Oven Baked Broccoli

It's a wonder what 425 Degrees, 8 minutes, and some salt, pepper and olive oil can do. This dish is so simple and very delicious. It's a good compliment to any type of meat and super healthy too.

Chobani Greek Yogurt

Greek Yogurt- Unlike regular yogurt, this is slightly thicker in texture and taste. It also offers more protein than your standard yogurt.

Passion Fruit Flavor- For passion fruit lovers this may be your heaven. Buried underneath the thick and creamy yogurt is a generous serving of passion fruit enough to satisfy the taste. Although I do enjoy the taste of passion fruit I wished that it was accompanied by less seeds.

Pomegranate- Again with the seeds. Although not as big but just as annoying. I think that you may find the same satisfaction buying fresh pomegranate and putting it in yourself. Doesn't add much to the taste only to the texture.... crunchy...

Apple Cinnamon- Think fried apples. The thought of apples and cinnamon is very comforting for me. I am not sure why. I do enjoy the tiny apple chunks. It makes me want to make some fried apples myself.

MLK DAY OFF

Breakfast: Bacon, Eggs, and Toast with Plum Jam

Lunch: Korean Food- Seaweed soup with dumplings and rice cakes served with many side dishes

Dinner: Chicken with McCormick's Steak Rub with Garlic butter and some chopped tomatos with a side of broccoli tossed in olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper.... sounds delicious?? We'll find out.

A brand new year...

Another birthday has passed and so has another Thanksgiving, and another Christmas. Now here we are, the new year of 2012. Will the world come to an end or is this just the beginning of something better and greater. Despite all the uncertainties of the future, I still have my own uncertainties to figure out. I'm curious to find out about my own future. What will I do this year? How will my life change? What new and exciting things do i have to look forward to this year?

Quebec City- Canada

I truly do live to eat. Today my most enjoyable moments in this winter wonderland had always involved food. We started out the day eating fresh waffles, transitioned into eating crepes, then ended with some Italian. In between there were the snacks of course. I had a maple syrup ice cream cone and watched people eat hardened maple syrup off a stick. Not to mention out breakfast was some bread and very yummy cheese that we bought from the grocery store.

Also, my recent discovery is that I really like french soup. There's just something about it that makes it just right from the flavor to the texture. I had ordered food from every restaurant I have entered and have not yet been disappointed.

In addition, I had a taste of some very delicious gelatto. I remember my several attempts of this cold italian treat but it was either too sweet or the taste was a bit too much. But today I think I have found my favorite combination. It was sweet but just sweet enough that I didn't feel like gagging after a few bites.

Saravana Bhavan

I remember when I first discovered this place last year during the BBQ cookout festival in Madison Square Park. My friend and I were starving and our stomachs could not affording to wait in line for another minute so we ended up walking around to see what we can find to fill our stomachs first.

Then we spotted this Indian restaurant packed with people we decided to give it a try. We were surprised when we took a glance at the menu because it was a lot cheaper than we anticipated. Then we thought that maybe the portions will be small so we decided to order a few things and share, but then half way through taking our order, the waiter advised us that it was plenty of food and we should probably start with what we had ordered and then get more if we wanted more.

I was very glad that he had stopped us because we were stuffed over the edge. This is so far one of my favorites. Although there are still many delicious dishes I have yet to try, everything that I have ordered so far has not let me down. I really enjoy the Poori which is extreamly puffy wheat bread with curry. Yumm...

FOOD

The one thing I have discovered about myself during my time in the Big Apple is my love for food. Growing up in a restaurant I've always had the desire to eat and cook, but I always thought that it was just something that people like to do. I started out exploring in restaurant kitchen then ventured into exploring various recipes off foodnetwork.com. Eventually, when I got into college I explored the world of processed foods and other unhealthy snacks. I started to cook in my own make shift kitchen that was basically a slow cook pot in my dorm room to a kitchen to my shared apartment on campus. I made everything from rice to a thanksgiving feast. Those were some of the best moments of my life.

When I moved into the city, I lost the time and the energy to cook so I started to venture out into restaurants. Since then I have explored various types of cuisines from all over the world. I started to develope a passon for taste, presentation, and service. It wasn't till my bills started racking up and I see that 95% of my spendings went towards supporting my expensive pallet that I started to force myself to cook again at home. Since I lack the space and still the energy to make anything wholesome, I make with what I have from the local grocery stores and whatever my mom decides to stock the fridge with.

But it is interesting to see and keep track of all the places I go. This is why I finally gave up and started to Yelp. However, when I have more time, I will be dedicating more pictures and discussions on food here so this would be truely mine once more.

Yelp

Recent reviews by Cookie M.

What's this?

Whisky Ward

Although everything about it resembled a dive bar. This one offered a variety of bourbon, scotch, and whiskey. It does get packed as it gets later into the night, so the best time to arrive is before 10pm to ensure that you receive a seat.

Egg- Brooklyn

A day of delicious explorations. After seeing the rave reviews on the internet about this place I have finally made it there to taste it for myself. The venue was small and there was a wait to get in. But there was space for people to wait and not freeze to death while doing so.

The atmosphere was cozy and the food was delicious. Unlike the ordinary toast that you would get with your breakfast at most places, it was buttery and flaky. So soft that it left your mouth with just a tiny crunch. In addition, I had also tried sweet bacon for the first time. At first, I was just going to go with ordinary bacon but I was glad that I had decided to venture outward. Sweet bacon is bacon coated in sugar. Although this may sound like heart attack about the happen, but I would have to say that it's a little taste of heaven.

Wu Liang Ye

Have you ever craved for delicious spicy Chinese food?

Although the food will leave you craving for more, the service is one that is less than memorable. We ordered the duck marinated in tea, fish in special chili sauce, spicy tangerine shrimp and twice cooked pork. For starters, we ordered conch and two other beef dishes. I can't say that all the ingredients were fresh, but I have to say that they had a magical touch with their spices.

Bokka- BonChon Chicken

To those of you who love chicken wings, this is a definite must stop. Cruise by St.Marks for a dozen of mouth watering chicken. This crispy, chewy, sweet, and spicy (if desired) treat will leave you craving for more. Although the service may be slow at times, once the chicken arrives, all your anger and frustrations will fade away with each bite.

Also, do check out the giant penis candle they have in their fireplace behind the cash register. I'm not sure if it's their way of sending out subliminal messages to lure in sex driven clients but their chicken already does the job with or without them trying to sell sex.

Bodhi Tree

Halloween 2009. We ventured though city looking for a place to eat. Somehow we ended up in the East Village walking down third avenue. In the daytime I've never noticed how many restaurants were down this strip. In the dark, you see the neon lights and the lights from inside the establishments shine out into the darkness of the night.

While distracted by the variety of options we had, this one caught my attention and stuck to in my mind. At first I thought it was a vegetarian restaurant judged by the name but as we were walking towards the restaurant I googled it on my phone and found out that it is a Thai place.

The menu selection exceeded my expectation. In addition to the pad Thai and curry dishes they also offer a selection of traditional Thai food. We ordered the shrimp pumpkin dumplings, basil noodles, calamari, and spicy pork. It's been a while since I've had a good culinary experience. After living in the city for 3 years, all the restaurants eventually tasted the same to me. However, this place was surprisingly unique.

The pork, which did not taste very spicy in the beginning started to become more and more intense with every bite. Eventually, the spices took over our senses. As a Halloween treat, the restaurant offered pumpkin custard on the house which was a great neutral dish to tame the spices that we have just devoured.

Would definatly do this again- but would want to try other things on the menu.

Tasy Hand-Pulled Noodles Inc

If you ever dreamed of chewy noodles with tastes that would burst in your mouth this would be a good place to visit. Although the sign for the storefront and the interior of the restaurant does a poor job in marketing the place, an article from the 2009 time out new york brings to our attention this little gem. The charm of it is, you walk down a small side street where is mostly tourist free getting the true experience of old Chinatown. A time before the place became infested with phony handbags and watches.
Their menu selection includes both noodles in soup and pan fry noodles. Usually the noodles comes with beef broth but upon request they can make it in vegetable broth. If you plan to take this home to enjoy, I would recommend pan fry since it will maintain its texture and taste by the time it reaches its destination. Noodles in soup has a tendency to soak up the liquid and become soggy uneatable substances.

Sentosa

So this wasn't the best Malaysian food I've experienced. Nothing beats going to Singapore and experience the true native taste. However, if you want anything close to it, don't attempt it here. Although the coconut rice is decent, the garnish for their Nasi Lemark is not the greatest and defiantly not the traditional selection. Also, their Prawn Mee lacks in the slight tang of citrus which adds on the ultimate kick for the dish. Another dish I tried was the Pan fry seafood noodle with sauce on top which was drenched with the sauce, usually a good thing, but since they put so much the noodle lost the crunchy chewing texture. So if you walk by this place, think twice, you may want to take the 7 train back to Manhattan Chinatown and pay a visit to Penang on Elizabeth.

Je Bon

There's always good places to eat on St. Marks. This place in particular is not as appealing as some of the restaurants on the strip. Although most customers seek for variety on a menu, too much variety will also scare people away. By offering both Chinese, Japanese, and a little bit of Vietnamese cuisine on their menu, people often freak out and think that the food will be a rip off of various cuisines.

When you first enter the restaurant, it is ambiguous as to where the host is and all the sudden out of nowhere, someone comes out to greet you. Since there is no crowed, you can expected to be seating in a prompt manner. The farther in you walk into the restaurant you get the feeling of being transported from a cheap bar with bad taste in decor to a nice cozy dining area. However, the nice dinning area is ruined by the hideous drink menu on the table made of cheap printing paper and ink that is slightly faded and bad choice of colors.

While sitting there waiting for the food, you double guess your decision to eat at this restaurant thinking that you will probably be served with nasty drinks and food that may drive your taste buds to a place you dread. However, to my surprise, once the food and drinks arrived, the drinks were absolutely delicious and according to my friend who had ordered a pork rib noodle soup, it was out of this world. Although the service was not outstanding considering the fact that the waitresses were busying doing absolutely nothing the food is worth the visit. From what I heard, they are in the process of restructuring so I am looking forward to the possible improvements of this place.

Garage

Somewhere on the west side there is a Garage you can retreat to for some food and live music. Although this may not be your bet if you're seeking quick service, there is a nice band playing inside that will help you calm your nerves while you're waiting to get served.

I ordered a bloody mary and their famous french toast. After trying a bloody mary for the first time, I don't think I'll ever do it again. Not sure if it's the drink or the way they made it at this restaurant. Since I am also used to the fact that most NYC restaurants list almost every ingredient in a dish to make it sound like you get more, I was truly surprised when my french toast arrived with blueberries.

Quantum Leaf

I have decided to go seagatearian for a little while which means I only eat seafood and vegatables so I decided to settle for a restauratnt that would cater to those demands. The menu is filled with various yummy delights suitable for vegans to people like me.

Hasaki

Nestled in the street next to St.Marks across from its sister store, Soba-ya, which I had mentioned in a prior blog is this little Japanese restaurant that delivers quality food and premium service for a resonable price. The service and the atmosphere is similar to the one at Soba-ya but their selection of soba is not as extensive.

This restaurant offers a variety of sushi and sashimi. If you're still not sure what you want after reviewing the menu, you can settle for a afternoon plate filled with mini portions of japanese delights. On this platter, you will receive a full portion of Shrimp Tempura, small piece of salmon, tiny bowl of seaweed, sample of a special dish, and your choice of sushi or sashimi. So if you're looking for a little taste of japan, don't hesitate.

Heartland Brewery- Union Square

Cozy pub with a decent list of draft house beer. Come in to taste a light apricot ale or whatever is in season or dive in to a oatmeal stout that leaves your taste buds with a touch of chocolate essence.

In the dimmed dinning area, share your most extravagant experiences and ideas with your friends or even a perfect stranger. Order a couple of dishes to share or something hearty to fill your void.