Nom Noms, Knick Knacks, and Trot Trots

FOOD COMA

So my promise to myself before this summer was to update this blog daily. WHAT a fail. On a brighter note, I am loving this summer. :) Great times catching up with friends, befriending random strangers, going to the gym, running into previous teachers, and definitely eating. These are some of the activities I have been doing so far. And the summer equinox JUST started. YAY :D

The main purpose I am updating this blog is mainly due to the fact that I am afraid I will go to some really awesome place and find out my memory card on my camera is full. And then I would have to delete some things that I would not want to delete because I haven't uploaded them up yet. So to save myself the agony, I am taking time during my work hours to update. (Not really a smart thing to do, but whatever.)

So I will start off this blog with this tidbit: With great work comes great hunger. (I just pulled that out of my butt - but it sounds so smart and Confucius-like :D)
And hunger - is something I DO NOT DEAL WITH THESE DAYS. BECAUSE I HAVE BEEN EATING SO MUCH. There are too many great places to visit in the city. Poor starving children would probably hate me.

So before I get overwhelmingly emotion about the children of the world who cannot afford to eat, let's take a quick tour of what I have been eating, where I have been going, and what I have been doing as of late.

For some reason, we have been heading to Japanese restaurants A LOT. I have tasted loads of great Japanese foods for the past couple of weeks.

Starting with Jebon.


Note: There are many specials around St. Marks, especially around lunch or dinner time. So check it out then! :D

We got a 3 roll sushi combo with miso soup and a soda for ~$9.

I think we got the eel, salmon, and yellowtail. All very delish. We also got egg rolls, which were very crunchy. Very well done. The service was very nice as well. The decorations within the restaurant was beautiful too.

Overall a good deal on japanese food I would say. :)

NEXT JAPANESE RESTAURANT - ZEN.

I met up with a friend from college for dinner. Decided Japanese ramen. AHAHA WHATS NEW?

The combination of all this you see here - katsu don, sushi, dumplings, sashimi on rice, miso soup, bowl of rice - all for the price of $11. (excluding tip). That is also a fairly priced dinner if you ask me. The bento box allowed us to taste all the different types of food in one meal. Almost like samples so you are never bored with one dish.

The ramen was really good too! Not too salty, but still tasted like ramen. They were also not too stingy with the toppings. YUM.

May's Place - also at St. Marks Place
Sashimi deluxe!

Here, the sushi is always 50% off!!!!!!!!! So this $24 plate was really $12!

And we also got a roll - really filling meal :) (sorry the picture doesn't make it seem like a really fulfilling meal because my friend and I digged into it before thinking about taking a picture. LOL)

Whew. Japanese foods are good that's for sure.
However, lets move on to little joints around the neighborhood.

Such as Murray's Bagels located in Chelsea.


Do I hear "nomming" in the background? Because that means my job is done.
LOOK AT HOW HUGE THIS THING IS. IT CAN FEED A WHOLE THIRD WORLD COUNTRY. (yeah, um, not really).
The price:$4.11
I don't spend more than like MAYBE two bucks on a bagel with cream cheese. Especially since there is a bagel cart right outside 59th st Columbus Circle that serves dollar bagels on cream cheese. However you gotta admire the amount of whopping toppings that are on this bagel.
So MINE was the whole wheat everything bagel with honey walnut raisin cream cheese spread. Try saying that five times.
It was DELECTABLE.
But still a bit pricey for me for a bagel still. But indulging in that creamy goodness once in a while doesn't hurt your wallet. Much.

So the Starbucks trend. We all agree Starbucks is one of those chains that people cannot live without. We all know how scary caffeine withdrawal can be. (Especially in college.) We all know that the new logo isn't as pretty as the previous one (though that is up to interpretations). So WHAT CAN I SUBSTITUTE THIS ADDICTING-DAMN-GOOD-TASTING-COFFEE FOR?! WHO CAN SAVE ME FROM MY ADDICTION?! (I actually don't drink coffee that much so... the real question is... who can save YOU?!)



OOOOOOH pretty. *walk in*
Argo Tea Shop
Definitely a place to stop by.
Have any of you been to the M and M store? Well, they have these vertical tubes filled to the top with colorful assortment of M and M candies.

(source from google images)

Argo Tea Shop has the same tubes; they are just filled with loose tea leaves. And the aroma when you walk in? Heavenly.
They have a variety of signature drinks too! This is the white tea acai squeeze drink. Very refreshing. About the same cost of a Starbucks latte. But probably more healthy because it has white tea and acai, a great antioxidant.

Don't believe me? Go here --> http://www.argotea.com/
GOGOGOGOGOGOGOGO

Are you FULL yet?
Or do you want some more?
How about some delectable Thai food? From the Chelsea Market?

I personally really enjoy thai food. Surprisingly, peanut sauce on noodles are really good too. (I'm truly sorry for those who are allergic to peanuts or any nuts. You guys are missing out.)
This is a nice place to get some good food. A bit pricey than the fast food places you find on the street, but worth it to try at least once. ;)
Plus the people are nice.

Gelatos Galore
Whoever thought ice cream was the greatest invention was thoroughly mistaken. GELATOS are the NEW "in" desserts these days. A bit heavier than ice cream because of the cream, but definitely a nice little snack after a long day.

Okay, so this wasn't a "little" snack.
Timi's Gelateria Classica Italiana is also a great place to hang because it has free wifi AND has a second floor with couches and other comfortable seatings.
The picture doesn't do the place justice because they all look like their melting. However the taste is great. :) A 5 scoop dish costs about $7, which is cheaper than most places. (Some places charge like, $7 for 2 scoops or less. BOOOOOOO)
Boy, do I love gelatos.

Now you are probably in a food coma by now. But don't worry, the worst that can happen is the creation of food babies. O___O
The last stop is one of my favorites: INDIAN FOOD.
Andaz has a buffet, even on a Saturday! The day I went was really gloomy. Although there was a big fair going on outside! It was drizzling and not a pleasant day to walk outside. When we got to Andaz though, we were in for a heck of a ride.


The buffet allowed us to get as much as we want, and the sauces were sooooooooooooo good. My favorite dish is the chicken tikka masala, and it was just really well made at this restaurant. The dessert was also really good. It was a carrot dessert pudding that really just sweetened my taste buds.

Now that food is done, we gotta walk all of it off. How do you walk off so much food?
.
.
.
By going to the Metropolian Museum of Art of course :)
And guess what's at the MET?


Beautiful. Gorgeous. So. INSPIRING.
Everyone should go see this exhibit. Very well made, well done, well remembered.

So that's it. This is about... 8 weeks of summer vacation for me on top of other things. But the great news is... I have ~9 weeks left!!! :D

There are more pictures to come I promise!!!

Plus, I do have a special edition coming in August! :)

So you better be a centimeter away from your computer screen and at the edge of your seats. I will blow your socks off.

Tip of the day: Remember food is all around us. Whether we are in New York or in the middle of nowhere. Just remember to ENJOY IT!!

Have a beautiful day!
~Simplyme

Labels: Andaz, Argo's Tea Cafe, gelatos, Japanese food, Jebon, May's Place, metropolitan museum of art, sushi, Thai cuisine, Zen

posted by ~Simplyme @ 11:49 AM