Dinner at Radiance Tea House in NYC

Went to Radiance Tea House in midtown for Book Club.  The tea house was Asian and thus we were able to get dim sum on a weeknight, which even in NYC is somewhat of a feat.  Overall the dim sum was acceptable, but nothing that I would necessarily remember or run back for.  The environment was cool though.  Lots of space and they didn't rush us, and tons of options.  I would like to come back maybe for tea and dessert; looks better than dinner.

Chinese Broccoli and Kabocha Squash - cooked in sweet soy sauce.  Great flavor and both cooked al dente.  Nice and made us feel healthy

Soupy Pork Dumplings - some stuck a little to the bamboo and thus spilled early :(  Those that didn't were okay.  The dough was a little tough and the flavor not as pronounced as other soup dumplings I've had

Cantonese BBQ Pork Buns - was too full that I didn't get to try it, but Debbie and Lynn seemed to enjoy

Steamed Seafood Shumai - not as flavorful as at my fav dim sum places

Steamed Crystal Shrimp Dumpling - I thought there would be large pieces of shrimp inside but was kind of ground up and not that shrimp-y tasting

Pork Belly Steamed Bun Dumpling - like some other dishes, good but not great. 

Dinner at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ

Dan and I got food at the Devils game instead of the usual trip to Dino.  I ended up feeling pretty gross at the end of it all, but more because of the quantity of food consumed rather than quality.  The food itself was good for what it was.

Disco Fries with Nathan's fries

Lamb gyro - good flavor though a lot of tzatziki.

Taylor Ham and Cheese Sammie - simple but well done

Lunch at Mama Fina's in Elmwood Park, NJ

My parents and I went to Mama Fina's House of Sisig in Elmwood Park and may have possibly had the best Filipino Food I've had in New Jersey.  Definitely the best sisig - somehow everything was perfectly crunchy and had the right amount of meat and fat.  Everything else was very solid too.  When we arrived around 1pm it wasn't that crowded but by the time we left every table was full and some people were even waiting for seats.  The food was so good that we decided to use them for the wedding.  Highly recommend this place and will definitely be returning.

Pork BBQ with lumpia shanghai and rice.  The BBQ was described as having a peanut sauce, which wasn't really what it tasted like to me.  But it was delish.  The lumpia was tasty too

Lechon kiwali, humbo and kare kare

Lechon - perfectly fried.  Lots of meat and not break your teeth hard

Sinigang - sour soup.  Very homey and the meat was well cooked

Pork sisig - this is a game changer.  Best sisig I've eaten and i normally don't like it because the onions are too strong.  Here the pork was so perfectly crunchy and the fat melted into everything.  I didn't even pick out the onions for the most part

Spicy chicken sisig - also amazingly delish.  Never had non-pork sisig before.  Same great flavor; just slightly less crunchy

Bulalo - bone marrow beef soup. Delish,  As a child I never appreciated bone marrow but now I always want it whenever it's on a menu

Turon for dessert - I normally don't live turon when the sugar is caramelized, but it was very well done here

Dinner at Talde in Jersey City, NJShrimp Shum

Dan and I finally went to Talde in Jersey City.  Thankfully they are now on Open Table so we were able to make a reservation.  Not only was the entire meal incredible, but I finally met, spoke, and took pictures with Chef Dale!  Everything we had was delicious but there were still so many more things on the menu that I wanted to try.  Definitely recommend this place.  I can't wait until they start serving brunch on the weekends too.

San Miguel Dark and Navy Grog - el dorado rum, honey syrup, lime and grapefruit juices.  The San Mig was smooth especially considering how dark it was.  The grog was also delicious and STRONG

Pretzel pork and chive dumplings with spicy mustard  - my FAV dish of the night.  The dough was perfectly fried and def tasted like a pretzel especially with the salt.  The pork was juicy and tender inside.  The mustard was a nice touch

McBao - char siu boneless ribs and pickles.  Very well done.  One of the top pork bun sandwiches I've had

Shrimp Shumai - old bay, corn, and chinese sausage.  The shumai themselves were well made and the shrimp tasted very fresh and were large.  The topping was so unique with it too.  Dan liked this one a LOT

Blue Crab Fried Rice with tobiko and jalapeno aioli.  This was amazing.  There was a ton of crab and the rice had nice crunch.  Second fav dish

Beef Short Rib with tamarind glaze, pumpkin redang, apples and basil.  The short rib itself was super tender but not a large portion. The squash was also ridic spicy to me.

Another shot of the short rib

Kung Pao Chicken Wings with peanuts and housemade buttermilk ranch.  This was wayyy too spicy for me to enjoy.  Everyone around me seemed to love it though.  I guess I'm just a wimp

Mango Pie - like the fruit pies at Jollibee.  Delicious