My NYC Food Bucket List

I've been thinking about an article I read recently about the death of the word "foodie," which has become overused and many people apparently think has a negative, snobby connotation. That surprised me since I always thought of a foodie as just an amateur who has a great love and appreciation for all things food-related, and is interested in finding out more about and trying out new and especially unusual eats. I've never thought of it in a negative sense. Definitely some people are annoying about food, such as the ones described in the article (and I sincerely hope I never turn into that!):

A foodie is now someone who takes food to extremes: Tweeting every course of every meal, obsessively discussing Top Chef Masters and Hell's Kitchen episodes on Internet forums, forcing the entire group to wait as they take pictures of every dish that hits the table and rushing to upload them . . . grilling wait staff to find out the exact provenance of every ingredient in a dish and revering chefs as if they were Lennon and McCartney. Then there's the arguing ad nauseum about whether sous vide is the greatest cooking technique since cavemen created the open flame, whether that bubbly-looking snot on the side of a dish is a foam or an emulsion, whether or not to call themselves "slow food" connoisseurs or locavores, and whether pork cracklins or morel mushrooms will be the next foods to take the culinary world by storm (since bacon and cupcakes are now passé, natch).

I decided to do a search for "foodie" to see what popped up. Then I got distracted reading several blogs that came up in the search. This blog entry on "The Top 10 Things Every New York Foodie Should Do" inspired me to create my own kind of Top 10 "bucket list" for food experiences in NYC. It's incredibly hard to pick just 10, but here goes:

1. Dim Sum in Manhattan or Flushing Chinatown: Sweet-n-Tasty Cafe makes to-die-for melt-in-your-mouth watercress and shrimp shumai and dumplings, steamed shrimp and crispy scallop dumplings, fluffy steamed roast pork buns, and fresh homemade soup noodles. You can also watch them making the food. And then of course a stop to Chinatown Ice Cream Factory for a scoop of cherry pistachio, avocado, or almond cookie ice cream, or any Chinese bakery for a taro milk bubble tea. The trip wouldn't be complete without a visit to one of the many snack shops where you can sample the goods and then serve yourself a sack of assorted exotic candies. My favorites are the Thai coconut milk caramels wrapped in colorful little tissue paper; and the lychee gummies.
2. Bohemian Hall and Beer Garden in Astoria, Queens: Everyone has to make this trip at least once to experience sitting outside sharing picnic tables with friends and strangers alike and enjoying some fresh draft Pilsner Urquell and a knockwurst sausage or grilled klobása with spicy mustard and crunchy pickles. You might want to make a day of it.
3. Middle Eastern Pastries + Coffee: If you're in the mood for something sweet, another Astoria stop is Laziza pastry shop on Steinway Street for a plate of Middle Eastern goodies and an cheap yet decent espresso. Get one of each kind, sit down and sample the goodness. Two words as you savor all the lovely knafeh, mamoul, baklava, etc.: sugar coma! Unfortunately, I haven't been here in a long time, and when I was searching this place recently, I turned up several reviews saying it had changed ownership and sadly not as good as it used to be. Let's hope it's not true!
4. Saint Agatha’s Nipple Cake from the East Village: There is an Italian bakery in the East Village that makes these special cakes I haven't been able to find anywhere else. Whenever I'm in the neighborhood, which is very infrequent now, I stop by this little old-school Italian pastry shop. These are so decadently sweet they will give you a sugar headache. I get a kick out the naughty breast-shaped design, but no matter what they looked like, the combination of white sugar icing and cake similar to the a Black and White Cookie, but then add rich ricotta filling which is used in cannoli and bright green marzipan. The literal cherry on the top is the maraschino "nipple" I like to save for last. I found a blog post about this a while back when I was looking for pics of this unique cake if you're interested.
5. Spanish Tapas and Sangria: I haven't been out for tapas in years, but it remains one of my favorite meals, especially when you're out with friends.  I don't even have a specific restaurant in mind it's been that long. We used to frequent one in the East Village when we first moved to NYC called Xunta, but they've since moved across the bridge to Williamsburg. One of the reasons I like tapas is you get to try a little bit of everything and if you're still hungry, you can just keep ordering more. Some of my favorite tapas dishes are bacon-wrapped dates; salty cheese and stuffed olives; and chorizo al vino.
6. Japanese Shabu-Shabu: Another fun dining experience, especially with a group of people is where you have your own little hot pot embedded in the table in front of you to make your own soup to your liking using a variety of thinly-sliced meats, fish or shrimp, thin cellophane noodles, veggies and condiments. I like Minni's Shabu Shabu in Flushing. They have a condiment bar where you can pick up little cups of red-hot pepper sauce, sesame oil, scallions, garlic, and other trimmings to give the soup some pep. Interesting note that shabu-shabu directly translates to "swish-swish" because of the sound made when swishing the soup around when you're preparing it.
7. Korean feast at any of the great restaurants in Little Korea/Koreatown: I love the number of little side dishes (banchan) to start off the meal and keep you busy, and the fact that kimchi is served at every meal. Korean barbecue is fun with a group of people, although usually a bit on the pricey side. Kum Gang San in "K-Town" has two floors and a huge waterfall. I believe it's open 24 hours and is always a fun experience. Last time I was there, I ordered some kimchi sushi which was incredible. Some of my favorite dishes are japchae - noodles with spinach, julienned beef, sliced onion, and julienned carrots mixed with seasoning made of soy sauce, sesame oil and sugar; the different varieties of stew served in a stone pot and still boiling when it arrives at the table - I like the spicy stew with soft tofu, beef and fish. Here is a good guide to K-Town from Paper Magazine.
8. Polish Breakfast in Greenpoint: Artery-clogging, heavy Polish breakfast or brunch at Christina's on Manhattan Avenue, a little dive that never changes (in the decade we've been here anyway) in Greenpoint, Brooklyn means stuffing your face with blintzes, pirogi, eggs, and of course, always a side of the heavenly perfectly-crisp-on-the-outside kielbasa with mustard. And it tastes all the better washed down with a chilled Żywiec beer.
9. Authentic Thai in Woodside, Queens: Try one of the many restaurants, such as Sripraphai, Zabb (which is closer to Jackson Heights) or I Am Thai for high quality and spicy Thai. Woodside, a virtual melting pot of ethnic groups, among others has a kind of sub-Southeast Asian neighborhood with Thai and Filipino restaurants and shops. Depending on my mood, my top picks for dishes would be: sauteed Chinese broccoli with crispy pork; Bangkok street food style noodle soup with rice noodles, fish balls, ground chicken, bean sprouts, scallion and cilantro in a spicy and sour broth; papaya or mango salads; and of course, sticky rice. A Thai iced tea or Singha beer round it out. I feel lucky to live close to so many fantastic Thai options and could seriously eat good Thai food almost every night of the week (and almost do!) That and taco truck tacos are saviors.
10. Freshly-Baked Donuts from Donut Plant on the Lower East Side: There is clearly a love for the art of making donuts here. Flavors rotate and all ingredients are fresh and seasonal; many are organic (making you feel less guilty about all the fried dough you're about to consume!) Although the place has grown in popularity over the years, it fortunately has not yet been ruined. I remember reading that the guy who owns the place used to make fresh the donuts early each morning in some basement and hand deliver them to Dean and Deluca and other businesses on his bicycle. This is one of those places that makes me wish I lived closer to the LES so that I could visit more often! When we were living in Brooklyn, sometimes we would walk over the Williamsburg bridge just to go here. You can get them at other places, but they sell out fast and there isn't as much of a selection. Some examples of flavors: peanut butter and jelly and tres leches.