new york state of mind
(moving right along; cooking & dining while traveling, part II)
In 1984, the Muppets took Manhattan. A few weeks ago, I did the same.
Well, to clarify boroughs, I returned to my home state and gladly stuck to where my family has spent most of the past century plus: Brooklyn.
It was my second dose of traveling-towards-Spring (which is sorta almost here in Alaska as I type this, with the “melt” upon us), and there was nary a rat in sight!
I mention this because I spent half of my life regularly visiting New York diners, eating pancakes, peering into kitchens, and hoping to see some real life movie magic: a rat skating across a flat top grill on a pat of butter. Or at least flipping pancakes. A kid can dream.
(And if that cinematic classic is too out-dated for ya, insert reference to an animated rat cooking up a certain French provencial stew, or scratch that - I’ll embrace it - being part of a generation of children that developed a taste for radishes thanks to the Fraggles!! Which surely helped lead up to now being someone who buys bunches of radishes equally for the greens and bulbs.)
Alas, no Rizzo nor Pizza Rats nor Cockamouse or extended critter lineage ran across my path or subway tracks this visit, but rest assured, I admired many pigeons and squirrels. Nature!
Let me rewind: I didn’t originally intend to visit NYC this Spring.
If anything, I planned on just a bit more time in the Northwest as things warmed up and the farmers market offerings really got going. That’s my jam.
I wear my heart on my sleeve, and it’s purple sprouting broccoli. I kid, my arm tattoos are beets, berries, tomatoes and garlic. And an iconic stuffed animal, but omg, enough about me. It’s about my family!
I was already in the lower 48, and the “ease” of one mere red eye flight to New York beckoned…and the pull of some rare, precious time with my siblings.
Oh, I could wax on about the sights, the sounds, the food, the mass transit & access to seemingly any & everything from around the globe in that city that never ever ever ever sleeps.
Personally, it’s a wild contrast to be amongst millions of people and thousands (?!!?) of eateries and better-than-ever vegan pastries, to boot.
Once again, I did a lot of cooking, but I definitely made exceptions for the nostalgic, iconic, and convenient, and by that I’m talking (TAWK-in’) the casual glory of slices of pizza. Seriously, I have a new favorite slice of pizza, and that’s a BIG DEAL when you’re someone who detests what was the most widely-available vegan cheese in the country for over a decade, enjoy making your *own* pizza dough, AND represent as a native New Yorker. Helloooo, triple threat. More on that matter in the pizza collage below.
Plus, we had three sibling/family dinners, which is more than we’ve had in decades!
Full disclosure, I’ve now lived longer outside of New York than as a resident, but as my younger brother (in his seriously thick accent) will attest “yeah, but you’re FROM here”. He’s not wrong <3.
Or was it….“Hey, I’m walking here”. Or something something about making it there, making it anywhere…..
(Nah, too cliche.)
Catching up with New York:
First, the pizza, because who doesn’t come for the pizza.
Further discussion of the Brooklyn pizza quartet:
That margherita slice at San Remo? The best I’ve had in years. Thin crust, good sauce, light enough cheese, nice color contrast with the red & white, and actual basil. Classic, legit pizzeria in Ridgewood that’s added vegan options in recent years. Respect.
Re: Screamer’s – while I could go for a bit more crisp to their crusts, I’m NOT complaining. Their slices remain something to keep writing home and smiling about. Such a fun, entirely vegan slice selection (and more) at both locales. Great ingredients and creativity. And technically, it gets to be in a league of its own for being entirely vegan, anyway. It doesn’t have to be THIS good, and yet, it is.
Lovely, thicker crust and taste of olive oil on the Vegan Freddie Prinze square (RIP) at Paulie Gee’s Slice Shop. Gosh, getting a table at their restaurant used to be such a tradition on my visits back…
Eh, pass on the Tony’s slice unless it’s a late night and you can stomach it, but points for convenience. (Way too heavy on the cheese and most seemingly Daiya, for the curious.) On the plus side, nice staff & lots of seating.
And for the record, I skipped my former go-to of Vinnie’s on Bedford not just because the location has gotten too intense/commercial for me - I noticed their vegan stuff appears entirely Daiya-based now, so pass. I intended to hit up Cuts & Slices again but holy crap, my siblings warned me that they now have a multiple hour walk-up wait due to social media fame. Good for them.
Scenes of biking, the streets, the veg:
The cooking-in-Bushwick series, in which I prove my devotion to noodles, thai basil & my sister’s expertise in natural wine:
Bonus: visiting real life restaurants!
![grid of cantonese and thai food in nyc - 1) Vegan Spicy Noodle, I am Thai 2) X.O. Cheung Fun, Bonnie’s 3) Tofu Roti Massaman + Triangle Scallion Pancake, I am Thai 4) Dao Gok, Bonnie’s 5) New Mai Fun, Bonnie’s 6) respecting the spicy warnings, I am Thai 7) Chrysanthemum Green Salad, Bonnie’s 8) Fruit Plate “Health is Wealth”, Bonnie’s 9) Gerng Jook, Bonnie’s [clockwise top L to R to middle]](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2a1a0558-977d-4cf3-aaf0-509c22750081_665x665.jpeg "grid of cantonese and thai food in nyc - 1) Vegan Spicy Noodle, I am Thai 2) X.O. Cheung Fun, Bonnie’s 3) Tofu Roti Massaman + Triangle Scallion Pancake, I am Thai 4) Dao Gok, Bonnie’s 5) New Mai Fun, Bonnie’s 6) respecting the spicy warnings, I am Thai 7) Chrysanthemum Green Salad, Bonnie’s 8) Fruit Plate “Health is Wealth”, Bonnie’s 9) Gerng Jook, Bonnie’s [clockwise top L to R to middle]")
In sharp contrast to my normal life and those days in Portland, I went out to SO MANY restaurants in NYC. Okay, even the four or five I dined (largely outside) at is a lot for me lately, let’s be real. That said, it was fun and feels good to spend money at establishments I want to see remain open.
There was the lunch special at what I am pretty sure was Cortaiyou, but more importantly, it was at this first-day-meal that I finally got to meet my brother’s significant other for the past year. (She’s great!)
There were the slices of pizza, a couple of coffeeshops, enjoying short ‘gansetts with my sister, a final dine-out with her and my domestic-partner-in-law at a vegan-friendly Thai restaurant in Queens we’d had our eyes on, and most titillating-ly, a big family dinner at Bonnie’s in Williamsburg.
We scored a last minute reservation for the heated outdoor patio at this hip Cantonese-American restaurant thanks to my sister and her partner (they supply the natural wine - what a beautiful in) and it was an aching-ly entertaining & delicious evening. The salad of chrysanthemum greens - which I’d spotted *just* sold out at the farmers market earlier in the week – was dressed with such a perfect duo of creamy soy & sesame vibes, and the long beans were straight up addictive, to the point my brother and I were both eyeing the sauces and funky bits that remained after the beans were (long) gone. Already, I’m daydreaming about the awesomely charred chew of the thick, housemade ride noodles that made up the savoury cheung fun….
And how could I forget the round of enticing lychee shots? Really, I don’t : )
One more pairing for the road:
(because I won’t show y’all the bagel piled high with tofu cream cheese that led to me being too full to eat anything else for 24 hours)
Granted, I had to acquire some generic flonase by this point due to all the (lovely!) plants reawakening.
In tastier news that’s really a croissant report for my friend Paula, I also acquired & enjoyed that pretty legit, reasonably (vegan-ably) flaky pan au chocolat from Le Petit Monstre’s Bed-Stuy outpost.
Plus, I later picked up a few more French-style pastries from L’Imprimerie in Ridgewood to take home to Jules, which looked impressive remarkable - I’m avoiding another pun here, people - and even 24+ hours later, I’m assured they were “gooooooood”.
❤️🩹 ❤️🩹 ❤️🩹
When the scone returns, life continues in Alaska, where it’s no surprise that I’ve been on a pizza making spree.
How’s your Spring? Any NYC pizza or pastry musts to share?
References + Relevant Links:
Bonnie’s is a Williamsburg Party Worth Paying For, Eater New York February 17, 2022
Filomena Selections natural wines from Italy
I am Thai “We have always been inspired and trusted by Queen of Vegan, Sara of Sweet & Sara.” [insert teardrops / iykyk]
Rat Scat (Something Cookin’) by Rizzo and the Rats, The Muppets Take Manhattan soundtrack
Pastry time: Le Petit Monstre - which is in the Clementine’s realm, and L’imprimerie [not pictured, as these $$ pastries were far less glamorous packed up in plastic take-out containers for my return flights]
Pizza quartet: San Remo Pizzeria, Screamer’s, Paulie Gee’s Slice Shop, Tony’s
wow this makes me so very excited for spending next year in NY! really curious about that bagel now...
How u doin