MEGAN EATS EVERYTHING

Mostly everything, anyway. Not a fan of bean sprouts.

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Pork Pancake at Tasty Dumpling

I'm pretty passionate about the dumplings in Chinatown. I've got a few favorites including Tasty Dumpling on Mulberry across the street from Columbus Park. They're got great dumplings with a little thicker skin than other places but they're still cheap as shit and pretty delicious.

The secret at Tasty Dumpling though is this pork filled pancake sandwich thing. I don't even know what it's called. I usually just point at it and give them a nod. It comes like this, a squished in a panini press dinner roll.

But inside is a magical filling of flavorful pork and chive. I mean, look at it. It's like the Asian version of a bierock and it's awesome. 

Be careful though. I've burned my mouth on many occasions eating this thing. The thin dough is filled with hot meat juice and will likely burn your tongue off if you're not careful. 

Tasty Dumpling 42 Mulberry Street New York, NY 10013 [phone]

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Fish Po' Boy at Jimmy's Diner

I love me a good fish sandwich and Jimmy's Diner in Williamsburg (or is it Greenpoint?) does it right.

Their Fish Po' Boy ($12) was made with fried catfish, cole slaw, hot sauce, ranch dressing and pickles. I'm not the biggest fan of catfish on it's own but in a sandwich like this with all the fixins, it's all right with me.

I'm told the breakfast menu at this place is great. Luckily it's a block away from my new office so I'll report back soon.

Jimmy's Diner 557 Union Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11211 [phone]

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Pre-Coachella Eats in Los Angeles

Back in April, I spent almost a week in Los Angeles before heading out to Palm Springs for Coachella with some friends. Besides the hangover Chipotle, I ate some pretty great meals. 

Of course had to get my hands on some In-N-Out. Animal Style with chopped chilies is always the way to go. 

The breakfast burrito game is LA is so good. Pretty much every single place sells a decent breakfast burrito. I hit up the Cinco De Mayo in Culver City for this beauty made with sausage, potato, egg, pico de gallo, onion and cilantro. This gem is open 24/7. Perfect for a quick, late or hungover bite. 

A group of us hit up T.O.T. (Teishokuya of Tokyo) in Little Tokyo for sushi. We ordered a plethora of dishes for the table to share including the Ika Fry (deep fried soy sauce marinated squid), Pork Gyoza, Aburi Salmon, Spicy Tuna Roll and the Tuna Tuna Donburi. All were so, so good. Sushi in LA > sushi in NY. 

For another solo lunch, I stopped by Top Round Roast Beef for one of their famous sandwiches. Ordered some curly fries (deep fried in BEEF FAT) and a Horse & Hole (Provel cheese, horseradish cream, roasted mushrooms) on a caraway & sea salt bun. 

Innards shot.

Pork Belly's Chop Daddy's on Abbot Kinney was a definite must after all the praise I kept hearing from my friends. I had The Belly Up with smoked BBQ pork belly topped with homemade coleslaw on a brioche roll and an order of fried pickles. 

My last meal was the Godmother from  Bay Cities Italian Deli & Bakery which I took to-go and headed to the beach to eat. The sandwich was loaded with salami, capicola, ham, prosciutto, provolone with the works. So, so good. 

In-N-Out Various locations on west coast and Texas

Cinco De Mayo 11204 Washington Place Culver City, CA 90230 [phone]

T.O.T. (Teishokuya of Tokyo) 345 E. 2nd Street Los Angeles, CA 90012 [phone]

Top Round Roast Beef 1000 S La Brea Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90019 [phone]

Chop Daddy's 1146 Abbot Kinney Boulevard Venice, CA 90291 [phone]

Bay Cities Italian Deli & Bakery 1517 Lincoln Boulevard Santa Monica, CA 90401 [phone]

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Afternoon in Flushing, Queens

Being unemployed had its perks. Like, venturing out to Flushing, Queens for a lunch food tour with my friend Jane who was in between jobs. 

The first stop every time I'm in Flushing is Corner 28 for $1 peking duck buns. Fresh steamed buns stuffed with a couple slices of fatty peking duck, hoisin sauce and shaved green onion. Simple but so delicious. I could probably down a dozen of these things. 

White Bear is also a must. They have the best dumplings I've had in New York. Ordering the the #6 Wonton in Hot Sauce ($4.50). You get a plate of 12 boiled dumplings covered in neon red chili oil, pickled veggies and some green onion. Again, I could eat an entire plate of these. I don't know why I invite people to go to Flushing with me when I know I can eat all of this alone. 

Our next stop was Nan Xiang Dumpling House for scallion pancakes and soup dumplings. These are really the only two things you need to order here. The scallion pancakes are just about perfect (my vote for best scallion pancakes goes to Nice Green Bo in Chinatown) and the soup dumplings are solid. Perfect for a cold winter day. 

Our final stop on this quick Flushing trip was the Tianjin Xianbing stall in the Golden Shopping mall for their beef roll. It's a thicker scallion pancake stuffed with fatty, braised beef and more scallions. The pancake is a little too think for my liking but I keep coming for that delicious beef. It melts in your mouth and I think about it more than I should. 

Corner 28 137-28 40th Rd Flushing, NY 11354

White Bear 135-02 Roosevelt Ave Flushing, NY 11354

Nan Xiang Dumpling House 38-12 Prince St Flushing, NY 11354

Tianjing Xianbing 41-28 Main St Flushing, NY 11355

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Girly Brunch at Cafe Lalo

My friend Caitlin was in town for the weekend and somehow she convinces me to do the girliest things like have brunch at Cafe Lalo. 

Ever seen You've Got Mail? Yeah, it's that cafe. We went on a Sunday late afternoon and the place was packed with groups of women of all ages happily brunching and taking photos. 

I got the Dutch ($12) which was described as "Steamed eggs served with gouda cheese and a Rosemary twist bread" on the menu. I didn't know what to expect but I for sure didn't expect this. Literally, it's a pile of steamed eggs, slices of cheese and a breadstick with some cucumber and tomato slices. Uhhh okay. Do people actually eat this shit and enjoy it? 

Brunch was disappointing so I ordered a slice of their Chocolate Peanut Butter Tart ($8.00). Their dessert menu is long and I spent some time figuring out what I could get that would completely erase the stupid dish I just ate. I'm glad I got this because it was awesome. So, so rich though. If I were to come here again (not happening), I'd probably share a slice with someone. 

So to summarize, Cafe Lalo: girly tourist trap that serves weird food and deece desserts. 

Cafe Lalo 201 West 83rd St.  New York, NY 10024 [phone]

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Dinner at Alchemy

My dear friend Ashley lives in San Francisco and travels to New York at least once a year for work and we always try to meet up for at least once great meal. The last time she was in town, we went to Rucola. This time around, I thought I'd continue the Brooklyn vibes and take her to Alchemy. 

We started off with the Fried Calamari ($10) because why the hell not? It was perfectly done calamari. No complaints.

And then we shared some Shells & Cheese ($7.50) that were loaded with peas and bacon. Definitely got down on this. 

I ordered the Grilled All Natural Chicken Sandwich ($15). Chicken, bacon, arugula, pickled onions and garlic mayo... pretty much all things I want in a chicken sandwich. It was a solid choice and the fries were so good. Perfectly crisp and salty. They were even better when I drenched them in malt vinegar and dipped them in garlic mayo. 

For dessert, we shared the Chocolate Croissant Pudding ($9) which was fucking RIDICULOUS. I mean, look at it. Underneath all that gooey crème anglaise is one rich, dense, chocolately HUGE ASS piece of bread pudding made out of CHOCOLATE CROISSANTS. Damn. 

Always look forward to dining with the Mose. You keep doing you, Ashley. Until next time.  

Alchemy 56 5th Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11217 [phone]

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Carne Con Yuca at Macondo

After an exhausting day of watching my friend Andrew run in the New York City Half Marathon, our little group of loyal friends wanted to celebrate his accomplishment with a boozy brunch. Now, I'm not the biggest supporter of brunch but this seemed like an occasion where brunch was appropriate. 

We tried to go to some spot in the Lower East Side that rejected us at the door because we didn't have reservations so we ended up at Macondo. Sometimes these situations are a blessing in disguise because this place ended up being exactly what we wanted.

I got the Carne Con Yuca ($15), hanger steak on a pile of yuca fries with a sunny side up egg, chorizo and manchego cheese. This was good but not the highlight. 

The highlight by far was the unlimited mimosa deal that we all paid a little extra for (I think it was maybe $13). They had four varieties of mimosas that included different fruits and herbs and they were all delicious and very strong. By the end of our two hours, we were all feeling great.

If you're looking for a boozy brunch, go here. Screw reservations.

Macondo 157 E. Houston Street New York, NY 10002 [phone]

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Fried Chicken at The Dutch

Fried chicken is one of my favorite foods on this entire planet and I will find any excuse to eat it. Everyone knows that the best fried chicken can be found at your neighborhood Popeye's (duh) but if you're in New York City and need a fancier fried chicken fix, head to The Dutch. 

For a mere $23, you get a silver platter of five pieces of chicken, honey butter biscuits and slaw. The slaw was slaw and was probably put on the platter to make everyone feel a little better about themselves. The honey butter biscuits were just ridiculous. Flakey, buttery and drenched in melted honey butter, I could've eaten 10 of these things. 

The chicken was delicious. It was moist and the skin was crunchy. I like a little more breading on my chicken but this quiet all right. Five pieces is a generous helping. Was I supposed to share this? 

The Dutch 131 Sullivan Street New York, NY 10012 [phone]

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Chicken Thigh Wrap at Purbird

There's this restaurant in my hood called Purbird that my roommate is obsessed with. I mean, it's nothing special, it's just a place that knows how to do chicken really well. She goes there at least once a week for dinner and I've been in North Park Slope for three years and haven't gone once. 

When my buddy Matthew came over one day to shoot some head shots, I suggested we head there for lunch to see what all the talk was about. It was still cold out but warm enough to sit outside without shivering. 

We shared an order of Purbird Fries ($5) which were nicely done and tossed with a little sea salt. 

I had the Chicken Thigh Wrap ($7.75) which way grilled chicken thighs in a whole wheat wrap with tomato, sauteed cabbage, pickled onion, their special sauce and mayo. This is okay, the cabbage threw me off a little. I wasn't prepared for the taste of cabbage and it kind of just tasted like I was eating a bunch of cabbage with a side of chicken. 

I think I might've ordered the wrong thing...

Purbird 82 6th Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11217 [phone]

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Last dinner in Atlanta at No. 246

Back in February, I spent two weeks in Atlanta working remotely visiting family and I ate a ton a delicious food. The next few posts will recap the meals on my trip.

My last meal in Atlanta was a fantastic Italian dinner at No. 246 in Decatur, Georgia with my family and a couple family friends. 

I ordered a Clockwork Orange cocktail ($11) to start. It consisted of four roses bourbon, averna, zucca, meletti amaro, ga clover honey, lemon. I copied that from their website and I have no idea what it means but it was delicious. 

We had some meats & cheeses ($4 each) that were served with olives and toast. The cheese was super stinky but I enjoyed it very much. 

We also ordered a few toasts for the table ($7). There was roasted eggplant, ricotta, padrons (not sure what that is) and white anchovy. The were pretty small bites so not everyone got to try every flavor. I had a taste of the white anchovy and it was tasty.

The best part of the meal was definitely my pasta dish. I had the Campanelle ($20) and it was absolutely perfect. The pasta was perfect, the sauce was hearty and salty and the herbs added a nice pop. The shavings of parmesan on top just took the dish over the top. I loved this pasta dish. 

No. 246 129 E. Ponce de Leon Ave  Decatur, Georgia 30030 [phone]

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Lunch at Nam Phuong

Back in February, I spent two weeks in Atlanta working remotely visiting family and I ate a ton a delicious food. The next few posts will recap the meals on my trip.

Most people don't know that there's a huge Asian population in Atlanta and taking a drive down Buford Highway is like taking a trip to Asia. The Korean BBQs joints and pho shops are plentiful but it's hard to find the good stuff. Luckily, I had my aunt with me and she's a pro at finding the good stuff and she lead us to Nam Phuong for lunch one day. 

We started with the mem nuong cuon ($3.95) which were summer rolls with their homemade pork sausage. We also ordered the canh ga chien nuoc mam which were perfect fried chicken wings tossed in fish sauce. Both were excellent starters to the meal. 

I usually get pho when I'm in a Vietnamese restaurant because it's my favorite food in the whole world but I was in a dry noodle kind of mood and ordered the bun dac biet ($8.50) which means "special noodles." It was a generous portion of rice noodles topped with shrimp, egg rolls, BBQ chicken and pork sausage. This was a total gutbomb of some of my favorite Vietnamese dishes and I ate every last bite. 

Nam Phuong 5495 Jimmy Carter Blvd Norcross, Georgia 30093 [phone]

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Breakfast at Cafe Jonah and the Magical Attic

Back in February, I spent two weeks in Atlanta working remotely visiting family and I ate a ton a delicious food. The next few posts will recap the meals on my trip.

On a Saturday morning, I woke up early to meet up with two of my good intern friends for breakfast at Cafe Jonah and the Magical Attic. Yes, that's really the name of the place. 

My friend Kayla suggested the place and I was pretty skeptical but ended up being so impressed with everything. 

I ordered the Breakfast Sandwich ($7) which came with an organic fried egg, Cabot cheddar, bacon, tomato, arugula on one of their famous biscuits. I also got an order of their Bowl of Nutty 'Nola Granola ($7) to round out my meal. 

Both were fresh and delicious. Everything was served on mismatched plates and coffee service was grabbing mug from a shelf and helping yourself to coffee. It very much felt like I was having breakfast in someone's house and I kind of loved it.

Check out this sweet little spot the next time you're in Atlanta.

Cafe Jonah and the Magical Attic 3188 Paces Ferry Pl NW Atlanta, Georgia 30305 [phone]

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Dinner at Empire State South

Back in February, I spent two weeks in Atlanta working remotely visiting family and I ate a ton a delicious food. The next few posts will recap the meals on my trip.

I love when people call Atlanta is the progressive capitol of the South because it really is. Atlanta is one of my favorite cities in the country and I've always stood up for it. I visited frequently when I was growing up and I spent a summer living and interning, exploring all it had to offer. You'd be surprised at what a charming little melting pot it is. 

Hugh Acheson is one of my favorite food people and I think we're on the same wavelength about Atlanta. In 2010, he opened Empire State South and started serving his take on big city Southern cuisine. I've only heard positive things about the place. A Canadian cooking Southern food? I had to check it out. 

My aunt, uncle, their two friends and I shared a variety of courses throughout our long meal. 

We had to order the In Jars ($25) "snackie" to start. Jars of deviled ham, trout mousse, pickles, pimento cheese & bacon marmalade, red pea hummus served with perfectly buttered toast. My favorites were the trout mousse and pimento cheese. Can't go wrong with smoked fish AND pimento cheese. 

The ESS Charcuterie ($29) is amazing. House made pates, terrines and sausages with pickled veggies and whole grain mustard, I could've eaten this whole board by myself. 

This was an excellent tripe dish but I don't remember the name or ingredients. Sorry, guys. Bad blogger award goes to me. 

Dude. This Farm Egg ($12) dish was outta control good. It had shiitake, pole beans, pork jowl, plantation rice and kimchi puree. By far my favorite dish of the night. The crispy rice was so damn good. 

This is a kale salad. Not very memorable because I have no idea what it tasted like or what it cost. Oh well. 

My uncle insisted we order the sweetbreads dish (again, I don't remember the name or the ingredients). My first taste of sweetbreads was... interesting. Not sure how I feel about it yet. Might need to try it again to decide. 

The special for the night was pork three ways. I believe the pork came as a sausage, tender pork belly and something fried. Solid dish. 

The Charred Octopus ($16) with crowder peas, pea shoots, celery, shoyu and urga oil was very good. I loved the brown bits and pieces of the octopus. 

Desserts didn't disappoint either. We had their donuts served with fresh whipped cream and lemon curd and their Black Butter Cake ($7) with peach ice cream, poached peach and almond.

Overall, an excellent meal. One of the coolest parts of the meal is that they give you an Atlanta themed koozie to keep your canned beer cold and you get to take it home. I may have asked for two of each color. 

Empire State South 999 Peachtree Street Atlanta, Georgia 30309 404-541-1105

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Biscuits and Gravy at The Flying Biscuit Cafe

Back in February, I spent two weeks in Atlanta working remotely visiting family and I ate a ton a delicious food. The next few posts will recap the meals on my trip.

When you go to Atlanta, everyone will tell you to visit The Flying Biscuit Cafe and you should listen to them. 

It's a very popular chain of restaurants in Georgia, Florida and North Carolina that serves up a vast menu of affordable southern fare. Their menu has a solid lunch menu but the star is their all day breakfast menu. It's definitely the way to go on your first visit. 

When I went with my cousin for lunch, I tried the Biscuits, Eggs and Gravy with a side of their griddled mac and cheese. This might not look like the most appetizing meal but it was awesome. All it needed was a little Tabasco and all was good. 

The Flying Biscuit 5975 Roswell Rd.   Atlanta, Georgia 30328 [phone]

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Birch + Marshmallows Ice Cream at Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams

Back in February, I spent two weeks in Atlanta working remotely visiting family and I ate a ton a delicious food. The next few posts will recap the meals on my trip.

Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams. Oh my god. I don't know who Jeni is but I want to kiss her. 

I'd never heard of Jeni's until my aunt took me for a post brunch treat and then we went, like, three more times in the two weeks that I was there.

I couldn't get enough of their Birch + Marshmallow flavor from their Winter Woods Collection. Tasted straight up like the best root beer float I've ever had. 

It's too bad this flavor was only around for one season. I think about it a lot. Hope Jeni comes to NY soon!

Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams 1198 Howell Mill Rd Atlanta, Georgia 30318 [phone]

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Brunch at Rosebud

Back in February, I spent two weeks in Atlanta working remotely visiting family and I ate a ton a delicious food. The next few posts will recap the meals on my trip.

On a sunny Sunday morning, my aunt and I headed down to the Virginia-Highlands area to grab brunch at Rosebud. 

Brunch in Atlanta is no joke. People line up and wait for hours to get into some really solid places. The combination of traditional breakfast food with a Southern twist leaves you feeling comforted and satisfied. Picking just one place was difficult but we chose pretty wisely. 

We started with Sweet Corn Muffins ($6) which came with butter and some preserves. These were so delicious and great to munch on before getting our dishes.  

Brunch isn't brunch without a Bloody Mary and their Housemade Bloody Mary ($8) was awesome. Nice and spicy with little bits of horseradish just the way I like it. 

My aunt ordered the The Nasty Mcalister ($14) which consisted of buttermilk fried chicken, scrambled egg, smoked bacon and Tillamook cheddar on a soft bun. I had some serious envy but then I got my dish...

Behold! The Brunch "Surf & Turf" ($14) is made with pimento cheese smeared on toasted baguette topped with berkshire ham, crispy fried oysters, soft poached eggs and hollandaise. Holy shit, guys, This dish really changed the brunch game for me. Now whenever I see fried oysters on a breakfast or brunch menu, I have to order it. Who knew that eggs and oysters went so well together?

If you're in the Atlanta area and want to grab brunch, definitely visit Rosebud. It's a wonderful mix of traditional and Southern American in my favorite part of the city.

Rosebud 1397 North Highland Avenue NE Atlanta, Georgia 30306 404-347-9747

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South African Dinner at 10 Degrees South

Back in February, I spent two weeks in Atlanta working remotely visiting family and I ate a ton a delicious food. The next few posts will recap the meals on my trip.

What do I think of when I think of South African cuisine? Not that much. So it was a surprise to me when my aunt and uncle made reservations for my first meal in Atlanta at 10 Degrees South. 

I have to admit, I was really hesitant. For my first meal in Atlanta I was imagining a plate of fried chicken and all the fixins or a slaw dog and frosted orange from The Varsity but what I got was South African. And you know what? It really was one of the best meals I had on my trip.

Like every meal I have with my family, we ordered way too much. There was only three of us but we started with a handful of appetizers. The Garlic Roll ($5) was just really garlicky and buttery garlic bread. No complaints. 

The Calamari ($10) was wonderful. It was grilled and tossed in a lemon caper butter sauce. With an extra squeeze of lemon, the smoky calamari was perfect. 

The Bobotie Spring Rolls ($10) were filled with a sweet ground beef curry and served with a chutney. Good but not the most memorable. 

My least favorite dish of the night was the Escargot ($9). They had a funky, dirt aftertaste which was not pleasant at all. The cream butter sauce they were drowning in kind of helped but I would definitely stay away from this dish. 

The Chicken Livers ($9) were out of this world good. Like, if I wasn't sharing with two other people, I would've liked the bowl clean. The spicy peri-peri sauce was awesome for dipping bread in. 

For my main, I ordered the Rack of Lamb ($35). By this point, I really couldn't eat any more. I don't know why we even ordered main dishes. From the two or three bites I had, this was delicious. The lamb was nicely seasoned and cooked to a medium rare, the only way to eat meat. 

On top of all that, we shared Di's Delight ($8) which was a very moist sponge cake served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. So good, so rich. 

I was so pleasantly surprised by this meal. It was definitely the best way to start my trip. 

10 Degrees South 4183 Roswell Road Atlanta, Georgia 30342 404-705-8870