4:00pm sponge candy

Karen brought back some goodies, sponge candy, from her hometown Buffalo, NY. I didn't know that's what they were called and that they're considered a specialty food of Buffalo! I've had similar versions across the Atlantic and also remember my Korean college roommate telling me her mom made something very similar. Anyways, these ones from Watson's were tasty and made for a nice afternoon treat. Thanks Karen!
Premier Gourmet, 3465 Delaware Ave, Kenmore, NY 14217

Bethesda Bagels and Leftovers

Thanksgiving dinner was a huge success this year and the turkey came out so well brined and moist that Maggie and I decided to call it The Hamurkey: The Turkey That Tasted Like Ham. Still diligently eating leftovers, today I decided to accompany it with a bagel from Bethesda Bagels, which has been around for ages, and are probably the best bagels in Maryland. After having lived in NYC for over a decade, I still think these bagels surpass many, but not all bagels in NYC.
Bethesda Bagels Inc., 4819 Bethesda Ave. Bethesda, MD 20814

4:00pm Big Cheryl's "Ghetto" cake

This morning I took the Amtrak Cascades train from Seattle to Portland in winter sun and by the afternoon the clouds had rolled in, but it didn't matter because we were cozily ensconced in Pix Patisserie with hot coffee and surprisingly tasty dessert with long chatty names.
Pix Patisserie, 3901 N Williams Ave., Portland, OR 97227

Remote Post: J.S. Burgers Cafe

Today, I stupidly forgot my camera in my other coat pocket (along with a Metro Card), so I'm posting a photo from my trip to Tokyo a couple months back. That day, my friend Yuko was craving a burger, though I suspect the real reason was wanting to pop into the swanky boutique downstairs, so I obliged. She got the avocado burger, which looked quite nice and I tried out the Hot Dog Set. The sausage was snappy and crisp, and the fries were quite good in the curly fries kind of way. Not bad for a chain restaurant! Ugh, now I miss my family and friends there!
J.S. Burgers Cafe, 4-1-7 Shinjuku 3F, Tokyo, Japan

Remote Post: Serious Pie

I didn't have a lot of time in Seattle for eating but I did manage to squeeze lunch in at Tom Douglas's Serious Pie followed by a tour of the main library. If you only have 1 day in town, these 2 stops are well worth the visit. Throw in a short promenade of the Sculpture Park and you're all set. The cherry-bomb pepper and sausage pie is much touted but it was an even split at our table between the sausage pizza with traditional tomato sauce base versus the sauce-less salumi and walla walla onions. I fall on the side of sauce-less particularly since I found the strength of these pies in their chewy, gently yielding crust. Perfect in every way. The bread baker's soul definitely shines through.
Serious Pie, 316 Virginia St, Seattle, WA 98121 (btwn 3rd and 4th Ave)

4:00pm butterscotch cashew bar

Buying ingredients for sunday supper, left me in front of Amy's Bread, where I was tempted to pick up a huge slice of cake, but went for the more modestly sized cashew bar. A tad too butterscotch-y sweet for moi, but cashews are pretty good no matter what you do to them. I'm a bit nuts for nuts these days.
Amy's bread @ Chelsea Market, 75 9th Ave, NY, NY 10011 (btwn 15 & 16)

Homemade Pot Roast

I am a carnivorous omnivore, but when it comes to cooking at home I very rarely buy meat. So when I do, I don't mind spending a little extra $ to ensure that I'm getting something nice that's supporting good folks. And being curious about this recent hipster butcher trend, I went to check out the new-ish Dickson's Farmstand in Chelsea Market. The guy(s) there were super helpful, knowledgeable and cute, what more could one want when buying meat? Oh, and the pot roast? It was pretty tasty; I could have done a better job no doubt, but I was just dying to use my Dutch Oven - love love love that thing.
Dickson's Farmstand @ Chelsea Market, 75 9th Ave, NY, NY 10011 (btwn 15 & 16)

4:00pm pumpkin cheesecake

It's that time of year again, where I need my mind to start focusing on festive foods and making shopping lists for hitting the farmer's market over the weekend. As my mind was in la-la land debating cornbread vs bread stuffing, andouille sausage vs sweet italian sausage, I found myself in front of Oro, and this lovely pumpkin cheesecake jumped into sight. And I'm glad it found me.
Oro Bakery, 375 Broome Street, NY, NY 10013 (btwn Mulberry and Mott)

Pret a Manger

We have not been shy about extolling the tastiness of the egg salad sandwich from Pret a Manger. Whenever we're too busy to go out for a proper lunch, it is always there for us, like a loyal dog. While it may not be furry, cute and playful, it does bring a smile to our faces and has a calming effect on our busy nerves.
Pret a Manger, 2 Park Avenue, NY, NY 10013 (btwn 32nd and 33rd)

4:00pm chocolate cranberry cookie

One of the perks of going to Peppe Rosso is being able to pick up a dessert from the very consistent Once Upon a Tart. Apparently the last time we had this cookie, we were less than impressed. This time however, I found it quite enjoyable. Missing a pinch of salt, but the oat-y, crunchy, chewy texture is nice with the small bits of chocolate and dried cranberries.
Once Upon a Tart, 135 Sullivan Street, NY, NY 10012

Pepe Rosso to Go

After yesterday's fantabulous lunch, we were worried that almost anything would lead to disappointment. Good thing we had to run errands westward, as Pepe Rosso to Go is a wee outside our daily lunching range. The quick hot pasta service (though not today) and the friendly and boisterous Italian guys just bring a smile to our faces. The lunch special is a good deal at $8.95 for a filling bowl of soup and a small selection of their panini and pasta.
Pepe Rosso to Go , 149 Sullivan Street, NY, NY 10012 (below Houston)

4:00pm apple almond cake

Day old desserts can be rather unreliable, most of the time they're rather stale but sometimes they age perfectly well. Like this apple almond cake from Patisserie Margot in the Upper East Side. A delicious second day treat! I can only imagine what it is like fresh out of the oven. Which reminds me of this hilarious tale of Serious Eats trying to find the best bagel and discovering that the best bagel can only exist within an hour of it coming out of the oven.
Patisserie Margot, 2109 Broadway, NY, NY 10023 (entrance on 74th St)

La Nueva Conquista

We are huge fans of La Nueva Conquista, and who wouldn't be? They're all about the cheap and delicious home-style cooking. Considering how much we love them on a regular day, today's roast pork was something truly memorable. Perfectly moist meat with bits of crunchy skin, nestled against bands of fatty pork, over a heap of yellow rice and black beans. We completely devoured everything and were left wanting more.
La Nueva Conquista, 236 Lafayette St, NY, NY 10012 (above Spring)

4:00pm chocolate chip cookie

It's fortunate our Pret a Manger cookie source was not in midtown or even downtown where apparently the Serious Eats surprise pronouncement caused quite a run on the cookies SE just declared the "best in midtown". Personally ours was a bit too sweet, or to put it another way the dark chocolate chips or the dough could have used a touch less sugar. But the dough, ah, yummy with a bit of saltiness, exactly as described by SE.
Pret a Manger, 2 Park Avenue, NY, NY 10016 (btwn 32nd and 33rd)

Gung Ho

It's pretty rare for us to stumble upon a meal so crappy it's not even worth finishing. And we have a pretty high tolerance for bad food, especially when paired with white rice, we could eat just about anything. But not today. The place was deserted, which doesn't have to be an indication of good or bad but in its previous incarnation as Dragon Gate, the place was always packed. The newly renovated Gung Ho, however, was practically deserted. Sigh, no reason to go back there. Crappy lunches are such a downer!
Gung Ho, 96 Elizabeth St, NY, NY 10013 (below Grand)

4:00pm yeast donut

The selection of donut products at Korean bakery, Koryodang, was so overwhelmingly diverse that I completely forgot to note which one this one is. Which I'm very sorry for because it was pretty good. A slight yeasty chewiness dipped in an unidentifiable sugar coating.
Koryodang, 31 West 32nd St, NY, NY 10001 (btwn 5th and 6th Aves)

Hampton Chutney, with Hong

By Hong's own admission Hampton Chutney was an odd choice for last lunch in the states before she heads back to Germany. But we all enjoyed it nevertheless. Usually M and I split one of the dosas, which is just barely enough. With Hong there today we usurped a bit of hers, so leaving lunch a bit better fed.
Hampton Chutney, 68 Prince St, NY, NY 10012 (btwn Crosby and Lafayette)

4:00pm apple cider donuts

What can I say about today's dessert? Donuts + Toaster Oven + Coffee = Warm and Delicious Afternoon Snack.
Breezy Hill Orchard

DBGB, with John and Kristina

Like the transformation of Soho from art galleries to commerce, mourning the gentrification of the Bowery is becoming a moot point, no more dirty, gritty New York. I do miss the griminess but I can't be overly upset when it proffers up Daniel Boulud in its place. In his only downtown venture, Daniel Boulud has made DBGB into a dark and inviting, French interpretation of American tavern eating. Fancy meets lowdown and it is nice. So nice we are already plotting when to go back for the other 11 links/bangers/saucisses/wieners on the menu.
DBGB Kitchen & Bar, 299 Bowery, NY, NY 10003 (at Houston)

4:00pm apple pie

Last night the fine folks at Harvest threw a party and it was great. But far, far better than one night of fun is the new toaster oven sitting on the kitchen counter. Available now and forevermore to heat up slices of Baker's Bounty apple pie for afternoon dessert.
Union Square Farmers Market, corner of Park and 14th St, NY, NY 10003

Zoe, with Hong

Zoe may not be within our normal lunching rotation, but when we read the news that it was closing this week after 18 healthy years of business, we had to go. It's always sad to hear about another neighborhood stalwart disappearing from the streetscape. We split into quarters the following: burger, lamb sliders and the daily special roast pork sandwich. The roast pork sandwich largely resembled a turkey sandwich, so much that if you told me it was a turkey sandwich I would have said, "dang, that's a pretty good turkey sandwich". Sadly the roast pork sandwich made a better turkey sandwich then it did roast pork.
Zoe, 90 Prince St, NY, NY 10012 (at Mercer St)

4:00pm "1000 year old" ice cream sandwich

Heading back to the subway, I remembered that I had intended to pick one of these up after our lunch at Xie Xie. It has been taunting us via the food blogesphere, and we've been dying to give it a try. And good is was. Great, even. Addictive and heavenly, in fact! This is NOT an overrated dessert. It's sweet, salty, creamy and crunchy. What more could you ask for in a dessert? In addition, it is such a clever play on the real thing. We are in love!
Xie Xie, 645 9th Ave., NY, NY 10036 (btwn 45th and 46th)

Xie Xie, with MidtownLunch

We are fulfilling desires with aplomb this week. Today we finally meet Zach, the guru of lunch in midtown and we do it over a sampling of Asian sandwiches at Xie Xie. Xie Xie has been on our list since it opened but midtown isn't exactly around the corner. We shared 4 sandwiches, cut 3 ways in order to cover the full range of tastes. Overall everything was pretty solid, a healthy step up from the banh mi of Chinatown but a little heavier handed than Num Pang or An Choi. Definitely worth stopping by if you happen to be near Times Square and more than worth your time if you're looking for tasty and inexpensive dinner options before a show.
Xie Xie, 645 9th Ave., NY, NY 10036 (btwn 45th and 46th)

4:00pm yogurt cake

I have a weakness for simple, not-too-sweet, pound cake type desserts exactly as Julia has described in this opening paragraph to a recipe for yogurt cake. A good piece of fresh cake is so rewarding and near impossible to find pre-packaged that it certainly behooves you to bake up a 10" round and leave it nearby for impromptu munchies.

Saha Thai

Even on a gloomy (albeit unseasonably warm) afternoon, when we are pressed for time and can't take our minds off work, a reliably tasty lunch offers a glimpse of distraction that is of unmatched quality to anything on the interweb. Take that youtube!

4:00pm raspberry bomboloni

Yesterday I popped over to Dumbo to see a friend's installation at the Dumbo Arts Center and of course, naturally, so conveniently, I just happened to be a couple blocks away from Almondine and some rather delectable sweets. Bomboloni's don't really travel well, nor are they really meant to be eaten the next day for the purposes of dessert blogging but damn it if it still wasn't a nice afternoon treat.
Almondine Bakery, 85 Water St, Brooklyn, NY 11201 (btwn bridges)

Motorino, with EG and BB

There have been two things on our list of desires lately, one is to have lunch at the newly opened East Village branch of Motorino and two is to have lunch with the estimable minds behind Bldg Blog and Edible Geography. Today we succeeded in both with the additional benefit of a long walk back in warm springtime weather. Even though it's November. I guess the cost of not having to take a subway to East Williamsburg is borne out in the additional $2 for the pizza and salad (or ice cream) lunch special. The new location is pretty good but not quite as rave-worthy as the memory of our Brooklyn lunches.
Motorino, 349 East 12th St, NY, NY 10003 (near 1st Ave)

4:00pm apricot amaretto tart

Ah, so close yet not quite. This apricot amaretto tart from Balthazar had all the trappings of greatness but the fruit filling was more jam than fruit. Or to put it more bluntly, the apricot center was just too damn sweet. Maybe if they served it with whipped cream.
Balthazar Bakery, 80 Spring St, NY, NY 10012 (near Crosby)

Grand Bo Ky, with John

I was told about this new restaurant on Grand just beyond Mott that was the same owners as the one on Mott just below Hester so we thought for certain it would a new New Chao Chow but instead it was the new New Bo Ky. It's new and fresh now but so packed for lunch that the newness is sure to wear off quickly. The renovated restaurant occupies the space of a former, much beloved dumpling shop and while we're glad to have hot soups nearby for winter time, the dumplings are already sorely missed.
Grand Bo Ky, 216 Grand St, NY, NY 10013 (btwn Mott & Elizabeth)

4:00pm Sara Lee pound cake

I'd been craving this childhood memory for some weeks now only the Met up the street never seemed to have carry it. Until yesterday! Lovely, squishy, manufactured goodness.
Met Food, 251 Mulberry St, NY, NY 10012 (at Prince)

Lovely Day w/ Liem

We had practically given up on Lovely Day opening back up again after their fire incident last year. Several days ago, we finally came across news of its reopening on the blogsphere. Funny, there really must have not been that much damage (as Eater suggests) because everything was in place just as it was before. The patrons, the slow service, the menu - everything. Apparently they do have a new ceiling. The light fixtures seemed to have some brighter light bulbs. Curious. Regardless, we're glad to be able to have the Japanese fried chicken lunch special again.
Lovely Day, 196 Elizabeth St., New York, NY 10012 btwn Prince & Spring

4:00pm apple cider donuts

Over apple cider donuts that Shawn brought in from his local farmer's market we calculated how many 1" squares we could get out of a traditional 9" round pie. Somehow we got to 64 but I think the real answer might be 36.

Soho Park

We need just a couple extra minutes to properly finish off the excellent Belgian fries from Soho Park today at lunch but sadly we didn't have it, and instead wolfed down a hot dog each, crammed a handful of fries slathered in ketchup and mayonnaise in our already out the door mouths and jetted off to respective meetings up and west.
Soho Park, 62 Prince St, NY, NY 10012 (at Lafayette)

4:00pm pumpkin cake with maple glaze

It's the loveliest thing when your local bakery makes seasonal desserts, offering a mix of the known and unknown. And when the seasonal desserts themselves change, there is more variety in our afternoon treats. The pumpkin cake with maple glaze that we had today was not quite the same as the one from February.
Oro Bakery, 375 Broome St, NY, NY 10013 (btwn Mulberry & Mott)

Nyonya, with Josh

It's a relief when a neighborhood favorite manages to remain in the neighborhood despite an increase in rent. In this case, Nyonya shuffled across the street into slightly fancier digs while still maintaining the same reliable food. We ventured outside of the usual array of noodle and rice dishes to try the seafood crispy noodles. The waitress warned us about the gravy sauce but she should have maybe made it a little more clear that the seafood crispy noodles would be swimming in sauce, not just lightly coated.
Nyonya, 199 Grand St, NY, NY 10013 (btwn Mulberry and Mott)

4:00pm doughnut holes

It may seem counterintuitive to buy sugary sweets on your way back from the dentist, but when it comes to doughnuts, there is no counter to our intuition. The Donut Pub is one of those places that you hope will never go out of business, even with the Dunkin Donut a couple doors down. Y'all get on over there, and have a yourself a doughnut or three. The sugar, jelly and powdered bavarian creme are all recommended with gusto.
The Donut Pub, 203 W.14th St, NY, NY 10011 (near 7th Ave)

Lahore Deli

When in a pinch for time, and on the way back to the office from the F train, Lahore can't be beat.
Cheap, fast and reliable. Today we got the spinach and potato, with the chickpea and lamb. Sometimes it's nice not to think too hard about lunch.
Lahore Deli, 132 Crosby St, New York, NY 10012 (below Houston)