Get the Pastrami! (2nd Ave Deli)

I have had the pastrami of my dreams, and you should, too. Succulent, buttery pastrami that damn near melts in your mouth. Humina humina!

As you may recall, we have a generous boss who takes the whole crew out once a quarter for a free lunch. It's always at a great place--some of our trips have been to Turkish Kitchen, Victor's, Ammos, and Artisanal. This trip, however, took us to the 2nd Avenue Deli (which is on 3rd avenue now, long story). I sat down at our table, ordered a diet cream soda (!!), and tore into that expansive menu.

First up was an order of kasha, hulled buckwheat and onions with noodles. This is a favorite of some of the folks at the table, but I wasn't a fan. I think buckwheat just isn't my thing. A little too nutty for me.

They brought us copious amounts of cole slaw and pickles, all delicious. Even the cole slaw! Which I normally hate! I liked their version because it was vinegary, not creamy. I like tangy. :)

Our boss also ordered some fried kreplach for everyone. These were chewy, dumpling-like packets of seasoned beef--powerfully flavorful. I ate TWO.

Several people there ordered the mushroom barley soup, which was a very generous serving of a very delicious soup. It was more my style--I'm a barley girl. I tried a bit of a neighbor's and found it extremely satisfying, especially in this stubbornly cold weather.

My boss & I opted to split the ginormous sandwich platter: a whole sandwich of pastrami and a whole sandwich of corned beef (we'd each take a half of each flavor). The corned beef was fine, especially with a slathering of spicy mustard (I heart it!) but ZOH MAH GAH THE PASTRAMI. It was amazingly tender, almost like butter, and my teeth just sank right into it and through it. I could have eaten this for days and it wouldn't be enough. I will go back just for this sandwich...so help me!

Another coworker opted for the egg salad, and she took a little ribbing for it. Egg salad at a deli place? But listen up--this egg salad was amazing. I swiped a small sample (with a-permission and b-a clean fork) and I was awestruck at how fluffly and flavorful this was. Holy cow--forget everything you know about egg salad--this place has written a whole new book on it. It was very simple but so good.

And the food kept on coming....finally we closed in on the home stretch with a shared piece of their noodle kugel--a sweet noodle dish that varies enormously from place to place. This was a hearty, toothsome dish with a bright burst of orange flavor. It was nice, it was really nice, but I don't know that I'd get it again. I liked that they served it warm.

They also brought us a platter of cookies, rugelach and more to nibble on with our coffee. I embarrassed myself by asking for half and half, but the second the words left my mouth I tried to take them right back! The deli is kosher, so there is no mixing meat and milk. Only non-dairy creamer at this place! Not my favorite option but by this point my body was in food shock, so it didn't really matter! The cookies were okay but I could (and should) have skipped them.

The final touch, and a complementary close to every meal at 2nd Avenue Deli, is the chocolate soda. It comes in a small shot-type glass, and it's just the right end to the meal--a little sweet, a little pop from the selter, and a little nostalgic flavor all in one. Skip the desserts if you go and just close with this little baby.

They are open often, they are open late, and there is never a bad time to go. Trust me--half a pastrami sandwich and a chocolate soda later, and you'll be happier for it.

2nd Avenue Deli
162 East 33rd Street
New York, NY
(212) 689-9000

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Krisch's (aka Bunnyland!)

The blogging word is a delicious place sometimes! Through it (and our awesome mutual friend Hoosh) I met Halcyon (her blog is here) and she told me about LilyHydrangea's site (go here!) THAT's how I heard about Krisch's! ABF & I finally made it there last night for dinner...and ice cream! As it turns out, Krisch's started in Bay Ridge! Fulllll circle, baby!

This is "Bunnyland" season at Krisch's, meaning a whole side room at the restaurant is chock full of chocolate bunnies, chicks, eggs, and more! No kids or strollers in bunnyland (or walkers or wheelchairs! tight quarters)--they are not kidding around with their chocolate supply! I took a walk through here while we waited for our seat. It was packed but we really didn't have to wait long--maybe 15-20 minutes.

While we waited, I admired the 30-lb bunny that's up for grabs (the photo featured previously on LilyHydrangea's site, that first put Krisch on my radar!) That's a lotta chocolate. They don't just do Easter chocolates, though--more pics at the end of this post!

Almost the second we sat down, ABF ordered the mozzarella sticks. These were pretty good--seasoned and melty, with a zesty (but not spicy) dipping sauce.

I knew the second I got there I'd be getting the cheeseburger, and I subbed sweet potato fries. It was more well-done than the medium I requested, but somehow it was still juicy. There's no onions on the burger, but there is definitely onion powder or something like that in the seasonings--this was a juicy, flavorful, mouth-watering burger. I ate every bite of it.

ABF ordered the bacon cheeseburger, and we each shared a bite of our burgers. The bacon added a smoky crunch to his burger, but I was very happy with mine, too. Both sets of fries were delicious, but the sweet potato by far outranked the regular potato fries.

Let's get real here, though--I was here for the ice cream. I tried a sample of their black raspberry, as that is one of my favorite ice cream flavors EVAH, but when I saw they offer marshmallow topping, I went for vanilla. Black raspberry is best enjoyed in its pure state--on a cone, no toppings, nothing interfering with its awesomeness.

The dessert menu is overwhelming--so many options, from ice cream to pies to puddings. I hemmed and hawed and ultimately went with my first instinct: the Massapequa Special--2 scoops of ice cream with hot fudge AND marshmallow. Awww yeah.

The real winner of the night, though, was ABF's choice: the Just Peachy sundae. 2 scoops of fresh peach ice cream, melba sauce (raspberries, currants, etc), and fresh whipped cream. I think we almost devoured this one. Each bite was almost like biting into a fresh, juicy peach. Mamma mia, this was good.

Overall, we loved every bite of Krisch's. The portions are insanely huge--next time I'll opt for a single scoop, as we didn't even finish 1/3 of my sundae, and we scooped a lot of the whipped cream off our sundaes (so much cream--and I love it, just too much after all that food). The servers are all young but they were great--our server checked in on us a few times (that seems to happen less and less as we go out), and she was friendly and helpful, even as the room was crazy busy and hectic. I absolutely recommend stopping by Krisch's, no matter what the season!

Krisch's Restaurant & Ice Cream Parlor
11 Central Ave, Massapequa, NY 11758
(516) 797-3149

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Fast & Spicy

I met ABF downtown for a quick lunch date and we felt like having Indian. We met at Bombay's Indian Cuisine(formerly a Baluchi's) and managed to snag a table in the middle of the FiDi (Financial District) lunch rush.

Bombay is set up in a cafeteria style--they have a small but varied menu, pre-made drinks (including lassis!), and trays. Grab a drink, grab a tray, order your food, and you're served in seconds. A plus when you only have a short time for lunch.

While I saved our table, ABF went up to the line and ordered our food. Such a gent, that guy. :)

Look at those prices! We couldn't NOT get samosas (they were a dollar!)

ABF had never had one before, so I was quite happy to bring that deliciousness into his life. So good!

We each got the chicken tikka masala combo, which came with rice and saag paneer (spinach with a cream-cheesy type blend). While fast is good, how it tastes is more important. This was quite possibly one of the most succulent CTMs I have ever had. I was shocked at how tender and tasty the meat was. Kabob chicken often comes to you all dry and tough and overcooked..but not there! This was just great, and for 8 bucks total? Top that! It was more than I could possibly finish, but that's okay.

So while this was ABF's first taste of samosas, I finally broke down and had some garlic naan. I may never go back to regular naan again. Soft, chewy, garlicky---carb heaven!

As seen above in the first photo, I did pick up a mango lassi. It was tart, not too sweet, and just creamy enough to cool off my tongue from the surprisingly spicy chicken tikka.

I am by no means an 'expert' in Indian food, but I do know a tasty chicken tikka masala when I have one. If you're in the Financial District and want a good, affordable lunch option--come here, and come hungry! (And if you have room after, you can take 10 steps to your right and get coffee at Fika!!)

Thanks again to ABF for a delicious, tasty lunch--as if getting to spend some extra time with ABF weren't delicious enough on its own!

Bombay's Indian Cuisine
60 Pearl Street
New York, NY 10004
(212) 742-2222

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What's for dinner? DESSERT!!

ABF & I met his parents at Clovis Point Wines last weekend---they were debuting their summer rosé! (post soon) ABF's parents had already eaten lunch, but we hadn't, so we compromised: coffee & dessert time! Isn't being an adult awesome??? Dessert for dinner! We drove down the road to Mattituck and brought ABF's parents to another favorite place: Love Lane Kitchen.

In the 30 seconds it took us to walk from the car to the restaurant, the sign went from "Come In: We're Open" to "Sorry-We're Closed." It happened so quickly that I wondered if I'd imagined seeing the "Open" part! However, there were several tables of people inside, so we came in and asked if they were open. It turns out they shut down for a few hours to get ready for dinner. I think our faces all fell with disappointment!

The server quickly saved the day, saying since we just wanted dessert and coffee, they could accomodate us, as long as we didn't mind vacuuming and other cleaning going on. Listen...you can drive a train through that dining room as long as I have that rice pudding!

We walked up to the self-serve coffee bar, loaded up on hot caffeine, and happily admired the always-gorgeous floral arrangements while we waited for our delicious treats to arrive.

That rice pudding is exactly what I ordered--no second-guessing or hesitation. It. Is. AWESOME.

ABF ordered his favorite, the red velvet cake (which is like the 1-2-3 cake his grandmother used to make). I'm not crazy about this, but it is good. It's just that my love for the rice pudding will not make room for any other dessert.

And he is such a sweetie that he shared some with me. I heart that guy. :)

ABF's mom ordered the cheesecake, which was super dense and probably my least favorite dish there. Listen, it's tough competing with the pudding. I feel bad for all of the other desserts.

ABF's dad ordered the mixed berry tart a la mode. He said this was too good to share. As good as the rice pudding? Doubtful. ;)

Everyone really enjoyed their desserts, and we were extra grateful that the LLK staff was so welcoming when we were so hungry. Just one more experience at Love Lane Kitchen that made us love it even more!

Love Lane Kitchen
240 Love Lane
Mattituck, NY 11952-3223
(631) 298-8989

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Trader Joe's Taco Dip

I have a long-standing, deep-seated, everlasting love for Trader Joe's. Their products are usually fresh and tasty, always affordable, and the store in general is just FUN. Almost everything I've tried there has been a hit. Almost.

I'll admit the cover photo drew me in to the 5-layer dip. What's not to love? Vibrant colors, oozy cheese, cool sour cream, and chopped scallions. And honestly, Trader Joe's is usually pretty good about the package photo representing the actual product.

FAIL. Big old fail. Never mind that it looks hardly anything like the photo--it was also like a big, soupy, mushy mess of salt. PASS.

I put a hearty dollop of Trader Joe's Greek Yogurt on top since there was barely any sour cream visible in the actual dip. This also helped to cut through some of the overwhelming saltiness.

Don't worry, Trader Joe's--I can't stay mad at you. Nobody bats 1000! Next time I'll make my own dip with Trader Joe's ingredients--duly noted!

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