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Eating My Way Around New York City

By The Girl Next Door is BlackPosted on 11/12/201408/29/201521 Comments3min read152 views
Medium Pizza at John's on Bleecker Street, New York | The Girl Next Door is Black
A medium pizza at John's, no topping needed

3 min read

Fun Eats in New York City | The Girl Next Door is Black
Photo cr: Trey Ratcliff, flickr.com, cc2.0
Text & Design: The Girl Next Door is Black

Though I only lived in New York the first decade of my life, going back to visit always feels like returning home in a way that I can’t explain. It’s as though everything is the way it’s supposed to be. My parents are from New York as are my uncles, aunts, grandparents and fifty-eleven cousins. The New York runs deep in my clan and I try to visit as often as I can.

One of my favorite things to do in New York is eat. The food in New York is like none other. While I appreciate a fancy multi-course meal like the next fine dining fan or food snob-in-training, those meals often come at a snooty price and I’m on a tighter budget these days. Luckily, there is plenty to eat in New York at non-frightening, down-to-earth prices and I took advantage during my latest trip to New York.

  • I never leave New York without having a slice of pizza. Our first night in the city, my sister C__ and I headed to the West Village to chow down at John’s Pizzeria.
Booth at John's on Bleecker Street | The Girl Next Door is Black
Booth at John’s Pizzeria where diners etch in initials and notes
Medium Pizza at John's on Bleecker Street, New York | The Girl Next Door is Black
A medium pizza at John’s, no topping needed
Eating at John's on Bleecker Street, New York | The Girl Next Door is Black
So happy. (And tired, this was taken after a 5.5 hour plane ride for which I had to wake up at 5:00am. Travel to the East Coast from the West Coast is exhausting.
  • When I ordered one scoop of dolce de leche and one of peanut butter caramel at Cones and pronounced caramel as “care-a-mel” and no one looked at me sideways, nor were their objections of “it’s “car-muhl!” It was like New York opened its arms to me and said, “You’re home.”
Peanut Butter Caramel + Dolce de Leche at Cones New York | The Girl Next Door is Black
Scoop 1: Dolce de Leche
Scoop 2: Peanut Butter Caramel
Both delicious, creamy ,and rich.
  • I love diners, especially if the food is good. We stumbled on a quaint one in Tribeca called The Kitchenette and their menu full of comfort foods.  The food wasn’t mind-blowing, but it was good and I dig the decor and ambiance.
Dining at The Kitchenette, New York | The Girl Next Door is Black
My sister at The Kitchenette
Dessert Case, The Kitchenette New York| The Girl Next Door is Black
Desserts at The Kitchenette include pies, cupcakes and creme brulee.
Dining at The Kitchenette | The Girl Next Door is Black
This is me before the waiter told me my breakfast didn’t come with grits, like he originally told me.
Meatloaf and Mashed Potatoes, The Kitchenette New York | The Girl Next Door is Black
Meatloaf and mashed potatoes. The gravy was tasty.
Macaroni and Cheese, The Kitchenette New York | The Girl Next Door is Black
The KMC – Kitchenette macaroni and cheese. My sister’s review, “They broke the cardinal rule of macaroni and cheese: Always include cheddar!”
Bacon egg and cheese biscuit, The Kitchenette New York | The Girl Next Door is Black
The Kitchenette – Bacon, egg and cheese breakfast sandwich. The muffin fell apart pretty easily, I was expecting to be able to eat it as a sandwich, but it required a knife and fork. Not bad, but not great.
  • My parents are big fans of Junior’s Cheesecake and passed the love down to me. While the Times Square location isn’t a replacement for the original Brooklyn spot, it’s a good substitute. It’s situated smack in the center of the Broadway district and they’re open late, so it’s a great place to catch a post-show meal.
Brooklyn Brewery Lager, Junior's Restaurant, New York | The Girl Next Door is Black
Local beer – Brookyn Brewery lager
Hot dog with sauerkraut at Juniors Restaurant Times Square | The Girl Next Door is Black
I love that in New York I can get a hotdog with sauerkraut; add spicy mustard and it’s my favorite way to eat one.
Strawberry cheesecake at Juniors Restaurant Times Square | The Girl Next Door is Black
Strawberry cheesecake at Juniors
  • I first visited Luke’s Lobster a few years ago after finding out about it from the show Food Feuds. It won the challenge against another Manhattan restaurant famous for it’s lobster rolls, Ed’s Lobster Bar. While I’m no lobster roll expert, Luke’s Lobster roll is the best I’ve had, so the small restaurant required a return visit!
Crab Lobster and Shrimp Rolls at Luke's Lobster | The Girl Next Door is Black
Crab, Lobster and Shrimp Rolls – the crustaceans are flown in from Maine. Dee-licious! (I’m cheating a bit with this pic. It is from my first visit to Luke’s. My current day photo didn’t turn out well. The content remains the same though.  ).

Side note: I randomly met the owner of Luke’s a few summers ago in The Hamptons.

Meeting Luke Holden | The Girl Next Door is Black
With Luke Holden, investment banker turned restaurant owner of the Luke’s Lobster chain. I recognized him from the lobster roll episode of “Food Feuds” and seeing him during one of my visits to his restaurant in NY. I was too embarrassed to ask for a photo with him, so my sister N__ did it for me: “My sister wants a picture with you. She thinks you’re cute.” I was even more embarrassed. He was very game though and even jokingly (?) asked if I wanted his number. His employees (in the background) were very amused by his newfound notoriety.
  • I love a tasty, juicy burger and Shake Shack’s burger is one of my faves. The crinkle-fries are a bonus. I never have enough room for the shakes or the frozen custard they are also known for. I’ve had a taste of both though and they are equally delectable.
Shake Shack Burger Fries | The Girl Next Door is Black
ShackBurger with cheese, crinkle-cut fries and ShackMeister Ale.
  • As a giant Golden Girls fan, when I saw the “Bea Arthur” on the menu at the Big Gay Ice Cream shop, all the other options fell away. It was about me and Dorothy Zbornak. Me and Maude.
Menu at Big Gay Ice Cream Shop | The Girl Next Door is Black
Menu at Big Gay Ice Cream Shop
Big Gay Ice Cream Shop Rainbow Cone | The Girl Next Door is Black
Big Gay Ice Cream Shop
The Bea Arthur Big Gay Ice Cream | The Girl Next Door is Black
The Bea Arthur: Vanilla ice cream, dolce de leche and Nilla wafers

In a little less than five days, my sister and I walked nearly 15 miles all over New York City. This is a good thing considering how much we ate. Still, I didn’t get to hit every spot I wanted to. We did have to leave room for non-pigging out activities! I guess I’ll have to go back to New York soon!

 

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21 Comments
  • Linda Manns Linneman
    July 17, 2015

    All of this food looks so good. I am really into comfort food. I wish I wasn’t. I have never been to New York but I would love to go. Thank you for sharing

    Reply
    • The Girl Next Door is Black
      July 20, 2015

      If you can, I recommend a visit to New York City at least once. It’s a unique city.

      Reply
  • Home Jobs by MOM (@HomeJobsbyMOM)
    January 31, 2015

    I’d love to go to New York. I always heard such go things about the pizza. And boy those lobster rolls sound amazing. Making me hungry!

    Reply
    • The Girl Next Door is Black
      January 31, 2015

      Yes, New York is a must! The city isn’t for everyone, but I think if you can visit at least once, it’s worth it for the experience (and the food)!

      Reply
  • Talia
    January 7, 2015

    Ah! My sister in law is over in NY at the moment, so I will have to send her this blog post so she can have some more awesome eats!!

    Thanks so much for linking up with #wanderlust last month. Sorry for the delay in stopping by to read your post – I had surgery in December, and I needed to take a little break from it all. The January linkup is live as of today, and we would love to have you again if you haven’t linked up already! xo

    Reply
    • The Girl Next Door is Black
      January 7, 2015

      Awesome, I hope your sister finds this useful.

      Thanks for the heads up! I hope that you are recovering well from surgery, Talia!

      Reply
  • Akaleistar
    December 7, 2014

    Everything looks so good!

    Reply
  • robin avidor (@robinavidor)
    November 22, 2014

    I could never leave NY because of pizza and bagels done right!

    Reply
    • The Girl Next Door is Black
      November 23, 2014

      Bagels were the one thing I didn’t get around to eating in NY this time. 🙁

      Reply
  • Jennifer Roe
    November 15, 2014

    Yummy! We are hoping to visit NYC in 2015. I am pinning this so I can remember all of these wonderful places.

    Reply
    • The Girl Next Door is Black
      November 15, 2014

      Awesome! Will it be your first visit?

      Reply
  • Anitra Elmore (@anitra)
    November 15, 2014

    Eating is one of our favorite things to do when we visit New York so I totally love this list. As a Chicago native, I can’t be a fan of New York pizza though ;-). I love the name of your blog!! I’ll have to visit again soon. #SITSBlogging

    Reply
    • The Girl Next Door is Black
      November 15, 2014

      Lol! It took me years to finally try a Chicago pizza. I’ll refrain from comment. :p

      Thank you for dropping in! 🙂

      Reply
  • Cat
    November 15, 2014

    I loved NYC so much when I visited 2 months ago! It was very much my foodie paradise 😉 I never went to Juniors but I had my eye on their cheesecake each time I walked by the concession in Grand Central!

    Reply
    • The Girl Next Door is Black
      November 15, 2014

      I loved your gravatar and your blog is super cute. Looking forward to reading some of your posts. I definitely recommend Junior’s Cheescake – even better if you can get to the original BK location. Mmm.

      Thanks for your comment! 🙂

      Reply
  • Kennedy DeSousa Photography
    November 14, 2014

    Nice photos and beautifully written! I was in New York around the time you were there! I wish I knew! I hope all is well !

    Reply
    • The Girl Next Door is Black
      November 15, 2014

      Thanks, Kennedy!

      Aw man, just missed you! Were you there for fun or work?

      Reply
  • Melissa
    November 13, 2014

    Great food pics! It all looks so yummy!!

    Reply
    • The Girl Next Door is Black
      November 14, 2014

      Thanks! It was all delicious. I hope the memories will be enough to tide me over until my next trip!

      Reply
      • LifestyleswithLia
        November 16, 2014

        Hope you can come back to NYC soon! I love all the places you mentioned here! Yumm!

        Reply
        • The Girl Next Door is Black
          November 19, 2014

          That means a lot coming from someone who lives there. 🙂 Thanks for your comment!

          Reply

About

I'm Keisha ("Kee-shuh", not to be confused with Ke$ha). I am a (later) thirty-something, non-mommy, non-wife, who lives in San Francisco, California New York and has lots of opinions on lots of things.

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