Whenever I'm at work I try and keep myself entertained by listening to podcasts. Lately, I've been getting into Food is the New Rock, a podcast hosted by a radio personnel and a food blogger where they invite musicians to talk about food and chefs to talk about music. The entire premise is that the two industries tend to have similarities and that restaurants and chefs are gaining the notability and signature that we had in the past associated with the musician. In one of the earlier episodes, one of the music guests (which I can't seem to recall) discusses his "Golden List" of restaurants. The idea behind this list is that he keeps track of his favorite places to eat in each city he goes to so that he can use for future trips or suggest to friends. Since food is becoming one of those things that I'm gaining more and more appreciation for, I've decided that I'm going to start keeping better tabs on where I go and everyone else should too! So to start here are a few of my recommendations for New York City...
Bar Bacon || source
Bars
Pearls Social & Billy Club - If you happen to be in Bushwick this was one of my favorite bars, great atmosphere, drink specials were strong and the photo booth in the back makes it. (Brooklyn)
Crocodile lounge - Decent selection of beers but who cares about that when you get a mini pizza with every drink you order! (Union Sq)
The Toy Factory/Back Room - Nifty place since it used to be a speakeasy back in the day. Having to walk underground through a sketchy tunnel thing makes entering into the bar that much cooler plus the cocktails were all tailored to fit into the speakeasy theme. (LES)
Bar bacon - Order the bacon tasting plate and you won't be disappointed. (Hells Kitchen)
Heavy Woods || source
Brunch
Poco - Spanish themed restaurant where you can enjoy a chorizo eggs benedict and a bloody mary to kick you into high gear! (LES)
Heavy Woods - New Orleans style brunch with mouth-watering soul food and biscuits to die for. (Brooklyn)
Baby's All Right - Lots of great brunch in Brooklyn, okay? Good food, but the bloody mary bar and live music make it worth going to. (Brooklyn)
Cemita from Smorgasburg
Lunch
Untamed Sandwiches - I'm usually pretty bored by sandwiches as a meal option but the one from here have unique flavor combinations that make 'em tasty. (midtown)
Eataly - Italian store/food court/grocery where you can buy artisanal olive oil, take a trip to the rooftop alpine themed bar, or just grab a gelato and beat the inevitable crowd. (flatiron)
Smorgasburg - Every weekend a ton of different food vendors come to the same place to make food. Walk around, weigh the options, decide, and enjoy! I've had cemitas, Korean bbq burritos, and vegan ice cream but the possibilities are literally endless... and delicious. (various)
Roberta's || source
Dinner
Empanada mamas - Maybe it was the fact that I had great company when I ate here, but the food was also great. They put anything delicious inside of an empanada, plus open 24 hours! (Hells Kitchen)
Shake Shack - What can go wrong with burger, fries, and a shake?(various)
Vanessa's dumplings - In retrospect, this was probably the cheapest meal I ate in the city and if you like dumplings/gyoza/potstickers than you can't pass up this as a cheap meal. (various)
Roberta's - When it comes to most things in life I'm someone who rarely does repeats; shows, movies, books, and even restaurants. But I went here 4 times when I lived in the city and damn, there is something magical in that pizza. (Brooklyn)
Artichoke Pizza - But if you refuse to travel into the heart of Bushwick and need a late night slice, this is worth the line. (various)
Variety || source
Variety coffee - I'm impartial to this because it was my neighborhood shop where I would go on weekends to get some personal work aka blogging done, where the coffee is great and the muffins are even better. (brooklyn)
Dough donuts - Okay it's not coffee but these doughnuts are heavenly. (union sq)
Obviously, there are plenty of places I've never even tried, but the thing about lists like this are that I will much more likely scope out a place to eat based off of a person I know's recommendation versus that of Zagat or yelp. Thoughts? Recommendations?
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