During our last visit to NYC & Boston, we had so much fun trying out all the different kinds of local food. It was really a great experience. I will just talk about some of the ones we really liked..
1. Mediterranean Food Street Vendor @ 53rd/6th Avenue
There are a lot of street vendors like this in NYC, mostly selling hotdogs, pretzels, roasted nuts, kebabs during the day and there are also some that comes out later in the afternoon/evenings selling hot mediterranean food.
There is a specific one on 53rd Street & 6th Avenue that has really good reviews.
If you get there before 7:30pm, there is another vendor there selling same kind of food but this is NOT the 'good' one.
My hubby got there a little early that day, the 'legit' one was just setting up the stall. Just 10 minutes before 7pm, the line grew from nobody to about 15-20 people and it kept growing. You could already tell that it was going to be good..:)
Returning patrons told my hubby that the line could go on all night until it closes at 4am in the morning.
Street vendor @ NW corner of 53rd/ 6th Avenue ( After 7:30pm)
We got the Chicken & Lamb Combo. (Grilled tender Chicken & Lamb served over a bed of rice/ salad and topped with a few strips of pita bread. They will usually load you up with lots of white yogurt sauce, pour this over the meat and indulge. $6 for a lot of good food. Totally worth the wait. :)
2. NY style Cheese Pizza @ NY Pizza Suprema : 413 8th Avenue ( between 30th-31st street, near Madison Square Garden)
This is a good place to get some really good New York Style Pizza. Thanks to our friend-Jennifer for bringing us here. The restaurant itself looks really old and run down ..but... man, they have some really good cheese pizza (they call it 'Plain' Pizza). Forget about the extra toppings..the plain pizza is as good as it is... We ordered a pie $16 (for 8 huge slices). Pat off the excess grease with a paper towel before folding the pizza into half and chow it down with some soda...yummie!
3. Macarones @ Cafe Macaron: 161 West 36th Street (between 6th & 7th Avenue)
OMG!!! MACARONES!! This is a torture..writing about macarones and not having one right this very moment. Oh boy, if you never had it before and don't know what they are... they are a kind of French dessert, sort of like a very light fluffed cookie filled with different kinds of sweet jam liked fillings..I have tried the Pistachios, passion fruit, Lavender, Violet, Rasperry Rhubarb & Rasberry flavor macaroons and loved them all...They are $1.95 each little piece but I can guarantee if you try it you will love it! Totally worth your buck!
4. Fried Dumplings @ 'Fried Dumplings' 老山东锅贴
106 Mosco St (between Mott St & Mulberry St in Chinatown )
5 for $1. You can't beat that with a stick. Not the best dumplings but 5 for $1?!...and it's freshly made for you while you wait....can't complain. Good place to get a quick snack.
5. 四菜一汤 @ 5 combination
Another hole in the wall place...hidden somewhere in the middle of Chinatown. This is what I call Chinese Fast Food..All the dishes are ready made, over 20+ kinds to choose from. All you need to do is pick out your choice of 4 dishes, they serve it over white rice and with soup of the day. .. $4.50 an order if you dine in but if you take it to-go, it's only $4. If you want a quick meal on a budget, this is the place. They don't really skim on the food but don't expect to get more than 2 pieces of napkins each person. If you ask for more napkins, not only will you not get it but beware of the dirty stare..LOL
6. Ice Cream @ the Original Chinatown Ice Cream Factory
65 Bayard Street
They have all kinds of exotic flavors like Longan, Lychee, Mango, Pandan, Green Tea, Avacado, Durian, Pineapple, Passion Fruit, Pistachios, Ginger, Black Sesame, Red Bean...the list just goes on and on...I ordered the Lychee flavor and absolutely loved it..Perfect treat after all the walking around chinatown :P
7. Cheesecakes @ Juniors Most Fabulous Cheesecakes & Desserts
(in Grand Central Station)
They have all kinds of cheesecake and other desserts. We ordered a Strawberry Shortcake Cheesecake, just to try it out. I thought it was pretty good not too sweet...tasted just perfect!
8. Hong Kong Station 香港站
128 Hester St (Between Bowery & Chrystie St in Chinatown)
The restaurant is pretty clean overall and air-conditioned. First, you pick your favorite kind of noodles (egg noodles, rice noodles...etc) then, choose the toppings (fishballs, dumplings, beef stews, beef tripes, pigs blood..etc) serve with clear broth and topped with other condiments of your choice..
9. New Malaysia Restaurant ( alley to the left of Jin Fong Restaurant in Chinatown, NYC)
If you are not a New Yorker, you probably would not be able to find this place...no kidding. Thanks to our friend, Ben for bringing us here. Otherwise, we would not be able to savor the goodies @ this Malaysian restaurant. There was a sign infront of the building but don't let the sign fool you, the restaurant is nowhere close to where the sign is..when you go thru the main entrance of the building, you would still need walk a long way before you come to this true 'hole in the wall' place, small restaurant but they maximized every room to the fullest, even the restroom. Customers sits back to back, definitely no room to stretch your arm ( or you will hit the person next to you). We ordered Hokkien Mee, Yin Yong and S'pore style rice noodles..they are all pretty good and decently priced as well. Great experience for a New York style- Malaysian food. (Sorry, don't have a picture of this place. All I have is a picture of Jin Foong Restaurant.)
Here are the ones in Boston.
10. The Beach Plum (North Hampton Beach, New Hampshire)
We took the coastal route driving down from Maine thru New Hampshire and back to Massachusetts all in one afternoon. It was quite an experience. Despite the beautiful scenic views, the fresh seafood sandwiches and lobster bisque are to die for. There are signs up declaring them as the best, not sure how the others taste..but this particular one was pretty darn good to me! We had seconds of everything...that's how good they were! :) Priced between $12-$18 for a regular sandwich but you get what you paid for...loads of fresh chunky lobster/crab meat.
This is the infamous Lobster Bisque
11. Bubur Cha Cha Malaysian Restaurant (Chinatown in Boston, MA)
They have a lunch menu here for $6.95 (or maybe $7.95) during the week. You get to pick 1 dish ( or even rice/noodles) from the list, 2 eggrolls and a soup. The waitress told us that the lunch portions are smaller...so we ordered a Claypot noodles, Malay Fried noodles & Wat Tan Hor (not on lunch menu).. For all I can tell, they are all the same size, just cheaper during lunch hours. Great food, loved the Claypot noodles. Will defintely come back when we are in Boston.
(These are the lunch portions Claypot noodles & Malay Fried Noodles)
12. Mike's Pastry
300 Hanover St. Boston, MA 02113
This place is like a dessert heaven. Seriously! They sell all kinds of Italian desserts, from cannoli to cheesecake, tiramisu, macaroons, cakes, gelatos..and the list just goes on and on. However, be prepare to join the big crowd in the store. There are NO lines or what-so-ever. You just stand by the counter and start waving, pointing and yelling what you want. You wait and you'll lose..no kidding. Store specialty is what's called the 'Lobster Claw' or ' Lobstertail' (tasted like Boston Creme puff to me). We ordered a little of everything...Be ready to get into a massive sugar rush after this! lol.
