Sunday, July 21, 2013

Dinner at Momofuku Noodle Bar in NYC; Dessert at Momofuku Milk Bar in NYC

Double date with Dan and his sister Emily and boyfriend Matt.  I had to reserve a whole month in advance and sign on at a particular time to be able book this dinner, but it was definitely worth it.  For $100 4-8 people can share two whole fried chickens - one Korean style and one Southern style, plus pancakes, assorted herbs and veggies, and our different sauces.  I think everyone liked the Korean style a little better.  It had definite spice and was really crispy.  The southern style was pretty good too but the skin/meat ratio wasn't great for me.  It was awesome to use the lettuce as a wrap plus also using the pancakes.  The best part of the meal was the pork buns we ordered though.  Seriously melt in your mouth.  The best pork buns I've ever had.  Afterwards we walked to Momofuku Milk Bar and shared various desserts, most of which ended up on my dress ha.

Yuzu Palmer on the left - basically an Arnold Palmer slushie with soju; Tiger beer on the right

Seven spiced potato chips

Pork buns with hoisin, scallion, and cucumber.  A must order

Giant plate of Korean fried chicken and Southern-style fried chicken

Various sauces (from L to R): ginger scallion, sriracha chili, soy garlic and jalapeno, and hoisin   


Bowl of bibb lettuce, carrots, radishes, and lots of herbs

Another shot of full plate of chicken

Aftermath.  We did pretty damn good
Compost Cookie - pretzels, potato chips, coffee, oats, butterscotch, and chocolate chips

Cup of cereal milk ice cream with crunch topping.  Sooo rich that three of us couldn't finish it.  Plus it spilled on me along the way haha

Dinner at Red Lobster in Paramus, NJ

Finally made it to Red Lobster.  Damn their cheap deals and repetitive commercials that have made us want to go there for weeks haha.  To be honest the whole meal was pretty great considering how cheap it was.  The seafood was well cooked and very flavorful and the cheddar biscuits alone are worth the trip for me.  The soup and salad were ehh but that's not really why you go there.  Four courses for under $20 and unlimited cheddar biscuits?  Yes please.  I was so full I had to take dessert (course #4) home.  I got the key lime pie and it was nice and smooth in texture and had a nice lime flavor and even better graham cracker crust.  Super rich so couldn't eat it in one sitting.

Course #1: Garden salad with balsamic vinagrette

Unlimited cheddar bay biscuits.  Sooo melt in your mouth

Course #2: Manhattan Clam Chowder - couldn't really taste the clam at all.  Tasted more like watery tomato vegetable soup

Chesapeake-grilled shrimp skewer with crab butter and five crab-and-seafood-stuffed shrimp, all topped with a lobster beurre blanc. Served with wild rice pilaf and green beans.  The sauce was very rich but tasty

Course #3: Maui Luau Shrimp and Salmon: fresh salmon and a grilled-shrimp skewer topped with fresh pineapple salsa, over wild rice pilaf and steamed broccoli.  Both the shrimp and salmon were cooked to perfection and had a great sweetness yet charred taste from the grill.  The rice pilaf was actually very well seasoned and had the right amount of moisture.  The broccoli had no seasoning but made me feel healthy ha


Brunch at Market Cafe in NYC

After several hours of shopping Risheen, Helam and I had to stop to fuel.  The service was a little slow but the food pretty solid.  Nothing extraordinary but we were all hungry and super tired, so it fit the bill.

Market Classic Burger with mushrooms and swiss and side of spiced fries

Market Classic Burger with bacon and blue cheese and side of spiced fries

My order - Loin of Pork Sandwich with smoked mozzarella and arugula and side of spiced fries.  The bread was homemade which you could def tell.  Nice balance and pork very thick and tasty.  The fries were amazing too

Dinner at Tick Tock Diner in Clifton, NJ


Dan and I tried to go to Red Lobster but the wait was so long that we gave up and went to Tick Tock Diner instead.  Attempts to eat healthy were fruitless haha.

Pulled Pork Melt - BBQ pulled pork, american cheese, red onion and fresh tomato on grilled white with fries

Jersey Shore Burger - beef burger, fried mozzarella sticks, marinara and mozzarella cheese on a roll with disco fries
Close up of the Jersey Shore burger.  Check out the mozz on mozz sticks

Brunch at Beechwood Cafe in Jersey City, NJ

Beechwood in JC updated their menu and interior decor and I'd have to say that it has made a positive difference.  There's a more varied menu with more brunch options and the space is a lot roomier and more welcoming.  The wraps we got were available also as omelettes, but I'm on a breakfast wrap kick.  Dan and I got different wraps and split each. 
Potato, chorizo, egg and cheese on left, tomato, egg, baco, and cheese on right.  I forgot the names of them but both were great

Dessert at Coolhaus in Jersey City, NJ

Coolhaus is an ice cream place in Brooklyn but they had a food truck parked at Grove Street in JC.  It was so hot out that the ice cream sandwich we bought melted almost immediately, but it was super delicious.  Got chocolate chip cookies for the base and patron cafe caramel crunch ice cream.  Delicious!


Dinner at Park & Sixth in Jersey City, NJ

I have never been disappointed at Park & Sixth.  Whenever I try something new I'm always very impressed and satisfied.  This time we finally ordered the Philly Cheesetake Spring Rolls.  OMG delicious fried goodness.  Super hot though so the cheese kept squirting out and it was mildly painful.  But the pain was worth it ha.  We also shared the meatball parm sandwhich, was also amazingly good.  The meatballs were juicy and had nice flavor.  Their homemade mozz is always delicious on any sandwich.  The turkey burger was fab as usual.  The brussel sprouts tasted a little off.  Perhaps was cooked with the same oil as something else that made it taste strange.

Philly Cheesesteak Spring Rolls

Meatball Parm

Turkey Burger with brussel sprout hash

Dinner at The Brownstone in Jersey City, NJ

Hadn't been to the Brownstone Diner in awhile and Dan and I couldn't decide what to eat, so it was a perfect match.  Dan wanted something hearty and I wanted something pseudo-healthy, so he went for the meatloaf and I the turkey burger with avocado.  It actually could've been described as healthy had I not gotten curly fries haha.  All in all a very satisfactory meal for us both, though for me mostly because of the fries rather than the burger, which was somewhat not memorable.

Big slices of meatloaf with delicious brown gravy

Sides of corn and mashed potatoes

Turkey burger with avocado and side of curly fries