Buenos Dias, Two Tamales Por Favor

The other day on my way to work, I cut down 39th instead of 38th, and to my surprise walked right past the Mexican Consulate.  You're probably wondering what the big deal is.  A bunch of people standing outside speaking Spanish and trying to fix issues with their visas and green cards....

If that's the case, you clearly haven't passed by the Consulado around 9 am.  Low and behold a little woman standing out front selling tamales from a trash bag.  Gross?  Dirty?  I think not.  Incredible?  Most definitely.  These bundles of goodness wrapped up in corn husks are the real deal.  Stuffed with chicken (I think that's all she has), these tamales are moist, mildly spicy and absolutely delicious (Oh, and cheap!  Only $3 for two).  I think I've found my new "go to" breakfast spot.  Viva Mexico!

Bienvenue au Macaron Cafe!

 Ok ok, so I know I've been gone for a while, and I really have no good excuse why, but I'm back!  And... I'm dedicating my return post to Ellie, my biggest fan and connoisseur of French pastries.  For months now I have been anticipating the opening of a lovely bakery around the corner from my office called Macaron Cafe.  Finally, they have opened and the shop looks delightful.  Running into the office late, I poked my head in to grab an iced coffee and something to tide me over until lunch.  My options seemed fairly limited at 10:30 a.m., so I quickly chose a plain croissant.  Initially, I was sort of turned off by the prepackaging.  For some reason, to me pre-wrap screams "not fresh".  I was wrong in the case of the Macaron croissant.  It is as fresh as can be, and although simple, my breakfast tastes delicious (I'm eating them as we speak).

In addition to an assortment of croissants (plain, chocolate, almond, and bacon/eggs), the breakfast menu includes Tartine Organic Butter, Tartine O. Butter & Jam, and a variety of crepes (avec sugar, jam or nutella), as well as yogurt with granola and fruits.

ps. Macaron flavors include, but are not limited to, Dark Chocolate, White Choloate, French Vanilla, Violet Flower, Rose & Litchee, Espresso, Pistaccio, Praline, Nutella, Coconut, Cassis, Lemon, Raspberry, Strawberry, Passion Fruit

Attention! : the macarons cost a pretty penny, $2.25 for one, $13 for six, and the iced coffee is a little pricier than the street vendor's ($3.00)

This Little Piggy & The Wandering Foodie go to Tea Box Café

Hey Eaters!  Sorry I've been so bad about posting lately.  You can thank The Wandering Foodie for this post (he was my inspiration).  I joined Hagan last Friday for lunch.  He left the restaurant up to me (lots of pressure) and since I knew Takashimaya was closing in June, I figured maybe we should try the Tea Box Café.  I'm not going to go entirely into depth about this, since Hagan did a fine job with his post, but I will add a few things.  I'm certainly glad we went, though I am not sure I need to go again before it shutters.  The space was nice, minimalist.  I love Japanese decor.  The food was also good, though nothing to write home about.  I was actually fairly surprised, but I guess I had high expectations.  It certainly wasn't bad and I definitely enjoyed the pressed rice sandwiches, which came with smoked salmon and cucumber.  As Hagan mentioned, they reminded me of the onigiri I recently tried while visiting Mitsuwa in New Jersey (one of the only reasons to go to that fine State).  This market is fantastic!  It has an awesome "food court" with everything from udon to sushi.  The best thing about the Mitsuwa, though, was probably that I couldn't read a thing.  It made shopping so much more of an adventure.

Anyways, in a nutshell I thought Tea Box Café was good, but not amazing.  I'm glad I made the trip, though won't cry when they close.  Oink oink!

ps. the tuna and ume onigiri were insanely good!

pss. don't forget to check out Hagan's review and pics!

This Little Piggy had a Burger

About the chain of events above:  Last Friday I found out via the wonderful people at @winedanddined about an insane deal they were doing at Flip in Bloomingdale's.  All you had to do was text #89800 and put "FLIP2" in the body, and BINGO, you received a text back giving you a coupon for a free burger.  If you're not familiar with Flip, their burgers aren't cheap.  They pretty much range from $16-$23, which if you ask me, is a lot for a burger.  Anyways, I'm not a huge burger person to begin with, but I felt it was my blogging duty to take advantage of this opportunity.  My friend and I went during lunch and both ordered the Benedict Burger ( american-bred wagyu beef with canadian bacon, ultra-melted american cheese sauce and a fried egg grilled pattie-style on organic ny rye bread) for $23, which also came with steak fries.  The burger was alright, although a little dry, but you couldn't beat the price.  2 Burgers + 2 drinks = $6.50 (see receipt).  Pretty incredible.  Oink oink!

ps.  While I didn't love the burger, I am now obsessed with their mayo that I asked for to go with my fries.

Having your cake & eating it too!

So they say you can't have your cake and eat it too, and usually that is true.  Except, when there is a birthday here at work and someone grabs a cake at Junior's in Grand Central.  I'm not a huge sweets person, and unless it is Red Velvet Cake, I usually opt out of the sugar experience.  But, for the sake of the post, I felt it was my duty to try the Carrot Cake that was brought in yesterday.  Though it wasn't bad, I'm not sure it was worth the calories.  Others seemed to enjoy it, though, so maybe it's just me not having a sweet tooth.  Who knows, but I found it a little dry and the frosting a little too sweet.  I thought maybe it was cream cheese frosting, which I love, but Felicia claims the pictures look more like butter cream, so maybe that was the case.  Either way, I definitely didn't need two pieces.  Maybe it was a blessing in disguise...

Salty Pistachio Caramel soft serve with a little side of fluff

My apologies for the fluff, i.e., this beautiful picture of the tulips on Park Avenue, but they were just too lovely to pass up, so I figured, what the heck, I'd include them for your viewing pleasure.  I mean, they did give me the urge to get out of the office and make my way over to Milk Bar Midtown for a little soft serve.  Clearly, you can see how that could have happened by the similarity in the pictures. They currently have two flavors, Salty Pistachio Caramel and Cereal Milk.  I went with the Pistachio and was pleasantly surprised with its delicious salty and sweet flavor, but as has been the case with all the soft serves I've tried, I was only able to make it through half of the cup before I was sort of over it.  What's the deal with that?  The perfect way to describe it is with a Spanish word, "enpalagada", which more or less means too much flavor.  I typically use it to describe sweet things that you've just had enough of, like a chocolate brownie sunday, or in this case, the Milk Bar soft serve.  They're perfect for sharing though!

Heads Up: The flavors are changing at the EV location tomorrow, April 21st. Adiós Red Velvet and Cream Cheese Frosting swirl, which didn't taste like Red Velvet at all.

Má Pêche: Still a lunchtime favorite in Midtown

After going to Má Pêche for lunch back in December (I oinked about it here), it quickly became a Midtown favorite.  As far as my experience has gone, they have always been quick with their service and the food is delicious.  Though I haven't tried all the items on the $10 lunch menu, the bánh mì maison and bún du riz are excellent and remain my go to items.  I also enjoy the peanut butter cookie and the popcorn with nori and chillies.  If you're pressed for time, you can place to-go orders online.  While currently they are only offering a limited menu, the full restaurant will be open soon.

Eater NY: Ma Peche Launches Take Out with Online Ordering Site

Clearly, by now you must know that I have a small obsession with Ma Peche (and after years of persuasion from my bf, the Momos in general). Luckily, I have never had to wait more than 5 minutes for a table at lunch, though I have seen how that presents a problem for other diners. While eating lunch there a few weeks ago, my bf and I witnessed the table next to us get up and leave without ordering, likely due to time constraints. We both enjoyed our meal, but figured that many people would have issues with the less than speedy lunch time affair.

Voilà, problem solved. According to Eater NY, Ma Peche has begun a take out online ordering system, similar to the reservation system used for Ko, Noodle Bar's Fried Chicken, and Ssam's Bo Ssam.

This Little Piggy wants Momo of Ma Peche

After reading Midtownlunch's review of Momofuku's new lunch outpost, Ma Peche, in the Chambers Hotel (56th between 5th and 6th), a couple girlfriends and I thought we'd go today for lunch.  Figuring it would be packed and we may not get a table, I arrived promptly at noon.  Luckily, it was early enough and there were still tables available.  I was prompted to have a seat in the front while I awaited the other two in my party.  The space is a very relaxing, modern hotel lobby atmosphere and I happily awaited the other two in my party. 

Once they arrived, we were escorted to a small, artistic table surrounded by a small couch and two cushioned stools.  Typically, I would find this a most uncomfortable seating arrangement, however, it went perfectly with the meal and conversation. Since the restaurant is technically not opening until 2010, they currently have a limited $10 lunch menu in addition to a small breakfast and dinner selection.  Assuming they will make additions once the restaurant is in full swing, I'm curious what they may add because right now it is perfect as is.  I selected the  bahn mi du maison, which came with a soda or spring water, as do all the lunch menu options.  My friends, who are not as crazy about pate, selected the bun du riz, a dish consisting of rice noodle, pork ragout and saw leaf herb.  Both choices were excellent.  The bahn mi quickly became my favorite of those I have tried throughout the city.  What it lacked in size, it made up for with incredible ingredients, including an absolutely delicious and creamy pate. 

Additionally, we ordered the popcorn from the regular menu, which came with a interesting nori and chili seasoning.  To top it off, we shared a peanut butter cookie, which was dazzled with bits of peanut brittle that were the perfect compliment to an otherwise perfectly moist cookie that left us asking, "how do they do that?!"

This turned out to be one of the most wonderful weekday lunch experiences I have ever had.  We didn't have to wait, the food was flawless, and the decor and table settings were especially enjoyable.  We will be back next Thursday without a doubt.