Dinner at Clinton Hall in NYC

Went to happy hour by old work and got one of the most instagrammed dishes - the insane fondue burger.  The burger itself was delicious without the cheese - juicy beef and great meat to bun ratio.  But the fondue cheese with fries made it INSANE.  Def worth a trip.  I wish it hadn't been so cold because we were sitting outside (near heat lamps, but still) so the cheese got cold/hard in the pot but people still dipped their fries in it.  Someone else got the crazy grilled cheese donut with tomato soup.  Lots of other inventive and gratuitous things on their menu.

Fondue burger

Donut grilled cheese with tomato soup.  That cheese pull!

Dinner at Talde in Jersey City, NJ

I went to Talde for happy hour with some friends.  We sat at the bar and snacked on some tapas.  At the time it was really a great deal; since then the prices have gone up so not sure how worth it it is, but the food was delish.

Bacon wrapped plantains, ham and cheese on pan de sal with tahini mustard, more bacon wrapped plantains, and patatas bravas

Lots of garlic shrimp

Dinner from Gogi Grill in Hoboken, NJ

Ordered some delicious Korean fast casual food from Gogi Grill - essentially a Korean chipotle.  Loved everything we ordered especially the kimcheese tots.  So good!  The bowl is huge and I had enough for lunch the next day.

Kimcheese tots.  Oh so good

Build Your Own Bowl - purple rice, grilled chicken breast, watercress, garlic butter corn, cucumber kimchi, zucchini/squash (julienne), seaweed strips, and red sauce

Bowl all mixed up.  I loved everything about this and it tasted so fresh and healthy

Brunch at Satis Bistro in Jersey City, NJ

My parents, Dan and I went to Satis Bistro for brunch.  The service was pretty slow and the food itself just ehhh.   Confirmed why it's been years since we've been there last.  It's a very trendy place but the menu isn't that exciting and the execution wan't worth the price or the wait.

Shredded beef brisket, yukon gold potato hash, two fried eggs and harissa.  Dan got this and I remember getting this years ago.  Portion was kind of small but tasty

My mother got the smoked salmon tartine with green onion mascarpone, watercress, crisp shallot and horseradish creme fraciche on toast with fries.   A lot going on but my mother enjoyed it

My dad got the beef burger with bacon ketchup and house Pickles, whipped brie served with arugula salad

I got the Chicken Milanese b/c I was craving fried chicken - the sammie came with garlic basil aioli and slow roasted tomato on foccacia served with fries.  Great combo and could only eat half

Dinner at Klong in NYC

Went to Klong for an awesome happy hour and dinner.  One of the best happy hours in NYC I think both drink and food wise.  The drinks are delicious and came out super fast, and both the happy hour food and regular food menu were awesome.  Some of the best Thai in the city.

Grilled squid.  Delicious flavor and perfectly cooked.  Hard to find places that aren't scared of tentacles :)

Glazed chicken wings - Glazed with herbal and spices.  Perfectly fried

Coconut shrimp with fried taro sticks.  LOVED

Mekhong Pork chop -- Thai dark rum marinated pork chop sirloins with gingers, cherry wine and herbs served with sautéed mixed vegetables in garlic sauce.  So much flavor and plenty of meat

Forgot what Nicole got but it was spicy and delish

Brunch at Buddy Who's in Jersey City, NJ

The 'rents and I went to Buddy Who's for brunch.  We got seated pretty quickly but unfortunately the service was a bit slow because it was so crowded.  The food was delicious though and portions were no joke either.  Definitely a solid brunch option as well as dinner.  They just need to tighten up their service during the busy hours. 

Edit: a couple of weeks later Dan and I went back.  Had the insane fruity pebbles pancakes which looked better than they tasted.  The service was much better the second time though!

Happy hour menu that I will come back for!

Biscuits and Gravy - Buttermilk Biscuit, Sausage Gravy, with scrambled eggs.  Dan loved it but it incapacitated him

Giant fruity pebbles pancakes.  I actually don't like fruit pancakes so I'm not sure why I would've liked it.  I also didn't love the fruity syrup either

Side of ham.  Better at City Diner where it's thick

Giant beasts

Look how thick

Did my best

My dad got the Triple Decker Culb Sandwich - With Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato and Choice of Ham, Turkey, Roast Beef.  Crazy large

My mom's Belgian waffle with fruit.  Clean and delicious

Short Rib Hash & Eggs - got my eggs over easy.  Delicious

Lots of flavor and plenty of food.  All for only $12

Lunch at Texas Chicken & Burgers in Kew Gardens, NY

My last lunch meal in Queens was at a new fast food chicken place - Texas Chicken & Burgers.  Fortunately I didn't have much to do so the ensuing food coma was completely fine.  Chicken was solid and the place was clean.  Definitely not an every day lunch but glad on my last day that was what I had haha.

Entire meal was under $8 

close up of the goods

Dinner from Quality Greens Kitchen in Hoboken, NJ

I was craving something healthy-ish so decided to order on Uber Eats from Quality Greens.  It seemed kind of like Dig Inn  I got to try two different delicious bowls filled with proteins, veggies, and grains.  With all the fees, it didn't end up being super cheap but it was delicious and hit all the food groups.  A good healthy option with home-y options.

Rosemary Roasted Chicken Plate with maple sriracha brussel sprouts and roasted sweet potatoes on brown rice.  The chicken was very tender and the small parts of the skin were delicious.  The roasted sweet potatoes were amazing too.  I didn't love the brussel sprouts.  I don't think the maple and sriracha flavors worked well together

Herb marinated steak with mac and cheese and curry cauliflower over brown rice. The steak was perfectly cooked and had great spices.  I just wished there were more of it!  Both sides were wonderful and complimented the steak wonderfully

Both bowls

Dinner at Atla in New York, NY

Dan and I were around Astor Street, so decided to go to Atla for dinner since we'd heard such rave reviews.  It's a pretty new Mexican restaurant by a very famous Mexican chef.  It was early when we arrived so didn't have to wait for a table.   The food was definitely different than what we were used to.  Some delicate dishes that seemed more complex than traditional Mexican spots.  However, very pricey and the portions were small, so sadly we spent a ton and were not even full!  The good news was that their mezcal selection was on point, so we got to try a bunch, and ended up tipsy since we didn't eat enough lol.  I'm glad to have tried this chef's food but wish the value matched up.

I forgot what exactly this was, but remember thinking for the price we should've gotten at least 3 :(

Ceviche verde

very lime-y

Fish milanese

The pambazo was my fav.  Deep fried sloppy joe essentially with delicious fresh cotija cheese.  NOT BIG ENOUGH THOUGH

Dinner at Alex's Italian Restaurant and Brick Oven Pizza in Jersey City, NJ

Dan and I tried Alex's on Grove.  Very typical old-school Italian place.  The owner, Alex, was super friendly and seemed like one of the only people working.  He took our orders, gave us free drinks, gave us a voucher, and brought our food.  Service was a bit slow but mostly because it was 80% him.  The food was delicious with large portions.  Great place to go if you're craving home-y Italian food.  Just make sure you have time because it took quite awhile.

Free warm bread with butter

Delicious appetizer special.  The calamari was perfectly fried, and the mushrooms with it were delicious too

Dan got lobster ravioli in vodka sauce.  Delicious

My awesome gnocchi with salmon and asparagus in vodka sauce.  Loved so much and a very large portion

The place is BYOB, but we bought really gross caipirinha cans.  Alex gave us free delicious wine.  Great time