Veritasty: Truthfully Delicious

Opening Act I ♥ NY.  I love New York's Restaurant Week! Today, we headed uptown for lunch at Smith & Wollensky.  I've heard about this famous steakhouse from a coworker who often brought family members here to lavish them with birthday dinners.  This, along with Peter Luger, is reputed to be one of New York's best old-school steakhouses.  I hear many new steakhouses are gaining prestige, but it was certainly fun to visit an institution, at a discounted price!! (Restaurant Week: now - February 10th; Mondays - Fridays; $24.07 lunch and $35 dinner prix fixe 3-course meals!!) When we arrived, we were greeted by a host downstairs who sent us upstairs to a second host.  Then, we were led quickly through the dining room to a table in the back.  Everything flew by so fast that I hardly had time to soak up the atmosphere, but the rooms were generally wood-accented and traditional. Although I read some reviews on Yelp that blamed the service st...

Corny bread Forget Popeye's and KFC, I'm going to Harlem for fried chicken from now on! We ventured uptown for some authentic soul food and I had been looking forward for a long time to try chicken and waffles ever since my pseudo-heroine, Liz Lemon, broke bread with Tracy Jordan over the dish on 30 Rock.  Alex had been to Sylvia's before and insisted it was an institution that we must visit, famous for Southern dishes.  The farthest south I'd been was to Tennessee and the only thing I ate there was a dinner at Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede (I know, I am ashamed of myself)...so I definitely wanted to eat at Sylvia's. Waffles and Chicken! We got off the train at 125th Street on a freeeeeezing  day. So obviously I wanted to treat myself to something deep fried and covered in syrup and butter.  We were seated in a dining room that resembled a cute, cozy mom & pop/bed & breakfast: pale green walls with white trim and simple wooden fu...

From eggs to bacon to sour cream to ... I've finally tried New York City's best hot dog!  We had a Groupon for Crif Dogs, but I reckon the food there is sufficiently "cheap eats" that you don't need a coupon to get a dog. This place is something of a local institution.  I hear people pre-game and post-game at this hole-in-the-wall greasy food joint.  It's almost like a cave: go down a few steps and the door opens up to a small exposed-brick  restaurant with a couple of arcade games, graffiti, and rock music memorabilia.  I would have expected people who worked there to be stiff, unfriendly punk rockers but happily that was not the case. We ordered two dogs, tater tots, chili cheese fries, and coleslaw.  At first I thought a single hot dog and a measly side of fries would leave me hungry...but that was before I saw the mountain of tater tots and chili cheese waffle fries. My Crif Dog was called the Spicy Redneck: a bacon-wrapped hot dog with chil...

You'll never be board here... In my freshman year at NYU (almost a whole four years ago...time's flying!), there was a street fair where local vendors came to hawk their goods.  Here, I heard Pommes Frites was practically an NYU institution, and there was a table where they were giving away their goodies.  I don't remember it being remarkable at all, but now, four years later, when we passed by their store on the Lower East Side, we thought it warranted a second chance.  I was thoroughly pleased!  And, really, why would you not be pleased...? Sauciness! Pommes Frites sells not French fries but Belgian fries.  I'm not really sure if there really is a difference, but let's say Belgian fries are almost like potato wedges: thick-cut and chunky.  These fat sticks of golden-brown oily goodness are piled into conical paper holders and you get a little container of sauce on the side.  There are many sauce options available, and surprisin...

Morris Panini Sometimes I really love Groupon, Living Social, and the like. One great deal we got was to Milux Cafe, a little place off the beaten track in Soho. The decor inside is eclectic and recalls a cafe in Italy: dark creaky hardwood floors, mismatched furniture, and the heavy smell of roasted coffee hanging in the air.  Specifically, it reminded me of a cafe we visited on our trip to Milan; we popped into a hole-in-the-wall kind of cafe and I had a delicious sandwich of some cold cut and some cheese on some bread.  I find the simplicity of foods is sometimes what makes certain meals so memorable. Golden Panini If we had not had our coupon, I would judge Milux Cafe to be on the expensive side.  They specialize in panini (~$9) and smoothies/shakes (~$6).  Alex had a turkey-smoked mozzarella panini with a vanilla-gelato-orange milkshake (Creamsicle!!) and I had a prosciutto-mozzarella panini with a strawberry-banana-mango smoothie...