Ando Patisserie (NYC)

Saw this feature by some NYC locals.

Ando is a French Patisserie with an an Asian twist.

Small little coffee shop.

Clean design.

Got the Passion Fruit Tea - light and easy going.  Great for on-the-go walk and drink.

Finally sat down to have the Black Lava Cream Crepes Roll

Here's a closer look.  They pack little bit of crunchy for you to add on top.

I will say, highly recommend enjoy it there because the poor thing kinda congeal together after we got back to the hotel. 

I will say, the flavor palette strongly resemble that of the Black Sesame Soup.  Mainly came from the cream.  The wrap is layers of crepes from the black sesame, and there's some soybean powder sprinkled on top.   Pretty light and easy going flavor palette.  Definitely something different and never tried before.  I originally going to try the Mont Blanc, but they were sold out.  Highly disappointed, that just means that I have to come back and try it another time.

Ando Patisserie

214 E. 10th St

New York, NY 10003

https://www.andopatisserie-official.com/

 

Mabu Cafe (NYC)

One of the cha chan teng that's been pretty strong on their IG game is Mabu Cafe in Chinatown, NY.

They totally played up the kitch of the Hong Kong time of the old.

Yet play up the new mix of culture.

For example, they know these are buzz words for Chinese playing mahjong.

Cool neon signs for wishing you plenty of wealth.

Each table has mahjong tiles designs like this one has a heart.

More nods to what Hong Kongers love, being wished to have great luck.

This one wishing you get rich - and who wouldn't like that? 

Even wall art and wall paper and the like.  Totally kitch.

These are signs for Minibus in Hong Kong.  You can also get these at El Dage.

No, this is not a giant fridge, it's the door to the bathroom.

Even the table ware are nods to the time of old in Hong Kong.

Of course, must get, Curry Fish balls, it's really fish paste made into the ball shape, it's a well known street snack.  Back in the day, they would sell them in a skewers style. 

Also got some Cheung Fun - and they provided Plum sauce mixed with Peanut sauce for dipping. Truly a nostalgia thing.

Popular on-the-go dish, Spam and Egg over instant noodle. Served in a hot pot bowl. 

Oven baked macaroni - this is truly Mac and Cheese with spaghetti sauce.  

Then we have little bear in a spa...

...er, I mean, in Lemon Tea.  My only complaint about this is that albeit is super cute, the cup is super small.  Poor bear is not melting fast enough and took one sip and need to re-fill.  So, cute for the 'gram', not practical whatsoever.   The tea is fine, not too strong, not too sweet; just right.

More decor on the way out. 

Cool neat decor, design to transform you to another place.

The place as most NY places are, tiny and small.  There's plenty of seating, and the upstairs has a few tables as well.  Typically if they're busy, they do have virtually 'get a number' but since we went on a weekday, we just got in fine.  There are workers nearby grabbing lunch, so there was a little but of a rush but not so pack that you have an extended wait.

As you can see, they really play up the nostalgia thing and get you to post on the 'gram' to promote for them.  I will say, food is not bad, so I don't mind the promotion.  It was neat and kitch.  Now that the other Cha Chan Teng is closed, this serves as a great alternative.

Mabu Cafe

18 Doyers St

New York, NY

https://mabucafe.com/

Trattoria Sofia

Finally got a chance to try Trattoria Sofia.

The place is very poshly decorated.

You're greeted by a fountain.  Funny thing, when the place is packed, people kept tripping over those little lanterns on the ground.

I got an Arnold Palmer, a bit decorated for iced tea.

We of course have to start with some apps.

This is Suppli al telefono - It's a ball of cheese croquette that's deep fried.  It has some pine nut, mozarella, topped with more cheese and some pesto based sauce at the bottom.  Not exactly pesto because it's more Ranch-like consistency.  It's call the al telefono because when you pull it apart, it's like telephone lines that are stretchy and drooping.

Wood roasted beet, pear and balsamic and labneh salad.  To my surprise, this was very delicious, light and easy going.

That night's special was Seafood Pasta, it has mussel, shrimp, squid on a light tomato based sauce.  It was pretty good, not too heavy, good mix and fresh seafood.

Got a Coffee Gelato Affagato.

The espresso shot is in the little carafe. And it comes with a biscuit and it's great for dipping.

Couple of things to keep in mind.  First, for sure to make a reservation.  But for some reason, despite having one in the books, they were still had us wait for 10 mins.  Not sure if they were running behind or the clients eating slow.  But the weird thing was that when I asked to check out the garden area the reaction was a little taken aback.  Given then, they were going to seat us right by the door between the dining room and the garden which means it's the highest traffic.  Given many guests has yet to check in they could've been a little more thoughtful when seating guests.  

Second, they do not have complimentary parking.  It is $6, so bring change.  That said, if you're lucky enough to park on the street, congratulations, you should also buy a lotto ticket too.  Between this restraint and Loro right next door, the parking on the street is scarce.  Not only that please be courteous to the neighbors who live there.  They need to be able to get in and out as well.   So pay attention to the street signs. 

The crowd is interesting.  The earlier batch are families and friends hours.  Later is more likely date night or a girls night out kinda place.  The vibe is different and we see it transition during our time there.  Was the food good?  Yes, it was, some unique stuff but not so superb that I have to return.  Service was tough, our server was running around and while professional, it's not exactly the brand of attentive.  For the price of the meal, it don't think it's super exceptional both in food and service. 

Trattoria Sofia

911 W. 11th Street

Houston, TX 77008

713-804-0429

https://www.trattoriasofia.com/

 

Katz's

Went to the bright and shiny Katz's in the Heights. 

It's lovely, tons of parking, the patio area is big and now that we're in patio weather, it's perfect to sit out there.

I love the new mesh with the classics.  

Totally forget they serve cocktails all day.  And it's true that they Never Kloses - they run 24 hours.

I got my water and my coffee, it's off to a happy start.

I got the Texas Brisket Breakfast Bowl.  It has loads of meat, with some roasted veggies, and scrambled eggs topped to hollandaise and a side of potato latkes.  I forgot how good those tasted.  I put a little bit of the potato latke, some eggs and some eat in one bite.  It was so yummy.  Totally worth it.

The service was a little awkward, they assigned a server that mostly has tables out in the patio area, and I was already sitting inside.  So he barely stopped by.  I'm pretty much low maintenance when I'm eating out by myself, so I don't need too much but would've been nice if someone stopped by to top off the coffee.  

Katz's Heights

2200 N. Shepherd Dr

Houston, Tx 77008

713-999-4799

https://www.katzsneverkloses.com/

 

Pizzeria Uno - DFW

When you're stuck at the airport and not certain if your flight is going to take off on time or not, best to grab some food for just-in-case.

The Pizzeria Uno at DFW airport has a bar attached to it.  Also the only food by our gate, so we decided to hang there a bit.

Not sure if it's because I haven't had deep dish in a long time or because I've been smelling other people's pizza.  It was super delicious when it arrived.  It's just a personalize size, but by the time I hacked half of it, I was good to go.  Of course, I love that there's TONS of cheese.  As my friend said: Cheese = Life, and boy is that ever so true.  This is a Supreme, so it has meat, cheese, veggies all in the mix.  No one is complaining over here.

As it turns out, they no longer have locations here in Texas, that might be the last one standing.  That said, you can order it and ship it frozen to you.  THat's not unheard of, Giordano's pizza does that as well.  That way you're never far from a true Chicago Deep Dish.

Pizzeria Uno

Inside DFW Airport

in Terminal E

https://www.unos.com/

 

Haywire - Plano

Went to team dinner in Dallas.

Ended up here at Haywire in Legacy West .

It's super cute, it has 3rd floor bar area, that has a cute air streamer.

Faces a great view of the stage and when they have a concert you get an awesome view.

The other side of the bar has these cute teepees, for smaller tables, there are several tables and if it's not reserved, you can grab a seat there.

I got a Grapefruit Gimlet.  It's super delicious.  

Another good one is the Frozen Texas Tea - it's their Texas Tea frozen added with sangria.

Ordered the Chef Favorite 4 - It has queso blanco, onion rings, 2 mini tacos, and fried green tomato slices. 

We also ordered some Burnt Ends.  It falls off the piece, nicely marinated and the sauce that went together is splendid.

I got the Mac & Cheese, it is rich with Havarti Cheddar - it's best shared with someone on that.

I also got a cup of the venison chili: also have white cheddar, onion, chive, and a side of corn bread.  All goes well.  Every bite is venison and not too strong with everything together. 

We ordered the pecan pie to share.  It was huge and lots of it.  Yes, definitely a shared item.

It's kinda interesting.  They are a whiskey bar first and food seems to be cowboy themed.  Then they have all the male servers in cowboy hats.  Definitely get a reservation, don't wait, by the time we got there, it was packed.  The reservation for 2nd floor and 3rd floor is different, so be sure to be specific. 

Parking, there is a garage right behind the place, and it's free.  Of course you can valet, it is more convenient. 

Haywire

5901 Winthrop St

Plano, TX 75024

972-781-9473

https://www.haywirerestaurant.com/location/plano-tx/