Thankgoodness for THANKSGIVING in New York

I'm back in New York for Thanksgiving and so happy to be here. I definitely needed a break from school for a little family time. I ate Thai food at Land on Tuesday--that's probably been my only exciting meal EXCEPT for Chef Bobo!

Chef Bobo was the chef at my high school, Calhoun. Him and the other chefs would cook sophisticated meals that appealed to really all ages. He's gotten kids to love brussels sprouts, ask for extra asparagus, and wonder when the next time we'll have salmon. For the alumni lunch, Bobo made goat cheese and beet sandwich on ciabatta, a real favorite. They also made tomato basil soup which was perfect for the cold day  and to top it all off, chocolate chip pudding bread. It was really nice going back to school, especially to enjoy the food I was a huge fan of for four years. Check out Chef Bobo's blog! 

And now for my Thanksgiving plans, we do two days of it. Grandma's tonight in New York, getting it catered, not the best. Then on Saturday, I am going up to Massachusetts for a real authentic Thanksgiving (minus the turkey, we do a grilled salmon instead to accommodate those vegetarians).

I'm also baking a chocolate chip banana bread while watching the Thanksgiving Day Parade. Nothing like the holidays in New York.

Hello Burrito

Recommended by Lehigh's newspaper the Brown and White, Hello Burrito is a new burrito and quesadilla restaurant on the North side. Using extremely fresh ingredients and interesting combinations, this restaurant gives Bethlehem a new type of place. The modern/trendy spot has delicious burritos, from the highly recommended Southwest burrito to a mango burrito. I went for the Southwest burrito which included homemade salsa, melted cheese, beans, rice, and homemade southwest ranch dressing. Different from my usual Chipotle burrito, this burrito was homemade, using local products and making everything from scratch. Hello Burrito also has a boutiquey fountain soda machine adding to the unique atmosphere in Bethlehem.

Southwest Burrito

As I was eating at Hello Burrito, I realized I really don't have a place to compare it to in New York City. Having recently discovered the burrito, I've only experienced Chipotle and Illegal Pete's (in Denver, known to be one of the best out there). What Illegal Pete's does better than Chipotle is that they mix what they place in the burrito, giving you a taste of everything with each bite. Although I usually don't like chains, Chipotle does a good job at satisfying that craving for a hearty meal, stuffed with not-as-fresh ingredients. 

Boutiquey Soda

Buffalo Chicken Quesadilla

So, I have to say, Hello Burrito definitely wins with its fresh ingredients, modern look, and creative flavors and combinations.

Check out this video about Hello Burrito!

Italian Fight

A lot of people have experienced the garlicky breath after leaving Sal's, or the slightly painful stomach ache from eating too much. Sal's is a true Lehigh favorite. Immediately upon arrival, they throw down a plate of oil drenched rolls with more chopped up garlic than you could imagine. My personal favorite dish is the chicken parmesan. The large dish (always take a doggie bag home!) has two pieces of lightly breaded chicken, covered with homemade tomato sauce and melted cheese. A mountain of spaghetti accompanies the chicken as well. The crispy breaded chicken has a great bite to it and you really don't leave Sal's hungry.

Although Sal's is usually packed, the friendly owner, Sal himself, is always willing to give you a slice of pizza while you wait for a table.

So what to compare the quaint family-owned Sal's too...Carmines. The fight may not be fair since Carmines basically has a monopoly over family style Italian restaurants in New York, but it's my local Italian spot at home.

The dishes are unreal. Huge plates of pastas, antipastos, vegetables, meats are placed on the table. The atmosphere is extremely friendly and filled with large tables (maybe a little too loud). What to order? Anything. I really like the Carmine's salad and rigatoni and broccoli. Because it is family style, you end up eating an array of dishes, all amazing.

And if you're feeling really adventurous at Carmines, go for the Titanic for dessert. This $24 dessert is probably the largest dessert out there, filled with bananas, whip cream, ice cream, chocolate sauce, strawberries, and a whole lot more.

Why does Indian food have such a bad rep?

Nawab. It's really good, I promise! I'll admit, there was a time in my life where I was repulsed by Indian food. My family would order it in for dinner and I couldn't stand it. But, as I got older, I became more adventurous with my food. I've started to really love Indian food. Bethlehem's Indian options are limited/ Nawab is the only place to go. So what to order? I know exactly what to get at Indian restaurants, especially for people who are hesitant to try it and have fell into believing the rumors. First, you must get naan, and lots of it. I personally like plain naan, some people like garlic or even cheese. It's a think doughy bread, used for dipping or just eating it plain. Next, chicken tikka masala. It's diced chicken with a curry/yogurt sauce. It's actually delicious and very flavorful. You taste hints of coconut, turmeric and paprika. And don't forget to dip the naan in the sauce. In terms of how hot to get the dish, I can handle medium. Indian food is infamously spicy so be careful. Next dish to get is chicken curry, pretty similar to tikka masala. Basically, it's diced chicken again with a curry sauce. Another dish to order: saag. It's a spinach dish, sometimes with paneer (cheese) and chickpeas mixed in. This dish is slightly creamy, but really flavorful. Other things that are really great to order are samosas (stuffed pastry with meat or vegetable), tandoori chicken (very plain), and banana fritters. The trick with Indian food, at any place, is just try everything and see what you think. The random dishes they place on the table, and mysterious looking sauces, you have to just try. Usually people are pretty responsive to them. If not, there is always rice on the table.

In high school, my friends and I would go downtown for Indian. The Lower East Side, 1st and 2nd avenue, between 4th and 7th streets, is filled with Indian restaurants. Our favorite is one with chili lights and Christmas lights covering the whole place (I have no idea what the place is called). It's definitely a tight squeeze and very low ceilings, but the food is great and cheap. We'd end up spending $10 each and have tons of food.

So try Indian, the rumors are not true!

Five Guys

I know this one is a chain, but being the huge burger fan that I am, I've never experienced Five Guys before and NEEDED to go. I ordered the "little cheeseburger" (the other kind has two patties) with pickles, lettuce, grilled onions, ketchup and mayonnaise. We also got a large order of fries to share. Not my favorite kind of fries, they were a little too potato-y. You could imagine how full I was after. I thought the burger was pretty delicious though. The bun was soft, which I liked and the grilled onions were definitely a necessity.

I will compare Five Guys to my favorite New York burgers but I'm admitting now there is no competition. It's extremely hard to beat Burger Joint or Shack Shack in my eyes. Burger Joint's atmosphere is amazing. Hidden behind a large curtain in the Parker Meridien hotel in midtown, is this tight restaurant covered with signatures of famous people who have experienced Burger Joint. The burger itself is delicious and the fries are just how I like my french fries- thin and crunchy. Shake Shack is another great burger spot. With a "secret sauce", the burger has great flavor, and it is small so it's not as painful afterwards. For vegetarians, the mushroom burger at Shake Shack is another favorite of mine.

Restaurant Week

Today was the last day of restaurant week at the promenade. There were some great lunch specials at a variety of places.

 We decided to go to White Orchid today-- a great Thai restaurant. For only $15 on the restaurant week lunch special menu, you could get one appetizer (4 choices) and one entrée (8 choices). I went for the vegetable spring rolls and chicken pad thai, one of my favorite Thai dishes. The spring rolls were a little oily since they had just been fried, but I liked the filling of root vegetables and carrots. The pad thai was really good; lots of flavor and different textures from the peanuts, bean sprouts and glass noodles.

The dish that I tried that surprised me the most was the pad kee mao. These broad stir fried noodles with a basil flavoring were really delicious. The dish had a lot of flavor.

So, how does this compare to Land, my favorite Thai restaurant in New York? Well, Land's pad see ew with beef is one of my favorite dishes out there, so Land gets some points there. The broad noodles get stuck together which I love, but the beef is often too chewy. The spring rolls at Land are way less greasy and a lot more crunchy. With the White Orchid spring rolls I could taste the dough a little more. The pad thai at Land has more egg in it which I enjoy and more lime flavoring than the pad thai at White Orchid. White Orchid definitely gets some atmosphere points since Land is a very tight squeeze. The restaurants are pretty comparable, but I have to say Land is a little better because of their fine dishes that are flavorful and less greasy.

Bagels in Bethlehem

So as a New Yorker, I take bagels very seriously. I grew up on H&H bagels, often known as "the best bagels in the entire world", so I wanted to see what Bethlehem had to offer. Today I decided to try Bagel Basket. I ordered a breakfast sandwich that consisted of crispy bacon, the perfect amount of cheese, and nicely cooked eggs all on a whole-wheat honey bagel. I thought Bagel Basket did a nice job at starting out my Sunday.

The bagel itself was doughy, which I like, but still had a fluffy, not too dense texture. Bagel Basket offers lots of different kinds of bagels and spreads, along with many sandwiches to choose from. Everyone seemed to be ordering a side of hash-browns and some sort of breakfast sandwich this morning and the store was pretty crowded with hungry college students.

I don't know if it really beats H&H bagels and you certainly can't get a warm cinnamon-raisin bagel at midnight at Bagel Basket, but for what Bethlehem has to offer, Bagel Basket is a great stop for bagels and sandwiches.