Day 6 was another twofer, with a delicious panino from Eataly, finished off by pie from Hill Country Chicken.
Eataly is Mario Batali's latest entry into Italian cuisine. It's an interesting mix between a specialty Italian grocer, and Italian restaurants. Different dining sections are dispersed between the aisles of great food. Choosing among the pork, fish, vegetable, pasta and pizza, coffee, panino, pastry, and gelato bars was one of the toughest decisions of the night, but in the end, we went with the panino bar. We had a pressed soppressata and provolone panino, which had a satisfying spice from the soppressata. The panino was pressed to perfection, and worked well with the fresh ingredients.
The grocery items were high quality, but be prepared to pay accordingly. Eataly has drawn crowds since its opening earlier this year, so be prepared to hunt for a table and go elbow to elbow while you search for the perfect taleggio or caffe.
Next stop: Hill Country Chicken, the brain child of Hill Country BBQ. We didn't try the chicken, but we did fill up on three mini, 3 inch pies; banana cream, cowboy pie, and apple and cheddar pie. The banana cream pie was fantastic and had a good banana base with a mountain of whipped cream. Out of the three pies, it was definitely our favorite because it carried just the right balance of decadence.
The cowboy pie was a mess of caramel chipschocolate chips, held together by caramel in a graham cracker crust. It was a rich mixture that melted in your mouth. It would have been great served warm with a scoop of ice cream. The apple and cheddar pie only offered a hint of the savory cheddar, but the apples were sweet and perfect for the buttery crust. Hill Country Chicken recreated a 1950s style diner on the upper level, while the lower level was a freakishly amazing replication of a basement you would find in any home in America in the '50s. It was complete with vinyl chairs, Lite Brites, and faux wood paneling. Overall a pretty enjoyable experience. 
Day 5 was a cheap eats day, courtesy of Vanessa's Dumpling House. Today's lunch hunger was satiated by a sesame pancake sandwich stuffed with roasted pork, carrots, and cucumbers AND an order of five, fried pork and chive dumplings. Pork overload! Everything was great and was all under $5. The dumplings are made right in the store and taste fresh and are fried to perfection. The sandwich was equally tasty, but made tastier with the provided hot sauce. The sesame pancake is great, and the vegetables give way with a satisfying crunch.
The location doesn't offer a lot of seating, so try to avoid the lunch rush, or have a good alternative spot to go and enjoy your dumplings.
Everyone loves a fresh Rice Krispie treat. I decided to put a bit of a twist on it by using Marshmallow Fluff...Strawberry Marshmallow Fluff! The Fluff adds a bit more sweetness to the treats and the strawberry flavoring doesn't add much to the flavor, but it sure does look cool. If you can't find pink fluff, pink marshmallows could also do the trick. This is a very fun and cheap dessert that's designed to share with a group.
Check the ingredients below:
- 3 tablespoons of butter, with more for the serving dish
- 5 cups of crispy rice cereal
- 1 jar of Strawberry Marshmallow Fluff OR 1 package (10 oz) of regular sized, pink marshmallows
Prepare a dish with cooking spray or butter for the treats.Melt the butter in a large pot, then add the fluff. Be warned though-fluff is tough to work with and is very, very sticky. A silicon spatula with a spoon for scraping works pretty well. Once the butter and fluff are mixed together, take the pot off the heat and add the crispy rice cereal, stir until the fluff and cereal are well mixed. When it's cool, cut into squares and enjoy!
Days 3 and 4 were definitely not light carb days. Day 3 took us to Brooklyn for some delicious Mexican food from Calexico. What started off as delicious food from a cart blossomed into a full fledged casual, brick and mortar restaurant. From the cart on Wooster and Prince, I knew to order the pulled pork quesadilla, but also shared their specialty, the carne asada taco. Both did not disappoint, and the side of crack sauce just enhanced the whole experience. Both the pork and the steak were cooked perfectly. Another notable menu item, only available at the restaurant, was the torta. The Mexican sandwich was full of pulled pork with pickled red onions, lettuce, and tomato. The restaurant is a casual affair with very reasonably priced items. You order at the counter and wait it out for a seat, but be warned that it's very popular so you may wait a bit for a seat.
Take a peak at the Calexico site: http://www.calexicocart.com/page/page/4364476.htm
Day 4 brought a great breakfast, courtesy of Murray's Bagels. Unlike other delis, Murray's does not toast the bagels. Instead, they allow the bagel to speak for itself. I went for the delicious whole wheat bagel with cream cheese, though they had a variety of whole wheat bagels, from whole wheat everything bagels to organic wheat. The bagel had a great texture and the whole wheat was very flavorful. However, we also had a delicious sandwich with salmon, capers, tomatoes, and cream cheese on a poppy seed bagel. Fantastic fresh salmon marinated in what tasted like dill was the center piece of the sandwich. Everything was well balanced and very fresh.
Check out the Murray's site: http://www.murraysbagels.com/index2.htm
The food tour continued today with a lunchtime visit to Torrisi Italian Specialties. It's a fairly new addition to the SoHo restaurant scene, but it's made quite the impression. The dinner menu changes daily, and the management is fairly strict on the no substitution rule. The space is pretty tight, so be prepared for a wait at either lunch or dinner. I can't speak for the dinner fare, but lunch was delicious.
For lunch, you can just walk up to the counter and order your sandwich. Everything smelled great and they were making the eggplant parmesan sandwich, but I went for creating my own. They have a standard collection of meats, and I created a mozzarella, roasted red pepper, and soppressata sandwich on a hero with a little oil and vinegar. Everything tasted quite fresh, though I do wish the bread was a bit crustier. It was a pretty standard hero roll with sesame seeds. However, it was a really satisfying sandwich.
Check out the Torrisi website at: http://www.piginahat.com/
Can't wait for day 3!
The Galley Kitchen is moving to San Francisco! But with New York being home to so many different types of food, from the very humble street cart to fancy, Michelin starred eateries, I couldn't leave without taking one last bite (trite, but you have to admit...a little funny) out of the Big Apple.
Today was day 1 of the New York Food Tour and the first stop was Baohaus, home to the Authentic Taiwanese Gua Bao-steamed bun sandwiches. These aren't sandwiches in the American sense-the bun is a more taco-shaped, soft, doughy bun. Baohaus has a great selection of fillings. I hungrily ate the Chairman Bao-a delightful sandwich with "all natural Berkshire Pork Belly," garnished with crushed peanut, cilantro, Haus relish, and Taiwanese red sugar. All the flavors blended quite well, though I do wish there was more relish. It was a good complement to the savory pork belly. One bun is a good snack, but I think two would satisfy the lunch hunger.
They also offer a vegetarian bao with fried organic tofu. Fun for all!
Check out the Baohaus website: http://www.baohausnyc.com/.
Next stop: Hill Country Chicken, the brain child of Hill Country BBQ. We didn't try the chicken, but we did fill up on three mini, 3 inch pies; banana cream, cowboy pie, and apple and cheddar pie. The banana cream pie was fantastic and had a good banana base with a mountain of whipped cream. Out of the three pies, it was definitely our favorite because it carried just the right balance of decadence.
