LUNCH STUDIO

4:35pm banana almond cake

2012-01-27T18:25:00.001-05:00

Big high five for the banana almond cake from Bottega Falai. The bananas add just the right amount of freshness and the almond cake was moist with a slightly denser bottom.
Bottega Falai, 267 Lafayette St, NY, NY 10012 (below Prince)

Bottega Falai

2012-01-27T17:34:00.001-05:00

It does not occur to us to go to Bottega Falai in the winter, their sandwiches are so light and lovely and summery. But the lovely ladies behind the counter offered to toast the baguettes, a charming acknowledgement of the season. They have organized the sandwich orders, now offering a set series of 10 or so different options, along with 3 kinds of soup and, as far as we can tell, some hot pastas too.
Bottega Falai, 267 Lafayette St, NY, NY 10012 (below Prince)

Tacombi

2012-01-26T18:28:00.001-05:00

I got really excited when to hear Tacombi was rolling out new and improved version of their breakfast taco, but then I had it today and I realized I miss the old one more. More specifically I liked the chunks of potatoes and bits of egg mixed up with the ground chorizo. Today's version was less interesting as far as the texture goes, and (dare I say it) too heavy on the amount of filling. It was more homogenous than I like a breakfast taco, but that could just be me.
Tacombi at Fonda Nolita, 267 Elizabeth St, NY, NY 10012 (below Prince)

after lunch - chocolate con churros

2012-01-25T17:59:00.000-05:00

Of the few times I've been to Spain, I must embarrassingly admit that I never tried a churro. I was younger, and I had even less interest in chocolate as I do now and probably sweets in general (though I did always love a good doughnut). I was much more obsessed with Pan de Higo and things of that nature. What I'm trying to say is that I'm no churro expert. And in learning more about it, there's different types called different things depending on where you are. But according to my Spain expert, the typical churro in Spain is thinner and shorter (often piped in a teardrop shape), and eaten for breakfast or after a late night/early morning of partying with hot chocolate (which more resembles a small cup of melted chocolate) or cafe con leche. We were pretty full from lunch, but had to try anyway. Verdict: I'd love to stop by in the morning before work whether or not alcohol was involved.
Churreria, 284 Mulberry St, NY, NY 10012 (below Houston)

Churreria

2012-01-25T16:32:00.000-05:00

They're still refining service and space at Churreria, but it doesn't matter because it's a lovely little place, perfect for contemplating beautiful light fixtures and eating toasty baguette sandwiches. Word on the street is to go for the pressed sandwiches, or bikinis, as they're called on the menu.
Churreria, 284 Mulberry St, NY, NY 10012 (below Houston)

3:50pm griddle hotcakes

2012-01-24T18:47:00.003-05:00

I don't know if we ever got just one bag, but nowadays we always pay up the $2 for 2 bags of 15 hotcakes each. One to eat piping hot on the walk back to the office, the other with our afternoon coffee.
Hot cake street cart, south side of Canal Street btwn Mulberry and Baxter

Noodle Village

2012-01-24T17:12:00.001-05:00

Besides taking the day off yesterday to celebrate the start of the Year of the Dragon, I guess everyone also decided to eat noodles for longevity at Noodle Village. By the time we got there at 1pm, they were out of fish balls and fish cakes. But the servers in celebratory, gold embroidered, bright red tunics made up for it. That, and a plate of fried fish skin.
Noodle Village, 13 Mott St, NY, NY 10013 (btwn Mosco St and Chatham Sq)

2:00pm sundae

2012-01-20T17:52:00.001-05:00

Even though we have a little sweet treat every afternoon, I wouldn't say we're dessert freaks of any kind. This sundae of salted caramel ice cream, however, I could have eaten all day long. Everything about it was pure bliss in the mouth.
ABC Kitchen, 35 E. 18th St, NY, NY 10003 (btwn Broadway and Park)

ABC Kitchen, with Liz and Peter

2012-01-20T17:01:00.001-05:00

We've been wanting to try ABC Kitchen for awhile now especially since the place was picking up accolades right out of the gate. It's been awhile since Jean-Georges was inspiring. And my does he inspire with ABC Kitchen. We all had the prix fixe - both the salmon tartare appetizer and raviolo entree had the most pleasing subtle, spicy kick to them and the beet salad M. tried was just delicious. For a moment we feared our service would fall to the wayside as Anna Wintour walked in while just after we ordered drinks, but the staff gamely pulled through despite the huge distraction.
ABC Kitchen, 35 E. 18th St, NY, NY 10003 (btwn Broadway and Park)

4:15pm pumpkin bread

2012-01-19T18:42:00.000-05:00

The guy behind the counter at McNally Jackson gave us the largest slice of Pickle Petunia pumpkin bread, so large he could barely fit it in the bag. When we opened it up for dessert I thought, no way we're going to eat all of that in one sitting. Until I had a bite, then another. And another. I can't stop! It's so moist and the flavors are so nice, and I love the small bits of nuts in every bite.
McNally Jackson Cafe, 52 Prince St, NY, NY 10012 (btwn Lafayette and Mulberry)

Burger & Barrel, with Marc

2012-01-19T16:36:00.001-05:00

We were so absorbed in our old classmate, Marc's stories (and he always has good ones) about creating the best new dictionary out there, that I almost forgot to eat. Which would have been a huge shame, because the Thursday lunch special at Burger & Barrel, the meatball parm sandwich, was amazing. The bread was toasted perfectly, resulting in a crunchy top and still soft interior. The sauce, the meat, the mozzarella, I could have devoured more than the half we each had. Not to mention the fries! We might not be sharing the blue cheese laden iceberg lettuce salad again, but we will definitely be back another Thursday for more of a most delicious meatball parm.
Burger & Barrel, 25 W. Houston, NY, NY 10012 (btwn Mercer and Greene)

4:05pm chocolate chip cookies

2012-01-18T18:39:00.001-05:00

If M. had 2 eggs and a box of brownie mix, I had 2 sticks of butter and a cup of old Scharffen Berger semi-sweet chocolate chunks. On a whim I googled Tate's Bake Shop chocolate chip cookie recipe, and to my delight, there it was. They don't turn out quite as perfect as Tate's makes them, but they're pretty damn good and absolutely satisfy a craving. With 2 sticks of butter, you can't go wrong.

Pho Bang

2012-01-18T17:08:00.003-05:00

Even though I'm reluctant to order pho in any place that is not Vietnam or Orange County, CA, M has no such native-born inhibitions. It smelled so nice and looked so pretty today that I almost caved and had a bowl too. Chinatown is packed with shoppers getting ready for the New Year on Monday. Pho Bang was no exception, already selling out of cha lua by 1pm.
Pho Bang, 157 Mott St, NY, NY 10013 (btwn Grand and Broome)

3:40pm brownies

2012-01-17T18:55:00.001-05:00

M. and I get the same craving in the winter to bake. Sometimes I think it comes from living in a drafty old house in college where the only way we could get warm was to turn on the oven and bake. We're both the same brand of lazy too, baking whatever takes advantage of the ingredients already at hand. In M's case that was 2 eggs needed to make brownies using a box of Trader Joe's brownie mix that she had picked up awhile back. So amazingly easy it almost feels like cheating considering the quality of the resulting brownies.

Jack's Wife Freda

2012-01-17T17:54:00.000-05:00

We wanted to like the matzo ball soup, really we did, but it was just passable, somehow neither stunningly delicious nor atrociously bad. The burger, on the other hand, was pure enjoyment. It's served on a soft squishy potato roll, the meat needed a little more salt, but the delicate fried onions were a nice touch. I personally would not have minded something pickle-like but mustard served us well instead. We're looking forward to trying some more items and especially the house-baked breakfast menu. Welcome to the neighborhood Jack's Wife Freda.
Jack's Wife Freda, 224 Lafayette St, NY, NY 10012 (below Spring)

4:39pm chocolate cupcake

2012-01-13T16:44:00.002-05:00

As usual, everything about the chocolate cupcake from Oro is just perfect. The frosting is not too sweet, the sprinkles add a fun crunch texture and the chocolate cake is moist, a rare accomplishment in the world of chocolate cupcakes. Finally, to cap all that perfection off, the $2 price tag. That's a cupcake that cannot be beat.
Oro Bakery, 375 Broome St, NY, NY 10013 (btwn Mulberry & Mott)

Soho Halal Cart

2012-01-13T15:17:00.002-05:00

On man, this lamb gyro from the cart at the north-eastern corner of Spring and Broadway totally hit the spot. I huddled outside in the cold, next to the brick wall, watching this guy deftly throw together 2 gyro sandwiches, and then rushed back to the office before they could get too cold. They were not too greasy today, the first bite was almost too dry, but by the middle, all the cheapness of the ingredients blended together in a delicious cacophony of satisfaction.
Soho Halal Cart, north-east corner of Spring St and Broadway, NY, N

4:22pm coconut five spice white chocolate chip cookies

2012-01-12T18:21:00.002-05:00

Normally we shy away from such involved descriptions, but not when it carries a Whimsy and Spice label. Because then you know that the flavors are perfectly balanced. The five spice adds just a hint of foreignness, while the coconut contributes a slight chewiness to the texture. In this one instance I would not have minded dark chocolate chips instead of white, although we did really like it as it was.
Nolita Mart, 156 Mott Street, NY, NY 10013 (near Grand)

Shanghai Asian Cuisine

2012-01-12T18:05:00.001-05:00

Elizabeth St was the place to be today for lunch, one friend ended up at Shanghai Cafe while I see Immaculate Infatuation tried the dim sum next door to us at Jing Fong. A fellow food lover suggested that Shanghai Asian Cuisine has the best soup dumplings (or XLB or xiao long bao as they are properly called) (gasp! better than Shanghai Cafe?). The soup dumplings were good, and a nice change from our usual favorite (and Serious Eats's favorite). The soup is more broth than meat juice so it feels lighter but the overall taste is a bit too sweet for us. Still, it does not prevent us from going back. Although we might not order the dry sauteed string beans again, which accidentally or not, turned out to be the most bland string beans I have ever eaten.
Shanghai Asian Cuisine, 14 Elizabeth St, NY, NY 10013 (btwn Canal and Bayard)

3:50pm lemon tart

2012-01-11T18:31:00.002-05:00

It's a super shame Mille-feuille Bakery is not closer to us so we could have one of their perfectly French croissants every morning for breakfast. But it's not so far that we cannot occasionally partake in dessert options. Like this lemon tart which reminded us instantly of that one singular time we had a good one from Falai. It was a shade sweet but oh so lovely. No longer any need for the hit or miss lemon tart experience at Falai! Huzzah!
Mille-feuille Bakery Cafe, 552 Laguardia Place, NY, NY 10012 (btwn 3rd and Bleecker)

Rubirosa

2012-01-11T16:42:00.002-05:00

It's strange but for the past several weeks or so, I get odd cravings for the tartness of a good vinaigrette dressing. I never find salads all that satisfying for lunch, but how else to get the need for vinaigrette out of my system? M. does not mind being directed by odd cravings and had a more substantial pasta fagioli at Rubirosa while I made my way through a bevy of ingredients tossed over two large chunks of iceberg lettuce.
Rubirosa Pizza, 235 Mulberry St, NY, NY 10012 (btwn Spring and Prince)

4:18pm java cake

2012-01-10T17:54:00.001-05:00

The first bite was dry, the second bite dry, the third bite, toward the bottom, was moist and delicious. The remainder of the java cake? Dry again. Totally disappointing. So much potential! Sadly wasted to the air.
Olive's, 120 Prince St, NY, NY 10012 (btwn Wooster and Greene)

12 Chairs, with friends

2012-01-10T17:39:00.000-05:00

Truly I can't imagine a world where a pickle, sliced egg, fried eggplant and potato sandwich, aka a sabich sandwich, wouldn't make the cut but M. got a great shot of this pretty decent burger and there we stayed. We have never been to 12 Chairs, but after today's successful lunch, we may be back. Julie claims the hummus was some of the best she had ever eaten, we unanimously agreed the sweet potato fries were divine and Nicky's sabich sandwich was entirely consumed by her. Scott ordered a salad because supposedly he had half a leftover sandwich half an hour beforehand. No comment.
12 Chairs, 56 McDougal St, NY, NY 10012 (btwn Prince and Houston)

3:40pm gateau lorrain

2012-01-09T19:15:00.001-05:00

I'm confused if it's gateau lorrain or lorraine, but neither of us were confused on wanting something tart like strawberries or raspberries to accompany this sweet French dessert from FPB.
FPB Francois Payard Bakery, 116 W. Houston St, NY, NY 10012

Paris Sandwich

2012-01-09T16:52:00.002-05:00

We actually ate separately today. I walked over to Dos Toros in the West Village to meet an old friend and even though my pollo asado quesadilla with guacamole was miles of deliciousness, of the dozen or so photos I tried to take with my poor 3-year old point and shoot, none of them compare to this lovely bit of freshness from M's Paris Sandwich banh mi.
Paris Sandwich, 213 Grand St, NY, NY 10013 (btwn Mott and Elizabeth)