Once I went to NY and ate a bunch of stuff...

...and it is about time I share.

Eating at new places unique to a certain city or country is the real reason I travel. I didn't realize this until I heard my husband recapping our trip to his mom, on the phone.

Andrew: "Yeah we did this, and this, and this. And we ate at a lot of places too. Part of traveling with Jocelyn is going to a lot of places to eat."

I hadn't realized that about myself until I heard it out loud and thought, "YEAH! EXACTLY!" And I was inexplicably proud.

More proud of how well my hubby knows me than that my idea of 'culture' is eating the local food. This probably explains why I have no desire to go to China.

So here are some highlights of where we ate (I am only posting about the ones I highly recommend.)

Like Max Brenner.

My all-time favorite place where we ate. So good that even though we ate there on day 3 and were leaving the next day, I begged Andrew to take me back for more of this macaroni and cheese. Deep dish, filled with bacon and tomatoes, baked, bread crumb top, and delicious marinara-type sauce. 

Oh. My.

And then we had this for dessert: A chocolate fondue platter (they are known for being all about chocolate) complete with a belgium waffle topped with berries and ice cream, caramelized bananas, little churro-doughnut type things, brownie bites, fruit, and marshmallows complete with a little table torch for roasting and a fondue pot full of melty milk chocolate. Beware, this place is a bit spendy--this thing cost more than my entree.

And Patsy's Pizzeria. Recommended to us by a local and did not disappoint. I love pizza and was hoping to get a good "New York Slice" in. This was it.

And then there was Levain Bakery. This place is tiny and if you aren't specifically looking for it, you will miss it. They sell approximately 9 things, 4 of those things being cookies. They have a chocolate chip walnut, dark chocolate chocolate chip, dark chocolate peanut butter chip, and one other kind that I can't remember. It may have had raisins in it which would explain my lack of interest.

Stacey said it was one of her favorites and went out of her way to bring us home one of their $4 cookies. We devoured it and went back the next day to buy two more.

They are huge. I ate half in the morning and then the other half late that night in the airport. It made the wait for our delayed flight so much more pleasant. Definitely worth a special visit when in New York.

Lastly was Magnolia Bakery's banana pudding. I have never been a huge fan of banana pudding (I personally think that is food reserved for people without teeth) but this was the exception. Stacey made us sprint across the city at 9:45 pm just to make it there before it closed. Totally worth it.

This is what you get. I think teeth are a requirement for this monster.

(Photo from here {along with an awesome write-up on the bakery}. I found myself at the bakery without a camera or phone.)

Plenty to split between two people.


Go! Enjoy! Eat!