cheese! Killer.

After Courtney's dog got sick, she wasn't able to make the drive up to Disneyland with me. However, I was lucky that my friend Molly, who lives in Los Angeles, was able to make the drive down and meet me at Disneyland. 

We decided to spend the day in California Adventure vs. the Disneyland park and had a great time! The lines weren't too long and this park was a bit less full of children.

Of course, I had to get a Mickey Mouse ice cream bar and come up with the perfect photo opportunity!

While Courtney had to work, I met up with Joe, who also works at Madewell, but at University Town Center. He had just finished their store's rollout, so we met up at Fashion Valley Mall and he took me on a tour of the Gayborhood/Hillcrest.

We went to Urban Mo's (the home of Chad Michaels from RuPaul's Drag Race fame), where I was accosted by several of the servers, but all in good fun. 

Then we walked around the neighborhood in the rain; checking out vintage shops and stores. We stopped at Babycakes to grab a cupcake. I picked out beautiful pistaschio cupcake and iced tea.

Did you know a "California Burrito" has French fries inside it? Even if I wasn't that hungry, I had to try one! Courtney took me to Juanita's Taco Shop in Encinitas to devour one. It doesn't look like much, but it was delicious.

Another benefit of this West Coast vacation was getting to meet several of my Madewell friends for the first time, in person! Since I heard Din Tai Fung had opened at South Coast Plaza Mall in Costa Mesa, CA; I knew I had to make it one of my food stops.

My friend, Abby, had recently become the Store Director at SCP, moving from the Twin Cities, which is where I thought we would meet first; and Isabella, the Regional Operations Coordinator for the West Region is also based at SCP.

I didn't know it at the time, but one of them is a Vegetarian and the other one doesn't eat pork, so that meant that all 10 soup dumplings were for me! (Hello, sodium!)

We found a great spread and were able to try a bunch of things. Besides the pork Xiao Long Bao, we got a plate of vegetable dumplings (green wrappers), vegetable fried rice, vegetable fried rice cakes (those thick round, rice noodles) and some strings beans with garlic.

I was so full, but kept eating, because I had to save room for dessert before making my way South to San Diego and Encinitas to meet up with Courtney, another Madewell friend, at the store in Carlsbad.

All weekend long, I would pass through Koreatown on my way back and forth to my hotel. I remembered seeing a really cute, chubby penguin as the logo on one of the storefronts, but I couldn't for the life of me, remember their name. 

Well, Google definitely helped! When I decided that I needed a bubble tea before driving down to Costa Mesa to meet a friend for dinner, Boba Story was my last stop with Jared. 

It was there that I got the largest "medium" bubble tea I have ever seen! In a container that was basically a pint of tea, I got to see the chubby penguin up close on my mint chocolate bubble tea with a side of popcorn chicken.

I can't remember when I started following Eggslut on Instagram, but I KNEW I had to go there and eat when I was in LA. Luckily, my friend Jared (who recommended Milk from last night) was available that Monday and we drove downtown and got in the relatively short line for some eggs.

As mouth-watering as the egg sandwiches looked, I was intrigued by the dish they were calling "The Slut." This consisted of an egg coddled in a small glass jar over smooth potato puree. The jar was then poached in hot water, while in the jar and served with a baguette. I was instructed to mix the egg into the potato and I'm drooling just thinking about now.

Jared stuck with the sausage, egg and cheese sandwich. Now I want some mashed potatoes, great.

It's good to have friends in other cities that have great food recommendations! My friend, Jared, said I had to go to Milk and try their ice cream sandwiches. The line for this ice cream shop is usually around the block, so I lucked out that I was only the second person who had to wait outside the doorway.

They had lots of different flavors for their giant macaron ice cream sandwiches: Peanut Butter & Jelly, Rocky Road, Cookies & Cream, Jasmine Tea, Blueberry Crumble, Grasshopper, Vanilla Bean and Meyer Lemon. I figured since I'd probably only get to eat there once on this trip, I should go for the most "untraditional" flavor and got the Thai Tea sandwich. (I didn't mind that every other Asian person in line was getting it too...)

I also grabbed a Snickerdoodle and a Molasses cookie for snacks later, but I can't stop thinking about that Thai Tea sandwich...

After my brunch & Matcha, I decided to check out the current exhibits at LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art). While in the sweltering heat, there was a street lined with food trucks serving all kinds of treats. I took a brief glance and told myself to work up my appetite while I was at the museum.

When I was leaving, I stopped by The Pudding Truck, since they had a vegan (lactose-free for me) chocolate hazelnut pudding! I topped mine with some fresh banana slices and it was the perfect afternoon treat.

After brunch, I noticed a small shop called MatchaBox just down the street from Quality Food & Beverage. Since I love MatchaBar in Williamsburg, I figured it was worth grabbing a drink from here.

I spoke with the owner, who just opened up the shop a few months ago and she makes all the drinks in house, by herself. I was intrigued by the "Matcha Bitch," which was an iced Matha green tea with a shot of ginger and topped with a maraschino cherry. It was super spicy, but delicious and refreshing!

A great thing about spending time on the West Coast, besides the sun and the beach, is getting a chance to catch up with old friends who have moved out to the other coast.

I was lucky enough to grab brunch with my friend, Erin, before she headed into work over the weekend. We met up at Quality Food & Beverage and had a great time catching up over some wonderful food.

I got the kale & butternut squash hash with a pair of beautifully poached eggs and an amazingly flaky buttermilk biscuit. I figured I needed a little detox after yesterday's Mexican fiesta!

After a long day or so of traveling and wandering around Los Angeles, I wound up at the Universal City Walk. I was thinking that I could take the studio tour without having to pay admission to the theme park, but I was wrong. Naturally, I went in search of food before heading back to my hotel to get ready for my friend's wedding.

I was craving some Mexican food and there was a Mexican restaurant at Universal City Walk. I couldn't decide what to get, so this "Cinco de Mayo" appetizer platter seemed like a good idea.

I think I only finished 1/3 of it.

Nachos with Jack cheese, black olives, tomatoes, refried beans and sour cream. Potato taquitos. A mini chicken chimichanga. A cheese quesadilla. Lactaid was definitely my friend.

After housing one of my favorite pizzas at Nicoletta, I had to leave room for their creamy vanilla custard with some crushed Oreos. So simple, but so delicious.

On a nice day off work, I met up with and old co-worker, Ashley and her son, Jax. We wanted to pick a kid-friendly restaurant, so she picked Sugar & Plumm on the Upper West Side.

Filled with candy in the lobby and a glass case full of macarons, there were plenty of things to look at and purchase after our lunch.

These mini grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup and side of roasted fingerling potatoes, which they called the "marbled potato hash," were the perfect meal.

One of the many benefits of having a friend that lives in Astoria is the proximity to Flushing, Queens. On a day off, I met up with Tempestt & Ellie to grab some hand-pulled noodles at the Xi'an Famous Foods restaurant, Biang!

I love coming to this place, but it's quite a commute without having an occassion to go there for. 

We split some stewed pork burgers and I got the stewed pork noodles (mild, of course). Ugh, my mouth is watering, even as I post this photo...

Before my friend Jonelle moved back to Columbus, OH; we had to make one last stop at Shake Shack together before a show. 

I tried the "Roadhouse Shack": a cheeseburger with bacon caramelized onions, crinkle cut fries with cheese sauce on the side and an iced tea.

We inhaled our food, then strolled around Times Square one last time before going to see Finding Neverland! Which I was stoked to see again, since Amy Yakima (Season 10 winner of So You Think You Can Dance) was taking over the role of Peter Pan!

When I heard that Emily Loves Pizza in Brooklyn had a to die for burger, I knew I had to try it soon! Then, Mimi Cheng's announced that their special for the month of August was the "Emmy Burger" dumpling, so I knew I had go right away!

I enlisted my friend, Whitney to come on this eating adventure and we devoured two plates of the special dumplings!

Just like the "Emmy Burger," the dumplings contained dry-aged, pasture-raised beef, Grafton cheddar cheese, caramelized onions and "Emmy" sauce. I also got a side of sauteed broccoli with garlic and an iced tea.

It's pretty dangerous having a Dough doughnuts across the street from work. This shelf of doughnuts is an obvious reason why. 

I left rollout at work around 6:30am, so it was a perfect time to walk across the street, pick up a fresh doughnut and take it home before going to sleep. 

My friends, Phil & Andy are probably the most "foodie" people that I know. They've never been one to turn down appetizers, entrees and a dessert; and I love them for that.

When I had a Sunday off, we met up at Resto (a Belgian Gastropub) for brunch and to catch up on life. I don't remember much about my entree, but the appetizers were mouth-wateringly good.

Top: Avocado toast with arugula pesto, olive oil and pistachios.

Bottom: Deviled eggs on pork loin toast points with charred scallions.

I had about an hour to kill before my haircut on the Upper West Side, so I popped into Parm for one of their infamous Chicken Parm sandwiches. I wish I would have been hungrier, because their sides are killer too and I always have a craving for pasta.

This was the perfect size for a quick bite, although I would love to come back here with a dining companion, so I could try out more of the menu and have some things to share.

While hanging out with my friend, Tempestt & her daughter, Ellie, we made a quick stop into Sprinkles Cupcakes on the Upper East Side. Mostly, we wanted to use the cupcake ATM out front, but while we were checking out the assortment of cupcakes we also looked at their party space for Ellie's 1st Birthday.

I walked away with the August Special Cupcake: Matcha Green Tea (on the left) and a S'mores (on the right). While not the best matcha green tea-based dessert I've had, it was still delicious. The S'mores was the best of the two, with the toasted marshmallow top. You can't be that!

I'd been wanting to try out Snowdays for months, and not just because my name-sister, Eva Chen, is always going there!

Snowdays is great, because they take blocks of ice cream and shave them down, so it has the consistency of a snocone and then you can add lots of toppings to your ice cream, similar to Pinkberry or any run of the mill frozen yogurt place.

I chose to get the green tea shaved "snowcream" with mochi (duh!), blueberries, waffle cone pieces and chocolate sauce. Of course, I had to add the heart-eyes smiley face emoji macaron too!

For this installation of #fatfriday, I convinced some friends to meet me at one of my favorite pizza joints in the city, Nicoletta. I love their little pepperonis and thin, crispy crust.

We ended up getting half of my favorite pie, the Calabrese, with thick cut pepperoni, fennel sausage, pomodoro, red onions and mozzarella with half of the Classica, pomodoro, whole milk mozzarella, aged parmesan and basil.

I probably could have eaten about two more slices, but we still had dessert afterwards to look forward to.

I was talking about Portland with my cousin and happened to mention Voodoo doughnuts and how I had never been there, but really wanted to go. Then, she blew my mind when she mentioned that a location had just opened in Denver. Of course, I made her take me there and got a box!

Top left: Mexican hot chocolate cake doughnut. - Delicious & spicy! My mouth was tingling after that one for a few minutes. 

Top right: Cinnamon sugar cake doughnut. - Classic, sweet and not to greasy. I really do like cake doughnuts better than yeast ones.

Bottom right: Grape Ape yeast doughnut. - I love purple, so I thought this would be a good one, but it was pretty disgusting. I mostly ate the purple sprinkles on the corner, but the grape sugar dusting was really odd.

Bottom left: Voodoo dool yeast doughnut. - I got this one more for the novelty and wasn't a huge fan of it, since I'm not a big chocolate doughnut fan anyways.

For my second day in Denver, we went to City, O'City (which sadly, was all vegetarian/vegan, so no bacon for me), but this waffle more than made up for it.

A banana waffle with peanut butter anglaise, house made jam & a potato chip garnish. I ordered some eggs on the side, because I can never get enough of eggs.

On a quick two day trip to Denver, my cousin & her fiance lead me around the downtown. After dinner, we stopped by Union Station to check out Milkbox Ice Creamery inside the station. 

There were so many vegan flavors (which is great for a lactose intolerant person, like me) and it was hard to decide. I finally settled on a scoop of horchata (which tasted just like the drink) and banana chip (sweet, fruity and fragrant). 

I can't remember all the other flavors, but I hope this means that non-dairy ice cream treats will be more widely available soon!

How could I resist a bowl of noodles called the "CPR?"

All-natural chicken and potatoes stewed in an aromatic gravy over nice noodles with a roasted pork bun and some iced tea. This is from one of the best Chinese restaurants in the Denver/Boulder area and came with high recommendations from my cousin.

I wasn't a fan of the dark meat, which proves that I'm definitely more American than Chinese, but the soup was good and the pork bun was definitely delicious.

After a long day of running errands and traveling, I had a super late night meal in Denver with my cousin, Joyce and her fiance, Janelle. They took me to D Bar in downtown Denver, where I had some mac & cheese with a fried chicken cutlet and this amazing dessert.

Two rock sugar waffles with vanilla ice cream, cherries, almonds and whipped cream. If you look on my Instagram page, you can see how happy I was, taking a photo of this dessert.

After running some errands on a day off, I finally made it to Fuku for David Chang's twist on a fried chicken sandwich. The menu might be small, but the taste was big.

As anyone who knows me understands, I have a very low tolerance for anything spicy (blame it on my Mom's bland tastes growing up); but have learned to try newer things as I've gotten older. This sandwich was great, but pretty spicy for my liking and that's without the Ssam sauce!

The chicken was nicely fried and juicy, but as you can see, WAY too big for the bun!

After a delicious burger at Umami Burger in Williamsburg, a few friends & I stumbled upon the soft opening of Davey's Ice Cream on Bedford Ave.

I figured, I already had cheese on my burger, so why not make use of my Lactaid pills and  get an ice cream cone? 

I chose a scoop of the speculoos chocolate chip and wasn't disappointed!

I might work across the street from Dough doughnuts, but I really prefer cake doughnuts from Doughnut Plant. I happened to be wandering around in the city near their location by the Chelsea Hotel and stopped into to grab their July flavors of the month.

I really preferred the blueberry one over the lavendar flower. Yes, I was attracted to the purple shades of both (which is my favorite color), but the fragrant flavor in the lavendar wasn't my cup of tea. 

Usually, when I can't decide what to get to eat on break I end up at Hale & Hearty Soups or Lenny's. This time I got a "Novie" on an everything bagel, but without the cream cheese (of course). 

Something about that Nova smoked salmon with red onions, tomatoes and lettuce is so good, every time.

I had been craving ice cream since arriving in Chicago & went with another recommendation from Joanne, to try out Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams in Wicker Park. (I should have known with all the dairy I'd been consuming all day that this probably wasn't the best idea...some Pepto Bismol saved the night later!)

Now, I'm a sucker for anything cherry and when I saw this sign upon walking into the store, I knew what I was going to get. 

Made with Boylan's black cherry soda, it was perfect.

Boylan's black cherry soda, Ndali Estate vanilla bean ice cream, honey whipped cream & Amarena cherries. Perfection.

I'm really surprised I didn't gain 10 pounds when I was in Chicago! One of the restaurants on my list when I go back is always Ann Sather's. They have AMAZING cinnamon rolls (I did bring a few back with me to NYC) and brunch!

I met up with an old friend from Nebraska and we indulged in some great food. Is your mouth watering from the photo alone? Can I present "The Southern Decadence?"

Perfectly poached eggs over sausage patties & hot buttermilk biscuits topped with country sausage gravy. Of course, I got the hashbrowns on the side & since I was already taking some Lactaid, why not add American cheese on top?

After living in Chicago from 2007-2008, I tried to come back and visit every year. This time, I had not been back to visit for almost 2 and a half years, so there were plenty of new places to try out and some favorites to return to.

My bestie, Joanne, said I should try Velvet Taco on State Street & it was amazing!

There were so many unique and interesting tacos to try out. I wasn't that hungry, but I got two:

#19: The Brunch Taco - bacon over an egg fittatta, crisp tater tots, chili butter, smoked cheddar, ranchero sauce and micro greesn in a corn tortilla.

#2: The Chick - rotisserie chicken, white queso, roast corn pico de gallo and smoked poblano salsa in a corn tortilla.

I'm still dreaming about that brunch taco, naturally.

Post-Taylor Swift concert, I promised to help a friend find an outfit for an upcoming interview. So, here I was before 11am on upper 5th Avenue with all the tourists, waiting for stores to open on a Sunday.

I was starving and just intended to pop into Momofuku Milk Bar for a treat & tea. What I left with was this amazing bagel bomb: an everything bagel stuffed with bacon-scallion cream cheese. It totally hit the spot!

Do you sense how much I love eggs in all these latest photos? Another great day off, where I grabbed brunch in Williamsburg with a former co-worker.

Even though Sweet Chick is known for their chicken & waffles, I couldn't resist trying their biscuits & gravy (especially after my less than stellar experience at Egg for brunch). I paired mine with the mushroom gravy & it didn't disappoint.

After the Qdoba closed on 23rd Street and in Union Square, I've been lacking in a Mexican fast food place to get killer queso. That was until I decided to try Oxido on 23rd, between 5th and 6th Ave. 

I tried out two types of tacos: a grilled garlic steak (which was a bit too chewy for my liking) and a chicken poblano (which was a refreshing taste, after eating so much Chipotle over the years). 

I paired it with a bag of chips & their queso blanco. The queso was a bit runny, but the flavor was amazing & just what I had been craving.

After a little adventure in Williamsburg for this day off, I stopped into Bakeshop on my way back home. Since my #dietordeath days, I've developed a real liking for iced teas & got a cup of Earl Grey.

Woops has so many flavors of macarons, it's hard to decide!  Eventually, I picked out three: white chocolate cherry, mint chocolate chip and cookies & cream.

I'd been wanting to try out the House of Small Wonder for awhile, but had never stopped by; surprising, since I live within 10 minutes of the restaurant.

I chose to try the Okinawan Taco Rice, which was was a fried egg over chopped vegetables (tomato & avocado), with ground pork in taco seasoning over a bed of white rice. My mouth is salivating just thinking about it now!

On a random day off in June, I tried to check out David Chang's new restaurant, Fuku; famous for it's spicy fried chicken buns. No luck, since they were closed that day.

So, I walked down the block to Momofuku Noodle Bar and lucked out! Their daily special was the fried egg bun! A fried egg over a slice of spicy pork loin, hollandaise & chives.

I paired these with my favorite, their soy sauce egg & some of their "Trail Mix" soft serve for dessert. Heaven.

I'd been wanting to try the brunch at Jack's Wife Freda for awhile. And what better opportunity, when I was up at the crack of dawn? A friend from San Diego was in NYC for a long layover, so she popped into the city & we met up for brunch.

I choose the green shakshuka which was 2 baked eggs in a green shakshuska sauce with challah toast. Delicious!

Sometimes on my break from work, all I want is a sweet treat. If I've already had dairy, then it's easier to get a dairy-based dessert.

I stopped by the YoGo truck, that was parked outside of the AMC on 19th & Broadway and got this one. Just some vanilla frozen yogurt with mochi and rainbow sprinkles. Yum!

San Loco is one of my favorite Mexican places to eat in the city. Their cuisine is described as "Gringo-Mex" and in my opinion, it's delicious!

I decided to go all out this #fatfriday and I got their "Macho Nachos" with ground beef chili. The chili is layered over the tortilla chps, then covered in cheese, pico de gallo and guacamole (I always hold the jalapenos & sour cream). 

Then, I added on one of their "Queso Loco" tacos with ground beef. It's a hard shell taco covered in cheese and wrapped in a flour tortilla. Fat Friday, indeed.

Thank you to my high cholesterol for making me love smoked salmon. Sometimes I forget that Le Pain Quotidien is so close to work, but when I do the smoked salmon tartine is usually my meal of choice. 

Slices of whole wheat sourdough bread topped with thinly sliced smoked salmon, avocado, scallions and dill. This day, I chose to have it with a pain aux raisins and some iced tea.

When my best friend, Jenn, was in town, she wanted sushi, so we stopped by East Japanese Restaurant in the Gramercy area. All of their sushi comes on a conveyor belt, so you can just pick and grab what you'd like.

I saw that their dessert special was a "waffle cookie ice cream," so naturally, I wanted one. I picked the green tea ice cream with chocolate sauce and for $3, it didn't dissapoint.

I've been following Uma Temakeria on Instagram for awhile, but I finally decided to stop by for lunch, before a closing shift. This was right before the company launched their sushi "burrito," so I'll have to go back and check that out.

I got the two roll special:

L: salmon with white rice, crisp green apple slices, avocado lime sauce and tempura crunch.

R: marinated tofu with brown rice, carrots, avocado lime sauce and tempura crunch.

The next time I'll pass on the green apples, but otherwise, this was a great meal and a new restaurant to add to my list of places to eat near work.

After a ridiculously long wait (for my friend and for the table), I finally got to enjoy the biscuits & gravy at Egg's updated space in Willilamsburg. The housemade buttermilk biscuits were good and I chose to pair them with sawmill gravy & pan-seared mushrooms. 

For all the hype, the wait and the Yelp! reviews, I wasn't that impressed with their food or service. I'd happily go back to HIll Country Chicken for their biscuits & gravy over this place any time. 

After waiting for a friend for brunch, I decided to help beat the hot summer sun with a stop at MatchaBar. The last time I got a drink here, it was freezing, so it seemed like the perfect time to try an iced drink.

Having already tried the matcha chai, I went for the fuji apple ginger matcha and didn't regret my decision at all.

One of my favorite places to take a lunch break is Edo on 17th Street. It's a quick walk from work and they have great prices on their lunch specials.

I got one spicy salmon crunch roll and a sweet potato tempura roll. Of course, with a big side of soy sauce.

I almost forgot to use my birthday reward at Pinkberry! Luckily, after I went to the SNL Exhibition, I had some time to spare and walked through Koreatown. 

I also got the change to try their new chocolate churro flavor with just the right amount of spice & cinnamon. I always get plenty of mochi on my frozen yogurt and topped that off with some dark chocolate crisps & a waffle cookie.

The newest Dig Inn: Seasonal Market right by Madison Square Park is trying out a new, updated menu, so I decided to walk up there & try it out.

I got the wild sockeye salmon with brown rice and sides of roasted cauliflower & their "upstate mac" & cheese. I really enjoyed the salmon & cauliflower, but the mac & cheese wasn't great enough for me to take the Lactaid to eat it. I'll come back for the food, but just skip the upcharge on the mac & cheese.

I always try to go and see the Costume Exhibit at the Met each year, around my birthday. This time, my day off coincided with another friend's day off, so we went up to the Upper East Side.

On our way to the Museum, we spotted Petite Shell and decided to stop in for a snack. I got a delicious iced soy chai & a pretzel croissant. Both were delicious, but I think I prefer City Bakery's preztel croissant just a bit more.

I ordered an ice cream sandwich from The Meatball Shop at my birthday brunch, a few weeks ago. I got the snickerdoodle cookies with brown sugar ice cream. 

My friends must have stealthily told the waiter that it was my birthday, because my dessert game with a little candle, too!

When the Shake Shack in Madison Square Park closed in October of 2014 for a remodel, I was super sad. It was always fun checking out the Shack Cam onlilne before my break and if the line was short enough, running up the four blocks to grab a burger and fries. (Of course, this was all pre-lower cholesterol diet.)

So, I kept tweeting @ShakeShack and low and behold, they opened just before Memorial Day Weekend and my birthday! Since I was working the Saturday before my birthday and Shake Shack was serving up limited edition corn dogs for the long weekend, I met up with my friends, Emily and Jonelle and grabbed a meal.

It had been awhile since my last Shake Shack burger and it was every bit as good as I remembered. The corn dog wasn't as good as what I remembered from the Nebraska State Fair days, but the cheese fries we great! I might have cheated on #fatfriday, but it was well worth it!

As most New Yorkers know, it's pretty hard to get a table at Roberta's in Brooklyn. It just happened that I had a #fatfriday at work when Madison Square Eats was going on in the park. Roberta's had a booth and there was less than a 10 minute wait for a pie!?

I jumped at that chance, added pepperoni & mushrooms to my pizza, took a stroll around the other booths and by the time I walked back, it was done! 

On a two-show day, I ended up walking from Times Square after seeing Finding Neverland to the Upper West Side, where after a futile attempt to stop at a Chinese restuarant and charge my phone, I walked by Parm. I'd been wanting to try out this restaurant for some time and they have a table near an outlet, where I could sit and charge my almost-dead phone before going to see On the 20th Century.

I was served a plate of fresh mozzarella in olive oil with a side of bread. I got some amazing roasted sicilian cauliflower with onions & peppers to go along with my main dish, orecchiette classico with garlic broccoli & sweet sausage.

For my first experience, I had a good time and the environment was fun and my waiter was friendly. All in all, well worth the 30+ block walk for this meal.

It's a blessing and a curse that my doctor is in Midtown and within walking distance of Melt Shop.

Yes, I went and got a grilled cheese sandwich and "shop tots" after my annual check-up. But I did get great news that my uber-high cholesterol was much better and my BMI was finally in the "normal" range. Here's to keeping up all the good work from last year! And for the chance to dine outside in a nearby park, instead of sitting alone in a restaurant for the thousandth time in my life.

Since I've limited my super-fatty, high-cholestorol meals over the last year, sometimes on a #fatfriday, I have to go all out. On this occassion, I walked for 1.5 miles on my break to the nearest Two Boots Pizza in the West Village for a few slices.

I got a pepperoni slice and a "Super Newman," named after the character on Seinfeld and topped with soppresata and sausage. And, because I'm a true Nebraska girl, an ice cold Pepsi. (Not pictured: giant garlic knots, which were also devoured.)

It's hard to believe that you could get tired of eating at all the restuarants in the Flatiron/Union Square area, but sometimes I have a hard time finding a place to eat on my break. After about 4 years working in the area, it's easy to get bored with the same old meals.

When I saw that one of my employees had noodles for their lunch, I decided that i would set out to find some noodles for myself. I have a weird thing with meats in soups, so I just went for the tofu udon at Ennju and it totally hit the spot for my dinnertime meal choice.

After I went to see Fun Home on Broadway, I stopped into the City Kitchen on 8th Avenue. There weren't many quick snacks that were dairy-free, but I did spy the Sigmund's Pretzel cart. 

I got the churro pretzel and it was everything I expected it to be! Soft and chewy, with the usual churry dusting of cinnamon and sugar. 

My high school friend, Julie, came into NYC to surprise her brother. I wasn't able to go and see his play, but at least we got to catch up over pierogies at Veselka in the East Village.

Of course, I had to get some potato and meat pierogies with a side of potato latkes. (Yeah, they aren't as good as the ones at Russ & Daughters Cafe, but I've never met a potato I didn't like!)

On my way back to work, I needed something sweet. So, why not stop at the Mister Softee truck and get an ice cream cone?

I've always loved chocolate soft serve with a cherry dip, but the customer infront of me asked for a "Merlin," as it's got the "hat" made of the dip, but a sprinkle bottom. And why not have some rainbow sprinkles?

The last time Dad came to visit, my roommate, Jim and I took him to Flushing for a real Chinese experience. He was super excited and the second we got off the 7 Train in Flushing, he shouted "It is like I am in China!"

So, I figured this trip he would want to go back to Biang! in Flushing and get the hand-pulled noodles he'd been talking about for at least a year. Little did I know that there would be a Falun Gong Parade and he'd spend most of the meal out on the street, watching the parade.

At least I enjoyed my food! I got some of the stewed pork buns which are made up of minced stewed pork belly served in crispy, crunch flatbread buns; like an Asian version of a burger. I also had to get an Apple Sidra soda, because they're delicious and hard to find.

My Dad comes to visit me in NYC. I try to plan out what kinds of food we're going to eat, but no matter what, it always ends up being mostly Asian food. So, I figured why not introduce him to Filipino food, since it wasn't something he could get back in Nebraska.

He really enjoyed the Lumpia, but wasn't a big fan of the salted beef he ordered, since it was "too salty."

I enjoyed my meal though, which was a Filipino version of corned beef hash with garlic fried rice and a fried egg; "cornsilog."

Yes, I did go out of my way on a day off to go back to Russ & Daughters Cafe. I had been dreaming about these potato latke's since I went in late March.

This time, I got the "Eggs Benny," where they put the poached eggs, Scottish smoked salmon and hollandaise on a thick slice of challah bread. It was heavenly.

And, yes, I ordered a side of potato latkes.

One of my favorite burger restaurants in the city, Umami Burger, opened up a location in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. They have some location specials, but I had to try the "Sunny Side" (aka Truffle Especiale) burger.

This burger has their signature parmesan fico, a fried, egg, truffle thyme compond butter, truffled arugula and truffled aioli. I got it with a side of their "thin fries" and their signatures sauces, including my favorite, their umami ketchup.

It was delcious. It's really a shame that my dinner date cancelled on me. But this was the best dinner for one.

On a Friday off work, I met up with a former co-worker and friend of mine, Melissa. She works right near Hill Country Chicken and until Shake Shack reopens in Madison Square Park, it's my #FatFriday place of choice.

This was my first time trying their chicken pot pie, which was delicious, if a bit too spicy for my taste. (I think there was a little bit too much pepper in it.) Still, it's a good size vs. the chicken pot pie at Boston Market. The Hill Country version is about 2/3's the size of the pie at Boston Market and it's crust is not as flaky, but has a richer, buttery taste.

Of course, I had to add a side of the cheesy fried mashed potatoes and a buttermilk biscuit! I also love that Hill Country has Boylan's fountain soda, but the last two times I've been there the black cherry wasn't mixed properly. Oh well.

Just a little dim sum brunch in Chinatown with my friend, Whitney, on Easter Sunday.

We went to Nom Wah Tea Parlour, the oldest dim sum establishment in NYC. Their dim sum isn't rolled out on carts, but you can pick and choose from their extensive menu, so you can get exactly what you want. 

We had much more than these three dishes, but these were what came out first and were quickly photo-ed, then devoured.

Pork shu mai, spring rolls and rice noodles with beef. All delicious.

It's always a good time trying out a new place for brunch and catching up with friends. For this weekend excursion, my college friend, Kristi, picked Martha's in Fort Greene in Brooklyn.

They're known for their Asian-influenced faire, but this morning, I opted for their special of the day; which was peanut butter-stuffed French toast with berry compote. It was a delicious choice! 

Kristi opted for the cast iron pancake with apple compote & ricotta and, of course, we had to split the duck fat biscuit with apple butter and apple compote.

That makes two trips to Fort Greene in the last few weeks, so working on my "explore more of Brooklyn" New Year's Resolution is shaping up well.

I'm still drooling over those potato latkes! 

The "Lower Sunny Side" from Russ & Daughters Cafe on the Lower East Side. Sunny side up eggs, Gaspe Nova smoked salmon and potato latkes.

I'd been wanting to go to Russ & Daughters Cafe for awhile and this meal pretty much ensured that I'll be back again soon.

Indulging in brunch is one of my favorite eating & NYC past-times. I don't get the opportunity to part-take in it often, as retail keeps me working on weekends. However, on a Saturday off, I met up with a former co-worker to gossip about work and try out a new place in Fort Greene.

We sat at the bar and had a good time wtih the bartender. (He didn't even charge us for our drinks!)

I got the huevos rancheros, which were delicious and just the right amount of food.

I'd been wanting to try out Melt Shop for awhile. When my friend, Christina, suggested we visit some museums on our day off, we went to the 53rd & Lexington location before visiting MoMA.

We decided to split the classic grilled cheese and "The Big Skinny," which was mozzarella, grilled mushrooms, roasted tomatoes, red peppers, arugula & sherry vinagarette on sourdough. 

We also had the housemade iced tea and "Arnold Palmer" with a side of "Shop Tots," which were tater tots tossed with parmesan cheese and scallions.

Overall, I liked the classic better than "The Big Skinny," because the sauce made everything slide out of the bread! But, yes, I'll be back to try more sandwiches sometime soon.

I rarely get the change to enjoy brunch, so when I had last Sunday off, I took advantage and hit up a local spot with my friends, Caitlin & Emily.

We've been a few times to Ltauha Restaurant in Ridgewood and the food is always consistently great and the staff is friendly. It's an easy 10 minute walk from my apartment, so once the weather turned, it was a natural choice for brunch.

In the past few months, I've discovered that I really like smoked salmon. This benedict was excellent, even if I skipped the fatty hollandaise sauce. The home fries were seasoned perfectly, and presented with a simple salad.

while working at the philadelphia flower show, i had to grab lunch from reading terminal at least one of the days.

hunger burger (http://www.hungerburgerpa.com) came highly recommended, 

the "YO!lk" burger consists of a beef patty, american cheese, a fried egg, onion ring & chipotle ketchup. i was debating between their regular french fries or their seasoned fries, until i saw the mac & cheese.

i'm not a fan of the creamier mac & cheese receipes, due to the lactose problem, but this batch was excellent. not too creamy and a mild cheese sauce. i could have done with a dash of salt & pepper, but overall, it was a winner.

while in philly, i tried to meet up with several friends for a meal and to catch up on life, since i'd moved in 2009.

my friend, michael, suggested a new dim sum restaurant, bing bing, in south philly that had been getting rave reviews. 

this turnip cake with a fried egg was one of the many things that we tried and was delicious! we also sampled the soup dumplings, which i would say are on par with joe's shanghai in chinatown, the congee, pork ribs and bubble waffle for dessert.

the atmosphere of the restaurant it also fun, with cartoon dumplings all over the walls, and communal seating, as long as someone at your table isn't crying over a breakup, like the girl across from us.

dough doughnuts had some limited edition "babkas." i got a mexican hot chocolate & cinnamon one and it was delicious.

finally tried out matchabar in williamsburg. there are SO many things that i want to try here. guess i'll have to go back soon.

mushroom & white cheddar burger. french fries. chocolate malt ice cream cup. dr. pepper. another #fatfriday success!

catching up with my bestie, jeffrey, after work. we stopped by campeon for some tacos & nachos.

when you can't decide between pastrami and corned beef, why not get both!? jonelle and i grabbed a sandwich to share before seeing emma stone & alan cumming in cabaret.

post #fatfriday lunch at carson kitchen, i picked up a doughnut at o face.

when i was in las vegas, my friend, james took me to carson kitchen for lunch. this is only one of the several plates we ordered and everything was delicious.

after work drinks & desserts with some madewell friends.

sal sal chicken strips over a bed of rice & lettuce. soy sal sal dressing.

catching up with haske over lunch at the meatball shop in williamsburg. i had the special pizza ball (sausage, pepperoni & focaccia) with tomato sauce. the rest of our meal:

mashed potatoes. rigatoni. mushroom, roasted tomato & thyme risotto. chicken meatballs with tomato sauce. sweet tea. aviation cocktail.

After another day of adventures and errands with Tempestt & Ellie, we wandered around in Flushing, looking for something good to eat. We stumbled upon Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao, which we had walked by on our way to Snowdays, many months ago.

Even though Ellie was a little bit cranky, we managed to finish our meal and make our way over to Target. We shared an order of pork soup dumplings (aka xiao long bao), pan fried udon with beef, vegetable fried rice cakes and scallion pancakes.

after a scare last year with high cholesterol, i've been trying to eat a bit healthier. follow my accomplishments on instagram with the #dietordeath tag.

chicken & avocado salad from pret with cherry tomatoes, walnuts, cranberries and extra virgin olive oil dressing. green tea.

deviled eggs with proscuitto bits. delicious!

from jonelle's birthday at the tippler. it came with two sauces, but was good on it's own.

trying out the january pancake of the month: hot chocolate with phil. yeah, we also got some chili cheese tater tots & a small mac & cheese.

macaroni salad with spinach & tomatoes from whole foods. peach blueberry muffin from variety coffee roasters in bushwick.

on a freezing night, i went with my friend, aly, to see michael c. hall in hedwig & the angry inch. we stopped by this restaurant to warm up and grab something to eat.

i got the salted chocolate caramel.

finally tried out the brooklyn star's brunch with my college friend, kristi. scrambled eggs. pancakes. hashbrowns. pork belly.

grabbing a soy mocha to make it through inventory.

Sometimes my friends call me a “bad Korean,” since I don’t have much of a tolerance for spicy foods or Kimchi! Well, bland palate be damned, I’m going to work on my tolerance before I go to Korea this Fall.

When Jim was in Newark for work, we met up in the city for a meal at Her Name is Han. Many dishes were split, but nothing was as quite as tasty as this kimchi pancake with a soft boiled egg. Perfectly crispy, just the right amount of spicy and an egg, how could you go wrong?

Look at that runny egg!!! One of the best parts about working at Gap Inc. is the on-site cafe (aka the GAPeteria). The chefs and staff have all the creative freedom to make up any recipe they like and try it out.

This "special” breakfast sandwich was one of the best of late! A fried egg with griddled mortadella, provolone cheese, arugula and tomato on a brioce bun.

I’d never had mortadella before, but I know this won’t be my first and last time. It was sliced thin and just the right amount of salty with the egg, cheese and veggies. I hope it comes back soon!

I’d been craving some pancakes from Bubby’s for awhile, so why not have breakfast for lunch? Brynn and I went on our weekly TB and indulged in the James Beard pancakes.

I went with the Pancake flight: one caramelized banana & toasted walnuts, one blueberry and one Nutella with mixed berries & whipped cream.

I think I finished 75% of the plate, which was pretty good, considering how dense and filling the pancakes were. Next time, maybe I’ll just order one…though probably not.

Although, you might think so, just looking at the last few photos I put up here. It had been awhile since I’d been able to meet up with Tempestt and her family, so we met in Brooklyn to eat at Mile End and to visit the NYC Transit Museum.

Well, Mile End is known for their poutine and since her husband, Rem, grew up in Canada, I knew this would be an easy sell! I got the smoked meat hash, topped with fried eggs and we split a plate of the classic poutine: cheese curds, gravy and some chives.

Finally, the day had arrived! I was going to see Harry Potter & the Cursed Child on Broadway! Normally, I would see a new show within the first few months of it’s opening, but this show was notoriously hard to get tickets to. In the fall of 2018, Deirdre, Diane & I decided to buy tickets when the next block went on sale and go the weekend after Diane’s birthday.

When February 24th finally rolled around, off we went in search of meals for before and in between the two shows. For brunch, we ended up at Wild Son in the Meatpacking District, unaware of the size of the actual restaurant and the massive wait time to get a table. By the time we were seated and ordered, we were all starving, inhaled our meals and then booked it to Times Square.

I did pause for a few second to take a photo of the lovely “Good Morning Sunshine” sandwich, before it was making it’s way into my stomach. A sunny side up egg with pulled braised bacon, avocado, tomato and rosemary aioli on a perfectly toasted brioche bun; my mouth is watering just thinking about it! I’ll have to go back again soon, when I have more time to explore the menu!

I always know if I want to get a hearty brunch, I can count on my college bestie, Phil, to know the right place to go! So, we met to catch up over a lovely prix fixe brunch at Park Avenue (Winter - since they change their name and menu each season).

We had some delicious monkey bread and cornbread to split, but chose different appetizers and entrees. I went with a maple sausage link and waffle for my appetizer; covering the sweet portion for breakfast, and the breakfast poutine, covering the savory portion. Covered with cheese curds, bacon, gravy and a fried egg on a bed of fries, how could I go wrong!?

The only hitch, while most people would love the “bottomless” part of the brunch, I was good after 1.5 pear belini’s. And yes, I might have done a little tipsy shopping afterwards.

I couldn't resist a trip out of the city, even if it was just to go to Newark, NJ for dinner. I had sent over a few suggestions for dinner locations and ended up at Fornos of Spain.

A very short drive from Newark Penn Station, the restaurant was larger than expected and definitely packed for a Sunday night. Since I’m a sucker for Moscato, it didn’t take long for me to agree to a pitcher of their Moscato-based sangria.

The main attraction was the Paella de Pollo with chicken, chorizo, rosemary, olives and of course, my favorite rice! (Also, the side of potato chips was a nice touch.) All-in-all, not a bad belated Valentine’s Day date.

The things I do for my love of Tokidoki and food with faces! My friend, Molly, told me that Tatsu Ramen was having a special event for the launch of the Supermarket Besties vinyl collection this weekend and I knew I had to go! For Friday, Saturday and Sunday the first 100 orders of ramen would receive a free Supermarket Bestie blindboxed collectible toy!

For my ramen, I chose the Cheeky Ramen - but since they were out of chicken, I opted for tofu. With a slow cooked chicken broth, ramen noodles, green onions and a seasoned soft boiled egg, it was just what I needed on a cold February day!

During a busy work week, sometimes it’s still appropriate to have a working lunch. Well, after Maman messed up a previous order, I still had a free meal to go and redeem.

So, while Brynn & I talked business, I ordered the Waffle Iron Hashbrowns with smoked salmon, avocado, cucumber, on a bed of balsamic mixed greens with lemon, dill and a soft boiled egg.

A nice balance of all the taste senses!

After a long morning of apartment hunting, I was headed back downtown when I realized how hungry I was! I had some errands to run, but since I was already on the West side of the city, I finally made the decision to go to Jollibee!

Yes, my Filipino friends had been telling me all about this chain for months and I was curious to see what it was all about.

Since it was my first time trying out their food, I went with the Chicken Joy combo: 1 piece of Chicken Joy with a Jolly Spaghetti (sans cheese)! Yes, I also got a side of mashed potatoes & gravy, because I can never resist a potato and gravy!

The spaghetti sauce also had small sliced hot dogs, which reminded me of the Spaghetti O’s that my Mom used to make me as a kid, but the sauce was on the sweeter side and reminded me of the heavy meat sauce from Valentino’s in Nebraska.

In short, I’d go back to Jollibee in a heartbeat, but I’d bring a friend and get some halo halo, too!

Since living in NYC, the number of times that I bake a year has drastically reduced. So, when I go home and get to use my Dad’s giant chef’s kitchen; complete with dual oven and giant island, I get to play around.

Last year, I had a bag of left over mint M&M’s and wanted to use them before I went home. I took the basic Nestle’s Toll House recipe and added the M&M’s instead of chocolate chips and nuts.

Voila! Tasty, minty cookies! I made them a little fatter and baked them just under 10-12 minutes to make sure they were nice and soft/chewy in the middle.

That happy accident led to what may become an annual tradition! Minty cookies for the second year in a row!

Oof, this no-dairy for 6 weeks thing is rough. I went to The Meatball Shop for brunch thinking I could get their “Balls Benedict,” but they changed their menu a few months ago! So, now there was only a lobster benedict and so many things with dairy (milk, cream, cheese) in them!

I wanted their buttery mashed potatoes with chicken meatballs and marinara…but it came with cheese on top and these was cream in the potatoes!? Ugh. So, what was I left with? Rigatoni, chicken meatballs and marinara. It didn’t taste bad, but it wasn’t what I was craving.

At first, I was going to skip the December monthly dumpling from Mimi Cheng’s…then I went to pick up my DUMPLINGS sweatshirt and changed my mind. After all, how could I pass up a partnership with Danny Bowien from Mission Chinese Food!?

The dumpling wrappers were made from spinach and filled with pea leaves & bamboo shoots. Then the dumplings were served in a kabocha squash broath with tingling granola (a little spicy), chili vinegar and topped with edible flowers. They were a bit spicy for my mild tastes, but I’m glad that I tried them!

My friend, Phil, sent me a photo of these Hello Kitty buns at Dynasty Dim Sum near Kips Bay, so I knew where we were going for our next brunch date!

After getting our fill of char siu pork buns, dumplings, shui mai, etc. Phil ordered us a set of these custard-filled Hello Kitty buns! Served warmed, they were oozing with custard and pretty tasty (even if Hello Kitty’s nose was a a little too high on her face)!

Taking a much needed break from the office, Brynn & I found a new place to grab lunch at; The Wooly Public. Still on my non-dairy kick, I was debating between the veggie sloppy joe and this vegan taco quinoa bowl. Well, without hesitation, our server said the taco bowl was the way to go and he didn’t disappoint!

I might have to rethink my beliefs around vegan food, because this salad was fire! Made of veggie taco mix, arugula, romaine, tomatoes, corn & black bean salsa, taco strips, avocado, goddess dressing and guajillo, I quickly joined the “clean plate club!”

I’ll definitely have to go back again soon!

When I got the chance to take a work trip to Chicago, of course I couldn’t miss an opportunity to see “HAMILTON”, again! So, right after I explored the convention center expo, I ran back to my hotel and found a nearby restaurant to grab dinner at before heading to the show.

I wound up at The Hampton Social in Streeterville and found this delicious scallop risotto! Some pan seared scallops on top of cauliflower coconut risotto with mushrooms, Brussels sprouts and an umami glaze; a great amount of crunch and savory flavor.

You could tell that this restaurant was made for the Instagram set, with the neon lights, table decorations and the in house live music, but I still had a good time. If I lived in Chicago, I would definitely come back again and again.

OMG. Just typing this blog entry is making my mouth drool thinking about how tasty this eggs benedict was! Before my friend got married, her sister & mom threw a bridal shower brunch at The Smith near Lincoln Center. There was a limited menu, but still so many great choices to get to eat!

Called “The Smith Eggs Benedict”, a ciabatta English muffin with black forest ham, poached eggs, Hollandaise and home fries; it seems so simple and like almost any other eggs benedict.

However, there was something about the crispiness of that ciabatta English muffin that did it for me! The thinly sliced ham, the crispy potatoes…I wish I had this right now!

Since my friend, Andre, is on a year-long no-meat diet, I thought taking him to Ramen Hood at Chefs Club Counter was a great idea for a lunch spot. Started by Top Chef alumni, Ilan Hall and Rahul Khopkar brought together a bunch of vegan-friendly ramen and snacks to the rotating restaurant in Nolita.

I really wanted the garlic ramen, but it was out of stock. At the server’s recommendation, I went with the smokey ramen and it didn’t disappoint. Made with smoked onion broth, ramen noodles, scallions, a vegan egg, bok choy, king oyster mushrooms and topped with nori & chili threads.

While Jim was at the gym, I went to the breakfast buffet (naturally)! The day before I only saw 1 of the 4 buffets and opted to order some salmon eggs benedict; big mistake!

For day two, I made sure to get my money’s worth at the buffet! Here’s plate one: a slice of cinnamon French toast, cheese bagel, chilaquiles, banana bread and some fresh orange juice.

Not pictured: my custom omlette, cereal with lactose free milk, another serving of eggs…

When my bestie wanted to get away from the cold weather, my only stipulation was that I needed to be able to pay for my flight with my JetBue points…so, off to Mexico!

It was my first time traveling to Mexico and the flight to Cancun was easy. He arranged a pick up at the airport and we drove about an hour South to Playa del Carmen.

Growing up, I hardly ever stayed in nice hotels, so to be at the Grand Hyatt resort was a MAJOR luxury. With several infinity pools (and very little children), it was easy to relax, read a book and soak up the sun. But…where was my coconut? No sooner than I asked about it, a server appeared with one on a tray! Talk about anticipating your needs!

Another weekend hanging with Diane, as we made our way to Forest Hills Stadium in Queens for EEEEEatsCon!

As one of the sponsors, Bailey’s had a cool pop-up with hot chocolate! You could choose a few different toppings and everything was prepared while you wait. I got whipped cream, rainbow sprinkles and a chocolate straw.

It was perfect!

What’s a girl to do when two of her favorite NYC-based resturants make a limited time collaboration!? Why, buy a ticket to EEEEEatsCon and immediately head to their booth!

A partnership between Shake Shack and Pizza Loves Emily, this burger was everything! A Shake Shack Pat LaFrieda burger with cheese, caramelized onions and Pizza Loves Emily’s signature Emmy Burger sauce!

I also couldn’t pass up the dessert from the stand, a Nilla wafer whoopie pie with banana marshmallow frozen custard. Good thing I had an eating buddy to share all of these treats with!

It’s been a long time since I had a sort of lazy Sunday. My friend, Diane and I wanted to go see a movie, but needed a little nourishment first.

Since she lives on the Upper East Side and we were heading to Kips Bay for our movie, I found Midwinter Kitchen on Yelp and made a reservation.

The struggle is alwys real for me with brunch // breakfast, since I love sweet and savory. I ended up going with these tasty cornmeal pancakes with fresh raspberries and maple syrup.

Ok, so it took my almost 9 years of living in NYC to finally make it to Prince Street Pizza for their classic square slice with crispy pepperonis…and then, I ate it so fast that I forgot to take a photo!? Very off-brand of me.

Well, after pizza, I convinced my friend and fellow foodie, Matt to go to Ba Pa Tea with me. I’d seen these bubble tea soft serve photos popping up on Instagram and knew that I had to go. How could ice cream and bubble tea go wrong!?

I choose the black milk tea & oolong milk tea swirled soft serve with boba; on the bottom and top! It was the perfect cool, creamy compliment to the chewy salty pizza slice.

A lilac bubble tea!? A summer limited edition treat from Boba Guys at the Canal Street Market. Although I usually opt for a chai or matcha something, this one sounded too good to pass up!

A little ube with coconut milk and those “Grade A Balls”!? Thanks Boba Guys for making my day of running errands that much better.

While our team Director was traveling, the rest of us headed to Eataly for a team pasta lunch TB! While the wait wasn’t too bad, the pasta took awhile to come out…but I’d say mine was totally worth it!

Just look at that agnolotti in a beef reduction sauces with parsley!? Perfectly al dente, I could have eaten another bowl or two.

It’s nice to get out of the office for lunch a few times a week and Hudson Eats at Brookfield Place is a nice escape. Up until today, I'd mostly ordered dumplings at Northern Tiger…but today the char siu pork bowl looked too good.

BBQ char siu pork with a fried egg, napa cabbage and a delicious ginger scallion sauce over rice. Next time, I’ll be sure and order it on Ritual, so I can just pick it up and not have to wait in line!

Well, I guess I didn’t eat anything photo worthy for a few weeks…I found myself back at Mimi Cheng’s for the September #dumpsofthemonth!

Mac & cheese dumplings from a partnership with Kat O’Dell - 3 cheeses with garlic breadcrumbs (glad they were back) and a side of creamy CBD oil sauce.

I wasn’t particularly fond of the sauce…and I didn’t know what CBD oil was before this meal, but the dumplings were delicious!

I’ve been to Cha Cha Matcha numerous times, but this was the first time that their soft serve ice cream machine wasn’t broken or sold out!

That sweet matcha green tea swirled with vanilla soft serve hit the spot on this humid NYC afternoon for sure! (Yes, plenty of Lactaid was taken.)

I convinced my coworkers to hit up Mimi Cheng’s with me, so I wouldn’t miss the August #dumpsofthemonth!

This month, it was a chicken parmigana dumpling with basil, mozzarella, garlic bread crumbs and a side of marinara sauce.

Let me just say those breadcrumbs hit the spot!

I think this was right after my Dad & I got into a fight, where he told me to “shut up,” but at least the cake was delicious.

I wish I had another slice RN.

It’s hard for me to believe that my cousin’s son is already in middle school and that he’s going to the same school that I did in 1994-1996. Where did the time go?

So, when I told him that I was going to Runza with some of the other Chen cousins, he was quick to ask to come along. I drove across town, picked him up and we caught up over lunch.

Even just looking at this photo, I can’t wait to be back in Lincoln again for one of these meals…

Another stop at Goldenrod Pastries when I was back home in Lincoln, NE. This time, it was for my Dad’s 70th Birthday and I specially ordered a cake for his milestone year.

Granted, the trip was spoiled with an surprise guest…the treats were still good!

It’s been awhile since I had caught up with my friend and former co-worker, Melissa. So long, in fact that she is halfway through her pregnancy with twins! So, when she suggested we get dinner in Park Slope at Talde, I couldn’t refuse.

Of course, we got the pretzel dumplings, but also tried these two new dishes:

Hong Kong noodles with minced chicken and shrimp & chicken wontons and the Korean pork ribs with stonefruit & mint.

The food was so delicious and even looked so good that Talde re-posted my photo on Instagram!

After a long day at work, I met up with my co-worker, Diane, for pizza in the East Village before going to see Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again!

We’d been talking about pizza for awhile, so I knew it was time to take her to Nicoletta for their Calabrese pie - thick cut pepperoni, fennel sausage, red onions, pomodoro and mozzarella.

Although there was no longer table service, the pie still came out quickly and we had plenty of time to indulge in the crunchy pepperonis and chewy crust before heading to the theater.

One of my Chicago “Must Eats” is always Ann Sather! If you love a good mix of sweet // savory, then this is the best brunch place!

I’m normally a biscuits & gravy gal, but this visit I opted for The Swedish Sampler: a Swedish pancake, a Swedish meatball and a Swedish potato sausage. Yes, it also came with two eggs (poached), hash browns (added American cheese) and two biscuits or cinnamon rolls (I chose one of each).

I almost finished it all…but I made sure to savor that cinnamon roll. Who knows when I’ll be back in Chicago again?

One of the main reasons that I wanted to go back to Chicago was for their annual food festival, The Taste of Chicago! Dozens of local food vendors setup shop just off Grant Park and sell their best items out of tents and trucks.

One of my favorites from when I lived in Chicago was the Original Rainbow Cone, a Chicago tradition since 1926! I did have to buy another set of tickets to purchase this cone, but it was well worth it!

A layer of chocolate ice cream, topped with strawberry, then Palmer House vanilla with walnuts, then pistachio and orange sherbet! Luckily, we got to the festival before the rain, heat and humidity kicked in.

As soon as I landed in Chicago, I saw that a college friend of mine was also in town. (She had gone to HAMILTON the night before and I was going that night.) So, through the miracle of social media, I met up with her for lunch at Velvet Taco.

While our conversation might have been awkward at first (we hadn’t seen each other in person since 2004), we quickly found enough to chat about.

I knew I had to get one of the brunch tacos (I’d been thinking about them since the last time I was in Chicago), so I got the #19: bacon, an egg frittata, crisp tots, chili butter, smoked cheddar, ranchero salsa and micro greens in a corn tortilla. I added a side of their tots, topped with a fried egg. It might have been too much food, but when you’re only in town for a few days, some sacrifices have to be made!

For my last day in Boston, I found a nice bakery near the hotel that had lots of press & good looking food. As soon as we walked into the restaurant, I spotted Sonya Tayeh (from So You Think You Can Dance fame & the choreographer for Moulin Rouge, which was having it’s out of town, pre-Broadway tryout in Boston), sitting at a table with her girlfriend, Jo Lampert (Joan of Arc: Into the Fire and Orange Is The New Black)!

Of course, Jim ha no idea of who either of them were…but was happy, because I was happy, I guess…we were both happy when our food arrived.

I picked Tatte’s Jerusalem Bagel Egg-in-a-Hole. A large bagel, covered in sesame seeds with two baked eggs, a chopped salad and added Vermont Ham. Although it was a little hard to cut into, it was still delicious.

I made my first trip up to Boston to visit my bestie, who was in town for work. While our first meal was seafood-based, his next request was to go to Chinatown and get dim sum. After a little Yelp research, we settled on Hei Lah Moon and plucked our first few dishes from the metal carts.

Here’s a photo of round two: pork buns, taro cake and shrimp & pork shu mai. I’m drooling just thinking about all the deliciousness of this meal!

When Dad said that he wanted to get pasta for his Father’s Day Dinner, I found a great place in Little Italy, Aunt Jake’s, that had a variety of pasta types and sauces for you to create a dish. So, after taking in the matinee of The Book of Mormon (in which, Dad fell asleep and we were in the third row), we headed down to dinner.

I got cavatelli with carbonara, but little did I know that the meal would take a turn when I asked him about his current “lady friend.” Turns out, maybe he wasn’t ready to share that information with me and kept telling me how he should have married a Chinese woman instead of my Mom; so great.

Needless to say, the pasta was great, but I found myself with a little appetite to eat.

Every since I took my Dad to Flushing, he’s almost enjoyed going there more than Chinatown to eat and shop. The first time he exited the 7 train, he got onto the street and exclaimed “I am in China!”

So, after grabbing dinner at the food court (he had an assortment of meat skewers and soup; I had dumplings & fried rice), we went in search of dessert.

He chose a durian-based ice cream, while I went with a coconut milk based, red bean, jelly and green tea ice cream treat.

Anytime my Dad comes to visit me in NYC, it’s almost a test to see how many different types of Asian food we can eat in a small amount of time. After I took him to see my new office in Tribeca, we walked to Chinatown and grabbed lunch at Hong Kong style eatery, Cha Chan Tang.

He picked a shrimp and rice dish, while I went for the baked spaghetti with ham and cream sauce; basically the Asian version of a Midwest casserole.

After my last visit to Ozi, I couldn’t stop thinking about their “potato twirl,” which was basically a spiralized potato that was fried. Sadly, upon my second visit, I was told that it was a “seasonal” dish, but there were french fries.

New to the menu this time: dumpling combos. 9 pieces of 2 styles of dumplings with a side. I chose the chicken teriyaki and the char siu pork with a side of rice. Whitney opted for the cheeseburger and the crab with blue cheese and a seaweed salad.

Overall, they were very tasty, even if they can’t beat the Emmy Burger dumplings at Mimi Cheng’s for #dumpsofthemonth!

My cousin, Sarah, was visiting NYC with her husband, Scott and their kids, Owen & Reese. I met up with them on a Summer Friday, to explore and to eat. After walking around, visiting some kid-friendly stores and giving them my own mini-tour of Times Square, we walked to find pizza.

I wanted to make sure it was going to be a good pie; so we walked up Broadway to Angelo’s, right next to The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, a bonus for Scott.

We got one red and one white pie; pepperoni & mushrooms on the red and grilled chicken & mushrooms on the white. While both were delicious, I preferred the red pie (too much ricotta on the white one)! Ew.

Sometimes I think office culture is weird, where people eat at their desks all the time or never go outside in a 9+ hour workday. Well, this day, I convince my friend, Andre, to go get food with me. After our attempt to get Japanese food was thwarted (they looked closed), we walked to Bubby’s.

I chose the salmon eggs Benedict with home fries & an iced tea. We spent some time playing with the children’s activity menu and I finally got my t-shirt that says “PANCAKE” on it!

After showing my friend, Tempestt, Taiyaki’s unicorn ice cream cones, I knew her daughter, Ellie, would want to get one. So, after lunch in Soho we ventured into Chinatown to pick up a cone.

I opted for the custard-filled “fish cone” with chocolate ice cream, chocolate syrup, chocolate powder and a waffle stick.

While Tempestt was trying to setup an adorable Instagram shot with Ellie, her cone tipped and all of the ice cream fell onto the floor! Luckily, we escaped any panic attacks and were able to get a new cone! (The second time around, we were all much quicker at taking the photo!)

I already was a fan of the chorizo tacos from The Deep End, so when I had the chance to try their breakfast version (i.e. filled with scrambled eggs), it was an easy choice.

I met up with my friend, Ololade, to catch up on our lives over a good meal. He has frequent shows at The Deep End (check him out on Instagram @lae.d.boi), but hadn’t tried their brunch and it’s close to both of our apartments, easy choice.

The tacos were so delicious, but so large, I had to share and then run off to see “Boys In The Band!”

In the last year or so, I’ve tried to up my cooking skills by trying out a few various meal delivery kits. For about a year, I cooked meals with Plated, but I made the switch to Blue Apron a few months ago. I’ve learned more about the prep steps in cooking and a few new skills.

By far, this crispy potato & kale hash with baked eggs was one of the favorite things I’ve made so far. Now, just to work on my plating/presentation…

When I heard my friend, Phil, go on about he loved Dough’s greasy yeast doughnuts, I knew I had to take him to Doughnut Plant and make him try one of their cake doughnuts.

Sadly, since we went kinda late on Memorial Day, they were sold out of a lot of the flavors. He still bought a yeast doughnut from Doughnut Plant, but at least I got this killer coffee cake doughnut!

Yes, my birthday falls exactly 7 days from the end of May; so it’s almost always around Memorial Day Weekend and it’s made celebrations and meeting up with friends hard over the years.

Luckily, two of my best friends, Caitlin & Emily, live right by me in Ridgewood, Queens. So, we met up on a rainy Sunday for brunch, to exchange gifts and catch up on life at Father Knows Best.

I choose the mushroom hash - cirispy potatoes, smoked oyster mushrooms, pickled beets, arugula, toasted seeds with poached eggs and a side of cheddar scallion biscuits with honey chipotle butter.

I’ll definitely go back here again, not only was the food delicious, but my friend, Ricky, also works there.

After a failed attempt to eat at ABC Kitchen for my birthday last year, I was finally able to go this time around! After seeing Animaniacs Live! at The Public, Barbara and I went for a late dinner to celebrate at one of Jean-Georgers Vongerichten’s more famous establishments in the NYC area.

When we had a hard time deciding between the pizza and the pasta, we opted to get both & share.

A whole wheat pizza with mushrooms, parmesan, oregano & a farm egg and then homemade casarecce with spicy fennel sausage, broccoli rabe and shepherd’s basket cheese.

I also indulged in the chocolate cake with malted chocolate ganache and toasted marshmallow icing, but couldn’t get the best photo in the light of the restaurant.

As a special deal for my birthday, my roommate, Jordan, arranged an option to cook deal at Maialino, where he works for me & a few friends. We had a four course meal with dessert and lots of champagne.

The highlight for me was the first pasta course (seen here) with squid ink pasta, a slightly spicy red sauce and a perfectly buttery white sauce.

I took a lot of photos, but they really don’t do the food justice. You’ll have to taste it yourself!

I was looking for something sweet to eat after dinner, when I popped into Food Gallery 32 (a sort of food court in Koreatown), when I saw Sweet Churros.

They had several different types of churros or you could get mini’s and try a few flavors. I opted for one regular one, based around S’mores - melted marshmallows covered in toasted marshmallows and chocolate syrup. It was missing the cinnamon sugar was a little on the greasy side, but I’d definitely go back and try another flavor another time.

Years ago, I found photos of the most delicious looking egg sandwiches on Instagram. Enter Eggslut and their perfectly crafted sandwiches and other egg-centric concoctions.

When I finally made it to LA after this discovery, a friend took me to eat one in Grand Central Market. This time around, I wasn’t able to get a sandwich there, so to my surprise, when I decided to kill time at the Americana shopping center; there was an Eggslut!

However, “The Slut,” was calling my name! A coddled egg on top of a potato puree with chives & gray salt, complimented with slices of a toasted baguette. How could I resist?

And, yes, I took a freshly made biscuit to go.

There was so much delicious food at my friend, Nan’s wedding; but I only managed to capture this photo of dessert. Blueberry cheesecake on a graham cracker crust with a white & milk chocolate straw.

You can see some of the menu to the left: my first time having clam chowder (really!), the fish & risotto were delicious; but I had to also save room for wedding cake!

Although Shake Shack will always make my favorite burger (there’s something about that Pat LaFrieda patty…), when I’m on the West Coast, I have to get to an In-N-Out.

Luckily, Chung humored me, and after walking up and down the Hollywood Walk of Fame and searching through stacks and stacks of albums at Amoeba Music, we went to get lunch.

Only we must have arrived when school was just getting out, because it was PACKED! I think we waited almost 45 minutes for our food, but at least we found a seat and made some friends with a pair of teenage boys who were visiting from Canada (never mind that I could have been their teen mom).

Chung opted to get an “animal style” burger, but cut in half, while I just went with a classic cheeseburger and cheese fries.

I spent a long weekend in the Los Angeles area, as one of my high school friends was getting married, to do some touristy things and to catch up with some friends.

For day one, I met up with Chung, who used to work with me at Madewell in NYC & recently moved back home to SoCal. She suggested Porto’s Bakery for our breakfast/brunch and it was the perfect spot.

I got a bacon & egg “omelette” sandwich and iced soy chai, while she opted for a cheese omelette & an iced coffee.

My consistent life-struggle with brunch: sweet or savory? Luckily, this Dutch baby at The Dutch in Philly covered both tastes.

Diced smoked sausage, scallions and topped with a little powdered sugar. That savory sweet spot!

To the best of my knowledge, I’ve never eaten at a restaurant that was nominated for or received a James Beard Award for excellence in food. So, leave it to Philly to get me to one and an Asian one, at that.

My friend, Mike and his friends had come to Sate Kampar before, so i kinda let them take the reins with the meal; even if I was the only Asian one at the table.

I resolved to try everything, even if might have been too spicy for my tastes. Sauteed meat. Curried vermicelli noodles. Beef rendang. The whole fish special. Mee hoon goreng.

Everything was delicious, but bring a more “adventurous” friend with you, when you want to eat there.

Yes, I finally made it to Philly! And on my friend’s list of things to try out was Poi Dog, a Hawaiian restaurant that was fairly new. I joked that if they had Loco Moco, I would totally be into it and low and behold, they did!

I remember when I was in Hawaii and first heard of Loco Moco; which was basically me asking “what’s that?” and them saying “a hamburger patty on garlic rice with gravy and a fried egg!” If my face could have turned into an emoji it would totally have been the cat with the heart eyes!

So, here’s the version I had in Philly: a brisket patty with two fried eggs over rice with miso gravy & furikake. And those heart eyes came right back!

Somehow every time I go to Sweet Chick, I luck out with their poached eggs and get a sweet (and tasty) photo.

These flaky, buttery biscuits with mushroom gravy and these beautiful eggs; I could go back again and again!

After a thwarted attempt to visit Philly over the weekend (weather forced Amtrak to cancel/delay all their NE trains), I booked a trip for next weekend and treated myself to the March special at Mimi Cheng’s Dumplings: Philly Cheesesteak!

I got the pan fried version made with grass-fed beef, caramelized onions, peppers and housemade cheese whiz for dipping! Not quite Pat’s or Geno’s, but it hit the spot.

After hearing and talking about Dekalb Market for awhile, I finally decided to meet up with my friends, Melissa & Jesse to get lunch. 

First off, I didn't realize how easy it would be for me to get there by busy; why had I waited SO long!? Jesse & I took a little tour of the area and decided on splitting an order of potato & cheese pierogis and chorizo arepas (not pictured), before hunting for dessert.

These little boiled pierogis were nice and full, a little larger than the usual ones I get at Veselka, and almost a meal in themselves.

For dessert, I opted for ice cream from Ample Hills Creamery (might as well get the worth of my Lactaid) and Jesse opted for a key lime pie on a stick.

We were just finishing our desserts when Melissa finally arrived with her husband, Ben. We tagged along while they got some sushi and then all ventured into Trader Joe's before heading our separate ways. I know I'll have to go back soon!

After indulging ourselves in the "Emmy Burger" dumplings at Mimi Cheng's, I finally convinced Whitney to accompany me to Pizza Loves Emily at their new-ish West Village location.

It worked out perfectly, since we wanted a pizza AND a burger; why not split both!?

The Emmy Burger even came with a side of curly fries! So, we gorged ourselves on that and the Detroit Style "Pig Freaker" pizza  with bacon, kimchi, sesame and miso queso. Slightly spicy, but if you're like me, you can't get enough of that crispy, cheesy crust on the sides!

We both almost needed to be rolled out of the restaurant, but managed to make it to the subway and home in one, very full, piece.

One of the best parts of working in Tribeca is the proximity to so many good places to eat! Also, Arcade Bakery is in the same building as my office. So, just order a pizza online and in 10-15 minutes, walk downstairs, through the double doors and they'll just hand you your order.

The last time, I split a red pie with my boss, but this time I got a white pie all to myself - smoked ham, broccoli rabe and chili oil; on top of a perfectly chewy & dense crust.

After a little volunteer shift with God's We Deliver's prep kitchen, I couldn't resist swinging by Dominique Ansel Bakery, just down the block. 

Even though they were out of cronuts, these little "Blizzard the Bear Religieuse" were too cute to eat! I settled for some DKA's to go.

Ever since Serafina opened a few blocks from my office, I'd been wanting to go and try their pasta. (Yes, other people's Instagram photos were an influence.)

Perfectly al dente rigatoni with Bolognese a sprinkling of shaved Parmesan and a sprig of Sage. I could have had another bowl or two...

I always promise myself that I will start to eat more "healthy" meals in order to try and lose some of the weight I put on since starting an "office job," but it's easier said than done!

I'm still like a big kid in the sense that I'm not a huge lover of vegetables (other than potatoes), but I can usually find something that will fill me up.

Luckily, I had some errands to run near Union Square, so I stopped into Glaze for their teriyaki combo. I chose the salmon & tofu with brown rice and a side salad with carrot ginger dressing. And, oh yeah, a black cherry Boylan's soda.

Since reinvigorating my Broadway fandom, one of the shows that I enjoyed the most was Green Day's American Idiot, so when I heard that some of the Original Broadway Cast and the Touring Companies were getting together at 54 Below to sing songs from the show and other Green Day hits, I knew I had to be there.

However, any time you go to 54 Below, there is a food & drink minimum. Somehow, I wound up with the 5:30pm dinner seating for a 7pm show; so there was quite a bit of time to kill.

I went with the pan-seared Arctic char over black pepper & lemon spaetzle (one of my favorite pasta/noodle types), baby artichokes, olive oil & thyme roasted tomatoes. That along with "The Big Apple" - apple cider, cranberry juice & ginger ale with a cinnamon dusted apple slice, easily made up my F&B requirements.

The show was almost like a short rock show and it was fun getting to be up close to the action & befriend other "idiots!"

It had been a hot minute since I'd been down to Chinatown/Little Italy, so I decided to hit up one of the new off shoots of Nom Wah Tea Parlor in Chinatown; Nom Wah Nolita.

Now, while I really had a craving for beef rice rolls, I didn't know what the atmosphere would be like for this location. I soon found out that there was a much more limited menu at this location and settled for a scallion pancake and an order of chicken & chive dumplings.

Dim sum should really be done with other people or a group to get the true experience, but these two dishes were plenty for me and kept me fueled throughout my day downtown.

When my friend's said I could choose a restaurant for our belated Christmas gift exchange, I suggested Ozi Dumplings, which just opened up in Bushwick. Now, while Mimi Cheng's always has a special place in my heart, I was ready to see how these unique dumplings would compare.

I ordered the Cheeseburger dumplings with a "potato swirl." The dumplings were made with ground beef, onions, cheese and lightly fried before a drizzle of cheese sauce and pickles were added. I can't say that they were better than the "Emmy Burger" dumpling special at Mimi Cheng's, but since I can only get those once or twice a year, these are a great second place.

The "potato swirl" was nice and crispy; a nice addition to the dumplings. However, the highlight for me was the Ikezo peach sparkling jelly wine. Almost like a Jell-O shot, but with the fizz of my favorite Moscato. 

In short, I would go back for the peach sparkling jelly wine and probably try another type of dumpling for round two.

Running errands in Union Square & Chelsea and I saw someone walk by with a Matchabar cup, so I knew they must have a location nearby.

Instead of opting for Starbucks for an afternoon pick-me-up, I went for the caffeine in a Matcha Chai with soy milk, always with ice, unless it's below zero.

Ask anyone who knows me and you'd know I can never turn down a good pastry. Today's special at the Gap-eteria (Cafe at work), was a chicken pot pie with a nicely sized piece of puff pastry on top. 

Not as heavy or creamy as a chicken pot pie, say from KFC or Boston Market, but delicious and with some purple potatoes and Brussels sprouts.

Bonus: When the Cafe was going to throw away the excess puff pastry, the Cafe Manager gave me a bag of them to take home! Woo hoo!

I'm pretty sure that carbs will always be my first love and Bison Witches is one of my favorite places to load up on them.

Sometimes I change what sandwich I get (opted for a grilled ham & cheese on wheat this time), but the tortilla chips with CCQ (chili con queso) and bread bowl of potato bacon soup are always my standards.

And, yes, I'm fully aware of how much "brown food" is in this photo and I'm okay with that.

All of my other Nebraskan friends in NYC agree: why can't we find an Indian restaurant as good as The Oven in the city? Were we spoiled by really good Indian food in Nebraska and we never knew it?

Well, it's always a stop when I go home, for sure. I got a little taste at Thanksgiving, when I stopped by The Cellar for a little after drink snack, but this was going to be my meal - chicken tikka madras biryani. Yes, it was a "treasure of rice" - chicken tikka marinated in a spicy coconut milk sauce with rice, raisins, cashews and a sliced egg.

After an underwhelming trip to the Valentino's Buffet, I knew I had to get back to Yia Yia's for pizza before I went back to NYC. So, I met up with my friend, Adam (who I've known since elementary school) and we caught up over some slices.

In the summer, I got ambitious and ordered two slices, so I opted for one this time and some garlic herb bread. "The Atlantic" is a delicious white sauce based slice with grilled chicken, bacon, potatoes, broccoli, mushrooms with mozzarella cheese. Pretty much what would have been on a custom slice, if I had made one, but cheaper. 

Imagine my surprise when Dad suggested that we go to Cracker Barrel for lunch!? Usually, it takes some prodding to round up the family and encouraging them to go here.

I always know that I want hashbrown casserole; something about that cheesy, onion-y, potato goodness always gets me, but I was pretty happy that their mini chicken biscuit sandwiches were back!

My only regret, getting medium poached eggs vs. soft. Do those even look like eggs (on the left)?

Always a must-stop on my trips back home, Goldenrod Pastries, is owned and operated by my friend, Angela. She and her team of wonderful ladies make all sorts of delicious treats and you can't beat the Nebraska prices!

I made sure to load up on some of these colorful macarons, especially since they're only $1.90 each!

Of course, my first dinner with Dad would be Asian food! He chose Yami (which he pronounced as "yummy") in South Lincoln. (I had to start to get reacquainted with my hometown, since Dad was now living on the opposite side of the city.)

I was anxious to see how the Korean food in Lincoln held up with some of my favorite places in K-Town. I chose the dolsot bibimbap, so it was in a hot stone bowl and some fried dumplings. Dad ordered off their newly added Thai menu and asked for it to be spicy, "on a scale of 1 to 10, I want an 11!" Phew!

The food was good and seem fairly traditional, but nothing can ever compete with the sukiyaki bibimbap from Gyu-Kaku!

I'm not sure how I worked just a few blocks from Ootoya for so many years, but never went to eat lunch there. Oh well. I was lucky that my flight back home for Christmas wasn't until the evening on the 20th, so I was able to grab lunch with my friend, Lily, while she was back in NYC.

She picked Ootoya and I quickly found out why. Wow. The food was spectacular and there was plenty of it! I opted for the mini Oyako Don (grilled chicken and onion simmered in broth and with a layer of egg on top), which also came with a plate of cold soba, miso soup, seaweed and savory egg custard.

One of my coworkers helped us plan our Holiday team outing, so we went to The Bar Room in the Beekman Hotel for food and Happy Hour. We were given a bottle of prosecco and while everyone ordered fancy drinks and food, I opted for the Baked Alaska.

However, I did sample this amazing onion dip, which I should have known was going to be amazing, since Top Chef's Tom Colicchio oversees the menu. The onion dip had caramelized onions in it, fried onions on top and came with housemade Gaufrette potato chips! I'm actually drooling thinking about this now...

Just before I was about to go home for the holiday, I made the trek up to Jackson Heights to make Christmas cookies and exchange gifts with my friend, Tempestt and her family.

Her daughter, Ellie, is 3 and it's so adorable when she calls me "Chenny!" We had several colors of icing and load of various sugar candies to decorate with, but I kinda think Ellie used most of them, piling them up on about 3 or 4 cookies. 

I ended up making some "gingerbread men" looking like Sesame Street character or Muppets with my candies. We ended up making a few dozen cookies, which worked out nicely when I went to a holiday party right after and the guests gobbled them up.

For the past few years, my friend, Whitney & I have made a tradition of getting soup dumplings and going to view all the holiday window displays on 5th Avenue. After our November "dumps of the month" excursion, my friend, Deirdre, asked to come along to more of our outings.

We met up after work and went to Joe's Shanghai, where we split two orders of pork xiao long bao, some fried rice cakes, scallion pancakes and some broccoli beef. It was great to load up on some salty goodness before wandering around 5th Avenue in the chilly weather.

I finally got a ticket to see M. Butterfly before it closes, so I quickly looked up a place to eat on Yelp, which pointed me to Sapporo, just a few blocks from the theatre. I knew I wanted something hot, since it was freezing outside and the show was the only reason I went outside at all today.

However, I underestimated the size of the portions! I got a miso soup and order of pork gyoza. What I wasn't ready for was how large the chicken katsu curry was going to be! And it's definitely not the type of meal I could take into the theatre, even if I wanted to.

As the holiday break quickly approaches, I realized how much I need a break from the city. I got a nice break from the day to day, when my boss suggested that our whole team go out for a lunch break.

Now, while trying to find a place for all of us to agree on may have been a challenge, but once I suggested Two Hands, it seemed like everyone could find something there to suit their palates. 

I opted for the "breakfast roll" sandwich, which I had the last time we were here, but this time with a shittake mushroom vs. bacon. A nice whole wheat roll topped with avocado, watercress, pickled shallots, a fried egg and homemade spicy ketchup; it was messy, but delicious! (And all the handsome Australian waiters didn't hurt either...)

It's funny how I've waited SO long to have regular weekends off and now that I do, sometimes I struggle to find something to do. Sundays have been particularly lonely, since they were usually occupied with talking to my Mom on the phone, after she went to church & breakfast with the family.

I didn't have much motivation to go into the city, so I walked the less than two blocks to Sally Roots for some brunch. A little smoked salmon benedict to help clear up my Sunday Blues (which is what I should call them now). I'd only ever been here for dinner, which is mostly Caribbean food, so a more typical American-style brunch was a pleasant surprise on their menu.

As I've never been a fan of side salads, that was my least favorite part of the meal, but everything else was delicious and only a few minutes from home.

I was also fortunate that when I was home, there was also a home football game in Lincoln. Now, while the Huskers haven't lived up to their late 90's/early 00's glory, there's always something special about home for a football game. In this case, it mean that a lot of my high school and college friends were also home for the Holiday.

After the game, (which we embarrassingly lost to Iowa) I met up with one of my Youth Leadership Lincoln friends, Bryce, at The Other Place; a hidden speakeasy, where it was nice to get away from all the usual football game patrons. We posted up at the bar, caught up on life and chatted with the bartender, who ended up being my high school choir's piano accompanist. 

Since I had recently gorged myself on a burger at Brewsky's, I wasn't too hungry, but offered to go to The Oven with Bryce to eat and partake in one of Lincoln's best restaurants. We ended up going to the wine bar below the restaurant, The Cellar. While Bryce picked out some food and wine, I opted for a lighter course of mulligatawny soup and garlic naan. But you can rest assured that I will be back at Christmas time for a full meal!

A usual stop on any trip home: Goldenrod Pastries! With a rotating selection of gluten & dairy-free snacks, I always load up a box to eat while I'm home and bring a few things back to NYC!

I picked out 3 macarons: vanilla, hibiscus and an apple cider (which didn't make it into the photo, before I ate it), a cherry almond cookie and a devil's food cake loaf.

I'm alreadying thinking about what I want to get for my trip home at Christmas...

As my first really "retail free" Thanksgiving in ages, I took the opportunity to fly back home to Lincoln, Nebraska and spend some time with my family. (Since my brother & sister-in-law rotate Holidays, we usually only see each other every other year. I knew I didn't want to miss out this year, so I took a 4 day trip back to the Midwest.)

The only downside, I forgot how early everyone eats in the Midwest! While I might have been expecting a 2pm Thanksgiving lunch, I got an 11:30am Thanksgiving meal! My flight didn't get into Omaha until almost 11:30pm, due to delays, so I made it out to my Dad's new house, just after 1:00am on Thanksgiving Day. I did not get up in time to help prep, but did get to watch some of the parade (I had to see Dear Evan Hansen perform, after all)!

All the usual suspects were at this meal, so I heaped my plate full of all the best things: mashed potatoes, stuffing, sweet potatoes, broccoli, green bean casserole, a croissant and, oh yeah, turkey. My brother made some great poultry gravy, which I put on everything.

Ever since Whitney & I have enjoyed the "dumps of the month" at Mimi Cheng's, we usually look forward to getting the November special - the Thanksgiving dumpling.

This time around, I brought a long a new friend and co-worker, Deirdre, to revel in the experience of the dumplings and a Thanksgiving croissant at Momofuku Milk Bar afterwards.

Besides the Emmy Burger dumpling and the Brunch dumpling, the Thanksgiving dumpling rates as one of my favorites. Fresh turkey, stuffing and gravy in a pan fried dumpling with a side of cranberry sauce. I'm drooling just thinking about it! Is it November 2018, yet!?

Can you tell that our head chef at the Gapeteria (i.e. our office Cafe), loves Halloween? The staff whipped up some great treats for our Halloween party at the office!

Here are some ghostly risotto balls, covered in little pieces of cheese!

It's still hovering in the 50's/60's and it's almost November!? Makes sense that I would still be craving ice cream, then. In between shifts for Broadway Cares, I swung by Ice & Vice's pop-up truck in Times Square. 

They were serving some new sundaes and regular scoops of their best selling flavors, along with some basic soft serve (literally, it's vanilla soft serve and it's called the "basic bitch"). After convincing a mom & her daughter that they should get the "Milk Money," I opted for a scoop of "Justice is Sweet" - chocolate ice cream with a szechuan peanut butter shell in a dark chocolate chai cone from the Konery. 

The I SCREAM booth was also sponsored by Waitress and was there to help raise money for charity, so double the goodness!

Ever since I saw Yo! Sushi open up on W. 23rd Street, I'd been thinking two things: 1. This has to be better than the last conveyor belt sushi place I went to and 2. When can I go? So, when I got the chance to catch up with a former Madewell buddy of mine, we went to Yo! and perused all the choices.

I got a few plates, but these salmon nori tacos were hands-down the best part of the meal! Pieces of nori (seaweed), fried in tempura batter and molded into taco shapes, then filled with salmon, siracha mayo, yuzu salsa and tuzu tobiko. Slightly sweet, slightly salty and nicely crunchy; maybe I'll get two orders next time!

I'm consistently surprized by the variety of food around my office, so whatever my craving, it's easy to find something to satisfy it; albeit to my wallet's despair. So, my weekly TB with my manager took us downtown, towards the Financial District.

And that's where I was cheating a bit on #fatfriday with some cheesy tots and a patty melt grilled cheese from Melt Shop. My sandwich didn't look the prettiest, but oh boy, was it tasty!

I couldn't begin to count the number of times that I've walked by B Bar & Grill near my old office by NYU/Astor Place, but I had never eaten there. So, when my college bestie, Phil, suggested it for brunch, I was all in.

While my main brunch struggle is debating between sweet or savory and my almost constant craving for eggs; I went the sweet route for this meal. 

These thick-cut slices of French toast with blueberry compote and maple butter were delicious! Not to mention the perfectly tangy fresh squeezed orange juice and getting a chance to eat outside.

Um, excuse me!? Veselka has BRUNCH PIEROGI!? I was expecting them to be like the breakfast dumplings at MImi Cheng's and perhaps I should have ordered them boiled instead of fried, but I was a little disappointed. 

8 Varenyky filled with bacon, scrambled eggs, Vermont cheddar cheese and potatoes with a side of chipotle ketchup. They were slightly chewy and a bit bland. 

As much as I love Veselka, this didn't give me much faith in coming back for brunch, nor did my waiter who kept interrupting my friend and me to say we were his last table and he wanted to leave...oy.

A brunch date at The Little Owl, which is situated right below the exterior shot of Monica & Rachel and Chandler & Joey's apartment on Friends! Oddly enough, I'd never been to this spot and it was amusing while waiting for my date and seeing all the tourists come by to take photos (I bet I'm in a bunch of them).

We got a nice corner table and chatted. I chose the special - soft scrambled eggs with smoked salmon on toast and my date got the sunflower seed salad. We didn't get the chance to order some of the more "famous" dishes - beignets or the meatball sliders, but that could be for my next visit.

I love having weekends off, after working more than a decade in retail (which meant - one weekend off a month, overnights every three weeks and a consistently rotating schedule), but sometimes I forget to just chill out. This weekend was no exception: RuPaul's DragCon all day Saturday and Sunday, then off to the 92d Y for a screening of the season four finale of Younger with the cast and Executive Producer.

So, was this deep dish pizza well deserved? Yes. Something about that thick, crunchy crust was everything. I went with the "Numero Uno" - sausage, pepperoni, onions, peppers, mushrooms, chunky tomato sauce, mozzarella and romano cheese.

I'd been wanting to try out Chef's Club Counter, so when a date suggested that we meet at Jack's Wife Frieda for dinner; I suggested Chef's Club Counter instead. I was pleasantly suprised when my date showed up, as he was more handsome in person that I expected, but quite nerdy than my usual "type."

I'm not the type of girl to debate on what to get, so I was dually impressed when he suggested we get a few things that I wanted to try and share them. Done and done!

Our spread: Spicy Pepperoni Pizza from Chef Magnus Hansson, a Roman-style thin crust pizza with organic tomatoes and organic flour; Hash Nugges from Chef Alvin Cailan - shredded potaotes, seasoned with sea salt & onions, then fried twice; and Belle's Hot Chicken Sandwich by Chef Morgan McGlone - crispy hot chicken tenders, American cheese, lettuce, onion, Belle's Good Good Sauce with some Old Bay seasoned fries.

Delicious! And a promising meal for a first date, let's hope there's more!

After we parted ways with Jacob, Jim & I went in search of something sweet. While we were thinking about Ruimilk (which relocated to the City, oops), we then found a newly opened Spot Dessert Bar on Prince Street.

While we probably only needed two desserts, the price for three was too good of a deal to pass up. We got the chocolate green tea lava cake and the Yuzu Eskimo - frozen Japanese citrus ice cream bar, chocolate ganache, strawberries and Oreo crumbs; but the highlight was this giant creme puff with vanilla ice cream, honey, honeycomb wafer and corn flakes. 

For the next day of our eating adventure, Jacob took all of us for dim sum in Flushing. His pick: Asian Jewels Seafood Restaurant. Where his knowledge of multiple languages was very helpful in getting us our dim sum. 

I am not the most adventurous dim sum eater, so I was content with my standard spinach dumplings, egg rolls, turnip cake, etc. The boys went with their more traditional plates of durian pastries and chicken feet.

My old roommate and best friend, Jim, came back to NYC for a short trip over Labor Day weekend. Since he'd recently gone through a break-up, his friend, Jacob, had lots of good food in mind to help him recover. When mentioned it was a little "secret Japanese spot," I joked that it was Hagi...and guess what, it was!?

I only knew about Hagi from eating there several times with a high school friend of ours, Nan, who used to live in New York. While the wait is always a bit long, the food is worth it.

A plate of takoyaki - deep fried octopus balls, pork belly, bacon wrapped asparagus, quail eggs; were just the beginning. I got some yaki udon wrapped in an egg and we caught up on life, theatre and boys.

It's funny when I think about how often I used to eat pizza and now it's become a "special treat." I guess that's the downside of aging and high cholesterol. It's much tougher to get under control when you've grown up eating fast food, though.

For today's treat, I went to Two Boots in the West Village and got a "Newman" slice; named after that omnipresent mailman/neighbor on Seinfeld, featuring mozzrella, sopressata and Italian sausage. Then, instead of getting a second slice, I chose a little chicken parmesan slider on a garlic knot.

Cheesy, carb-y...heaven.

It's a little amusing that the first time I was able to try Thai rolled ice cream from 10 Below was at a work event! However, even I knew that the matcha green tea with crushed strawberries was the way to go!

I added a few little Teddy Grahams to my rolls and some Fruity Pebbles. Yes, the lines for free ice cream before Labor Day were nuts, but luckily, the team saved a little for me!

As luck would have it, I was FINALLY able to get an "Everything Croissant" from Daily Provisions! While cat sitting for a friend, I walked right by the cafe and stopped to grab a breakfast sandwich; bacon and egg, no cheese for me, and they still had some in stock!

I wasn't about to eat them all at once, but at least I could get their best sellers! So, here's an almond matcha latte, maple cruller, bacon & egg sandwich and the everything croissant!

Overall, the breakfast sandwich was my favorite! The thick-cut bacon was delicious! I didn't know that the croissant was going to be filled with cream cheese, so that was a lactose surprise and the cruller was a little too sweet for me. Still, I'm glad I got to try both of their signature pastries!

What does the term "brunch" mean to you? A certain time of day on the weekend? A certain type of food? How is it different than breakfast of lunch?

For me, that's eggs. So, when I met up with Jasmine for some brunch in Williamsburg, I was excited to see that Shelter had pizzas with eggs on them!

We both ended up getting egg and mushroom pizzas, but I added prosciutto di parma to mine. The wait was a bit too long, but the pizzas made up for it. I'm still thinking about the nicely, chewy crust.

For the second month in a row, Mimi Cheng's Dumplings brought back their Emmy Burger dumpling, so Whitney and I followed that up with another course of ice cream at the Oddfellows Carnival!

This time I went for the "Pink Dip" - chocolate soft serve with pink chocolate dip and topped with freeze dried raspberries and pop rocks. A nice twist on sweet and tangy!

Sometimes I get to take a break at the office and enjoy some of the perks from our events team. When I heard that Boba Guys was going to be the treat for one of our Speaker Series, I knew I HAD to wear my Boba Guys enamel pin and little bubble tea guy from Verameat.

And, oh yeah, my favorite Pilot pen, fit right into the pocket of my Old Navy overalls!

As a belated birthday gift, my friends, Caitlin & Emily, bought me a ticket to the Mets game of my choosing. As a child of the Midwest, I learned how to appreciate all sorts of sports, but I go to the games for the sport and the stadium food.

Since CitiField opened a few years ago, it has featured some of the best NYC food. I knew where I wanted to go: Fuku. I needed that David Chang created spicy chicken sandwich and some fries. Then, as I was walking back to my seat, I saw that Do (cookie dough) didn't have more than 5 people in line. An opportunity!

Months ago, my friend, Jesse and I tried to go to the Do store near NYU and waited for almost 45 minutes before moving about 20 feet. We bailed and here was my chance to finally get my own scoop of cookie dough; but what flavor to get? I settled on the regular chocolate chip cookie, and while delicious, it was a lot of richness to eat in one sitting. But would I go back; yes? Maybe for the sugar cookie with rainbow sprinkles though...

After sleeping in a little too late on a Saturday, I was starving by the time I got up. When in doubt, I head down the street to Twin Suns Deli and get a breakfast sandwich. However, this morning I decided to finally try their breakfast burrito and I didn't regret it.

The "LaFrontera Breakfast Burrito" was stuffed with chorizo, scrambled eggs, house Sonoran salsa and potatoes wrapped in a giant flour tortilla. Yes, it ate like a full meal.

To top it off, I caught up on an episode of MasterChef while eating. It's always a good idea to eat something when watching a cooking show, at least in my opinion, it is.

When our SF counterparts were visiting the NY offices, they took us out to dinner. Luckily, one of my favorite restaurants was the place of choice!

We got a plate of Macho Nachos - melted jack cheese, black beans, salsa rachera, sour cream, pickled red onion, jalapeno and chorizo. They were baked on a big pizza pan and crispy, although slightly spicy for my tastebuds!

No Chris O'Donnell sightings in State College, PA; but these fried green tomatoes were still amazing! I spent a weekend in Huntingdon, PA, visiting my friend, Charlotte, her husband Will and their two kids, Harriet and Alexandria.

After visiting Penn's Cave, we drove to State College to try out the food at Spats Cafe. And while I tried alligator for the first time, I could have eaten another plateful of these guys.

The cornbread crust was perfectly crunchy and topped with green onions and peppers with elote. 

Every time I go into the Chinatown Ice Cream Factory, I just want to eat all of their chewy, rainbow mochi! I've wanted to try more of their "exotic" flavors, but this time went for the Buko Pandan ice cream - pandan accented with coconut and some rainbow mochi. Bonus! They gave me two sticks of chocolate Pocky!

Yes, I mostly went to Nickel and Diner because of their Instagram page; but also because the building used to be a gross, deteriorating Chinese super buffet, just North of Chinatown.

Now, it's a sleek and modern dining experience! I still have to go back for brunch, but in the meantime, dinner was lovely and I got to catch up with Khadiyjah, while she was back in the city.

I chose the pork belly tortellini - with yam, scallions, green beand, peas and lemongrass in a creamy butter sauce. Yes, I wish there was more, but luckily, Chinatown Ice Cream Factory was a short walk from there.

Post-"dumps of the month," I went with Whitney to the Chef's Club Counter in Soho to try out the new soft serve flavors at Oddfellows Circus. 

Only through Labor Day, Oddfellows is offering three different types of soft serve in inventive combinations. I went for the "Concession Stand" - caramel popcorn soft serve, a salted caramel injection topped with salted caramel popcorn and crispy chocolate pearls.

I can't wait to go back and try out the other flavors!

If you're not an 80's kid, you might not know what Wuzzles are, but they were "two kinds of animals, wrapped up in one!" So, in that vein, the "dumps of the month" at Mimi Cheng's are two of my favorite things, wrapped into one!

The July Monthy Special - "Emmy Burger" dumplings, a partnership with Pizza Loves Emily in Brooklyn! Dry-aged beef, Grafton white cheddar, caramelized onions, crushed pretzels, topped with red pepper flakes and a side of Emmy Sauce.

I'm drooling just thinking about them again...

I convinced my friend, Ricky to go out to brunch and then get an ice cream cone with me for #NationalIceCreamDay! Well, since he's vegetarian, we made two stops; first to Davey's Ice Cream for me and then to Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream for him.

While Davey's always has great flavors and I tried the Smore'z; I always go back to my favorite, Speculoos Chocolate Chip! There's something about those spicy cookie pieces that just get me every time!

I haven't been to Ice & Vice on the Lower East Side lately, but I can't resist their evolving and interesting flavors of ice cream. So, after stuffing my face with dumplings, I grabbed a Konery cone from Ice & Vice.

I chose a scoop of "Milk Money" - toasted milk ice cream, sea salt and chocolate ganache in a Froot Loops cone! I had to take my photo quickly, because the heat and humidity was melting the ice cream down my hand super fast!

Another reason that I'm thankful my new office is right by Herald Square: catching the last weekend of Broadway Bites in Greeley Square! 

After our weekly uptown visit, I ran through the stands to get a cone of Russian "air-fried" dumplings. I chose two types of dumplings for my cone: beef & pork  - organic flour, hormone/antibiotic-free ground beef and pork, organic onions, organic spices, pickle, vegan sour cream and potato & mushrooms - organic flour, organic vegan mashed potatoes, organic mushroom gravy, pickle, vegan sour cream.

Delicious! I would have gotten a larger order, but the Ice & Vice ice cream stand was right across the way...

The pastries that I've had from Maman have ranged from delicious to so-so, but this piece of cherry brioche was everything! Maybe a bit heavy for an afternoon/post-lunch snack, but with those cherry crumbles and cherry pie filling inside the bread; wow!

When you're craving ice cream, but also want a cupcake; why not get the Sprinkles Sundae!?

I chose a scoop of cookie dough ice cream, sandwiched in between a chocolate marshmallow cupcake from Sprinkles! The best of both worlds!

When Christina asked if I wanted to go to the Park Avenue Armory to see the new Ai Wei Wei exhibit, I knew I was in; but then came the challenge of finding a good place for brunch.

I'd never been to Little Collins, so it seemed like a safe bet; if only I'd known how small the actual restaurant was! At least we found three seats by the window and were able to sit for a bit and enjoy our meal.

I got the avocado benedict - salmon, avocado, micro greens, poached eggs, hollandaise with some whole grain toast and a hibiscus iced tea.

After a long week and getting back to NYC life, I met up wih Haske at Midnights in Brooklyn for dinner and drinks. We caught up on life, love and work. The weather was perfect to sit out on the back porch, so we grabbed a few cocktails and perused the menu.

As much as I wanted to get the "Justin Bieber" cocktail, I went with "Carlleta's Pain Meds" - El Dorado white rum, coconut milk, orange, pineapple and an aged Bumbu Pirate rum floater, in a very cool fish glass. 

It was very surreal being back in NYC after the slower pace of life in Lincoln for the last few weeks. Of course, I came back for Pride Weekend in NYC and a little celebration at the office.

There were chicken nuggets from Sticky's Finger Joint with french fries and boozy snowcones from Sweetface Snoballs. I picked out some nuggets sans cheese, fries and the "Nola Voo Doo" snoball, which was blueberry, coconut and vodka. A little booze never hurt to help numb the sadness and pain.

Plus, there was a photo booth with drag queen, Pattaya Hart!

On my way to the airport in Omaha on Monday, I was lamenting that I forgot to get a meal at Bison Witches! Well, wouldn't you know it? Inclement weather in Chicago/NYC forced my flight to be cancelled. I almost got to Chicago and would have been stranded, but luckily, after sitting for 2 hours on the tarmac, our plane turned back to the gate, where I was able to get off and book a flight to NYC for the next day.

I called Dad and he headed up to Omaha to get me, while I contemplated what to do with my extra day in Lincoln. Oh yeah! Get a TON of carbs at Bison Witches! Dad had never been, so I was happy to show him one of my favorite college places.

I got a club sandwich, sans mayo, on wheat with cream of potato bacon soup, tortilla chips and their amazing chili con queso! Seriously. I dream about this queso! Why is it SO good!?

Once of our traditions growing up was going to the Haymarket for the Farmer's Market every Saturday morning with Dad. Since I stayed around for another week, we drove downtown in search of produce, poultry and treats.

Then while Dad was off looking for coffee, I ran into my cousin, Maegan, with her kids, Mikey and Ora. We walked around the market and grabbed some treats. After walking through all the food booths, I was craving some ice cream, so why not go to Ivanna Cone? (Yes, the name is a bit unfortunate due to our current President...but oh well.)

They churn all their own ice cream, so I opted for a scoop of coconut and a scoop of circus animal beach party! I couldn't convince Mikey to get a "fun" flavor and he opted for some vanilla ice cream with Oreo's, when they didn't have cookies 'n cream! Maybe one day I'll help develop his ice cream palate!

During one of my last days back home, I met up with my best friend from elementary school, Erin, and our high school friend, Nikki. We caught up over slices at Yia Yia's Pizza downtown. It was great reminiscing about our friends and catching up on life; it'd been years since any of us had seen each other.

I got two slices of pizza and garlic cheese bread. Too much food? Yes. I would eat this later, and Dad would try to steal it, too. This is a photo of "The Atlantic" - grilled chicken, bacon, potato, broccoli and mozzarella with white sauce. I also got a slice of "The Local" - bacon, hamburger, pepperoni, sausage, mushroom, bell pepper, onion, black olives and mozzarella with marinara, but saved it for later.

I think a cheese frenchee is another Nebraska/Midwest food anamoly, like the Runza. Basically, it's a grilled cheese sandwich that's breaded and fried - artery-clogging? Yes! Delicous? Absolutely.

When my college friend, Neal, wanted to meet up for dinner, I knew I had to go to Don & Millie's with him, since it's one of his favorites and I hadn't been there in years. 

That fried, gooey cheese sandwich was perfect and I also got a loaded baked potato - sans sour cream.

We indulged in our greasy, diner food and talked about New Kids on the Block, since we had both went to their concert last night in Omaha, and how disappointed we were that Paula Adbul was injured and couldn't perform. (I still credit Neal with introducing me to One Direction!)

One of my favorite brunch dishes has always been biscuits & gravy. The Green Gateau has been the brunch place of choice for the Gordon family for some time now, as they always go to the same place every Sunday, after Mass. When I was growing up, it was the "fancy" place to eat and where I went for dinner before my Junior Prom, thus being back, felt a little surreal.

We waited a bit for our food, but what followed was the largest plate of biscuits & gravy I had ever seen! Two giant cheddar & chive biscuits smothered in sausage gravy with hashbrowns or a potato pancake. I opted for the potato pancake, as they said their pancake batter was baked into it...what showed up was a giant stack of hashbrowns; crispy on the outside, but a little doughy on the inside - interesting. 

My stomach wasn't used to these Midwestern sized portions anymore, so I had to take half of it home...which I would never get around to eating. Oops. I definitely didn't need to "add on" a side of poached eggs!

As more family members came into Lincoln to remember my Mom, I had to take a short break from various family members to meet up with others. I went out with my cousin, Liz, and her husband, Jeff, and my cousin, Matt, to Amu Ramen Bar in downtown Lincoln.

It had been a few years since I had been here with Dad, but the food was just as good as the last time. I got a bao with tofu, kimchi, fried shallots and cilantro, but ate it before my ramen came. For my soup, I chose the Garlic Shoyu - ramen noodles with chicken, mushroom, egg, cabbage, ginger, scallion in a chicken soy broth.

Now, I've lived in NYC for almost 8 years now and I have yet to find Indian food that's as good as that at The Oven in downtown Lincoln, Nebraska. You might think that sounds crazy, but my other Nebraskan friends agree; there's something about it that you just can't compare.

My dinner didn't photograph that well, but my sister-in-law, Melanie got the vegetarian Thali and I had to snap a quick photo of all those delicious dishes: Matar paneer, saag, aloo gobi, mixed vegetable curry, maah dal, raita, papadum, rice, naan, kheer and mango chutney. Wow!

Even though sad circumstances brought me home for the summer, it was nice to get to sit and talk with my Dad, brother and sister-in-law over breakfast at Village Inn.

Ever since I was a kid, it was one of my favorite local places for brunch/breakfast and that was mainly because of their skillets. I got the California Skillet this time around - bacon, mushrooms, tomatoes, onions and spinach with white cheddar cheese, Hollandaise and avocado over a bed of country potatoes. I went with fried eggs and a short stack of pancakes. Definitely eating my feelings for this meal.

After running some errands in Williamsburg, I had to swing by one of my favorite restaurants, The Meatball Shop for a quick brunch. I usually will get their breakfast sausage balls (a brunch-only specialty) with biscuits & gravy, but this time I opted for the "Balls Benedict."

A thick slice of brioche topped with two breakfast sausage balls, two poached eggs, bacon, Hollandaise and chives. The perfect breakfast, a little sweet and a little savory!

I watched this restaurant get built. For the longest time I never knew what it was, then suddenly Eater and Grub Street were talking about the naturally leavened pizza pies being made at Ops. And, yes, it was less than a block from my apartment.

For my first visit with my roommate, Jordan, I went with a classic margarita pie, but added pepperoni and mushrooms. The crust was nice and chewy on the edges, but the middle was a little soggy. I didn't care by the time it finally arrived, since we'd been waiting so long for the pizzas and it wasn't that busy...will I go back? Yes, but maybe not that soon.

After walking through the Whitney Museum for a few hours, I was ready for a snack. I wandered over to the Gansevoort Market with Ololade and Grant and browsed through the booths. I knew I didn't want anything too heavy, since I might be headed out on a date later, so when I saw a sign for "garlic knot sliders," that seemed like the perfect snack!

I opted for the chicken parm slider and although it was a bit too garlicky, it definitely hit the spot for my afternoon craving.

My fellow boy band-loving friend, Christina's birthday is only a few days after mine, so we celebrated in Brooklyn with some wonderful freshly made pasta at Gersi.

Although almost all the dishes looked amazing, I opted for the special - Kale Gnocchi with cream sauce and a side of roasted cauliflower. I also found a special on Swarm and was able to get us a free order of garlic bread! I mean, who can pass up free bread, right?

Maybe the HR Department at Gap is trying to make us all fat!? For the first "Summer Friday"/Memorial Day Weekend, they provided us with gelato pops from popbar in a variety of flavors.

Since I'm already a devoted popbar fan, I went for a flavor I normally wouldn't get: pistachio with white chocolate and crushed pistachio coating. The perfect summer treat for a short work day!

After taking my birthday off of work, my co-workers surprised me with a dozen cupcakes saying "Happy 35th B-Day" from Sprinkles!

Thankfully, they helped me eat them, but not before I saved some of the little sugar toppings and made this Care Bear-esque design.

Another work perk: checking out venues with Global Events and getting a fun, post-work happy hour! We sampled Gilligan's rose on tap and drank a few watermelon margarita's!

Normally, I'm not a big drinker (especially on a Tuesday night), but knowing I had the next day off for my birthday made it easier to relax and enjoy the night and company.

Between all my panels on Day 2 of Vulture Festival, I ran into Chelsea Market for a quick snack. I'd walked by mokbar numerous times, but as soon as I saw there were "disco fries" on the menu, I knew this was just what I needed.

Thin fries topped with gravy, mozzarella cheese, kimchi, scallions and seaweed; they hit the spot!

A rookie mistake on Day 1 of the Vulture Festival - not having cash for the snacks in the lounge. Day 2, I thought I would get a snack from the pretzel stand, not realizing that the vendors changed each day. Oops.

At least Fred's from Barneys New York had some mini everything bagels with smoked salmon (and they made one special for me, without cream cheese)! Adorable and delicious!

Most of my friends know that I'm not a big coffee drinker, but when I got 2 drink tickets for each Vulture Festival panel, I suddenly found myself with 6 drinks in a 8 hour period. So...after grabbing a free bottle of water, I thought why not try the iced coffee!?

Noble Tree Coffee provided the caffeine and I opted to blend mine with some soy milk and simple syrup. (Note: this has actually become my go-to for caffeine at work now, too!)

After an old college friend decided to pay my a visit in NYC, my b-day reservation at ABC Kitchen had to be cancelled. The upside? Getting to get some of this cheesy goodness from Emmy Squared pizza!

There's something about their Detroit-style slices that can't be described. Plus, they use those tiny, crispy pepperonis that I can't resist!

Since my friend, Whitney, has been on a diet, I've been tackling our "Dumps of the Month" on my own. I knew I couldn't miss this month's specialty dumpling - soup dumplings!

Although I've never had foie gras, I knew these would be rich, but I didn't know just HOW rich they would be. Created by Chef Daniel Humm from Eleven Madison Park, I quickly realized why there were only 6 to an order! Served with a small squirt bottle of sherry vinegar and I got a side of scallion pancakes, they were the perfect treat after work.

As a little "happy hour," Banana Republic hosted a "Meet & Greet" with the new President of the company. The best part was the hamburger sliders and tiny cups of ketchup with fries courtesy of the Gapeteria!

After hiking through Banff National Park and grabbing lunch, I had to try out one of the BeaverTails, that I had seen lots of kids (an adults) carrying around. 

They were described as fried whole wheat dough, which you could top with various items. Melanie and I agreed to split one and opted for the bananas with chocolate hazelnut spread (aka Nutella). 

It was pretty damn messy, but delicious!

After Mel's ultimate frisbee try-out and my visit to the museum with Philip, we went down to Chinatown for dinner. They wanted to show me what kind of soup dumplings & bubble tea that Calgary has to offer, so we went to Great Taste, just on the edge of Chinatown.

It's nice having more people to split up dinner with, so we got the xiao long bao, scallion pancakes, Beijing-style shredded beef, Chinese broccoli in oyster sauce, fried rice cakes with beef and a few other dishes I can't seem to remember. 

We probably could have kept eating, but I needed to save room for bubble tea!

How could anyone NOT like pies? The option of getting sweet or savory at Simple Simon almost overwhelmed me. Luckily, the ladies at the counter let you sample anything you want (I wonder how many pies they go through with samples alone...). 

I was on the hunt for a dairy-free option, before I figure out what the rest of my meal would be. I opted for a mini chicken pot pie and couldn't resist poking a little "mouth" into the crust to make a happy face.

My brother wasn't kidding when he talked about the wait for BBQ at Hayden Block; as we waited almost 2 hours, but it was worth the wait.

We splurged, as Dad said he would pay for our dinner, and got a whole stack of ribs, pulled pork, hush puppies, mac & cheese, smoke stack corn. broccoli salad and cornbread (for me).

Strangely, the smoke stack corn ended up being my favorite part. Something about the creaminess of the sauce and smokiness of the corn did it for me.

While I was planning my trip to Calgary, I knew I wanted to find a good brunch place. So, when my Google search turned up OEB, I thought it would be a great option & thankfully, my brother agreed. We went to their newer, downtown location, and got seated pretty quickly.

I wanted something salty & sweet with eggs...so it took me a bit to narrow down their extensive menu. I finally went with the "Menage a Trois" - 2 poached eggs, rosemary ham and a slice of French toast with a fresh fruit garnish. OEB is also known for their twice-fried herbed potatoes, fried in duck fat; so I got a side of them to split with Philip.

He opted for their "Box'D" breakfast - which included eggs and some of the potatoes with various toppings inside a Chinese take-out container.

After a decently-long flight, I arrived in Canada to visit my brother! Although it was Thursday in Calgary, it was Friday in NYC, so for #fatfriday, we went to Peter's Drive-In and got burgers with a side of poutine.

Now, for about $6 US, I can say this is one of the best poutine's I've had! The fries were nice and crispy, the gravy not too salty and the cheese curds were melty, but not slimy. I can easily see how someone could get addicted to eating these all the time.

With Whitney still on her cleanse, I continued our NYC tradition of dim sum on Easter Sunday with my friend, Ololade. Since he'd never been to a Chinese restaurant for dim sum, I had to take him to Nom Wah.

I helped him pick things off the menu and let him pick out a few of his favorite things. I think we ended up with 7 dishes and were plenty full afterwards, with just enough room left for a bubble tea.

Here, you can see some of our eats: xiao long bao (soup dumplings), beef rice noodle rolls, Chinese broccoli with oyster sauce, spring rolls and pork shui mai.

After seeing these spaghetti donuts all over Instagram, I had wanted to try them for myself. Surprisingly, the line was relatively short and I soon found out why.

I opted for the "Pop Red Sauce" - spaghetti, parmigiano, eggs, tomato puree, olive oil and salt. I took my Lactaid for the cheese, took a big bite and realized that it was rubbery and lacking in moisture. It's hard to describe, but after everyone in my group had a bite, we threw the remains in the trash.

This definitely made me miss Devine Pastabilities' Tor Pasta in San Diego, because if you're going for a spaghetti pie-style dish, this was the winner...not the donut. 

Well, it only took me 1+ hour to get to Smorgasburg for it's 2nd weekend. Why, you ask? Well, the MTA does this brilliant thing on some weekends, where they shut down all L Train service into and out of Manhattan from Brooklyn, so they can do work on the tracks. This means, you have to wait for a shuttle bus to get from stop to stop, walk or use a car service. I opted for the bus and finally got on one after about 20 minutes of waiting; only to have it stop with a mechanical problem not even 1 stop into our journey.

Suffice it to say that I was hangry when I got to Smorgasburg. My friends had been waiting for almost 45 minutes, already eaten, but at least they patiently waited with me while I got my food. I knew I wanted to try Pop Pasta's spaghetti "doughnut," but first I grabbed this scallion pancake wrap from Outer Borough. Filled with beef, scallions, sauce, peppers - it hit the spot. I scarfed it down as we waited in line at Pop Pasta.

One might wonder what "juicy beef" meant, as I did. So, I walked down to Hank's Juicy Beef with my co-worker, Alexa. She opted for a Chicago-Style hot dog and I got a juicy beef (note: it's a lot like a Philly cheesesteak) and we shared some fries.

Bonus: The women's NCAA gymnastics semi-finals were on, so I got to really enjoy my break, while cheering on my favorite gymnasts! I almost didn't want to go back to work...

Since my friend, Whitney, has been on a cleanse, I've had to go it alone for the last few #dumpsofthemonth at Mimi Cheng's. This time around, they were featuring dumplings from Sunday Bird in San Francisco.

These popcorn chicken dumplings were flash-fried, and complimented with Korean rice balls and gojuchang sauce. The chicken inside the dumplings was marinated in a scallion ginger sauce to give them a little extra bite. I got an order of scallion pancakes and an iced tea and sat outside on an unusually warm April day.

I hardly eat pizza anymore since starting my #fatfriday diet, so when my friend, Kevin, suggested this pizza place for dinner, I readily agreed! We had ticket to go and see "Groundhog Day" on Broadway and this place was only a few blocks from the theater.

I was very excited that Kevin also liked pepperoni & mushrooms, so that's what we chose for our coal fired pizza dinner. I'm still thinking about those little, crispy pepperonis...

My boss conveniently made our weekly TB over lunchtime, so each Wednesday, we go out to eat and chat about upcoming projects, etc. This day, we walked down to the World Trade Center and got some fresh pasta from Eataly's newest location inside the Westfield Shopping Center.

I opted for the pappardelle con funghi or pappardelle and mushrooms. I asked them to hold the cheese, but the strips of pasta were perfectly al dente and chewy. 

My college friend, Maureen, was in the city for her birthday and really wanted to try out Raclette. Now, I have seen many videos on Instagram and Facebook, showing the melted cheese being swiped onto vegetables and misc. other items, and I'd been wanting to try it out. So, I loaded my bag up with some Lactaid and agreed to meet her after work for dinner and a chance to catch up on life.

The pungent aroma of the melting raclette cheese almost made me nauseous, but I could breathe through my mouth for dinner, right? Maureen got the "Savoyarde" which consisted of roasted new potatoes, cornichons and pickled white pearl onions with 3 "swipes" of cheese included in the price. 

I opted for the more traditional, Croque Monsieur, Jambon de paris and gruyère on toasted brioche with sauce mornay and a mixed greens salad. It was just enough cheese and I got to try some of Maureen's raclette.

Overall, a great experience, and I managed to take a nice breath of fresh air, when I got outside!

I came for the "Everything Croissant," which was sold out, but I stayed for an iced Matcha green tea and this bacon, egg & cheese sandwich from the newest addition to the Union Square Hospitality Group.

Something about that thick-cut bacon paired with a fried egg and cheese on a poppyseed brioche bun, made me forget about missing out on the croissant and pop a few Lactaid pills to enjoy this breakfast treat! I'll be back soon!

Bonus! This #fatfriday was a soft pretzel bar at our work cafe! I got a few pretzels and toppings galore: spicy beer cheese, roasted broccoli, bacon and some potato chips.

I probably could have passed on the crinkle cut fries, but my eyes were bigger than my stomach!

I'd been on one date with this guy, but our rotating schedules made it hard to actually plan a second date. When he agreed to come downtown and meet me on his day off, I thought Hudson Eats would give us the best options for lunch.

I let him pick and we wound up at Mighty Quinn's BBQ. I got some brisket on a brioche bun with fries. The brisket was mouth-watering good, if only our conversation would have been as good. Not sure if I'll see him again, but at least I got a good meal; even if I had to pay for it myself.

When I heard that my friend, Karen (or Henry, as we called her in the store), had moved to Delaware, I thought I might not see her anymore. Then she told me that she was only about a 20 minute drive from Philly, so we made plans to grab brunch and shop when I was in town.

She picked me up at Michael's house and we went off to eat at Bud & Marilyn's. They're known for their brunch and didn't disappoint. Karen's a bit of a picky eater, so she got something a little simple, while I went all out for their biscuits & gravy! Topped with cheddar, sauteed chard, Lancaster ham and fried eggs, it's what my doctor didn't order. The crispy hash brown cakes were also delicious!

Another one of Michael's great suggestions; a "fancy corndog" restaurant inside Reading Terminal Market right by the Flower Show. We met up with my friend, Mandy, and got various styles of corndogs and fries to share. The others didn't make it into a solid photo, but this poutine was everything!

I didn't have to work at the Philadelphia Flower Show this year, but I still wanted the chance to visit my former home. Luckily, my friend, Michael, has a great house near Center City and let me stay with him. We also planned out a bunch of places to eat and when I told him that I needed to get a Philly Cheesesteak, he suggested a new place called Cleavers.

It was a solid choice and you could customize your sandwich with lots of options: I went with a classic hoagie, beef steak, mushrooms, fried onions and American cheese. It hit the spot and was much better than the sandwiches I remember getting from Pat's or Geno's.

My team at work spent the morning volunteering at God's Love We Deliver. After we peeled approximately 100 lbs. of carrots and 50 lbs. of parsnips, we walked back to the office. Of course, when we walked by Dominique Ansel and saw there wasn't a line that wrapped around the block, I made them go with me to get a cronut!

I was able to get one, a few DKA's and some Irish Creme macarons; but this pastry case of treats almost went home with me too! Brynn picked up one of the "Blarney Stones" which consisted of two creme puffs stack on top of each other to resemble a pot of gold and decorated with little four leaf clovers.

After my weekly TB, Brynn & I stopped by Maman to get a lavender hot chocolate. It was the perfect treat on a cold, snowy day. However, I learned I have to watch the baristas like a hawk; it definitely wasn't made with soy milk at first! Just one of the life struggles of a lactose intolerant person...

Under the encouragement of my co-workers, I've been trying to make more meals at home. Since I didn't grow up in a household where my parents cooked, learning these skills has been a bit of a challenge. I signed up for weekly meal delivery service through Plated. All the ingredients come in a box and I opted for the 2 meals a week plan; since there are 2 servings they end up making 4 meals for me! (One of the benefits of being single.)

One of this week's options was Peking Duck Pizza. I found it pretty easy to make and it was really delicious. Can you believe that I'd never had duck before? This sweet sauce, cheese, scallion and cucumber pizza was the perfect way to try it! Now, I didn't have a rolling pin, so the crust was a little thick, but it didn't seem to matter much.

After struggling to sell my roommate's old Ikea bed frame (the intended buyers spent over 2 hours trying to get it out of my apartment), I treated myself to a cab ride to Park Slope and brunch with my former co-worker, Melissa,

We met up at Korzo, which was a few blocks from her new house, so I could see the property. I knew that I immediately needed a drink after my rough morning and opted for a Downeast Cider. Then while browsing the menu, I saw a dish with spaetzle! I had fallen in love with those chewy little noodles back home in Lincoln, Nebraska as the town had a significant German population and my favorite dish at the Garden Cafe, featured spaetzle!

This "Halusky Hash" featured German sausage, spaetzle, roasted red peppers, caramelized onions and a fried egg. It also came with a side of pickled veggies and grilled bread.

A very hearty meal, but it was just what I needed!

My favorite brunch spot in my neighborhood is only about a 5 minute walk from my apartment. Cafe Ghia is only open in the morning/afternoon and they only serve brunch; my dream. However, on the weekends, they have specials, like this bowl of biscuits & gravy!

I added a fried egg and it came with a side of roasted cauliflower. I was able to grab a single seat at the bar and indulge, while reading the Arts Section of the New York TImes, a truly perfect Sunday morning. 

It almost felt wrong doing #dumpsofthemonth without Whitney in February, but since she's on a cleanse, I still wanted to go and try the monthly special. The WastED dumpling was a challenge from Dan Barber and the team at Blue Hill Farm. They wanted to make a dumpling that was composed of the general items that were discarded by Mimi Cheng's, with half of the proceeds going to City Harvest NYC.

This dumpling was a peanut miso, bok choy ends, zucchini ends, mushroom rice and kale stems topped with sesame seeds and green onions. I also had a side of Taiwanese Street Cart Greens with oyster sauce and crispy shallots.

I would definitely eat these dumplings again, but the brunch dumplings are still at the top of my list!

An unseasonably warm Sunday, meant that it was a great time to walk around in Brooklyn. I met up with my friends, Caitlin, Emily and Ololade to venture around. We went to the Williamburg waterfront and watched the waves, tourists and stared at the NYC skyline.

After a quick trip to Crif Dogs for hot dogs and chili cheese tots, we decided to hit up Davey's Ice Cream for a sweet treat. I'm a big fan of their Speculoos Cookie Butter scoop, but on special, was Fluffernutter and that combo of banana, marshmallow and peanut butter was too good to resist!

I got a scoop of each, while Emily opted for just the Fluffernutter and let me use her awesome jean jacket as the background for my photo.

For a lactose intolerant dessert lover, nothing's better than a vegan ice cream sundae! Chocolate and vanilla vegan ice cream with whipped cream, chocolate sauce, sprinkles and a cherry!

I was so full, but I still ate about 75% of this...

My vegetarian friend, Christina, had been encouraging me to go to Champs Diner for awhile, since their entire menu is Vegan and they have lots of comfort food. Also, it was a very short train ride from my apartment.

I had never tried vegan cheese before, but decided to dive right in with the vegan mac & cheese bowl. Lots of elbow macaroni, vegan mozzarella & cheddar cheese, vegan bacon, broccoli, bits of veggie burger - oof, it was a lot of food!

I HAD to save room for dessert, so while my main meal was pretty heavy, it was a lactose intolerant girl's dream!

After a few months of planning, I was finally able to meet up with my old boss and friend, Melissa for dinner and drinks at the newly opened Pretty Southern in Greenpoint. While I was excited because it was a Top Chef restaurant owned and operated by the handsome Sam Talbot, Melissa was stoked because they had gluten-free fried chicken and since she has Celiac, she hadn't been able to eat it in years.

We ordered a bunch of food to share and each got our own chicken, but sadly, they were out of gluten-free biscuits! We split the GF mac & cheese with crispy onions and hash browns. There was so much food, we both ended up with bags to take home. 

I got a glimpse of Sam in the kitchen, but he left early, since it looked like he had cut his hand earlier in the day. It was still a little surreal seeing him in person, but at least I got to check off another Top Chef restaurant off my list!
 

Last year, I went to visit my friend, Meghan at her home in New Jersey over Valentine's Day. For this year, we decided it would be a good time to come and visit her at her new cottage in Fairfield, CT. 

It took me a bit to get to CT and we grabbed food at Trader Joe's to make for dinner. But for lunch, we went to Pizzeria Molto, where I had this wonderful pasta dish. Fresh made cavatelli pugeliesi with broccoli rabe, sausage and garlic in a red sauce.

It was so filling, we couldn't even think about getting ice cream at the new place that opened up next to Pizzeria Molto. I'll have to save that for my next trip out!

Lately, I wouldn't encourage eating Shake Shack two days in a row, but when I was on my way to Connecticut to visit my friend, Meghan, I had to go and get a breakfast sandwich! Since my experience with the Shake Shack app was so easy, I did it again for my breakfast sandwich and it was ready in a jiffy!

In fact, I got there a little early, so I couldn't resist stopping by Magnolia Bakery for a small cup of banana pudding too! Yup, just call me fatty.

This time, the sausage, egg and cheese was made with a fried egg vs. a scrambled egg I'd had the last two times I'd been through Grand Central. Now, I'm not sure if that's a mistake or a new recipe, but either way, it was DELICIOUS!

Happy #fatfriday! I finally tried out the Shake Shack app to pre-order my food with my co-worker, Alexa, and it was so easy! This time there was no 45 minute wait for my Shackmeister - a cheeseburger with crispy shallots, I opted out of the sauce, with a side of cheese sauce for my crinkle cut fries.

I don't know why anyone wouldn't use the Shake Shack app!? It seems like a waste of time to me...

I was lucky enough to convince my friend, Sylvia, to come and see Chicago with me. I hadn't seen the show since I first moved to the city and Ashlee Simpson was Roxie, but this time, Mel B/Scary Spice herself was in the show!

Before we trudged through the freezing snow, we stopped by Kung Fu Little Steamed Buns and shared a few plates of sodium-filled goodness. We got some hand torn fried noodles with beef and pan fried dumplings, but the real highlight was these soup dumplings and scallion pancakes.

We still had some time to kill after eating, so we grabbed a drink next door before heading to the show.

The first time I tried Jeni's was in Chicago a few years ago and I got an amazing milkshake! This time, I wanted to try something different and after eating some pierogies and potato pancakes, it was time for dessert.

After sampling a few flavors, I went with the salty peanut butter ice cream with chocolate flecks. I topped that with their extra bitter hot fudge, house made whipped cream, cherries and a waffle cone fortune cookie.

The balance of sweet and salty was perfect and the fortune cookie was a bonus, as I almost opted for a waffle cone for the crunch. The whipped cream was thick and delicious and I always love a good cherry.

Another spot that was highly recommended by all my Columbus friends, the Fox in the Snow Cafe. I really wanted to try their egg sandwich, but it looked pretty big, so I opted for one of their cinnamon rolls with cream cheese frosting and a soy chai.

While delicious, they didn't look like anything spectacular, but this pastry case was everything! Next time, I have to try their morning bun and some other treats.

Even though I was still pretty stuffed from lunch, Jonelle & I decided to try out a new restaurant down the street from her apartment, Biscuit & Branch. Since they had just opened a week or so ago, the staff was anxious to tell us about the specials.

After all the savory tacos, I needed something sweet and their all-day breakfast sounded right up my alley. I chose the biscuit French toast with blueberry compote and a side of Ohio maple syrup.

I'm drooling just thinking about this meal, again...the French toast has the flakiness of a biscuit, but the softness of French toast. It was perfect!

When no fewer than three people from various groups of friends recommend a restaurant, it becomes and easy choice. After meeting up with Breann, she drove us back down to the Short North for lunch.

After all the ranting & raving about the tacos, where you can customize them with numerous toppings, we also settled on getting some queso blanco to share.

I got two tacos and a side of rice. My first taco was a flour tortilla with Thai chili tofu, lettuce, corn salsa and chihuahua cheese. My second taco was their "Juju Taco" - a soft flour tortilla wrapped around a hard corn tortilla with queso, chorizo and roasted portabello mushrooms. 

Their tacos reminded me a little bit of San Loco and I was definitely full, since we couldn't stop eating the queso...and it felt really good to walk around after eating, despite the cold temperatures.

While Jonelle was at work, I wandered around Short North, where she lives. Not only is her apartment right above a great restaurant, but there's also a great coffee shop in the same building. 

She recommended the ham & cheese croissant, so I took some Lactaid and dove in. It was delicious, but I really should have asked them to heat it up. I also got a soy chai and planned out the rest of my morning. I thought it would be best to go check out the "Rodeo Drive of the Midwest" at Easton, which was only a short Lyft ride away. 

Yes, I went to Columbus, OH and got "New York Style Pizza." Yes, it was delicious and I'm not ashamed.

My friend, Jonelle, moved back to Columbus last year and I said that I would come and visit her. Luckily, she lives right above this great restaurant and bar, so even when my flight was late, we were able to get a great meal.

I added proscuitto di parma and mushrooms to their standard pizza with fresh mozzarella, Italian plum tomato sauce, Percorino Romano and fresh basil. The crust was thin and crispy and it hit the spot, after I had been traveling all afternoon.

Did I ever mention how much I love brunch? Oh yeah...all the time. I admittedly didn't go to participate in the Women's March, but went to brunch with my friend, Ethan, who I hadn't seen in over a year. After trying to grab brunch at a nearby spot, we ventured to Rye, as the wait was too long at the other place.

I opted for the "Rye Slam" - Challah French toast, poached eggs, hash browns, bacon and a mixed greens salad. Ethan opted for their "infamous" meatloaf - I didn't get a photo of it.

Maybe some day we'll make it back to our original place...if the wait wasn't almost an hour.

I had been wanting to try out the food at Kichin for some time. A Korean spot in Brooklyn!? Sounds right up my alley and it's owned by my friend's cousins.

So many things looked delicious, but I decided to stick with the rice balls or onigiri. I wasn't sure how many to get, but two seemed to be the right amount, as they were about the size of my fist.

I got the Sukiyaki Beef (left) and Crispy Chicken (right). I even tried out their honeydew green tea, which was the perfect sweet compliment to the savory flavors in the rice balls.

Next time, I'll bring my appetite, so I can get them again and some dumplings!

Long weekends are definitely something that I could get used to pretty fast! After taking in an afternoon showing of Hidden Figures, I spent some time strolling around the city with my friends, Caitlin & Emily. Not getting our fill from buttery movie theater popcorn and Milk Duds we decided to grab lunch at Glaze near Union Square. 

They were out of salmon (which is one of my usual picks), so I just went with the tofu, brown rice, a side of pork gyoza and a salad with carrot ginger dressing.

It's hard to believe that I hadn't eaten a hamburger in more than a month! It seems like every time I wanted one, my other #fatfriday cravings superseded it. 

But for this installment of #fatfriday, it was time for a good old trip to Umami Burger. While it was a little bit cold to walk to Brookfield Place, at least it was nice to get out of the office.

Even though my friend was completing the Whole30, she didn't let me feel guilty about indulging infront of her. I went with the classic Umami burger - parmesan frico, shiitake mushrooms, roasted tomato, caramelized onions and umami ketchup. I complimented this masterpiece with a side of thin fries and a real sugar Pepsi.

Why wasn't this named "The Breakfast Bun?" Maybe I just like the alliteration. Any way, it was delicious. When a co-worker from our San Francisco office offered to take my team out for lunch, we chose to go to Two Hands in Tribeca.

It was my first time there, and even though the burger looked tempting, I wanted to pass on anything with dairy. The next logical choice was this tasty creation: a fried egg, chorizo, avocado, pickled shallots, watercress and spicy ketchup on a toasted whole wheat roll. 

There really was no way to eat this, cleanly, with my hands; so fork & knife it was.

I was so excited to hear that the January special at Mimi Cheng's was their brunch dumpling from last year! Scrambled eggs, maple breakfast sausage, cheddar cheese, sauteed onions and topped with everything bagel seasoning; how could you lose? I also love that the dumplings come with a little bottle of Sir Kensington's ketchup!

I might have to go back for brunch again...

I had the opportunity to work at the Intermix HQ, but in my hurry to get to the office I didn't grab breakfast. I slipped out of of the office for a bit for a chai and found these lovely doughnuts at Oren's Daily Roast. 

At first, I saw the giant Stroop Waffles and wanted one of those, until the barista told me the Maple doughnut came with a mini waffle on top! I also couldn't resist the beautiful pastel colors on the vanilla lavender doughnut, so I took two back to the office with me.

My friend, Lily, was back in town for the Holidays, so we met up at our usual haunt, Vapiano. They easily have some of my favorite pasta in the city, which makes it hard for me to want to change my usual order...I always end up with the nicely chewy campanelle pasta paired with bolgonese made with Italian pork & beef, carrots and a red sauce.

And, yes, I even splurged for the cheese on top!

Last year, I missed out on a stop by Goldenrod Pastries (owned & operated by my friend, Angela), so I knew I had to go before I headed back to NYC.

On my last day back home, I swung by and grabbed a few macarons (maple - teal and cherry - pink), a mini funfetti poundcake and a molasses cookie sandwich.

Everything was as delicious as it looks and I can't wait until I can go back next year for more treats! Farewell, 2016!

Who knew that 6:30pm was such a popular time to go to the buffet in Lincoln? (Well, we soon found out as the restaurant closed at 8pm and we were one of the three families left in the dining room, as the hostess was passive-aggressively asking if we needed anything else.)

Usually, Valentino's is early on in my trip home, but as my cousin, Jeff, his wife and kids were coming up from Texas to visit, we knew this would be the best place for a larger family dinner.

I started out with my usual Minestrone soup and spinach noodles, but the pizza/pasta/bread course is my favorite. A little bit of lasagna, rotini with heavy meat sauce, a slice of "Special" pizza (mushrooms, pepperoni, ham), a garlic breadstick and a Parmesan cheese roll. (Hey, even Valentino's reposted my photo, it looked so go!)

One of my favorite carb-loaded places to eat back home, Bison Witches! They have some of the best sandwiches and soup, not to mention there's something about their CCQ (chili con queso) that I can't find anywhere.

Usually, I get the half sandwich and bread bowl special, but since I knew I would be hitting up the Valentino's Buffet for dinner, I tried to save some carbs for then.

A mouth-wateringly good Club sandwich (sans mayonnaise) and a side of tortilla chips with a little cup of CCQ. See you next year, "Buy Sandwiches!"

Almost always, my first stop home is to Runza. This time, I met up with my family for lunch, but offered to take my cousin, her husband and son to dinner; since I would be staying with them for just over a week while I was home.

After running a few last minute shopping errands, the mutual decision was to get Runza for dinner. All four of us wound up getting the Original Runza with Frings (crinkle cut french fries and double-battered onion rings) with drinks.

Runza truly tastes like home.

Just before the Holidays and office shutdown, the Events & Communications Teams setup a pop-up shop in our office. Several vendors came in and sold last-minute gift items and there were plenty of free snacks!

It was almost like they read my mind about my favorite vendors: Waffles & Dinges, Arancini Bros and Sigmund's Pretzels!? I was in heaven. Of course, I had to skip these cheddar truffle pretzels and the waffles, but I sampled almost everything else.

It's been awhile since I had been back to my favorite local "Gringo Mex" place in Williamsburg. Post-Happy Hour drinks with some old co-workers, I knew I wanted to hit up San Loco for a Queso Loco and I convinced Jess to come with me.

Once I got there, the Macho Nachos were too tempting and despite my better judgement, I got both. If you're not familiar with the Queso Loco, it's like a better Cheesy Gordita Crunch from Taco Bell - a crispy taco with your choice of meat filling (I went with ground beef), lettuce, cheese and tomato with melted cheese and a flour tortilla wrapped around it.

The Macho Nacho were a little tub of tortilla chips topped in melted cheese, ground beef, chili, pico de gallo, sour cream and guacamole. I picked out all the non-soggy chips and almost had to roll myself back to the train to get home.

While trying to decide if I wanted to get hashbrowns or smoked salmon, this dish revealed itself to me on the menu at Maman. Perfectly seasoned hashbrowns (almost like potato latkes) topped with smoked salmon, avocado, cucumber, dill and a "perfect" soft boiled egg.

All my favorite things in one! The restaurant also had an amazing pastry case, but I think I liked their savory offerings just a bit more. I'll be back, since it's only a short walk from my office.

Continuing our tradition of viewing all the Holiday Windows on 5th Avenue, Whitney & I decided that we would get soup dumplings before walking downtown.

There's nothing better than that first satisfying bite into a xiao long bao, when the steam releases and you can suck all the delicious soup broth out of the dumpling, before letting it cool and eating the rest of it. So good in fact, that New York, magazine featured a "Best of New York" dumplings in their year end issue.

Maybe next year's goal will be to try and eat them all!

Ok, I admit it, the best part of having weekends off is the opportunity for brunch (as I'm a sucker for eggs of all kinds)! I was able to finally catch up with my friend, Adriane, and we grabbed a meal at Sweet Chick in Williamsburg.

After my pretty heavy dinner at Genuine Superette, I opted for a "lighter" lunch with a fruit and granola waffle; with a side of poached eggs, of course! Adriane went for their specialty, chicken & waffles.

Truly, the Sweet Chick Life.

I had been wanting to try out a meal at Genuine Superette for awhile, so when my friend, Christina, suggested we meet up for dinner, it was an easy choice. 

After our burgers and 50/50 fries, I knew I had to try one of their ice cream sandwiches created by Sam Mason. The problem: how to decide on a flavor?

Luckily, Christina was game to split them. On a toasted brioche bun, I chose the vanilla bean with salted caramel sauce and crunchy chocolate pearls. Christina went with the matcha with honey and caramel sauce topped with pistachios.

Both were delicious, but mine was a little bit too rich and I ended up liking the matcha one better.

One of the benefits of being nice to everyone is that sometimes you befriend people in the right places. I happened to mention to the Catering Manager at work that I really liked the chocolate chip banana cream whoopie pies that were in the cafe...so, when it closed for the day and there were leftovers, they wound up at my desk!

After a tumultuous few weeks, it was nice to take a break from the craziness with a wonderful Friendsgiving lunch/dinner! I was invited to a friend of a friend's house for a little bit of movies, food and fun. A small group of five, but we had all the usual dishes: turkey, mac & cheese, green beans, mashed potatoes, gravy, salad, biscuits and I brought my little bit of Nebraska in a Runza Casserole.

Post-meal nap, we watched some movies and played a few games before I headed home for the night.

One of the best perks of a new job, is finding all the great places for lunch in the area. I didn't realize that my new office would be so close to Brookfield Place & Hudson Eats!

I was having a mad craving for dumplings and walked with a co-worker to Northern Tiger at Hudson Eats and scooped up 10 of these pan fried heritage pork & chive dumplings with a side of rice.

My high school best friend & former roommate, Jim, was back in the city for work, so we met up for dinner and chose to hit up King Noodle in Bushwick. Even though I live about a 10 minute walk from this restaurant, I've only been here a handful of times. 

I decided to try a new noodle dish and got the Mee Goreng - marinated hanger steak stir fried with egg noodles in a sweet soy sauce with scallions, fried shallots and cilantro (ew)!

It was a little spicy for my tastes, but still delicious! And I think they deliver to my apartment via Seamless, so that could be dangerous...

My last chance for a Wednesday two-show day off of work! Since I started my new job this week, I worked a half-day at the office, before heading out to see two shows today.

Post Sweet Charity starring Sutton Foster, I stopped at Southern Hospitality for some BBQ before seeing Dear Evan Hansen in the evening. It's a little hard to enjoy this place by yourself, but I figured I'd make do, since my friend had to cancel on dinner and I already had the reservation.

I got the black pepper bark brisket with a side of mac & cheese in a mini skillet and cornbread with honey butter. I kind of forgot that the brisket came with grilled toast, but I'm not one to turn down carbs. I had to take half of the brisket home, since I was afraid if I ate it all I would fall asleep during the show.

Yes, I had to close on my last night working at Madewell. Yes, it was the day after the Election and everyone was sad. However, I was determined to go out on a high note; Hamilton sing-a-long, anyone?

My lovely boss bought me a stack of farewell doughnuts from Dough, and which I was able to list all the flavors without asking.

So, surrounded by a dozen cinnamon sugar doughnut holes, here's the flavors from top to bottom:

-Chocolate sea salt caramel

-Mocha crunch

-Original glazed

-Pumpkin

I was told that I had to "eat all of them before [you] leave," but I didn't want to end up in a diabetic coma; so I took the pumpkin one home and sliced up the rest to share with the sales associates.

Switching jobs during the Holiday Season made for a mad few weeks, so I wasn't sure if I would make it with Whitney to Mimi Cheng's for our usual "Dumps of the Month!" 

Since I had a few days off before starting my new job, I though it would be a good idea to swing by the East Village location to get the Thanksgiving Dumplings I loved so much last year.

Turkey, stuffing and gravy, all wrapped into a dumpling skin and pan fried for a perfectly crispy bottom and served with a side of cranberry sauce for dipping. I added a scallion pancake, so as Popo loves to call them "Chinese pizza!"

A day after turning in my notice at work, I was off to Westport, CT to help out at their store. It's not fun having a 12+ hour workday (with the commute), but on the upside - I got a Shake Shack breakfast sandwich!

I chose the sausage, egg & cheese with fries and a side of cheese sauce. (I did also stop at Magnolia Bakery for a small tub of their banana pudding, but I didn't take a photo of it.) There's something about that Martin's Potato Bun that makes this breakfast sandwich, well, that and the fact that everything from Shake Shack is delicious.

As a little #fatfriday celebration, since I was finally able to turn in my notice at work (even if it meant going into the store on my day off), so I went to Hill Country Chicken for lunch.

I was craving chicken tenders, but something about the chicken pot pie at Hill Country, gets me every time. Coupled with a side of cheesy fried mashed potatoes, a buttermilk biscuit, mini pumpkin pie cup and a fountain Boylan's black cherry soda.

A complete fatty lunch fest!

When my friend, Kate, agreed to take me around Seattle before my flight back to NYC, she knew the way to my heart was biscuits & gravy. Packed inside of a little coffee shop, the place was jumpin', but we had time to wait, catch up on life and grab a drink.

For my meal, I chose the "Straight Up Bitch" - biscuits, country gravy with scrambled eggs and paprika. (I also liked that everything in their shop had "bitch" worked into it somehow.)

I lucked out that my friend, Amanda, was getting married the weekend after I was in Portland. We got the chance to catch up over brunch and I got to meet her fiance (soon-to-be husband). She chose the place: the Doug Fir Lounge and Ian came along. 

The restaurant was attached to a hotel/performance venue and looked like it had been made out of giant Lincoln Logs - a favorite childhood toy. 

I chose to opt for the breakfast route at brunch and got the pastrami hash - poached eggs, pastrami, yukon gold potatoes, peppers and onions. (Sure, Ian had already made me breakfast that morning, but there's always room for eggs!) Post-brunch, Amanda and I walked around, exploring shops until it was time for me to head to Union Station and catch my Amtrak to Seattle.

As a casual fan of Starbucks, I knew that Seattle was where it all started, but I didn't know about their Roastery, which can only be described as a gorgeous coffee experience. You can watch coffee beans being roasted, ground, etc. or watch the baristas prep your drink in any one of several specifications. 

The best part: this Everything pretzel bagel and a Maharaja soy chai. If only the spicy chai was available at all Starbucks with this mouth watering pretzel bagel!

After a relatively short train ride, I found myself in rainy Seattle. My friend, Michelle, picked me up at Union Station and we headed on our way to find dinner. She recommended at great Vietnamese place and we settled in for a good meal and to catch up on life, since she moved from NYC.

I chose my usual, bun, but this time the Bun Cha Gio Thjtnuong - vermicelli noodles with deep friend egg rolls and grilled pork. 

When I started telling my friends that I was going to Portland and asking for food recommendations, no fewer than 5 people told me I had to get ice cream at Salt & Straw. Well, even though Ian wasn't too enthusiastic about ice cream, I was able to find their ice cream at the concession stand in the Moda Center.

There was only a limited assortment of flavors, but I went with the gooey chocolate brownie on a cone. It was delicious, but I was really hoping to try one of their more unique flavors, which were sold out before halftime. I guess this means I'll have to go back...

It's true that I love a good sporting event, but what I love even more is stadium food! So, when Ian said that he had tickets to a pre-season Portland Trailblazers basketball game, it seemed like a good idea.

After getting settled in our seats, I went in search of food. It didn't take me long to find the Fowl Language stand and choose this chicken sandwich as my meal.

Couch Street fried chicken sandwich on a cheddar and chive biscuit! How could I lose? Now, what to get for dessert...

I spent most of my first day in Portland walking around the city. My feet took me towards the Pearl District, where I wandered through many shops and eventually, found my way to Sizzle Pie for lunch.

Luckily, my vacation landed on a #fatfriday, so a few slices seemed like the perfect way to spend this meal. Also, Sizzle Pie offered 1/2 slices, so I could sample a few different styles.

From L to R:

"License to Chill" - mushrooms, olive oil, asparagus and goat cheese.

"White Walker" - spinach, roasted garlic, feta, olive oil topped with herbs & spices.

"Classic Pepperoni" - no explanation needed.

They also had some great merchandise and although I wanted a t-shirt, I felt like this patch was the best addition to my jean jacket. The only downside was the wait. It seems like they didn't quite have the NYC-speed down for the lunch rush. I think I easily spent 20 to 30 minutes waiting for my little slices.

For night two of our theater/food excursion, Katie and I met up on the Lower East Side for a night of balls. Our first stop: The Meatball Shop.

I strayed from my usual order of "Naked Balls" and opted for some sliders, instead. Two chicken meatballs with mushroom gravy and one beef meatball with tomato sauce. I also couldn't resist a side of their creamy mashed potatoes and an iced sweet tea.

The benefit of having dinner with a fellow foodie, was the recommendation of great desserts (and, no, Voodoo Doughnuts, wasn't on the list)! Luckily, a location of Blue Star Donuts was within walking distance of my friend's house. 

The donuts at Blue Star are made with a brioche dough, so they are light, flaky and delicious. I chose two: the "Sugar & Spice" - cinnamon, vanilla, cardamom in a vanilla cake donut and the "OG" - homemade orxata with rice milk, cinnamon, vanilla with a Horchata glaze.

But as I was leaving, I decided to take a few to go, thus no photo. But I can assure you the "Apple Fritter" and "Mexican Hot Chocolate" were just as delicious as the ones you can see.

The best part about dining with friends is when you can order a bunch of food and share it. (Granted, it's weird when it's your friend & his date, but we made it work.) So, here, from the top left and moving clockwise, was our meal:

A fry-basket of french fries with secret sauce, pan-roasted Brussels sprouts with bacon lardons & shaved parmesan, the flat-top burger with lettuce, onions, B and B pickles and dill mayo and the just the corner of my salmon with fingerling potatoes.

I kind of wish I could have tried the burger; but it wasn't meant to be this time around. Perhaps on my next trip to the PNW, although I'm sure there are many other places to go and eat!

After a long week of overnights, a big shopping party and flying across the Country, I finally landed in Portland, OR. My college friend, Ian, picked me up at the airport and dropped my things off at his house before heading out to dinner.

Through a friend of his, we had reservations at Imperial, home of Top Chef's Doug Adams from Season 12. Even though Doug left earlier in the year, the food was still amazing and that included this Kale & Vegetable Salad with sunflower seed brittle & goat cheese dressing. There was something about the sweet, salty and crunchiness of the sunflower seed brittle that kept me eating more and more of this salad, but I still needed to save room for the main courses.

Eater wasn't kidding - these Parker House Rolls are to die for! Anyone who knows me, knows that I love a good carb, and bread is no exception. These housemade rolls were hot, soft and buttery. 

Served with a little tub of whipped butter and a dusting of Jacobsen sea salt, they were the perfect compliment to our meal. However, we had to keep the plate away from Ian before he ate all of them!

My usual routine before going into work for an overnight is to stay up late on Saturday, sleep in on Sunday, roam around for a few hours and then take a nap before going in. However, this time, I went to run errands in the neighborhood and ran into my friends, Caitlin & Emily, who convinced me to go to brunch with them; no makeup, glasses and all.

We walked over to Fair Weather Bushwick and I got the Berkshire Pork Belly Hash topped with a fried egg. It was tasty, but a fairly small portion for $15...and the sauce was a bit spicy for my mild tastes. Still, better than eating brunch alone!

After a stop at the American Museum of Natural History and appeasing Dad's craving for Indian food, I had to make him go with me to Levain Bakery.

When we were kids, we used to stop by The Cookie Company at Gateway Mall for their "E.T." cookies - a chocolate cookie with peanut butter chips. While I still miss those, they can't compare to Levain Bakery's version. Almost 2.5" tall and gooey in the center (and probably full of a stick of butter), they are heavenly.

The line was only about 10 people long, so it was worth the wait. You can hardly eat a whole one at one time, but you can try. You just might regret it later...

Post-dim sum with my Dad and friends, I had to finally stop by Eggloo. Yes, I only knew about this place from Instagram, but how could I resist ice cream and Chinese waffles!?

Luckily, Aly helped indulge in this treat with me, while Dad sat in the park and listened to a Chinese music group. 

I chose a green tea waffle with Thai tea soft serve ice cream, mochi, rainbow sprinkles and chocolate sauce. Next time, I think I could skip the sprinkles or the sauce, but it was delicious, regardless!

Ok, I know that Chick-fil-a doesn't have the best company culture...but I couldn't resist getting a late night meal there. I was supposed to meet a new guy for a date, but he cancelled on me in the last minute; for the second time in two weeks! So, bye Felicia!

Luckily, a friend was in town from Nebraska, so I killed some time in Herald Square before meeting up with him. I just got the original chicken sandwich with waffle fries and a cup of their vanilla "Ice Dream." It was my first time having their ice cream and it was pretty good; certainly better than the fluff that McDonald's serves!

I've been a fan of Frank in the East Village for several years, so when Dad decided he wanted some good Italian food, I knew I had to take him to Lil' Frankie's. Not only would it knock a restaurant off my list, but I knew it had to be good based on all the great pasta I've had at Frank.

Dad chose to inhale about 2 dozen oysters, but I went with their special gnocchi - black garlic. Slightly doughy, but full of flavor and cheesy, it was perfect. I definitely wanted to nap after this meal!

Strangely, for all the times that my Dad has come to visit me in NYC, we have never gone for Korean BBQ. After his flight was delayed, we had to skip the Empire State Building, but were able to find a nice restaurant in Koreatown to stop and eat before going to see Fiddler on the Roof.

I made sure to order us some japchae, bibimbap and bulgogi, but it was all the side dishes that he seemed to really enjoy. (After all, they are kind of "free" with the meal and he loves a good deal!)

Now, I couldn't pass up thae Ice & Vice booth at Madison Square Eats when I was there on my break. A light rain kept the dinnertime crowd away, so I chose to get the "Recess Float" - in a partnership with Renegade Lemonade, Ice & Vice combined some of their amazing ice cream with a soda for this insane dessert drink.

Malted vanilla ice cream with Mexican brownie and Fruity Pebbles, blueberry lavendar soda, peanut butter frosting, a Fruity Pebble rim, whipped cream, chocolate sauce, strawberry sauce, graham dust, a maraschino cherry and a mini donut on a big straw!

Overwhelming? A bit. Diabetic coma. Most likely. Would I drink it again? Yes!

One of the best parts of working in the Flatiron District is when Madison Square Eats comes back! Loads of food vendors set up shop on the little island near Madison Square Park for lunch/dinner and you can try out as many as your heart (and stomach) desire!

This time, I swung by the Mr. Bing cart. They make Chinese crepes and I chose to get the BBQ pork on mine. It's a green bean and rice flour crepe stuffed with scrambled eggs, sesame seeds, scallions, hoisin sauce and crunchy wontons. 

Just the right amount of crunch, spice and my favorite, eggs. I hope to get back to try another flavor, soon!

Before working an overnight, I saw that TheatreMania was hosting a block of booths and performances at the 3rd Avenue Street Fair. So, I got myself up and trudged uptown. Well, it turns out that the TheatreMania section was very small, but I walked up from 68th Street to the end, near 86th. I wasn't quite sure what to get to eat, but somehow these Mozzarepa's were calling me. 

How can you resist two corn cakes and melted mozzarella cheese!? Plus, all the colors of the fair made this photo an easy opportunity.

Another stop for the "Dumps of the Month" with Whitney at Mimi Cheng's Dumplings. For September, they paired up with Lalo for a hibiscus, chorizo, squid, citrus and caramelized onions dumpling topped with Spanish paprika and a hibiscus reduction. 

Initially, the squid sounded a bit weird to me, but I hardly tasted any of the seafood-y part of this. The combination of the spicy sausage, floral elements and citrus was surprisingly tasty. 

I also nabbed a plate of their scallion pancakes, as they were a new addition to the menu. I can't wait to see what's coming up for October!

Our newest store in the Meatpacking District also featured ice cream from Ample Hills Ice Creamery, so I had to swing by the shop and pick up a scoop or two.

I got a scoop of "PB Wins the Cup" - vanilla ice cream with peanut butter chocolate flakes and housemade peanut butter cups on top of a scoop of "Chocolate Milk and Cookies" - milk chocolate ice cream with pieces of Back to Nature sandwich cookies in a chocolate chip ice cream cone.

Delicious!

After visiting the newest Madewell in the Meatpacking District, I decided to grab something to eat at Untitled inside of the Whitney Museum of American Art. I wasn't hungry enough for a full meal, and I knew I wanted ice cream afterwards, so appetizers it was!

Top: fried fish lettuce wrap with okra and radishes.

Right: caraflex cabbage dumpling with a sesame jalapeno vinagrette.

Left: grilled white shrimp with green beans on a cornbread pancake.

Next time I go back, I would just get a few of the dumplings and the white shrimp. The lettuce wrap was only ok, but the other two are drool-worthy.

I found myself in Soho on a random morning & there was no line at the Dominique Ansel Bakery! "What are the chances that they still have cronuts?" I thought. Well, I was in luck!

I picked up one of their daily specials: a pear, honey cream cheese cronut for the September special. I can easily see why the knockoffs don't even compare to the real thing!

After brunch with Darryl, we happend to walk by Oddfellows Ice Cream, so I stopped in for a scoop (or two). Who could resist a scoop of Thai iced tea and banana pudding!?

Both were rich, flavorful and creamy. I gotta go back soon!

When someone tells me there's free ice cream: I'm there.

When someone tells me there's a RuPaul's Drag Race event: I'm there.

Of course when the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck sponsors free ice cream for the premiere of Season 2 of RuPaul's Drag Race: All-Stars, I HAD to be there.

Thanks to Kevin, who held my place in line, while I was coming from physical therapy; we were one of the first 15 people in line. Despite the disgusting heat, some fans were out in full drag (Even Phi Phi O'Hara didn't show up in drag...)

Eventually, Detox and Coco Montrese showed up and the show got on the way. It was a little disappointing that the Logo crew made separate lines for photos and ice cream, but Kevin still managed to get a photo and some ice cream. 

I opted for the chocolate/vanilla swirl in a cup over the popsicle. Smart choice.

I had been drooling over these brunch pizzas on Instagram for ages. So, when Darryl said he wanted to meet up for brunch, I knew the perfect place to go! 

Top: La Prima - Italian breakfast sausage, mozzarella and a poached egg.

Bottom: American - Potato, bacon, mozzarella, scallion and a poached egg.

Complimented with a mimosa and a Downeast Cider. The perfect way to brunch and catch up on life and I'll let you try and guess which pizza was mine...

I've always enjoyed a good sporting event, but until now, I had not attended one in NYC! Emily finally convinced me to go to a Mets game with her on my weekend off in August.

I was so excited about all the great food at CitiField, that I completely forgot to take a photo of my meal...except for this photo from Snapchat. Whomp whomp.

So, here's my Nathan's hot dog with a pile of crinkle cut fries! America!

The second stop on our night of balls, was to Boba Guys! Katie had seen my last post about Boba Guys and wanted to go before we headed to see Waitress!

This time I stuck with done of my favorites: a jasmine milk tea with boba and Katie got a matcha latte with boba. "Grade A Balls" for sure!

When my friend, Sam, suggested The WhaLES for our post-work meet-up, I quickly looked them up to see what was on their menu.  Look no further than a rice patty pizza and cheese ramen and I was sold!

The bowl of scalding hot cheese ramen contained: cheese, scallion, onion, bean sprouts and a soft boiled egg. The rice pizza: bulgogi, Korean spicy paste, onion, paprika, pepper, corn and mozzarella.

I also had a cocktail - The Lower East Cider: lavender bitters, elder flower and cider.

Would I go back again? Yes, but not for the cheese ramen. There wasn't anything spectacular about it, but the rice pizza was to die for! I'd also go back to try their rice burger; similar to a regular burger but with rice patty buns!

It seems like every time I'm back on the Lower East Side, I find myself back at Boba Guys for their amazing bubble tea!

This time, post-cheese ramen, I had to try their horchata. Even though it's made with rice milk, there's a bit of cream in it, along with cinnamon and their signature "Grade A Balls!"

They also have a larger sized iced bubble tea now, so that's another plus! Besides the boba at Caffe Bene, I can't find a better tapioca ball in the city!

Beyond my better judgment, on the way to the MY2K Tour (98 Degrees, O-Town, Dream and Ryan Cabrera) , I made Christina stop with me and get some ice cream. (After all, I had already taken my Lactaid with my Wahlburger...)

We first walked by a pizza stand that had "hard" ice cream, but I opted for the softer, gelato at Coney's Cones.

The small allowed me to get two flavors, so I chose the pistachio and stracciatella. It melted quickly, but totally hit the spot for my dessert craving!

There's no better time to grab a Wahlburger, than right before a boy band concert! When Christina, my fellow boy band partner-in-crime, and I heard that 98 Degrees was going on tour with O-Town, Dream and Ryan Cabrerar, we knew we had to be there! I happily made my way over to Wahlburgers to grab a burger and some onion strings.

I got the "Our Burger": a 1/3 pound burger with lettuce, tomato, onion, "government" cheese, Paul's "Wahl" sauce and pickles and a side of thin crispy onion rings. Delicious!

Before heading to School of Rock, with my friend, Katie, we stopped by Melt Shop for a little pre-show meal. Somehow, I always find myself near Melt Shop when it's not a #fatfriday, but that doesn't stop me. I was just coming off an overnight at work, so time and space didn't mean much to me. And I'd spent my previous day lifting and moving over 250 boxes of merchandise, so indulging didn't seem like a problem.

This time, I put my own spin on the "Classic" grilled cheese, but adding a Melt burger patty to the American cheese, cheese sauce, caramelized onions combo already on the classic. I added a side of "Shop Tots" which were topped with parmesan cheese and parsley.

Maybe it wasn't the smartest idea getting an ice cream cone when it was over 90 degrees outside...but it sure did taste good!

I snapped this photo before it started to melt down my hand. You can't go wrong with a classic vanilla cone with rainbow sprinkles!

Well, at least I’m finally getting around to using all my cookbooks during this time at home! After soaking some cornflakes and making a batch of cereal milk from Milk Bar’s cookbook, I was ready to tackle a bigger project.

So, first up - my favorite Milk Bar cookie, the cornflake marshmallow chocolate chip! While I should have cooled the dough longer, so the cookies wouldn’t have expanded too much, they turned out great! A satisfying crunch, gooey marshmallows, and the sweetness of the mini chocolate chips! I hope to make this one again, soon!

When my roommate heard that Veselka might be in danger of closing, due to the pandemic, we made it a point to have dinner there one random night. I’m of the belief that their meat stuffed cabbage is the closest thing that I can get to a Runza in the city and went for their combo with 2 potato & 2 meat pierogis, and that meat stuffed cabbage in mushroom gravy. Complimented with some chicken noodle soup, a slice of Challah, and a side of potato pancakes with applesauce, caramelized onions, and sour cream.

A full meal and a pleasant outdoor dining experience! I hope they are able to stay around, so we can make another trip soon!

A summer afternoon lunchtime catch up lead to a nice outdoor table at The Smith on the Upper West Side. As we caught up on pandemic life, work, new moves, etc. I filled my belly with some tasty carbs. While I wasn’t quite hungry enough for a burger or full entrée (plus, the squid ink pasta I usually get wasn’t on the menu) - I went for this skillet of mac & cheese with a side of mashed potatoes and a Wolfer Dry Rose Cider.

Every time I see a risotto recipe in Blue Apron or Hello Fresh, I wonder why it’s such a complex dish for chef’s to make on Top Chef? I think the cooking instructions for this summer vegetable risotto must have been pretty decent, as this turned out well.

The addition of a little bit of saffron flavored the rice and I added a touch of garlic salt for a little more seasoning.

Yes, I got to that point of quarantine life that I tried this Instagram trend of pancake “cereal!” I got a squeeze bottle to make dispensing the mini pancakes a little easier, but it didn’t make them taste any different.

Honestly, I’ll just stick to regular pancakes - unless I have some kids to impress.

A friend of mine recently moved from Nebraska to NJ and into a nice house in suburbia! We made a mutual agreement to be in each other’s “quarantine pods” and I made a trip to NJ for some space, fresh air, and quality time in the burbs.

For dinner, we enjoyed a nice outdoor Chinese meal at Chef Tan in Highland Park. Including these noodles, spicy popcorn chicken, and green beans.

After not being in the office since March 2020, I took some time to meet up with a co-worker and friend for lunch. We met up in Williamsburg at Gentle Perch and while I wanted to try their Korean BBQ Brisket (which was sold out), I was still happy with this fish katsu sandwich.

The fish patty was crispy on the outside and nicely flaky on the inside with lettuce, tomato, sauce and a side of house made potato chips, it was the perfect compliment to the new reality of outdoor dining in the summertime heat.

Since I was stuck in Nebraska during most of NYC’s “opening,” I was happy to to make it back in time for Emily Pizza x Mimi Cheng’s dumpling special!

The Emmy Burger is a thing to behold with it’s pretzel bun, rich beef patty, cheese sauce, and caramelized onions. Well, when they partner with Mimi Cheng’s all of that deliciousness goes into a dumpling wrapper and then pan fried. Top them off with a side of Emmy Sauce and they are truly chef’s kiss!

A meetup with a fellow Nebraskan // New Yorker for some cheeseburger sliders at The HiHi Room in Brooklyn!

Remember when Shake Shack was almost exclusively a New York experience and you could taste the difference in the patties? That’s a little bit like what these sliders reminded me of. It’s what White Castle should be hella jealous of…

After completing my 14-day traveler’s quarantine from my return from Nebraska, I ventured into K-Town with my roommate for some KFC (Korean fried chicken)!

Now, while there may be varying opinions on what constitutes “the best KFC” in the NYC area, I love the chicken from BBQ Chicken. They fry their chicken in olive oil for a uniquely crispy taste and their restaurants are featured in many my favorite K-Dramas (Crash Landing On You, anyone?).

I got some boneless original chicken and some tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes // 떡볶이) and we walked to Madison Square Park to sit in the grass, enjoy the fresh air, and devour our meal.

Towards the end of my “traveler’s quarantine,” I decided to tackle my biggest baking challenge yet - replicating the berry crumble buns from Goldenrod Pastries’ Perfectly Golden cookbook! It would be my first time baking with yeast and rolling out dough on my own.

Luckily, I ordered all my supplies from a nearby grocery store and made the berry compote the day before. I spent the morning mixing the dough and letting it rise. Then the afternoon was filled with rolling it out, making the buns, filling them with the berry compote and topping them with the crumble topping & vanilla glaze.

While the buns were a little larger than I imagined, I saved the ends and made some boba to make two small “boba crumble buns.” Everything turned out great & I was able to save a few to give to friends when I finally could go into the outside world again!

A little bit crunchy and soft & chewy on the inside, these toasted gnocchi might be my new favorite way to eat carbs! For this meal from Blue Apron, I had to just toast gnocchi and make some sweet peppers, zucchini, cherry tomatoes and then top it all with some grated Romano cheese.

Delicious and this photo earned raves from the Blue Apron team! maybe one day it will get featured on their Instagram page!

Since I spent a significant amount of time back in Nebraska, the Tri-State area required that I complete a 14-day “Traveler’s Quarantine” upon my arrival back to NYC. If you failed to quarantine and DOS found out, I could be fined $10,000!?

So, I hunkered down with some projects to do around the apartment and took advantage of the neighborhood spots that I missed eating at. Luckily, Roberta’s delivers to my apartment!

A nicely chewy crust with mozzarella, mushrooms, red onions and prosciutto - a perfectly delicious combination!

It’s weird, but I still haven’t found an Indian restaurant in NYC that compares to what you can get at The Oven in Lincoln! (Yes, my other Nebraska-raised friends agree!)

While I was disappointed to find out that my favorite dish, the Reshmi Kabob, contained dairy - I made the small sacrifice to have it before I went back to NYC.

These little boneless chicken chunks are marinated in yogurt and a ginger garlic paste before they are cooked in the tandoor oven. They come laid out on a bed of basmati rice and I always get it with a cup of mulligatawny soup & a garlic naan.

A benefit of being home for an extended amount of time in the summer? Getting to hang out with my extended family for a longer period of time. While the pandemic made it harder, I met up with my cousin, Melissa, and her two daughters for an afternoon ice cream.

To my surprise & delight, 402 Creamery actually had quite a variety of vegan flavors! I chose a scoop of the “Chocolate Squared” - chocolate ice cream with chocolate chunks & chocolate syrup and a scoop of the peanut butter chocolate chip cookie dough. Delicious, perfect for a hot summer day and no dairy issues here!

These little frozen Valentino’s pizzas are saving my summer! For when I don’t feel like cooking and a regular meal is too much, you can get these little 6” pizzas at the “To Go” locations. They bake up in the oven just like if you ordered delivery or take out!

I opted for 3 hamburger and 3 of the Valentino’s “Special” - hamburger, honey-cured ham, pepperoni, Italian sausage and mushrooms. I’m almost drooling thinking of that gooey cheese & crisp crust right now. Good thing I still have a few more in the freezer for later!

Not your typical “fruit salad” - no mayonnaise here! For our 4th of July dinner, Jim brought a cookbook from the Slanted Door and whipped up this jicama grapefruit salad.

We grilled up some turkey burgers, hot dogs, veggies and ended with some angel food cake topped with berries & cool whip. While I didn’t spend the holiday watching fireworks on the Hudson, like last year, I got to spend the day with my Dad and my best gays from high school. A solid night, even if the deck and front yard were littered with fireworks remnants for days to come.

Ok, I realize that I don’t frequent Trader Joe’s that often in NYC - but how did I only just discover their ube mochi pancake mix!? Perfectly sweet and chewy (and slightly blue/purple), it was a great way to start the 4th of July.

A few slices of turkey bacon for something red and topped with some mango salsa. (Ok, so not really anything white…but you get the vibe.)

Generally when I’m back home, I like to meet up with a friend for a meal. However, it’s a little hard in the pandemic.

When my friend, Nick, suggested we get a pizza from MoMo Pizzeria & Ristorante (a new restaurant in Lincoln) - I offered to pick it up and meet him.

We decided on the proscuitto & egg pizza - 3 over easy eggs, fresh mozzarella, pepper & sea salt, extra virgin olive oil, proscuitto and fresh arugula. With so many pizza joints in Lincoln, it might be hard to choose a favorite, but I really enjoyed this pie & it didn’t feel as heavy as a Valentino’s slice!

It’s weird being back in Nebraska - where nothing has really been shut down during the pandemic, after coming from NYC where I’d hardly been out and about from my approx. 700 square foot apartment for weeks.

Thankfully, there’s drive-through all over the city. So, I got my fill of cheesy, cheap Mexican goodness from a local favorite chain. When I was a kid, I loved the chips & cheese (just what it sounds like), cheesy burrito (cheese & beans in a flour tortilla) and the crisp meat burrito. I also couldn’t leave out the crispos for dessert (fried tortilla strips coated in cinnamon & sugar).

Did I feel gross after this meal? Most likely. But I didn’t regret it at all.

Since I decided to go back to Nebraska for a bit, it’s nice that Blue Apron can deliver my meals to Lincoln. At least now, I can make 2 servings at once and Dad can eat one - so I don’t have to save it for later.

For this meal, I tried another “Premium” meal - chicken katsu soy mayo with shrimp & veggie udon. The katsu was surprisingly easy to make & coated in panko bread crumbs. It was more the cooking of two proteins that made it a tiny bit more complicated. The udon was complimented with snow peas, bok choy, togarashi, gochujang and white miso.

I could also see this being a great “date night” meal for dining at home. But maybe one person could make the chicken and the other could do the udon?

Who knew that extracting the water out of a block of tofu would be so difficult!? I literally had to press this tofu between a cast iron skillet and a pan. After it was mostly dry, I tossed it in cornstarch and lightly fried it up.

Add a side of rice and sneap peas with some scallions and you’ve got a delicious meal! Maybe next time I can replicate it with already diced tofu? We’ll see.

Yet another recipe from the Perfectly Golden cookbook from Goldenrod Pastries!

This time I tackled the chewy almond cookies. Just egg whites, almond flour and sugar - easy to make (once you get those egg whites whipped) and super satisfying. I even delivered some to my neighbors, since I shouldn’t eat two dozen of these on my own!

When I heard that one of my favorite K-Town bubble tea stores was delivering, I immediately placed an order!

I got a mini jug of jasmine soy milk tea, 6 cans of thai soy milk tea and a container of boba. What a wonderful way to support a local business while the bubble tea place by my apartment is closed.

Grace Street also sent food & drinks to essential healthcare workers - which made making a purchase that much easier.

Yes, I ordered myself a small Birthday Cake from Milk Bar for my birthday! It might have been a lot for two people to eat, but it was perfect for my Zoom happy hour! (Plus, you can’t beat these bright rainbow colors!)

Did any of us think this pandemic would last more than a month or so? Did anyone think a Global Health Crisis would become a political issue? I certainly did not.

So, here we are at the end of May - headed into Memorial Day Weekend and I’m hosting a Zoom birthday happy hour! At least my roommate ordered this tasty pepperoni & mushroom pizza to share with my from Archie’s! There’s something about those little pepperoni cups that I can’t resist!

I finally got my copy of Perfectly Golden, the cookbook by Angela Garbacz of Goldenrod Pastries!

My brother sent me doughnut pans for my birthday and I got the supplies from our local grocery store. So, with some canned pureed pumpkin, flour, cardamom, cinnamon & sugar - these beauties were born!

Oh, wow! This was definitely one of my favorite Blue Apron meals to date. A perfect blend of carbs in the pasta, savory with the proscuitto and crunch from the bread crumbs.

Al dente mafalda pasta with cremini mushrooms, a tomato paste base, proscuitto and brown butter bread crumbs. I definitely had to control myself from eating both portion in one sitting!

Legit, this meal took a long time to make (and about 10 minutes to eat), but I felt a sense of accomplishment once I tackled this “Premium” Blue Apron meal!

A cheesy snap pea & spinach quiche (yes, the crust was premade) with biscuits, fig jam & whipped ricotta with an arugula salad. While I wish the meal had a little less dairy - it was worth the time and multi-step process!

Yes, I made another order with Supermoon Bakehouse for their “Weekend Care Package”…

This one features:

• Banana croissant toast

• Hazelnut Choux bomb

• Apple pie bear claw

• Super pain au chocolate

• Croissant

• XL passion fruit and poppy seed donut

• Apricot honey cardamom and white chocolate Danish

• Cookies and scream scroll

• Macadamia white chocolate caramel cookie

Delicious and beautiful!

Thank goodness that Supermoon Bakehouse is delivering their “Weekend Care Package” to Bushwick! The only struggle is pacing myself, so I don’t eat everything in the span of 1-2 days - but also making sure they won’t go stale!

This box features:

• Oureo

• Apple twice baked croissant

• Cinnamon scroll

• Kouign croissant

• Traditional croissant

• XL chocolate cream strawberry jam doughnut

• Strawberries and cream Danish

• Pain au raisins and pistachios

• Hazelnut bear claw

This may also be the source of all the weight I gain during this time in quarantine…

Ok, I’m pretty proud of this version of Rich’s avocado toast at the Gapeteria! I got some whole wheat bread and lightly toasted it, mashed up some avocados, fried up some eggs and seasoned it with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.

I’m still working on my fried & sunny side up egg skills, but I feel pretty damn good about how these turned out!

I think over the next few weeks (or however long this pandemic lasts), I will get the chance to work on my chef skills! So, after a hefty dinner from Popeye’s last night - here’s a healthier meal from Blue Apron.

Sweet & Spicy salmon with brown rice, roasted green beans, sweet peppers, scallions and peanuts in a ponzu sauce. I’m still a little nervous when I cook seafood - I’m always a little bit worried that it will be undercooked, so I tend to overcook my proteins a little bit. Good thing only I have to deal with my food when it could be burnt!

Well, two weeks into the COVID-19 Global Pandemic and about as many days of trying to work from home (feat. never-ending Zoom daily check-ins, too much LinkedIn Learning and a bit of cabin fever) and I was told that I would be furloughed from my job. Honestly, I felt a little bit relieved - after all, how can someone who manages the office building really do their job from home for long periods of time!?

My treat to myself was to Uber Eats this “Greatest Hits” bundle! A slice of Crack Pie (now known as “Milk Bar Pie”), 3 Birthday Cake Truffles, a Compost Cookie, and a Cereal Milk soft serve with Cornflake Crunch! I added on my favorite cookie - the Cornflake Chocolate Chip Marshmallow and 3 Chocolate Birthday Cake Truffles.

It had been awhile since I had the Cereal Milk soft serve and now I’m craving it again, as I type this…

Well, COVID-19 has made it’s way to NYC and it’s changing the way we can do things in the city. What started as a false alarm at my office has resulted in a bit of city shutdown - no Broadway until this summer!? Lots of working from home!? And the “cancelling” of my roommate, Jordan’s birthday.

At least we were able to walk to Dromedary Tiki Bar to have a Drag Brunch and watch my friend perform while we had a drink and some fried food.

Did I get a Locon Moco crossed with poutine!? Why, yes, I did! A bed of french fries with brown gravy, a hamburger patty and a fried egg. Perfect to absorb all the alcohol I drank before having to go back into the office on Monday (facilities doesn’t really get to work from home).

A new month means a new dumpling for “Dumps of the Month” at Mimi Cheng’s and the March special didn’t disappoint!

A partnership with Jon & Vinny’s brought us a chicken parmesan dumpling - organic chicken with fresh basil, mozzarella, parmesan and melted provolone.

I met up with Whitney and a few co-workers to talk about the COVID-19 scare at our office and what that could mean for all of us in the next few weeks. Sitting and eating with friends near Little Italy, but in an Asian restaurant - the beauty of NYC! (We had no idea what was in store for us in the next few days…)

After a COVID-19 scare at my office on Thursday & a day of working from home - I met up with Whitney to eat at the Shake Shack Innovation Kitchen for the first time. At this location, they have menu items that they are testing and are unique to them.

We both opted for the Korean Chick’n Shack - their usual Chick’n Shack with gochujang sauce & kimchi slaw. I opted for a side of Shackmeister fries - their crinkle cut fries topped with Shack cheese sauce & Shackmeister ale battered fried onions.

I have to say that I’m still working on my spicy food tolerance, but this sandwich was fire and I’d definitely eat it again, if it was on their regular menu!

Full hearts, clear stomach - can’t lose! Also, anytime you mix an Asian influenced meal with breakfast, you can’t lose in my book.

Brandon at the Gapeteria has done it again with this Japanese breakfast bowl! A base of garlic fried rice with furikake, sesame bacon, scallions and topped with poached eggs - I’m still salivating thinking about this one!

While I just had pastrami at Katz’s not too long ago, you can’t beat a good meat and potatoes! Like always, the Gapeteria breakfast specials knock it out of the park!

This diced pastrami topped with fried eggs, potatoes & a chili aioli hit the spot and was well-needed!

A friend of mine kept telling me that I should eat at Humble FIsh & that they had a Loco Moco (one of my favorite Hawaiian treats), so I walked up there on a random lunch break.

Sadly, the Loco Moco was no longer on the menu, so I went with their classic poke bowl. This on included salmon, sweet onion, green onion, seasoned kelp, toasted sesame seeds, shoyu & rice.

Just as I finished taking this photo & taking my first bite, who walked in, but none other than Maggie Gyllenhaal!? In true NY fashion, no one seemed to notice her - but I did. Then, she sat down at the table next to me & ate with her New Yorker magazine in tow.

Of course, I immediately had to text my Manager/friend, Brynn who LOVES Jake Gyllenhaal and didn’t want to go to eat with me. This is definitely something I miss from working in stores - working with celebrities and learning they’re just like us!

Continuing our pattern of carb-heavy dates, our next date meal was brunch at Sweet Chick on the Lower East Side. While we waited for our table, we stopped into Economy Candy for a little sugar rush and then got a great seat at the bar.

I opted for the Sweet Chick version on an Eggs Benedict with shredded chicken, poached eggs, Hollandaise and a pile of home fries.

Wow, for February’s “dumps of the month,” Mimi Cheng’s went all in with these French onion soup dumplings!

Filled with caramelized onions, beef broth, mozzerella & swiss cheese and then topped with garlic bread crumbs these babies were well worth the Lactaid!

Even if they were missing the baked cheese/cheesy crouton top of a French onion soup - the concept and flavor were totally there!

Another date night and this time we didn’t load up on breakfast foods, but all the meats!

I chose a pastrami on rye (no mustard please) and my date got a Reuben with a side of fries. Not pictured - my latkes, which took awhile & we were almost too full to eat them by the time they were ready!

If you haven’t had the pastrami at Katz’s (and assuming you eat meat), it’s a MUST try! I’ve had other pastrami sandwiches and you can’t compare them at all.

As the NY Chapter Chair for our Asian equality & belonging networking group, I planned an outing to the Museum of Chinese in America (MoCA) just before the actual Lunar New Year celebration.

My friend, Jorge, and I wandered through the museum and listened to a lecture on the Chinese Almanac - telling us what was coming in the New Year and the history of the Almanac.

Afterwards, we walked to Mei Li Wah so we could get something to eat and I introduced Jorge to these delicious char siu bao (roasted pork buns)! Yes, they are less than $1 each and always perfectly sweet & salty.

Sadly, after we left, we saw that a nearby building had caught on fire (just above the Chen Dance Center) and we would later find out that quite a bit of the archives for MoCA were damaged and/or lost in this fire.

Please contribute to their recovery efforts, if you can:

https://www.mocanyc.org/moca_archives_fire_recovery

https://charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/mocafirerecovery

Yes, the Gapeteria breakfast specials know the way to my heart and my clogged arteries! This week’s special (along chilaquiles & breakfast biscuit sliders) is a congee bar!

This bowl of congee with a hardboiled egg (I asked for a sunny side up egg), soy glazed bacon, mushrooms, fried garlic, toasted peanuts, sambal, sweet soy and scallion really hit the spot!

But really, you can’t lose with an Asian-inspired breakfast! Will Taiwanese fried dough be next!?

Oh, how I love when Rich at the Gapeteria makes a breakfast special that’s targeted to me!

This bowl of biscuits & gravy with a soft scrambled egg covered in cheddar made me swoon! (I think I may have to get it more than once this week…and it’s only $6.50!)

Well, 2020 is getting off to a great start! During our office Holiday outing, my co-workers took my phone and browsed through my dating apps. One of those matches turned out to be a nice guy from the Midwest (yes, I have a type).

While we met for a drink on our first date, we were lucky to have nice weather for the second week in January and met up at Columbus Circle for date #2. We walked uptown and tried to eat at Jacob’s Pickles - but dang, that brunch line wait is intense!

So, we wound up at Maison Pickle and let me just say, I’m not mad at it. While he got a stack of hot honey chicken on French toast - I went with the “Lumberjack Stack.” I’m not a girl who’s afraid to eat and having someone who grew up surrounded by carbs in the Midwest was helpful. This platter was French toast, breakfast sausage, bacon and sunny side up eggs. We also split a side of hashbrowns covered in cheese. (Oof, I still feel full just writing about this!)

After our heavy breakfast, we also realized that the KC Chiefs game was the next day and suddenly had a lot of time on our hands. We walked around the city (working off our lunch), strolling through Central Park, stopping into Columbus Circle, grabbing a drink at Blue Bottle and saw a movie. All-in-all, a very good NYC date!

After a long day at the office, I desperately needed a catch up with my former “work husband,” Andre. Since he’s pescatarian - he suggested we go back to K-Town for dinner. He was craving pancheon (Korean pancakes) and picked Miss Korea BBQ for our meal.

We ordered quite a lot of food, but started our meal with this plate of tteokbokki (spicy rice cake) and the complimentary banchan (side dishes).

I keep feeling thankful that I was able to travel to Korea a few months ago and that it really helped me to learn more about the cuisine of my homeland. Normally, anything labeled “spicy” would keep me away - but these chewy rice cakes were too tasty for me to ignore!

Ok, first of all, the fact that I didn’t know the importance of Ichiran Ramen and that it was barely a 10 minute train ride from my apartment is sad.

So, when my friend, Ololade said we should meet there for a bowl of perfectly chewy noodles, I was in! I loved that you could sit in a little booth (kiosk?) and write everything down on a piece of paper without a regular waitstaff; it was a unique dining experience.

Then since I’m such a sucker for dessert, I got the matcha pudding - a traditional Japanese style pudding with a green tea base and red bean topping. A great complimentary sweet taste to the savory one of the ramen.

Even thought we aren’t quite sure when Popo was born, Dad decided to throw her a 95th Birthday Celebration this year! While it wasn’t quite a complete Chen Family reunion, we got pretty close.

What better way to get everyone together, than to come to Dad’s giant new house over a bowl of noodles! My aunt Phebee, uncle Paul and cousin Sam spent the evening separating bowls full of rice noodles - so we could customize the spiciness level for each member of the family. (Yes, I also ordered a pizza from Valentino’s for a few of us .)

So, here’s my custom bowl from with a “low” spice level, rice noodles, garlic, scallions, sauce and eggs.

For lunch today, I met up with a small extension of the Chen family to eat at Vung Tau Pho Grill - one of Popo’s favorite restaurants in Lincoln.

Yes, my Vietnamese cuisine knowledge is limited, but oh how I love a bowl of vermicelli noodles with egg rolls! Here’s my bowl of Bun Thit Nuong Cha Gio with grilled slices of pork and egg rolls!

A Midwestern treat - a deep-fried cheese sandwich = cheese frenchie/frenchee. We used to get these as kids at the Kings Drive-Inn, which has since closed. However, if I’m home for a long enough time, I’ll make a trip to Don & Millie’s for a sandwich and one of their amazing baked potatoes!

This time, I brought Dad along, for a little nostalgia and so he could remember what it was like when we got these as kids. (I don’t think he really remembered…but he still enjoyed his onion rings.)

Besides Runza, one of the first places that I stop to get food when I’m home is Goldenrod Pastries! Started by a high school friend of mine, this local bakery whips up some great vegan and gluten free pastries. Although they’re know for their buns (i.e. cinnamon rolls, crumble buns, fluffernutter buns) - these cinnamon sugar doughnuts have the perfect amount of sparkle to them!

After a busy evening of xiao long bao, rice cakes and viewing all the holiday windows along 5th Avenue, my friend, Whitney & I walked back to the train. Just as we were getting to Rockefeller Center, I saw the sign at Van Leeuwen that there were two new vegan ice cream specials for the season. Of course, I’m a sucker for dairy-free ice cream and Whitney humored me.

I got a scoop of the “FAO Schwirl” - oat milk ice cream with black and white cookie pieces, chocolate fudge swirls and a scoop of “Earl Grey Tea & Cookies” - Rishi earl grey tea oat milk ice cream with shortbread cookie pieces & Miyoko’s vegan butter. It truly was this lactose intolerant girl’s dream dessert!

After my annual trip to Refinery29’s 29Rooms, I made my way to the Brooklyn Artists & Flea in Williamsburg. After browsing some of the stalls, I searched for food while contemplating if I needed various vintage finds in the shops. I opted for two Pizza Cupcakes - pepperoni & mushroom. Almost like a garlic knot that was smashed and filled with cheese, sauce and the topping of your choice - they were the perfect savory snack!

I was fortunate enough to be invited to Thanksgiving with my friend’s family in Hastings-On-Hudson, NY. While it’s a 2-hour trip on the MTA & Metro North to her family’s place - it was worth it for a small escape from the city. I brought along some gifts from Taipei & Seoul for her kids - but most importantly, I brought dessert!

While I’ve missed out on the specialty desserts from Supermoon Bakehouse before - I wasn’t going to miss out on their limited edition Thanksgiving pie! A chocolate shortbread crust with pumpkin mousse and then topped in meringue kisses, torched meringe, pumpkin spice caramel, chocolate shards, white chocolate chantilly and chocolate dirt - it was sure to be a sugar rush hit!

This was no basic pumpkin pie!

After I reconnected with an ex via SnapChat (who knew?), we decided that we could be friends. Since he comes into Brooklyn from the city once a month for a game night (yes, we live kinda far apart via MTA), we agreed to meet up afterwards to catch up and get the pizza from Emmy Squared that I’d been raving to him about. Ironically, our first date in 2017 took place at Chef’s Club Counter - where we split pizza and a burger.

Now, here we were more than 2 years later, splitting a pizza again! Emmy Squared in Brooklyn (along with all of the Pizza Loves Emily locations) does the best “Detroit Style” pizza that I can find in the city. We ordered the “Colony Squared” - Ezzo pepperoni, pickled jalapenos (which I picked off) and honey. The restaurant wasn’t crowded, but the pizza took awhile and our waiter treated us to an order of fried cheese curds - also amusing, since this friend has also recommended cheese curds to me recently, but based on their “squeakiness” when you chewed them. It was hard to tell if they were squeaky once they were fried, but they were still delicious!

I am very fortunate to be a part of Gap Inc.’s Equality & Belonging Networking Groups (EBNG) as the NY Chapter Chair for Asians Supporting Inclusion & Awareness (ASIA). Due to this leadership role, I was invited to a networking breakfast with the other NY Chapter Chairs & the EBNG Team - who were in the city from San Francisco. It was great to see everyone in one place and to get to know some of the familiar faces from around the office a little more.

I’d walked by Little Park so many times on my way to Starbucks before heading into the office daily, but this was my first time eating there - and on the Company’s dime! I chose wisely - the brioche French toast with spiced pumpkin and cranberry jam. While I might have had egg-envy from some of the other dishes - this hit the spot for the best way to start the day!

Yet another catch-up date with a friend led me to Russ & Daughters Cafe on the Lower East Side. My first non-brunch visit to the Cafe with my basically vegetarian-salmon loving friend, I knew this would be the best spot. While you can’t keep me away from the “Lower Sunny Side” - sunny side eggs, Gaspe Nova smoked salmon and latkes - I also love their desserts.

This warm honey cake topped with caramelized apple ice cream really hit the spot! And it turned out a Monday night was a great time to be at Russ & Daughters to avoid the 2+ hour wait brunch crowd, too!

Yes, I FINALLY got my hands on a chicken sandwich from Popeye’s! On my way back into Brooklyn from a birthday party in the city, my M train stop being just a few blocks from the nearest Popeye’s - it was an easy decision.

I went with the original or mild sandwich for my first outing (maybe I’ll get the spicy another time?). It’s definitely the crunchy coating that make’s the Popeye’s sandwich - crunchier than Chick-Fil-A (where I will NEVER eat again) and juicier than the old McDonald’s Southern Chicken Sandwich; it’s a winner in my book! I’m not a big sauce or pickle fan, but I left this one unaltered for the best tasting experience and I wasn’t disappointed.

A long-overdue catch-up with my BFF, Jeffrey took us to Little Italy for fresh pasta! No matter how much time passes, any time I get together with Jeffrey we can chat like we just saw each other a few days ago. (Yes, casual observers have said they “enjoyed listening to our conversations” when we were young & single…the topics have now changed, but the energy and friendship have not.)

For our meal, we split some giant meatballs and cheesy breadsticks. For my meal, I went with the squid ink linguine and chicken bolognese. I’ve only had squid ink pasta a few times in my life, but this definitely compared to the fancy pasta at Maialino I had for my birthday a few years ago (and it was much cheaper). Plus, this was my second go at Aunt Jake’s - and a much better experience than my Father’s Day date with Dad, where he told me he never should have married my Mom…ugh.

After a flight back from Seoul on the 5th and a wedding in Brooklyn on the 9th, I was having a hard time remembering what day and time it was. However, I had a ticket to see Gideon Glick & Christian Borle in Little Shop of Horrors at the Westside Theatre at 3pm - so it was an easy decision to meet up with my friend, Jacob, for brunch in Hell’s Kitchen.

We met up at Marsielle and I brought him some treats from Taipei. We caught up on life over a delicious brunch featuring this cheesy egg fritatta for me with some fries & for him. I got to fill him in on my trip, but we also spied on the older women next to us who were talking about all their dating trials and tribulations. Glad to know I’m not the only one with issues finding a decent straight man!

About halfway through our brunch, I heard some water - thinking it was just rain, but looking outside and seeing the sun, we were confused. That was, until we looked at the entrance! Between the double doors, water was pouring out! Somehow the sprinkler system had gone off (only inside the doorway) and water was seeping into the restaurant. Fortunately, we were seated far enough back towards the bar that our meal wasn’t interrupted - but there were lots of angry old people making a stink up about their meals being ruined! (#WhitePrivilege)

Dad and I parted ways at the Incheon International Airport, since our flights were a few hours apart he couldn’t check-in with me. While he settled into the waiting area, I checked in my bags and went through security. While I was on WiFi, we could still text and I let him know of a food court I found in the International terminal. There were two sides to the food court: one side with more Western fare and one side with more Eastern fare. I opted for the Eastern side and ordered a set of cold buckwheat noodles with eggs, a side of bulgogi and some banchan. I wish that I’d found this dish before I was leaving!

The slightly salty, cold broth was the perfect compliment to the buckwheat noodles and the sliced egg. While the bulgogi was a little salty, it was still delicious!

What’s better than carbs on carbs!? This fried yakisoba in a bun, I say! With the help of the lovely concierge at the Ryse Hotel - Dad & I took a cab to the Aoitori Bakery for their famous yakisoba buns! Served at room temperature - this reminded me a little of a spaghetti sandwich. There were cut up hot dogs and veggies inside, too.

I also grabbed a matcha green tea cookie for the road, since after our snack, it was time to head to the airport and make the long trip back to the States!

A better photo of my last stop to Egg Drop in Hongdae! This time, no cheese…just egg, bacon and garlic! Definitely comparable to Eggslut in Los Angeles and I can’t wait until NYC comes up with some sort of comparable fast food equivalent to these two!

After my morning filled with pastries, it was time to find something savory. While Dad & I walked through the “world food market” that was the main street in Itaewon - we found mostly restaurants with various cuisine, not quite the street fair he was looking for.

However, I was getting hangry - so I made a stop in the local McDonald’s for some Korean exclusive fare. How would the Egg Bulgogi Burger compare to MOS Burger’s version of a “loco moco?” It had that McDonald’s bun that we’re all so familiar with, a richer beef patty, a fried egg (standard on American McDonald’s breakfast sandwiches) and bulgogi sauce. With an ice cold Coke and fries; it was the perfect way to satisfy my stomach.

When Michelle & Ryn met yesterday, they immediately found common ground from living near Seattle and food they’d discovered in Seoul. As soon as they both reacted with glee to the mere mention of Old Ferry Donuts; I knew I had to go there! Fortunately, Itaewon was on my list to see with Dad on Monday - our last full-day in Seoul.

While it took a bit to find the actual location, it was worth the walk! While there were several flavors I would have tried, I chose the apple cinnamon donut that was filled with apple preserves. Yum yum! They also had some super cute sweatshirts, but at $80, I wasn’t sure if I needed one and now, I keep thinking about it…

After making Dad walk more than 2 miles up to N Seoul Tower, we finally met up with my friend, Michelle, Ryn & her boyfriend. After taking the ride to the top of the tower, taking some photos and souvenirs, it was time to head down and find some lunch. We went to Myeongdong to explore and Michelle & Ryn hit it off and suggested galbi. So, off we went to first try and find a pharmacy for Lactaid for me and then to lunch!

We got two dishes a sweet soy chicken galbi and this spicy galbi with tteok, purple potato tteok and onions with a melted cheese ring! Sadly, I had to skip the cheese ring; but damn, did it look delicious!

Yes, Koreans love their fried chicken! When meeting up with friends for dinner, yes - Dad came along, we did the equivalent of a “soju bomb” and had some traditional spicy and regular Korean fried chicken. We also ordered this “trendy” new chicken dish - boneless fried chicken tenders topped with shredded scallions. While I was skeptical at first, they were quite delicious and I wish that I could have another plate right now!

After exploring the Dongdaemun Design Plaza, Ryn, Dad & I went to a market full of various clothing & fabric stores. While wandering around, we started to get hungry and found a small spot to sit and order some soup & noodles. I got this plate of “jia jiang mein” // black bean noodles, which were very tasty! Topped with cucumbers, yellow peppers and sesame seeds; it really hit the spot.

My favorite discovery in Korean street food - this egg bread! A crispy little egg on top of a piece of brioche-like bread - pointed out to me by my friend, Ryn. They were also 2 for the equivalent of $3 and dairy free! A combination of two of my favorite things; I’m in LOVE!

Eating without any Lactaid presented a challenge in Korea - so I was excited to get try out The Bread Blue; a vegan bakery in Seoul. The bakery was barely one train station away, so I hoped that the small map I’d saved on my phone would get me there and back to the hotel. It took a little while to walk, but it was worth it. While I wanted to get everything, I chose this potato & olive pastry with an iced soy matcha.

I did take a few treats to go, but didn’t take any photos before I ate them.

After a few days in Seoul, I wanted to expand Dad’s idea of Korean cuisine - so I set out to find a place where I could get tteokboki (spicy Korean rice cakes). I saw an advertisement outside this restaurant (sadly, my Korean skills are still a work in progress) and we ordered the pork cutlet tteokbokki. This dish included the classic spicy red sauce, tteokbokki, a breaded & fried pork cutlet, two hard boiled eggs, cabbage, ramen, tofu, mandu (dumplings) and veggies.

Of course, ever the seafood lover - Dad also got a fried squid (or he says “squit”) as a snack/dessert.

After watching the Changing of the Guards at Deoksugung, Dad wanted a snack and Jim wanted coffee, so we were lucky when there was a Dunkin Donuts right across the street from the Palace. While I just stuck with a glazed donut, I was intrigued by this “Nutella Choco New York Pie” - which looked so decadent, but probably full of dairy!

Yes, I was also tempted by the cheesy goodness below…but that lack of Lactaid was really getting to me. Oops.

Unknowingly, our hotel was near a popular college area, so there were plenty of places to eat & shop. A friend of Jim’s mentioned that our hotel was right next to a great Korean BBQ restaurant, which made our choice for lunch on day 2 very easy.

While we did get banchan and BBQ, I also wanted to get a local bibimbap to compare to some of the Korean food I’ve had in the States. Now, while I can’t say it’s better than the sukiyaki bibimbap from Gyu-Kaku; it was pretty delicious! But then again, I’ve never been one to really dislike a big bowl of rice with an egg!

For lunch on our second full-day in Seoul, we ventured to see some the traditional Korean houses and palaces. After wandering around for a few hours, I knew I wanted to go to Jongnu-gu to Gaeseong Mandu Koong - a dumpling spot that received a review in the Michelin Guide.

Yes, the wait was about an hour - but totally worth it. I knew I wanted the mandu & rice cake soup - but we also sampled some of their mandu (dumplings), 5 types of Korean pancakes and some banchan. We left with full bellies and well-rested feet onto the next adventure.

When I was preparing for my trip to Seoul, I watched a few YouTube videos about places to eat in Korea. A friend introduced me to the Korean Englishman and in one episode they went to Egg Drop in Gangnam for these over the top egg sandwiches. Well, wouldn’t you know, there was another location, just a few blocks from my hotel in Hongdae!? While trying to find something to eat, I walked around the shopping area and stumbled upon a CoCo Bubble Tea (not related to CoCo Curry House in Taipei, to the best of my knowledge). But next door, was Egg Drop!

Thank goodness they had a touch screen menu where I could order without struggling through my minimal Korean and I was able to semi-customize my sandwich. I got the garlic Egg Drop sandwich, one of their newest menu items and then waited for them to call my number. I snapped this photo and then went back to the hotel to eat.

After a long morning of walking & sightseeing, I let Dad take a nap at the Starfield Library before we wandered to CJ Foodworld in the basement of the shopping center. In the mood for a sweet treat, I found these pieces of fruit covered in a layer of chocolate and then mochi!

Surprisingly inexpensive and fresh, the strawberry was just what I needed to hit the snacking spot!

I wish that I had paid more attention to where we ate for our first proper Korean meal, but by the time we were hungry (I was approaching hangry) - I had two people who aren’t the best at making decisions. Somehow, we found a restaurant that served traditional Korean food - but most of it was a set menu. While it may look like we had so much to eat, it was really the “banchan” or Korean side dished that took up the most of the table.

We had some tasty soups, kimchi, dried fish and so many things where we were basically like “what is this?” “Try it.”

After my first trip to MOS Burger with Dad, I knew I had to go back and try the rice patty instead of a bun, burger! I got the egg & burger and get this: it comes with a SIDE of chicken nuggets instead of fries!? My inner child was thoroughly pleased, as we went to McDonald’s for Happy Meals every Sunday afternoon for as far as I can remember.

While they weren’t quite the same as a McNugget, they were tasty and the burger was so-so. I think I’d repeat the “Loco Moco” like burger I had on my first visit if I went back.

While Jim was showing me around Tamsui, we found plenty of snacks and bubble tea! I was ready to have my first Taiwanese bubble tea (little did I know, this would be one of the last Lactaid pills I had). So, soy milk-based bubble tea isn’t a thing in Taiwan; but who knew!? You’d think that with so many Asian people being lactose intolerant that it would be more common place…but no.

Oh well. I figured then that I’d be safe with these adorable little egg custard tarts: 2 original, 2 matcha and 2 chocolate. They were tasty! But oh, did they have DAIRY in them. That lactose snuck up on me and I ended up getting sick at dinner with Dad’s business partners. I think they were a little worried, if not amused - Jim kept saying I was being rude, but I had to keep throwing up!? How could I control my “rudeness” at that point?

After almost 20 years of friendship, Jim knows me well! So, we met up for a traditional Taiwanese breakfast full of fried things and eggs! While the location he hoped to take us to was under a remodel, there was Yonghe nearby and a short wait. While I ogled the fried goods and Jim translated for me, I rattled off everything I wanted: chive pancake, omelette, fried dough, soy milk, etc. While we ordered enough food for more than 3 people, we were able to devour it all and still have room for a dessert later!

Now, I may not remember where the night market was that I got these boba treats, but WOW! I think the lady knew she had a sucker, when my eyes grew wide at the sight of milk bubble tea snacks! The best were the chewy boba covered in an almost yogurt-covered coating, but it was milk tea flavored. The pineapple cakes with the mini boba wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t the best texture. As for the boba chocolate, that may still be uneaten & being savored for later.

When in proximity of a Din Tai Fung (DTF), why wouldn’t you go and get xiao long bao!? Well, I guess Dad (who had already been in Taiwan for a big) had already gone to DTF and wasn’t interested in going back. Well, once I convinced him that getting XLB again wasn’t a dumb idea, he was in for the ride. In a weird coincidence, we ended up at exactly the same table he had eaten at a few days before.

While I have XLB in NYC, the dumplings at Joe’s Shanghai can’t compare to Din Tai Fung! Something about how thin the dumpling wrappers are and how delicate the dumplings are, makes it MUCH easier to eat several of them in quick succession!

Day 1 in Taipei and I was ready to start sightseeing and meet up with Jim! We met up at the Taipei 101 Building and walked around for a bit, before meeting up with one of his friends from when he lived in Taipei before. While Dad wasn’t enthusiastic about Japanese curry (he left us to have sushi at a restaurant across the way), I was happy to see this little fried pork cutlet with an egg in delicious curry sauce!

Although it was a little bit heavy, we did enough walking in the next few hours for it not to matter much.

Yes, I was tired by the time I finally made it to the Songshan District in Taipei and to my hotel room. However, I still needed a snack and to stay up for just a bit longer. Luckily, Dad found a night market nearby; little did either of us know that it was one of the best in the city!

While I didn’t want to go hog wild during my first night in Taiwan, I found an old friend - scallion pancake! But in this case, fried dough with scallions (which they forgot to put in) - so just fried dough. Whomp. But it satisfied my jet lagged belly!

After approximately 14+ hours of flying, it was hard to tell what time it was and what meal I was hungry for. As I wandered through the Hong Kong International Airport, waiting for my connecting flight to Taipei, I spotted a familiar brown bear face. Was that an advertisement for a LINE Friends Cafe!? Yes, yes it was. Called Bite&Bite, it had just opened in the airport and with several hours to kill, I wandered to another terminal to have a bite with Brown & Friends!

So, here’s the crispy chicken sandwich with sour pickles and some fries. The bun stamped with Brown’s face was almost too cute to eat, but I was also too hungry to care after taking this photo.

It’s always a good time catching up with my friends, Caitlin & Emily. For brunch today, they suggested we meet at a new place, Porcelain, in Ridgewood, Queens. I’ve never been a person to resist a good egg dish, so it was easy choosing the baked eggs dish. Two sunny side up eggs in a mini-skillet with applewood smoked bacon, a mixed greens salad and sourdough. I also ordered an iced soy matcha latte for some caffeine & sweetness.

The October 2019 Mimi Cheng’s “Dump of the Month” special featured pork & beef meatball, burrata, parmesan and fresh basil in a housemade marinara sauce. The crispy bottoms on the dumplings added a nice bit of texture with these savory dumplings. I’d have to say that these rank up there with some of my favorites - but not quite beating the Emmy Burger or Thanksgiving ones!

One of my favorite things to get for dim sum is a beef rice roll, so when Joe’s Steamed Rice Rolls started opening up in the city (yes, they only sell rice rolls), I was thrilled! While I most often go to the one in Chinatown’s Canal Street Market, if I’m in the East Village - I go to this newest location on St. Mark’s Place!

I added an egg to my beef rice roll with corn and scallions and drenched it in soy sauce, before heading to a show for a Saturday matinee.

The only thing that competes with my love of musical theatre might be my love of a good burger & a good grilled cheese! So, when I was headed to a show at MCC Theater and walked by a Melt Shop, I knew I had to swing by for dinner & get a patty melt with their “shop tots!” Yes, lots of cheese before a show could be a risk, but also so delicious! You can’t beat that golden toasted sandwich and the tater tots dusted with parmesan cheese!

I wrapped up my visit to EeeeeatsCon with some matcha and taro soft serve from Besfren with a beautiful flower! I definitely got the true value of my Lactaid pills today! See you next year, EeeeeatsCon!

Hmm…what is a “Vietnamese Pizza,” you ask? I didn’t know either - but it was delicious! This “banh trang nuong” rice paper crusted pizza from Di An Di was delicious! Topped with scrambled egg, scallions, hot dog slices, shrimp floss and Laughing Cow cheese, it was my last savory treat before dessert!

I also added Di An Di to my Yelp! list of restaurants to visit for their full menu.

Yes, Postmates sponsored a free doughnut shop when you ordered through their app! I got this maple bacon doughnut, but saved it to eat later. While it wasn’t as good as if it would have been fresh, it certainly held it’s own against some of my favorite doughnuts in NYC!

If my stomach would have allowed me to get two of these Uncle Boon’s x Shake Shack burgers, then I would have done it! The Shake Shack collaboration every EeeatsCon is always something I look forward to and this year was no exception!

Uncle Boon’s - a Thai restaurant in Soho was this year’s partner. That Shackburger patty from Pat LaFrieda with a fried egg, sweet chili peppers and Thai basil was a match made in gastronomy heaven.

Back to Forest Hills Stadium in Queens, NY for the second annual EeeeeatsCon! My first stop, Daily Provisions, for their Everything Croissant breakfast sandwich and S’mores doughnut! My friend, Jacob and I got there just after it opened, but I knew this would be my first stop before the Uncle Boon’s x Shake Shack collaboration burger.

I’ve only had the Everything Croissant from Daily Provisions once or twice; since they sell out so quickly - so I knew this breakfast sandwich would be rich and delicious! The doughnut was a nice addition, since I always want to balance sweet & savory.

A little break from work for some dumplings at Mimi Cheng’s and drinks at Cha Cha Matcha! And now Cha Cha Matcha is canned to go! I got a matcha green tea (dairy-free, please) for the walk back to the office and for an afternoon pick me up.

I was lucky enough to get to attend the bridal shower brunch for my fellow Nebraskan/New Yorker friend, Bria! Her bestie, Marcos, helped arrange the brunch at The Wilson and I got to meet and chat with some of her other friends (yes, fellow Nebraskans were included) before the wedding in November.

I’m actually drooling a little thinking back about this brioche French toast with golden raisins and a nice side of bacon, for that sweet & savory combo!

After a long day in Hastings-On-Hudson, I stopped by the Doughnut Plant kiosk in Grand Central Station for some treats on the way home. I will always be a cake doughnut over a yeast doughnut girl, so I got three: a black & white, a coffee cake and a mini matcha! The perfect treat for the next few days and for the MTA ride home.

Yes, that’s FRIED COOKIE DOUGH on a stick! While there were many options for treats at the Nebraska State Fair, I had to try some new things and after that bucket of potato chips, something sweet seemed like just the trick! Now, I’ve had a fried Oreo and Twinkie before - but I’d never had fried cookie dough! Yes, it was super rich and very melty in the hot sun, but it definitely satisfied my sweet tooth.

A last minute decision to go home for Labor Day Weekend, also meant a spur of the moment trip to Grand Island for the Nebraska State Fair! And if you know me at all, then you know I LOVE potatoes: mashed, fried, roasted, etc. So, I was immediately intrigued by this tub of twisted potato chips with cheese sauce. Surprisingly light, I knew I still had room to eat more. The only challenge, I threw my back out when trying to put on my shoes and then tweaked it again, when I bent down to pick up my niece. So, that car ride to/from the State Fair was mostly lying down and made walking around the Fair a little challenging, but it was still worth it!

As part of a weird art installation/experience room - a KITH Treats was also setup at Hudson Yards. I spent the late afternoon of a Summer Friday wandering around Hudson Yards and opted for a dairy-free treat while staring into a giant claw machine of knitted octopus toys. I customized my treat with “The Bam-Bam” - non-dairy vanilla soft serve with Rice Krispy Treats, Cookie Crisp, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Kit-Kat, crushed Oreo’s and marshmallows with a coconut milk base. It was a sugar rush for sure!!!

While I still have yet to eat at Kawi (one of the newest outposts of the Momofuku brand), I finally was able to swing into Peach Mart at Hudson Yards and grab some snacks.

People are talking the crustless white bread sandwiches, typically found in 7-Eleven’s in Korea - but I went in for the sweets. I picked up a few candies and most importantly, this peanut butter hoisin cookie!

On this late summer day, I convinced the team to go to Seamore’s for our team lunch. With a handful of picky eaters, sometimes it’s hard to find a place where we can all find something to eat - but this was a no brainer.

I got the blackened salmon tacos on flour tortillas with avocado puree, grilled pineapple and pickled cabbage.

Each week, I get a hour-long lunch/touch-base with my Manager. We get out of the office, take a walk and something to eat while trouble shooting any myriad of issues at the office. Generally, I try to get her to try new things to eat - so I was happy to take her to Canal Street Market to get her first steamed rice roll!

I opted for the beef rice roll with scrambled eggs, scallions, corn and smothered it all in soy sauce. And how could I pass up an opportunity for “Grade A balls” at Boba Guys!? Their boba is unlike anything else you can get in the city: slightly sweet and perfectly chewy.

It’s the sandwich that’s “The King of New York!” Well, at least according to Newsies; but honestly you can’t beat the pastrami from Katz’s Delicatessen. Even if you only know them from When Harry Met Sally (where Meg Ryan has what every woman wants to be having) - Katz’s makes some of the best deli meat sandwiches in the city.

When I can’t get to the Lower East Side - where the flagship restaurant is located; I take a bus 45 mins. South into Downtown Brooklyn and go to the Taste of Katz’s counter at DeKalb Market. The best part is that you can actually order a half-sandwich here (as they are pretty large) and then grab some latkes to go!

What happens when your “work husband” gets a new job? Well, you’re forced to meet up/catch-up over dinner - somewhere between your two offices. For this meetup, Andre & I got dinner at BCD Tofu House in K-Town.

On my way to go see Broadway Bounty Hunter in the West Village, I stumbled upon Clay Pot. Even though it was late summer, I was intrigued by the smell and concept of making my own clay pot meal. I chose the 2-protein bowl with grilled salmon & Chinese sausage. The bowl also came with broccoli, scallions, corn and rice.

I’d definitely come back to Clay Pot, but maybe with a friend or two, so we could try all the other delicious looking appetizers!

On my first trip to Madison, WI to meet my niece & visit my brother & sister-in-law; I wanted to see the modern art museum. As my brother isn’t much of a museum person, I went with Melanie to Taiwan Little Eats before our trip to the museum. There were so many delicious looking things at the restaurant, but I finally settled on a “thousand year egg” with tofu, shredded pork, bonito flakes & scallions with a side of Taiwanese “thick toast” with garlic. Actually, looking back on this - my mouth is watering right now.

Post-savory dumpling at Mao Bao, I needed something sweet and Bona Bona had a dairy-free coconut sorbet that was calling my name!

They also were toasting marshmallow creme, so of course, I added that to my cone!

I finally convinced someone to go to Smorgasburg - World Trade Center with me on a lunch break! Since the WTC is just a few blocks from my office and June 21st is the first day of Summer, it seemed like an appropriate time to visit.

My first stop was to Mao Bao for these rainbow colored dumplings! I got the 4-pack, so I could try 1 chicken, 1 pork, 1 lamb and 1 beef dumpling. They were nicely steamed and rich with flavor.

The next stop? Something sweet.

Before heading to see the Sweet Charity concert at Transport Group, I wandered to Lucky Pickle Dumpling at my friend’s recommendation. I got an order of the chicken & cabbage dumplings with a side of street noodles with crispy garlic.

I wanted to try out more flavors & their desserts, but without someone to share with, it means I’ll have to go back soon!

I’d been hearing about Milk & Cream Cereal Bar for awhile, but had yet to make the trip to Nolita to try it out. So, after getting the June “Dumps of the Month” at Mimi Cheng’s, Whitney & I walked over for this treat.

Vanilla soft serve with a blueberry blondie mixed in, then topped with honey Teddy Graham cookies, rainbow heart sprinkles & vanilla “rainbow bark” it was more than my sweet-tooth, Care Bear loving heart could take!

I was only slightly disappointed, since I missed meeting a Care Bear in person, but you couldn’t deny my excitement when walking into the store and seeing all the Care Bear themed decorations (I immediately made one of the posters my phone wallpaper).

This year, my birthday fell on a Friday, so I took the day off - which meant an early b-day celebration at the office!. I came back from my lunch break and a meeting to find a rainbow pinata balloon & this pack of rainbow cupcakes from Sprinkles at my desk!

My tiny Cheer Bear plush (given to me by a co-worker as a Christmas present) was the perfect addition for this photo. Although tart/sour items aren’t my favorite taste; these strawberry lemonade cupcakes were pretty delicious!

As a part of our Equality & Belonging Networking Groups at work, we were able to setup an outing to the monthly performance of Hack City Comedy at Canal Street Market!

Of course, what’s a social event without food, so we all met up before the show at Canal Street Market for some Joe’s Steam Rice Rolls and Boba Guys! Yes, they may only make a few items, but you can customize your rice rolls with a variety of proteins and toppings.

I opted for beef and egg and it was everything I wanted and more!

One of the things that annoys me about group dining (beside splitting a bill when I don’t drink), is when people order food for the table, but don’t ask about those of us with food sensitivities. And so, a group dinner at a Greek restaurant left me very hangry!

Thankfully, another coworker suggested we go to the Asian restaurant across the way and have another drink and some appetizers. When he let me do the ordering; we ended up with a lot of great options: steamed pork buns, fried rice with egg & scallions, shrimp & bacon momo, scallion pancakes and some to-die-for Korean dumplings!

Dad ended his visit to NYC with a morning flight on a Monday, so I luckily was able to just go into work a little late vs. taking the whole day off. Since he loves eggs so much, I took him to Egg Shop in Williamsburg.

You can’t beat their poached eggs Benedict on brioche toast with hollandaise, kale and roasted tomatoes! But like the carb-loving girl I am, I also got a side of hashbrowns.

For day 2 of Dad’s visit, we were up early to head into Flushing or as Dad likes to call it “New Chinatown,” because it’s “new” to him. Our first mission, to find him new shoes at Nordstrom Rack; as size 6.5 Men’s shoes aren’t the easiest things to find. We successfully found him a pair of New Balance sneakers; so “normcore” and very Midwest.

From there, we did a little more shopping and snacking before settling in on lunch at Shun Won. Dad’s eyes were much bigger than his stomach as he ordered a giant bowl of congee, roasted duck and noodles.

Meanwhile, I was happy with a very Chinese staple of fried dough in rice noodles! I love a good beef rice roll, but there was something very “street market” about these pieces of fried dough wrapped in the sticky, chewy noodles and drizzled with sweet soy sauce. Actually, I could go for some of these right now…

My Dad was in town for the weekend, so we naturally ended up in Chinatown for lunch and dessert. After indulging in some Xiao Long Bao at Joe’s Shanghai, I was in the mood for something sweet.

So, it was off to Alimama for one of the mochi doughnuts and their newest creation, a milk tea cream puff with boba!

While the doughnut was dense and delicious; topped with rice krispies and matcha powder; the boba milk tea cream puff was the star! A slightly sweet pastry shell filled with milk tea flavored cream and boba balls!

Next time I’ll just skip the mochi doughnut! The cream puff was definitely worth all the Lactaid!

Taiyaki in Chinatown & Williamsburg are finally serving up Japanese souffle pancakes! Limited to 12pm-2pm on weekends, I knew that after Whitney & I had our annual Easter dim sum brunch, it was time to line up and get an order.

Available in regular or matcha, they are cooked to order and in small batches. Two pancakes come with each order and they make around 6-8 at a time. So, even though the line was short, there were definitely some people who ordered a bunch…thus, the waiting began.

After about 30-45 minutes, my order was called! The pancakes tasted a little like Korean sponge cake; slightly sweet and light in density. I chose the matcha, so they were covered in matcha cream, a mini Taiyaki red bean fish and whipped cream.

Was I glad that I got them? Yes. Would I wait in line to have them again? Debatable.

Shockingly, I have yet to make it to Supermoon Bakehouse for their Instagram-worthy pastries! Every time I have tried to go, there’s been a giant line or they’ve been sold out!

So, when my co-worker suggested we stop into Cha Cha Matcha on our break and I saw these Matcha croissants; I knew they looked familiar!

While the little matcha chocolate on top melted, the actual croissant was nice and flaky with a smooth matcha cream on the inside. Now, if I can just get to Supermoon to try some of their other creations!

When I finally got the chance to see the updated version of Oklahoma! at the Circle in the Square Theatre, little did I know that I would get a snack at intermission.

During Act 1, Aunt Eller is making cornbread with Laurey; unsure if this mix is then baked off-stage and then served at intermission, and all of the “on stage” tables hold crock pots full of chili!

An announcer comes on at the start of intermission to invite the audience to come on stage and enjoy the chili & cornbread; “Get it while it’s hot!” and the staff of the show hustle to bring the pots of chili to the serving line.

Not that all shows should or could do this, but it was a nice surprise during the break and was pretty tasty!

On the first nice day of Spring and between Broadway Cares collections, I met up with Jasmine in Williamsburg for some ice cream. While there are many ice cream shops within walking distance of the waterfront, I suggested Van Leeuwen, so I could choose between a variety of dairy-free, vegan flavors.

Even though the line ran the length of the counter, not once, but twice, we stuck it out and caught up on life. When it was finally our turn to order, they had just ran out of vegan whipped cream (boo!), but I was still able to try two new flavors: cookie crumble strawberry jam and toasted coconut blondie.

Then we took our ice cream and sat by the water, watching the NYC Ferry dock and tourist pour into Williamsburg for an hour or so. It’s seriously like “mini Soho” here now!

“Is butter a carb?”

Sometimes I forget that there’s a Schnipper’s so close to the office! So, when Danny suggested that’s where we should go for his weekly TB, I had to think fast and decide what to get.

I got a classic hot dog with caramelized onions and since I’m a glutton for punishment, a nice side of cheesy french fries. The “Happy Fries Day” cup was a nice bonus.

When our SF co-worker was in town, he took the whole team out for lunch. Trying to satisfy everyone’s varied tastes is always challenging, but I lucked out when I suggested Seamore’s and everyone went with it.

Some items were shared, but I chose what’s technically an appetizer as my main entree, the tuna poke. Blue corn tortilla chips with tuna, avocado, peanuts and ponzu sauce, the perfect refreshing treat.

No meal for me is complete without dessert! So, when I saw this ice cream dish on the menu, I knew I had to save room for it.

Two scoops of black sesame ice cream on a bed of green tea biscuit crumbs and topped with freeze dried strawberries. Visually stunning and equally delicious! Jim and I definitely joined the clean plate club with this one!