All posts filed under: New York

MINETTA TAVERN, NEW YORK CITY

Published by Nicole Isaacs

MY SISTER AND I HEADING OUT AFTER MINETTA TAVERN I basically just went to Minetta Tavern for their very famous “Black Label” burger. I have heard about this burger through word of mouth and have seen it featured on food shows on the Food & Travel Channel. Since I consider myself the “Burger Queen” lol (burgers are definitely my favorite food), I had to see what the hype was about this famous Black Label burger for $26. I didn’t bother to order anything else, I came there for one reason only lol. Peep my Minetta Tavern burger review below! BLACK LABEL BURGER $26 Selection of Prime dry-aged beef cuts with caramelized onions & pommes frites The meat itself was amazing. You could taste the quality in it. It was very juicy and cooked perfectly medium rare. Is it one of my favorite burgers? No. Even though the meat was very good, I think it would have been a way better burger with cheese. I love meat and cheese together and that’s why I love …

ABC KITCHEN, NEW YORK CITY

Published by Nicole Isaacs

ABC Kitchen in New York City is absolutely adorable and the food is great! It’s pretty famous in New York and a little tough to get into, but it is a great restaurant choice if you are in the city. It’s rustic decor makes it charming and cozy, and when I went it was a Friday night and it was buzzing and packed with people. Creator of the ABC Kitchen menu is the famous chef Jean-Georges, where he is passionately dedicated to creating each dish using only fresh organic and local ingredients. We had a very “cheesy” dinner lol…you’ll know what I mean when you check out my food reviews below! ROASTED KABOCHA SQUASH TOAST, FRESH RICOTTA & APPLE CIDER VINEGAR They brought this as complimentary from the house, and after my first bite I knew I was going to have a good meal at ABC Kitchen. The salty and creamy ricotta cheese mixed with the flavors of the sweet squash on that fresh toasted bread was heaven. It was such a delightful combination of flavors, a …

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 …

LUCALI- BROOKLYN, NEW YORK

Published by Nicole Isaacs

Lucali, located in Brooklyn, New York could be one of the best meals I’ve had in a long time. I think I might have to declare that they have the best pizza I’ve ever had. This place & Di Fara Pizza in Brooklyn are my two favorite pizzerias in the world. This is real New York pizza, the ingredients are the freshest, and the flavors are incredible. No need for ranch dressing with this pizza lol, it’s that good. Lucali is what I’d like to call a gem spot. Tiny, cozy, romantic, charming…yet still casual. The restaurant is small but always busy. They make he pizza right there out in the open so you can watch it being made. Also, shhhh don’t tell lol, but I heard Beyonce & Jay-Z eat there every week. They are my idols so I got really excited when I heard that 🙂 ARTICHOKE & GARLIC PIZZA I died and went to pizza heaven. The flavor of this pizza was incredible. The smell of garlic and fresh basil immediately …