Momofuku Milk Bar

Milk Bar, East Village, NY

Crack Pie

Cereal Milk Soft Serve

Everyone and I mean EVERYONE needs to come to Milk Bar in NY.  Period. Even if you don't have a sweet-tooth for desserts & pastries. Remove that old habit and come try something here!

For a couple years now I've been dying to come to Milk Bar to try their two well known items: Crack Pie & Cereal Milk soft serve. I finally got my hands on them and couldn't wait to blog about it.

First off, let's give a round of applause for Christina Tosi, a 2012 James Beard chef & pastry chef award winner who founded Milk Bar. Her craft with baking pastries and passion for what she does has influenced many young pastry chefs into stepping out of the box. Her desserts are original and here to stay. What an amazing talent she has!

What I love about Milk Bar is that the store doesn't give off a high-end, stuck up, snobbish atmosphere. Instead it's completely opposite from all that. There are young teens and young adults with lots of energy & urban-street attitude that creates a welcoming vibe with friendly interaction. The inside of the store is pretty random with lots going on; posters of dogs, toy/comical pics, a menu that has chalk-like writing, and loud music. It's awesome because the pastries are showcased in typical plastic containers rather than behind-the-glass type casing. 

Their famous Crack Pie is to die for! For about $5 you get this slice of pie that is enough to stuff a single person. The slice itself looks perfect with it's gooey texture core, dark chocolate top layer, stiffened appearance, etc. The first initial bite gave me this sweet & soft texture. As I swirled it around my mouth, I can taste the filling which reminded me of vanilla egg pie. I can feel a light crunchy texture as I chewed through; almost like rice crispies (from the toasted oats). The pie is lightly dusted with powdered sugar to add more texture and sweetness. This was purely crack and I couldn't stop eating it. If I had it my way, I'd eat five in a row. 

Finally I had their soft serve; the famous Cereal Milk. This here wasn't anything too special but it did taste like cereal milk. This was a simple cone with vanilla soft serve and poured-on toasted corn flakes. The unique thing about this dessert is that the cereal is actually blended with brown sugar and a pinch of salt to add this granola taste but still keeping it's cereal flavor. I love the idea of the salt because the blend of both sweet and salty just creates an amazing taste that is just addicting. What a great idea for a soft serve?! Love it. 

So when in New York, please go to Milk Bar and try what they have to offer. Christina does an amazing job drawing attention to her pastries and she backs it up 100%. 

Photo by: Allister de Vera

Milk Bar, East Village, NY

Queens Comfort

Queens Comfort, Astoria, NY

Banana Bread Donut (Fuzzy Pic, sorry)

Captain Crunch French Toast Balls & Fried Mac N' Cheese Balls

"South By Southwest" Benedict

Burrito

This has got to be one of the most outrageous eateries I've ever been to. EVER.

The person who opened this place up has got to be a unique one. He/She is either a toy & comic collector or some memorabilia fan of random things. The moment I stepped foot inside, I noticed the half lit room, the christmas lights across the whole room, toys everywhere, comic books on shelves, movie and random posters on the walls, E.T. movie playing on the slideshow, a DJ spinning music, etc.

Most customers sit with others in random tables due to the space and possibly just because thats the way they do it here. The menu is pretty extensive too which is nice. Most of the entrees and sides were unique; there were different ingredients being made together to create a special dish.

Me and my friends decided to start with their famous fried mac n' cheese balls topped with Sriracha sauce. These were eye-popping good! The mac n' cheese filling was creamy and had the right amount of gooey texture. Next we had Captain Crunch French Toast Balls which were sweet and had a hush puppy texture (these were ok). For my main dish I had their Burrito: scrambled eggs, breakfast sausage, tota, cheddars, Sriracha aioli, and scallions for just $12. The burrito is a pretty big size too so the money is totally worth it.

This place is a must-try. I think people visiting NY should definitely stop by and enjoy. I recommend coming here on Sundays because the atmosphere for brunch is great! Just be prepared for the long lines (come early), the wacky atmosphere (may feel uncomfortable), and for the amazing foods!


Photo by: Allister de Vera
Queens Comfort, Astoria, NY

Katz's Delicatessen

Katz's Deli, Lower East Side, NY

Original Pastrami Sandwich

One of the only places that create that "real" NY atmosphere. This is what I felt. I've witnessed and I've eaten it. It was an experience!

The moment I stepped foot inside Katz's I got this neighborhood-like welcome. The guys who were working during the opening were barely setting up for the new day so this gave me a different view of the mornings.

I am greeted by this security guard in the front entrance who then hands me a ticket and warns me not to lose it. I then walk up to the deli guy named Miguel, an experienced employee who took down my order and told me the instructions step by step on how to order. As I was waiting for my fresh hot pastrami to be made, I overheard conversations from the employees. They were yelling with their thick New Yawk accents lol! It was hilarious to me because they were cussing, arguing about nonsense, teasing each other, etc. This provided that real NY feel to me out of all the places I ate in NY. What better way to experience this vibe through a classic deli place?! It was legit.

Their famous pastrami sandwich is loaded with fresh buttery-textured meat that is thinly sliced from the loaf itself. Each slice is tender & moist with lots of peppery and spice flavor. All this meat packed into two thin sliced white bread. The sandwich is huge itself; it takes a lot of handling while trying to get a bite. Their house made mustard is off the hook too! it's not too spicy, but provides a rich vinegar bite. I personally like to pair the sandwich with their fresh cucumbers that are lightly salted and has a crispy snap to them. For $19 this famous pastrami sandwich truly deserves it's place in NY. This has got to be the best sandwich of all of NY in terms of originality, quality, simplicity, and taste. Because of the high demand for these, its right to have the price set at this much. 

After years of waiting and wondering, I've finally got my hands on these. This isn't just your typical must-have eateries. No, this is a bucket list mark-off, a sandwich to have before you die, a wonder to the food list. Katz's Deli is a one of a kind pastrami joint that will change your mind from purchasing another pastrami sandwich out there. 

Photo by: Allister de Vera

Katz's Deli, Lower East Side , NY

Ladurée

Ladurée, Manhattan, NY

Here it is. Finally. The moment I've been waiting for. For years I've been dreaming and wondering what this macaron heaven was like. This place embedded on my mind for years.

I've been on this macaron trail for about 6.5 years and only have been crawling through the Bay Area and LA for some good macaron. Theres a lot that is pretty good but this..this is the one.

Ladurée has only a few location in the U.S. and they're both in New York. I'm thankful I got to witness and finally get my hands on them.

First off, the store itself is like a jewelry store. A high end one. The setup was like something straight from Paris. There was a beautiful Italian-French style statue in the corner of the store, plush cafe style seating, and marble walls & floors. After examining the store, I finally dove in.

There are large selections of macarons which can either be bought individually for about $5 each or in a fancy box which price varies. I ended up buying the "cheapest" box of six which cost me exactly $25. I just had to do it! Here's what I purchased: Pistachio, Chocolate, Vanilla, Raspberry, Caramel, and Rose Petal. Each one tastes amazing. Each bite has this smooth-moist snap to it with the filling freshly tucked in. The flavors are all there period.

Not only were the macarons amazing on all aspects but the atmosphere of just being inside Ladurée was spectacular and breath taking. There can't be any other way of having a macaron but having it here.

Thank you Louis Ernest Ladurée.

Photo by: Allister de Vera
Ladurée, Manhattan, NY