NYC's Halal Guys

As much as I love my gourmet restaurants, I also love my cheap, street food.

As walking is our main means of transportation in New York (because everything is so close to each other, and one way streets are annoying), it's hard to not notice how many food stands there are. Yup, always noticing the food...what's new?
In particular, I've noticed that there are many halal food stands around New York. But there was one in particular that everyone told me to check out: The Halal Guys.

Having 3 stands on the corner of 53rd & 6th, I've noticed that no matter what time it is, there is always a line. That alone made me want to check it out.

They even have sweaters...how cute.

 I ordered the Chicken Over Rice, thinking that I was super hungry and I wouldn't be full.

I. Was. Wrong.

It was a large dish of basmati rice, shredded chicken, salad, pita and some of the best sauces.

I only finished half of that. It was so filling and delicious.

For $6, it was well worth it.

M and I enjoyed this meal as much as we did our lunch at Maze LOL

1300-1318 Avenue of the Americas
At 53rd & 6th
Manhattan, NY 10019, United States

Right around the corner is the iconic LOVE Sculpture,
where we took our only photo together for the entire trip LOL

:)

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MAZE by Gordon Ramsay

Being in NYC meant that I had to take advantage of the great restaurants they had to offer (and that Toronto did not).

To start off my trip, I decided to head over to a restaurant by Gordon Ramsay on the corner of 54th and 7th, Maze.

Chef Ramsay is one of my all-time favorites, so this was a must.

Located in The London Hotel, I was only that much more intrigued - for obvious reasons.

The hotel lobby was not as impressive as I thought it would be, but the restaurant was like stepping into a beautiful modern world.

We arrived a little earlier than our reservation so we sat in The London Bar while they got our table ready. I love the ceilings and décor!

The restaurant part continued the same theme as the bar. We were lucky and were situated in one of the booths on the side.

The gorgeous London Bar

On weekends, they only serve the brunch menu (and not the normal lunch menu). Due to that, we decided to not to a set meal and just order our own main and share a side of fries.

I love how they gave us oil to dip our bread in, instead of butter.

Our side of fries - it was literally a side of fries... M joked around and said they were probably McCain fries that they literally just popped into the oven. Not impressed.

I was more impressed with the little cute Heinz ketchup bottles we each got! How cute!

Pan Roasted Branzino | farro, pistachio, lemon emulsion

What an amazing little piece of fish.
M really enjoyed this dish. I had a little bite and I'd say although the fish was delicious, the farro made the dish because it added texture. We were both disappointed at how we couldn't taste any pistachio!

The London Prime Burger | our short rib & hanger blend, english cheddar cheese

 First of all, it never said it would come with a side of fries. Why didn't they tell me so we didn't need to order an extra side? Disappointed.

Nor did they mention that it would come with caramelized onions on top.

That cheese is also perfectly melted. Ah-mazing. 

Perfectly cooked to how I requested it to be.

I was overall very pleased with my meal. Although I ate it like a weirdo (aka without using my hands, nor with the top bun), I really think it should be eaten like this. The top bun would have made it too bread-y and you wouldn't have been able to taste all the amazing flavors.

If my stomach is happy, I'm happy.


151 W 54th St
At the corner of 54th and 7th
New York, NY 10019, United States
+1 212-468-8888
Call them a couple weeks in advance if you want to book a reservation!

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Daniela Trattoria

Rise and shine, my loves!

If you know me, I am the least morning person ever. I will only ever sacrifice my beauty sleep for a handful of things.

Breakfast and mimosas in NYC?
That sounds like something I'd give up sleep for!

Breakfast at Daniela's was recommended by the concierge at our hotel.

It was close to our hotel and we were starving, so why not?

Feeling overly happy about being in New York and not Toronto, we ordered mimosas to start.

Cheers to a great start of the long weekend :)

But the number of weird looks was ridiculous! So what if we're drinking at 8:30am?! I mean, can't you tell we're on vacation?

Western Omelette | ham, onions, and peppers

(I substituted the onions for mushrooms - best decision ever)

Greek Omelette | onion, mushroom, and feta cheese

At the end of the meal, my stomach was happy.
This has got to be the most I've spent on breakfast before but it fueled the rest of our day so it was well worth it. Time for shopping and sight seeing!

If you're in the area and want a simple breakfast, I highly recommend this place!

Address:

728 Eighth Avenue

Btw 46th & 45th Sts

New York NY 10036

After breakfast, we started wandering around the streets (and shopping).

The iconic yellow cabs & New York Public Library

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High Tea at Casa Loma

During Winterlicious, they held a special culinary event at Casa Loma.

I absolutely love castles - maybe because I grew up wearing colorful dresses and Cinderella's crown.

I've never been to Casa Loma though, which is surprising. I didn't even know Toronto had a castle until a couple years ago.

I'm glad I finally made the trip to visit it though!

Just a simple, beautiful wooden hallway

Their public high-tea set up

People just visiting the castle, but not for the high tea event, were able to see this and have a couple desserts.

But with the ticket, you were able to go inside the library or the conservatory for a sit down meal.

The library

The conservatory

Gorgeous right?!

The tea was sponsored by Davids Tea

A messy looking bread platter to choose from - why can't anyone learn to scoop jam?!

Our high tea platters :)

Sorry, I couldn't resist eating a bit before I took a table shot :P

Our choice of desserts (they also came around with a platter).

I'd have to say the meal was good.
These little pastries always trick me!

I look at the plate and I'm like, "there is noo way I'm going to be full from these small little things."

But nope, I'm always stufffffffed.

My favorite was the smoked salmon on cornbread (not surprising) and the croissant with egg (surprising).

All in all, it was a great experience that L and I both enjoyed.

:)

Sassafraz

These three musketeers decided to be fancy and headed over to Sassafraz for a lovely candlelit dinner :)

To start off, we ordered a bottle of Shiraz. I'm not a fan of red wine but we decided to give this a try!

Verdict? I still don't like red wine.

Appetizers:

Quebec Baked Brie And Cambozola (vegetarian)
phyllo wrapped / truffled honey / pink peppercorn strawberry compote

Marrow And Mushrooms
garbanzo purée / roast garlic / lemon frisée / house crostini

Main Course:

Newmarket Co-Op Lamb Shank (local)
ancho braised / northern bean tomato ragout / lamb sausage / garlic chips

Dessert:

Raspberry Cream Roulade (vegetarian)
dulce de leche / poppy seed meringue

Great food and lots of laughter - my kind of night! Can't wait to come back here to try their other dishes!