NYC in February

Back to NYC for Valentine's Weekend. Discovered some amazing new eats and returned to some old favorites.

Xiao Long Bao from Joe's Shanghai.

$5 for an entire basket of plump and delicious XLB? Yes Please. Each dumpling is big and juicy and filled with meat. Yums. Ignore the rest of the menu. Sesame chicken and lo mein? Might as well just go to Panda Express.

Chicken & Rice from the Halal Guys

Ah finally I have eaten the "official" chicken & rice from "The Halal Guys". That spicy sauce sure packs a punch. I have finally met my match which was a feat even Han Dynasty failed to accomplish.

Our selection: panna cota & french toast

Last week, we were watching Hitch and suddenly, a restaurant name flashed across the screen: Rice to Riches. Considering the movie is almost 10 years old, I was rather skeptical that the place still existed. But I was so fortunately wrong. The place was packed when we finally trekked our way over to Prince Street. The entire restaurant is devoted to rice pudding and it is delicious. I don't think I've ever eaten rice pudding before, but I am officially in love. Guess what's coming up next on my cooking list?  

The Bee's Knee

Another speakeasy? Yes sir but only because I haven't been back since my sophomore year and V hadn't even visited the place yet. And these are the type of cocktails, we can't just whip up in our kitchen. Check out their Wednesday prohibition menu.

Spicy miso Ramen w/ chicken
Momofuku Pork Ramen

I have to admit, I think I'm over momofuku's ramen. For some reason, this past weekend, the ramen tasted very uninspiring. For once, I didn't even finish my bowl of noodles (gasp). I do, however, feel entirely different about the pork buns and the dessert.  At $10 a pop for just 2 pork buns, I'm going to have figure out how to make these myself. The latest menu.

Let me rave about the white miso pudding dessert with apple, pistachio, & tarragon. Its amazing. The top of the miso is caramelized, there are flecks of tarragon sprinkled throughout, and the entire thing is swathed in a bucket of pistachios.