Dinner at Claw Daddy's in NYC

A group of us went to Claw Daddy's on the Lower East Side for Laura's birthday.  Super awesome concept - seafood oriented with southern/Louisiana twist.  Loved the adult capri sun and all the food was delicious.  I even enjoyed the grilled oysters.  They have a great happy hour, seven days a week.  Would def love to come back to try more things on their menu.

Grilled Oysters with garlic, butter, parsley and parmesan cheese.  $1.50 each during happy hour!

Jambalya with sausage - wet rice with Louisiana cajun spice: Tasty though for some reason was hoping the sausage tasted like the sausage at Fish Market haha

I think these were Crab Cake Fritters - with spicy old bay aioli

Biscuit Sliders - fried chicken tenders, pickles, and cole slaw.  Soo yummy.  Biscuits were nice and fluffy and chicken was delicious

Crawfish boil in Claw Daddy's Special sauce - def had a kick even though it was only medium

Royal Garden Adult Capri Sun - soju, honeydew, cucumber, raspberry syrup, coriander and lavender.  Sooo delicious though prob not very strong.  Still fun drinking out of a juice bag ha

Lunch from food trucks in Jersey City, NJ

There was a food truck festival in JC so grabbed a few things from various trucks.  I wasn't able to take pics of everything but got some shots of tacos from a Mexican-Filipino food truck and also dessert from Milk Sugar Love.

Chicken tacos from Mexi-Flip Food Truck - sadly not as flavorful as it sounded.  Chicken was supposed to be adobo marinated but didn't taste like it.  The tortillas had good flavor though

Fruity Pebbles Macaron with cereal ice cream from Milk Sugar Love - WOW the ice cream was so frozen - didn't melt at all during our walk despite 90+ temps.  Glad I tried it but not something I'd crave again

Lunch at Bareburger in Forest Hills, NY

My co-workers and I took our intern out for lunch at Bareburger.  As usual the food was delicious, but was thrilled to find some kind of healthy options despite the place being really known for various meats/burgers.  Lots of delicious menu options and this was the first time I found a wrap substitute that I legitimately enjoyed.

Macho Fries - guacamole, pepper jack, spicy pico de gallo, pickled jalapenos, buttermilk ranch.  Lots going on but all worked well together.  We shared so I didn't feel too gross

My Honey Hot Chicken - buttermilk fried chicken, brussel slaw, grilled pineapple, hot honey with crispy lotus root.  The kicker is that instead of the bun I got it in a collard green wrap which I LOVED.  It was so sturdy and held the chicken (which was super juicy) so well

Falafelwraptor - fava falafel, feta, spicy pico de gallo, alfafa, cucumbers, pickled red onion, lemon tahini dressing on collard green wrap.  Two of my co-workers got it and really enjoyed it

Dinner at Noreetuh in NYC

Dan and I went back to Noreetuh for another delicious Restaurant Week dinner.  The food was amazing though we ordered extra (beyond the RW deal) so we were both stuffed afterwards.  Pretty much loved everything and am soo excited to go back to Hawaii this fall.

Truffle Taro Chips - not part of RW but went so well with the various poke we got for RW

Corned Beef Tongue Musubi with cilantro and peanuts - still the best musubi we've ever had

Big-eye tuna poke - with macadamia nuts, pickled jalapenos, and seaweed.  So delicious and was great with the taro chips

Shrimp poke : cucumber, wasabi, pearl onion yuzu - I didn't love this quite as much I think because had a mayo-y taste

Kahlua Pork Cavatelli with pickled cabbage and parmigiano reggiano - surprising flavors because the pork was a bit sweet.  Overall I liked it more than the other pasta dish but was a bit confusing

Mentaiko Spaghetti with smoked butterfish, aonori and chili.  Definitely unique but the flavor combo was a bit confusing.  Maybe too sophisticated for my taste buds

King's Hawaiian Bread Pudding with rum raisins and pineapple ice cream.  We got this last time and it was delicious but my dessert below is the star

Chocolate Haupia Sundae with almonds, graham cracker and coconut ice cream.  Perfect.  The haupia tastes kind of like a chocolate custard/pudding.  The crackers have a bit of salt and the other pieces add perfect crunch and different textures.  The ice cream is also perfect

Home-made fish, kale and potatoes

Dan grabbed some fresh fish from JC Fish Market, and made a delicious healthy meal of fish atop massaged lemon kale and crispy potatoes.  The fish had a bit of skin, and he fried it well so the skin was perfectly crisp.

Garlicky fish on top of lemon kale and crispy potatoes

Another shot

Dinner at HopsScotch in Jersey City, NJ

We went to HopsScotch for dinner nearby.  They have connect four and sometimes other game options at the tables, which helps pass the time while waiting for food.  Everything we ate was delicious and pretty decadent.  Very delicious bar food but done extremely well.

Best Wingers Ever (their name), Traditional Fire -good amount of breading, perfectly fried.  Little bit of heat.  Would def like to try other flavors

Dan got the Pig Mac - beef burger with pork roll, bacon marmalade, crispy mac and cheese, house-made pickles, and spicy aioli.  Plus side of tots, which were excellent

I got the Crabcake Sammy with remoulade, shaved lettuce, summer tomato and old baby fries.  Super delicious patty, lots of lump crab meat.  I ended up going bunless half way through though bc the bun was too much

Close up of my crabcake sammy

Dinner at Smorgasburg Seaport in NYC

Dan and I finally made it to Smorgasburg by South Street Seaport in Manhattan.  We still haven't been to the big one in Brooklyn, but glad to start small.  There were only a few vendors at this one but we got to try a few places I've been wanting to try - including Lumpia Shack and Red Hook Lobster Pound.  It was super quick getting our food and there space inside for seating was huge.  I just wish there were even more options because it's nice to be able to try so many different things on one trip.

Brisket Sandwich from Fletchers BBQ.  Tasty but I prefer my brisket in thick slices versus shredded/pulled.  That banana pudding on the bottom was delicious

Lobster Roll Tuscan Style - chilled lobster tossed in basil-lemon vinaigrette.  Very tasty but wished it were larger

Bowl with cold rice noodles, pork skewers, veggies and side of lumpia.  Nice and fresh, very similar to Vietnamese food.  But the bbq and lumpia themselves were just okay.  My lumpia is def better 

Tasty drinks from the bar