Lunch from Dig Inn in NYC

I decided to order a veggie bowl from Dig Inn and tried tofu instead of meat protein.  It made the bowl even cheaper, though again made it last for two meals.  The tofu was tasty and good texture, but their chicken is just so good that I always want to get that.

Farmer's Favorite Marketbowl - spiced farro w/butternut squash, charred brussels with honey chili oil, jasper hill mac and cheese, maple cauliflower with chickpea crumble, tofu and garlic aioli

a LOT going on in here and all vegetarian

Later I went back to get the chicken because it's so delicious.  I didn't love these sides.  The squash seemed like a small portion and the beets were nice and light but not as filling. 

Charred Chicken marketbowl - spiced farro w/butternut squash,  roasted honeynut squash with puffed wild rice, simple candy striped beets and garlic aioil

Lunch from Terri in NYC

I finally tried Terri - a vegan fast casual chain in NYC.  The salad I got was delicious and super filling - so much so that it lasted two meals.  The seitan "chicken" had a texture a bit harder than regular chicken, but had great flavor that made me forget temporarily that it wasn't meat.  The other toppings were great too.  The salad was kind of pricey but since it lasted for two meals, then it actually wasn't too much.

Southwestern salad - bbq "chicken," guacamole, sweet corn, black beans, tomato, quinoa, red peppers, red onion, romaine, and creamy chipotle dressing

Dinner at Dim Sum Bar in Brooklyn, NY

Dan and I went to a distillery in BK with Greg and Katy, then got delicious dim sum for dinner afterwards.  The dim sum was on par with places in Chinatown, but definitely cheaper.  No carts but it was nice to be able to focus on what we wanted on the menu.  Proof there is good dim sum in nyc outside of Chinatown.

Kalbi ribs and white rice

Shrimp hargow

Pork soup dumplings

Scallion pancake

Turnip cake

Shumai

Veggie steamed dumplings

Dinner at Pinch Chinese in NYC

Dan and I met up with Jordan and Justin at Pinch Chinese.  We were seated next to the chefs so we were able to see some preparation, which was fun and unique.  All of the food was exceptionally delicious.  The only con was it was a little pricey, but worth it.

the menu

Pork Soup dumplings

House Special Shrimp - tiger shrimp kung pao'd

Sichuan String Beans - dried shrimp and niman ranch pork

Seafood fried rice - bay scallop, blue crab, shrimp and house XO

Niman Ranch Cumin Ribs 

Dan Dan noodles - niman ranch pork and peanut

Steak fried rice with american wagyu bavette

Dinner at Mughlai Grill in NYC

Julia and I met up at Mughlai Grill on Clinton Street.  The yelp reviews were five-star, which I don't think I've ever seen.  The food was fine but certainly not the best indian food I've had, let alone in NYC.  Sort of confused why the reviews are so glowing, maybe because there's not that much Indian food on the LES?

Tandoori chicken

aloo gobi

entrees with naan and rice

Dinner at Tasty Hand-Pulled Noodles in NYC

We went to get noodles at a hole-in-the wall spot in Chinatown, just a few doors down from Nom Wah.  It took a little while to get seated, and we sat in the basement not in the most glamorous location.  But the food was awesome, large portions, and very filling. 

So many dumplings

My duck soup

With thinner noodles

Thicker noodles w/beef

Thicker noodles all mixed up

Home-made breakfast hash

I made a home-made breakfast hash of spam, potatoes, peppers, and fried egg.  It was all in one skillet, so easy prep and it was a delicious mix of flavors.

Dinner at Wok Wok Southeast Asian Kitchen in NYC

Had dinner #1 at Wok Wok.  We'd seen this place on Fung Bros, and while it was good, it wasn't mind blowing.  We didn't have a full dinner though, so I didn't feel bad that it wasn't crazy amazing.  The drink menu was limited also and we didn't really like the flavor of the soju or sake, whichever it was that was in our cocktails.  I don't remember the specifics but there were only three options.

Roti scallion pancake served with curry potato chicken sauce.

Bacon crab cheese rangoons - unfortunately didn't taste much bacon or crab.

Thai style popcorn chicken was everyone's favorite

Wok wok fried chicken wings were also good

Lunch at Philippine Bread House in Jersey City, NJ

I had jury duty in JC so went to Philippine Bread House for a quick, super cheap, and taste filipino lunch.  It was very meat forward, as usual, but nice in the gross rainy weather.

Lechon paksiw - vinegary stew of lechon

Corned beef with potatoes

Doesn't look particularly appetizing, but trust me, great great flavor

Brunch at Piggyback Bar in Jersey City, NJ

We were hoping to go to some food festival in JC that ended up being a bust, so instead went to Piggyback Bar and had a tasty filipino brunch.  Finally tried some other things on the menu that I've been meaning to try for awhile, and was very satisfied afterwards.

Longanisa breakfast

Chicken mami

Chicken mami all mixed up

Home-made filipino breakfast

I love filipino breakfast, but it's not the healthiest and also works best with day old white rice.  I made longsilog - longanise with egg and garlic fried rice, and of course had a side of tomatoes.  It came out great, lots of flavor and great balance. 

Tomatoes, longanisa, garlic fried rice, and scrambled eggs

Both our plates

Dinner from Melt Down in Jersey City, NJ

We went to Departed Soles Brewery in JC, and picked up some grilled cheese from Melt Down next door.  Pretty cheap, and very large pieces of sourdough.  Great option for late night cheesy food.

One was regular and the other had some spice

Home-made udon noodles

I was feeling like asian food some made an udon stir fried along with pork and chive dumplings.  The udon came out really well, easy to cook, and reminded me of how much much I love udon noodles.

Udon noodles with scallops and bok choy

pork and chive dumplings

Snack from Fayda Bakery in NYC

I was nearby a Fayda Bakery, so picked up some curry puffs after watching this bakery on Fung Bros.  The puffs were amazing.  The filling had so much flavor, and the pastry itself was perfectly balanced in terms of buttery-ness and flakiness.

Beautiful curry puff

cross section of the inside

Brunch at Greene Hook in Jersey City, NJ

We go to Greene Hook a lot, especially for brunch.  This post is from two different brunch trips.  The menu does change seasonally, which is awesome, since it keeps us coming back constantly.  We really never have had a bad meal there, which is why it's in our top five.

Quiche of the day

Huevos Rancheros

Scotch Egg

Salad Nicoise

Lox on avocado toast

another quiche of the day.  Love their salad too which is a weird thing to say but it's true because their vinaigrette is bomb