Tastefully Overcaramelized

Ann says

Oh my goodness Dudes and Ladies!  We had a really good time in New York.  You see, I didn’t really like New York AT ALL the first couple of times we visited for various reasons. Mainly it’s that you can’t seen the sky, from up high it looks brown, and people are mean there.  Then the next time we ate in Chinatown and went to the MET, which rocked.  So better, but still dirty and mean.  So this time it was still dirty and mean, but tastier and more fun and I got to make a new friend so SCORE!

The rundown:

Friday Evening:

Dinner at Tulcingo Del Valle (tongue taco and deliciousness). Abe says: Going to this place was kind of how I imagine it’s like for travel-show guys like Andrew Zimmern who go all over the world harassing locals. Walking into this restaurant we were greeted with enough blank stares from other customers we turned around and checked in next door to make sure we weren’t Doing it Wrong.

A trip to McSorley’s (didn’t allow women in until like 1970 by COURT ORDER).

Saturday:

Breakfast at the New York STUMPTOWN HOLLA with delicious rolls and Americano (Seattle is blessed with truly gifted baristas and New York should borrow some). Abe says: Ann hadn’t slept that well the night before, so you can tell she is extra pleased to have her hippy coffee.

Natural History Museum: I am terrified of GIANT WHALES, love GIANT SLOTHS, and had no idea there were mummified dinosaurs out there.

Le Bernardin:  In the grand tradition of getting drunk at ridiculous restaurants Abe pulled through for the team like a champ.  The food was amazing and the service was crazy town. Abe says: We’ll give the full rundown in our next post.

Drinks at our hotel, the Paramount, with Abe’s childhood friend and business partner, Mike and his girlfriend Kristin.  The service there sucked and my gin tonic was mostly tonic.   But boy howdy Mike is a funny dude and Kristin is an awesome lady.

Sunday:

Breakfast at Balthazar, an amazing little bakery and cafe in lower Manhattan that is packed with reservations for brunch on a Sunday morning, plus we had other plans, so we got pastries and coffee instead and window shopped.  I found a hanging lamp that I really like!

Abe says: About a block away we ran into a dumpling truck. I think dumpling truck bears repeating because in my mind this evokes mobility of a devastating strategic arsenal…of dough and pork. (He survived mustard gas and pepper spray; he’s now a seasoned veteran…) Ahem. The food is tasty so kudos to Anita Lo for that.

Lunch at Mile End, the sustainable-pasture-fed-house-smoked-meat-house-cured-salmon restaurant in Brooklyn that totally blew my mind about what Jewish sandwiches should taste like.  Damn that shit was good.  Also a very good, very savory, borscht.

MOMA:  Naked people as ART.  It was funny and beautiful and uncomfortable.  Also some amazing photography and mid-century stuff.  Good times.

Avenue Q in the evening!  Hilarious.  The internet totally IS for porn, my life kinda sucks too, everyone is definitely a little bit racist, and I wish I could go back to college so much that I actually applied.  That is a soundtrack I would like to buy soon.

Dinner with the lovely Mike and Kristin near our hotel; totally decent food, two glasses of wine, and some again fantastic company. Mike hailed a cab and I didn’t even notice, but I hear it was a sight to behold in that it was so subtle I didn’t even realize what was going on until they were getting in.  daaaaaaamn.

Monday morning:

Soup Dumpling! Ho man I heard about it from my good friend Kana who has had it in New York. We mentioned it to Mike and Kristin and they informed us that Joe Shanghai was required.  So we went there right when they opened.  It was totally empty but the second people that came in were two Chinese girls not speaking English, so that seemed promising.  We got pork soup dumpling and CRAB PLUS PORK soup dumpling and then I ALMOST DIED because it was so good. Really now, kids.  Fear for your LIVES.
The Cathedral of Saint John the Divine was amazing.  Huge.  Organ.  Arches.  Stained glass.  Gothic architecture is pretty friggin unreal.

We flew home and collapsed in a pool of our own ecstacy.  eeeeeeew.

Abe says

Phew. Let me keep this brief. NYC was great. Now back in Seattle, I will definitely try Dumpling Dojo, regardless of lack of soup dumplings or temporary location, as well as aptly-named I Love New York Deli particularly when it opens on the hill. In the mean time, Ann has glorious plans of making our own lox. We’ll keep you posted.

Filed under: Restaurants, Travel by Ann on May 5, 2010. Tagged with: anita lo, beef, deli, dinosaurs, dumplings, jewish, le bernardin, new york city, soup dumplings, stumptown.