4:42pm coffee cake

I kind of wish I had seen this mailbox taken over by a swarm of bees on the way to lunch like Robyn did. Although maybe I don't wish to have seen it, as the images are pretty wow. Even after I read the headline I still couldn't believe it.
Torrisi, 250 Mulberry St, NY, NY 10012 (below Prince)

Balboosta, with friends

Now that SE: NY has moved down to our 'hood I feel certain we are going to be having more group foodie fun lunches. Robyn and Veronica split a lamburger and salad, per our recommendation, while Greg went out on a tangent with the chicken schnitzel. Balboosta may not inspire the same love and devotion that Taim immediately creates, but at least Robyn found lunch to be a non-disappointing affair. That's a compliment I think.
Balaboosta, 214 Mulberry St, NY, NY 10012 (above Spring)

4:23pm buckwheat cake

Oro is offering gluten-free options that taste so fine, it makes no difference at all. I split the rhubarb buckwheat cake with the other fine ladies in the office, each of us having a little perfect quarter of taste.
Oro Bakery, 375 Broome St, NY, NY 10013 (btwn Mulberry & Mott)

Gahm Mi Oak

My head is already on vacation. M. left early this morning and I've been spending the day wrapping up a couple things before taking off myself tomorrow early morning. Included in the tiding of affairs were errands conveniently near to Gahm Mi Oak. I love the serenity of a solo lunch, munching on good kimchi, slurping at a bowl of sul long tang, listening to RFI podcasts.
Gahm Mi Oak, 43 W. 32nd St, NY, NY 10001 (near Broadway)

3:55pm rhubarb crumble pie

It's an extended version dessert deluxe post today, brought to you courtesy of the lovely Sara at Magnolia Bakery. She invited us to their first seasonal tasting last night where we sampled every single dessert on the table. I know, the things we do for accurate blog reportage. There is no Magnolia near us and the cupcake fanatics scare us anyway but last night reminded us that, at its origin, Magnolia Bakery is a bakery. Which means really tasty cheesecake, layer cakes, pies, crumbles and banana puddings to name a few. We personally fell in love with the key lime cheesecake and the seasonal rhubarb pies given away as goodie bags were the perfect treat for this afternoon. Forget the cupcakes, it's everything else that deserves tasting.
Magnolia Bakery, 200 Columbus Ave, NY, NY 10023 (at 69th St)

Nixtamalito, with Maggie and Steven

It was the perfect day to meet Maggie and Steven for lunch outdoors at the new downtown food kiosk by the Queens based tortilla maker, Tortilleria Nixtamal. There were no shortage of City Hall peeps waiting in line and occupying the handful of outdoor cafe tables. We tried almost everything - tacos al pastor, tacos with fish, with cactus, with lamb and topped it off with a chicken tostada, a steak torta. The tastes were decent, the ingredients clearly 100% natural and the guacamole worth ordering again.
Nixtamalito, 1 Centre St, NY, NY 10007 (east side of Centre St, south of City Hall)

4:56pm sour cherry muffin

The muffin was a trifle dry by dessert time, but the taste was delicious, the crunchy top yum-yum and the occasional sour cherry quite nice. It's a crying shame Panade isn't on the way to work for us, I bet muffins fresh and first thing in the morning would make anyone's day.
Panade, 132a Eldridge St, NY, NY 10002 (btwn Delancy and Broome)

Cocoron

We're getting used to seeing a closed sign at Cocoron around lunch time. Last time they were closed because it was Monday. Today they were closed because it was 12:50pm and they wouldn't be open for another 10 minutes. So we strolled around the block, picked up dessert for afternoon coffee, got back in time to snag one of 3 small tables. And then proceeded to have an extremely good soba lunch. I had the lunch special sliced pork cold soba while M. went with the natto soba. We remain giddy with happiness over Cocoron soba.
Cocoron, 61 Delancey St., NY, NY 10002 (btwn Eldridge and Allen)

5:11pm apple turnover

Bottega Falai's $2.50 apple turnover isn't bad, it's no FPB pear tart, but it's not bad. They could probably do away with the powdered sugar on top and have a slightly nicer balanced bite.
Bottega Falai, 267 Lafayette St, NY, NY 10012 (below Prince)

Baluchi's

M. read that the Baluchi's on Spring closed but I didn't care because the wonderful world wide web let me click a couple buttons and minutes later have a piping hot lunch at our doorstep. Baluchi's is a solid choice when we're feeling too cheap to order from Brick Lane and too lazy to leave the office. Their nan is not as good as Brick Lane but the $14.95 lunch combo is more than enough for the two of us and subsequently quite a good lunch deal.
www.baluchis.com

4:44pm brownie

The brownie samples at Nolita Mart looked dark and inviting. Not to mention they were made by the same hand as the chocolate chip cookies we adore. One taste was even better, with that slightly yielding texture, verging ever so slightly on fudge. Confusedly the brownie on display looked too pale to be the same but the lovely woman behind the counter assured us that what we tasted in the little sample would be found in the larger piece. And it was.
Nolita Mart, 156 Mott St, NY, NY 10013 (btwn Broome and Grand)

Jup She

I ordered my usual hot stone bulgogi kimchi but M. bravely ventured into uncharted territories with the house ramen, Korean style of course. The rice cakes were a nice touch but nearly nice enough to make up for the prepackaged instant noodles. As M. says, if I'm going to pay $10 for a bowl of ramen, the noodles ought to be at least fresh. How true.
Jup She, 171 Grand St, NY, NY 10013 (at Baxter)

8:30am little donuts

One last post for today. We woke up this morning a little earlier than necessary to grab a very expensive and very tasty cup of coffee from 21st Street Coffee (damn you Harvest for spoiling us with good coffee forever, now I can never settle for less) and a handful of little donuts from Peace, Love and Little Donuts. We ran into an old friend who insisted the bacon and maple syrup frosting one may sound strange, but was worth trying. So of course we tried one. And were well pleased with the results, although truthfully now, who doesn't love bacon?
Peace, Love and Little Donuts, 2018 Smallman St, Pittsburgh, PA 15222 (at 20th St in the Strip District)

Tessaro's

The upside (yes really!) to missed flights is we unexpectedly found ourselves with additional time on our hands. And instead of moping about an airport hotel, we headed back into the city for something we've been wanting to try for forever now: the hamburger at Tessaro's. Our friend George features it in Hamburger America and Serious Eat's Nick says its one of the finest he's ever eaten. At first the bun seemed too dense but then ah, as the juices soaked in, we realized the perfection of thought behind the bun. Not to mention the grilled burger itself. Everyone was a regular last night, calling out hellos to Deb, the bartender. We listened to the chatter, eating in blissful silence, enjoying the moment and forgetting the events leading up to it.
Tessaro's, 4601 Liberty Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15224 (at Taylor St in Bloomfield)

10:00pm vanilla cupcake

When we picked up this cupcake from Dozen, per Nina's recommendation, we thought we would be back in NYC to have it for afternoon snack. Instead we carried it in a brown paper bag through the lengthy security line at the airport, onto the plane, off the plane when it got delayed, still in hand when the plane left without us, to countless other gates searching for another flight out of the Burgh, back into the city when we realized we wouldn't be leaving until the next morning and finally to 61C where it gazed back at us, with a woeful bruised expression. Poor thing, it was definitely a little worse for the wear, but we enjoyed it anyway. The first bite was a sweet bomb explosion, the frosting light and airy like we like it and even though the cake was a tad dry, I will attribute that to the cupcake's travels and not its maker. Next time we'll have to consume it on the spot for an optimal eating experience.
Dozen Bakeshop, 3511 Butler St, Pittsburgh, PA 15201 (near 35th St in Lawrenceville)

Deluca's

Where to start. We went to Pittsburgh Tuesday for work, had breakfast in the Strip District on Wednesday and were all set to be back by tea time later that afternoon. Instead rain delayed our flight, a plane left without us and somewhere in the ether of lost baggage sits our 2 carry-on totes. Oh yes, and my planner. But no matter! We ate some good food and we're gonna share it with you. We never visit Pittsburgh without breakfast at that most nostalgic for us of greasy spoons, Deluca's in the Strip District. I always order french toast, scrambled eggs and bacon. M. debates between sweet and savory and usually ends up with this glorious breakfast sandwich you see here.
Deluca's 2015 Penn Ave, Pittsburgh, PA (btwn 20th and 21st in the Strip District)

4:00pm cream puffs

What I love about cream puffs is that the recipe is astoundingly simple. Melt 1 stick of butter with 1 cup of water until it's at a roiling boil. Add 1 cup of flour, a pinch of salt and stir until the whole thing forms a ball. And then here was my favorite part, my mom would call my dad over for his strong beating arm, and as he beat the batter, she would drop in, one by one, 4 eggs. It was the one thing which required his participation in the kitchen. He'd beat the batter until it was stiff enough to stand up in little poufs on the baking tray. The poufs were baked at 425 for about 20-25 minutes and then stuffed with custard, pastry cream or even store bought vanilla pudding if you're too lazy to make a filling. I had high hopes for the Paris Sandwich cream puffs but sadly they were limp and a bit stale. Now that the thought of cream puffs is in my mind I might have to go home and make some rather soon.
Paris Sandwich, 213 Grand St, NY, NY 10013 (btwn Elizabeth and Mott)

Congee, with Hong

Looks like the magnificent spring weather from last week has departed and left us with blah instead. Which is also a good excuse for congee and salt baked shredded squid. The congee at Congee was ok, not as good as our memories, but then again we were trying to impress Hong with all the fabulous new discoveries we've made since she's been away. Too much hype, not enough substance. Though the squid lived up to expectations by being extremely addictive. The saltiness combined with cashews made us yearn for beer.
Congee, 98 Bowery, NY, NY 10013 (above Hester)

The Bagel Store

Kind of a pathetic lunch compared to yesterday's burger, but the bagel comes to us courtesy of Samara, who brings them fresh from The Bagel Store this morning. I have to say, as far as pathetic-lunches-really-really-don't-have-time-for-a-proper-one goes, a bagel from The Bagel Store is not all that bad. We tried to triangulate which location Samara might have gone to, Metropolitan Ave or Bedford but without knowing exactly where she lives, I can only say she got them from Brooklyn.
The Bagel Store, Brooklyn, NY

4:00pm oatmeal raisin cookies

The Dip 'N Sip cookies that M. picked up at Whole Foods did not look altogether that attractive, well not attractive enough for a prop in our photoshoot yesterday, so we had them for afternoon snack. They were better in my tummy than on a plate frozen in a photo.
Whole Foods, 4 Union Square So, NY, NY 10003 (btwn Broadway and University)

Corner Bistro, with James and Yaz

We're a day behind, having spent all yesterday holed up in a photoshoot with our favorite architectural photographer, James, and his friend Yaz. At the end of a productive morning we had a short debate about whether to get sandwiches and power through or take a break for a good, satisfying burger at Corner Bistro. Afterward we were all pleased as punch with our instinctive agreement for soda fountain Coke, hefty burgers and french fries piled atop tiny plastic plates.
Corner Bistro, 331 W. 4th St, NY, NY 10014 (at Jane St)

4:00pm pear tart

As Erin says, FPB does not disappoint when it comes to desserts. It's no surprise to me, I've always had a soft spot for the original Payard in the UES. We didn't try the lemon tart because the pear tart was too beautiful to resist. I can now also say it tasted as beautiful as it looked.
FPB Francois Payard Bakery, 116 W. Houston St, NY, NY 10012

Shanghai Cafe, with Hong

We always save Shanghai Cafe for when we know Hong will be in town. We debate ever so briefly whether we should order anything new but the answer is always no. Good call because our usual order of string beans, soup dumplings and rice cakes was especially delicious today. We concluded that in order to try new dishes we would have to invite 2 additional people to lunch so as not to give up our winning trifecta.
Shanghai Cafe, 100 Mott St, NY, NY 10013 (btwn Hester & Canal)

4:00pm cookies

If Cafe Select had any desserts available today, we didn't see them. And rather than wait to ask someone, we went across the street for 75 cent cookies from Eileen's.
Eileen's Special Cheesecake, 17 Cleveland Pl, NY, NY 10012 (btwn Spring and Kenmare)

Ba'al Cafe and Falafel

It's only been 2 weeks since I tried Ba'al Falafel but M. hadn't been before. It's only been 2 weeks but the $6 falafel platter now costs $7! It's only been 2 weeks and the place is still bustling, despite the additional dollar.
Ba'al Cafe and Falafel, 71 Sullivan St, NY, NY 10012 (above Broome)

4:00pm salted caramel apple and strawberry balsamic pie

I was randomly out in Brooklyn yesterday and when looking on my googlemaps to find out which direction we should head, I was giddy to see Four and Twenty Blackbirds nearby. I was saddened to learn that they only sold whole pies on 24-hr advance notice but they did not stop me from buying 4 hefty slices of pie instead. The salted caramel apple is still my favorite but the strawberry balsamic was pretty damn good too.
Four & Twenty Blackbirds, 439 3rd Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11215 (at 8th St)

Noodle Village

We're frequently craving Noodle Village soups but we held off for my sister, who is in town this week from Berlin. She was not as wowed as we normally are but we all agreed the fried crueller was perhaps one of the best any of us have had in Chinatown. It tasted as if it had come straight from the deep fryer, warm, fresh and not too greasy at all.
Noodle Village, 13 Mott St, NY, NY 10013 (btwn Mosco St and Chatham Sq) 

4:00pm lemon heart cookies

Trader Joe's really has a way of getting you to want to try their myriad of snacks.  As you browse the aisles, somehow you experience a momentary lapse of reasoning, and  become convinced that you "MUST HAVE" this or that.  These cookies were purchased upon such impulse.  Luckily, they are quite good.  I'm not sure I'll be yearning for another bag anytime soon, but they are perfect with coffee or tea, just about any time of the day.  A nutty, not too sweet butter cookie with a hint of tangy lemon frosting.  If this sounds good to you, definitely give them a try.

Epistrophy Cafe w/ Carl

Time passes all too quickly, as the last time we had lunch with Carl was over a year ago, chomping on fried chicken at Momofuku.  So our lovely overdue lunch was enjoyed at the always lovely Epistrophy.  There's something about the place that makes it at once perfect cafe for a laid back catch up lunch, but also where the food is utterly unmemorable.  That's not to say that it's bad, it food experience just fades into the background.  Which is perhaps why is so appropriate a place to meet friends you haven't seen in a while.
Epistrophy Cafe, 100 Mott St, NY, NY 10012 (btwn Kenmare & Spring)

4:00pm Meyer lemon tart

Once, in December of 2009, we had a delicious lemon tart from Caffe Falai. We have been trying ever since to taste that perfection again. Today's effort was the least successful to date. Hopefully it's just the new Bottega Falai working out some kinks. Otherwise we might have to search elsewhere for a more reliably good lemon tart.
Bottega Falai, 267 Lafayette St, NY, NY 10012 (below Prince)

Pinche Taqueria, with John

Of course we had tacos to celebrate Cinco de Mayo! But here is what I learned today, Cinco de Mayo is just as American as it is Mexican. It in fact it's a celebration of the freedoms won in our Civil War. It stems from the victory of the Mexican army over the French at the Battle of Puebla, which in turn contributed the a decisive turning point and ending to the Civil War. We and John were not the only ones to use the 5th of May as an excuse to indulge in Mexican food, Pinche Taquera was crazy with orders and pickups earlier today.
Pinche Taqueria, 227 Mott St, NY, NY 10012 (btwn Spring and Prince)

4:00pm chocolate cupcake

The problem with chocolate cakes is that they are often too dry to be tasty. Not the problem with Oro's chocolate cupcake! Actually there are no problems with Oro's chocolate cupcake. It's moist and heavenly, the frosting is not too sweet and there are little crinkles on top for textural variety.
Oro Bakery, 375 Broome St, NY, NY 10013 (btwn Mulberry & Mott)

Nyonya

Nothing beats getting back from a poorly scheduled meeting (at prime lunch time! gasp!) to a container of hot young chow fried rice from Nyonya. We have eaten their young chow fried rice so often that their particular combination of chicken, pork and shrimp stir fried with rice has created a permanent place in my heart.
Nyonya, 199 Grand St, NY, NY 10013 (btwn Mulberry and Mott)

4:00pm bomboloni

This bomboloni looked so delicious, sitting on the counter of Falai's new take-out joint and bakery, Bottega Falai, but all it did was make us dream of Berlin and the best doughnut we've ever had.
Bottega Falai, 267 Lafayette St, NY, NY 10012 (below Prince)

Central Buffet

Yesterday I was having dinner with a friend who asked me for some lunch recommendations that were quick and easy. So for you, dear readers, who just can't sneak away for a satisfying lunch outside of the office, we created a new tag called "quickie", in the left sidebar under Lunch Miscellany. Here there be places for grabbing and going. And in keeping with today's new tag, we popped into Central Buffet for a quickie. We ate in for lunch, that's how we roll, but it's as easily a quick take-out option.
Central Buffet, 195 Centre Street, NY, NY 10013 (btwn Howard and Hester)

4:00pm banana bread w/ chocolate chips

Apparently Samara, requested that Karen make banana bread with chocolate chips.  Hey I didn't know you could put in requests for potluck!  Anyway, this banana bread is no ordinary banana bread.  It's banana bread that meets ALL of dietary restrictions that seem to be exponentially doubling theses days around the office. Cholesterol free, nut free animal free, and dairy free.  That is except for the one person who is avoiding carbs, for weight reduction, but hey what can you do.  The only thing I can think of that fits all of our food intolerance, would be lettuce, and what fun is that?  That's right, no fun.   

Office Potluck

The first Monday of every month brings us the office Potluck at Harvest HQ.  It must be the warm weather, all the dishes were light, fresh and not quite filling (at least not for me and a few other folks).  I snapped this photo before the full table was set, as I got pulled into a phone call - but we have more food than shown here in case you were wondering.  Patrick brought in his waffle maker, which was really nice touch, and my contribution was the shredded brussel sprout salad, loosely based on this recipe.  Happy May!