For someone who loves food so much, I tend to accidentally make the choice to eat the most fattening and unhealthy of the options on a menu. So when someone mentioned to me that there was such a thing as Healthy Fats, I instantly asked where I can go to get these. Fat? that's healthy? Sign me up. Enter avocados. Avocados, having come from CA, are my fruit of life, and can easily substitute for a meal, with a small dash of lemon juice, some chili pepper powder, olive oil, and some light parmesan cheese. They act as a filling and healthy choice for sustenance. But take this a step further, and meet one of my most favorite food trends: Avocado Toast. Though it is one of the easiest things to make in your own kitchen, there is something about the way restaurants prepare and make avo-toast (this is the hip lingo just so you know when ordering). So I have rounded up some of the bests in NYC. Take a gander...
Is it Tuesday again already? Take your Taco Tuesday party bus all the way to Tacombi (a taqueria where there actually is a VW Bus inside the warehouse). As a fully open warehouse, this restaurant is like an inner patio, with deck chairs and tables to eat at, a bar of delicious and amazing Horchata flavors and other specialty drinks, and as mentioned above, a VW van where all of the tacos are made. Before even looking at the menu, I strongly recommend starting with the guac...because it is amazing (sprinkled with parmesan cheese and served with homemade tortilla chips) and the move on to two tacos. Two is all you really need because each comes with a load amount of stuffings and two corn tortillas, which an expert merges and makes into two tacos. But I can't tell you what to do because Taco Tuesday is all about doing what YOU WANT. Go forth and have a very merry Taco Tuesday. LET ME TELL YOU RIGHT NOW. LIKE THIS.I will be forever grateful to www.ladybehindthecurtain.com for the magic she has given us. The invention of the pancake bacon dipper is monumental and I am unsure how I have not heard about this sooner. This is how non-foodies become foodies. I don't think I have ever legitimately cooked a pancake before, but now, I am going to. See, this is how history is made. I am being forced into the kitchen to pretend to be domestic because all I can think about is having these delicious dippers in my belly. I mean or I could just have someone make them for me.... anyone? Annnnyone?
Recipe is as follows:
And I dont have to tell you to "Enjoy..." because... Bacon Pancake Dippers. You guys... This weeks Thirsty Thursday will be spent at Lovers of Today. Located below ground and in a tiny speakeasy setting, this bar is not just intimate but totally cozy amidst the brick walls and dimly lit candle light. The cocktail list ranges from champagne cocktails to bitter whiskey sours. Each one is made with care and precise mixology mastery. I suggest the Rumble for a tequila craving you might have, and then the Waterloo for something a little more herbal and softer. Stop by this Thursday (and F and S) before 8pm and score the 2 for 1 on everything happy hour deal. See you there...
Sometimes Hump Day requires a shake to the routine. I took mine this morning at Van Leeuwan's ice cream shop on East 7th Street and 2nd Ave. If you're looking for a break from the freeze-dried Starbucks pastries, and the watered down Dunkin' Iced Coffee, you are ready for Van Leeuwans. Famous for their ice cream and even more so for their Ice Cream Truck that dots the trendiest areas of NYC, they offer not only homemade, vegan, and all natural ice creams, but their menu also included freshly baked pastries from scones to croissants, and cold-brew Toby's Estate coffee, which is made locally in Brooklyn. I enjoyed an iced-coffee and a crispy croissant while planning out the rest of my week. What will you be having on your next morning get-away?
Barely visible, often missed by even the most adventurous local, Mayahuel is the definition of a hidden gem. Illustriously decorated, and so quietly kept a sceret, walking in, bottom line, just makes you feel special. But the real catch is that the four piece taco plate is just $12. Mayahuel is the perfect Taco Tuesday spot because you won't have to cop out with a too-sweet frozen margarita on the side. The cocktail list is longer than the food items menu, and the large selection makes you feel like a kid in a candy shop, a tequila candy shop. I reccommend the Smoke and Oil or the Spicy Paloma. See the cocktail menu here. Bring a date, bring friends, go snack on some amazing tacos, and please oh please order a margarita or else you'll regret it. But lets be honest, when as anyone had to beg for you to order a margarita... Happy Taco Tuesday!
Take some time to breathe and have a morning meditation this Tuesday. My favorite ritual is to go brew a cup of coffee, throw in a few coffee cubes (thats frozen ice cubes of coffee - I know... Genius), and take five minutes before you even think about the day ahead.
To make homemade coffee cubes for your iced coffee:
My boyfriend should be jealous, because I am 100% in a sneaky side-relationship with my delivery man (make that delivery men). And frankly there is nothing wrong with it in my book. So if you believe in oven-crusted five-cheese macaroni or hand-crushed guacamole and plantain chips being delivered straight to your door or brought out to your table, over a home made bowl of pasta or slaving away over a meal for hours, you and me are lazy, fashionable, delivery-chic soul-mates. And I know it looks like I don't love anything more than talking about myself and using hyphenated words and phrases, but the one thing I love more than everything else is eating amazing food with amazing people wearing amazing things. So that's why I call myself The Fashion Farmer. I take more photos that you and your Insta-whore bestie combined, I spend hours planning outfits for days that are months away, and I eat tacos like a professional. So I wish you a warm welcome and present to you my grand compilation of style inner-thinkings and food snobberies, with a strong strong side of sarcasm. So eat up ;)
When I die and go to heaven, it will look and taste like The Meatball Shop. The Meatball Shop is a very tiny boutique sit-down and take-out restaurant that has dry erase menus, home made ice-cream cookie sandwiches, and an unreal selection of meatballs, sauces, and sides. See, told you, heaven. And if you aren't convinced, they are open late. And I mean 4AM late. Not only is their regular menu a winner, with options like "The Kitchen Sink" salad, where you can get meatballs on top of market fresh greens, and the famous sliced crisp apples swim beneath and jump out to surprise you and its absolutely joyous, BUT there are daily and weekly rotated flavors for almost every single item on the menu, from veggies to ice-cream flavor. The service is amazing, the food is amazing, The Meatball Shop... is... amazing.
A recent study conducted by me resulted in the findings that tacos are in fact very healthy when prepared with fresh ingredients and made with minimal oils and fatty meats. And these results have led me to conclude that unlimited tacos is therefore a very healthy and acceptable choice for a meal. But where oh where in New York City can you find yourself an unlimited taco deal? The top secret answer is Mercadito on Ave B.
The restaurant is known as a great Mexican joint, with tacos, enchiladas, amazing guacamole, but the catch is that they don't tell you about anything unlimited. Only locals know that if you walk in and mention the unlimited taco deal, they have to say yes. The price has changed over the years but usually stays in the ballpark of $22. I reccomend the Pescado, the Caméron, and the Carne be your first round. And don't fall for their trick of giving you "complimentary" rice and beans. Stay focused on the taco game. So good luck and I wish you the best of taco-eating times. But remember... you didn't hear it from me.... |