D'aiuto Baby Watson Cheesecake (NYC)

Just as I was about to head home, I stopped by a local bakery and try some of New York's finest baked goods

At 8th Avenue and W 30th Street

My first thought was, very New York and also a similarity to something where Seinfield would go to buy New Yorkers' b&w cookies.

They had very traditional products for sell and I was very excited to see what goodies I could bring home to my family.

The one that caught my eye were the super large frosted in black and white cookies. They were the size of my hand -stretched out.

(after bringing it all the way home, the chocolate got a little stuck on the wax paper that divided each cookie.

They were very delicious cookies!

Thanks for the tip, Seinfield! =0)

Free Coffee, One Day Only

Have you heard?

WHAT: Free 20oz coffee (Large)

WHEN: Starts tomorrow (Sept 28th, 2012)

TIME: Only from 6:00am - 10:00am 

WHERE: 7-11

Don't forget to try yours tomorrow morning!

L'Arte del Gelato (NYC)

After a hearty meal in West Village, my friend and I decided to go on a hunt for something sweet.

West village in the evening is a beautiful sight for a walk. I could already imagine myself living there and hanging out in all the local spots. 

And just as we are taking in the area, we find ourselves at our destination: L'Arte del Gelato

With its cute white fold-out benches, L'Arte del Gelato is a small little ice cream parlor.

They have a selection big enough for you to decide and the taste, well, let me just ask you? Do you like gelato?

They had very tasty flavours to choose from. They had a wide variety of fruit flavours and many many chocolate-y flavours as well.

I opted for 2 flavours in a cone ($4.50):

Hazelnut and Chocolate Chip (Chocolate chip because the staff said it was their best seller)

The space was very delightful

The service man was... ummm... well he did the job, but nothing else

The price is a bit higher than what I've had in Toronto 

The taste, very very good

Overall, I rate it 3.8/5

Uniqlo 株式会社ユニクロ (NYC)

After being away from New York City for over 2 years, my friends told me about this store called:

UNIQLO 株式会社ユニクロ

After walking through the whole store, I felt compelled to say that this store reminds me of  a Japanese Gap, but even much more simple and more competitive prices".

This is a great store to buy your basics -and by basics I mean basics! 

tank tops

long sleeve shirts

jeans

I am still awaiting to see just how durable their clothes really are. But for now, I purchased only a few tank tops. 

They also say that they provide FREE hemming (not sure when or where and how long) for jeans that cost over $20 (so it doesn't apply to the jeans for $19.90, sorry!).

Unfortunately, Uniqlo isn't offered in most major cities, but New York City does have, at least 2, that I've been to. And a little birdie told me that Dallas may be getting theirs soon. *wink

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Check it out for yourself:

www.uniqlo.com/jp/

Food Review: Artichoke Basille's Pizza (NYC)

I'm in New York City... therefore..... Pizza!

After a day hanging out in Chelsea, we spotted this little restaurant on Tenth Ave. 

So we gave it a try. =0)

Already a full house at around 5:00pm, but we were lucky to be seated in less than 7 minutes.

The restaurants felt like a real pizza parlor with the brick walls, booth tables and tile-flooring. The aroma of the restaurant was already making me very hungry.

Each pizza cost around $30, but since there were just the two of us and the pizza were very very large (easy to feed 5 ppl handsomely), they had the option to buy a "wedge" (1/3 of a pie) for $15. My friend and I ordered a wedge of the Artichoke pizza and Staten Island Pie.

Artichoke Pizza 

(Artichoke hearts, spinach, cream sauce, mozzarella & pecorino romano cheese)

This pizza was a little pizza version of Fettucine Alfredo. So delicious and so creamy. I only wish the crust was a bit thinner. Got soooo full after eating one slice of this.

Staten Island Pie

(Meatballs, tomato sauce, red onion & ricotta cheese)

This pie was just as amazing. The sauce was not too salty but just right, the meatballs were so flavourful, and the best part, it was thin crust.

Overall, both tastes were very good! Good enough for me to tell everyone that New York City pizza, though just saying from 1 pizza place alone, that I am hooked. Gotta come here for some tasty pies.

The restaurant atmosphere: 4.5/5

The customer service: 2.8/5

The Food: 5/5

The Price: $$ 1/2 (portions are large)

Overall, I rate this pizzeria a big ol' 4/5

Food Review: Corner Bistro (NYC)

This was a gem.

We were hungry.
We were hungry and tired.
We wanted good food.
But.. we didn't want to pay for overpriced food.

So...

I pulled out my list of "researched" New York City restaurants by Google reviewers. Located in West Village, this tiny joint is where all the hype is at.

The first thought that comes into my mind (when I saw the places' exterior and interior) was the "Burger" episode from HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER. 

This is the episode that talks about how when Marshall first arrives to NYC, he found a small bistro restaurant where he ordered and enjoyed the best burger he's ever tasted. By the end of the night, I felt like I relived that very same episode.

The place was simply perfect. It was vintage, the staff did their own thing, and the feeling of the place felt so authentic.

The menu was up on the wall (photo below, left), very hard to see and had a limited list (which made for choosing that much easier). 

My order or Bacon Cheeseburger ($8.50) and Fries ($3) (comes separately).

Adding to the awesome ghetto-ness, were their plates, they served everything on plastic. =0)

The beef patty was the largest and thickest I've ever had. And because of it's thickness, I think it needed just a bit more "seasoning" to help even out the ratio of beef and flavor. But as a whole, the burger was one of the best I've ever had. 

This type of burgers are those greasy and messy ones. The bun pretty much melts as you bite through the burger and the only thing left in your hands is beef and sauce. 

Overall, I have to say, I love this place. 

It's small but cozy

It's dark but friendly

It's limited (food choices) but incredibly tasty

I rate Corner Bistro 4.8/5

Hotel Review: Marriott NY Marquis

In the heart of Times Square, there is a hotel that makes TS your front doors.

Night time is a beautiful beautiful sight! (photo above)

Thanks to my super smart and super talented friend, we got an upgrade to the room. This is the entrance to our room (photo above).

This large building (very hidden from Broadway) has 45 stories and in the first couple floors are shared with a few Broadway plays and The View.

The elevators were different from anything I've ever used. To get to your floor, you punch in your floor number, and it'll tell you which elevator to go into.... kind of like pre-setting your own elevator straight to your floor. Of course, if it gets busy, it'll combine more peoples' floors to accommodate.

Also, another slightly confusing thing to note is where to find the concierge desk. Well, I'll tell you now, it's the 8th floor (not the first floor where there's just elevators and escalators).

 Our room: 10th floor

With an upgrade, we stayed in one of the larger rooms. =0)

A very nice sitting area (photo above)

A large queen (?) size bed (photo above)

A hallway to the bathroom

A spacious closest

A wide desk and comfy chair (photo below)

But.. my favorite thing about the room was the bench at the foot of our bed. I found it to be a very handy sit.

I found this Marriott hotel to be very great in location, service, comfort ability, cleanliness and style. There isn't a specific thing that I could pinpoint of disappointment. 

Of course, one of my favorite things about this Marriott was the location: to my west entrance, I am greeted with my very favorite store:

Just cross 2 lanes and you're there. Forever 21.  I got up a little earlier than my friend and did about an hour of shopping before I started my day! So convenient.

And to my south entrance, I am greeted with my favorite bakery:

Yes! Juniors' from Brooklyn (but located in Times Square)

Overall, I was very pleased with The Marriott New York Marquis in Times Square.

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I rate my experience with a 4/5.

Food Review: 12 O'Lunch

Lunch on Dundas St. West

I always pass by this place but never had an opportunity to come and sit and eat. 

So... after a hard days' work volunteering at TIFF, my friend and I made a mutual decision to try it out because of the interesting and unique name, 12 O'Lunch!

How to order? Just like fast food, but hot and service-ish like, here's the menu board.

Once you order, you can sit down and they will serve it to you.

The wait for the food did take a good chunk of time... and I say this with the added context that we were the only ones in the restaurant at the time. It was an early dinner though... before 6pm.

2 side dishes come with out meal: sweet potato cold noodles & kimchi

My order: Bulgogi

Everything tasted very delicious. Want proof?

Overall, I thought this restaurant was really cute and the food was tasty. The waitress spoke very well Korean as well English, which was a nice surprise to me.

Food taste: 4/5

Service: 3/5 (pretty slow)

Atmosphere: 5/5

Price: Normal, $$

Overall, I rate 12 O'Lunch a big ol' 3.4/5

Inside view of the exterior. =0)