I got a new roommate over the weekend!
Here’s a little about her:
Name: Daisy
Height: 5 ish inches
Weight: That’s Personal
Hobbies: Running on a wheel, Sleeping
Likes: Cuddles
Dislikes: The Cold
Real Owner: Sarah
While I was in New York I had Nutella hot chocolate and I had this moment of why don’t I make this myself?
So that’s exactly what I did. One package of instant hot chocolate, one spoonful of Nutella, some leftover whipped cream and cinnamon on top!
Mmmm. I’m ready for the cold weather!
So Vanessa and Cecilia decided to go all out for thanksgiving dinner and now that I am in a food coma, I must say that it was absolutely wonderful! The Turkey was moist, the experimental corn pudding was delicious and the biscuits were delightful!
They made: Turkey, corn pudding, stuffing, sweet potato pie, mashed potatoes, gravy, biscuits (red lobster style), salad, and honey roasted carrots. We also had Apple cider with cinnamon sticks. Marla also made pumpkin pie (which we topped off with pumpkin ice cream from pilgrim joes).
I took Vanessa and Cecilia to Maggiano’s in the suburbs (as per Mark’s suggestion), and we were overwhelmed by how much pasta we got. Maggiano’s has this deal where you order your meal to eat in the restaurant and it comes with another full serving for you to take home! Unfortunately it doesn’t work at the Maggiano’s in Center city (otherwise I would be there all the time). But I think it was the highlight of Vanessa’s day!
In New York, we stopped by Russ and Daughters to have some food.
Look at their selection!
All the fish!!!
The most delicious bagel I have ever had!
Cause when it’s 21 degrees out you have to go eat Popsicles!
Also, the Mayan Chocolate Popsicle at the Lil Pop Shop is amazing!
On Saturday, we joined a food tour of Greenwich Village and learned a bit about the history of the area, but more importantly we got to sample some good food! The way it worked is that the tour itself was free but you paid $1 at each stop to try the food.
We started the tour with falafel from Mamoun’s which is known for its delicious food and cheap prices!
The tahini sauce was amazing, but the hot sauce BURNED my mouth. I think my tongue was numb for a good five minutes after =(.
Mamoun’s is also right around the corner from Cafe Wha? which is were Bob Dylan used to play, and across from the tavern where some of the great American writers would meet up.
Next up was some artichoke pizza! Apparently the owners have never shared the recipe with anybody, and get together every morning to make the sauce in secret. But I definitely understand why since it’s so delicious!
Cecilia: Why didn’t I get two??
On our way to the next stop, we passed by an a cappella group called A Cappella Soul. They were so good that Cecilia bought their CD! I never realized that New York auditions its street performers (you have to have a special permit and everything!)
At Faicco’s, we had arancini. Arancini (which means little orange in Italian) is a deep fried ball of risotto and cheese. Need I say more?
After Faicco’s, we headed over to Bantam Bagels which sells little pretzel balls filled with cream cheese. They have about a dozen flavors and were recently added to Oprah’s list of her favorite things for 2014. (This seems like a weird addition to me but whatever floats her boat!)
The Bleecker Street one was my favorite!
Our second last stop on the tour was for Bleecker Street Pizza which has consecutively won the Best Pizza in New York from the Food Network for a few years now. (The secret of New York dough is the pH levels.) We tried the nonna’s recipe which was the original recipe passed down from the owner’s grandmother, and he religiously recreates this recipe. He even flies his ingredients from Italy which is pretty legit.
They have this special technique of coating the bottom of the pie so that it lifts off the pan and creates a good crunch while baking. The sauce is not your regular tomato sauce either, but a complex blend of spices that give it a good kick!
Finally we ended the tour at Sugar Plum, which arguably has the best hot chocolate in the area ( I still preferred the hot chocolate from Jacques Torres.)
They also sell some chocolate replicas, like the Statue of Liberty.
I definitely enjoyed this walking tour especially since we tried a few places that I would never have noticed on my own. I would definitely recommend this one if you’re ever in the area!
Cecilia had this absolutely *brilliant* idea that we should walk across the Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday morning so that when we got hot chocolate on the other side, it would taste so much better. Our goal was the Jacques Torres chocolate shop in Brooklyn (which Vanessa had heard about years ago). So we set off across the bridge.
We did get some killer views of the skyline though so that was fun! But it was quite windy =(
When we finally got across the river, the chocolate shop wasn’t open quite yet so we were forced to eat in a patisserie.
It was like a nightmare… surrounded by these glorious little desserts.
So I caved and had an almondine which was chocolate mousse on top of a hazelnut and wafer cookie blend.
But finally, the chocolate shop was open and I got my hot chocolate! Otherwise I would have had to eat another croissant because the first one didn’t last very long.
Was it absolutely delicious? Yes, yes it was.
Was it worth the walk? hmmmm….
On Friday night, we took the Megabus to New York! Cecilia absolutely loves New York, and had us scheduled down to the minute of what our plans were.
Once we settled in to our airbnb, we ventured out for some food at Sticky Rice. We randomly passed it on the street and since we were hungry (one of us was absolutely starving), we got some Pad Thai and Green curry.
Holy man it was amazing. I literally dreamed about eating pad thai all night long. Actually, let’s be honest, I’m still thinking of pad thai right now. Is there any good Thai food in Philly? I need to know!
My sister spent her day in DC with Vanessa and when she came back. We went to Pasqually’s for some good greasy food.
We basically tried to order one of everything from the menu….
I also stopped by the restaurant school for some desserts since it was Cecilia’s birthday today and Vanessa’s birthday last week!
In West Philadelphia 