Brunch at Black Ant in NYC

We had book club at Black Ant in the East Village.  Unfortunately most people couldn't make it, but we still had a nice conversation and cheap-ish meal since no one drank.  They do have all you can drink but no one felt in the mood.

Huevos Pochados - poached eggs, taquitos de queso, chipotle salsa, avocado and crispy jamon serrano

Enchiladas Verdes vegetarian - corn tortillas, roasted tomatillo salsa, queso fresco and pico de gallo

I got the Perrito Pulpo - grilled octopus hot dog with pico de gallo, spicy mayo, pickled jalapenos and spicy fries

Delicious seasoning and the octopus was cooked just right.  Just not a huge dish so I wasn't super full after

Dinner at Miso Ramen in Jersey City, NJ

Dan and I were in the mood for ramen and didn't want to spend a ton of time or money, so ended up at Miso Ramen. While I love Ani, this is a great place to go for quick delicious ramen, and they also make their own noodles so they are definitely legit.  The portions are pretty large as well so had leftovers, which was nice for the next day.  This post covers actually two different dinner visits, since in one week or so I think we went twice.  Guess we were really into ramen that week.

Special of brisket buns

Delicious.  Their buns are nice and fluffy and not too sticky.  Thick pieces of meat

Sliced chicken ramen - Sliced chicken, sesame, menma (bamboo shoots) mushroom, scallions, black garlic oil, nitamago (soft-boiled seasoned egg)

Miso ramen with pork

Miso ramen with pork again

Sliced chicken ramen again

Special buns.  I think a saucy chicken?

Lunch at Krispy Pizza in Jersey City, NJ

After we moved to our new place we hit up Krispy Pizza for lunch.  It's NY style pizza with the best grandma slices.  They have a good amount of seating outside (definitely more than inside).  I think this is the best pizzeria for slices that I've found in the downtown area.

Grandma slices. So delicious and crispy

Vodka sauce was awesome as well but I was getting pretty full.  Dan got the bruschetta  pizza which was so full of toppings.  I wanted to try but way too many visible red onions so I knew I wouldn't be able to get past the onion-y flavor

Dinner at Wurst Bar in Jersey City, NJ

Dan and I went to Wurst Bar in JC as I had a weird craving for poutine.  And schnitzel.  I think we were watching something about German food and something about schnitzel came on.  The menu changes seasonally and they had some crazy specials this time when we went.  Definitely ordered way too much food for two people.  We had leftovers but poutine isn't really the type of food that re-heats super well  Nonetheless, a delicious, gluttonous meal.  Plus I love all the different ciders they have.

Banh Mi Poutine (on the menu) and Poutine of Brotherly Love (special)

Banh Mi Poutine - Haus Cut Fries, Cheese Curds, Shredded Pork, Hoisin Gravy, Asian Slaw, Cilantro

Poutine of Brotherly Love - Haus Cut Fries, cheese curds, pimiento cheese sauce, philly steak, grilled onions, and sweet peppers

Another gratuitous poutine shot

Specials that week

Chicken Schnitzel  (on the menu) and Don Curdeleone (special)

Don Curdeleone - hot italian sausage, marinara sauce and deep fried cheese curds.  I was in love with this and wish it were on the menu all the time

Jagerschnitzle Sandwich - Fried Pork Tenderloin, Sautéed Mushrooms, Ale Gravy.  The photo isn't showing how large this piece of meat was like.  Like a foot long and 8 inches wide.  Was slightly sweet (i think because of the bun) but perfectly fried.  Loved this and it's only $9!

Dessert at Dominique Ansel Kitchen in NYC

After dinner at Takashi, we walked to Dominique Ansel for dessert.  We all got burrata ice cream and rose cider, plus some DKAs to go.  Probably could've shared the burrata instead of each getting our own, but not a regrettable decision.

Burrata ice cream with strawberry compote, balsamic drizzle and micro basil

Apparently we each needed one

Dinner at Takashi in NYC

Jordan, Justin, Dan and I went to Takashi for a double date.  I remember that Anthony Bourdain featured this place on his older show a few years ago.  The place was very cute inside and we got to try a lot of interesting different cuts of meat, but it is definitely expensive and I wasn't that full considering how much money we dropped.  I do like bbq places like this where you can cook it yourself but they do tend to be expensive and often you don't eat as much as places where you just order normal dishes.

Ban chan

Niki Uni - chuck flap topped with sea urchin and fresh wasabi. All raw.  Saw this all over instagram.  None of us understood the hype

Yooke - thinly-sliced chuck eye tartare in special sauce.  I was shocked by how much I loved this.  Such delicious flavors.  I forgot it was raw

Tartare all mixed up.  I think the dark sauce helped convince my brain it wasn't raw

Foie Gas Stuffed Mini Kobe Burger with Chocolate BBQ sauce.  Sounds like a weird combo but it was delicious

Pouring that choc bbq sauce

So good

Pretty rich though

I cannot remember all the cuts of meat we got but everything was delicious even the less conventional cuts

Home-made grain bowl

Like I said, after eating at b.good, I decided to make my own grain bowl.  Not quite that heavy on the grains, but you can see lots of healthy ingredients with pork as my meat.  It was good but honestly having to make all the pieces is a lot of effort - time wise and ingredient wise.  I think that's why I love bowls so much, because you can have lots of things in it and expend such little effort since you're not making it yourself.

Farro, grilled pork, crunchy chickpeas, brussel sprouts and sweet potatoes

All mixed up.  Healthy but not quite as good as the one I bought from b.good and this took much longer than I thought it would to compile

Dinner at White Star Bar in Jersey City, NJ

Dan and I went to White Star Bar for what we hoped would be a quick dinner.  Unfortunately the service was oddly slow.  So slow that they gave us free guacamole and chips for waiting.  The guac was just okay but our entrees and drinks were great so I wasn't too annoyed about the wait.

My giant Frose (finally!) and Dan's whiskey drink.  Mine looks like a giant next to his

Complimentary guacamole and corn tortilla chips

Roasted Half Chicken with pan jus, roasted vegetables and yukon mashed potatoes

Pan seared salmon with cous cous and veggies.  I normally don't order salmon since I feel like my dad's (or even mine) is better but this was really good!  Not overcooked and great charredness without being burned.  I loved the cous cous with it as well.  A healthy yet filling meal

Dinner at Barbuto in NYC

Karem and I went to Barbuto for dinner.  We went on the early side since they don't take reservations, and the food was delicious as always.  Definitely on my list of fav Italian spots in the city.

Sangria and Agua Fresca

The burrata was the best I've ever had.  Such great texture and all the ingredients were so complimentary

Seasonal Gnocchi

Spaghetti with nduja and clams.  A bit of heat but not too much

Awesome cannoli.  Was going to bring one to Dan then ended up eating both woops

Dinner from Razza in Jersey City, NJ

Whenever we order from Razza on Uber Eats the food is so quick to arrive, and just as good as when we eat in the actual restaurant.  As usual the food was bomb, and now that the NY Times has written a stellar review, I'm sure it will be harder to actually eat in the restaurant.  Thank goodness they deliver.  Plus whenever we go eat in the restaurant, we order lots of drinks and it gets pricey really quickly, so probably better to order delivery.

Project Hazelnut - Fresh mozzarella, Rutgers University hazelnuts, ricotta, local honey.  One of my favs because of the delicious ricotta and honey combo

Burrata - Fresh mozzarella, Rutgers University hazelnuts, ricotta, local honey

Some of my fav meatballs