Ch-ch-chinese

Whenever my family takes out dinner, 75% of the time it's Chinese. I'm not talking your fried sesame chicken with a side of overcooked fried rice. I'm talking Szechuan! Luckily for me, Wayne NJ is home to Cheng Du 23, a great local joint for some delicious Chinese. There's even an added bonus: dim sum on the weekends...

sauteed shrimp w. yellow leeks 

crispy tofu & broccoli in cheng du garlic sauce 

minced pork w. pickled szechuan pickled string beans 

It was obviously all really tasty, but the damn shrimp & leeks is never a let down! It has to be one of my favorite dishes ever...

Cheng Du 23

57 Route 23

Wayne, NJ 07470

973.812.2800

Falafel Food Porn

Make sure to check out Erin Zimmer's "25 Best Things I Ate in Israel..." post on Serious Eats to see the other amazing food Israel has to offer!

Queens Baby! Ayada Thai

A trip out to JFK only means one thing.... a meal in Queens!! If you're looking for some great authentic Asain food, Queens is your spot. Aside from the ever-so-popular Flushing, there is also Woodside - home to some of the best Thai food I've ever had.

For those of you familiar with Woodside, I know what you're probably thinking...SriPraPhai!?!?! Well, here is a little disclosure: SriPraPhai is my #1...it is the best damn Thai food I've ever had and will forever be one of my favorite restaurants in New York. However, my dad insisted that we try something new, so here we have Ayada.

Raw Shrimp Salad

Declared by NY Timeout: 100 Tastes you have to try - there was no skipping out on this appetizer. At first I was hesitant about sliding raw shrimp into my mouth, but the combination of heat along with the crunchy okra made this dish a true winner. I'm not sure it is something I would find myself having a craving for, but if you're going to Ayada for the first time, then it should be on your must order list.

Northern Thai Sausage

This lovely dish ended up on our table by accident, but I felt obliged to post it. This is another dish Ayada does quite well (from what I've heard). Although we considered downing it before anyone noticed, us Burr's we're too guilty to eat it when it belonged to another table...

Crispy Chinese Watercress Salad

This salad has to be one of my favorite dishes the Thai cuisine has to offer. The words tempura & deep fried are usually associated with greasy and heavy. This super crunchy tempura fried watercress, however, is balanced out by the acidic dressing & fresh vegetables that accompany it. 

Panang Curry w/ Chicken 

Here's your classic Panang Curry...packed with flavor, but nothing out of this world...

Drunken Noodles w/ Pork

You really can't go wrong with rice noodles. Pad See Ew, Drunken, Chow Fun - the list goes on. I can't get enough of the thick and chewy consistency that these noodles have to offer. I heard Ayada isn't neccessarily known for their noodles, but hey! I wanted my Drunken noods! Again, flavor was there, but it seemed that they put alot of vegetables in to act as a filler. More noodles, less veggies! DUH! 

Pad Kra Prow w/ Pork

Hello Mr. Spicy! I like my Asian food hot and there's no better dish to order hot then some stir fried pork with thai basil. Slab it over some rice, enjoy the flavors & take the heat baby! 

Saute Chinese Broccoli w/ Crispy Pork

Along with rice noodles, my other must order is Asian vegetables. Simply done in garlic and ginger, it can't be beat. I can eat Bok Choy, Leeks, Flowering Chives, & Water Spinach for days. Throw some crispy pork on top and there might not be anything better...Although, if we're being honest here, I will tell you SriPraPhai does this dish to perfection. There is no competition here. 

Overall, flavorful and delicious meal, but I find it a true challenge straying away from my love SriPraPhai...

Ayada

78-01 Woodside Ave.

Elmhurst, NY 11373

718.424.0844

Old School

Family style, stick to your bones, buttery, delicious Italian food served to you by stereotypical Italian men. I welcome you to Don Peppe in Ozone Park - Queens, NY. You might have heard about it from the final season of Entourage. You know, the Italian joint Turtle wanted to open up in Hollywood? Yes - I am speaking of that Don Peppe. 

Baked Clams 

If you know what Don Peppe is all about, you know there is no other way to start off your meal then with their Baked Clams. A perfect combination of garlic, butter, and breadcrumbs. I must say, they were pretty solid bites of goodness. 

Linguine in White Clam Sauce

Next the Linguine in White Clam Sauce came out. My family is all about the clam sauce and we fully approved of Don Peppe's. The pasta, al dente, and the sauce, full of flavor. It's even worth the after pasta mop up. Let that bread soak in the sauce and enjoy those carbs!

Chicken Scarpariello

Moving away from the seafood and onto the poultry...Chicken Scarpariello. I am not sure exactly how they cook it, but it comes out perfectly crisped and who doesn't like their chicken skin crispy?? Squeeze the lemon over for some additional citrus and you got yourself a pretty great chicken dish! 

Eggplant Parmigiana

The Eggplant Parmigiana: delicious tomato sauce and melted cheese, I'll give them that...but I cannot stand when the eggplant is over-breaded! I know I'm spoiled because I've had the best eggplant parm throughout Italy, but this is a dish that I would not be ordering again here and you shouldn't either. 

So here's the deal...Don Peppe is good ol'gangsta Italian food. Some things are great, other things not so much. Am I running back to Queens to get another Don Peppe fix? No...Would I go back if I was in the area and was craving some garlic and butter? Yes. 


Don Peppe
13559 Lefferts Blvd.
Ozone Park, NY
718.845.7587

Gefilte Fish = Sex

Kutsher's proves Jewish food can be crazy sexy cool...

Tacos Del Verano

I am a huge fish taco fan. There's something about the light & flaky white fished mixed with a cabbage slaw that brings a smile to my face. Topped off with some sour cream or guacamole and you have the perfect summer meal. Serious Eats was kind enough to share their favorite fish tacos in New York & here they are...

Pinche Taqueria

Tacombi

Gran Electrica

Rockaway Taco 

Now when you're hot, hungry and the thought of  a heavy Mexican meal is making you sweat, make sure to check out one of these delicious taco treats. 

Jim's of Philly

It's been a long time since I've had a cheese steak, so when near Philly, it's hard to pass up the opportunity. This past weekend, while spending some time at my friends in Cherry Hill, we came up with the idea to hit up Philly before coming back North. You're probably wondering: Pat's or Geno's...Well, neither! We decided to hit up Jim's and I'm sure glad we did. 

I know classic Philly style is all about the cheese whiz and onions, but there was something about the bright colored peppers that caught my attention. Then it came time to narrow down which cheese I wanted: America? Provolone? Whiz?

Steak sandwich with whiz & peppers please! Let's be real...the sandwich hit the spot! It was great, but I'm not running back down to get another one anytime soon. It might be the New Yorker inside of me, but I'd much rather get my meat & cheese fix from a bacon, egg, and cheese on a bagel. 

whiz & peppers

just whiz...

Jim's Steaks

400 South Street  Philadelphia, PA 19147215.928.1911

Summertime Heat

There is nothing worse then being in New York City in the sweltering heat and sweating the night away. Even at 2am, stepping outside of a crowded bar, is no relief. I'm almost positive it was hotter outside in the open then it was inside the bar and all I could think about in that moment was a soft serve cone. Then it hit me! A pop-up ice cream shop in the East Village that's open late night during the summer! Genius idea....I know...

Soft serve vanilla w. rainbow sprinkles

From that night on, the thought of some soft serve ice cream started haunting my dreams. It became all I could think about everytime I looked outside at the bright sun. I finally gave in to my cravings and hit up my old school favorite...Carvel. Their rich vanilla soft serve never fails to hit the spot!

Speaking of ice cream... Serious Eats has announced that July is Ice Cream Month! Today they featured Parm's limited edition S'mores Ice Cream Cake. Graham cracker, chocolate, and toasted marshmallow gelato make up this masterpiece. It's a, "Carvel cake of your dreams." - NYSeriousEats. You had me at Carvel (and toasted marshmallow!). Aside from their delicious food, looks like we're going to have to make our way down to Parm to try their dessert before it heads off the menu. 

Parm

248 Mulberry st.

New York, NY 10012

212.993.7189