All posts filed under: New York City

NANCY LEE’S PIG HEAVEN, NEW YORK CITY

Published by Nicole Isaacs

My sister, some friends & I went to Nancy Lee’s Pig Heaven in New York City for Christmas day dinner. This chinese restaurant was the perfect place for Jews on Christmas, it was packed with them lol! I’ve heard about their famous pork ribs on the Travel Channel, and it’s been on my food bucket list ever since. So being Jewish, I thought Christmas was the perfect night to try it and it was! This quirky little Chinese restaurant has great food, and I will definitely be back again! RESTAURANT DECORATIONS LOL. LOTS OF PIGS! THE FAMOUS BBQ SPARE RIBS Great ribs! Flavorful, tender and I loved the sauce. I remember wishing we ordered more! This was one of my favorite things ordered. It’s what Pig Heaven is famous for so this is a must try! STEAMED PORK DUMPLINGS As you can see things got messy after the ribs lol. I am not a big dumpling fan, but was overuled by the rest so we ordered them. I wouldn’t order again, I just don’t like dumplings that much, but if …

BEAUTY & ESSEX, NEW YORK CITY

Published by Nicole Isaacs

Hidden behind the doors of a pawn shop, lies the trendy yet elegant restaurant Beauty & Essex. Run the by same team as Stanton Social, Beauty & Essex has a more chic ambiance with gorgeous decor and the food is anything but ordinary. I went with a couple girlfriends and it was the perfect night out. Good looking people, amazing food, and a great ambiance. It’s also the perfect place to have drinks before having a night out on the town! Most dishes are tapa/shared plates style. We ordered a bunch of dishes and shared everything….See below! PAWN SHOP IN FRONT OF BEAUTY & ESSEX! BEET TARTARE FLAT BREAD COMPED FROM THE HOUSE AS A STARTER TUNA POKE WONTON TACOS Micro cilantro, radish, wasabi kewpie Fresh, light and flavorful. Loved the wonton crunch with the fresh poke. The creamy sauce pulled it all together for the perfect bite. LOBSTER TACOS Beer battered maine lobster, red cabbage slaw, poblano crema Loved these. Everything is small enough to be the perfect bite and leaving you to want …

2nd AVE DELI, NEW YORK CITY

Published by Nicole Isaacs

I went to the famous Kosher 2nd Ave deli in NYC recently, and went to town! We went all out on ordering lol. There is an abundance of great deli’s in the N.Y.C, but this one is one of the best! Katz’s Deli is also known as the “best” deli in NY, but I must admit although I didn’t like that they didn’t serve anything w/ dairy at 2nd Ave, I liked the pastrami better than the famous Katz’s! See below what was ordered 🙂 FRENCH FRIES! Crispy and freshly cut! Perfect amount of saltiness! PICKLES & PICKLED TOMATO!!!!! I love getting pickles! So crunchy and delish! CRISPY ONION RINGS Sooooo gooood! SPINACH KNISH! Lots of spinach up in here lol! The dough part was crispy, flaky and delicious. A classic Jewish food originating from Eastern Europe! Must try at any deli. You can get different fillings as well instead of spinach such as potato, meat, cheese etc. MATZAH BALL SOUP! Also a must order at a Jewish deli. Soup is good for the …

ESS-A-BAGEL, NEW YORK CITY

Published by Nicole Isaacs

Travel channel host Anthony Bourdain said that Ess-A-Bagel was his favorite New York bagel. I asked so many people what the best bagel in NYC was, and some recommendations were Ess-A-Bagel, Murray’s Bagels, H&H Bagels, etc. H&H I heard was the best but it recently got shut down and bankrupt unfortunately, so I decided to try Ess-A-Bagel…see my review below! This place finally made me like lox. I ordered a sesame bagel with cream cheese and lox, kept it simple. The lox was like salmon carpaccio; sliced very thin, and it melted in your mouth. The bagel was very doughey, but I liked it that way. They don’t toast at Ess-A-Bagel, which some people only like toasted bagels, but I think if it’s a fresh bagel you don’t need it toasted. I enjoyed it a lot, but I felt like I had a brick in my stomach when I was done lol. Those bagels are huge! This place is definitely a good bagel joint in NYC. The best? Still don’t know…I am determined to hit all the best bagel spots …

SHAKE SHACK, NEW YORK CITY

Published by Nicole Isaacs

A perfect day to me in NYC during the summer is laying out at the Gansevoort hotel rooftop pool and going to Shake Shack at Madison Square Park for an early dinner with my girlfriends lol. Shake Shack is like LA’s In ‘N Out burger lol. In ‘N’ Out is probably the most famous “cheap” burger on the west coast, and Shake Shack is also a fast food burger chain in New York City that everyone loves. Shake Shack has more options than In’ N’ Out as far as burgers/toppings, fries and milkshakes, but the menu is fairly simple too. There is always a long line for Shake Shack so be prepared to wait! SINGLE SHACK BURGER W/ BACON, THE SMOKE SHACK, & CHEESE FRIES The burgers were great. I do like In ‘N’ Out better though.West Coast baby! Jk lol. But I would totally go back to Shake Shack for a cheap, good tasting burger. It was juicy, cheesy and had great flavor. The cheese fries were yummy and the custard we ordered …

BIG GAY ICE CREAM, NEW YORK CITY

Published by Nicole Isaacs

Making this post short and SWEET 😉 Big Gay Ice Cream is super famous in New York City. They have a truck and a shop in the city, and the ice cream is amazeballs. Their ice cream concoctions and presentations are unique and they have interesting names such as the Salty Pimp, the Mermaid, Cococone, Mexican Affo’Gay’To, the Gobbler, etc lol. They really know how to make ice cream fun! Their toppings are what make this ice cream different…they offer sea salt, cayenne pepper, wasabi pea dust and weird shit like that lol. Not really my “steez” but still interesting. TOne of their more famous cones, the “SALTY PIMP, is a vanilla ice cream cone chocolate dipped with dulce de leche and sea salt. I ordered a more simpler version of that. See below! THE BEA ARTHUR Vanilla Ice Cream, Dulce De Leche & Crushed Nilla Wafers Ok, So I’m not the biggest sweet/dessert person, but this was incredible! It was so good. The ice cream was so creamy and they squirted dulce de …

THE SPOTTED PIG, NEW YORK CITY

Published by Nicole Isaacs

The Spotted Pig, co-owned by Jay Z, Bono & Mario Batali, is a restaurant hotspot in the heart of Meatpacking district in New York City. With waits that can be long as two to three hours for a table and a very unique menu, I assumed my experience there was going to be very positive. And if Jay- Z co-owns it, then DUH!, it has to be amazing right?! lol. The place is definitely super eclectic with “quirky” decor, and has a very cozy feeling, but the food was not out of this world by any means. The Spotted Pig is famous for their burger which I’ve heard so much about, but I actually did not like it. Read my reviews on what we ordered below: THE SPOTTED PIG DECOR DEVILED EGGS Not a huge deviled eggs fan myself, but these were the best I’ve ever had. Great flavor, and the filling was fluffy and light. I recommend this. CHICKEN LIVER TOAST I liked this too! Very rich flavor, and the liver was super creamy …

CAFETERIA, NEW YORK CITY

Published by Nicole Isaacs

Casual but trendy, this 24-hour, open 7 days a week restaurant is the perfect choice for a casual breakfast, lunch or dinner. Hearty and great food for a reasonable price, as well as being open 24/7, this place is a safe and easy choice for any time of the day. I went for dinner with friends on a Friday night, and it was packed- you couldn’t find a place to stand to wait for a table. Luckily four pretty girls didn’t have to wait long, and we got seated in less than 5 minutes lol. Warm, cheese biscuits to brought to the table with our waters. Yum! CAFETERIA MAC & CHEESE- MAC ATTACK TASTINGS ~Cheddar & Fontina~Truffle Oil~Smoked Gouda & Bacon~ Delicious Mac N’ Cheese. Each sampler was so flavorful- perfectly cheesy and creamy. I loved the different flavors of each one. They were all amazing. I loved the truffle one and the gouda and bacon. They were all made perfectly. Highly recommended! TOMATO BASIL SOUP– w/ Mini Fontina Grilled Cheese It kind of …

BUDDAKAN- CHELSEA, NEW YORK CITY

Published by Nicole Isaacs

Buddakan in New York City is located next door to the charming Chelsea Market. This place is one of the most trendy and expensive restaurants in the city. The restaurant was even featured in the movie Sex & The City for Carrie’s engagement dinner to Mr. Big! lol. Serving unique contemporary Asian cuisine, not only is the food amazing but the decor of Buddakan is extravagant, grand and absolutely beautiful. My sister, friends and I had a great experience. The service was great, the food delicious and the atmosphere was fun and lively. EDAMAME DUMPLINGS- Shallot-Sauternes Broth Best thing of the night. I would have never in a million years ordered this off the menu, but our amazing server brought these from compliments of the kitchen, and I couldn’t believe how delicious it was. Inside was an edamame puree, in a delicate, thin noodle dumpling. The sauce tasted like truffle oil broth. It melted in your mouth and had amazing flavor. For not ordering this myself, it happened to be my favorite dish of the night. It makes me think of how many incredible dishes …