3:30pm cream puff

The other morning I had a scare when I walked by Panade and couldn't find it, but fortunately cream puff makers take Mondays off. Here are some thoughts we leave you with to keep you company tomorrow when it's cold and rainy:

I saw this on kottke so chances are everyone else has as well, but I love that this guy finds redemption in dressing in full on Batman gear, with car, and visiting sick children.

A classmate of ours built this website, tool really, for improving vocabulary. If you like words, it's addictive.

M. and I walk practically everywhere we can, but clearly it's a problem of our cities and culture. How else to explain that Americans are first in obesity and last in everyday exercise?

If you haven't read Robert Walser, his Berlin Stories is a really great place to start. They were written in when he lived there in the early 1900s although some of his descriptions could be from the Berlin of today.

And finally, good luck tonight!

Cocoron

Past couple of times at Cocoron, there has been a bit of a wait, but not too long that we don't end up staying. Despite the cramped quarters, the turnover is quick and everyone squeezes in. I always forget what I ordered the previous time, which is fun because I discover something new each time. Like I can't wait until hot summer days to have the cold Buta Shabu Soba again.
Cocoron, 61 Delancey St., NY, NY 10002 (btwn Eldridge and Allen)

4:10pm sponge cake

The big wow for today is Lunch Studio on Saveur's Sites We Love, on the Daily Fare front page! And if you're looking tomorrow when it has migrated to another page, here we are in all our glory!
That's a lot of exclamation marks, but I think deservedly so, no?

Excellent Pork Chop House

We got all jumbled up trying to decide between Xi'an on Bayard and Tasty Noodles on Doyer so we ended up at the Excellent Pork Chop House where we had a fried chicken leg. We usually go to Wah Mei for chicken legs, but mostly because of proximity since the fried chicken leg at Excellent Pork Chop House is superior in taste. Not to mention it comes topped with delicious bits of ground pork accompanying the persevered cabbage.
Excellent Pork Chop House, 3 Doyers St, NY, NY 10013 (near Bowery)

4:11pm dominique's kouign amann

These things are gooood!  Tastes like a cross of everything buttery and deicious: the flakiness of a croissant, the crunchy and sugary texture of a palmier, with the soft interior texture of a sticky bun. Sounds pretty insane eh? And it is, and so is the price tag ($5.25).  Even though it's really really good, when something tastes more like a breakfast treat rather than a complicated piece of pastry, we think it's really hard to want to pay more than $3.25, a fairly arbitrary number I suppose.
Dominique Ansel Bakery, 189 Spring St, NY, NY 10012 (btwn Thompson and Sullivan)

Harvest Lunch from Brick Lane Curry House

The Harvest team has a lovely routine of eating lunch together on Wednesdays. They usually also order in from Brick Lane Curry House, which the smell is so intoxicating that we have to make a point to leave before their food arrives or else we'll die of hunger. Today, for no special occasion, I invited myself to join the crew. It's fun to have a boisterous lunch, especially over good food. I do think Brick Lane is one of the better Indian Restaurants in the city. And like its name suggests, it does remind me more of the good stuff you get in Britain. Thanks Harvest for your generosity and my happy tummy.
Brick Lane Curry House, 306-308 East 6th Street, NY, NY 10003 (btwn 2nd & 3rd Ave)

4:01pm mini cakes

We'd heard from a few sources that our go-to street cart for these Hong Kong minicakes on Canal Street was not up to par compared to this one on Grand just east of Bowery. Excited as excited could be, we rushed across the street after lunch to purchase a few bags. Unfortunately, the cakes had been sitting around too long, they were cold and stale, and even perhaps a little overcooked with a slight burnt flavor. So much so that it would be unfair to compare the two under such conditions. However, what I could tell was that these cakes were more substantial, less fluffy, and more cake-like. Whether these qualities renders them superior; well, we'll have to try again.
Mini Cakes Street Cart, Grand Street, just east of Bowery NewYork, NY (on the south side)

Congee

The subject of crack-like foods has been on our minds thanks to this taste test by New York Magazine. We decided we were both craving the addictive, and almost too salty but distinctly crack-like salt baked squid from Congee. Our usual consists of the squid, an order of congee with sliced fish and lettuce, and the fried dough. The congee was especially good today, almost hoisting itself into the crack district. Although, somehow, congee just doesn't qualify as crack. And I really don't know why.
Congee, 98 Bowery, NY, NY 10013 (above Hester)

4:15pm financier

These may look like classic French madelines but per the woman at La Churreria, they are financiers, ala the Spanish. Frankly I could care less what they're called, from now on M. and I are going to refer to them as crack financiers. Because there is something about the sugary crunchy exterior and moist interior that make them addictive as crack.
Churreria, 284 Mulberry St, NY, NY 10012 (below Houston)

La Churreria

If you even remotely like grilled ham and cheese sandwiches, you must go to La Churreria and order the Classico bikini, quite possibly the most wonderful one we have had in a long time. More refined than an American one, but still so good. To be fair it was a toss up between the Classico and the Asturiano bocata (pork loin), our other lunch choice. The toasted baguette sandwich was made more delicious by the addition of sauteed mushrooms. Neither of us could decide which one to end our meal on.
Churreria, 284 Mulberry St, NY, NY 10012 (below Houston)

1:50pm sticky toffee cake

We leave you this fair weathered day with some musings for your lonely weekend ahead without us to keep you company.

Ever wonder where all the art comes from in the New York City subways? Well now there's an app for that.

Future cities has been on our minds lately and along with nature's revolt, water shows up frequently. The Columbia Water Center put out a charming video about an alarming topic.

The CAC, designed by fierce lady architect Zaha Hadid, is only a small reason to travel to Cincinnati. A better and more compelling reason are grilled cheese donuts!

And not to keep referring to the Gothamist, but I really loved this interview with Jake Dobkin and his process of collating news for dissemination.

Korea is high up on my list of want-to-travel-to places, and if kimchi wasn't enough of a reason, watching the Seoul Balancing Expert, (via Kottke), makes me yearn even more.

Happy weekend welcoming back Don Draper.

Raymond's

If we lived in or near Montclair, NJ, I'm pretty sure we would become regulars at Raymond's. The mood is lively and non-pretentious, the food straight up good. We were invited for a meal and a critique, although there was very little critique involved. Sure the spacing between lines on the menu was inconsistent and yes maybe the burger bun was a tiny drier than we like it, but in the grand scheme of things, they're doing pretty well for themselves. We couldn't stop eating the homemade fries and if the table wasn't already laden with dishes, I would have finished off the bacon too. The pomegranate lemonade is to die for and the coffee no slouch either. It's a bit French bistro, a little American diner and overall just wonderful.
Raymond's,  28 Church St, Montclair, NJ (btwn Park and Fullerton)

4:03pm orange glaze cinnamon bun

To be completely honest, we'd been avoiding trying out Smile To Go, because despite some good reviews from our trusted source, we felt we weren't cool enough; not young and hip enough. But we were  pleased that while the vibe is still as such, it's much more friendlier and with little seating space, you're not confronted with you un-hip factor. And it smelled deliciously of rotisserie chicken. As for the cinnamon bun, it was tasty but waaay too sweet - I couldn't handle it. The sweet guy at the counter who recommended it did say he had a real sweet tooth (which did admittedly of off alarm bells). We look forward to going back for lunch.
Smile To Go, 22 Howard Street, New York, NY 10013  (btwn Lafayette and Crosby)

Ed's Lobster Bar

We were feeling indulgent on this fine spring, almost summer, day in late March, and so lazily headed up the street to Ed's Lobster Bar. Not $27 lobster roll indulgent, but a hefty portion of clams linguini and a big plate of fish and chips did suffice. I love the pale light in the back of the restaurant along with the coziness of the small space.
Ed's Lobster Bar, 222 Lafayette St, NY, NY 10012 (below Spring)

3:40pm birthday cupcakes

Birthdays around here are celebrated in style. There is always singing, shots and cupcakes. Today's sweets comes courtesy of One Girl Cookies. They pack a sugary punch but I liked the denseness of the cake itself. We also tried a slice of chocolate cake with vanilla frosting, the chocolate so bitter and dark that it could only be tempered with a bite of sweet frosting.
One Girl Cookies, 68 Dean St, Brooklyn, NY 11201 (btwn Smith and Boerum Pl)

Quartino Bottega, with Lizz

I always want to like Quartino Bottega more than I actually do, not enough fatty, salty punch I suppose. But it's such a perfectly charming place, and today with the front doors wide open, a great place to meet Lizz for lunch. I guess you could say we hit it off because we already excitedly scheduled two more lunches for the upcoming months.
Quartino Bottega Organica, 11 Bleecker St, NY, NY 10012 (east of Elizabeth)

4:22pm macarons

Happy Macaron Day!
We set out for macarons after lunch knowing the occasion, but we definitely missed out on the sponsored macaron walk, which is okay as we wouldn't have had time for it. DSB was the closest place to lunch that we knew had macarons for certain. We were a little taken aback by how expensive they were ($2.50ish), but after taking a bite, they were redeemed. Delicious - creamy, delicate and the flavors, spot on. And while we're no macarons experts, I have to say they're totally comparable to the macarons I had in Paris (Ladurée included) just about a month ago. So why are they not on Serious Eat's top macarons in NYC? It looks like they didn't even get judged last year - so maybe this year.
Dominique Ansel, 189 Spring St, NY, NY 10012 (btwn Thompson and Sullivan)

Ba'al Cafe and Falafel

They keep tweaking the menu at Ba'al, which confuses us and left me without falafel today. But it's ok because I made M. order some and share with me. In April the falafel platter was falafel and 2 sides for $6. In May the falafel platter went up to $7. Today, a year later, there is no more falafel platter, it's a combo platter of 3 sides (one of which, if you want, could be falafel) for $7.75. At this rate it won't be such a good deal for much longer.
Ba'al Cafe and Falafel, 71 Sullivan St, NY, NY 10012 (above Broome)

4:40pm lebkuchen

Lebkuchen may only surface Stateside around Christmas time but I guess they are always available in their country of birth, das würde Deutschland, where someone recently went on business and oh so thoughtfully remembered to bring us back this treat.

Tasty Dumpling

I was wondering why all the old Chinese people had left the benches in the sun empty, but 10 minutes later it was perfectly clear, the sun was almost too hot for comfort. We should have read Serious Eat's review on this pork and cabbage pancake from Tasty Dumpling a little more carefully before picking up two of them for lunch. Two bites in and juicy pork juiciness spewed everywhere. We were eating outside but it was still a messy affair. Next time, because we are definitely going back for this super yumminess of pork, cabbage and chewy pancake shell, next time we will bring wet naps. And next time we will not order a soup, which went uneaten because the 2 pancakes, order of dumplings and cold cucumber salad was more than enough.
Tasty Dumpling, 54 Mulberry St, NY, NY 10013 (btwn Mosco and Bayard)

4:40pm strawberry tart

We're still in a bit of daze from our lunch encounter but here are some links to move you through the weekend without us:

It's awesome that the newly reopened Acme received 2 stars from the NY Times but oh why couldn't they change the name and facade so we wouldn't be reminded of the old rough and dirty cajun departed from us a year now.

I can't look at timelapse ISS videos of the Earth because they are so breathtakingly beautiful it makes me want to leave this life for a life of travel to far flung places of mysterious wonder.

Gaelle Villedary runs 1,400 feet of a thin grass carpet in a continuous line through the town of Jaujac, oh so prettily.

We have a buy-a-book policy every time we happen across an independent bookstore. Today I bought two at Crawford Doyle - All Passion Spent and A Pocket Guide to Vietnam 1962, intended as a crash course for GI's headed over.

And finally we leave you with an animated gif of Elmo, because as Shawn in Harvest's weekly roundup says: You know you love it.

Have a great green weekend!

Parigot

I got back at 5am this morning from a San Diego red-eye and the last thing we wanted to do was expend brain power on what to have for lunch. We walked half a block to Parigot, for what we were certain would be an ordinary meal of ordinary tastes. I went to open the outside door without looking and found myself face to face with a man who had been standing there talking on his phone. He looked at me, I looked at him. Then he moved to the side and I walked into the restaurant. For the next 10 minutes M. and I were incapable of coherent conversation, having just been a little star dazed by the close encounter with Clive. Like all proper New Yorkers though, we completely ignored him for the remainder of the meal, although every time we heard his voice mingled in his table's conversation, our own paused.
Parigot, 155 Grand St, NY, NY 10013 (at Lafayette)

4:17pm creme donut

I don't know how if there is a limit to how much love I can show this donut, but I certainly do feel as though I might be running out of words for it; at least without digging deep into my soul. It's just a gorgeous donut, clear and simple. And please, there is no guarantee that you too will feel this way, if you try another variety of donut from The Donut Pub (the glazed for instance - which is fine but the glaze too sweet). But if you disagree with me upon having the creme (the custard/bavarian type), then you are crazy, or perhaps we just can't be friends.
The Donut Pub, 203 W.14th St, NY, NY 10011 (near 7th Ave)

Hampton Chutney

I'm holding down the fort today, so lunch becomes a question of what do I not eat when Y and I eat together?  The tuna sandwich from Hampton Chutney would be one of them. It's not really anything to write home about, but there's something about it that I crave from time to time.  I think it's their curry spices they put in everything in combination with tuna, mayo, lots of arugula and soft black bread. It's satisfying and well rounded.
Hampton Chutney, 68 Prince St, NY, NY 10012 (btwn Crosby and Lafayette)

4:22pm hong kong mini cakes

These are really just the perfect snack, except that you could probably easily scarf down 5 of these bags of 15 mini cakes.  Though I just got a tip from a fellow Foodspotter, that there's a better location on Grand and Bowery. Must go, must go now!
Chinese Cakes street cart, Canal Street, NY, NY (south side btwn Baxter & Mulberry)

PInche Taqueria

Yet another ridiculously and eerily beautiful day. Our officemates entertained and lured us into the thought of going up to Shake Shack, but the inevitable outcome of having to wrestle the madness kept us put in our neighborhood. Because really, while we don't have a Shake Shack, we do have plenty of other tasty options to keep our stomachs satisfied. The fish tacos from Pinche Taqueria are a fine example.  One of the better ones in the city in fact. See? The grass isn't always green on the other side, it's just important to realize before you find yourself in jealous agony.
Pinche Taqueria, 227 Mott St, NY, NY 10012 (btwn Spring and Prince)

3:55pm tiramisu puff

Except for a $5 price tag, the tiramisu puff from Domique Ansel Bakery is pretty much perfect. The coffee flavored cream is divine, the puff shell spot on texture and the overall balance of flavors is exactly as described - it's tiramisu, it's a cream puff, it's both.
Dominique Ansel, 189 Spring St, NY, NY 10012 (btwn Thompson and Sullivan)

Alidoro, with Scott

I was a tiny bit worried this morning about the damp skies but it all cleared up in time for an outdoor lunch. It's always difficult to choose at Alidoro, if you stare too long at the menu, all the ingredients  blend together into one great delicious sounding sandwich. We usually waver between a couple different ones, like the Di Vinci that Village Voice likes or the Serious Eats choice, the Fruoletto, and then at the last minute we decide on one of the daily specials instead. Scott, our now regular monthly lunching partner, usually has the porchetta, another favorite of ours, but opted for something lighter instead.
Alidoro, 105 Sullivan St, NY, NY 10012 (above Spring)

4:00pm homemade granola bar

Fresh off the success of barley & chocolate peanut butter bars, TJ whips up a batch of homemade barley-based granola bars, with almonds and dried cranberries. Is there nothing this man can't do?

Pret a Manger

I think it's super cute that Pret a Manger has a banh mi inspired baguette but as a native Vietnamese eater, it doesn't quite do the trick for me. No Vietnamese person would actively choose white meat chicken and I agree with midtown lunch, the red peppers are distracting. If only they would call it something else, like Taste of the Orient or Hints of South-East Asia. We got ours today from the Union Square location, but did you know there is one at Astor Place?
Pret a Manger, 857 Broadway, New York, NY 10003 (at 17th St)

3:39pm oatmeal raisin cookies

Happy weekend! Some tidbits we've been thinking about to tide you over the long 2 days without our daily lunch updates:

It's Day 5 in The Wire Smacketology, I like how it's perfectly clear that Omar (even Obama thinks so) will win over Avon, but between McNulty and Stringer Bell? It's anyone's guess.

Did you know that USPS will pick up packages for free? If they're priority mail, express mail or select return labels, you can go online and in 30 seconds, request a free pickup. This changed my life.

We have no idea what this architectural competition is about, but the winning images are delightful.

NY Mag may think mantyhose are happening, but we are not fans.

Have you heard of Saint Pierre and Miquelon? They're proper French colonies, but close than a flight across the Atlantic, they're right off the Nova Scotia coast. Looks intriguing.

See you on Monday!

Cafe Select w/ Tia and Gordon

It's always a pleasure to have lunch with Bionic Bites and Gordon. Today, conversation turned to what other places we'd live or have thought about moving to (even though we all love NYC), and the various non-conventional ways of eating kimchi; or how kimchi goes with all sorts of unexpected foods. I was so glad to finally have a someone not even flinch at the fact that I like to eat kimchi with cottage cheese (the one with the most fat content please). Either way, Y and I opted for the breakfast specials today, and ordered the french toast and scrambled eggs with sausage over rösti to share so we don't have the salty or sweet conundrum. It was brilliant.
Cafe Select, 212 Lafayette St, New York, NY 10012 (at Kenmare)

4:50pm caramel bread

Croissants are not really dessert fare, although I wish they were, because caramel loafs are not Mille-feuille's forte. It was strangely dry yet overly moist with oil, so off in texture that while the flavor was delicious, most of the slice still remains on our desk uneaten. Next time we'll be sticking to the tarts. Or croissants.
Mille-feuille Bakery Cafe, 552 Laguardia Place, NY, NY 10012 (btwn 3rd and Bleecker) 

Keste Pizzeria, with Harvest

It's not like we needed an excuse to take an extra long walk for lunch on this gorgeous March day, but when Patrick said come have pizza with us in the West Village, we gladly accepted. We tried 7 different pizzas at Keste, ranging from the signature Keste to 4 cheese to bell peppers over smoked mozzarella. I thoroughly enjoyed the marvelously chewy crust. M. didn't think much of it the first time around, but agreed today's lunch was pretty damn good.
Keste Pizzeria, 271 Bleecker St, NY, NY 10014 (btwn Jones and Cornelia)

3:40pm barley, chocolate and peanut butter bar

TJ Schuck doesn't just make websites, he makes home brews! And spent-grain barley and chocolate and peanut butter snack bars! Which are delicious! We hope he makes more treats with the by-products of his home brew experiments!

Pane Panelle

In the same way that M. has a hard time resisting egg sandwiches for lunch, I love anything with celery in it. Especially paired with grilled octopus. The Insalata di Polpo at Pane Panelle pretty much satisfied my craving although the sandwiches were not quite up to par. The former Stuzzicheria, now Pane Panelle is, on the other hand, absolutely perfect for people watching on unseasonably warm and sunny winter days.
Pane Panelle, 305 Church St, NY, NY 10013 (at Walker St)

4:30pm graham cookies

Sadly, these may have been Made Fresh Daily this morning but by the time we had them for afternoon dessert, the texture had turned a bit stale. The flavor was pretty nice so we'll have to try again.
Made Fresh Daily, 226 Front St, NY, NY 10038 (btwn Beekman and Peck Slip)

Shanghai Cafe, with Thu

The first thing M. and I do when we walk in a restaurant is not check out the other diners, but check out what they're eating. Today we noticed no less than three tables with the pan fried noodles. I have a soft spot for this dish, my mom used to make it all the time. There is something I love about the texture of crunchy noodles and a gravy sauce. Shanghai Cafe makes a decent one, nothing particularly special though. Maybe everyone else has a soft spot for crunchy noodles too?
Shanghai Cafe, 100 Mott St, NY, NY 10013 (btwn Hester & Canal)

4:04pm cinnamon bun pie

The mysterious thing about this dessert is that, while there's nothing special about it, it's also utterly addictive. It's probably not worth the $5+ price tag however. And we saw no evidence of a pie crust, if was just baked in the form of a pie. The young lady at the counter recommended that it be nuked for 15 seconds before consumption, and it's precisely what we did. Ooey and gooey it will hit the spot if you're having a sugar craving and just got paid.
Momofuku Bakery & Milk Bar, 207 Second Avenue, NY, NY 10003 (entrance on 13th)

Nha Trang

Y is on jury duty for an uncertain amount of time, but we felt we should go to an old standby, no longer on rotation, but still on everyone's "where to eat when on jury duty" list. Service was good, and the food wasn't bad. The pho tasted clean and nice, though perhaps a little on the one dimensional end. Not overly seasoned, which is a good and bad thing. I happen to like the thinner noodle, and so that served me fine. We inevitably talked about our moral obligations to define "hardship" in order to evade having to dedicate 6 weeks of your life to serve your civic duty.
Nha Trang, 87 Baxter Street, New York, NY 10013 (btwn Walker and Bayard Streets

Luzzo's with Anik

Today was a boisterous lunch with Anik and her two kids, who got out of school early for one reason or another. I being child-less am always struck by how at once joyous and completely depriving of your brain space it is to have cute little ones entertaining themselves around you. I guess one just learns to half tune it out, like Peanuts in reverse. The pizza on the other hand was decent but unremarkable. I have to pretty much agree word for word with Ed Levine's impressions on this one.
Luzzo's 211 First Avenue, New York, NY 10003 (btwn 12th and 13th Streets)

3:47pm key lime cupcake

They've only been open for 2 weeks now, but the new Soho location of Georgetown Cupcake was a hoppin' when we stopped by. We immediately gravitated toward the ethereal beauty of the key lime but when the girl behind the counter offered us a free secret flavored one, we could not resist. Apparently secret flavors get announced via their twitter or facebook. The first 100 people to mention it by name in the store get one for free. I'm a fan of social media that pays in sweet treats.
Georgetown Cupcake, 155 Mercer, NY, NY 10012 (btwn Spring and Prince)

Back Forty West

I knew M would want to try the crispy poached egg sandwich, the only question in my mind was how much of it I would get in exchange for some of my pulled pork sammy. If it was good but not fantastic, she would give me half, but if it were very fantastic, I might only get a bite. In the end I got 1/4. Not too bad considering the pulled pork sammy was pretty good itself. The new space of the now Back Forty West, formerly Savoy, is pretty. It feels smaller and still smells of fresh wood. Next time we're going back to try the fried chicken and waffles.
Savoy, 70 Prince St, NY, NY 10012 (at Crosby)