TLC's Cake Boss Cafe: New York City

Am I the only one who likes watching cooking shows on the Food Network and TLC while I'm running on the treadmill at the gym? There's something about Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives and Cupcake Wars that really gets me through 40 minutes of cardio. No? Ok, maybe it's just me...

Anyway, during one of the sunnier days in NYC, Zhanna and I were making our way through Times Square looking for a latte, when we spotted the Cake Boss Cafe. I ran in and picked up a coffee and biscotti for breakfast. After speaking to one of the store associates, I learned that the original restaurant that is featured on the TLC reality show is called Carlo's Bakery, and it is located in Hoboken, New Jersey. This particular Cake Boss expansion in NYC just recently opened about one month ago in the beginning of May. 

Cake Boss Cafe is located at 625 8th Ave. in New York, NY.

Lombardi's Pizza: New York City

One of the items on my NYC bucketlist was "eat pizza." Really simple, right? Well apparently when you do a Google search on "best pizza in NYC," there are tons of listings. However, one pizza joint that seemed to be a recurring one on the lists was Lombardi's Pizza. This particular restaurant is actually considered to be America's First Pizzeria. Pretty cool, huh? Lombardi's embodied the typical New York hustle and bustle, as the servers hurried around to take orders and carry out pizzas. All I know is, I checked off another item on my bucket list after Lombardi's, and I got to do it on a satisfied stomach!

The walls were decked out with various awards, photos and autographs from celebs and athletes.

The menu was pretty simple - the pizzas all start out as Margherita pizzas with tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese and basil. Then, you choose your toppings from their options!

We went with wild mushrooms and sweet Italian sausage.

One of the best pizzas I've ever had!

Lombardi's is located at 32 Spring St. in New York, NY.

ChikaLicious Dessert Bar: New York City

On our first night in NYC, Zhanna and I we were on a major hunt for some dessert. I don't know if it was the sweet tooth talking, but I was in need of some chocolate STAT. I'd previously heard of Momofuku Milk Bar through Instagram, so we made our way over to Momofuku in East Village. Little did we know, this particular Momofuku location was TINY. Tiny as in "can't fit more than five people in the restaurant" tiny. So, we continued on our hunt for dessert elsewhere. A few blocks later, we ended up at ChikaLicious Dessert Bar, which by the way, is only a tad bigger space-wise than Momofuku. Somehow, we were able to snag a small corner table and indulge in our treats in peace (well, not really, since we were sitting shoulder to shoulder with complete strangers). Nevertheless, it was lots of fun!

Macarons!

Green tea soft serve.

A very rich chocolate cake.

ChikaLicious Dessert Bar is located at 203 E. 10th St. in New York, NY.

Exploring NYC

As promised, a fresh batch of photos from my trip to NYC last month. What a fabulous trip it was!

Times Square

Shopping on 5th Avenue!

Bryant Park - I loved the sight of "green" anywhere in the city.

New York Public Library

Stopped near the Statue of Liberty during our cruise around Manhattan.

World Trade Center

Until next time, New York City!

New York City [preview]

I'm super excited to dedicate this week's blog posts to my trip to New York City. My [awesome] friend Zhanna and I got to spend four amazing days in Manhattan and do all of the typical touristy things like watch a Broadway show (Phantom of the Opera), take a cruise around Manhattan and see the Statue of Liberty, visit the World Trade Center site, shop on Fifth Avenue (home to the largest Zara in the U.S.), bike in Central Park (my favorite part), hang out in Times Square (where we spotted Tom Hanks) and of course, EAT!!! We did not leave the city until we had a hot dog, pizza and a bagel. Luckily, we were able to stay in the lovely neighborhood of Noho, close to pretty much everything. By the end of our trip, we almost had the subway system down, which I consider to be an accomplishment considering I live in California and we pretty much drive our cars everywhere!

So, without further ado, please enjoy the upcoming posts dedicated to New York City!

Skagit Tulip Festival (Mt. Vernon, WA)

I'm a little late on posting this but thought I'd share anyway. It was a few years back when I first heard about the Tulip Festival in Mt. Vernon, Washington (one hour north of Seattle). Those who know me really well know that I LOVE tulips. There's something about them that really just shouts "SPRING!!!" It wasn't until this year that I finally flew over to Seattle to attend the lovely Tulip Festival in Mt. Vernon. Crazy thing is that I've been to Seattle at least ten times in the past three years, but my trips never fell on dates in April, and unfortunately, the Tulip Festival only runs through through the month of April. At the end of the month, the tulips are cut and distributed. Anyway, here you go.....tulips galore!

        

Capisce/Lake Tahoe

Two summers ago, a group of us went on a weekend trip to South Lake Tahoe. While we were there, we found ourselves a little gem - Capisce. This family-run, traditional Italian restaurant was located in Zephyr Cove, Nevada, just a few miles away from our cabin. We decided that when we were in the area again in the future, we would plan a visit to Capisce for dinner. Needless to say, two years later, we made that visit to Capisce, and the food was just as tasty as I remembered it to be.

Hanging out near the lake pre-dinner.

Capisce? = "Understand/You got it?" in Italian.

Balsamic vinegar and olive oil with focaccia.

Tortilla soup with shredded chicken breast, vegetables, crispy tortillas and cheese.

A split order of lasagna and chicken pesto.

Capisce is located at 178 U.S. 50 in Zephyr Cove, NV.

Hook & Ladder

My first time at Hook & Ladder was during October of last year, just a month or so after the restaurant had their grand opening. The last time I went in was for dinner, and I can still distinctly remember the delicious house-made roasted beet linguine. Fast forward to Spring of 2013. My lovely co-workers and I decided to escape the confines of our office and go out for lunch at this midtown joint during a warm Sacramento afternoon.

Strawberry lemonade.

Pancetta & poached duck egg salad with frisee, radicchio and almonds.

Three meat ragu made with paccheri pasta.

Clara's Chicken Salad with mixed baby lettuces, roasted chicken, shaved red onion, cucumber, roasted red bell pepper, garlic croutons, kabocha squash and goat cheese.

This pizza was on their list of daily specials. Wish I remembered all of the ingredients. Speaking of pizza, Hook & Ladder had one on their menu that sounded delish - fuji apples, peppered bacon, goat cheese, walnuts & honey. Umm....yum!!

Hook & Ladder Manufacturing Co. is located at 1630 S St. in Sacramento.