Wafels & Dinges Restaurant

A group of us gathered one EARLY Sunday morning, hoping to have some of my favorite pancakes at Clinton Street Baking Company. When our expected wait of an hour turned into TWO hours, and then we heard it would be THREE HOURS, we collectively said Oh HELL NO, and walked north to find a better option, ANY option. Three hours for pancakes? You must think I've lost my mind and then some. No. NO NO NO NO NO. I'm mad we even waited that long, but sometimes optimism can be a real kick in the head.

We walked two blocks up and saw the brick and mortar version of the Wafels & Dinges, an amazing Belgian wafel truck that was really at the forefront of the food truck movement. In fact, back in 2008, I organized a Wafels & Dinges Day at the talk show where I worked. Everyone chipped in about 10 bucks and the Wafels truck came just for us outside work. Sigh..that was a great day. But back to the future...

He's putting BACON in the wafels--thank you, Sir. THANK YOU.

We walked in, immediately ordered at the counter (where they serve sweet AND savory), and were seated in under five minutes. Hello, THIS is how I like to do brunch. Screw that waiting in line nonsense. And I had an icy cold, bracingly strong iced coffee-- FINALLY!

I like to start with savory first thing in the morning, so I ordered the chicken and mushroom wafel. It sounded so good, and tasted even better. It was like a wonderfully comforting stew. Impossible to eat with your hands, but I'm not complaining. I was not expecting the savory wafels to be so incredibly flavorful. Bright, green herbs and BACON cooked into the wafel!! It came with a side of lightly-dressed arugula and pickled, tickle-your-tongue onions. Killer combo.

ABF ordered the Wake Up Grumpy: an egg, bacon and cheese with two savory wafels replacing the biscuit. Drizzled with a generous portion of honey, it looked gorgeous, and ABF gave it two forks up, happily.

For dessert, ABF & I shared the sweet raspberry wafel, lightly dusted with confectioner's sugar and a small scoop of vanilla ice cream and drizzled with honey. This was great- ABF is coming around to really liking raspberries (one of my favorite foods), and I'm happy to share with him. As tasty as this was, I actually rate the chicken & mushroom wafel as even more fantastic.

See that stunning chocolate concoction? I think that was my friend Travis's pick-- I was so full at this point I couldn't even fathom trying it, but it smelled glorrrrrrrious.

The prices are reasonable, coffee is strong, flavors are fab, and the servers were all cheerful and welcoming. Skip waiting ANYWHERE for brunch and try out this spot!

Wafels and Dinges

209 East 2nd Street

NY, NY 10009

(866) 429-7329

Follow @Lkpnyc

Eggs-cellent Eats (Morrell Wine Bar)

I had a bit of a dental emergency recently. If you know me, you know how uptight I am about my teeth. It turns out that I grit my teeth so hard that I actually CRACKED one. Yep. I'm THAT strong. Well, it made eating a bit of a challenge, especially on the right side of my mouth. I wasn't sure what was going to happen at the dentist's office (this was a first for me), so I decided to have lunch BEFORE the appointment. 

Pre-dental work wine

I popped into Morrell's Wine Bar, which at 2pm was pretty empty, and took a seat at the bar. Morrell's is in the heart of Rockefeller Center, a certified tourist destination and a convenient location for many of us working New Yorkers. 

The deviled eggs sounded delicious AND easy to eat, so I ordered them and had a glass of Chardonnay.

They also brought me some delicious bread (I stuck to the softer, oniony kind) and very cold, very hard butter. The bread was chewy and flavorful, and I made sure to keep chewing only on the left side.

The deviled eggs were truffle-scented with fried, crispy chicken skins. Soft, salty, fatty, and a teeny bit of crunch at the end (just enough for a sensitive tooth). 

How are these eggs so gorgeous?? Smooth, perfectly filled, and every bite was a delight. 

The wine was a One Rock Chardonnay from Long Island's North Fork (#drink local), and while I'm not overall a "Chardonnay person," this was great. Light and crisp and lovely.

I loved the wine with the eggs! Why don't I make deviled eggs at home? They are so delicious! Granted, they are not cheap-- Morrell is not a Cheap Eats place, but it is always well-done and satisfying. 

PS: For those of you wondering, it turned out I didn't need a crown after all, just a deep filling. And it hardly even hurt! My teeth and I are doing much better now.

Morrell Cafe & Wine Bar

1 Rockefeller Plaza  

NY NY 10020 

(212) 262-7700  

Follow @Lkpnyc

Food Truck Friday: Neapolitan Express

I'd seen the Neapolitan Express pizza truck many a time outside my workplace – but as someone who tries to keep simple carbs to a minimum, I managed to resist it for a while.

My coworker, CJ, had raved about how delicious it was. I finally decided to take her at her word and joined her for a quick lunch one day.

If you know me even a little bit, you know I love spicy. So the A Diavolo, with San Marzano tomatoes, mozzarella, hot cherry peppers, and spicy sausage was an easy pick for me. 

CJ's Di Parma (which I tried later--delish!)

I love everything about this pizza – the perfect amount of red sauce, the spiciness of the peppers and the sausage, but above all, the amazing crust.

I'm on of those people who often leaves the crust for others. I'm more interested in the toppings and the sauce, frankly. However, this was one of the most amazing crusts I've ever eaten: light, fluffy kind, chewy, flavorful. It was perfection.

This went above and beyond my expectations. In fact, I went back a few weeks later and ordered the same pizza CJ ordered (di Parma, with chewy strips of prosciutto and fresh basil leaves). Once again, I was not disappointed. If you want fresh, chewy, delicious, flavorful pizza, find the Neapolitan truck, and treat yourself!

Follow them on Twitter @NeaExpress! 

Food Truck Friday: Langos

I do my best to pack fresh, healthy lunches, but sometimes even the best of intentions get sidetracked.

I spotted the Langos truck and immediately shelved my fresh salad that I'd brought for one more day, and chowed down on a Hungarian specialty: Langos.

Langos (pronounced Lang-osh) are a type of yeasty bread covered in garlic, sour cream, and cheese. What's not to love? The crust reminds me a bit of a danish, chewy and flaky and not at all heavy.

I opted for the pepper lovers, which came with red and yellow peppers, aged Gouda cheese, and a sprinkling of freshly chopped chives.

This entire bit of deliciousness was 7 dollars-- a steal to me!

The staff are friendly, the toppings are fresh, and it doesn't take much time at all. I waited maybe 5 minutes, and chatted with the friendly workers in the truck who are eager to talk about their homeland of Hungary. I admitted I didn't know much about their country, but they were quite enthusiastic that I should visit sometime!

You can follow them on Twitter to find out where they're serving for the day-- @langostruck. Enjoy!

Follow @Lkpnyc

Food Truck Friday: Red Hook Lobster Pound

The last few times I've made it to the Red Hook Lobster Pound's truck, they've been out of lobstah! It makes sense-- due to my work schedule, my 'lunch' hour doesn't start until about 2:30. I don't EXPECT them to still have food at that time, but I can't help but try.

This week, I got lucky! At 2:30 I spotted the truck right outside our Midtown office (normally it's a short walk down 6th Avenue), and they still had rolls!

I wanted the "Connecticut style" (warm with butter-- is that a CT thing??), but they were out of those. They only had the "Maine style" (with homemade lemon mayo). Normally I like my lobster rolls cold, tossed with melted butter, but I was willing to try something new.

Since I was one of their final customers of the day, and they didn't have the roll I wanted, the guy running the truck kindly threw in a free Maine root beer (and I threw some ones into the tip jar)! If you've never tried one of the Maine brand of sodas, you are denying your taste buds a delicious privilege. Every flavor, from blueberry to sarsaparilla to root beer, is perfectly balanced, not too sweet, and not too bubbly, either!

Don't be shellfish-- leave some clams in the tip jar!

The roll was ready in no time-- the bun was toasted on the outside, buttery on the inside, and the filling was phenomenal-- fresh, tender, delicious lobster with a scattering of crunchy scallions. I wasn't sure I'd like the onions in it, but they really made that roll sing. The lemon mayo was applied sparingly, which I appreciated, and the lemony kick was pretty good (I don't really like mayo, so this is high praise from me).
I would definitely go back to this truck again-- even if it meant walking a bit. The roll was $16, which is about double what I normally pay for lunch, but it was worth it! You can read the truck's menu here, or follow them on Twitter @lobstertruckny

Follow @Lkpnyc

Friend of a Farmer: Breakfast

After a deeply disappointing dinner, I returned to Friend of a Farmer at ABF's request-- he'd had one of the best breakfasts EVER there, he insisted, and I should give it one more chance.

I was meeting up for a weekday breakfast with my friend Jeannie-- she lives a few states away but was in town for a conference. I couldn't pass up the chance to spend some time with her!

We got a cozy two-top in the upstairs area, where I've never sat before. Cute room! It has a fireplace, a country feel, and warm tones all around the open-air layout.

I was really hungry and almost picked a breakfast that came with pancakes, bacon, and more-- but opted not to get that one. I wasn't in the mood to take chances, so I ordered something I love: Eggs Benedict.

The dishes are very bare bones, no frills or even a fruit twist on the side. Mine came with a very small portion, maybe 2 heaping tablespoons, of home fried potatoes. My eggs, however, were perfectly cooked and delicious. The Hollandaise was very light with a bracing lemon kick to it, thin but very flavorful.

Lonely Omelet

Jeannie ordered the Farmer's Omelet, which came with spinach and cheese. She asked for an English muffin on the side instead of home fries (see my dish-she wasn't missing out on much!), so when her omelet arrived, it looked a little sad in the skillet with all that empty space where potatoes would have been. Aesthetics aside, Jeannie enjoyed her omelet!

We both got French press coffee, and this was fantastic. Velvety smooth, rich, and not a hint of burned or bitter flavors. Stellar brew!

The service was wonderful-- our server was friendly and funny, came at the perfect times to check on us, and while he did NOT rush us out of there, he was also quick to bring us back the bill so we could head out for a lovely walk through Manhattan..with a stroll right past nearby fancy-pants Gramercy Park, of course. Prices are also very reasonable (about 20 pp for breakfast and a pot of coffee, including tax & tip).

Friend of a Farmer definitely redeemed themselves in this instance, and I wouldn't hesitate to come back again for breakfast!

Friend of a Farmer

77 Irving Place

New York, NY 10003

(212) 477-2188

Follow @Lkpnyc

Food Truck Friday: Moshe's Falafel

The warmer weather has led me to thaw out the Friday Food Truck segment! I realized the other day that the lunch 'hour' had ended a while ago for most people. It was much closer to 3pm and I found that the first few trucks I wanted were all out of food. Denied!

The workers at Moshe still had a good crowd going, their workers were keeping up a friendly banter, and holy moly were their prices low!

I got the 5 falafel with 2 pickles, tahini dipping sauce, and hot sauce for three dollars. THREE. DOLLARS.

These are hands down THE lightest falafel I've ever eaten. They're fluffy, crunchy on the outside, and pretty tasty, too. The tahini and hot sauce go together quite well, but that hot sauce does creep up on you!

I enjoyed the friendly and fast service and would definitely swing by that cart again!

Moshe's Falafel
Corner of 6th Avenue and 46th Street
Manhattan

Follow @Lkpnyc