Gratuitous Breakfast Food Porn: Irresistible Banana-Macadamia Nut Flapjacks at Norma’s in Le Parker Meridien Hotel

January 19, 2010

Two crispy-edged, fluffy on the inside, plate-size pancakes studded with slices of ripe banana and topped with mixed candied nuts and a melting river of whipped banana brown sugar butter!  Syrup is superfluous.  If you want to avoid the $21 price tag, you’ll find the recipe for this decadence in the thumbnails below.  Let us know how they turn out.

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NYC Best Italian: Maialino Enhances the Danny Meyer Legacy

January 15, 2010

The Executive Chef, Nick Anderer, he knows how to do it.  Dana, my waiter, he knows how to do it too.  Even the cute barista (yes, Maialino has actual baristas) knows how to do it, as the feathery heart she shaped into my cappuccino foam proves.  “It” is a microcosm of the Danny Meyer brand; great service and great food.  And after my first formal Meyer restaurant experience, NYC Food Guy can confirm that he has done “it” again, improving on his soon to be globe-spanning success with his first Italian venture, Maialino.  My three dining companions and I put Anderer and his kitchen to the test, ordering a prodigious feast you have to see to believe…

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Gratuitous Food Porn: Momofuku Ramen & Pork Buns at Momofuku Noodle Bar

January 11, 2010

Sinful food photos are what make a NYC Food Guy review but I have so many waiting in the wings, the real sin would be not sharing them with you, my hungry readers.  Cue the gratuitous food porn…

There’s not much left to say about Momofuku Noodle Bar.  All NYC Food Guy can reluctantly add is that the food is truly worth the ever-present wait.  Most dishes are delicious (except for the tamales) but if I could only eat two, it’s the Steamed Pork Buns ($9) housing a ribbon of crispy, fatty pork belly resting on a dab of hoison sauce and topped with sliced cucumber and scallion…

…and the Momofuku Ramen ($16), a steaming porky bath of springy noodles topped with bamboo shoots, crisp nori, sliced kamaboko (white fish cake), chopped scallions, pulled pork shoulder, more pork belly, and crowned with a single, decadent poached egg.  Crack the egg, dip some pork in the yolk and brace yourself for the swoon.

Related: Momofuku Milk Bar Cinnamon Bun Pie vs Cinnabon

Related: Momofuku Milk Bar Candy Bar Pie

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NYC Best Doughnuts: A Pilgrimage To Doughnut Plant

January 4, 2010

If you like doughnuts at all, then you haven’t lived until you’ve made the pilgrimage to Doughnut Plant, the holy land of sugar-coated fried dough in Manhattan’s Lower East Side.  And like any cultish New York City institution, the lines can be long and the hours can be short but if you manage to secure the goods, all is forgiven thanks to the melt-in-your-mouth caress of doughnut bliss.  Read on for a taste of each doughnut below plus a surprise treat …

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East Village Burgers: Bacon & Cheese Stuffed Burgers with a Serbian Twist at Question Mark Cafe

December 11, 2009

The bun is similar to pita.  The red sauce is ajvar, a Serbian spread combining red peppers, eggplant, garlic and olive oil. But the half pound burger?  Well it’s straight middle America.  Because at Question Mark Cafe, an unassuming few-month-old eatery on 1st Avenue b/t St. Mark’s & 9th St., cheddar cheese (though the menu reads provolone) and crispy pre-cooked bacon are pressed between two lean, hand-formed burger patties resulting in a pocket of beefy, cheesy, porcine indulgence.

Overall, the burger’s leaness (85:15 meat to fat ratio) makes it more novel than delicious, deriving most of its flavor from the bacon and slightly spicy ajvar.  But you can’t beat the price because the deluxe stuffed burger gets you all the food below for just $9.75.  The best part of the plate? The orange-ish Urnebes spread featuring feta cheese, roasted peppers and chili flakes.  All burgers come topped with this creamy, spicy sauce unless otherwise specified.  And while Question Mark Cafe finds its feet, there’s a rumor of a pastrami stuffed burger coming soon.

Question Mark Cafe

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