Mayhem & Stout

I am always in search of a new sandwich place because I love eating sandwiches for lunch but I tend to get bored of the same few options.  Pretty frequently I type into google "best sandwiches in NY," but am generally disappointed with what I find because a lot of them have ingredients that I don't eat.  So, when I discovered two weeks ago that a new sandwich place, Mayhem & Stout, was opening near my apartment, I was immediately intrigued.

The name sounded familiar from Madison Square Eats in May, and I remembered trying one of their sandwiches and loving it.  I had forgotten about them though because they didn't have a brick and mortar shop so there was really no way for me to have their sandwich again except for at a few festivals.  To find out that they were finally opening up a shop was exciting enough on its own, but to see that it was only 10 minutes from my apartment made me ecstatic.

Since it had just opened, I figured I had to try it out and make sure that it was as good as I had remembered.  In preparation, I looked at the menu online and starting thinking of the amazing combinations of sandwiches that I could make.  The menu is great because all the sandwiches are custom made to order, so you can really have fun choosing unique combinations.  For the meats, you choose between short rib & brisket, braised pork shoulder, braised lamb shoulder, braised pulled chicken, and braised vegetarian "meat" balls.  Next, you choose from a long list of unique sauces including dragon (which is asian bbq), blueberry sriracha, chipotle mango and black cherry mustard, to name just a few.  Then, you choose the toppings and the options are spicy slaw, pickled onion, pickled celery, potato chips, onion confit, tzatziki, roasted kale, pickled vegetables, and fresh scallions & chive. You also have the option of a half or full sandwich, which gives you even more creativity because you can create two entirely different half sandwiches rather than getting a whole one with the same combination.  After imagining all of the potential combinations, I ultimately decided to get the braised pulled chicken with black cherry mustard, roasted kale and onion confit (half).

This sandwich combination was so interesting and unique, and you really can't find it anywhere besides Mayhem & Stout.  Even though it sounds like an odd combination at first, all of the elements worked really well together and created a delicious and satisfying sandwich.  I have heard of places offering raspberry mustard, but I have never heard of black cherry mustard, and it was so delicious!  The sweetness and tartness of the cherry worked really well with the mustard and neither flavor was too overpowering.  My sister also got a half sandwich, and she opted for the pulled chicken with dragon sauce and fresh scallions & chive.  She loved hers as well, but found the dragon sauce to be a bit too spicy.

Mayhem & Stout is exactly what I have been looking for in a lunch spot.  They offer really unique, delicious, and fresh ingredients and allow you to create whatever combination you want, which gives you endless opportunities.  Since it is made to order, you know that what you are getting is fresh and it hasn't been sitting around for hours like at other sandwich places.  They take something as simple as a sandwich and elevate it to something more gourmet and artisan, which I really appreciate.  You can also come here everyday and never get the same exact combination that you had the previous day, which is great.  I will definitely be back here to try out some more unique flavor combinations!

Num Pang Sandwich Shop

My lunches tend to be pretty boring and generic, since I usually have a basic turkey sandwich or a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  For some reason it is always hard for me to make a decision about lunch and I am never particularly in the mood for anything, so it is easier to just eat the same thing everyday.  But, lately I have become bored with eating the same thing for lunch, probably because I have been expanding my horizons with dinner and my palate has become a bit more sophisticated.  Now that I have a lot of time on my hands because work ended and school doesn't start for a few weeks, I figured I would start experimenting with lunch places and food trucks in the city.

For me, a great sandwich is the most satisfying lunch option, so I did some research online for the best sandwiches in NYC.  One of the first ones that came up was Num Pang Sandwich Shop, which has a few locations in the city.  They serve gourmet, made to order cambodian style sandwiches which is definitely not your typical sandwich style.  All of the sandwiches are served on their fresh made baguettes with chili mayo, cucumber, pickled carrots and cilantro.  They have a few seasonal specialties that rotate in and out, but they have a few staples that remain on the menu, including pulled pork, peppercorn catfish, five spiced glazed pork belly, roasted chicken chimi and coconut tiger shrimp.  Because they are so passionate about the product that they make and are confident in the flavors, you cannot make any modifications to the sandwich.  As I said earlier, I tend to be pretty boring with my lunches and would usually choose the chicken option, but I decided to be a bit more exotic and opted for the Duroc Pulled Pork.

Since I am a bread lover, I was super excited when I opened the container and saw the warm crispy baguette that the sandwich was on.  Even for me, however, the size of the bread was a little too big for the amount of other ingredients that they put on the sandwich.  Since it is served warm, I rushed to find a place to sit (there is no seating) so that I could eat it before it got cold.  

After taking my first bite, I knew what all the hype was about.  There was a great combination of flavors with the duroc pulled pork, chipotle mayo, and the crunchy vegetables, and the bread completed it.  I usually don't like anything too spicy, or mayo for that matter, but the chipotle mayo was definitely necessary for the sandwich to add another dimension of flavor.  The pork itself was really tender and flavorful, and just what I had been craving.  As someone who doesn't eat spice a lot, I found it to be pretty spicy, but they have sides of sriracha sauce that they provide with the sandwiches so I guess a lot of people prefer more spice!  The other sandwich here that seemed to be the most popular was the pork belly, but I would recommend the pulled pork.  I gobbled up every last bite of the meat of the sandwich, and just had a lot of bread left over.

The location that I went to was in midtown, so naturally it gets super crowded around lunch time since there are tons of offices located close by.  Knowing that, I got there around 11:45 and my order was taken instantaneously and my sandwich was ready about a minute later.  If you come during peak hours, be prepared to wait a bit and take the sandwich to go, since there is barely any seating provided.  

Overall, my first experiment with a new and "exotic" lunch place was successful, and I will definitely be returning to Num Pang for their pulled pork sandwich!

Italian Turkey Meatball Subs

Since I did not cook last weekend and ate frozen meals for dinner most of the week, I knew that this weekend I definitely had to cook something.  One of my favorite recipes from Skinnytaste that I have made is the Skinny Italian Turkey Meatballs (http://www.skinnytaste.com/2008/12/skinny-italian-meatballs-turkey-1-pt.html) and it has been a while since I last made them, so I decided that today would be the day.

The recipe makes 6 servings of 4 meatballs, which is perfect because between me and my sister we have dinner taken care of for 3 nights.  For me the recipe takes longer than it is supposed to according to Skinnytaste (I started at 3:45 and finished at 5:10), but it is pretty simple.  The sauce has crushed tomatoes, garlic, a little olive oil, oregano, fresh basil, salt, pepper, onion, and a bay leaf, and you just let it simmer while you prep the meatballs.  For the meatballs, you just need 1.3 lbs 99% lean ground turkey, seasoned whole wheat breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, parsley, egg, garlic, salt, and pepper.  Since it makes 24 meatballs, I weighed out the meat to make sure that all of the meatballs were the same size, and it came to exactly 1 oz per meatball. The recipe says that the meatballs should take about 20 minutes on simmer, but on my stove it takes about 45 minutes.  I'm not sure why there is such a large discrepancy, but if you are making them just make sure that you check the meatballs after 20 minutes, as they probably will need more time.  

You can choose to eat these with pasta or some other side, but my sister and I prefer to make them as meatball subs.  I found these really great subs in Gristedes, Calandra's Italian Rolls, which are really big and only 90 calories!  The package comes with 6 subs, which is perfect for the recipe.  To make them even better, I follow the package directions and re-heat them in the oven for 10 minutes (wrapped in foil so they remain very soft and fluffy).  

After I took my first bite, I remembered why this was my favorite recipe.  The meatballs are very juicy and flavorful, and the sauce is really delicious as well.  Having it on the sub is definitely the way to go, especially when you heat it up, because it tastes like it is fresh out of the oven.  The sandwich is extremely satisfying and filling and it is hard to believe how healthy the recipe really is!  While there are a lot of recipes that I love to make, most of them pale in comparison to this one.  If you are looking for a  lighter way to satisfy your craving for meatballs or a sub, definitely check this recipe out and i'm sure it won't disappoint!

Spreads

A new sandwich place just opened near my apartment, Spreads, and it has been on my list of places to try.  Lunch is always tricky for me because I usually either bring something to work or have something in my apartment, so it is a rare occurrence for me to eat out during the week.  But, today I didn't have to go into work so I used it as an opportunity to finally give Spreads a try.  They have a lot of interesting sandwiches and salads on their menu, but the one that caught my eye was the Nutella sandwich.  I know, you are probably thinking that this doesn't sound like the most balanced lunch, and you are probably right.  However, after reading that the sandwich consisted of Nutella, Peanut Butter, carmelized rice puffed cereal, and banana on grilled challah bread, I did not really care!  This sounded like a killer combination, and I had to give it a try.

I originally planned to only eat half of the sandwich because I figured that it would be huge and rich, but it was surprisingly small.  After I took my first bite, I was very disappointed because I could barely taste any Nutella or peanut butter!  The banana slices were pretty thick and there was a lot of the rice puffed cereal, but only a very thin layer of Nutella on one side and peanut butter on the other.  All I could really taste was the challah bread, and it wasn't even that good.  Since I had already committed to having this as my lunch, I ate the whole thing because I knew if I only ate half I would be hungry within the hour.  

I left there feeling very disappointed and unsatisfied.  What originally seemed like a sandwich that could not possibly be bad turned into one of the worst I have had in a while.  If I get a craving for this combo again, I will just make it myself and I am sure it will be 20 times better.  I cannot comment on the other sandwiches there which I will say looked good, but I would not recommend getting the Nutella sandwich.  It is not worth the cost or the calories.  

International Delight Cafe

Seeing as I was out on Long Island again on Thursday, I used my visit as an opportunity to go to one of my favorite restaurants in the area; International Delight Cafe.  I went there all the time growing up, and it was always my go to place for birthday lunches/dinners.  They have a very extensive menu, like you would expect at a diner/cafe, that has a wide range of breakfast items, salads, sandwiches, burgers, pasta, hot dishes, quesadillas and much more.

When you walk in, you are immediately greeted with a huge clear display case filled with over 30 flavors of their homemade ice cream and sorbet.  The decor is very simple no frills, but you don't go there for the ambiance.  In the past I have tried the salads and pasta dishes, but my go-to dish that I pretty much get every time is the Grilled Chicken on a bun with lettuce and tomato, and it comes with their thick-cut fries.  I also get honey mustard on the side to put on my sandwich and to dip my fries in. While that may sound kind of weird, you should just try it and you will understand. I don't know what they put in their honey mustard, but it is so much better than any other honey mustard I have had.   My sister always gets the grilled shrimp on a bun, and gets it with sweet potato fries.  I know that you are probably wondering what could be so great about such simple sandwiches, but it just tastes better than other grilled chicken sandwiches.  It comes with 3 huge pieces of chicken on the sandwich, so I always take the other two pieces to go.

While they may not have the highest quality food per se, it is just one of those classic neighborhood places that you have many childhood memories at. The service is also super quick, as we were in and out in probably under a half hour!  

The true star of coming here, however, is the desserts.  As I mentioned earlier, they have over 30 flavors of homemade ice cream, and it is so hard to choose because each flavor looks more delicious than the next!  When I was younger, I would always get the bubble gum flavor, which was pink ice cream with actual pieces of chicklets in the gum.  My ritual would then be to pick out all of the gum and save it until I was done with the Ice Cream.  But, seeing as I am a chocolate lover, I shifted my tastes and now my go to flavor is the chocolate chocolate chip.

The ice cream is so rich and creamy, and there are huge chocolate chunks generously spread throughout it (they are more like thick cubes!).  It comes in a cute little glass bowl with a chocolate stick cookie on the side, and you get a very generous scoop.  They have the classic flavors that would expect and the more unique ones like sunset, chocolate marshmallow chunk, mudd and confetti.  If I have had a really good day sometimes I will even get a waffle with a scoop of Ice Cream which I HIGHLY recommend.  I love waffles and ice cream, but it is one of those things that I don't really allow myself to order a lot. 

 Even though I do love the food here, the true reason I come here is for the ice cream.  It is my all time favorite, and it makes the perfect treat!  So, even if you are skeptical about the food here and choose to go to one of the nicer restaurant establishments in Rockville Centre, make sure to come here for dessert.  There is a movie theatre near by and tons of restaurants, so there have been many occasions where I came here with friends late at night to sit down, unwind, and have some dessert!  

Coolhaus Dexter Ice Cream Sandwiches

There are two things that I am completely obsessed with: Food (obviously) and Television.  On any given night there are usually 2 or 3 (at least) new programs that I watch live, and that is not counting the countless repeats that I watch throughout the day.  Some of my favorites (past and present) include: Friends, Law & Order, Grey's Anatomy, Scandal, Parenthood, Criminal Minds, Dexter, Smallville, and Homeland, to name a few, and this list doesn't even include the countless cable networks I watch like Bravo, TLC, and The Food Network.  The accounts that I follow on Twitter basically consist of the TV programs I watch, actors from those programs, and restaurants/food trucks.  So, I was extremely excited Tuesday night to see my Twitter account flooded with posts about free ice cream sandwiches from the Coolhaus food truck to promote the final season of Dexter.  This combined my two favorite things: TV and sweets.

I immediately went on their website to find out where the truck was going to located.  I saw that it was located in midtown on Wednesday, but since I was going to be working all day I knew I wouldn't make it. Then, Thursday seemed like a much more viable day, but seeing that I had the chocolate croissant for breakfast I figured it was probably not the best combination, health wise.  So, I waited until today to see where the location was going to be and hoped that it would be somewhere close by.  Sadly, it was downtown on the West Side, which is pretty far from where I am.  After much pondering, I decided it was worth the trip downtown and went to get my free ice cream sandwich!

I had never had an ice cream sandwich from Coolhaus, but it was on my list of things I have wanted to try.  Since these were specialty sandwiches, the flavor was pre-determined instead of custom made like they usually are at Coolhaus.  To go along with the Dexter theme, one cookie was double chocolate chip (to represent Dexter's dark side), one was Snickerdoodle (to represent his good side), and the ice cream was vanilla bean with cherry swirl (to represent blood).

After trekking downtown and finally locating the truck, I got there about 12:15 and was 6th in line.  They made the sandwiches fresh for each person, which takes a bit longer but makes all the difference. I watched as the sandwiches were handed out in front of me and my mouth began to water.  Finally, it was my turn and I could not wait to take my first bite (I of course waited so that I could get a good picture in of the label).

Since the weather today was beautiful and warm, the sandwich was handed to me all soft and melty.  I have some good ice cream sandwiches, but this one was by far the best.  The double chocolate chip cookie was the star in my eyes, because it was super chocolatey and was nice and chewy.  The ice cream was also great, as it was smooth and creamy.  You could actually see the specs of vanilla bean, which indicated that it was the real deal.  The cherry swirl also added a nice punch of flavor and balanced out the sweetness from the other components.  I did like the snickerdoodle as well, but it overall was my least favorite part.  I honestly don't even remember what it tasted like because the chocolate taste overpowered it.  It was also harder than the other cookie, so when I went to take a bite it tended to squeeze the ice cream towards to other end which made it very hard to walk with.  Supposedly the wrapper is edible as well, but I did not try it because, well, a piece of paper did not seem nearly as delicious as cookies and ice cream.

I had to limit myself to only eating half, but it was well worth it.  I would most likely return to this truck if I saw it again, but it was that much more special since it was made in honor of the final season of Dexter.

Macaron Cafe

Growing up, when I heard the word "macaroon" I thought of the delicious chocolate dipped coconut cookies that were served at a passover seder.  It wasn't until my sister started her first internship in the city across the street from Macaron Cafe that I was introduced to the other macaroon, or more appropriately, the French Macaron.  When I first saw pictures of what it was, it honestly didnt look that good to me.  It looked like a chewy/sugary meringue, not something cakey and fudgy which is what I usually like in a dessert.  After a few times of rejecting them and refusing to try one, I finally caved in and tried a dark chocolate Macaron.  My doubts about Macarons were set aside and I instantly became a fan.  My sister would then occassionally bring me one, and I got to try a wide array of flavors ranging from dark chocolate and peanut butter to nutella and chocolate coconut.  While I thought they were delicious, I still never really ate them too often unless my sister brought me one.

So, as I have mentioned in previous posts, my sister and I both started weight watchers in January and her visits to Macaron Cafe became nonexistent.  As one of her milestone weight goals, she decided that we would go to Macaron Cafe and share her favorite sandwich and then each get some macarons.  After months of waiting, today was finally the day we got to celebrate ate Macaron Cafe.

I have never had lunch there, but she was always a fan of their sandwiches.  Her favorite one that we ended up sharing was the Normandy.  The sandwich comes with brie, apple, raisins, lettuce, and french mustard on a baguette, but we changed it a little and got grilled chicken and no brie.

Overall, the sandwich is just as good as it sounds.  There is equal ratios of each ingredient so that none of them are overpowering.  The apples add a nice tang and crunch to the sandwich, and the raisins add a touch of sweetness.  My favorite part was the french mustard, which reminds me a bit of honey mustard  but more sharp.  The bread was also good, but I must warn you that it is very crunchy/chewy so you have to dig your teeth in and put a lot of effort into taking a bite.  I always like when the bread is a little tough, though, because then it takes longer to eat and it feels more filling.  

After the sandwich, I of course had to have a macaron.  I was a little disappointed that today they weren't carrying either of my favorite flavors, dark chocolate or nutella.  I quickly got over it, and settled on mocha which is another great flavor.  Since it was my sister's reward, she ended up getting an assortment of 6 that consisted of passion fruit (2), lemon, caramel, pistachio, and espresso (clearly we have very different tastes in macarons!).  

The mocha flavor was delicious!  The outer shell of the macaron was nice and hard, and right when you bite into it you immediately taste the soft cakey layers and the fudgy filling.  The coffee flavor came through nicely, but the chocolate flavor was definitely dominant, which is how I prefer it.  My favorite part is the filling because it is nice and rich.

I don't eat macarons very often because, while they are delicious, there are many deserts that I prefer, like cupcakes or ice cream.  That being said, the macarons from Macaron Cafe are really delicious, and I highly recommend them.  Even if you are a skeptic at first like I was, just give it a try and I'm sure you will change your mind.  

Trader Joe's Pulled Pork

A few weeks back when my sister and I went on our first Trader Joe's shopping binge, we picked up a package of Pulled Pork from the refrigerated section.  When we originally saw it, we got excited because we like Pulled Pork and had been wanting to make it for a while, but the thought of making it ourselves was a bit daunting.  So, when we saw that Trader Joe's had pre-cooked pulled pork that you just reheat, we were immediately sold (and it didn't even expire until the end of July).  They also had Pulled Chicken Breast which we wanted to get, but they were sold out at the time.

So, today I finally got around to heating this up for dinner.  The package makes 3 servings at about 1/3 cup each which was plenty.  I put it on one of Martin's Potato Rolls (the smaller size) and had some steamed broccoli on the side.

The pulled pork was really delicious.  I was worried that it would taste fake or fatty, but it actually tasted like real pork meat.  The sauce was also really good and there was a lot of it, which I enjoyed.  The only thing that I would warn you about is that the sauce definitely has a kick to it.  I wouldn't say that is is spicy, but seeing as my sister is extremely sensitive to spice, I had to warn her about it.  It is also very messy, but that is expected with a pulled pork sandwich.  You WILL have sauce all over your hands when you are done, but it is totally worth it.  

I dont remember exactly what I spent on this, but I think it was around $3.99 for the package of pulled pork.  I definitely recommend buying this if you are in the mood for some pulled pork but you don't want to go through the hassle of making it yourself.  Next time, I will buy the pulled chicken and test it out, though I'm sure it will be just as delicious!

Peanut Butter, Banana and Jelly Panini

One of my favorite lunches that I usually treat myself to about once a week is a Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich, with banana.  To elevate it even more, I put it on the panini press for a few minutes so that the peanut butter gets all melty and delicious.  I make it with 2 slices of Weight Watchers Whole Wheat Bread, 1 tbsp of Skippy Roasted Honey Nut Creamy Peanut Butter (the BEST peanut butter in my opinion), 1/2 of a banana, and 1/2 tbsp of this amazing Cherrycot Jam that I get at the farmers market in the city.  Even though it may sound like the quantities are small, they are more than enough once you start to spread it on the bread.

I am a huge peanut butter fan so this sandwich is one of my all time favorites.  It feels like a treat, but it really is not too unhealthy since I measure out the quantities and don't allow myself to go overboard with the amount of peanut butter, since it is pretty fattening.  Adding the banana and putting it on the panini press are essential for me because it really brings out the flavors of each component, and makes it more of an adult version of the classic PB&J