Eileen's Special Cheesecake, NYC

If you ask New Yorker's the best cheesecake, you'll get a variety of answers.  My personal favorite has been Veniero's, the tourists will all flock to Junior's, and there is a loooong tail of other places that people will swear by.  New York is known for cheesecake after all.  But one place that does come up frequently on best cheesecake lists is Eileen's Special Cheesecake.  Food & Wine named it the best cheesecake in America in 2019.Like...

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Thai Diner, NYC

Update Review, August 2024When I returned to NY this summer, Thai Diner was high on my list of places to repeat order from.  I was very tempted by their newest brunch offerings too (think: Thai tea French toast!), and by their lunchtime Thai style philly cheese steak that gets all the raves, but, in the end, my eating agenda wound up too packed, and I was only able to sneak in a small order my second to last day in town.Snacks: Boiled Octopus. $17."Broiled Octopus...

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Pastries from Panera

Update Review, 2024 VisitPanera added a few new menu items in summer 2024, and most were a bit over the top.  Clearly trying to get attention.  Like the CinnaTops product line, that is full cinnamon rolls, topped with standard icing, and then either cookies (chocolate chip or candy chip, your choice) and more icing.  I'm all for mashups, but this didn't really seem like one that made sense.  They don't get particularly great reviews, but I still...

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