I made detailed posts of my 40+ eats over 8 days in this sub for my last NYC trip, and it was a lot of fun getting other people’s thoughts on the spots I hit up. So I’m doing it again!
Was back in NYC for a busy one week trip so “only” got to 20 spots this time. I didn’t get to choose each one, as I joined my partner’s work dinners sometimes. Will divide it up between 2 posts, these are the first 10 spots.
1) #6 chili wontons @ White Bear. What a letdown. The chili oil (in-house?) was the best part, the filling was woefully underseasoned and somewhat dry.
2) Xiaolongbao, Peking duck buns and turnip cakes @ Shanghai You Garden. What an awesome spot, takeout Peking duck buns is genius and free xiaolongbao for spending $10 is a wild deal. Everything was pretty good but not quite great.
3) Fuchka @ Fuchka House. These Jackson Heights carts were one of my fave finds last trip and this spot is just as good as the one I tried last time, Tong. Going the night before Diwali was a great vibe too.
4) Paneer PB35, lotus root kofta, laal maas, garlic naan @ Angel. After the Dhamaka disappointment last year, this was halfway to giving me some faith in NYC’s Indian food scene. The kofta and paneer were quite good, laal maas and naan not so much. Tbf it was maybe the busiest night of the year for them.
5) Brunch @ Queensyard. I’m not an aesthetic brunch kinda guy and had my expectations low, but the food was good across the board. The date sticky toffee pudding dessert is exceptional.
6) Pizza @ John’s of Bleecker. I’m going to get destroyed here and perhaps it was just inconsistency but I wasn’t blown away. Love the coal char on the dough but the crumb was mediocre. Sauce was a bit dull as well. Tasty garlic bread and an awesome dining room. What am I missing?
7) Drinks @ Dante. Unplanned visit, absolutely loved my Fluffy Margarita Royale and the Garibaldi is perfection. Didn’t care for the focaccia but that panna cotta with strawberries and 18 year balsamic was the perfect end to the night. World class cocktail bar for sure!
8) Happy hour @ Bank Vault Bar at Trinity Place. Not my pick. After the entrance, the interior design, drinks and food are not memorable. Surprisingly tasty tuna tostada though.
9) Pizza @ Scarr’s Pizza. Much preferred this dough to John’s, excellent crumb and great flavour. Good cheese. But the sauce was somewhat flat and on the Hot Boi, they entirely forgot the hot honey. Also, is Ezzo or similar curly pepperoni not standard in NYC? The texture and flavour just weren’t there on the pep either here or at John’s.
10) Feast @ Blue Willow. A warning sign when dishes from literally every part of China are on the menu and it proved to be true. The Peking duck and xiaolongbao were pretty good, others not so much… what is that dan dan noodle?? Definitely wouldn’t choose to go on my own. Baiju cocktails and vibe were cool.
Will share the last 10 soon! If you care for even more detail, I am posting detailed stories on my IG @seed.eat.repeat and have a huge story highlight from last year’s NYC trip
by iamacheezit
14 Comments
Bummer cus those wontons look fiiiiirr
I last went to John’s twenty years ago and didn’t get it then. It may be simply a preference thing.
White Bear was a cheap delivery vehicle for their lovely chili oil, at the prices they have to charge now? Probably not worth it. If you want quality wontons in Flushing it’s probably Maxi’s (no skimpy or dry fillings there), but it’s a totally different beast. I no longer have a good answer for quick and cheap dumplings in Flushing, and it makes me sad.
I honestly think Shanghai You Garden and Nan Xiang XLB are about on par in terms of food, but You Garden edges the win by having those duck buns. Neither are amazing, but they’re still fun and enjoyable. I don’t have a stand out place for XLB anymore tbh…
I like that you’re in Jackson Heights again. I don’t think you’ve done Thai there yet, right? Though Indian on Diwali was probably the right move for an experience.
The only thing I’ll say about pizza is that the cup pepperoni are far from standard here. We all grew up on the half dollar sized ones, so that’s sorta what we expect. IIRC it was really Prince St that made the cupping peperoni popular here at all. I really don’t go after the various famous pizza places, it’s too much of a utility food for me to feel the right sorta way about the added cost in time and $$ (with the exception of Pizza Suprema, who’re fast enough that it’s still utility, so I’ll hit them anytime I’m over there).
I love the Paneer PB35 at Angel so much, I previously thought I wasn’t a paneer person, turns out I really am under the right circumstances. Their biryanis are definitely one of their signature dishes, hopefully you’re able to try on another occasion!
I’m glad to see Dante on the list. My bro worked there as a chef for a couple of years and their food never disappoint whenever we made a visit
Should’ve went with the white pie at Johns
Scarr’s does some kind of overnight fermentation on their dough. It’s really good. If I want pizza from there I order for pick up.
First time I’ve seen fuchka on this sub.. well done! ✌🏽
Welcome back! I started following you on instagram after your last visit and have really liked all your toronto-specific posts. Looking forward to the full breakdown.
Sad to see 6 and 9.
I’ve only had good experiences at 6, but 9 is another social media scam, for my pizza taste buds. The taste is very different than traditional NY-style slices. Scarr’s doesn’t even use pork in their toppings.
Which part of Canada do you hail from?
If you want good pizza, get out of Manhattan. You can’t get a good slice in the city anymore.
Also, Scarr’s is absolute dogshit lol
[Ok, but what this sub really needs is your opinion on Blackseed bagels as a real-live Canadian.](https://www.reddit.com/r/FoodNYC/comments/17zt87x/went_to_blackseed_in_williamsburg_was_extremely/ka1ovg0/)
>Also, is Ezzo or similar curly pepperoni not standard in NYC?
No, it’s not standard. Pepperoni is usually flat. Cup and char pepperoni is rare outside of bougie pizza joints.
Lots of Chinese food.
Where you from Canada?
Toronto and Vancouver have much better Chinese food (all kinds) than NYC honestly.
White bear is not good. It might be good value for locals, I would never take visitors there.
Yu garden is just OK. I think nanxiang is quite a bit better for XLB. NYC has a few Peking duck places, but they are pricey.
Blue willow is just awful.