4:00pm dessert

Continued from lunch... Readers may be surprised to find out that we both are people who could easily forgo the dessert at the end of the meal. Nonsense you say, but true it is! However, we also believe that desserts, when amazing, can elevate the status of a meal from really good, to truly memorable, and this is what we encountered at Del Posto today. The desserts were pretty fabulous all around - sweet, creamy, salty, crunchy, tart all perfectly poised. You could register everything separately but somehow they tasted like they were all meant to be one thing. Intrigued and jealous? You should be!
Del Posto, 85 Tenth Avenue, NY, NY 10011 (at 16th Street)

Del Posto with Maggie

We had a very special lunch today - a rather self-serving token of appreciation for our super-duper photographer, producer friend Maggie for taking beautiful pictures of our recent cafe project. We trudged through the snowy slushy mess, and arrived at lunch heaven (Del Posto) complete with white table cloths, superb service, wine, and probably one of the best $29 prix-fixe meals in town. One gets a choice (from many) of antipasti, primi (or main) and dolci, with generous amount of amuse bouche and sweets. The roasted winter vegetables pictured were like none that I've ever had, complex and varied in both flavor and texture. The pastas were equally memorable, and the dessert... we'll post that later. If you want a splurge worth every penny, and to spend two wonderful civilized hours eating lunch, do it - go to Del Posto. I'm saying it here now, dinner is overrated; Lunch is where its at!
Del Posto, 85 Tenth Avenue, NY, NY 10011 (at 16th Street)

4:00pm strawberry tart

We struck gold on the dessert today! Caffe Falai has been impressing us as of late (though the citrus tart did not hold up to expectations the second try). This delicate wee strawberry tart, left us wishing we each had one to ourselves yet again. Or perhaps we are becoming little piggies over here. We blame the blah weather, that's right.
Oh, and by the way, we are going to Del Posto for lunch tomorrow and silly excited! Please look forward to a torturously tasty post!
Caffe Falai, 265 Lafayette St, NY, NY 10012 (below Prince)

La Nueva Conquista

The last time we had the roast pork with rice and beans (our usual) from La Nueva Conquista, it was OFF DA HOOOOK, no exaggeration. Today, we cannot say the same. It wasn't even half as good. But still hardly anything to complain about. Salty, porky, comfort food fit for a slushy yucky day like today. Don't worry LNC, we still love you.
La Nueva Conquista, 236 Lafayette St, NY, NY 10012 (above Spring)

4:00pm blueberry muffins

Blueberry muffins seem more breakfast than afternoon dessert but how could we resist? Karen, lovely thoughtful sweet Karen, baked them this morning for the office specifically to "combat the grey and dreary weather". So we had them for breakfast AND afternoon dessert.

Momofuku, part 2 with John

We had two large containers of leftovers from fried chicken dinner yesterday so we invited John over for sandwiches. M. picked up bread from the Greenmarket this morning on her way to work so we could have a do-it-yourself kind of lunch. The peeps at Momofuku were thoughtful enough to neatly package everything up for us including the 4 sauces and greens. We tried various combinations and concluded the mint was unnecessary to any of them but the chili vinaigrette essential.

4:00pm bomboloni

We're always sharing desserts here - a slice of cake between the two of us, a cupcake cut in half, cookies broken in two. But today the plain donut from Tarallucci was so fresh and light and airy that we both wished we had gotten two. Donuts make us happy. Really really happy.
Tarallucci E Vino, 163 First Ave, NY, NY 10003 (at 10th St)

Momofuku, with friends

Today could not have been a worse weather day for fried chicken at Momofuku but then again we had a reservation and weren't willing to repeat the process of securing one. Better to brave the weather than to have to go through that again. Complaints aside, lunch was a heaping mound of fried chicken done two ways, Korean and Southern. We had a table of 6 eager eaters and still couldn't finish the plate. Overall it was rather tasty but not necessarily addictive enough to demand a repeat performance. We preferred the Southern style to the Korean - a bit of Old Bay worked wonders.
Momofuku, 171 First Ave, NY, NY 10003 (btwn 10th and 11th)

4:00pm olive oil cake

Fellow food lover, Kathy, says of this olive oil pound cake "Wonderful, if not the best among Manhattan's collection of olive oil cakes." And we have to agree although hello they only charge $2 for a slice at the Lafayette St branch of La Colombe? We bought 2 on Church St and got charged $6!! I want my $2 dollars back.
La Colombe, 319 Church St, NY, NY 10013 (at Lispenard)

Pakistan Tea House

We've got some intense lunches lined up this week, Momofuku fried chicken dinner tomorrow and *gasp* Del Posto on Friday, so to offset the fancy lunching, we're going cheap the rest of the week. Today we took advantage of a nearby errand to eat at the Pakistani Tea House, which has been on our list almost since the dawn of LUNCH. And as popular opinion states, it's really good bang for buck. The flavors are more refined than the average taxi food stand although the decor is typical with its fluorescent lights and grimy table tops. We also discovered 15 minutes doesn't really feel too far to walk for lunch.
Pakistani Tea House, 176 Church St, NY, NY 10013 (btwn Duane and Reade)

4:00pm griddle hot cakes

No lunch in Chinatown proper is complete without stopping by a hot cakes stand, or as they may be more popularly known, Hong Kong cakes. We always get a couple bags, one that we eat walking back to the office while they're still hot and fresh, and one for a late afternoon dessert. I particularly love them in the winter when frozen fingers are warmed by the hot cakes.
Hot cake street cart, south side of Canal Street btwn Mulberry and Baxter

Hop Kee with Josh

While we have no religious affiliations to observing Fish Fridays, we've started to quite enjoy seeking out great fish dishes at the end of the work week. We are always up for some tasty whole fish, and today we finally made it over to Hop Kee for their highly recommended Pan Fried Flounder. With Josh around, we were able to order another dish, the Stuffed Hot Peppers. Both were quite tasty, and it ended up being a perfect amount of food.
Hop Kee, 21 Mott Street, NY, NY 10013 (at Mosco)

4:00pm coffee cake

We had a bit of a hectic afternoon today, and we knew that we wouldn't have time for a proper dessert. However, when we eyed this on the counter when we ordered our lunch earlier we simply couldn't pass it up. Moist and dense, a tad on the too sweet side, but in a way that it should be, the cake was delicious like everything else we've tried.
Torrisi Italian Specialties, 250 Mulberry St, NY, NY 10012

Torrisi Italian Specialties

In a completely unprecedented move, we went back to Torrisi for lunch today. Craziness I know! Since we don't repeat lunches within a 2-3 month cycle, it's totally a rare event. But something about the way Ed Levine raved about the place and then our office-mate added to the clamor that had us thinking we just had to try the chicken parmesean hero and roast turkey. So we did. And they were great. Really great. It's clear the minds behind Torrisi are not just haphazardly throwing together a classic Italian-American hero nor are they serving some fancy pants interpretation. They are carefully and thoughtfully crafting each and every sandwich. Made with love for sure.
Torrisi Italian Specialties, 250 Mulberry St, NY, NY 10012

4:00pm oatmeal raisin etc cookie

This cookie would have been really good instead of decently good if only they had used a slightly less sweet chocolate chip. But to be fair it is called Bread Alone Bakery, not Bread and Cookies Alone Bakery.
Bread Alone Bakery, Union Square Greenmarket, New York, NY

Torrisi Italian Specialties, with Michael

We were not the only ones anxious to try Torrisi Italian Specialties, the new Italian deli-but-not-deli. The fine folks at Serious Eats wrote up an in-depth review, praising it for the sandwiches, joyfully proclaiming the side dishes a home run. And we absolutely agree. We had the same hankering for an Italian combo as Michael did and when combined with a small array of extremely well executed antipasti dishes, we knew it was another winning lunch. I haven't had a proper Italian combo in ages, maybe never in NYC. We're very happy to welcome Torrisi!
Torrisi Italian Specialties, 250 Mulberry St, NY, NY 10012

4:00pm sunshine cake

After today's unexpectedly delicious lunch at Frankies 17, we walked back along Rivington deliberately stopping at the Sugar Sweet Sunshine bakery. Ever since the red velvet cake from December, I've been dreaming of returning for something else. The sunshine vanilla cake was pretty good, healthily sweet but not overwhelmingly so. But ultimately no comparison to the red velvet we had last time.
Sugar Sweet Sunshine, 126 Rivington St, NY, NY 10002 (near Essex St)

Frankies 17

It's Pancake Tuesday! But we had french toast instead. That's what happens when you take a brisk 20 minute walk for lunch to Clinton St Bakery for their Pancake Month only to discover it's packed with an hour long wait. We would have been crushed except across the street Frankies 17 beckoned, lunch there saved the day and made the wet snowy walk worth every step. We split the most amazing tuna sandwich I have had in a long time with an equally delectable plate of french toast. We're going to have to carve out time in the near future for more brisk walks and delicious lunches at Frankies.
Frankies 17, 17 Clinton St, NY, NY 10002

4:00pm chocolate drops

I wonder what happens when Valentine's Day falls on the first day of the new lunar year. Especially as it's the start of the Year of the Tiger, a sign characterized by drama, intensity, change and travel. Have a happy weekend regardless, we will be taking advantage of President's Day on Monday to celebrate Tết. See you back on Tuesday!
Oro Bakery, 375 Broome St, NY, NY 10013 (btwn Mulberry & Mott)

Hiroko's Place, with edo and o

Lunch at Hiroko's Place has never been a quick affair, it always takes a solid hour, occasionally more. But today's surpassed even normal expectations by lasting a full hour and 40. We suspect it was the seafood doria that Edo ordered. Doria is this concoction of rice, meat and a creamy bechamal-type sauce, baked in a casserole dish like a gratin. It's halfway between France, Italy and Japan although even the Japanese do not seem to know where it truly originated from.
Hiroko's Place, 75 Thompson St, NY, NY 10012 (btwn Broome & Spring)

4:00pm fruit tart

With all the mushy snow piled up on sidewalks and puddles of dirty water collecting at curbs, sometimes I'm too lazy to cross the street. So when we got out of the downtown 6 train at Spring after an uptown meeting, we took the path of least resistance to Cafe Select. Presto, fruit tart for afternoon dessert!
Cafe Select, 212 Lafayette St, New York, NY 10012 (at Kenmare)

La Esquina Cafe, with John

We two and John all had the same inclination today for the pollo rostizado torta at La Esquina so we supplemented with the oxtail taquitos for a brief taste of something different to start. I have to say the roast chicken sandwiches aren't as spectacularly good as they used to be. They're still good but missing that je ne sais quoi. Not enough to prevent us from returning but enough to make us miss Rene's magic.
La Esquina, 106 Kenmare St, NY, NY 10012 (at Cleveland Place)

4:00pm carrot cake

This might possibly be the most delicious carrot cake we've tried in a long while. The cake was rich and moist with a dulce de leche creme frosting that added just the right amount of luxe. Pichet's signature combination of sweet and salty flavors works perfectly here.
Village Tart, 86 Kenmare St, NY, NY 10012 (at Mulberry)

Hoomoos Asli

I have to admit this morning we scoffed at the dire predictions of heavy snowfalls and city wide school closings but by the time we went out for lunch a thick blanket of snow was heavily coming down. It's so peaceful to walk around in snow. The streets are empty and city sounds are muffled. All in all a particularly peaceful lunch.
Hoomoos Asli, 100 Kenmare St, NY, NY 10012 (at Centre St)

4:00pm strawberry cheesecake

A classic dessert from a classic location serves us well this afternoon. Everywhere around are dire warnings about snow and storms and weather watching. But do not fear! Like postmen, neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these ladies from the swift completion of their appointed lunch. That's right, no snow is going to scare us away from lunch.
Eileen's Special Cheesecake, 17 Cleveland Place, NY, NY 10012 (at Kenmare)

BarBossa w/ Sarah

We were both excited to have lunch with Sarah today, especially because we were all feeling like we don't see eachother as often now that the cafe renovation is complete. We chose the conveniently located BarBossa, and what a lovely lunch it was. We all ordered something different, although I have to admit, I was not feeling adventurous, and stuck to my favorite "sanduiche prensado", the country egg salad hot-pressed sandwich. I'm not quite sure how I can call it my favorite when I haven't tried any of the others. But oh well, it's really quite good!
Bar Bossa, 232 Elizabeth St, NY, NY 10012 (btwn Prince & Houston)

4:00pm banana cake

Thank goodness for birthdays, as I've been looking forward to having more of this cake since our holiday party last year. Not surprisingly, it was a big hit with everyone - the birthday boy most importantly. The neat thing is that all the funky filling layers in between the cake layers slowly reveal and begin to assert themselves as part of the whole. Don't know if that made a whole lotta sense, but you gotta try to know what I mean.
Momofuku Bakery & Milk Bar, 207 Second Avenue, NY, NY 10003 (entrance on 13th)

Parisi Bakery

For us, a Parisi sandwich is a seasonal item, only to be consumed on a nice warm day because we then take it to eat at the nearby park. While today is a far cry from that nice warm day, it didn't keep us from suddenly developing a craving. Once there and waiting in line, getting ready to order our usual, I saw a bunch of these getting brought out from the kitchen. They looked so delicious, they needed to be tried. So here it is, chicken cutlet with fresh mozzarella and their homemade roasted red peppers. Mmmm.
Parisi Bakery, 198 Mott St, NY NY 10012 (btwn Spring & Broome)

4:00pm pb&j cupcake

We've been Village Tart whores of late, and we gotta admit, we haven't been disappointed yet. Today's cupcake was an unusual twist on what one might expect from a pb&j cupcake. Wasn't quite sure if it was the chocolate, or the strawberry puree. Whatever it was, it made you ponder on what you were eating for a minute. And though it wasn't something I would call delicious, sometimes a little flavor curiosity sparks a fine and tasty culinary intrigue.
Village Tart, 86 Kenmare St, NY, NY 10012 (at Mulberry)

Shanghai Cafe, with Ray

Ever since Danny introduced us to Shanghai Cafe, we've been addicted to the rice cakes with preserved cabbage and shredded pork. Addicted. As in it's not even a question whether we order it or not. But today we forwent the usual soup dumplings order to try something none of us had heard of, namely the shanghai rice with pork, chicken and shrimp. And hmm, nothing special.
Shanghai Cafe, 100 Mott St, NY, NY 10013 (btwn Hester & Canal)

4:00pm roll cakes

I can't say that we have EVER found better bang for buck than in the 80¢ roll cakes from the chinese bakeries scattered throughout Chinatown. Soft and squishy, lightly sweet and if you get the coffee roll, the slight flavor of coffee bitterness. All in all quite lovely.
Grand Manna Bakery, 212 Grand St, NY, NY 10013 (btwn Mott and Elizabeth)

Grand Bo Ky, with Josh

Grand Bo Ky can be pretty overwhelming as the menu is 2 full pages of densely packed noodle soups of every variation written in 3 languages. So to simplify your life, we will recommend the #4 (Hu Tieu Nam-Vang) or #5 if you're a vegetarian who eats seafood. By default it comes with wide rice noodles but I personally prefer the thin egg noodles.
Grand Bo Ky, 216 Grand St, NY, NY 10013 (btwn Mott & Elizabeth)

4:00pm lemon pound cake

We tend to shy away from lemon poundcake as it's often unreliable but McNally Jackson continues to bring happiness to our hearts. This one even looked potential dry but was surprisingly moist and had the taste of fresh tart lemons. If you haven't been by, please go! We have just newly renovated the cafe with flying books, the menu is revamped with delicious local treats, they're serving Stumptown coffee and an array of teas. And oh yes, it's the best independent bookstore around. That should be reason enough.
McNally Jackson Teahouse, 52 Prince St, NY, NY 10012 (btwn Lafayette and Mulberry)

Saha Thai

Saha Thai is our local go-to. We don't have to cross any streets and the lunches are pretty reliable whether you go for the pad prik khing or pad kee mao. But today aha, an interesting diversion. All because this sole guy was steadily making his way through an entire fried fish. It never occurred to us that fried fish would be an entree worth ordering, but it was. Although to be honest we ordered the wrong one. We got the Pla Ginger Sauce but probably the Pla Rard Prik was the way to go. Or we should have asked the guy finishing his off with such zeal.
Saha Thai, 227 Centre St, NY, NY 10013 (above Grand)

4:00pm apple galette

We continue to experience delicious moments of afternoon desserts at Village Tart. Following Kathy's recommendation today we picked up the candied apple galette. On a note of personal preference, we both found it a tad too sweet. But sugar preferences aside, it is as Kathy reports, "simultaneously crunchy and tender, and tastes as beautiful as it looks." And as recommended by both the servers and Pichet Ong himself, we popped it into the toaster oven for a couple minutes before dessert time. The scent of candied apples permeated the office afterward. Heavenly.
Village Tart, 86 Kenmare St, NY, NY 10012 (at Mulberry)

L'asso

It was surprisingly boisterous but not packed at L'asso today. And then we realized all the hype and hoopla was coming from one rolicking table full of friends with maybe an owner sitting amongst them. The peals of laughter made for a cozy collegiate atmosphere, which is mildly preferable to overcrowded loud dinner scenes. Although both scenarios are good for business and you can't argue with that.
L'asso, 192 Mott St., NY, NY 10012 (at Kenmare)

4:00pm red velvet cupcake

One of my favorite methods of carrying cupcakes back to the office for afternoon dessert is the upside down coffee cup. My other favorite is the open paper plate with 2 forks sticking out.
Oro Bakery, 375 Broome St, NY, NY 10013 (btwn Mulberry & Mott)

Office Potluck

Today was the first monthly, office lunch potluck, conceived and organized by Karen. We share this space with a surprising amount of vegetarians so everyone made a concerted effort to provide friendly dishes. We loaded up plates with: (1) vietnamese tofu and tomato stew, (2) chickpea curry, (3) warm farro, lentils and caramelized onions and (4) corn and pepper mix followed by carrot cake and clementines for dessert. I helped myself to a bowl of rice, heaped everything on top of it where I was surprised to discover the diverse dishes went very well together.