Eating the Big Apple

On Friday I posted the food we planned for our travel to the Big Apple and for our breakfasts both days in New York.  That was a smart and budget-friendly decision!  We saved lots of money by not eating breakfast in New York.

We did not save money on the rest of our food.  I mean, we were in New York City!  The place where you can find any kind of food and any kind of restaurant!  And we experienced a wide variety.

Friday’s lunch was at Back Forty West in SoHo (and I still don’t know what that means…).  The menu looks like a locavore twist on lots of farmhouse classic dishes.  You can get a grass-fed burger and a variety of vegetarian friendly meals.  Which made this a pretty good fit for me (the pesco-vegetarian) and my husband (the trapped carnivore).

This was possibly my favorite thing I ate in New York.  Nothing like starting with a bang!  This is pumpkin hummus with toasted bread and warm pitas and a side of pickled white carrots (I think) and olives.  I don’t even like olives and I enjoyed every bite of this appetizer.  The grilled kale salad was a little outside my comfort zone.  This was the first time I ate kale with the stems included and the first time I ordered a dish with anchovies on purpose.  Not bad.

Friday night’s dinner is too embarrassing to photograph.  We didn’t have much time before our show was about to start, so we went to…Baja Fresh.  Not unique.  Not New York.  But it was quick and close.  Sigh.

After our show (Annie was amazing!) we met up with a college friend and had a couple of drinks while we caught up.  On the way back to our hotel, we were struck with the need for a late night snack.  And when in New York, what’s a better snack than a slice of pizza!

This was probably the most delicious pizza I have ever eaten at 3am!  It was everything I wanted at that moment.  And I think I would eat it during the daytime, too.  But I’d go for that pumpkin hummus first….

On Saturday we rushed over to see the 9/11 memorial, which was incredibly moving.  It’s a must-do on a trip to New York, in my humble opinion.  After our visit, I was craving some comfort food.  Luckily for me, our next stop was Chinatown!  I guided my husband into the best decision ever–pho.  Up until this moment pho was merely an urban legend I had heard of as the Vietnamese equivalent to chicken noodle soup.  That’s what I wanted.  I got the vegetarian version, and my husband got the original.  His was way better.  But they both looked pretty!  They were very filling, too.  Neither of us could finish our bowls.

Dinner on Saturday was at a nearby French bistro that had an opening before our show that night.  Perhaps that should have been a sign.  My lobster risotto and my husband’s sea bass special of the night.  The best part of that meal was the basket of bread.  Our entrees weren’t bad, but they weren’t memorable.

Sunday had to get better, right?  Lunch was a combination of apples and popcorn from home while we walked around Liberty Island learning about the Statue of Liberty.  Later we split a veggie burger and side salad to tide us over to the main event.

Per the advice of a friend, we sought out a vegan restaurant.  Imagine–a place where I could order anything on the menu!  No meat, and no dairy!  I could skip the lactaid tablet!  My husband made us reservations at the beautiful Pure Food and Wine.  Unbeknownst to us, this was also a raw restaurant!  Talk about a new experience.  I could tell you about the ravioli made out of pears, the noodles made out of salsify, or the barbeque mushrooms.   But what you really need to know about is the desserts.  Namely, this one.

I don’t think I can do this dessert justice in describing it.  There was a flourless chocolate cake, some mocha ice cream in the middle, orange flavored ice cream…it was the most interesting combination of delicious flavors I have ever experienced in a dessert.

We agreed that eating raw food everyday looks like way too much work, and honestly, I kinda wished those noodles were warm and a little creamier…but it was a delicious experience to see what can be done with only raw and vegan ingredients.

What kinds of food do you like to experience when you travel?