Friday, July 16, 2010

Purity Food (Jamaican)



Purity Food - 3812 White Plains Road - Jamaican
Tamarind balls and nice service.

Whole Earth Bakery and Kitchen


Whole Earth Bakery and Kitchen - 130 St. Marks Place
A cute little vegan bakery and mini deli. The guy behind the counter is really nice (and always offers a taste of the smoothie currently being blended.) The foods a little pricey, but not unreasonably for the area. And hey - it's vegan, so that's nifty/neat. The vegan pizza's tasty - although don't expect regular pizza taste - rather, it's crunchy, chewy, with a taste all its own. Oh - and try the snowball sweets - deep, rich chocolate, unlike the snowballs found in the junkfood isle.

Waikkiki Wally's


Waikiki Wally's - 101 E. 2nd St (1st Avenue and Avenue A) - Hawaii Fusion
More an alphabet city haunt - and probably not that authentic. But a fun establishment, brought to you by the people who own Lucky Cheng's. I'm personally fond of Waikiki Wally's - with an appreciation of its two great claims to fame: 1) It's only one of two places where I know I can find Poke. 2) Their Coconut Kiss drink is positively great!

Village Mingala


Village Mingala - 21 E. 7th Street (Burmese)
One of the only Burmese restaurants in NYC. At first glance, it looks like it will be a quasi regular haunt of mine. Small, but classy interior (and right next to Brewskis, which is great if you like gourmet beer.) So far, I've had only one thing - the green tea leaf salad, which was wonderful and different from anything I've had with other cuisines. So - go!

Veniero's


Veniero's - 342 E. 11th Street (Italian Pastries)
A spectacular Italian bakery - filled to the brim with rich cannolis, pastries and tons of delicious (sinful) treats. Though I've known the place for only 15 years, the place has been a NYC institution for over a century. With that kind of track record, you have to go and try a pastry...at least once!

Tsampa


Tsampa - 212 E. 9th Street (Tibetan)
Elegant (perhaps too elegant for me), dimly lit and situated on the same block as several Japanese restaurants. I've only had cheese soup here so far, but it's worth knowing about, since there are only three or so Tibetan joints in the city...

Sushi Lounge


Sushi Lounge - 132 Saint Mark's Place (Avenue A) (Japanese)
A competant sushi joint, located in Alphabet City (on Avenue A). Similar to Sushi Park, the Lounge offers 50% off on sushi (though with a $10 minimum, after rebate.) The rolls seem decent, including a few tasty veggie rolls (such as natto, squash and pickle.) Not quite as yummy as nearby Avenue A Sushi - but if you buy enough, the rebate makes for a decent bargain.