Tag Archives: foodie

Shoutout to Two Little Red Hens in Upper East Side/Yorkville

Two Little Red Hens is still my all-time favorite NYC bakery for what I consider quintessentially NY treats: Cheesecake, Carrot Cake (ok not really NY but it’s the standout here), Coffee Cake, Brooklyn Blackout, Black and White Cookie but in fluffy moiste cake form.

What’s especially excellent are their mini-cupcakes in every flavor if you’re not committed to a big cake. I heard they recently got a shoutout on some “best of” list so they were extra crowded when I visited last. Totally worth it though and glad I got to share this place with my mom when she was visiting and kind of an nice welcome back to NYC treat for me.

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They’re also on this lovely stretch of what was once “Little Germany” in this stretch of Yorkville.

More details on Two Little Red Hens in my ViewingNYC Post:


Every few weeks or for a special event, I’ll take a trip to Yorkville to get some noms at Two Little Red Hens, a charming bakery on 86th and 2nd. For a place that has over 1,700 Yelp reviews, it doesn’t seem to have the name recognition it deserves compared to the Magnolia bakeries of the world. I’ll take Two Little Red Hens over the ‘famous’ bakeries any day.

First off, the winning item for me is Two Little Red Hens’ Carrot Cake. Moist, flavorful, and honest-tasting with each ingredient standing out– it’s the only way I can describe it. Even the frosting has a subtle tart flavor rather than the usual overwhelming sweet overload. Their cheesecake and chocolate cakes are also standouts.

Two Little Red Hens’ amazing cakes also come in cupcake form. Get the Brooklyn Blackout, Red Velvet, Chocolate, and Carrot Cake to get a comprehensive sampling, which conveniently comes in large or mini-size variants. I confess… I normally don’t really like cupcakes and never fully understood the craze, but I’ll lovingly carry a box of the ones from here back with me on the air-conditioned bus so the frosting doesn’t get ruined.

The scones, banana bread, and the pecan coffee cake are my personal favorites to take on the road, which sometimes get overlooked in favor of everything else here.

What I love about the food at Two Little Red Hens is that each flavor remains distinctive and complex rather than just a homogenizing sugary taste, as you often find in other local bakeries.

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California Flavors at Almond and Oak

Brunch: it’s an awful ordeal where you’re going way too late for potentially the first meal of the day with overpriced breakfast food with a bunch of drunk twenty-year-olds. Almond and Oak defied my expectations and served delicious California flavors. Totally a welcome respite from NY-brunch, which I avoid like the plague. Maybe because this place is near Lake Merrit in Oakland, it’s more a family oriented older crowd that expects better food and service.

The biscuits are a fluffy and delicious starter. The beignets are just alright, but a craving fixer.

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The steak and eggs are a huge portion of a Korean BBQ flavor steak with perfectly roasted vegetables. The chimichurri is a nice twist on this meal.

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The pozole feels like an even more decadent offering with an endless bowl of tender pork but has a clean not-too-heavy taste.

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The California-inspired Southern continues with the shrimp and grits, perfectly cooked with an unusual in a good way generous helping of cilantro pairs nicely with the shrimp to almost have an Asian flavor.img_5619

The fried chicken sandwich’s aiole almost has a sweet Japanese-mayo flavor as well. Really delicious departure from tradition that doesn’t feel contrived. img_5618

I’d call this place southern food meets ethnic California flavors. Hardy and tasty, exceeded expectations. I’d come here again, for brunch.

  • Website
  • 3311 Grand Ave, Oakland, CA 94610
  • $12~$20 USD 

Remote Year Month 1: Split, Croatia (and Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina) Top Food Experiences

Soparnik

Detailed in my Top 7 Croatia Experiences. If you have a chance to try this fresh, or at all, don’t miss out. As far as I know, the family that made it from scratch for us sells it at the Split Greenmarket.

Konoba Fetivi 

Michelin Star restaurant in Split that doesn’t disappoint. Recommended by a local for high quality traditional food that doesn’t break the budget. She mentioned they could charge more but don’t because they want people to have a great konoba experience. Make a reservation as it’s a bouncer-like.

Mostar: Tima Irma and Cafe Alma

Not Split, but a not-too-long bus ride across the border gets you to Mostar, which is very worth going to.

National Restaurant Tima Irma 

Worth the line and the gruff service. Insanely good prices for quality and quantity of food in a great atmosphere. Still one of my top Remote Year Food Experiences writing about it so much later. Get the Mijesano meso or mixed meat, which includes a generous serving of cevapi.

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Cafe Alma

Go for the Bosnian coffee, similar to Turkish coffee, but not, and served with Turkish delight. The locals will explain to you or watch vid in link. One of few if not only still coffee roaster in town, with one that “survived the war” as the family brags.

Luka Gelato 

Delicious gelato. Also a bit off the madness of the main squares of the old town and peaceful to sit near the fountain. Lots of unique flavors, not your average basic ass hipster gelato place.

Green Market 

Amazing farmer’s market with insanely good quality produce. Honest vendors and great prices considering how touristy the rest of the area is.

Dvor

Really beautiful, I mean, beautiful restaurant set outside an elegant old home and next to the beach. Think fifth date. Kind of a hilarious Remote Year memory for me as I went to dinner here for the first time with someone who would become one of my best friends on Remote Year, but kind of an awkward place for a first meeting. As with most restaurants like this, and especially in South Europe, it’s Slow dining with the capital S, but you come here if that’s what you’re looking for. We weren’t expecting it and went off a recommendation, but lovely.

Fisherman’s Pension

Rustic seafood island hopping. If you’re visiting and able to book a private tour to visit the islands, I’d request going to this place. A part of my Top 7 Croatia Experiences.

Uje Oil Bar

Worth a stop in the shop for an olive oil tasting and a meal at the delicious restaurant. I recommend their products to buy home for gifts, really good quality. Olive oil is what you’d expect sitting on the Mediterranean.

Bokeria

This restaurant is definitely kind of fancy tourist hipster, but is delicious and the restaurant group is committed to more sustainable tourism and being a good force in the community. Extensive Croatian wine list.

Find the location to all these restaurants and my other favorite spots this month on this map.

 

Bombay Elegance at Dishoom in London

Whenever I go to London, I make it a point to eat at a Dishoom.

Their famous bacon breakfast naan roll is incredible, but I couldn’t make it for this quick layover I had in London before I embarked on Remote Year. Reveling and reflecting now in this first meal from my epic journey last year and last this location. I’ve been to the one in Shoreditch multiple times, but I went to this one in Kensington, which had a more elegant interior.

Dishoom pays homage to Irani Bombay cafes. I love the inherent nostalgia of places like this or even upmarket tributes to it, steeped in tradition of food, beverages, and conversation like the cha chaan tengs of Hong Kong or American diners where people of all backgrounds rubbed shoulders for a quick and delicious meal.

The House Chai is second to none for me, with refills. While I couldn’t get the famous breakfast this time, I really enjoyed the lamb with naan and the bhel salad (very filling on its own really). Worth it to be THE restaurant you make time to go do when visiting London.

  • Website
  • 4 Derry St, Kensington, London W8 5SE, UK
  • ~$12-20 USD 

The Perfect Combo of Udon Curry and Gently Fried Veggies at Kuon in Kyoto

I’d see people lined up as if Kuon was the hottest club in town when I’ve leave my hotel (Intergate Kyoto – highly recommended with great food, coffee, and tea) to go do work at my to the hipster workspace. I’d be bummed and curious because I had to get my day started. Turns out the place had just opened and been featured on Japanese TV so people wanted to check it out.

Kuon specializes in udon noodles with Japanese style curry, which is more sweet than spicy, and various, mostly veggie, tempura skewers.

I ended up getting a table for two with no issue right as they opened for dinner. Come here in the evening if you’re on vacation so you’re not competing with the office lunch crowd, bored housewives, and retirees during the day. I ended up going here multiple times during my stay in Kyoto despite it being one of the pricier choices for a casual meal.

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Udon has what we Taiwanese term that QQ flavor, 嚼勁, or that rich al dente texture but still with that softness inherent to udon. Really high quality noodles paired with sauces and curry. It’s one of those places where the ingredients are such a cut above the rest and why people come back after waiting in line. They boast that their curry consists of over twenty spices and udon carefully sourced. Even the side dish of rice with egg tasted exceptional.

I’m a meat eater, but I have to say the vegetable dishes and those versions of the set meals are a standout. Get the avocado tempura, seriously. As a tourist, I haven’t found Japanese cuisine vegetarian friendly so I recommend it for the veggie-inclined.

The interiors have those beautiful warm wood hues and feels like a bit of a rustic oasis in a bustling part of Kyoto characteristic of so many of the small shops running in traditional Kyoto townhouses around the Kurasama neighborhood, which I highly recommend staying in if Kyoto. One of those rare places that can be good for a solo diner at the bar or a nice date.

Service is friendly, and they have English and Chinese menus. Highly recommended and worth going out of your way to eat at in Kyoto.

  • Website
  • 京都四条 くをん / KUON ４２０ Komusubidanacho, Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto, 604-8223, Japan/ 〒604-8223 京都府京都市中京区小結棚町４２０
  • $8-15 USD