Bklyn Blggng

You gotta love a place where the salad bar has green jello right next to kim chee. This place is old school in all the best ways, down to normal-sized plates and cups that were common before the era of super-sized everything. I hope this place is here forever.

(Wailana Coffee House, Honolulu, HI)

The first rule of Chinatown Cake Club is you do not talk about Chinatown Cake Club.

I forget exactly what the other rules are, but fortunately there's none about photography.

(CCC, Manhattan)

It may be a gathering before the Chocolate Fondue Fountain comes out, but it's definitely a party after.

(Weehawken, NJ)

I think the appeal of places like Ichiumi is as much to look at food as it to actually eat it. Either way, you'll have fun.

(Ichiumi, 32 St & 5 Av, Manhattan)

I've been skeptical of spam musubi in the past, but Iyasume has made me a believer. The decor is nice, too.

(Iyasume, Honolulu, HI)

I was told not to leave San Diego without tasting this local delicacy.

I was advised well, though my doctor might disagree.

(Roberto's, Hazard Center Drive, San Diego, CA)

(Van Leeuwen Ice Cream, University Pl, Manhattan)

(Momofuku, 1 Av, Manhattan)

(Mermaid Inn, 2 Av, Manhattan)

(Ciao Bello Gelato, Mott St & Houston St, Manhattan)

You know you're with the right person when both of you get the same craving for pastrami, just after midnight, on East Houston Street.

(Katz's, Houston St, Manhattan)

Haven't tried the products, but the place smells great.

(Tortilleria Chinantla, 975 Grand St, Brooklyn)

(Fairway Cafe, Broadway & 74 St, Manhattan)

Sure, rotissere chicken can be part of a tasty meal, but if you're lazy, shamless, and really hungry, it can actually be the entire meal.

(Whole Foods Market, Columbus Circle, Manhattan)

If you love coffee, what better way to enjoy it than inside a store that's basically a giant coffee machine? And it's open 24 hours, no less.

(Roasting Plant, 75 Greenwich Av, Manhattan)

Apparently, my favorite Chinese hot sauce was banned from US shelves for several months because the jar cap didn't meet our strict standards for, uh, jar caps. But now, spicy food lovers can rejoice in the news that the heat is back.

(Gold City Supermarket, Flushing)

Because I am just barely middle-class economically, I shop at Ikea instead of Crate & Barrel. Which is just fine by me, because I'm frugal by nature and have a penchant for assembly and particleboard.

I also have a soft spot for cafeteria dining, which dates back to numerous family outings to the Hot Shoppes Cafeteria at Willowbrook Mall in the 70s.

So it's no wonder that Ikea is one of favorite stores. Cheap furniture? Pushing trays of food? I'm all over it.

But our recent move has meant three visits to these big blue wonders in just two weeks. (Brooklyn, Hicksville, and Paramus, for those of you keeping score.) Which also means three big plates of Swedish meatballs. Which also means...overload. It's too much, even for a fan like myself.

I'll see you in 2009, my Swedish friend. Maybe late in 2009.

(Ikea, Paramus, NJ)

(City Bakery, 18 St, Manhattan)

When in DC at 2am, ya gotta do as the natives do, especially when it means scarfing down a half-smoke with a side of chili and cheese fries. It was worth the 20 minute wait in line.

(Ben's Chili Bowl, Washington, DC)

Looking for a more efficient way to prepare unhealthy meals? The Betty Crocker Stuff-N-Munch is your answer!

(Bklyn Blggng HQ)

Pinkberry annoys me, but that doesn't mean I'm 100% anti-fancypants-Asian-pricey-yougurt. The $5 shake at Red Mango kinda rocks. The $0 August 19, 2008 special was even better.

(Red Mango, 32 St, Manhattan)

Who knew? And it was pretty good too.

(Grand Sichuan House, Brooklyn)

Now that ChikaLicious has been joined by its little brother Puddin', there's two places on East 10 to get your love on. For your partner, or the dessert you're sharing.

[Left to right: coffee, red velvet cupcake*, crème brûlée, latte]

*Not as good as the one at Daisy May's, but still pretty damn good.

(ChikaLicious Puddin', 10 St & 2 Av, Manhattan)

When the power goes out at your favorite Sichuan restaurant and they stop taking orders, you'll wish -- as we did -- that you ordered that fourth dish after all.

(Ollie's, 42 St & 9 Av, Manhattan)

Like many others, I enjoy the halal cart at 53 St & 6 Av, even though I usually avoid street food I and I generally refuse to wait more than 10 minutes in line at any New York eatery. But the food here is pretty tasty, and the line is actually part of the experience.

But at visit last week, I didn't get red sauce, and this time they didn't give me red sauce or their famous white sauce. No white sauce?! This is practically grounds for a civil suit in New York, though to be fair I was in a rush...and so were they.

(6 Av & 53 St, Manhattan)

The most cinematic interior in Chinatown is apparently under Health Department lockdown. Will they re-open like my once beloved Fay-Da?

Honestly, the grime here was part of the charm.

(Mei Lai Wah, Manhattan)

So after two days of feeling blue because congestion pricing died and trying to console myself, I decided to take matters into my own hands.

That's right -- I actually made soondubu for the first time, following a recipie I found online.

The verdict? Passable, but not nearly as good as Seoul Garden's extra spicy combo.

I'll keep trying, and hopefully so will those in favor of congestion pricing.

(Bklyn Blggng HQ)

I'm bummed that congestion pricing died in the State Assembly today, I'm trying to cheer myself up be focusing on things that give me pleasure, like the combo tofu stew with the side order of short ribs at Seoul Garden.

Ah, I feel a little better already. A little, anyway.

(Seoul Garden, 32 St, Manhattan)

Late nights would be a lot easier if we had a few of these in the five boroughs.

(Austin, TX)

The best cup of coffee I've ever had was Yauco Selecto in a press pot several years ago at Gramercy Tavern.

Since then, I've had a few hundred gallons of java, but never in a press pot (except on the rare occasion at a place like Chikalicious) and never Yauco Selecto beans.

But whenever I do see a press pot I think about that cup at Gramercy, and I think to myself I have to get one of these and some of those beans.

Then about two seconds later, I imagine the work and cost involved in finding the beans and getting the exactly right hardware and I promptly dismiss the whole notion. Until the next time I see a press pot.

So I love coffee, but I'm lazy too. And so far, lazy wins.

(Chikalicious Dessert Bar, 10 St & 2 Av, Manhattan)

Meals on the run sometimes mean eating in unlikely and unsavory places. But when it's 11:30pm and you haven't eaten dinner, those concerns can fall away like crumbs from a knish.

(34 St-Herald Sq Station, Manhattan)

Sorry to get all serious and whatnot, but I have a confession to make: as much as I love the ribs at Daisy May's, I think love the cupcakes even more. There, I said it.

(Daisy May's BBQ, 46 St & 11 Av, Manhattan)

(Gray's Papaya, 72 St & Broadway, Manhattan)

It's my goal for 2008 to blog regularly again -- daily if at all possible.

So check back often. As always, I make no guaranties about quality. But quantity? Coming right up.

(Bklyn Blggng HQ)