New York City: 2 Days, 2 People, $200

Grounded Coffee on Jane St. in the West Village

If you were in New York City sometime in the last week, you are the lucky few.  Crisp, clear mornings; falling yellow leaves; precious fading hours of amethyst daylight; these autumn days are the best days to be in New York. 

As such, I thought I would celebrate autumn, the city, and my 100^th blog on Pho the Love of Food with an imaginary trip to a few of my favorite spots in the city right now.  No doubt one can blow the bank on a single meal in this town, but if you live here, that is not the way of life.  More likely you learn how to eat well, often sharing food with a friend or lover to get the most bang for your food buck. 

So here you have it.  Two days, two people, two hundred dollars to spend eating and drinking in this best of all possible times of year in New York City. 

Day One

I rouse John from his precious slumber sometime around 10:00am with promises of coffee just a short walk from our apartment at Grounded.  We pull up two mismatched chairs to read the New York Times over one extra hot latte with organic skim milk and one Japanese Sencha full leaf green tea.  Once caffeinated, we split a poppyseed bagel, easy on the butter, and one of Grounded’s signature breakfast wraps- a tortilla stuffed with scrambled eggs and turkey sausage then griddled on a Panini press until crisp. ($13)

It is a weekday in this imaginary scenario so we hop the L train to the East Village for the “Duck Bowl Set Lunch” at Momofuku Ssam Bar (not served on weekends).  The sweet, sticky, juicy duck breast and shredded leg served with rice, lettuce cups, scallion pancake and a side of spicy roasted potatoes is almost enough for two people to share.  We throw in an order of duck dumplings for good measure all washed down with oolong iced tea. ($32)

After an afternoon long run on the Hudson River and some shopping for new releases at Book Book on Bleecker Street, John’s getting peckish.  A small order of fries with bourbon dipping sauce and two Belgian beers in courtyard at Vol de Nuit (otherwise known as “The Belgian Beer Bar”) gets us back in a good place.  ($25)

Do I feel any shame in eating regularly across the street from our apartment?  If the food weren’t so damn good at Corsino you’d have every right to call me lazy.  But the Tagliatelle with Pork Ragu and Mint is one of the most satisfying pastas in town.  We share an order of the tagliatelle and a half bottle of Valpolicella then call it a night. ($37)

Day Two

We take our paper over the Chelsea Market to stake out a table before the tour busses arrive.  A latte from 9^th St. Espresso for John ($4) plus an oat scone and almond brioche from Amy’s Bread and one green tea ($12) gets Day Two started on the right foot. 

Spicy Cumin Lamb Noodles

It is back to the East Village for lunch.  I’m pretty sure they add crack to the Spicy Cumin Hand-ripped Lamb Noodles because I get the shakes if it has been too many weeks between visits to Xi’an Famous Foods. While I take mine in a rich, soupy broth, John does his dry, or rather, stir-fried in a slick of chili-laced oil.  Our taste buds hum for hours. ($14.50)

We stick around the East Side and catch a movie.  By the time we come out the sun is fading signaling Happy Hour is getting started at Terroir.  We order two glasses of Musar Jeune, Chateau Musar 2010 (Lebanon) and an appetizer of sage leaves with lamb sausage ($20).

On the seven block walk south to Zabb Elee, I’m pretty sure I can smell the duck larb.  It’s calling to me.  Ground duck, shallots, mint, crispy duck skin, lime, scallion, chili.  My mouth is on fire. We wash it down by splitting a Beer Laos before moving on to the next spot. ($17)

We have room for one more beer and maybe a bit more food.  We continue the southward walk to the Lower East Side because there may be no better Asian food for soaking up excess liquor than the Ham Rice Cakes at Yunnan Kitchen.  The hearty bowl of chewy rice disks is tossed with shaved heritage pork and plenty of chili sauce.  It is drinking food with a conscience. We toast our successful two days of eating with an Ommegang Witte and a Victory Prima Pils.  ($23)

Total for the weekend: $197.50.  (Note this doesn’t include tax and tip but I’m pretty sure not everyone would be as inclined to eat or drink quite as much as us.)  I’m not sure eating this good can only be done in New York, but on gorgeous fall days like these, there’s nowhere else I’d rather be doing it. 

Amy Powell is a food and travel writer based in New York City. She is a graduate of Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration and the French Culinary Institute. Follow her on Twitter @amymariepowell

A Very London Summer: Two Worth the Trip

Pappardelle with Duck Ragu at Ducksoup

The Queen’s Jubilee has come and gone.  The Olympics are around the corner.  And today Wimbledon, arguably the greatest tennis tournament of the year, got off to roaring start complete with the usual ladies in big hats nibbling on strawberries and cream at Center Court.  It’s turning into a very London summer indeed.

In the spirit of public interest for those of you crossing the pond in the coming months, I’ve recently made the journey myself and returned with a couple new restaurants to add to the “must eat” list.

Sea Trout Carpaccio with Fennel Salad

Last summer I spent a bit of time in Soho checking out the delicious small plates at no-reservations Polpo, the intoxicating lamb curry at CâyTre, and the toothsome udon noodles at Koya.  I found myself back in Soho this year (same charming beau in tow) this time to checkout the fantastically named winebar-cum-restaurant Ducksoup. 

Walking up to the restaurant on a balmy Saturday night, English chaps spilled out the doors of the pubs and onto the streets, a sure sign that a wait was ahead for us given Ducksoup’s no reservation policy for parties of two.  It was a pleasant surprise then to find several open seats at the 9pm hour, particularly given that the narrow room can seat no more than about twenty people at a time.

We started out strong with a plate of wild sea trout carpaccio the color of ruby red grapefruit served along side a crisp fennel salad.  Two perfect lamb chops followed, redolent of oregano.  The side of bread was worth the £2 extra as every last drop of the lamb juice had to be slurped up.  We were happily encouraged to a save a bit of bread for the quail course, as the tiny bird arrived roasted in a bath of white wine with fresh bay leaves, lemon, and olives.  The pasta of the night, a homemade pappardelle with yes, duck ragu, was better than a pasta we had the previous night at a far fancier restaurant down the road in Mayfair.

Dining Room at Ducksoup

The wine list was a bit hit and miss and prices were out of synch with the otherwise affordable menu.  But we made due, sampling a few and sharing before settling on a light red Burgundy, a perfectly quaffable beverage for pairing up with the game meats or sipping by itself, staring out the open window at the jolly pub-goers across the way.

Upon leaving dinner in Chelsea the following night, I shook my head and said to John, “I’m not sure how they stay in business feeding people like that.”  Whether I was contemplating the slabs of foie gras that came tucked between the breast and leg of my wood pigeon, or the fried balls of bone marrow that garnished John’s blade fillet of beef, or the complex sauces that came with each of our dishes of the sort that require a diligent, exclusive saucier- Medlar had all the elements of high-end French dining utilizing mostly local ingredients at a price so low as to be dumbfounding. 

English Asparagus and Goats' Curd

I wanted to throw money at them!  Here!  Take it!  We had been fed so well, served with such genuine care, I simply could not get over that all of that could be had for only £30 on a Sunday night (£39.50 Monday-Saturday dinner, £30 weekend lunch, £26.50 weekday lunch).

Wood Pigeon with Foie Gras

Many prix fixe restaurants limit choices and then charge additional fees to recoup the cost of expensive ingredients on certain menu items.  Not at Medlar.  It is one price fits all.  For that, on a recent Sunday night you could get a choice of seven different appetizers like English asparagus with goats curd, pea mousse, black olive, and pickled Japanese mushrooms, or one extra large raviolo swimming in a sauce of melted leeks and seafood bisque.  Of course, one could choose to eat lighter, but when foie gras, filet, game birds, and bone marrow are in such expert hands, why hold back?

Chocolate Delice with Milk Ice Cream

Desserts were simple and nice though nothing much to remember.  Perhaps the passion fruit sorbet with coconut tuille would have shined at another restaurant but even my brick of rich chocolate delice with milk ice cream seemed a tad banal in comparison to the previous courses.

I am told that the end of King’s Road where Medlar resides is the bad part of the street, well beyond Chelsea’s hipper restaurants.  I can imagine once word of Medlar spreads that will not remain the situation for long.  Even in merry old England, less than two and a half miles from Buckingham Palace, there are still trails to blaze.

Note: Many thanks to LondonEater.com for always pointing me toward some new and interesting eats in London- a great resource for anyone living in or traveling to London.

Amy Powell is a food and travel writer based in New York City. She is a graduate of Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration and the French Culinary Institute. Follow her on Twitter @amymariepowell

LA Weekend: No Car, Never Better

Tacos al pastor at Los Campos Tacos

Picture this: Los Angeles with no traffic.  No driving up and down crowded streets looking for parking.  No passing on that third glass of wine in anticipation of a long drive home. Impossible, you say?  Sure it is possible.  All you have to do it leave the car behind.

Is it easy to travel around California’s most infamously traffic-clogged spread out city without the use of a car?  Yes and no.  It really depends on where you are staying and what you want to do.

It was in that spirit a couple of weeks ago John and I spent a long weekend in Venice Beach and purposefully decided to do without a car.  We were looking for a beach hotel with proximity to long, ocean runs.   We needed access to great food and some cool bars.  And everything needed to be no more than an easy walk, bike ride, or taxi away.  

Here’s how we did it.

FRIDAY

Pork Cheeks at La Cachette Bistro

Afternoon: Arrived at the Hotel Erwin in time to watch the sun go down from our ocean view room.   Located one block from Venice’s famous boardwalk, music wafted up from the street where someone seemed to be playing Jimmy Hendrix at any hour of the day to the beat of the drum circle out by the sand. 

Evening:  Our friends picked us up for a group dinner at the consistently delicious French bistro, La Cachette, three miles north in Santa Monica.  Pork cheeks, cassoulet, tuna tartar, frisée salad, even a vegan plate for one friend all served with the utmost graciousness from the staff.  They didn’t even seem to mind we closed down the place.

SATURDAY

Morning: Walked catty corner to the hotel for lattes, full leaf green tea, and New York Style bagels at Collage Cafe.

Afternoon: Ran up the paved boardwalk past Santa Monica pier and back.  Rewarded ourselves with tacos al pastor and jamaica at Los Campos Tacos next to the hotel- as good as any taco stand in LA. 

Tagliarini Nero with Calamari at Tasting Kitchen

Night: Walked up to Abbott Kinney, Venice’s main artery of hipster life.  Pre-dinner, The Otheroom was unusually empty.  Pulled up a stool for an AllagashWhite and a glass of French Sauvignon Blanc.  Up te street, we scored a table in the main dining room at Portland influenced TastingKitchen after only a twenty minute wait.  Feasted on gnocco fritto and burrata, escarole salad, tagliarini nero with squid, and buccatini amatriciana.  Caught a ride home with our dinner companion. 

SUNDAY

Seared albacore with yuzu at Wabi Sabi

Morning: Round two at Collage Café plus the New York Times from Beach Market by the Marina del Rey pier.  Sunday paper was totally worth the 1.5 mile round trip walk.

Afternoon: Rented bikes and pedaled up to The Huntley Hotel in Santa Monica for lunch.  The valet parked our bikes in a hidden back area.  No one seemed to mind our slightly sweaty bodies as we tucked into cappuccinos, flatbread pizzas, and towering turkey sandwiches while taking in the epic coastline view from Penthouse, the top floor restaurant.  Continued the bike ride until the sun went down.

Evening: Pretty chilly out so caught a cab ($7) to the far end of Abbott Kinney for a solid sushi dinner at Wabi-Sabi.  Sipped on gold-flecked Bunraku sake while munching on seared albacore sashimi with yuzu.

MONDAY

Morning: Round three of coffees, bagels, and New York Times.  Almost like we were in New York but with better weather and an ocean view.

Afternoon:  Round two of beach run plus tacos and hibiscus drink.  If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. 

Fluke crudo at Gjelina

Evening: Met up with some old friends for beers at Larry’s,  a slick new beach bar around the corner from the hotel.  Perfectly empty in December, I could see how this joint with its massive tap beer list and airy rooms is probably packed during the summer season.  Caught a ride to Gjelina on Abbott Kinney.  Ignored their hour wait warning based on experience.  30 minutes and a glass of wine later our party settled into seats by a heater on the patio.  Cured meats, mushroom toast, caramelized Brussels sprouts, cheesy arugula pizza- the courses and the wine kept on coming.

TUESDAY

Pork and Fermented Bean Curd at Mao's Kitchen

We bid farewell to Venice by shaking it up- our run was followed by lunch at the appropriately Venice-cool Chinese restaurant Mao’s Kitchen, conveniently located next to the coffee shop and across the street from the taco stand.  Dumplings and stir-fried pork with fermented bean curd hit the spot. 

We walked, we ran, we biked, and occasionally caught a ride.  Happy well-fed bellies, plenty of sunshine and open water, LA was at its best and the car was never missed. 



Amy Powell is a food and travel writer based in New York City. She is a graduate of Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration and the French Culinary Institute. Follow her on Twitter @amymariepowell