Travel | fabliss

Coop’s Place | New Orleans, LA

surprisingly, it was day 3 into our 5 day trip and we weren’t seeing a lot of jambalaya on menus and the ones we did try weren’t anything special. we had plenty of gumbo. plenty. it felt like every where we went, we were eating gumbo. it was now time to shift the focus to jambalaya.

after doing some researching and looking at tons of photos, we decided to go to coop’s based on photos of fried chicken and jambalaya (reviews were lackluster but we didn’t care).

since we were on an eating adventure, we just ordered the three-piece cajun fried chicken, which comes with a side of jambalaya and coleslaw ($11.75). we shared this one order among the four of us! yep. sizable portions!

so, the fried chicken was bomb! moist, flavor-packed and great crunch. the jambalaya tasted great but was on the mushy side. coleslaw, we thought, was awesome! andrew doesn’t even like coleslaw and liked this one!

ambience: dark interior. limited seating inside. your basic hole-in-the-wall joint. (that’s where all the best food comes from). we came here at an off-peak time (3pm on a sunday) and were seated right away. i can see this place getting packed with some sort of wait time. so just be prepared.
service: service with a smile. oh, and very fast!
overall: nothing fancy but delicious food. we are definitely fans. do yourself a favor and give the fried chicken a try. no regrets.

Coop’s Place
1109 Decatur St
New Orleans, LA 70116

By fabliss | December 7th, 2014 | Food, New Orleans, Travel | 0 Comments

Cafe Du Monde | New Orleans, LA

there’s not much i can say here that hasn’t already been said. when you travel to new orleans, you eat beignets. your first thought should be cafe du monde.

delicious beignets. each order comes with three donuts ($2.42 per order). we have two words for you. powered. sugar. expect it to get it everywhere!

it is a tourist trap so expect long lines. we went at 11:30pm so we just walked right in. however, we went at noon and there was a huge line. if you can, i would wait for a non-peak time. however, if you can’t wait, just know that the line moves fast. this is not the place that you would find ideal for slowly sipping a cup of coffee. the crowds make me stressed and I just want to be in and out.

i was pretty excited.

service: there are a ton of workers who are trying to get you seated and your order ready. fast. efficient.
ambience: casual. not very clean. powered sugar everywhere.
overall: beignets are good here. definitely a staple for NOLA. i gave this 4 stars instead of 5 stars because i actually liked the beignets at cafe beignet better! i found them crispier and hotter! (don’t kill me) anyway, this is a must do. you won’t be disappointed.

Cafe Du Monde
800 Decatur St
New Orleans, LA 70116

By fabliss | December 3rd, 2014 | Food, New Orleans, Travel | 0 Comments

Amy’s Bread | New York City

this will be short and sweet. this is lauren’s favorite, favorite bakery in nyc. when someone tells me something is their absolute favorite, i take it seriously (especially if it is in a city full of awesome eating options). her favorite thing here: the black and white cake.

but since i don’t eat chocolate, we asked the cashier which was better: the coconut cake or the carrot cake. no hesitation: “coconut cake hands down” i love when people don’t hesitate because they are that sure.

have i told you i have been obsessing over coconut cake ever since i tried the famous coconut cake in pebble beach? well it was my favorite coconut cake until this. yep.

why? the cake is extremely moist. probably the moistest (moist is not my favorite word but i cant think of a better word to use here) cake i have ever had. not the soggy kinda moist… the perfectly fluffy kinda moist. the coconut frosting just adds to its greatness. not too sweet (a big rating factor for me).

i have now added this to one my favorite bakeries. alright new york, you win this one.

ps. i visit this bakery every time i visit nyc now. of the two locations i have been to (chelsea and west village), my favorite is the one in chelsea since it has more options.

Amy’s Bread
75 9th Ave
New York, NY 10011
Neighborhood: Chelsea / Meatpacking

250 Bleecker St
New York, NY 10014
Neighborhood: West Village

By fabliss | November 25th, 2014 | Coffee, Tea, & Bakeries, Food, New York, Restaurants, Travel | 0 Comments

Russ & Daughters | New York City

this is our second time at russ & daughters. our first time included a torrential pour and a lot of happiness… leading us to come back here for our mandatory new york bagel part deux.

we like to get to russ & daughters early since it gets relatively packed. it’s located on the lower east side, near katz’s delicatessen.

although there are a quite a number of options (a ton of different style lox and a bajillion types of cream cheese), we go for the popular: smoked salmon (not even sure which one we get), scallion cream cheese, red onions, and tomato on an onion bagel.

so much salmon…

ambience: this is a market. so there aren’t any tables or chairs inside. there’s a nice bench right outside in case you want to enjoy your bagel in the sun. also, since it is a seafood market… it will smell fishy. this is a heads up to those who don’t do well in fishy settings.
service: you grab a number and wait to be called. my suggestion is to figure out what you want while you are waiting. don’t be that person who is indecisive and holds up the line. you will get some eye rolls.
our verdict: the smoked salmon with scallion cream cheese – delicious! however, the bagel itself is not as soft as we wanted it to be (the bagel at murray’s is better). my ideal bagel would be lox from russ & daughters and an onion bagel from murrays. just sayin’.

Russ & Daughters
179 E Houston St
New York, NY 10002

By fabliss | September 27th, 2014 | Food, New York, Restaurants, Travel | 0 Comments

Cafe Habana | New York City

we came here for one thing and one thing only. the grilled mexican corn ^^^

our thoughts: it was bomb. cojita cheese, spicy powder, lime… ugh so good. i could have one all to myself (it’s only 3 bucks). but since we were on a major eating adventure, we only ordered one to share. #pros

ambience: since we were looking to get in and out quickly, we opted for the to-go location right next door to the restaurant. no line, same menu, and fast service. there are a couple small tables plus bar seating at the window. that’s all you really need to enjoy your corn.
overall: the corn. it’s delicious. it’s cheap. it’s exactly what you dream it would be. next time, we want to try all the other items on the menu. we were smelling and staring at everyone’s food around us. yes, we were those people.

you made us happy, cafe habana. very happy.

Cafe Habana
17 Prince St
New York, NY 10012

Cafe Habana To-Go (right next door)
229 Elizabeth St
New York, NY 10012

By fabliss | September 26th, 2014 | Food, New York, Restaurants, Travel | 1 Comment

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