DISCLAIMER: If you don't like people's vacation pics or travel stories, this blog is not for you today. I went out of town and am bouta to talk about it... Well, mainly what I ate. So read on. You'll eat it up. Heh.
Bubbleland, my Internet friends... Do you know what is going on out there?!?!!! A little place called New York CITY! Amazing. The Husband and I made the trip to the Great White North – wait... That's Canada, right? Eh, whatevs, we made the trip up yonder and I've never been so hillbilly happy in my life. We landed at La Guardia, everything on time, and luggage easily picked up. Caught a car to the hotel and it was ON.
We checked into the hotel and then hit the streets and the 4 day walkathon began. (Dr. Scholl's... Best $11 spent EVER.) The Hubs and I wandered in a couple stores. And touristy Manhattan on a Thursday, apparently, is not the time to shop. The few stores we went in were packed and I didn't feel like throwin' bows to get to sequined hair doodles. Moving on...
Wandering to the bottom of Rockefeller Center, we found a buncha stuff. Several of which were chain food spots. Seeing chains like "Miss Annie's Pretzels" and "Manchu Wok" felt odd. Like, on the double-decker tour bus when they pointed out the "original" Sbarro's. Eh? Anyhoo, I got my first meal in NYC there. The Tri-Tip Grill at the bottom of The Rock. Cheeseburger, cheeseburger! It was SO better than the average bear...
Mmmm, there just aren't words for how satisfying a perfectly cooked bacon cheeseburger can be.
Notice the salad... Ha, just for looks ;)
So that was great. Burgered up, we took a double-decker tour. Best way to see a whole mess of stuff in one big pop. And it was pretty hot. And we got to sit in a breeze. When the bus was moving. And when not moving, we had the best view of the insane cab drivers.
When people say NY cabbies are nuts, they aren't kidding. So insane. I didn't expect a wreck, but if it had happened, I sure wouldn't have been surprised. Heh, The Hubs white-knuckled his way through every ride. Which rather enjoyed since sometimes I feel that way when he drives. (Shhh, don't tell him I said that.)
We got back to Rockefeller Center and did the Top of the Rock tour. Very cool. You learn a little history about Rockefeller and from the top, the view is cuh-razyyyyyy. The whole city lit up below you, Empire State Building, Brooklyn Bridge, all that jazz lit up... Wow. So the double-decker tour, the Top of the Rock, all that was obviously energy sapping so we needed some dinner...
Bubbleland, do you watch Man vs. Food? I believe they did a thing on Famous Ray's Pizza. How there's a kabillion of them and tons that use their name as billing like "Not Famous Ray's".
What do we pass?
Ray's Pizza.
Ohhhh, yeah.
Was it the original? Doubt it. But who cares when your pizza looks like this -
Pepperoni, sausage, ham, and BACON... It was a meat & greet
Rested up and it was time for breakfast. Somewhat ironically, we went to a place called Burger Heaven Garden & Grill. I got 2 eggs over-easy, ham, toast, & what they called hashbrowns. I would call them breakfast taters but potato puh-tot-o.
Presentation was a little lacking but very tasty.
It was a late breakfast so the next meal was dinner.
And it was the best dinner EV-AH!!!! We went to the hotel's restaurant called the Monkey Bar. Schmancy-pancy and delicious. The presentation was gorgeous, the service terrific, and most importantly, the food was incredible.
Grilled Fig Salad with Blue Cheese
Seared Scallops with Corn & Truffle
Happy birthday to me! My favorite cake, red velvet.
And just happened to be one of their specialties...
I took it as a sign I'm living right.
The next day, no breakfast, we went straight to Chinatown. I got 2 purses, a wallet, cell phone cover, etc. All the Chinatown fixins. Niiiice.
I had a hard boiled egg and some Cheerios at the hotel, but that's not enough for a growing girl like myself. Meat on a stick everywhere was calling my name!
Ummmm, I forgot to take a pic until after I ate half of it.
The flavor wasn't anything special but it was wonderfully crunchy. And food on a stick is fun. Not as fun as a Flintstone-sized turkey leg. But still pretty good.
We ate lunch in Chinatown. And, ok... I'm going to touch on it briefly but I seriously gagged posting these pics. Chinatown authentic food is NOT the time to get adventurous.
Bean Curd Szechuan Style over rice.
I was expecting more of a tofu texture. The flavor was great but the bean curd slid down my throat like slime bubble. Worse than those globbulars they put in bubble tea. Or tapioca. Gag, tapioca.
But that was nothing. Nothing at all compared to the nastiness that was before me...
Rice Balls in Wine Sauce Soup
Doesn't that description sound good? Here's my mistake, I thought it was going to be compacted rice balls. Like you might get at a Japanese place. NOOOO. THEY WERE NOT!!!!
Seriously, I am the farthest thing from a picky eater. And these were the nastiest things I ever put in my mouth. It was like eating eyeballs. Soft eyeballs with black goo inside.
I think I just gagged a little... NEXT MEAL!!!
After Chinatown, we cleaned up and The Hubs and I got on the Subway for the first time. Loved it. Can we get one here? Oh, right... No.
We got to the new Yankee Stadium and it was so nice. For a billion dollars though, it sure should. Ordered a mid-afternoon snack and, after Chinatown, it was exactly what the doctor ordered...
Hot diggity dog.
Late night dinner at Good Burger was further artery-clogging deliciousness –
If it wouldn't kill me and require me to use the golf cart thingies at Walmart,
I would eat these every day.
The next morning, The Hubs and I tried to order breakfast in the Trump Tower Cafe. And it was the first time I've ever asked for a refund on food. It was the one food picture I didn't take and the one I REALLY wish I had. The "ham" with my eggs was heated up sandwich meat and the over-easy eggs were cooked through. The Hubs' eggs "with cheese" had a non-melted slice of American thrown on top. $16... Seriously? We did some shopping and wandered into a random bar & grill, not far from the hotel, called Redemption. The Hubs got some good looking chicken strips and I got the last meal of the trip. Had to go out big. And I did...
A fried chicken wrap with the usual veggies, hummus, buffalo sauce, and FRIES.
That's right, fries in the wrap.
Sorta crazy but it was really good. And bad for you. It was exactly the sort of mess you see on Man vs. Food. (Second MVF mention. Can I get percentage?) They're always showing crazy things like philly-cheese steaks with french fries and cheese dip on top.
I feel like I should note, I know exactly how ridiculous most of the meals were. But I sit at my desk and eat Lean Cuisines and steamed okra almost every day for the week. So I'm allowed to live a little, ok??!?!
Back off me, Bubbleland. It was vacation.
So there it is. My NYC food diary. Pictures with a real camera, not a phone, and everything. It was an amazing trip to an amazing city... And if I could think of how to work amazing into the sentence another day I would. Wonderful, terrifical, can I go back tomorrow?
Save your money, Bubbleland. Mama's got expensive travel tastes. Until next time...
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