Bluestreet Dessert Cafe

Dessert.  If you read my blog, you know I'm a dessert girl through and through (I eat dessert after every lunch and dinner, without fail, my blog has a label just for desserts and I review exclusively bakeries and ice cream shops on Thursday, etc).  So of course when a new dessert cafe opened in New York this May, I was going to pay attention.

"Coffee • Crepes • Waffles • Desserts. Your day-to-midnight cafe in NYC."

Note though that Bluestreet is a dessert cafe, not a bakery, a point I didn't quite realize until I visited.  The main attraction is their crepes, which they do make there and smother in Instagram worthy sauces, but most of the other desserts from the extensive lineup seem purchased from elsewhere.  Still a cute place, but not where to go if you want homemade desserts (other than the crepes and waffles).

Exterior.

The exterior was quite eye catching, with bright blue color (for "Bluestreet"?) and clear "COFFEE" and "DESSERT" signs.  In the summer, the whole front opens up, making it really quite inviting.

Inside.

Inside has table and long display cases, and an open prep area where you could watch them assemble items like crepes.

Nice Decor.

The place is really pleasantly decorated, is well kept, and clean.  I used the bathroom when I was there, and it too was aesthetically pleasing and clean.

Baked Goods / Chocolate.

The pastries looked decent, relatively glossy and flaky looking croissants, muffins with a homemade look, soft looking cookies.

They also sell several styles of $$ Dubai chocolate bars.

Cakes / Cookies.

On the bottom two rows of this case were cakes that didn't really look housemade.  I can't imagine a bakery making them in house putting in the little paper separators like that.  I suspect these are frozen and thawed, from a wholesale distributor. It was also notable that only one item in this entire case, on the middle row, said homemade (the carrot cake). The top layers were cookies and more cakes.

Mousses / Baklava. 

The most attractive looking items were here, as they carry a bunch of those fruit mousses that are shaped and colored to look like real fruits, and come wiht names like "Strawberry Bliss" (for the strawberry shaped one), "Blueberry Dream" (for the blueberry), etc.  This section also had tons of styles of baklava, and some other cookies and bars.

Dubai Chocolate Cake. $8.90.

"Rich chocolate cake layered with pistachio cream and crispy kadayif, finished with a glossy chocolate coating."

I ordered online in advance, so I didn't realize that the time I was picking something that didn't look homemade.  Yep, I went for the Dubai chocolate trendy cake.  I know, I know, but I really like crispy kadayif, and was in the mood for chocolate, so this sounded promising.

The cake was ok, but not really anything special. The chocolate cake bottom layer was a bit dry, not necessarily the freshest.  But the pistachio cream was sweet and creamy, I loved the texture from the crispy kadaif, and the fudge was fine.  This cake was definitely carried by the toppings, not the cake itself.

I did finish this (part I had with ice cream to balance the rich fudge) and liked it well enough, but I wouldn't get it again, and I doubt they make it in-house.  3/5, higher end.

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Ark Bagels

Ark Bagels is a bagel shop I walk by daily, literally right across the street from my office. I've never really given it a second glance.  It doesn't look particularly interesting, I've never heard it mentioned.  It opened in 2023, so it has lasted a few years, but reviews are mediocre-average.  I likely wouldn't have ever set foot inside, if it wasn't the summer of Paze*, and I opted to get a few orders there due to convenience.  Even though it was very convenient, the staff were friendly, my orders were always ready on time, I don't see myself returning as it just wasn't very good.  

*If you are unfamiliar, Paze is a digital wallet system (like Paypal or Google Pay) that you can use to check out with some merchants.  In the summer of 2026, when they launched, they had a promotion with most major credit cards and banks to give you back a $10 credit, up to 10 times, per card/account, if you spent $10 and paid with Paze.  One of their launch partners was Clover, the company behind many restaurant POS systems, so if you ordered online through their Clover storefront, and paid with Paze, you got $10 free (over and over, again, 10 times per card/account).  Tax, tip, it all counts towards the $10, so you could get something <$10, and just tip up to the $10 to trigger the credit.  I love a freebie, and I love excuses to check out places that I wouldn't normally stumble into, so I used Clover and Paze to go on little missions every weekend, gettings $100s in free food along the way

Bagels

Given the business name, you can guess that bagels are their main focus.  They make all the standard varieties, offer cream cheese and other spreads, and make breakfast egg or omelettes on a bagel, and lunchtime bagel sandwiches.

Poppy Seed. $1.99.

I tried one bagel, poppy seed, something I used to get frequently back in my regular bagel eating days.

It was very average bagel.  Probably above average for not New York, but, average for here.  Big, puffy, decent enough chew.  Well coated in seeds.  But otherwise completely unremarkable. 3/5.

Pastries

Near the registers they also have a variety of muffins and danishes.  Unsure if they are made inhouse, baked off in house, or acquired from elsewhere.  Some were fairly unnatural looking.

Banana Nut. $2.99.

This is one of the most unique banana nut muffins I've had.  To start, it used peanuts, not the more standard choice of walnuts.  This was fine, as peanut (butter) and bananas go together very well, but it does break from the mold.  The nut element however was extremely minimal - just the visible scattering on top.  The peanuts were chopped McDonald's hot fudge sundae style.

The muffin was evenly baked, slightly crisp top, moist enough inside, consistent crumb structure.  But no nuts within.

Banana Nut: SO YELLOW!

Inside the muffin was also a surprise: SO YELLOW!  The taste was banana but banana "flavored" not banana like banana bread.  So I guess artificial, although it wasn't a bad taste.  Just, clearly banana flavor not banana. 

It was a passable muffin, about what I'd expect at a generic cafe or hotel breakfast, not a real bakery fresh muffin.  3/5.

Deli Sides

They also have a small deli counter with salads, e.g. tuna, chicken, white fish, and the like.  One co-worker got the chicken salad and said it was horrible, but I love macaroni salad, potato salad, and slaw, so I still tried.

Macaroni Salad. $2.49.
(1/2 pound)

I was so excited for this.  I like even generic low end deli or grocery store macaroni salad.  When I saw it had both corkscrews and macaroni noodles I got even more excited.  It seemed actually homemade? And they ran out of a noodle type?

But ... yeah, wow, it was not good.  The pasta was really hard and gummy at the same time.  The overall taste was harsh and too acidic.  It had a very bad aftertaste.  I tried to mix it in with my regular salad, but the texture and flavor were both bad enough that I gave up and ditched it.  0 stars?

Potato Salad. $2.50.
(1/2 pound)

The potato salad fared slightly better than the macaroni salad, but it still was not something I'd get again, and seemed a bit sus in terms of freshness.

The potatoes were not too mushy nor too hard, so they were properly cooked.  The pieces were relatively small but fine.  But there were a lot of black spots that concerned me.  There was minimal anything else, just some unidentifiable bits of some kind of vegetable.  Reasonably well dressed.  But another meh here, and the black spots on the potatoes really did worry me.  2/5.

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Ayada Thai

I knew the hype.  The viral mango sticky rice.  Michelin-recommend. Yadda yadda.  I honestly didn't pay much attention to it, despite the fact that I work right next to Chelsea Market, and despite the fact that I do quite like mango sticky rice.  I've mostly just been over mango in the United States since living in Sydney for a while and having it locally grown.  It is just so dramatically better there than anything we have here (and I'm sure Thailand and others are great too).  But when my mom recently visited me in New York, and we did the tourist thing of wandering through Chelsea Market, I had to at least get *something* out of enduring that right?  Viral mango sticky rice it was.

Ayada Thai actually has a full sit down restaurant, that I've never heard anyone talk about.  I don't think it is noteworthy in any way, besides their sticky rice. The sticky rice got so popular that they opened a second business a few doors down, a much smaller space, that is literally just for the mango sticky rice. There are a few seats but it is basically a very efficient take out spot.  Since they sell one thing only, the line moves fast (and yes, there was a line).  All you do is say how many you want, and it is handed over instantly, as the containers are all ready to go.  They have multiple staff members off to the side doing nothing but cutting mango, and someone else packaging it up with the rice and sauce, so even though not made to order, it really did seem likely made within the last 20 minutes at most.  The level of streamlining they have done is impressive.

Mango Sticky Rice. $12.

The product however didn't look very impressive.  Packaged for takeout, the rice wrapped in plastic, the coconut cream in a little container. The mango fairly pale.  I didn't think it would be anything special, and sorta rolled my eyes at myself for even caring enough to get it.

But once I got home and warmed up that sticky rice and plated it up ... well, damn.  It is the best I've had in the US.  The sticky rice itself was actually perhaps the best I've had anywhere, which is shocking for takeout that I heated up at home a bit later.  The level of sticky, the sweetness in it, all was just perfect. I have no memory of having a better version.

The mango didn't look particularly ripe or like it would be better than average, but, it was.  Perfectly ripe actually, flavorful, pleasant sweetness.  I've had much, much better mango in other countries, but I don't think I've had better here.  The coconut cream was standard.

Put it all together, and no question, the best I've had in the US.  Yes, I'd get it again.  Yes, this is dangerous knowledge as I work across the street.  4.5/5.

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Zaab Zaab

I spent a significant amount of time in Sydney over the years, and whenever I was there, I ate southeast Asian food basically the entire time (with a bit of "Australian" thrown in from time to time, but mostly, southeast Asian).  It was just sooo good there, considerably better than anything I had in San Francisco.  I had kinda stopped eating that food in the US for the most part, as I was always let down. But since moving to New York, I've started warming to the idea of finding good Thai (and Singaporean and Malaysian, hopefully) food, particularly after loving some dishes from Thai Diner and Fish Cheeks.

I still didn't actually seek out Zaab Zaab, a local Thai restaurant, with two locations, one in Brooklyn, one in Queens.  They actually came to my office to do a catered meal, which is obviously a different experience than visiting their real restaurant.

Menu.

"All Khao Soi's are served with your choice of protein, egg noodles, broccoli, chopped garlic shallots, lime, and optional dried chili, topped fried noodles."

Our menu was one main dish: khao soi, which delighted me, as it has been my recent favorite Thai dish anywhere.  I liked the visual display with the real product, which probably was helpful to those less familiar.  For proteins, the options were fried chicken, regular or spicy pork belly, or fried tofu.  Interestingly, at the restaurant, they have only one version, with beef shank (which we didn't have).

Assembly Line.

Dishes were assembled to order, assembly line style.  Pick your base (rice, noodles), your protein (chicken, pork belly, tofu), your toppings (broccoli, garlic shallots, lime, herbs).  Items were added to your bowl, which was then finished with a ladle or two of the curry sauce, and crispy noodles.  Chili was on the side for us to add ourselves to customize the spice level, and it was legit spicy, I greatly appreciated this.

Khao Soi, Tofu.

I got noodles as my base, all the toppings, and fried tofu, as I was just not in the mood for pork belly, although it looked crispy, fatty, and excellent.

I liked this.  The noodles in the base were well cooked, not too mushy.  The curry was creamy and flavorful, relatively complex and balanced.  My scoop of chili definitely put the spice level in a nice place.  The toppings were all standard and good, the broccoli nicely crisp.  Of course I adored the crispy noodles on top.  The fried tofu had a really fresh flavor, strong soy, and I liked the fried aspect.

This was all good, average for a real Thai restaurant.  I liked it, it was comforting, and it seemed relatively authentic, but I wouldn't call it a destination dish.  Just, good.  3.5/5.

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O'Briens Bar & Grill

A sports bar near Madison Square Garden.  Definitely not a place you'd expect me to stumble into, and yet, I did, to O'Briens Bar & Grill.  I never would have discovered if it wasn't for the summer of Paze*, and this isn't one I'll be returning to, but it was quasi-interesting to check out.  The service wasn't particularly friendly, and my orders were never ready when they said they would be, but at least that meant I got hot fresh food.

*If you are unfamiliar, Paze is a digital wallet system (like Paypal or Google Pay) that you can use to check out with some merchants.  In the summer of 2026, when they launched, they had a promotion with most major credit cards and banks to give you back a $10 credit, up to 10 times, per card/account, if you spent $10 and paid with Paze.  One of their launch partners was Clover, the company behind many restaurant POS systems, so if you ordered online through their Clover storefront, and paid with Paze, you got $10 free (over and over, again, 10 times per card/account).  Tax, tip, it all counts towards the $10, so you could get something <$10, and just tip up to the $10 to trigger the credit.  I love a freebie, and I love excuses to check out places that I wouldn't normally stumble into, so I used Clover and Paze to go on little missions every weekend, gettings $100s in free food along the way.

Exterior.

The outside looks like basically any bar anywhere.  No outside seating, no particularly inviting signage.

Inside.

Inside was considerably bigger than I expected, with two long bars with seating, table seating, and booths on the other side.  Pretty classic sports bar setup with TVs too.

It was entirely vacant the first time I visited at 12pm on a weekend, but quite full during the week at 7:30pm.  Clearly an evening venue.

Onion Rings. $5.50.

The first time, my order was still being prepared when I arrived, so my onion rings were served hot and fresh out of the frier.  They were pretty greasy, and seemed like they were left in a bit too long (or maybe I just prefer a lighter golden color), but I liked the sizes and the amount of coating (although the batter could be more flavorful).  Basically, they were fine, I enjoyed them, but I wouldn't go back for them.  Higher 3/5.

They don't have any dipping sauces available, but included a bunch of ketchup, along with a single mustard and single mayo.

Apple Crumble. $7.95.

Who orders takeout from a sport bar and gets ... the apple crumble?  Um, yeah, me.  I saw it on the menu when I was browsing a few days prior, and I couldn't get it out of my head.  I really wanted apple crumble!  I also wasn't quite sure if this would be a slice of pie with crumble topping, an actual fruit crisp/crumble, or even something more like a crumb cake.  I really didn't want a crumb cake, but either of the previous options would be fine with me.

The answer?  A crumble topped pie. I had pretty low expectations, I knew it wouldn't be made in house, or anything special, so I was quite surprised when I opened my takeout bag to find that 1) they served it warm, 2) they included several sauces, 3) they included whipped cream!  They actually were trying here.

The slice of pie was actually kinda small, I mean, it was a reasonable portion in terms of what a human should eat, but certainly not standard restaurant sized, and felt a bit skimpy for the price.  But that said, it was pretty decent pie.  It had a generous crumble on top that was sweet, crispy, and pretty satisfying, slices of well seasoned and not too mushy apples that didn't have too much goo, and a strangely crisp back and bottom crust that wasn't really standard flaky pie crust, but also wasn't a shortcrust either.  Besides the crust being overly crisp, it really was quite decent.  The crust wasn't bad, it just wasn't any standard kind of pastry crust, and the level of crunchy certainly isn't expected.  Again, I'm sure they purchase this frozen and just reheat it, but hey, it was good. 3.5/5 pie.  That is ... until I found mold.  Yes, mold.  In my pie slice.  I obviously stopped eating it when I tasted (and then saw) it.  Clearly, they have some issues with expiration dates.

 

The whipped cream was a thoughtful touch to include for takeout, and I'm sure when you get it in the restaurant it stays looking nice, but I live a 5 minute walk away, and it was entirely deflated when I reached home.  I'm sure it was standard spray can whipped cream, and that just never holds up.  It didn't taste like plastic-y Reddi-whip, which earns them another point.  I drizzled it over my pie like, well, cream, instead.  

The sauces were a complete surprise to me.  I really didn't expect sauces included, and wouldn't have expected them dining in either.  One was standard chocolate sauce, which made no sense to me with apple pie, and sorta screamed out tacky plating style with chocolate sauce drizzled on every plate for no reason.  But hey, now I have some chocolate sauce for my next ice cream sundae at home.

The other was ... I'm still not sure.  It sorta tasted apple to me, like, cidery almost, which could make sense drizzled over apple pie.  But it was sorta reddish and looked more like a strawberry sauce.  I find it crazy that I can't really tell you which of these things it was, if either, but it sorta tasted like both and neither at the same time.  I did like it though, both with the pie, and I suspect I'll enjoy it on ice cream later too.

Overall, this was a really pleasant surprise, until the whole mold situation.  For a sport's bar dessert, far, far above average, let's even say 4.5/5. If it was served a hotel buffet/restaurant, still quite a bit above average, 4/5.  If I compare to regular mid-range restaurant, about on par, 3/5.  That leaves me somewhere around 3.5/5 as a overall rating, particularly because they included the sauces.  But, they sold me old, moldy pie, and that is unforgivable.  0/5.

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Nuovo York Pizza

I moved to New York, and became a cliché.

After years of not caring about pizza, I suddenly crave it, all the time.

"We focus on delivering authentic New York style pizza built on consistency, quality, and precision. Every slice is designed to meet a clear standard with balanced flavor, proper texture, and a reliable experience you can count on every time you search for great pizza near you. Our process starts with carefully selected ingredients and a dough that is fermented for optimal flavor and structure. From the sauce to the cheese to the final bake, every step is controlled and repeatable. We do not rely on shortcuts or guesswork. We rely on systems, measurements, and constant refinement. That is how we maintain the same quality across every order. Rooted in classic New York pizza tradition, our approach is focused on improvement, not imitation. We aim for a clean and well balanced slice with the right crisp, the right chew, and a flavor profile that stands out without being overwhelming. "

In particular, what I've been craving is classic New York slice shop slices.  Yes, I've also had all the fancier well known places (e.g. L'Industrie Pizzeria, where I was completely blown away, finding their crust to be exceptionally crisped and lightly chewy, and their signature burrata slice to be totally flawless and well worth the hype, Slicehaus Pizzeria, that I noted that while it is far more accessible than its peers with no crazy lines and great 48-hour fermented dough, and Mama's Too!, where I found their heavy Sicilian-style square focaccia bases to be far too greasy and spongy, though I did enjoy the toppings and sauce on slices like the upside-down and poached pear). But lately I've been into trying out random slice shops (ok, not totally random, at least ones that have good reviews, just not ones I see anyone really talking about much).

Setting

Nuovo York Pizza is one such place, located in the East Village.

Slices.

The setup is pretty standard slice shop, with mixed pies on display, and slices plucked from there and heated up to order.

Seating.

They had a reasonable amount of seating, with a few seats at tables, and high chairs along a counter.  Oregano, garlic, red pepper flakes, and hot sauce available to garnish.  Slice shop style, so no table service or anything.

Food

Pizza comes in two styles: round or square.  Round has the largest selection with 8 styles by the slice (your standard cheese, pepperoni, margherita, plus common white or vodka, then three more unique ones: pepperoni pesto, "cherry charm" (with cherry tomatoes and fresh burrata), and their signature spinach and mushroom white pie), plus two more that are whole pizza only.  Squares are either plain, pepperoni, or bbq chicken or buffalo chicken by the slice, or a few more whole.  No custom orders.  Pizza is available by the slice, one size only round pie (18"), or one size only square pie (16").

For sides, they offer 3 kinds of dough based products: garlic knots (orders of 3 or 6), parmesan bread bites, or cheese sticks. There are no salads, fries, wings or other options for sides, just more pizza dough based items.

Garlic Knots (6).  $4.

For a side, I went for the garlic knots, not really wanting more cheese along with the very cheesy pizza. 

The garlic knots were great.  Puffy, nice golden edges, great garlic flavor.  Buttery but not overly oily.  I really enjoyed these.  3.5/5.

The marinara sauce was fairly standard, a sweeter style but not overly so, nicely seasoned.  Some small chunks of tomato.  Not necessarily better than a really good jarred sauce, but still good. 3/5.

These are available as a trio for $2 or half-dozen for $4.  I actually ordered just 3, but got 6.  One dipping sauce is included, choice of marinara/ranch/blue cheese.

Spinach Mushroom White Pie. $33.

I'll admit that a white pie was an odd choice for me, as I usually do want the marinara.  But I saw so many reviews raving about this pizza, and I knew it was their signature thing, so, hey, why not try it.

My pizza was ready right as I walked it, plucked from the pizza oven and boxed up on the spot.  Can't beat that freshness.

It was a well executed pizza: NY slice thin crust (not fancy thin crust), thick enough to hold up to being eaten without utensils, but not overly bready.  Nicely crisp, slight char on the undercarriage.  Back crust was sufficient for holding but not bigger, so you didn't fill up on crust.  Fairly classic New York slice, executed pretty well.  The slices were massive, 8 to a pie, and 18" diameter, so these were very big, although not very evenly sliced (which I preferred actually, but for a brand that talks about precision, the slicing was not).

The cheese was a very thick layer, and it had nice cheese pull to it.  The white sauce ricotta was creamy under it all.  Definitely some garlic and seasoning in it.  The spinach wasn't dominant, and was barely noticeable, but I suspect it did add a bit to the flavor, even if I didn't quite detect it.  I liked the hearty style of mushrooms used, but they weren't particularly evenly applied.  The toppings came together well, and I liked how creamy it was, but it was pretty heavy with all the cheese.  I think I'd prefer a little less of it.  

So overall, a reasonably well executed slice, and a slightly unique offering, but, not completely assembled with care, and probably not something I'd get again.  I still enjoyed it though.  3.5/5.

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Gnocchi on 9th

I can't say I eat a lot of gnocchi, but I do like it from time to time, so I was excited when Gnocchi on 9th was doing a popup event at my office.  Gnocchi on 9th is a small chain that started only in 2024, that somehow has 10 locations now.

The place doesn't actually get that great of reviews, but it certainly is well known (and people seem to love at festivals and winter markets).  A lot of the hype seems to be the unique serving style (in takeout Chinese food containers), and the fact that you can get a bit blog of burrata perched on top.  Still, I had hope.  Alas.

Storefront.

I did not visit the actual restaurant, but I have walked by it many times.  Instead, they came to us with a catering setup.

The restaurant has a very streamlined menu of basically just gnocchi, but for our event, it was even more minimal, only two options, alla vodka or al pesto.  No toppings or add-ons.  Boo.  At the actual restaurants, you can add burrata (definitely what gets all the Instagram notice), or shrimp.  They also have a few more sauce options to choose from, such as bolognese, cacio e pepe, truffle alfredo, along with a gluten free version, and salad and tiramisu to round it out.

Gnocchi alla Vodka.

"Gnocchi in a luscious, tomato and cream sauce. Everybody’s favorite choice."

I'll cut right to chase.  I did not like this.

The gnocchi was gloopy. Way too mushy. The sauce reminded me of something very, very distinct, instantly: Chef Boyardee.  Or actually, I guess Campbells, as it gave VERY strong SpaghettiOs flashbacks.  Granted, I haven't tried those in many, many years but my brain identified the taste shockingly fast.  

I did not like this.  1/5.

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Grandma's One Pizza

Regular readers of my blog are likely bored of hearing my intro about pizza in my life, so I'll keep it brief this time:

• I grew up in a family that ate a lot of pizza.  Not good pizza, but a lot of pizza.  Usually homemade from that crust mix that comes in a packet that you add water to, generic canned pizza sauce, generic cheese.  Several nights a week.
• We did also get Pizza Hut as part of the Book-It program as reading rewards as kids, and people ordered Little Caesars for birthday parties.
• In college ordering slices late at night was definitely a regular occurrence, and in grad school, every school event featured pizza.  I ate a lot of mediocre local pizza in those years.
• I moved to San Francisco, discovered nicer pizza (both Chicago style and "Californian" fancier pizza), and ate it relatively regularly the first few years.
  
• Then I just stopped eating pizza.  For probably 20 years.  When I'd visit home, the family still had pizza every week.  I didn't participate.
• My final two years in SF I discovered Square Pies Guys, and fell in love with Detroit style pizza.  
• Then I moved to NY and became a cliché who suddenly loves classic slices.  

I've since been enjoying trying more off-the-radar slice shops (although I've of course hit all the bigger names too, e.g. Joe's, NY Pizza Suprema, L'Industrie, Slicehaus, Mama's Too, Prince Street).  My adventures lead me to Grandma's One, in Greenwich Village.

Spoiler: I adored this place.

Setting

Unassuming Storefront.

Located on Bleecker Street, but relatively generic looking storefront, obviously even less appealing with the construction going on the day I visited.

Seating.

Inside has character though with deliberate pizza related signs, a TV that presumably airs something interesting from time to time (it was just set to the music station when I was there), and a few small tables for dining in.

Bar Seating.

The other side of the space has stools along a bar for solo quick dining, more pizza paraphernalia on the walls, and condiments station to add your own red pepper flakes, garlic powder, oregano, or s&p.

Pies.

The layout is classic slice shop, with all the pies on display, all nicely labelled.  Slices are taken from here and heated to order for a few minutes.

Sides.

Besides the slices, they also had knots and pinwheels in the display.

Slices

For pizza, you have your choice of style: classic NY round pies, square Grandma-style pies, or square Sicilian style.  Different topping options are pre-set for all styles, e.g. if you want bbq chicken, buffalo chicken, or baconator, those only comes in square form, similarly veggie or burrata or white spinach come only in round.  Some basics like cheese, pepperoni, margarita are available in multiple styles.  Best I can tell, you can't create your own, even if you get a full pie.

Pepperoni Grandma Slice. $4.50.

"Savor a thin crust square pizza loaded with pepperoni, rich tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, and a dash of basil."

For my first slice, I felt like I needed to get a Grandma slice, given the business name.  I adore cupping pepperoni, so the moment I saw that they used cupping pepperoni, I was all in.

I loved this.  It also may have been the first time I've had a Grandma slice ... I've had plenty of other styles of square pizza, but they have a much thicker crust.  This really was just regular NY thin crust, just, square.  Well, huh.  Speaking of the crust, I really liked the thickness, just thick enough to hold shape and not be too fancy seeming, but not too filling.  Very different from Detroit style squares I got rather addicted to back in San Francisco.  It was perfectly crisp, but not too crunchy.

The sauce was a highlight for me. It had such a vibrancy, and I loved the bright flavor.  It was sweet but not too sweet.  It was generously applied but not too saucy. The cheese had a great pull due to the use of fresh mozzarella rather than standard pizza shredded mozzarella (which they do use on some of the pizzas).  The cheese covered the slice, but not too thickly. 

And then of course the pepperoni, 9 pieces visible, but most were doubled up, which delighted me even more once I realized it.  Perfectly cupped.  Not scorched.  Again, better than standard quality.  It was garnished with a drizzle of oil, fresh basil, fresh parmesan.  

I have nothing I'd change about this slice.  The balance of the thickness of the crust + the level of sauce + the amount of cheese achieved great harmony.  The flavors popped.  They really have perfected the craft of making a great slice.  4.5/5.

Grandma. $4.50.

"A thin-crust delight with tangy tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella and vibrant basil leaves."

My next visit, it was no question that I needed another Grandma slice, and I decided to keep it super simple with the basic plain (margherita style) slice (side note: I do find it interesting that they don't offer a plain cheese Grandma slice, given that the crust is the same style as the classic NY round, and that comes in plain cheese ...).

This slice was a bit more sloppily made it seemed, a very saucey slice, cheese not fully covering it.  But otherwise it was the same - nicely crisp crust, vibrant sauce, lovely cheese pull.  I enjoyed it at home later with some sliced red onion on top, which really complimented it well.  4/5.

Margherita. $5.

"A classic Margherita with tomato sauce, melted mozzarella, and fresh basil on a thin crust."

I finally tried a classic NY slice too.  I went back and forth on getting the simple cheese as that is definitely their biggest seller (while I was there waiting for my other pizza to be finished, I saw quite a few slices get sold, and the plain cheese NY slice was probably 70% of the orders; the pepperoni NY slice was another 20%, and then the rest assorted grandma slices) or this fancier option, the margherita.  Given that I had loved the fresh mozzarella so much on my previous slices, I decided to stick with that.

I had this slice literally right out of the oven, as I was there waiting when it came out.  Removed from oven, basil thrown on top, sliced, handed over.  Doesn't get fresher than that.

The crust was absolutely perfect, you could fold it in order to eat it one handed walking down the street, but it certainly wasn't floppy.  I think it was the same thickness as the grandma slices, so thick enough to hold its form, but not heavy, and not overbearing. The back crust was easy to hold onto, and the flavor was so good I did find myself really wanting the crusts, which is somewhat rare for me without a dipping sauce.  This seemed more back crust forward than the grandma to me, but I'm not sure why, as I don't think it actually has more. 

It had the same great sauce as the grandma slices, just such a bright sauce that I truly enjoy.  It covered the slice well, but it wasn't saucy.  The cheese also covered it well, and had a great cheese pull.  Fresh mozzarella really is perfect for that.  The ratio of sauce and cheese were excellent.

This was a simple slice, but every element was really well executed, the ratios were right, and it was enjoyable to eat.  I'm really not sure which format I prefer, round or grandma, as they are so similar in components and taste, just, a different eating experience.  This one felt more "right" to eat walking down the street though.  4/5, and I'd gladly get it again if I wanted a simple slice.

Meat Lover. $6.

"Loaded with tomato sauce, pepperoni, sausage, meatball, and fresh basil on a classic Sicilian pie."

I know I don't like Sicilian style pizza normally.  But ... 1) I like to challenge my sense of dislikes every so often in case I've changed and expanded my horizons, 2) I was so happy with every other style Grandma's One makes that I thought if I was ever going to like Sicilian, this could be the time for it, and 3) I adored their cupping pepperoni and really wanted to try more meats, and this is the only style a loaded meat slice comes in (you can get pepperoni only in several styles, or sausage or meatball only, but nothing else loaded up).

This pizza wasn't ready when I arrived, so I waited for it to finish cooking, and got it hot and fresh.  It really was loaded up with meats: just as much pepperoni as the pepperoni slices had, plus a few slices of a very pale looking sausage (I think that was the sausage? Or a very pale meatball), and crumbled meatball (or was that the sausage?).  I'll admit that if I had seen this in person I probably wouldn't have ordered it, as the sausage wasn't the style I was thinking it would be (definitely thought ground hunks), and it just looked kinda unappetizing, greasy, and not well cooked (the cheese was very lackluster looking, not fully melted, but the crust looked overly brown).

The pepperoni was incredible as in my previous slices, and I loved it so much.  Thick cupping style with great flavor.  So good. The other meats, which I could barely guess which was which, were far less good.  The crumbled one was very dry and greasy and not good at all, the pale slices were better but still not something I would want more of, although I did eat it all.

As for the base pizza, it was ... yep, Sicilian style.  The crust was much thicker, more focaccia-like, very oily, quite crispy on the outside, yet very soft and doughy and almost undercooked within.  It instantly transported me back in time, as this was the style of crust my family always had.  The taste and doughiness, at least in my memory, was uncanny.  I still didn't like it all that much, as I prefer the other crusts, but this was serious nostalgia for me.

I'm not sure if this is sicilian style or just a less well made pizza, but it had minimal sauce, and only that blob of cheese on top here, so there wasn't much to mask the dough forward nature of it (even with all those meats).

I'm glad I tried this, and I did get some enjoyment out of it, but I wouldn't get it again.  I might still rate it 3.5/5 as the pepperoni is so amazing, and it did bring back so many memories.

Sides

Appetizers/sides include the pizza place standards of garlic knots and wings, plus a few flavors of pinwheel. 

Spinach Pinwheel. $4.25.

"Delight in layers of fresh spinach and creamy cheese spiraled into a savory pinwheel!"

I went for the spinach pinwheel, very randomly, but I wanted to try something totally different.  It too was garnished to order with fresh parmesan and basil.

This was actually considerably more filling than a slice of pizza which I didn't expect.  I was thinking "oh, a little appetizer pinwheel" but the dough is so much thicker it is like eating a full order of garlic knots or breadsticks, as the size really is hefty, bigger than the slices in girth (and obviously much thicker).  It did give me a chance to really appreciate their dough quality, and could imagine liking a slice with a more substantial crust too.  

I loved the cheese skirt around it from where cheese had seeped out, as it was crazy crispy and obviously cheesy, and fun to pick off.  The bottom of the roll though was quite greasy from all the cheese.  Again, this ate a lot heavier than actual pizza.  The spiral itself was fine, filled with a decent amount of spinach and cheese.  It basically was just a more fun form of a garlic knot that happened to have spinach for extra flavor.  I did desperately want something to dunk it in though, and would recommend getting a side of marinara (or ranch or blue cheese or whatever your dip of choice is, they have them all).

This was good, and I am glad I tried something different, but I wouldn't get it again unless I had a specific craving.  3.5/5 without a dipping sauce, I'm certain it would be a 4 with one though (and that's just my bad for not ordering one).

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Domino's Pizza

I realized I don't know anything about Domino's Pizza at all, as I've probably only had it once or twice in my life, perhaps at an event in grad school or something.  I know it exists, and has generic pizza, but that's about it.  Just not something I've ever ordered, or lived in a city with (not growing up, not in college, not near me in SF for the 21 years of my adult life ...).  But I moved to NYC during the summer of the $10 Paze promotion (spend $10, get $10 credit back if you pay with Paze), and Dominos was one of the launch partners.  I can't resist a freebie.

But I was in NY, surrounded by amazing pizza, I was most certainly not getting pizza at Dominos.  Did you know Domino's has pastas? (and sandwiches, and many other things, it turns out). I didn't, but the pasta is what jumped out most to me on the menu once I started browsing.  They have three pastas: 5-Cheese Mac and Cheese, Spicy Buffalo 5-Cheese Mac & Cheese, or Chicken Alfredo.  All use the same penne pasta, and all use alfredo sauce as well, the mac and cheese just loads on more cheeses (white American, cheddar, Parmesan, Asiago). 

Chicken Alfredo Pasta. $8.49.
(-chicken).

"Try our savory Chicken Alfredo Pasta. Grilled chicken breast and creamy Alfredo sauce is mixed with penne pasta and baked to creamy perfection."

I was drawn to the mac and cheese, but was actually craving alfredo, so, chicken alfredo it was.  I got it without the chicken, which is easy to do from their online ordering page (side note: why don't they just have a regular alfredo option?  And then make it possible to add chicken, or bacon, or any pizza topping you want?).  I arrived at the specified time, but it wasn't ready yet, so I was able to see it being baked to order in the pizza oven.  It was handed over insanely hot and fresh, inside a small pizza box, which turned out to be quite useful as the foil bowl was extremely hot, as it was baked in it.  I can't say it won any awards for how it looked, a bit meager in the pasta department, and drowning in very cheesy sauce.  I did appreciate the slightly crispy top.

I was fairly confused by this though, as it seemed really cheesy, in a way you don't expect in alfredo, and in a way that didn't seem like it could be from just parmesan and asiago.  The pool of melted cheese on top really screamed out mozzarella, but, they say it only has the hard cheeses.  I believe this is the same alfredo sauce they use on the pizza.  

It ... was pretty underwhelming, fairly thick and gloopy, and didn't have much flavor to it (it has a bit of garlic, but barely noticeable), and it desperately needed salt and pepper ... and red pepper flakes ... and, well, anything.  The flavor was bland and flat.  I realize I'm talking about alfredo sauce from a generic pizza franchise, but even jarred alfredo from a grocery store is better than this.

The pasta too was underwhelming, as generic as can be, just, basic penne.  It wasn't too mushy, but it certainly wasn't al dente.  While it had a tiny bit of color on top, it wasn't really crispy.  

Overall, um, meh.  I could imagine this being better with other pizza toppings added in, and a drizzle of their buffalo sauce, but, at the end of the day, it is low end penne and alfredo sauce, mixed together and put in an oven for a few minutes.  2/5.

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Mei Lai Wah

Chinatown.  Most big cities have one, and of course New York does.  I'm often drawn there, not only because I appreciate a lot of the cuisine, but also, forthe great prices and generally no-frills environment.

"Mei Lai Wah is synonymous with Chinatown, an embodiment of the American Dream."

Mei Lai Wah is a Chinatown business I've known about for a while.  It opened in 1968, and for much of its existence was not really standout from other Chinatown spots, but they became relatively famous in 2008 when the New York Times published a passionate piece about it (while it was closed due to health inspection violations ...).  Since then, it seems to have stayed very well known (particularly as it blew up a few times on Tik Tok), and now still has regular lines.  If you say "pineapple bun" in this city, people immediately will jump to talking about it.   It has been on my radar since I moved to NY, so I was thrilled when an event I was attending had all their top hits.

Pineapple Bun with Roast Pork.$3.96.

"Pineapple bun with a crackly crust filled with char siu roast pork."

The very, very famous item from Mei Lai Wah. I finally got to try it!

And ... yeah, wow, I see why it gets such accolades.  The pineapple bun itself is the clear highlight: certainly the best I've ever had, although also the sweetest I've ever had. If you like just a touch of sweetness in your pineapple bun, this is not for you. I thought it was fantastic, the outside shattered and made a mess in all the right ways (just like a high quality croissant!).  4/5 pineapple bun.

Pineapple Bun: Inside.

The inside was good, but not as high quality as the bun itself.  A bit more quality control could be done as I had some bits of pork that really were just rubbery fat.  I also do prefer a less natural more red style of bbq pork, but this was still flavorful and good.  I just wished for fewer pure fatty bits.  3/5 filling.

Overall, a delightful item, and I'm glad I finally got to have it.  Will gladly eat again (although really, I'd love that pineapple buns stuffed with custard as a pure sweet item...). 

Egg Yolk Bun. ($6.60/3).

"Soft, fluffy buns filled with rich egg yolks."

I was also thrilled to get to try the egg yolk buns, the item I would have naturally picked as my second item too.  The bun was fairly standard, soft, steamed, seemed fresh, neutral flavor.

Egg Yolk Bun: Inside.

But inside is what these were all about.  I warmed mine up so the egg yolk reached flow state again.   Soo good.  I loved the very rich salted egg lava.  These were very mildly sweet, more savory really, so not a dessert style custard bun.

Very enjoyable, yes a bit basic, but well made (although it made me yearn for some pork floss, I always love the salted egg and pork floss combo).  3.5/5.

Crushed Cucumber and Peanut Salad.

This was included accidentally in one of my co-worker's orders, and they didn't want it.  So I took it off their hands.

This was actually very tasty.  Crushed cucumber, flavorful "Asian" sauce, tons of peanuts. 3.5/5.

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Bánh Mì Cô Út

I am not really a sandwich person.  I haven't ever been.  I did have one gas station in my hometown growing up that had bulkie bun sandwiches I liked, but besides that, sandwiches have been something I begrudgingly ate.  My family never went out to actual restaurants when I was growing up (like, ever), but we had a phase of going out on Saturday night to one of Subway or Del Taco.  I always voted against Subway. In grad school, every once in a while my group of grad student friends would splurge and go out for lunch, and I was always saddened when the sandwich shop was the destination of choice for the group.  Going out was a real splurge for me, and paying for a sandwich I didn't really want always made me grumpy.  So suffice to say, you'll never see me seeking out sandwiches of any kind (is a hot dog a sandwich?  Let's not get into that, and yes I adore hot dogs, although I'd prefer a corn dog or bunless generally).

But when I do have a sandwich, a banh mi is pretty high up there on the actually interesting list.  Is it because I like the fillings and find them novel as I didn't grow up with them?  Well, mostly. Do I still dislike the actual sandwich part, and find that particularly with bahn mi the bread is too hard and I discard half of it?  Also yes.  Still, I was sorta craving banh mi, and did a little research on where I should go.

Bánh Mì Cô Út is routinely cited as having the best bread in Manhattan for banh mi. Since that is the element that usually lets me down the most, I decided to optimize on my best shot of having bread I appreciated, and thus, Bánh Mì Cô Út it was.  They make their own bread fresh daily, and yes, it really does make a difference.

#1: Bánh Mì Cô Út Special. $11.10.

"Pork belly, boiled Vietnamese ham, fried Vietnamese ham, jambon, pork floss, pate, mayo, cucumber, cilantro, carrot & daikon."

I went straight for the one with ~everything. There were at least 7 kinds of pork in here: pate and floss, 3 kinds of luncheon meats, two kinds of more standard pork (although, yes, I know the description only lists 6 kinds).  

The pate was spread along the bread on one side, and it was a fairly thin layer, but it was good.  I love pate, so this was a highlight for me, as minimal as it was.  The pork floss was on the other end of all the meats, in the middle of the sandwich, adjacent to the veggies.  I love pork floss too, and this was also good, but again, give me more!  I sorta wished it was positioned differently though, as it got lost in the very center a bit.  These were my two favorite elements, no question.

Next were the three kinds of processed loaf meats.  I'm not sure what they all were, two were sorta pale cold cuts style (one was the boiled Vietnamese ham, the other probably the fried version?), the third was full of all the bits and pieces.  I liked all of these, as again, I just tend to like anything in the bologna/mortadella space, although the one with all the color variations, fat circles, and just kinda mystery bits was my least favorite of the three.

The regular sliced pork was fine, not too tough, but pretty boring (is this the jambon?).  The other had a slight colored crust on it and had a bit more flavor (maybe this was the belly?).  These were the least interesting to me.

Then, all the veggies. There was a generous amount of pickled shredded carrot and diakon which really helped offset the fattiness and saltiness of the meats, and a little cucumber. These all were about as expected, and played their parts well.  I don't really like cilantro, but I understand it has its place in here too.  I barely noticed any mayo, I would prefer more.  I also wanted some jalapeno.

And finally, the bread.  It was very good for banh mi bread. Super crispy/crusty, but quite soft inside.  Clearly very fresh. Better than average, no question.

Overall, this was a good bahn mi, and I enjoyed the adventure of trying everything in it.  I think my ideal would be just the boiled and fried Vietnamese ham loaves, 2x the pork floss, 3x the pate though.  3.5/5.

Banh Mi Lap Xuong Tuoi. $10.20.

"Vietnamese fresh pork sausage, mayo, cucumber, cilantro, carrot & daikon, and homemade soy bean sauce."

Since I was there, I also got my second choice, one with pork sausage, just to try a second item too.  Again some great fresh bread that was shockingly crispy yet soft, same attention paid to ratios of veggie to meat fillings - more veggies in this one, which worked with the more solid meatier sausage.  Alas, no pate nor pork floss in this one.

Banh Mi Nem Nuong: Inside.

The sausage was shockingly good.  Very juicy, but the aromatics were particularly impressive.  Just so well spiced.  

I'm not sure which of these sandwiches I liked more, as they were really quite different, but this was just as good as the first ... if not better. 3.5/5.

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