Happy Thanksgiving

Just want to say Happy Thanksgiving. 

I'm grateful for what I have, thankful to have my friends and my kiddo, and blessed to be able to do this.  

Actually, I'm grateful, thankful and blessed with everything. :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Anonymous Cafe

Saw a bit of hub bub about Anonymous Cafe.  So when one of the mom friends suggest to go, I was curious.

Mainly the food they serve is Mediterranean.  They have decent looking pastry, but didn't try any.

Got my morning latte.  Nice and simple.

This is kinda unique, it's a breakfast hoagie.  Never had a hoagie for breakfast before.  But underneath this mess, there's scrambled egg, cheese (cheddar and feta), bacon, onion, bell pepper, in a hot dog bun.  It is not big but it's not small.

The cafe is really Mediterranean style, but they have lots of American style standards too.  Like for breakfast, they have quiche and waffles.  Lunch they have Ceasar salad and Hamburger.  But they have some Greek food too, like Greek Salad, Souvlaki and stuff.  Space is very nice and comfortable, I look forward to great things to come from this mom and pop shop.

Parking is free and covered.  They are part of the office/medical building there, so park at any guest parking will do, which they have plenty of.

Anonymous Cafe

3701 Kirby Dr #160

Houston, TX 77098

713-515-6551

https://www.anonymouseats.com

Chatime

Was running errands at Katy's Asian town, and round about lunch time, thought we'd check somewhere new.

We ended up at Chatime. This is the Matcha Tea Latte, which is exactly how you expected it to taste. Not too sweet, has matcha flavor.  I just love that they're separated and it looks cool.

This is Unaju or Unagi Don (eel rice).  The food looks great for the 'gram', but it actually was pretty dry.  The rice and the veggie were dried, the eel is ok.  They placed too much eel sauce like they're trying to cover the dish.  I did see that they have Xiao Long Bao, and maybe I should get that or noodles next time instead.

Chatime

23119 Colonial Pkwy

#A12

Katy, TX 77449

832-913-8976

http://chatimetx.com/index.html

Common Bond

I love how there's a Common Bond close to me and there's no long line or wait time.

In Medical Center, it is still busy but not cramp and tight like the Montrose location.

Got my regular latte, which has soy milk and hazelnut flavor.

I got the Soft Scramble, which has herbs and cheese in there, super duper soft.  I put them on the toasted baguette and eat it as a topping for the bread.  It is pretty nice for a chilly morning.  Bacon, well, no need to describe, right?!

Anyway, having a nice cup of coffee to boot helps keeps you warm.  Of course, getting to oogle at the yummy pastries helps plenty as well.

Common Bond

Medical Center

2278 W. Holcomb Blvd

Houston, TX 77030

346-327-8393

https://commonbondcafe.com

La Chula - LGA

Now that LaGuardia has gotten a face lift inside, there are more food option than ever before.

While this is for sure not the Mexican food we know, but at the airport, I'll take what I can get.

For instance, I doubt many Mexican food places in Texas that'll carry Angry Orchard.  It's a Northeast thing.

I got the Nacho to much on.  Definitely too much food and the ooey gooey does get congealed.  Needless to say, I miss my quest, and then was reminded by coworker that we're not in Texas.  It's not a thing outside of the state. *sigh*

The quality is neither here nor there.  I think for airport food, I'm not having fast food it's already a step up.  They serve very simple 'Mexican' food, which is like a taco and variation thereof, and this is already something different.  Service is as airport as you can get, not top notch because it's not a fancy restaurant, but they do come every 15-20 mins.  I hope their locations in the city is much different than the ones in the Airport.

I'm loving all the new things they've put in LaGuardia.  Like this new sign.  The lounges are upstairs. There are at least 2 bookstores in the wing.  There's also a massuses area, market type food, burger, coffee cart.  The seating are a lot of the benches have places for you to plug in to charge your devices.  There's even a children play area.  I can't wait to see it complete.  The outside is a mess, the TSA line is still half and half but the time they quote you not the wait time is pretty accurate, better than the lines at the theme park.  

La Chula

LaGuardia Airport

Terminal B

https://www.lachulanyc.com

Van Leeuwen - NYC

Happenstance that I walked passed an ice cream shop.

 The new yet retro decor just drew me in.

 They are really an artisan ice cream shop.  They even partnered up with Magnolia Bakery around the corner to make specialty ice cream for limited of time.  Cool thing, they also have special gluten free and vegan ice cream to offer on a regular basis.

So, what did I get?  It's Earl Grey with Pistachio and chocolate sauce on top.  Figure: go big or go home, why not!  The texture is consistent, the flavor is very clean, it comes thru what it needed to be. Not faint at all.

The ice cream place is literally next door to Radio City Hall where the Rockettes danced. They even have a cool tree that lights up and changes color too.

 Right around the corner is Rockefeller Center, and you get to take in the view of the rink, the statue, the stores, the atmosphere.  All within the 2 blocks.  That's why I love New York City, as cliche as it sounds.

Van Leeuwen - Rockefeller Center

1250 6th Avenue 

(between 49th & 50th)

New York, NY 10020

917-388-2904

https://vanleeuwenicecream.com/location/rock-center/

Fig & Olive - NYC

Went to meet a colleague for dinner.

I know they have Fig & Olive in Houston too, but let's see how it's different in NYC.  For sure, space is a big difference.  Here in New York, you really cannot be any bigger in size because the restaurants literally squeeze you in there like sardines.  I was just worried that my purse will knock someone out.

 Started off with the Peach Sangria, which has peach liqueurr, elderflower liqueur, hint of orange and chardonnay.

As you sit down, they bring you some bread and olive oil.  All 3 are different, original, lavender, and orange.  My favorite is the orange one.

 Here's our share plates, we shared 6 different kinds of Crostinis.  We got (L-R): Burrata with tomato and pesto, Proscuitto with olive, ricotta and walnut, Forest Mushroom with Truffle and artichoke, Manchengo with Fig and Marcona almond, and Smoked Salmon with creme fraiche.

 For entree, under the advisement of our server, I got the Chilean Sea Bass with garlic, some potato and some greens.  Pretty light and easy going since we went heavy on the appetizers.

For the dessert, since we can't make up our minds, we did the Tastings.  (Top L clockwise)Pot de Creme, Chocolate Obsession (chocolate cake with raspberry sauce), Green Apple and Orange sober with olive oil, and Crunchy Praline.

I will say that the Crunchy Praline is my favorite.  I wouldn't mind having a bigger version of that.  The Chocolate Obsession would be my second favorite.  The Pot de Creme was too creamy, the sorbet just wasn't my jam.  

Overall, the service there is great.  I'm sure the servers that work in the area by the offices know that they can make good money.  Not to mention this location is right by 5th Avenue tons of money goes thru daily.   As all New York City places goes, if they are any decent, you should make a reservations well in advance.  If not, you're really trying your luck. 

Fig & Olive - NYC

10 East 52nd St (by 5th Ave)

New York, NY 10022

212-319-2002

https://www.figandolive.com/location/fig-and-olive-nyc-fifth-avenue/

Ocean Prime - NYC

You can't come to New York and not have steak, so I've been told.

Since this is a work dinner, they took really good care of us. 

Ahi Tuna Tartare - with avocado at the bottom of the stack.  It tasted very poke' to me.

Jumbo Lump Crab Cake - they're so tiny and cute.  Taste good too.

Calamari, everyone loved this one, not one single one left after it's been passed around.

Goat Cheese Ravioli - it is pretty cheesy.

Second course is house salad.  There are apple, goat cheese, and walnuts with vinaigrette. 

Black Truffle Mac and Cheese - sorry the pic is blurry, folks were eyeing on it since it arrived.

Asparagus for the table

Filet Mignon with Gouda Potato cake at the bottom, spinach side and cabernet jus sauce on the side.

Steak was better with the sauce and the potato cake tasted almost like hash brown.

Per the server's recommendation, I got the Warm Butter Cake.  It is very dense and it is full of cake.  It comes with vanilla ice cream and berries and sauce.  The ice cream has a tad of vanilla in it, and you can taste a bit of cinnamon in there.

Of course, company dinners, they always treated us well.  This is no different.  We had a great time, made new friends and of course after the wine got flowing everyone made friends.

I love this pre-holiday times.  Not too cold yet, and you can walk around at night comfortably.  Of course the Rockefeller Center is one of those spots.  They stay open late, and you get the iconic photos and you can people watch.  It worked out very nicely.  I really enjoy the parts of the city is quiet at night and then walk a few blocks, the whole place is liven up and you are literally transport to a whole different atmosphere.

Ocean Prime

123 West 52nd Street

New York, NY 10019

212-956-1404

https://www.ocean-prime.com/locations-menus/new-york-city

Alimama

One of the place I've marked for a must-do is Alimama

I've followed them on Instagram and mostly because their unique product.

Boba Cream Puff & Mochi Donut

Since we just had dinner, we have to split the puff.

Here's what it looks like on the inside.  It has Boba (aka tapioca) and the cream in the puff taste like milk tea.  The puff itself is like and not thick, so it's light and airy.  Highly recommend and would definitely go back for another one. 

The next is the Mochi Donut.  This looks impressive, as a matter of fact, it is gold and glittery.

Also cut that in half, and wish I had taken a better shot of the side where you can see the glutenous filling on the inside.  It basically like the Chinese dessert of sesame ball where the outer layer is chewy and fried. Only difference here, there's no sesame.

Poor picture on my part here, it's the hot lemonade, which is Honey Lemon Ginger.

Here's an Instagrammable wall for you.  Don't look down at this hole in the wall, they managed to squeeze a lot of chairs/seating in there and decently comfortable too.  It is my new must-go spot!

Alimama NYC

89A Bayard

New York, NY 10013

212-235-7288

https://www.alimamanyc.com

Laduree - Madison

When Laduree first opened in New York, it was a destination for me.

 Line would go outside the door, everyone lining up to get some yummy macarons.

Now, it has become a neighborhood cafe that the locals come by to grab a croissant or a coffee to go.

 Don't worry, they still have their awesome macarons. 

 Besides macarons, they also have sandwiches, salads, and of course delicious baked goods.

 Fast forward a few years now, they now serve breakfast.

 What they had done was to take out the display case and storage on the side and put in booths.  There were about 5 small tables here.  Two at the salon and a few outside, perfect for nice weather.

So for $17, you get the breakfast set.  It comes with a coffee or tea (you can choose a wide array of them), orange juice, and a mini 'basket' of viennoiserie with honey and jam.  Except you see here, is 3 croissants, which is the Rose Croissant, Pain du Chocolate, and Plain croissant. 

I will say, this is my worst experience, I've ever had at Laduree.  I've always have had great food and great experience here.  I think now that they have a Soho location, seems like they put the attention all there.  The good servers, staff and food, even are there.  The reason for me for saying that is because the server didn't really want to seat me for breakfast, even though there was one person already eating and one table had already left.  She basically said out loud to sit at one space because she doesn't want to clean the other table.  I'm thinking, maybe I heard wrong.  It then took another 10 minutes before I can place my order or get my coffee.  I was sorely disappointed and tried to pay my bill as soon as my food got there, so I don't have to be there any longer.  The croissants were not fresh, and you can tell the croissant wasn't anything to write home about.  Overall, I'm sad that my favorite has subpar service and so-so food.  I think either I'll try to not go when they first open, or go back to the Soho location.

Laduree - Madison

864 Madison Ave (at 71st)

New York NY 10021

646-558-3157

https://www.laduree.us

Changing topic.... I was able to enjoy being a tourist and ran down to Hudson Yard to see the Vessel.  I had heard about the Vessel by chance, and it is amazing and the ticket to the architecture wonder and tour is free.  

All you have to do is to go to the Hudson Yard website and they will take you to the tickets to the Vessels, and you can present it on your phone at your assigned time.  If you didn't get it before hand, you can sign up when you get there, they do have kiosk for tickets.  But it may not be of the time you want, so plan ahead.

Hudson Yards

Between 10-12th from W.30-34th

If you take the 7 train and go till it dead ends, the place is right outside of the station

https://www.hudsonyardsnewyork.com