Sometimes you just need comfort food.
Artichoke Basille’s signature artichoke pizza: artichoke hearts, spinach, cream sauce, mozzarella, and pecorino romano cheese
The Porch, Chelsea
Before summer could slip through my fingers, I took a day off work and headed to the High Line to explore. The park, stretching 20 city blocks on an abandoned elevated train track, is one of my favorite places in New York, but I don’t get over there nearly enough. I was pleasantly surprised to find tons of new food vendors, including The Porch, operated by Chelsea Market’s Green Table.
The menu is super basic, and is all about creating the most delicious food with the fewest, locally-sourced ingredients. Take for example my three-ingredient sandwich: raw cheddar, pickles, and mustard. This sandwich actually had the most ingredients of all the offerings. Washed down with a lemonade (or a New York state wine or brew), it was perfect summer fare on a hot afternoon.
Everything The Porch serves and uses is compostable, a nice touch for a High Line eatery. It really is the perfect place to spend these last few summer days.
I found two new things to chow at the Flea this weekend.
- Lonestar Empire’s mesquite, 15 hour-smoked angus brisket sandwich, complete with homemade barbecue sauce, bread and butter pickles, and Texas-style potato salad. I really know nothing about meat—heck, I haven’t been eating it most of my life—but this year I’ve become quite the carnivore. I can tell you this: sinking my fork into that brisket felt the same as digging into that cream pie. The brisket fell apart at the slightest fork nuzzle. I think that means something very good.
- Rachel’s Pies chocolate cream pie with homemade whipped cream and pretzel crust. Sweet and salty perfection. This was my reward to myself for having to stay inside Saturday afternoon to do work. Best reward ever. I will be spending a lot more time inside doing work this fall if Rachel’s Pies is always my payoff.
Mooncake Foods, Hell’s Kitchen
Mooncake is my new favorite restaurant in my work neighborhood. The cafe is bright and minimalist, the prices are cheap, and the Asian comfort food is delicious. It’s all made from scratch and is as healthy as possible; there are no woks, fryers, or microwaves in the restaurant—a true feat for an Asian diner. Lucky for me, there’s also a Mooncake in my Soho neighborhood, and one in Chelsea.
From top: Pulled pork sandwich with curry lime BBQ sauce, seared tuna and arugula salad with soy lime vinaigrette, spicy roasted pine nut hoisin fish tacos.
**This post is dedicated to Miss Meggie, who first introduced me to the amazingness that is Mooncake.
This weekend I had a quick chow down at the Flea; Choncho’s fish tacos (my dining companion went with the meat tacos, but fried cod won all the way!) and a Brooklyn Soda Works Watermelon and Tarragon soda (refreshing, but Rhubarb Thai Basil is still my fave).
I’m running out of new things to try at the Flea! Next time I still must hit Milk Truck Grilled Cheese and Rachel’s Pies.
See my previous Flea food finds here.
Have a classic Labor Day
Cheers to the long weekend
Lemon mimosa, Cafe Benelux
Cafe Benelux; Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Last summer I fell in love with Milwaukee (conveniently weeks before my sister moved out of it). The city still has an industrial feel, but there’s such a renaissance going on there, especially with the food. While driving through last month, my friend Big Molls suggested we meet up at the new Cafe Benelux in the historic Third Ward neighborhood. Best call of her life.
I am straight up obsessed with this place because of:
- The most eclectic egg salad sandwich ever (red grapes, bleu cheese, capers, and pine nuts on toasted naan)
- An entire beer book that changes monthly
- The Bloody Mary with pickle, olives, asparagus, and a CHEESE CURD (this is Wisconsin, yo)
- The beautiful lemon mimosa with a rock sugar-crusted rim
- An ice cold Dark and Stormy served in a mug (all of these cocktails are less than $8, mind you)
- The modern, so-huge-it’s-difficult-to-fill-completely roof deck overlooking the Public Market
- The beautiful, European-inspired interior and marketplace
Amazing food at super reasonable prices—and $7 SPECIALTY COCKTAILS!! If it wasn’t noon, I would have stuck around to try them all (I know, I know, that hasn’t stopped me before…and wasn’t my real reason). But it’s a great excuse to return—hopefully while I’m back in Milwaukee in 22 days!
Fresh watermelon juice for the best margaritas.
