Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Two More Trips to Two Tablespoons

Over the summer I wrote a review of a vegetarian pop-up shop at Madison Square Eats called "Two Tablespoons." I fell in love with their summer rice paper wraps and glass noodle salads with some of my favorite seasonal flavors.


(Not a bad view from Madison Square Eats!)

Since that initial review I've been back to Two Tablespoons twice- another time for their summer wraps and salads and more recently, for their updated fall menu at the Bryant Park Winter Village Holiday Shops.

Let's chat, shall we?

The second time I visited the Madison Square Eats stand for the summer menu I ordered the combination again- two wraps with a small glass noodle salad came to $13. I thought the value was pretty good for how filling the meal was! I didn't have any leftovers like the last time I had had it...but it's probably because I had run beforehand.




This time, I ordered the gluten-free, vegan corn, coconut and curry sauce summer roll and the tofu, quinoa and almond sauce summer roll. Both were delicious, and it was awhile ago so it wouldn't be fair for me to pick a favorite.





The salad I went with this time was the favorite of the woman working that afternoon- the cabbage, apple and ginger miso which was made up of glass noodles, red cabbage, carrots, apples. scallions, ginger, gluten-free miso and olive oil. It was so fresh tasty!



What I loved about the summer menu at Two Tablespoons was that everything was fresh and in season and it just made you FEEL like you were eating something summery. Both times I dragged myself up to my rooftop to enjoy my summer rolls and salad outside in the sunshine.

So I was so excited when I realized that Two Tablespoons would be setting up a booth in Bryant Park for the holidays- a few blocks from my office meant I could easily get delicious, healthy, fresh lunches. And when I saw that their winter menu was going to focus on chili and loaded smashed potatoes? Excited is an understatement.


(Oh Bryant Park, you've always been my favorite!)

Check out this menu. It's safe to say ANY of these is a winning combination. The potatoes go for $7.50, the chili is $5.50 for a small and $8.50 for a large, or you can go big like me and get a combination- a potato and a small chili for $12.50.  This was two days of lunches for me.




The potato I decided to go with was the pumpkin, tahini, hummus.

By the time I got it back to my office, it needed to be reheated a little bit. It wasn't as big as I had hoped, but it was tasty. Not mind blowingly tasty though. What's with the duddy spuds lately?



The sesame seeds and pumpkin seeds added a nice crunch to the otherwise mushy components of the dish. The pumpkin hummus wasn't too pumpkin-y which I appreciated, because unlike almost every other female in my demographic, I am not CRAZY about pumpkin-flavored things.

The next day, I reheated my chili with hopes that this would make me forget about the not-so-impressive potato. It was definitely an improvement! I ordered the Chickpea, Spinach and Coconut Chili. It had curry flavors and was loaded with broccoli and tons of chick peas! 




Overall, I have to say that I like two tablespoons summer menu better- but I still have a lot of things to try and they all sound seriously awesome!

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

It Ain't Even Mah Birthday! Cake Cake Cake! Restaurant Review: Tompkins Square Bagels

If you follow enough NYC-based Instagram accounts, you'll start to notice that the same food tends to pop up again and again. Avocado toast from Cafe Gitane, the Salty Pimp cone from Big Gay Ice Cream Shop, the infamous cronut from Dominique Ansel, and recently, the birthday cake cream cheese from Tompkins Square Bagels. 

You read that right. Birthday Cake. Cream Cheese. 


In fact, Tompkins Square Bagels was just named as one of NYC's 30 most Instagrammed Restaurants thanks to its colorful, sprinkled cream cheese. Can't you see why? It's just so cheerful and delicious looking! 


(Some of my favorites from Instagram!)

Of course, when I found out that Friday's November Project workout was going to be at Tompkins Square Park and people were planning on getting bagels afterwards, I knew I had to go. Despite the fact that the Birthday Cake Cream Cheese looked great- I was hesitant to order it with other options like Peanut Butter Cream Cheese and Cookie Dough Cream Cheese on the menu! 


(What a lovely - freezing cold - morning for a workout followed by BAGELS)

We walked in and I was surprised at how big the place was- there's tons of seating in the back and even an outdoor seating area. I was also surprised that for such a popular place, they really didn't have their shit together! 

First of all, their register was broken so they couldn't give any change. Then someone ordered an espresso and they couldn't get the machine to work. Then, they were out of the wasabi cream cheese that like 5 people wanted to try. It was a slight disaster to say the least. 

But luckily I had a $5 bill on me and a bagel with a flavored cream cheese was $4.75. I decided to I had to see what all the fuss was about with the birthday cake cream cheese, and ordered it on one of their french toast bagels. You think I have a sweet tooth or something? 


(There she isssss)

I'm not going to lie. I was skeptical about this birthday cake cream cheese. I thought it was just going to be cream cheese with some sprinkles in it, and be more about the way it looked than the actual taste of it. Happy to report that this stuff highly exceeded my expectations! It really tasted like cake batter flavored cream cheese! Think funfetti. On a bagel that was warm and perfectly toasted, but still doughy enough for my liking. The flavor of the bagel was really great too- it really did taste like french toast! I feel like the picture does all the explaining- this bagel was no joke a french toast bagel. Look at that thing. 

It was amazing. I ate half of it there and brought the other half in to the office to eat a little later in the morning and I was seriously so bummed when it ended. I could have eaten like 5 more. It was so good, that if I were to go back to Tompkins Square Bagels (ok, WHEN I got back to Tompkins Square Bagels) I think I'll probably get it again instead of trying the PB cream cheese or one of the others! Crazy, I know. 

And of course, I got one of the classic bagel shots to Instagram. 



The Tompkins Square Bagel trend isn't all hype. 

Jump on that bandwagon. 

Monday, November 24, 2014

#InjuryDeck

Being injured sucks, obviously.

Last year, when I was diagnosed with a tibial stress fracture and told that I would need to use crutches for a month, which meant I  couldn't run, spin, row, elliptical- nada- I cried. Ugly, angry, frustrated tears on the car ride home while my dad tried to comfort me. But he couldn't. Nobody could, because in my mind, nobody else "got it." Nobody else understood how I was feeling. 



(Being a cripple commuting to Manhattan was no fun!)

But now that I've joined November Project, I've found a whole bunch of people who I know "get it." A whole bunch of awesome athletes who, like me,  have bodies that just don't feel like cooperating with quite their level of fitness fanaticism. Like me, they probably pushed the limits a little too far, and now they're being forced to face the inevitable, "No. You really need to stop for a bit." Whether it's a stress fracture, IT Band syndrome, or like myself, a killer case of shin splints. Tis the season to be injured. Fall marathons have been run and if there's ever a time that we running addicts can be convinced to take a chill pill, it's now. 

I've been trying my hardest to cut back on the running- focusing on other types of exercise whenever possible, because my shins have really been bothering me. Instead of running 5 or 6 days a week, I'm aiming for 2 or 3, max. 

That's why I've been opting to take part in the #InjuryDeck at Wednesday's November Project. #InjuryDeck is a fabulous group put together by Emma and led by Leanne where all of the hobbly NPers who can't run do something else instead. 

The first week of #InjuryDeck was a killer Deck of Cards workout that Leanne put together. Side lunges, bridges, sit-ups, dips, burpees, push-ups (SO many push ups)- this workout left us all sore the next day. 

This week, Leanne asked us to bring any recovery tools we had so she could show us a routine that can help PREVENT injuries in the future, and help us recover from our current issues faster. I dutifully showed up with my foam roller, stick and golf ball ready to learn.



(This is how I roll)

Because I have to admit. I suck at recovery. No matter how many times I'm told by people far more intelligent than myself that rolling and stretching are IMPORTANT I am usually too lazy to actually do it. I wish I had a better excuse than that, I really do. Inevitably I end up hurt- my shins end up killing me, my calves end up tight and I curse myself and I promise that from that day forward I will stretch and foam roll after every workout. I usually don't even last a week. 

It's pathetic, really. I have all the tools. I have space in my apartment. And thanks to people like Leanne, I have the knowledge. 

On Wednesday, Leanne showed me some things I had never known before- different muscles to roll that hit so many of my problem areas. I felt a little click in my brain- "Oh, THAT'S the spot that's causing that pain!" Maybe this little light bulb that went off in my head will lead to more consistent attention to rolling. 

Because it really is so important. 

Leanne led us through a routine that looked a little something like this: 


S
elf Myofasical Release/Stretch

Activation Circuit

You can read all about it on her blog, where she does a much better job of explaining the technicalities of these corrective exercises. 

I thought I would wrap this post up by showing some of the many different options out there for recovery- it can be a little overwhelming. But it's all about finding the right tool for you and your unique set of weaknesses/problem areas. In the future, I may go into more detail on each of these tools and what they're used for but for now- just take a look at some of the things out there and do your own research.

1) The foam roller



3) Trigger point massage ball (can also use a tennis ball, golf ball, soft ball, lacrosse ball, etc.)













Friday, November 21, 2014

Ballin' Restaurant Review: Bantam Bagels

I like to think that I'm up on the NYC food scene. 

A quick scroll through my Instagram reveals that I am following accounts with names like:
chekmarkeats
brunchcritic
shelovesfoodnyc
bellybible
grubshotsnyc
citytaste
eatingnyc
bigfoodiebitches
missnewfoodie

eatupnyc
hungrybetches
nycdining


That's the reason I can spout of deals and specials and the "must orders" at so many random places throughout the city. 

"The Friday workout is in Washington Square Park? You need to get breakfast at Oat Meals afterwards- ask for your bowl "Crazy Uncle" style so it's easier to mix!" 

"Oh you're craving guacamole today? Well you're in luck, it's Dos Toros' birthday and they're giving it away for free." 

"You better hurry up and get your butt to The Meatball Shop for their special turkey meatball before it disappears after Thanksgiving!" 

It's a little ridiculous. I realize this. I accept it. 

Staying up to date on the NYC dining scene via Instagram and websites like Gothamist, Eater and Thrillist is the reason that over 4 months ago, I bought a Groupon for a place called "Bantam Bagels." Fast forward four months, and Bantam Bagels were just named as one of Oprah's Favorite Things. Yahtzee! 




Bantam Bagels sits on Bleecker Street, and is nothing more than a takeaway counter, serving up an interesting spin on one of New York City's most beloved breakfast foods- the bagel. 

Bantam Bagels serves mini stuffed bagel balls. 

I'm going to let that sink in for a minute. See how it makes you feel. 

I was conflicted at first too, it's OK. Changing up the bagel is a very risky thing to do in a city that is known for them. In a city that LOVES them. As an avid fan of all things "filled," though, I was willing to accept the mini stuffed bagel ball - on the condition that the bagel was quality, the filling was sufficient and tasty, and the size was just right. A tall order, I know. But I am from Long Island- and one thing that I feel very, very strongly about are bagels. I was going to be very critical of Bantam Bagels. 

The first time I attempted to pick up Bantam Bagels was a failure. They had just closed. 


(But any trip to my old stomping grounds is welcomed! Look at that building. So damn pretty).

So I made sure to go in the morning the next time I showed up. Like I said- this is not a large operation. It's a take-away counter. The worker was extremely friendly and helped me pick my flavors and let me know which were the most popular- something I always ask. 

Naturally, I was sure to use every cent of the Groupon that I could- which meant walking out of Bantam Bagels with 16 bagel balls. Before you judge me, I was taking them home to share with my parents...except then I ended up eating ~10 myself...

I said stop judging. Moving on. 

When I got these bad boys to the office, I opened a box and wafted. And then I stuck my finger in some cream cheese that had escaped from one of the bagel balls. And then I licked my finger. And then I got really excited- because I could tell that these things were gunna be GOOD. 

I somehow waited until the following morning to break into these with my parents.

[*Side note: I had gone to bed Friday night telling my parents NO EATING THE BAGEL BALLS UNTIL WE CAN ALL TRY THEM TOGETHER. I am the food Nazi after all, and there were specific flavors we each had to sample. I feel the judgement- knock it off. Anyway, I was rudely awoken around 9:30 a.m. Saturday morning by my mom peeking her head in my room and saying, "Lau...I couldn't wait...I ate two of the bagel balls." Me: *groan* Mom: "Are you gunna get up?" Me: "Not anymore!" I then slept another hour.]

The helpful man behind the counter had told me not to have him toast them if I wasn't planning on eating them right away, so we read the included heating instructions and popped them in the toaster oven for about 5 minutes. 

Then, the bagel ball tasting extravaganza began. We heated up 6 of them and gathered around, taking turns taking bites of each bagel. Hey, we're family. 




I wish someone had recorded this because it probably looked and sounded hysterical. The three of us huddled around a paper plate full of rolling bagel balls making exclamations like, "OMG" "I can't tell which one this is but IT'S SO GOOD!" "I think this one is my favorite," "Nope, wait- THIS ONE!" 

I swear, each one we tried was better than the next. 

I had grabbed a menu from the store and brought it home with me so we could hopefully ascertain which ones we were trying, but it proved more difficult than anticipated. Some of them were obvious, like the Bleecker Street which had a piece of pepperoni on top, and some were obvious because of the flavor (like the apple pie and hot pretzel) but it was harder to tell the difference between some of the other ones. 

Here is my overall review of Bantam Bagels:

Holy crap. Much like the filled donuts from Flex Mussels, myself and my parents were totally blown away by how great these were. There is some sort of inappropriate comment about filled balls here, but we're going to move on. For all of us to collectively agree that something is delicious, especially something we all care about as much as bagels, is huge. It helped that Bantam Bagels has a ball for everyone (balls on balls on balls). Sweet, savory- they've got you covered. 


The actual bagels were damn near perfection. I like my dough doughy and if I'm toasting it, the outside crispy. These were spot on. 

The filling to dough ratio was also WHOAH good. They have it down to a science- you can't even really tell where they've squirted the cream cheese in. Squirted. Ew. What an awful word. 

There were a few times we bit into the bagel and the cream cheese went all over the place, but for the most part, it stayed contained and I was impressed that it wasn't completely oozing and drippy considering they had been heated in a toaster oven for 5 minutes. My dad claims one of his was unfilled, so that was lame, but probably just a fluke. 

The most impressive thing about these bagels was that each cream cheese was packed with flavor. You can tell that Bantam uses real ingredients to create these specialty cream cheeses (which you can buy containers of, joyous!) 

Here are some descriptions of the standouts to get those salivary glands workin'. (Yes, I really just typed those words). 

1) Hot Pretzel. This is one of Bantam Bagels most popular bagels, probably because it's the one Oprah talks about. It's a salt bagel ball (sprinkled with some sea salt for effect) filled with a cream cheese that is undeniably flavored like cheddar cheese and MUSTARD. I'm sorry- was that too much for you to handle? Because it was almost too much perfect for my taste buds. 

2) The Bleecker Street. Another popular choice, this is a "pizza dough bagel" filled with marinara mozzarella cream cheese and topped with a piece of pepperoni for good luck. So. Pizza-y. So yum. 

3) Everybody's Favorite. What's in a name? The truth. I am never one to like the plain Jane option at places like this. Reading the description on the menu of "everything bagel filled with freshly chopped vegetable cream cheese" was a total snooze fest to me. But once I took a bite? Sold. Done. Give me a dozen of these and I wouldn't even be upset at the lack of variety. 

4) Apple Pie. This is the current special ball of the season and it was yum yum yum. Yum. Really. Yum. 

4) Box Lunch. Shockingly, this WASN'T my favorite, although it was still damn good. A plain bagel topped filled with peanut butter and strawberry jam. Mmm. 

I was really looking forward to some of the sweet options, because I have the world's biggest sweet tooth and all, but unfortunately, these were the ones where it was hardest to tell which one you were eating.  The cookies and milk, french toast and cinnamonster were impossible to tell apart. All of them were delicious, I just couldn't tell which was which. 

I'm pretty sure my mom hijacked The Hangover bagel ball that I was dying to try (GRR MOM, I know you're reading this!) but listen to this description: "Cheddar cheese and egg bagel topped with melted cheddar cheese filled with bacon cheddar cream cheese and a drizzle of maple syrup." Dead. 

Each bagel ball is 2-4 bites, depending on how HAM you decide to go on it. 4 balls costs $5 and is a satisfying breakfast. Of course, I ate 5 for breakfast. So I'm not saying you should get 6 for $7, but...you might want to get 6 for $7. A dozen bagel balls costs $13. And like I said, you can also buy their specialty cream cheeses. 

Now that Bantam Bagels has been listed as one of Oprah's Favorite Things, I'm sure we're going to be hearing about them a lot more. My family has already decided that my aunts and uncles and grandma in Florida NEED to have these shipped to them for a little piece of New York on Thanksgiving or Christmas morning.  Bantam ships- and you can order 3 dozen balls for $36 (the shipping costs are a little ridiculous of course, but that's to be expected). 

Go get these, people. 








Thursday, November 20, 2014

Track Attack- My Fastest Mile

While I was home last weekend, I decided that since I'm not currently doing any super long runs, I would focus a little bit on speed.

I went to the track to see how fast I could run a mile- something that I've never really tried before, running just one mile really fast! I was curious about how it was going to go.

I did a 1.5 mile warm up and took off.

First lap? Wayy too fast. I immediately regretted it and suffered for the remaining .75 miles.

I ended up finishing in 6:28:26. No idea if that's good or not, but it's something to work on.




I finished up by doing a slow, easy 1.5 miles.

And then, made my mom take some pictures of me sprinting past her ;)

My shins have really been bothering me again, and for once I'm actually completely taking off from running for awhile and letting my body do the recovery it needs to do in order to start training again in January.

I'm really wondering if the shin issues are a result of this track workout. Has anyone else experienced that? Since I was running so fast, I feel like I was putting a lot more impact on my legs and it's also a surface I'm not used to running on. Hmm.




Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Guess What I Did?

So, last week I did something that I would like to share with the blogosphere.

I registered for my second marathon!


As soon as I crossed the finish line of my first marathon I knew it wouldn’t be my last. And why wait an entire year to train for another fall marathon? I immediately started researching spring marathons. I was pretty much convinced I would run the Long Island Marathon, despite everyone’s warnings of an incredibly boring course./

(Once definitely wasn't enough!)

But then my friend Erin came to me with an intriguing proposition. Run the Pittsburgh Marathon. There were a few things that gave me some hesitation.


1) Yes I wanted to run a spring marathon, but training through the cold winter months was (and still is) extremely daunting.2) Pittsburgh is not exactly in New York City’s backyard.3) Apparently Pittsburg is nicknamed “The City of Bridges.” Bridges = hills. And the elevation chart for this marathon is a LOT hillier than Wineglass.



(Guess which one is Pittsburgh...)


But in the end, here’s why I clicked that “Register” button and made a commitment to train for 4+ chilly months:

1) I am going to have the most fun training group EVER to get me to lace up my sneakers when it’s the last thing I want to do. A ton of November Project friends have dropped #verbals to run Pittsburgh which is going to make it SO MUCH EASIER.

(SUCH A GREAT CREW!)

2) Erin is running her first marathon, and I SO want to be there for it!
       3) We already have a place to stay that’s close to the start.

       4) Did I mention that I’m so excited for the group I’m training with ? We are going to have so much FUN- wild and crazy Friday nights spent in someone’s apartment as we relax and watch movies because we have long runs in the morning. Brunching after our long runs. Talking during our long runs.

      5) Road tripping to Pittsburgh together!

      6) Getting to see a new city!

      7) Friends from NY Running Co. are also running the Pittsburgh Marathon! Dave and Mack are both super awesome and are going to be able to teach me so much and give me such great advice throughout this training process.

       8) It’s a bigger marathon than Wineglass, and after seeing the NYC Marathon, I’m excited for more cheering/spectators/pizazz. It will be interesting to see which I like better!

      9) I am still scared of the hills, but I have decided that next FALL is when I will try to BQ at either Wineglass or another fast course. Pittsburgh is just to get another marathon under my belt for the experience and to make me a smarter racer and trainer. 

         10) I heard the medal is pretty sweet

      I’m using the next month or so to put on some weight, lift some weights, relax and enjoy life- the holidays, parties, drinks, all of that awesome stuff. Then, in January, it’s back to business.

  Right now, I won’t lie, it’s daunting, scary, and I’m feeling a little lazy. But hopefully by January I’m ready to go- I’ll have stuffed myself silly with holiday treats and done my fair share of lounging around by that point!

(Lots of this in my future)

I also want to give a huge shout out to my friend Kaitlin who ran her first half marathon when Andrew and I ran the Wineglass Marathon. Guess what she did? She just signed up for the Pittsburgh Marathon! BOOM! You’re awesome.


You know who hasn’t signed up? Andrew. He’s in denial that he’s running it. But he is. And Pete, you’re running the half. Just accept it. 

Let's do this Pittsburgh!

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Transformation Tuesday: Why I'm Over My Abs

On this “Transformation Tuesday” let’s talk about the transformative power of strength training.

“We thought you just ran lots of miles,” you’re probably thinking.

 Well, that’s true. For the past half a year, running has been my main focus. But now that I have some time before I need to start upping my mileage again in preparation for the Pittsburgh Marathon, I’m trying to get back into weights.

Yes it can be a little intimidating at first to step away from the treadmill and the elliptical and the safety of other girls like you, looking cute in your Nike and Lululemon.

But let’s be real. You dream of one day being that badass chick doing all sorts of exercises with the free weights with the guys.  (Or maybe you dream of being the badass girl all alone in your own corner of the gym because you’ve been that girl at the free weights with the guys, and they’re just obnoxious for the most part).

Well, I’m here to tell you that you absolutely should go for it.

There’s no excuse. You don’t know where to start? How to do the exercises? I’m pretty sure there are approximately 129308 ways to fix that. Google. Youtube. Pinterest. DailyBurn. BodyBuilding.com. There are literally infinite resources for you to find different exercises and study up on the proper form before you test them out yourself. More times than I can count I’ve printed out workouts, pictures, instructions and brought them to the gym with me. I’ve also watched YouTube videos with no shame.



Start simple, with a few basic moves. Get comfortable. The best part is that once you move to the weight area of the gym- you’re going to see people doing some crazy shit. And then you’re going to go home and try to Google it with weird terms like “crunchy side step weighted leg lift thing” and then say a prayer that Mr. Google somehow figures out what exercise the Hulk at your gym was doing. And then you’re going to research it. And then YOU’RE gunna do it.

Everyone in the fitness world says that cardio bunnies are doing it wrong. Sure, you can lose weight from doing a ton of cardio. I certainly lost weight when every weekend for 4 months consisted of running 15+ miles.

I was never sold on the idea that weight training was just as, if not more, effective in toning your body than cardio until my attention to weight training became almost non-existent. And now, I MISS MY MUSCLES :(

(Hi teddy bear...)

(I even used to have baby biceps when I wasn't flexing!)

At the gym a few days ago, I was doing ab exercises and was asked, “How often do you work on your abs? Your body is amazing.” 1) I thanked that person for the compliment and 2) Said sorry to disappoint you, but I barely ever focus strictly on abs at the gym.


Here’s me 6 months ago when I was doing a pretty good mix of weights and cardio. At this point, I was only dedicating 1 day a week to an ab-based workout. The rest of that came from all the core stabilization necessary to use free weights for shoulder, back, bicep, tricep, leg, and chest exercises.

I read about it all the time, and rolled my eyes. But looking back, it is so completely true.


So while most people use transformation Tuesday to show their progress- I guess I’m kind of doing the opposite. I have totally lost this strength, those obliques, that 2-pack. Those biceps. The triceps I worked so hard for. Gone. Poof. So sad. But I’m excited to get back into the gym to be reunited with dumb bells and kettlebells and squat racks in the hopes of getting toned back up. Looking at these pictures is rough because I know how much hard work I put into getting into that kind of shape, and part of me, of course, wishes I still looked like that.

But at the same time, RIP to that body. I could get it back. But I don’t think I want to. Now, or ever again.

Because that body meant saying “no” way too much.

No to delicious food, no to happy hour with friends, no to drunken nights as a single twenty-something in NYC, no to a coworkers birthday cake.

I was obsessed with never missing a workout. I was obsessed with seeing that definition when I looked in the mirror. Clearly, as demonstrated here, I was obsessed with taking selfies to track my progress (embarrassing…)

And for what? I don’t walk around in a sports bra my whole life. I don’t compete in fitness competitions. Quite frankly, it’s a waste of time and energy for me to look like this. It made me cranky and not fun. I like froyo. I like beer.

(#MERICA)

I also really like lifting weights and doing squats and learning new exercises and running and taking spin classes.

So I’m going to do all of the above. And what happens in terms of body transformation, happens. I am so over the days where my mood every morning was determined by whether or not I could see my abs. 


/transformationtuesdayrant. 


Monday, November 17, 2014

The Most Perfect Acai Bowl

About a year ago, I had the pleasure of making my first, real-life friend from LA.

She was completely opposite of all those Orange-County stereotypes that make NYers swear that we’re the better (best) city in the country. 


Despite growing up on opposite coasts, we had a ton in common. 

(Like, we were both total badasses)

One day, Emily was craving something from back home and asked if I knew of a place to find it in NYC.

New York City has everything- I was sure I could find her a place to buy whatever it was she was looking for.

So what was she looking for, you ask?

An acai bowl.

I had never heard of it, and she was shocked. She explained what it was to me, and I was quickly appalled that I’d never had one.

Next step in this acai saga was Googling where the heck I could find one in NYC. This was probably in December of 2013. I was right, of course, and she COULD find one in NYC- but there were shockingly few places serving something called an acai bowl at that time.

Essentially, Juicy Lucy Juice Bar and Juice Generation.

Fast forward to now, and acai bowls or similar “smoothie bowls” are being served in nearly every juice bar and health food chain you can find. Liquiteria, Jamba Juice and Organic Avenue all have their own versions, just to name a few.

Q: So what is an acai bowl?
A: An acai bowl is a healthy, sweet, delicious, amazing, perfect meal or snack or dessert. See how versatile it is? The writers on Huffington Post knew what they were talkin’ about when they described acai bowls as, “the prettiest, most colorful breakfast optionaround. In short, breakfast porn,” “parfaits on tropical, chilled steroids,” and “what breakfast dreams are made of.”

Here’s what it’s made up of:
-An acai puree/smoothie base that can contain different fruits and milks
-Topped with a layer of granola or nuts, or both 
-Topped with fruits for a burst of color, calcium, natural sugar and vitamins
Optional:
-Drizzled with honey
-Sprinkled with toasted coconut
-Enhanced with a dollop of peanut butter

Q: Why the heck am I just hearing about these now?
A: Acai bowls first gained popularity in Hawaii and, apparently, have been popular on the West Coast for a while now! Thankfully, they’re finally making their way to menus in this fine city!

Q: What is acai anyway? 
A: These berries are being touted as a “superfood” due to their high levels of antioxidants which can help lower cholesterol and do a bunch of other important things like fight out free radicals in your body or something- I really don’t know, and I’m too lazy right now to do the research- but acai berries are apparently good for you and they taste delicious too and that’s not too common so let’s just agree with the scientists on this one, k?
Acai berries may be a good source of antioxidants, fiber and heart-healthy fats.

Q: Ok, I think I’m probably pronouncing it wrong. How the heck do you say acai?
A: Ah-sigh-ee

Now that we got that out of the way, want to hear about the acai bowls I’ve tried? Of course you do.

After that initial Google search for Acai Bowls in NYC- Emily and I kept meaning to get to  Juice Generation to try one and see if it measured up to what she was used to eating in California.

I’m grateful that due to the fact that it was winter and freezing cold, we never ended up getting an acai bowl in the city, and my first experience with one was sharing it with Emily while watching the sunset on Venice Beach during my first ever trip to California. It was everything I had dreamed it would be!!

(Best work trip EVER)

We got it from a little stand along the beach, not because we were hungry, but because, “OMG ACAI BOWLS WHILE THE SUN IS SETTING AT VENICE BEACH!” That is reason enough. Hunger is unnecessary in instances like those.

It was perfect. The smoothie was super thick and delicious and there was peanut butter, granola, bananas and shredded coconut. If I could marry a moment in time, it might be this one:


It was a long time until I was ready to try an acai bowl back here in New York. In fact, I didn’t have another acai bowl for 8 more months!

Then, one night in September, I was looking for some healthy fuel after a long run and went with a friend to Juice Generation, to finally see how their version measured up. Juice Generation has tons of locations throughout NYC and they offer 5 different varieties of acai bowls that range in calories from 390-520.

Of course, the PB Acai bowl packs on the most calories at 520. Rude. All of them sounded so good though and after some back and forth I ordered an Aloha Bowl. The Aloha bowl has acai (obviously), banana, pineapple, bee pollen, almond milk and hemp granola. And I added some almond butter to it, because I’m a suck for nut butter.

(Juice Generation Aloha Acai Bowl + Almond Butter)

While the scenery and company weren’t the same as my first acai bowl, I must say that this was absolutely just as delicious as the one I ate on Venice Beach. The base smoothie was different- at Juice Generation it was more a smoothie and in California it was a lot more solid/frozen. I don’t have a huge preference either way, as long as the flavors are good. And the flavors from my Aloha Acai bowl at Juice Generation were bangin’. Not only did it taste amazing, it was totally filling and satisfying. Two thumbs up!

(I approve!)

The next time I had an acai bowl was from Jamba Juice- they’ve recently added an entire section to their menu called “Energy Bowls.” They’re offering Acai Bowls, Fruit & Yogurt Bowls and Simply Greek Yogurt Bowls.

My friend and I had a coupon for a half priced acai bowl, so we ventured there during our lunch break one day. Jamba Juice offers 3different acai bowls in 3 sizes- 12 oz., 16 oz. and 24 oz. The three options range in calories (for the 16 oz.) from 390-530, almost spot on with Juice Generation.

Our acai bowls came topped with granola, banana and shredded coconut.  They took FOREVER for the worker at Jamba Juice to make. We actually had to laugh it was so ridiculous the amount of time they spent arranging every slice of banana- I guess because we went when they were brand new and the guy had never made one before. They tasted great, although the smoothie was the most liquidy of the 3 I’ve tried, which I didn’t love.


(They put a lot of effort into this presentation...like 20 minutes worth!)

One thing to note about ordering acai bowls in NYC vs. California- the size/price comparison. The acai bowl we had in California was a freaking bucket and probably only cost us $5. At Jamba Juice, energy bowls cost at least $6, and at Juice Generation a 16 fluid ounce acai bowl is going to cost you around $8-$10 bucks. Rough.


Anyone have suggestions for delicious acai bowls in NYC? You know, now that it’s the perfect season for freezing cold smoothies?


Friday, November 14, 2014

The Search for the Perfect Donut Continues: Doughtnut Plant

As I’ve mentioned on here once or twice, I’m a big fan of fillings. Why eat a regular cupcake when you can have one that’s stuffed with more deliciousness? That (along with the warm, crispy, dough) is why Flex Donuts by far outranked both Dough and DoughLoco in my donut search.

But when I took a trip to Doughnut Plant, I knew that Flex Donuts would be meeting their toughest competition yet. You see, Doughnut Plant is known for their filled donuts, and there was one in particular on the menu that I was just dying to try.

Located on 23rd Street between 7th & 8th avenues, Doughnut Plant is adorably decorated. They make a bunch of different types of donuts, so if variety is important to you, you’re sure to like this place.

(Doughnut pillows, guaranteed to give you SWEET dreams- ba dum ahhhh)

Here are the different donut stylings up for offer at the Doughtnut Plant:

1) Yeast donuts- on their website, these are described as light, airy, fluffy yeast-raised doughnuts, with a slight chew. Flavors include: Vanilla Bean, Valrhona Chocolate and seasonal flavors like Roasted Chestnut and Cranberry Relish.

2) Cake doughnuts- “Leavened with baking powder, our cake doughnuts have a texture somewhere near the intersection of a classic birthday cake and a buttery pound cake.” Flavors include: Tres Leches, Carrot Cake, Cinnamon Sugar, Wild Blueberry, Blackout Cake, Coffee Cake, seasonal flavors and more.
Stop right there. Even with just those two options, I’m having an inner struggle. Both of these sound so tempting…what’s a girl to do?!
On the one hand, I had already tried the Tres Leches cakedonut at my potluck brunch and fallen in love. But light, airy and fluffy sounded most similar to those heavenly Flex Donut balls I had almost wept over!

But wait. There are more options.

3) Filled doughnuts. Oh yeahhh.


3a) Their “original filled doughnuts” take a yeast donut and make it a square so that you’re guaranteed to have filling in every bite. That’s the kind of creativity and dedication I like to see! Square filled donuts include Peanut Butter and Blackberry Jam (hello, dying), Peanut Butter and Banana Cream, Vanilla Bean and Blackberry Jam, and Coconut Cream.
3b) Their other filled donuts are cake donuts- the blackout is a chocolate cake doughnut filled with chocolate pudding, dipped in chocolate glaze and sprinkled with chocolate cake crumbs. Say hello, chocolate coma. 

The tres leches cake donut is described as, “the sweet taste of the authentic “three milks” cake, delivered in our round cake doughnut. They should actually just use the word “crack” to describe it.

And last but not least, the carrot cake doughnut, packed with carrots, raisins, walnuts and spices and filled with a cream cheese filling.

4) If four types of donuts weren’t enough for you (cake, cake filled, yeast and yeast filled)there is yet another type- Doughseeds.
Sounds cute right? They are. “Mini, round filled doughnuts.” I was immediately reminiscing about Flex Donuts…

The doughseed flavors rotate and include: Rose, Hazlenut Chocolate, Matcha Green Tea, Peanut Butter & Blackberry Jam, Pistachio, Strawberry & Cream, Wild Blueberry & Cream and their most well-known donut- the Crème Brulee Doughseed.

So- let’s get down to the reviewing. What have I tried from Doughnut Plant?

-The tres leches filled cake donut. As I mentioned before, this donut was brought as part of a potluck brunch that I organized with friends from work. One bite into this donut and my donut obsession was born. 

(Serious about donuts...)

I can’t describe the flavor of “tres leches” to you except to say that it is amazingly sweet and creamy and heavenly. The cake donut was dense and buttery and biting through the glaze added a wonderful texture and consistency to the soft, inner dough.

(There she is <3)

I really don’t know how I resisted another tres leches donut on my solo trip to Doughnut Plant. But I was on a mission to try their most popular doughnut.

-The crème brulee doughseed. Like I said, I was hoping these doughseeds would be similar to the incredible filled doughnut balls from Flex Donuts. But sadly, the outer dough was not up to par- it was kind of crusty and pathetic, in fact- although the crème brulee filling was a sweet pudding like consistency that somewhat made up for the disappointment, though not entirely.

-My friend had requested that I pick one up for her and all she said to me was “make it choclatey.” Well then, Blackout Filled Cake Doughnut it is! I took a bite, and basically all I got out of it was WHOAH CHOCOLATE. Alright, but not much more than cacao craziness.


-I also got a peanut butter and jam filled donut and all you need to know is that I don’t remember much about it. That’s probably the worst thing I could say about something. To be a baked good containing peanut butter and jam and literally leave no impression in my mind is a sad, sad predicament to be in. Sorry, little doughnut.

(Left: Creme Brulee Doughseed and Right: PB & Jam filled doughnut)

Some closing thoughts:
-I hate switching between doughnut and donut interchangeable but it just happens so DEAL WITH IT, I’M SORRY!
-I loved the tres leches donut here SO MUCH and I’m so sad that the others didn’t live up to my expectations.
-Next time, I need to try a yeast filled donut, I think.
-Don’t come here if you’re looking for a cheap snack- I left here SHOCKED at how much I had spent on 2 donuts and essentially a munchkin sized donut ball. The donuts are around $3.50 each and the doughseeds aren’t any cheaper!

A quick note about Doughnut Plant that gives it serious points from me:
The ingredients they use are all natural, often times organic and made fresh daily. The menu has seasonal specials that are usually reallllly tempting. And all of those fillings? They make them from scratch. Doughnut Plant doughnuts have zero trans-fat, eggs, preservatives, artificial flavors or artificial colors. I don’t know about you, but I like that.

Bottom Line: The tres leches cake donut from Doughnut Plant made me fall in love with donuts. All kidding aside, it did make me reconsider donuts as an incredible dessert and sent me on my mission to try all different NYC donuts. It was really, seriously great. 

So Doughnut Plant gets my vote for the best cakey donut I’ve tried to date.

Flex Donuts still takes the prize for filled donut, hands down.


Light, airy, fluffy donut? Hit up Dough. 

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