ORGASMIC EATS

Dave, Pam & Me @ Momofuku Noodle Bar

So this wonderful entry is going to be mainly about the food I ingested this week.  I honestly apologize in advance to the food lovers out there!  I was on the other side of this coin recently, when Jay posted an amazing looking pizza pie from Lombardi's in Little Italy while I was working, and it made me incredibly envious (and hungry!)  So, I'm sorry, really, but it's not gonna stop me from showcasing my culinary conquests.  

homemade Egg & Cheese

It began with a homemade breakfast sammie... not just any breakfast sammie, mind you, but one NY-bodega-inspired egg and cheese sandwich (since it was homemade i had no bacon or sausage to add).  I bought the roll nearby and of course it was beautiful looking.  Shout-out to Mr. Adam Tesler for always showing his love for the 'kaiser roll'... i have a new found appreciation for them since eating their fluffy and delectable east coast cousins every day.  

Fried oyster sams from The Dutch

Then Mr. Robert Schmidt (aka bob, aka jays' roomie in my absence) came into town for work and I met him at The Dutch in Soho.  I guess it borders the southern west village... I absolutely love these manhattan neighborhooditas and how I have such a better grasp on them... of course it helps that i'm obsessed with maps, but it's fun to navigate!  This restaurant was recommended to me from Laura awhile ago and I finally made it.  Delicious stuff, great drinks and fun atmosphere.  Featured here are the fried oyster sliders... delectable!  Bob and I wined and dined then I guided him over to the East Village where we slummed it at the Horse Box, with Dave, in classic EV fashion!

pork belly buns!  we each got one!

I'll move on to the next night, Momofuku special treatment night!  I know I know, I already had a post about momofuku noodle bar on here, but this is different, trust me.  Back then I barely stumbled upon the legacy, ate solo at the bar, chose my entree conservatively (classic ramen noodle soup) and had a solitary yet deep experience.  This time around, we were with Pam!  Pam is Dave Moore's good friend from traveling abroad (i think) during their architecture undergrad... They stayed friends in NY & now Pam's fiance is the sous chef for Momofuku noodle bar.  Tim is an incredible guy!  Not only is he uber generous, but he's fascinated by all the ways to cook eggs... which totally fascinates me!  Soy sauce egg anyone??  So although i was so proud of dining solo the last time around, walking right through the crowd of hungry people waiting and sitting at the bar with excellent service, this time around we were royalty!  The wait was going to be 40 minutes; as soon as Pam showed up, we walked in, the hostess and waitresses recognized her, parted the ways and seated us immediately.  Dave and I were super impressed!!!

Curried cauliflour

Amazing take on snow peas

Needless to say, we ordered 75% of the menu (inventive specials change every week) and then Tim hooked us up with the other 25%.  We indulged loudly with little grace but happy faces.  Here are a series of pics taken from our ostentatious meal!

Potatoes w pancetta & bonito flakes

ginger scallion noodles!

Soft shell crab delight

To wrap up my incredible week of yummy goodness, my producer at work, Drew, and I ventured out to a two hour lunch on Friday in search of the New York jewish mecca.  DELI.  We trekked it to the Upper West Side, which isn't that far from us since we work on 57th and 10th.  When we emerged on 79th and Broadway, I saw sandy-colored parisian buildings, green trees lining the center of the boulevard and way less traffic then I was used to thus far.  Ahh, this place is pleasant!  I think I like the upper west side!  I had a couple delis written down in the neighborhood but we finally decided on Zabar's.  The counter in their small store is pretty limited with mostly breakfast items and prepackaged sandwiches.  Then I poke my head into their actual supermarket to see if we could score quality deli and I was pleasantly surprised...(after we had to fight the jewish elderly just to get down the aisles!)  They had an enormous cheese counter, take a number!, then in another room the meat counter, take a number! and on the opposite wall the fish counter, TAKE A NUMBER!  

Roast beef, tongue & pastrami

Fresh cut, ready to package or make a sandwich to go.  We both went for typical sky-high meat sandwiches, in all their glory!  There was a guy giving out samples of salmon & when he saw me eying the containers of smoked white fish salad he opened one up and gave me a sample right then and there!  He was awesome.  I walked out with my mile-high sandwich on rye, a container of white fish pate, a container of chopped chicken liver pate & a bag of crackers!  P.S. it was the best damn chopped liver I've ever had next to my Grandma Babs' homemade stuff!  Insano.

coleslaw in the center of the meats so bread doesn't get soggy!

We walked back to work that afternoon, because otherwise we might have keeled over and died... (don't worry, I only ate half of this sandwich!)  Drew raved about his favorite chocolate chip cookie spot in the city that we just happened to be walking by so we just happen to stop in.

   I honestly didn't believe him when he described how incredible these fresh baked cookies were, until I started down the Levain Bakery basement stairs and the familiar whiff hit me like a factory of childhood memories.  COOKIES!!!  Then i saw them.  They were softball size mounds of dough, placed neatly on trays upon trays upon trays.  Could this just be one cookie!?  

Levain choco chip cookies pre-baked

Drew assured me that 1 was all we needed and i assured him that we could split it.  After we got our ginormous cookie that could have been easily mistaken for a large scone, we walked with it warm on the wax paper, down Amsterdam Ave.  I took the first bite because Drew is a gentleman, and because I think he couldn't wait to see my reaction.  Hands down, the most delicious chocolate chip cookie I have ever tasted!  And because it was so tall and thick a good part of the inside was half cooked and damn scrumptious!  I was immediately energized by the happiness this cookie provided, or maybe it was the sugar.  Regardless, I'll never forget Levain bakery!

In all it's baked glory (half-baked inside!!)