Food | fabliss

Tina’s Cuban Cuisine | New York City

kyle had this place bookmarked before going to nyc. since it was down the street from momofuku milk bar, we stopped in.

we ordered:

the spicy chicken plate with rice and plantains (comes with two sides)
beef empanada

the beef empanada was definitely the winner. super flavorful meat inside the empanada.

tip: make sure you eat it with the spicy green sauce. actually, make sure you drench anything you get here with the green sauce. we will warn you, the green sauce bottle that innocently sits on each table is indeed spicy… but oh so good. i actually felt the burn an hour after our meal.

the spicy chicken plate was good. the chicken could have been moister but still delicious with green sauce. the chicken is topped with onions and tomatoes. mmm. the plantains were good (not the best) but great choice with our meal. i’m sure the other sides are bomb.

food: bomb. next time, i want to try all the empanadas.
ambience: casual cuban restaurant. you can either get hot food to go in the front of the restaurant (laid out cafeteria style) or go to the back where they have table service. keep in mind that the space in the back is pretty small. a little weird thing about the back room: there is a weird constant vibration on the floors… no idea why. but you really aren’t there for that long. so i guess it’s ok?
service: nice. since food is already made out front, food comes out quick. so you are in and out within 20 minutes.
overall: if you love spicy, flavorful food, come here. if you love sauce like me, try the green sauce. delicious. do yourself one and get an empanada!

Tina’s Cuban Cuisine
23 W 56th St
Between 5th Ave & Avenue Of The Americas
New York, NY 10019

Neighborhood: Midtown West

By fabliss | September 22nd, 2014 | Food, New York, Restaurants, Travel | 0 Comments

Momofuku Milk Bar | New York City

last time we were in new york city, we tried momofuku’s ramen and pork bun and fell in love. after that experience, we put momofuku milk bar on our must try list!

i will be honest and say that we did not do any homework before walking into the relatively new location in midtown west. first question to our cashier: “sorry, this is our first time here… what is crack pie?” response: “a gooey pie made of butter, sugar, eggs, cream. it is so addicting!” done! we will have one slice please!

second question: besides crack pie, what else do we absolutely need to try right now? soft serve! whaaat?! cereal milk soft serve with cornflake crunch. whaaaaaaat??!

cup of cereal milk soft serve ($4.50) with cornflake crunch ($0.75) – yes, just like everyone else has claimed… its like eating a bowl of cereal. but! imagine, eating the coldest bowl of cereal in your life. sounds good, right?! welp! we were fans and would highly recommend this. if you are a texture person, you will definitely love the cornflake crunch. they top your cup with it and add some to the bottom of your cup. nice touch.
crack pie by the slice ($5.50) – this is pretty darn good. however, it is verrrrrry sweet. (this is coming from a person who loves sweets… take it how you want to) i would recommend coffee. or! get the soft serve… it helps cut the sweet.

milk bar is good. we will definitely be back to try other things on the menu (anyone want to split a whole birthday cake with me? it looks amazing and i have to have it!) if you had to get one thing though, i would get the soft serve… that’s just me though.

Momofuku Milk Bar
15 W 56th St
New York, NY 10019

By fabliss | September 21st, 2014 | Coffee, Tea, & Bakeries, Dessert, Food, New York, Travel | 0 Comments

Mighty Quinn’s Barbeque | New York City

we came here since it was featured in a few magazines and everyone raved about this place.

we ordered the brisket sandwich. it looked amazing.

the brisket itself was on the dry side, which was a huge disappointment. we had to drench it in bbq sauce. the bbq sauce was good. it was on the sweeter side. another disappointing thing about this sandwich was the bun. even though our bun came from a fresh batch, it wasn’t very soft. we weren’t fans.

service: okay. there was a long line when we came here but the staff did a decent job getting people through quickly.
ambience: really cool place. dark interior (dark woods) but lots of windows. we went for the outdoor seats since it was a beautiful day outside.
overall: we wanted to love this place but it was a let down. we didn’t love our sandwich… the brisket just fell short.

Mighty Quinn’s Barbeque
103 2nd Ave
New York, NY 10003

By fabliss | September 20th, 2014 | Food, New York, Restaurants, Travel | 0 Comments

Georgetown Cupcakes | Los Angeles, CA

kyle is not a cupcake guy. he hates sprinkles (the frosting is way too sweet). he doesn’t like magnolia bakery (cupcakes are dry). he’s more of a nothing bundt cakes kinda guy. so when he came home and told me that he had the best cupcake at georgetown cupcakes… i was shocked.

he fell in love with the chocolate ganache cupcake… because it’s uber chocolatey. very chocolatey. (i asked him why since i don’t eat chocolate myself… this was all i got. that it was chocolatey.)

i ordered the vanilla birthday cupcake and coconut cupcake. oh the vanilla birthday… it was everything i wanted it to be. the cake was moist and the buttercream frosting was a nice touch. not too sweet. since i’m not really a frosting kinda person, i had to take half of the frosting off even though i liked it (i think i’m a minority on this one).

the coconut cupcake was okay. cake is still moist and frosting was good. i just wasn’t crazy about it.

ambience: pretty spacious location. white walls. lots of natural light. when we stopped by, there was no line (the opposite of sprinkles… #overhyped). there are a few small tables inside if you would like to eat your cupcakes there.
parking: metered street parking.
service: friendly.
overall: these small cupcakes aren’t cheap. one cupcake will run you $3 (but i guess that is the going rate for gourmet cupcakes these days). i really liked the birthday cupcake. it’s a winner.

Georgetown Cupcakes
143 S Robertson Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90048

By fabliss | September 10th, 2014 | Dessert, Food | 2 Comments

Tatsu Ramen | Los Angeles, CA

two things: (i) we were looking for somewhere to eat on a friday that did not require reservations and (ii) we wanted noodles. enter: tatsu ramen. a location opened up on melrose (cross street is la brea in west hollywood).

one thing that will stand out about this place: the ordering concept. i find it very efficient. there is a large electronic menu on the wall right when you enter along with 3-4 ipads. you place your order and pay on the ipad. (you even order your water on this ipad!) a receipt will print out for you to present to the host/hostess, who will then seat you.

what we ordered:

soul ramen – this is their signature ramen! tonkotsu broth, black garlic oil and sweet umami sauce (mvp right here). this is customizable! beef, pork, chicken or tofu, green onions, mushrooms. i like it the way they suggest!
bold ramen – this is their most popular ramen! tonkotsu broth with 11 ingredients. yep! 11. customizable: egg, pork, chicken or tofu, green onions.
pork bowl – we got this because we really loved the one at daikokuya and have ordered it everywhere we go. plus, we were starving and felt like we needed more than just ramen. (we later realized that the bowl was overkill… too much food)

mmm. the pork bowl was a pleasant surprise. it looks super dry but it was delicious! i would order it again.

ramen bowls are huge and not for the weak…

this is the bold ramen (spicy). presentation is pretty, ain’t it?

here’s the soul ramen… my favorite.

food: i’m a big fan of tatsu ramen. actually, i think it’s my current favorite! sorry, ramen jinya! christine and goldman were fans too. i think about the soul ramen a lot (i mean, who doesn’t?). broth game is solid here. i will say that it is a little different from other ramen broths in la (oh, you sexy city you!) and that is what i appreciate about it. it’s not just salty… it also has some subtle sweetness! i dig it.

another point of view: my husband said his ramen (bold ramen with the 11 ingredients) was okay and not the best. he prefers tsujita (like many, many people do). so feelings are mixed. i liked the soul ramen over kyle’s choice.

atmosphere: this location is relatively new. decor is modern/pretty… did i mention clean? lots of natural light. high tables that can fit 6-8 people if you are rolling deep including bar seating. definitely casual dining.

service: staff is very attentive here since they aren’t busy taking orders. water service is great… you will never be thirsty.

parking: tatsu ramen shares a parking lot with two other restaurants. it’s tiny. i would not rely on getting a spot here. i have heard that there’s 1 hour parking out back… i haven’t tried this. another alternatives: there are metered spots on melrose. if you are lucky, you can score a free spot on one of the side streets. just make sure you read the parking sign carefully regarding enforced times, exceptions, etc.

overall: in my opinion, ramen is good here and reasonably priced. soul ramen is my favorite and would order this if it is your first time (it’s what they are known for). yes, there are mixed feelings about this place but i would still urge you to try this place if you are on a ramen eating adventure like we are.

Tatsu Ramen
7111 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90046

By fabliss | September 9th, 2014 | Food, Restaurants | 0 Comments

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