For those of you who have been following my IG, you might know that I spent the holidays with family in New Jersey. We stayed about 30 minutes from New York City, so whenever we got the chance, we went to Manhattan to order takeout from some of our favorite places. Sadly, I didn’t take as many pictures as I had hoped, but I still wanted to do a roundup of all the restaurants we visited and highlight the dishes that I recommend for when you get a chance to visit.
- Xi’an Famous Foods
What we ordered:
• Cumin Lamb Burger – sliced lamb sautéed with spices and stuffed into a crispy flatbread-like bun
• Stewed Pork Burger – stewed pork belly stuffed into a crispy flatbread-like bun
• Lamb Dumplings in Soup – boiled lamb dumplings served in a spicy and sour lamb broth
• Spinach Dumplings – boiled dumplings with spinach, wood-ear mushroom, egg and vermicelli filling, served with a spicy and sour dipping sauce
• Spicy Cumin Lamb Hand-Ripped Noodles in Soup – hand-ripped wide noodles topped with sautéed lamb and served in a lamb broth
• Stewed Oxtail Hand-Ripped Noodles – hand-ripped wide noodles mixed with stewed oxtails and a black vinegar-based sauce
• Liang Pi (Cold-Skin-Noodles) – steamed wheat flour noodles tossed with bean sprouts, cucumbers, cilantro and gluten cubes in a spicy sauce
Highly recommended: The Liang Pi was by far our favorite. Perhaps it had to do with how well it traveled compared to all the other dishes because we had to drive all the way back to Jersey to eat, but it was chewy in texture and full of spicy flavor and aromas. - Sala Thai
What we ordered:
• Tom Kha Gai – spicy and sour coconut-based soup with chicken and bunashimeji mushrooms
• Pad Kee Mao – spicy stir-fried rice noodles with crispy duck
• Pla Muk Tod – fried turmeric calamari with a bell pepper-peanut vinaigrette dipping sauce
• Larb Pla – fried branzino fillet served with Thai chili-lime dressing and black sticky rice
• Massamun Curry – spicy coconut curry with potatoes, onions, peanuts and lotus seeds, served with jasmine rice
• Kang Kao Peuak – taro puffs stuffed with minced shrimp, roasted coconut flakes, cilantro, garlic and kaffir lime leaves
Highly recommended: All of the dishes were absolutely delicious. Tom kha, pad kee mao and curries are my go-to’s at Thai restaurants, and the ones here are super solid and the ideal comfort food. The branzino was the most unique dish and my personal favorite. The calamari and taro puffs were the perfect appetizers, but were just slightly under seasoned. - Magnolia Bakery
What we ordered and highly recommended: Two words – banana pudding. Magnolia is famous for their classic banana pudding, made with layers of vanilla wafers, fresh bananas and creamy vanilla pudding. We love it so much that we got four large tubs of it!
- Russ & Daughters
What we ordered:
• Bagels – sesame, onion and everything bagels
• Classic Bagel & Lox Sandwich – Gaspé Nova smoked salmon with onions, capers, tomatoes and scallion cream cheese on a sesame bagel
Highly recommended: Their classic lox sandwich is a must! The salmon is cold smoked for a mild flavor and satiny in texture. Their smoked salmons are world-famous, so get some of those, some bagels and some schmears to assemble your own bagel and lox sandwiches. I gotta be honest though, their bagels didn’t stand out for me because they were dense and salty, whereas I prefer bagels that are soft, chewy and not overly salty.
- Katz Delicatessen
What we ordered and highly recommended: You can’t go wrong with their mainstay meats – pastrami and corned beef. We got their Pastrami Sandwich and Reuben (made with corned beef) and boy, were they delicious and filling. Each sandwich came with a generous tower of meat. There’s a reason why Katz is legendary.
- Yi Ji Shi Mo Noodle Corp
What we ordered:
• Pork Rice Roll
• Cilantro and Scallion Rice Roll
• Beef Rice Roll
• Shrimp Rice Roll
• Tea Eggs
Highly recommended: Steamed rice noodle rolls (or cheung fun in Cantonese) are one of my favorite things to eat of all time. I was shocked to find that Yi Ji makes cheung fun with the same look and taste as the ones I grew up eating in China. They even made the cheung fun using a similar contraption. These fresh noodles are thin, soft, slippery (in the best way possible) and extremely flavorful. Needless to say, these rice noodles brought on some serious nostalgia. This is the best cheung fun I’ve had in the U.S., so any rice rolls on their menu are highly recommended.
- Wah Fung No 1
What we ordered and highly recommended: Their BBQ pork (or char siu in Cantonese) is some of the best I’ve ever had. We got the char siu over rice with a free side of steamed cabbage. Not only was the char siu itself amazing, I loved eating the rice with the char siu juice mixed in. If you want cheap delicious eats, you have to stop by this Chinatown staple.
- Razza (Jersey City, NJ)*
*Razza isn’t in NYC, but their pizzas are so amazing that the New York Times called them the best pizza in New York.
What we ordered and highly recommended: We got the Jersey Margherita (made with Jersey tomatoes), Guancia (topped with tomato sauce, mozzarella, guanciale and pecorino) and the Burrata pizza (similar to the margherita but using burrata instead of mozzarella). I’m not exaggerating when I say that these are the best pizzas I’ve ever had. The pizzas had a thin, springy crust with a perfectly charred outer rim and a fluffy base. They had soupy centers but held their shape when we picked them up. All were made in a wood-burning oven, using a perfectly salty and sweet tomato sauce and simple, high-quality toppings. It makes sense that they beat out all the other pizzerias in the city.
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