Dinner at Miso Ramen in Jersey City, NJ

Dan and I went to Miso Ramen for some dinner after seeing they have fish collar, which we both love.  Their buns are also glorious and they constantly have specials.  Plus their ramen is on point.  Love that they are still BYOB so we end up not actually spending that much since their food is reasonably priced.  Their collar was good but more deep fried than we were expecting.

Crispy Chicken Buns - cabbages and mayonnaise with spicy sauce

close up of the buns

Fried hamachi collar

Dan got his usual Chicken Ramen - chicken broth with shredded chicken and sautéed spinach, sesame, bamboo shoots, scallions, black garlic oil, red ginger, soft-boiled seasoned egg

I tried the OxTail Ramen which was delicious and super filling - pork broth with ox-tail beef, sesame, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, scallions, black garlic oil, soft-boiled seasoned egg

Lunch at Fuku in NYC

I went to Fuku for lunch with some co-workers and realized their salads are super delicious, even without meat, but even more so with the fuku bites!  Not actually that healthy in the end but tasty and filling and a nice change from some of the boring salads I often have from the caf.

Kale salad with chicken bites and goddess dressing

Lunch from Wah Fung No 1 Fast Food in NYC

I stopped by Wah Fung to get some of the cheapest roast pork available in NYC.  I also tried the duck, which was less good because it was so bony and not so meaty.  The roast pork though was delicious and worth it, though I think I would've gotten a bigger portion had I been able to speak Chinese.

Roast pork and duck over rice

Lunch at City Acre Market in NYC

Grabbed salad at City Acre Market.  They have various stores/stands including prepared foods like a deli.  I got one of their chicken salads, which was tasty but not so exciting as it was pretty cold from being refrigerated.  A better option would be going to one of the restaurants like when I went to Cinnamon Snail.

Yum for Your Tum - spring mix, grilled chicken, shredded carrots and cabbage, mango, bean sprouts, cashews, crunchy noodles, and peanut dressing

salad all mixed up.  Yummy but cold :-/

Dinner at Panna II Garden Indian Restaurant in NYC

I met Elena at Panna II, which I had never been to but wanted to for the fun environment, particularly ceiling.  The food also is very inexpensive for Manhattan Indian, and it's BYOB.  They also had a cheap pre-fixe deal, so we each spent around $20 for various courses, plus didn't pay for drinks.  It's a place to go more for the ambiance than the food, since there's plenty of better tasting Indian food around, but it's cheap and good if you're around 1st ave.

Sauce and lentil crisp

Appetizer round

another fried goodie

Samosa and fried banana. Samosa was good but not into the fried banana, which was a fresh banana rather than plantain

Stuffed with cheese

Mulligatawny soup

Aloo Mattar Gobi - cauliflower, potatoes, and peas

side of pickled veggies

Daredevil was filmed here!

Entrees came with naan and rice

Butter chicken

Dinner from Boston Market in NYC

I was around a Boston Market in NYC and had an instant nostalgic craving.  The chicken was what I remember but they no longer have the dill potatoes, which were my fav :(  The sides were okay but the chicken and cornbread are the best options.  Not obviously better than other fresh chicken options but cheap and brought me back to childhood haha.  #sorrynotsorry

Whole chicken but on the smaller side

3 sides - roasted potatoes, string beans, and mixed veggies.  Plus corn bread of course

Everything was under $20 so not bad

Lunch from The Cinnamon Snail in NYC

Went to City Market in FiDi and decided to get a sandwich from Cinnamon Snail.  It's a bit of a departure for me since it's vegan, but the reviews about the food being so good swayed me.  The sandwich I got was delicious and I certainly didn't miss meat at all because the seitan was well fried and so flavorful.  Only negatives was that it was a bit pricey, and also messy with all the sauce, but delicious and worth those cons.

Gochujang glazed crispy seitan - With kimchi, pickled red onions, arugula and sriracha mayo on a grilled pretzel bun.

Check out that pretzel bun

Dinner from Lions & Tigers & Squares in NYC

I stopped by Lions & Tigers & Squares from some Detroit-style pizza.  I think I saw one of the food network chefs there but didn't want to fangirl.  The pizza was delicious.  Buttery but not too thick to cause a food coma.  Loved both the regular cheese and pepperoni, and inexpensive compared considering I got two pies.  Less than $15!

Pepperonis were HUGE

Regular cheese pizza

Lunch from Bingo Deli in NYC

I finally made it to Bingo Deli for lunch. They have fresh cut turkey on a daily basis and it's pretty inexpensive for Fidi, less than $8 for this bad boy.  Fresh turkey with cranberry means can have Thanksgiving anytime, which makes HP happy :)

Dinner at Eataly La Pizza & La Pasta in NYC

Went to Eataly downtown for Laura's birthday.  Had some delicious pizza and pasta, as well as rose.  The food is not super inexpensive for being in that area, but I think they get you with the drinks because the frose was nearly the same cost as the entree!

Fun fruity decorations

Frozen drinks - frose and blood orange drink

Salsicciotta - tomato sauce, mozzarella di bufala, sweet Italian sausage and mushroms

Papardelle with peas and pancetta

Cacio e pepe

Grande Piatto Misto di Salumi & Formaggi  - assortment of  6 salumi and 5 formaggi and housemade accompaniments

Dinner at Giordano's in Chicago, IL

Obviously in Chicago we had to try to Giordano's, which is the main competitor to Lou Malnati's.  This pizza was much thicker aka deeper.  I liked it more because it was even more different than NY style pizza since it was deeper.  Again, I felt a bit comatose after, but it was delicious in its own right.

Again, Caesar Salad

The tomato sauce is on top!  Weirdddd but works in its casserole-y way

Super thick pie

Lunch at True Food Kitchen in Chicago, IL

There was a quick healthy fast casual place by the law school that I ended up going to twice - True Kitchen.  It was fairly inexpensive for a tasty healthy lunch that didn't make me feel food coma for the afternoon sessions. 

One day I had the Poke Bowl - wild caught albacore, avocado, quinoa rice, mushroom, snow pea, cucumber, cashew, ginger, turmeric ponzu

Finally tried the Beyond Burger - as good as the Impossible Burger but def had a distinct taste.  It also looked more like a burger color-wise

Dinner at The Purple Pig in Chicago, IL

I met up with Debbie at the Purple Pig - a super popular tapas-style place with lots of delicious options.  It was on the Magnificent Mile upper part, which was confusing since I didn't realize that was a thing.  Once I found it, it was great since everything was delicious, drinks were tasty, and place was packed.  Definitely worth coming back to try the rest of the menu.

Octopus a la Plancha - green beans, fingerling potatoes, and salsa berde

Crispy Pig's Ears - kale, pickled cherry peppers, and fried egg.  Potentially my fav dish there

Crispy pig's ears bowl mixed up

Squid Ink Ravioli - stone crab and corn.  Super delicious but small...clearly

Milk Braised Berkshire Shoulder - mashed potatoes and puffed farro

inside of the pork shoulder

bathroom humor