New York eating

As mentioned, I just came home after a fabulous week in New York City! There's really no place on earth like the Big Apple. The energy, the people, the spirit, the food...nothing can beat it, as far as I'm concerned. I enjoyed crisp fall weather (which was surprisingly a nice change from the Bangkok heat and humidity), glorious morning runs in Central Park, the beautiful wedding of our friends Daniela and Pedro at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and OF COURSE lots of good eats with my foodie partner-in-crime The Gastronomic Nomad (and other friends). Here's a look at some of the incredible food that I ate while there...

Toloache (Mexican)
166 E. 82nd Street
New York, NY 10028
212.861.4505

1. Frutas guacamole (guacamole with pomegranate, Vidalia onion, mango, apple, peach, habanero and Thai basil)
2. Margaritas (of course!) - regular and watermelon
3. Enchiladas vegatarianas stuffed with spinach, asparagus and chayote and topped with tomatillo & 5 chili salsa borracha

Candle Cafe (vegan)
1307 3rd Avenue (between 74th and 75th)
New York, NY 10021
212.472.0970

Porcini-crusted seitan with garlic-shallot-potato mash, roasted tomatoes, sautéed string beans
and spinach, topped with country gravy and crispy capers

Bacchus (French) - Daniela's rehearsal dinner!
409 Atlantic Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11217
718.852.1572

1. Croustillant de chèvre et de poire (crispy pear and goat cheese beggar's purse with fig relish)
2. Raviolis aux champignons (mushroom ravioli with asparagus cream sauce and Parmesan)
3. Fondant au chocolat (with roasted cashew vanilla ice cream)
4. Crème brûlée

Cascabel Taqueria (Mexican)
1538 2nd Avenue @ 80th Street
New York, NY 10075
212.717.8226

1. Guacamole
2. Tacos vegetal (oyster mushroom, fingerling potato, poblano, queso fresco, crema and Bibb lettuce)
3. Baja fish tacos (beer battered tilapia, cabbage carrot cumin slaw, chipotle aioli)
4. Quinoa y frijoles (black beans and quinoa with cotija cheese, queso fresco, onion and coriander)

Miss Lily's (Jamaican) - for brunch!
132 West Houston Street at Sullivan Street
New York, NY 10012
646.588.5375

1. Spicy Bloody Mary with soju and passion fruit bellini (unlimited for 2 hours!)
2. Jamaican rancheros (over easy eggs, plantains, stew peas, avocado, Scotch bonnet)
3. Grilled jerk corn
4. Jamaican breakfast (ackee and saltfish, sauteed callaloo, ripe plantains and festival bread)

Tertulia (Spanish/tapas)
359 6th Avenue
New York, NY 10014
212.559.9909

1. Berenjenas rebozadas (crispy baby eggplant, citrus, yogurt, hazelnut romesco)
2. Pimentos de padron
3. Smoked egg with crispy kale and caramelized butternut squash
4. Tomato and watermelon salad with creamy Spanish cheese

Tulsi (Indian)
211 East 46th Street (between 2nd and 3rd)
New York, NY 10017
212.888.0820

1. Manchurian cauliflower
2. Paneer "feijoada" (black-eyed peas and paneer in a tamarind-coconut sauce, with tomato rice)
3. Goan seafood curry
3. Mango tasting (cheesecake, falooda and fresh mango)

It's a good thing that I was jogging in Central Park given all of this luscious food! As always, I returned home energized (albeit a bit jet lagged...20 hours of travel in economy is no joke!) and filled with lots of inspiration and ideas, not to mention a suitcase filled with food loot (masa harina, pomegranate molasses, sun-dried tomatoes, dried chipotles, hearts of palm...just to name a few!). Revved up by this incredible week in New York, it's now time to get back to cooking!