an epic food day - m's brother was in town, so we took him

around our neighborhood then into manhattan for lunch

at menkuitei for his first ramen experience.

we ordered shio saba (salt grilled mackerel) for appetizer,

and tonkotsu (pork bone broth) ramen for jesse, shoyu ramen

for me, and an oyako-don for m.

all success!!

then for new year's eve dinner, our friend julia made a great

vegan chili and apple strudel. amazing for our last meal of

2011 - not to mention the great company.

yay!

zomg. we baked!

well, out of the box but still - our first baked goodie is this

cornbread - slightly dry but yummy.

can't wait to try making it again next time - maybe with some

ricotta or feta?

satisfying (too much so) lunch at shanghai lee.

roast chili chicken & shrimp with broccoli, both with brown rice

and unpictured soups & eggrolls.

yummyyyyy.

homemade ramen and brussels sprouts with garlic and ginger

m made for sick me.

we bought one of those 'fresh' ramen, which came with amazing

broth, but soon realized that without cold-rinsing the noodles

(after cooking them separately from the soup, unlike dry ramen)

the noodles taste totally gummy, goopy and disgusting.

but after shocking the noodles in cold water, it was like being at a

ramenya.

can't wait till the next time we cook this!

i wish i had taken a better photo of this, but i was too delirious

with feeling sick when i did.

but m's another amazing pasta dish with trader joe's turkey meatballs

in tomato sauce over spaghetti. mmmmm~~~~

christmas in chinatown yet again. this time we went in a little

earlier to secure a good chinese dinner to save ourselves from

expecting mediocre meals every year.

luckily we broke the bad spell this year, and had a great meal at

shanghai cafe deluxe, where we had xiao long bao's (look at the

juiciness!), snow pea leaves, and squid over rice - ending with

some red bean ball (not pictured) and egg tarts for desserts at

fay da bakery.

and doing other touristy things, just because we can :

impressive little straw sculpture animals on bayard & baxter.

one of my favorite parks in the city, columbus park, in lower chinatown,

where older chinese people congregate and play cards & games around

the sun yat-sen statue.

merry christmas to all!

it's been a while since we last ate at supercore, but man, is

their food amazing!

we got their japanese classic brunch platter, one with benitori

(soy sauce braised chicken) and one with chikuzen-ni (chicken,

veggies & konnyaku stew), both with brown rice, kimchi, spinach

namul, and hijiki.

so delicious, homey, and warming in a slightly chillier weather

today.

i've been on soup & rice kick lately, and today i had a strong

craving for something brothy, kimchi-y, with rice.

so some kind of a kimchi soup (brothier/soupier version of kimchi jigae)

was in order, though it's something i've made up mostly... with

kale, mushrooms and tinned salmon.

so perfect with brown rice on my churny stomach today.

(anything kimchi also goes nicely with eggs. yummy.)

craving diner breakfast, we ended up at manhattan 3 decker diner.

(and actually during proper breakfast hour, unlike other times)

challah french toast, eggs, potatoes & sausages.

did hit our cravings but janky diner food it was.

amazing omelette & salad matthew made for dinner - yes

dinner, because that's how we roll.

fluffy perfect, jacque pepin would approve.

banh mis (grilled chicken & dac biet) and pho with grilled pork chop at

lollipop - lucky for us, they've only been getting better, especially as the

weather gets cold.

amazingly fantastic pasta m made for dinner tonight.

farfalle with simple olive oil, chili flakes, garlic, dried mushroom

and smoked oysters, topped with fresh herbs & grated parm.

perfect amount of sauciness achieved by using pasta water and

mushroom water. wow wow.

dinner is always cheap & plenty at north side bakery,

but today was a disappointment due to the lack of warmth

in the food - lesson learned, not to go there near closing time.

roasted chicken thigh, pork schnitzel, mashed potatoes for m,

and i got pineapple chicken & some kind of rice dish.

definitely only getting their chicken thigh from now on.

then we witnessed christmas cheer scattered about brooklyn in

full force, equipped with mechanically articulated merry-go-rounds

and ferris wheels, on top of everything else christmas :

ahhh love.

made a weird east-west concoction of kimchi jigae with a can of brat-makrele,

with kale, mushrooms, and topped with some pea sprouts.

the mackerel already came with some spicy tanginess (würziger marinade)

that, combined with cooked ripe kimchi, made a great brothy flavor

that i normally cannot get out of kimchi alone.

pea sprouts were so good, adding some fresh bite to the flavor as well,

yet so comfort-foody over brown rice.

for a meal that had been rather randomly thrown together,

this really was quite fantastic, if i may say so myself! :)

a childhood friend came to town, and while walking around,

we stopped in at prince street cafe for dinner.

she got duck confit & truffle oil pasta, which seemed bottomless

no matter how much we ate it, and caesar salad. and i had a sudden

craving for breakfast food, so i got their french toast.

this was one of the largest amount of food i've experienced in an NYC

café so far after all these years.

even then, after walking off our dinner a bit, we looked for dessert,

and went to doma for café alongé and tiramisu - both very delicious!

now i'm full.

thanks to the christmas decorations, the photos came out very

pukey colored, but the food was very excellent at vamos al tequila.

a big burrito filled with carne asada type beef steak, with some

kind of magic sauce - then my grilled chicken & mango salad.

both yummy, though the salad felt a little too summery for the

weather.

lunch at menkuitei. yakibuta (roasted pork) ramen in delicious

clear broth and a gigantic mabo-don.

so so satisfying.