A Tourist in NY: start at a Deli, end with Dessert

On a recent visit to New York, my family and I had planned many days of "touristy" stuff and a lot of EATING!!! We were staying in a hotel on 57th and Lexington, so getting around was just a subway ride and a few steps away! One stop included a visit to Ground Zero. I didn't take any photos when I was there. I felt like I would be disrupting the calm that existed there at the time. Wow what an experience. We walked away with a little sadness, but a feeling of unity with all the people, from all over the world, who were there with us. We left Ground Zero and did a little touristy shopping, fun, but exhausting. Time for a quick lunch! We had planned for a lot of eating later that night, so a quick lunch was in order. We had many recommendations for New York Deli's, but we didn't want to take the time to look for places, when we didn't have much time. If you find yourself in the Financial District and you want a quick bite, check out Champs. It iChat be a chain, but it was just what we needed. Not the huge Carnegie Deli (which I've experienced in Las Vegas), but a normal sized sandwich with decent sides and friendly service. Good people watching too! We made a few stops, did a little more shopping, then head back to our hotel in time for Happy Hour!!! Geat place to take a break, refresh and jump start the New York Nightlife. I would've ordered a Manhattan, but the Spiced Apple on the cocktail menu, was calling me. A perfect mix of Apple bourbon, chardonnay, apple juice, cinnamon syrup, orange bitters, may sound a little Holiday, but I was on Holiday, so "Cheers!" Delicious!!! So after more exploring, we head over to Monkey Bar for dinner. Loved it!!! You can't tell from the entry, but inside is so cool. I felt like I just entered old New York, yet the food was very old with a new twist. Make sense? We had some crazy throw back cocktails and started with Clams Casino. Our entrees were the Lamb, NY Strip Steak and I had the Steak Tartare, paired with Sishito Peppers and Field Mushrooms. Delicious! Dessert...Build your own Sundae and guess what? Mint Whoppers were on the sundae menu!!! Yay and YUM!!!

Where do you get a good bagel in this town???

Years ago, my mom would drive my sisters and I to New York Bagel Boys in Bellevue just to get "really good bagels, freshly made".  My mom would pick Plain, Garlic and Salt bagels.  Those bagels were the best, chewy and dense.  So Good!  New York Bagel Boys closed a long time ago and some company bought the rights to their name and started selling bagels in the local grocery store...NOT THE SAME.  There are a few bagel places that are fine, but NOT THE SAME.

To be honest, I haven't given bagels much thought over the years, I just think of bagels as the vessel that hold cream cheese and lox, which is plentiful in the Northwest.  Anyway, this past Mother's Day we were in New Jersey, and my brother-in-law and nephews, treated my sister and I to a lovely bagel brunch with all the trimmings!  Lucky me!!!  What a treat and awesome bagels, no joke!

OK, back in Seattle, bagels...NOT THE SAME!!!  The whole bagel brunch just stirred up all the memories I had of New York Bagel Boys.  I bought some bagels from the store and they just got moldy after now one ate them.  I bought a pretty good bagel from Blazing Bagels, which is my son's favorite, but a little too bready for me, if you know what I mean.  I like warm, fresh and chewy.


Eltana Wood-Fire Bagels. I know all my New York and New Jersey friends will not think these hold a torch to any of their favorite bagels, but for me, although they are still not the same, they are my new favorite. The bagels at Eltana are not huge, but they have a great texture and good flavor. I'm hooked! The Everything Bagel at Eltana is great even without the lox, but get the lox and all the trimmings...YUMMY! John got the fig apricot compote with his Plain bagel, a delicious alternative to lox. I've been to Eltana a few times. There are 3 in the area, but I've only gone to the one in Capitol Hill. If your looking for a good bagel, check them out!

Craving Pho

So, you don't know what you have until it goes away. I use to work near the Pike Place Market and complain about all the tourists, paying for parking, panhandlers and walking up hills to get away from the market. What I have been craving lately is good pho. I use to be able to take a walk and just a few steps away from the market, in Belltown, the best pho in Seattle is quietly hiding...Green Leaf Vietnamese Restaurant. Located on a quiet part of 1st Avenue, Green Leaf is in the basement of a historic building, kinda weird, but once you start smelling something yummy, you're there. I like the Combo Pho, mostly because I can never make a decision after looking at all the choices. Drink of choice, tea. I don't really over analyze pho, but I like the broth to taste homemade, not from a can or bouillon cube. The broth in broth in the pho here is clear, not too salty and flavorful. The serving is huge, unless you are starving and the condiments are plentiful. Slurp, slurp, enjoy!

YUM Food: Slim's Last Chance Chili Shack and Watering Hole

So, you're looking for a place to eat a little comfort food and you don't want to deal with any "foodie hype".  Slim's Last Chance Chili Shack...a few quirky locals, servers who might be artists and some damn good chili!!!
I work in the food industry and right now I am sick of the snobby "hand crafted cocktail" places. Don't get me wrong, I love a good cocktail, but not every eatery is the right place for a complicated cocktail. I know I am going to get crucified for saying this, but please, "someone just give me a cold draft beer!!!" If you are a first timer to Slim's, order the Texas Red with The Works. The other choices on the menu are good, but you may as well start with something traditional, then go for the other stuff on your next visit, because, "You'll be back!"