Eataly - New York

I am so excited to finally share my experience at this amazing place in New York City called Eataly. I feel that this place is a little taste of what Italy would be like. Eataly has Markets with imported cheeses, meats, fresh fish, wine, pasta, you name it, they have it. They also have 7 sit down Italian restaurants and 2 counters to purchase small bites as well as a cooking school.

 

I know what you’re thinking, its heaven right?  I would have liked to dine at one of their amazing restaurants but we did not have reservations and the wait was over an hour. We decided to eat at La Piazza which is the only first come first serve restaurant in Eataly and is standing tables only. They serve mostly small appetizer type dishes so keep that in mind. Eataly has an incredible atmosphere and is a must if you’re in New York. If you get a chance I hear that Birreria, their roof top restaurant, is great!

 

Hop Kee - New York

Seeing as though this would be our last visit to New York this summer, I wanted to make an effort to visit China Town. Genuine Chinese food was what we were looking for and boy did we find it. Located at 21 Mott St, you’ll find the underground restaurant Hop Kee. When you enter you will see pictures of Bill Cosby and Anthony Bourdain on the walls enjoying some of their favorite dishes here. It is a family style restaurant so we decided to share a couple of dishes. First of all they give you a bowl of crispy wonton snacks accompanied by sweet and sour sauce to dip them; they were good but nothing as spectacular as our main course. For entrée’s we all shared Chicken Fried Rice, Salted Squid and Fried Hop Kee Chicken. The rice was hands down the best fried rice I have ever tasted. The Squid was a dish I heard about a lot and had to get it, crispy, mouth watering, salty squid, topped with thin slices of jalapeno which made my day. I probably could have eaten this entire plate to myself and ordered another to ship home to California. Last but certainly not least, the Hop Kee Chicken. When we received the plate it wasn’t like any other fried chicken I’ve had in my life. Visually it looked like a wet battered fried chicken garnished with bok choy, water chestnuts and peas, drenched in a creamy gravy. It was phenomenal, all of the flavors worked well with each other. If you come here, you must order this. I like my food a bit spicy so when I asked for sriacha they laughed. He came out with this oil chili which was awesome and added that perfect heat to my dish. The server was extremely friendly and spoke in Spanish to my husband the entire time which wasn’t expected seeing as though he was Chinese. I absolutely love this place and if you decide on going to China town I highly recommend you to visit Hop Kee.

Gray's Papaya - New York

Ever since the movie “Fools Rush In” came out in 1997, Mathew Perry’s character added one more thing to my bucket list. And that was to taste Grays Papaya’s hot dogs. I went here with high expectations and hoping for the best dog in NYC, but in my opinion when I left I was sadly disappointed. They have a “Recession Special” 2 Franks 1 Drink (except the pineapple) for $4.95. Sauerkraut and onions are free but other add on’s are 50 cents each. I decided to go with the special and also get a side of fries. As for Drinks they have a handful of options to choose from, natural fruit drinks such as coconut, banana, apple and of course papaya. I’d have to say the papaya was the best out of the 3 I tried. As for the hot dogs, there was nothing special to report. They were tasteless in my opinion, the sauerkraut, the onions, the bun and even the fries. I really don’t understand why people rave about this place. I had a better hot dog earlier on the street. The only positive thing I can say about this place is the service, the staff was quite friendly, and we even chatted for a bit. I hate to have such a negative review but that’s why I’m here, to tell my honest opinion.

Centrico - New York City

One of my favorite shows on the Food Network is Chopped, and when I was researching my next food destination in The Big Apple I came across Centrico.  Chopped Judge Aaron Sanchez is Executive Chef and Owner of this Restaurant. We were in the mood for reasonably priced authentic Mexican food so we decided to give Centrico a shot. Turns out we were right! We decided to start off with Tres Salsas and Chips since every Mexican restaurant should first be judged by their salsa. Chipotle, Verde and a Habanero were up for tasting, I am not the biggest fan of chipotle sauce in general so we won’t go there but the other two were wonderful. We received another complimentary trio of Chunky salsas, Mango, Pineapple and Guacamole. So Yummy! For an Appetizer we tasted the Queso Fundido which is essentially a cheese casserole. This was baked with Chorizo and Potato and was scrumptious; the potatoes added a great surprise to the palette. You also have the option of a Poblano Queso Fundido which I will have to try next time; you really can’t go wrong with this dish. As for Entrees we had the Cochinita Pibil - Slow Roasted Pork, Achiote Ricado and Pickled Onions. Achiote ricado is an achiote seed paste; this plate was garnished with cactus and fried Platano which made it perfect in every way. Next was Birria Al Jalisco – Braised Short Ribs Jalisco style in an Ancho Chili Broth. Also great flavors coming out of this but the only down fall was the amount of fat on this piece of meat. After that was Bistec Con Chile Verdes - Adobo sirloin steak with cactus and rajas. Once again the flavors were bold, powerful and authentic. My son Jayden decided on a side of Black Beans and Rice which he loved. After enjoying a few cocktails and tasting some great food I really felt that we were closer to the border then we really were. And that melts my heart. I hope you guys enjoy.

Totonno's Pizzeria Napolitana - New York

After some extensive research to find the best pizza in New York City I came across Totonno’s Pizzeria Napolitana. Located in Brooklyn near Coney Island on Neptune Avenue, you will most likely always be standing in a line out the door, but in my opinion it is well worth the wait. Totonno immigrated from Naples at age 17 and his Pizzeria Opened in 1924. The Pizza has been made the same way since then; the dough is freshly made every morning, tomatoes imported from italy and the mozzarella is handmade. They also use a brick coal burning oven which I think makes the pizza taste so appetizing. Antoinette, Totonno’s granddaughter runs the place now and we had the pleasure of meeting her along with the friendly staff and Chefs whom didn’t seem to mind my photo session with them. They Make it pretty simple, you choose your size pizza and your toppings, Large is $19.50 and Small is $16.50. We ordered Pepperoni with onions and peppers it is Light, Fresh and scrumptious. We cannot wait to go back in a couple weeks. I urge you to check This Napolitana style Pizzeria out on your next visit to New York. You won’t regret it!