Off-topic: where to eat in New York City and Toronto.

          

Sorry for my sudden disappearance over the past month or so. As many of you know I took a little break to get married and go on honeymoon. So from now on “hubby-to-be” shall be referred to as “hubby”.

Coming back from the longest break I’ve ever had (almost a month) hit me quite hard. I didn’t realise that throwing myself back into work after a fourteen-hour trip (accompanied by the dreaded jetlag) would be this difficult. It took me a while to adjust to my normal routine, but here I am, ready to take on the blogosphere like never before!

Over the next month or so, I’ll occasionally upload a post with tips for anyone who’s interested in exploring New York City and Toronto (yes, we opted for quite an unusual honeymoon, but then again, we love culture, art, food and big cities).

Let’s start with our biggest passion: FOOD!

Best meals in New York City: Wolfgang’s Steakhouse (juiciest porterhouse steak ever) and Spice Market (delicious fusion food, tasty cocktails and a magical atmosphere right by the High Line Park in the Meatpacking District)

Best meals in Toronto: Bannock (trendy, loungy restaurant in the shopping area, try the poutine and the chicken pot pie!) and The Boiler House (trendy restaurant in the Distillery District; the food is good, but not spectacular, but the atmosphere and service make up for that)

Best burgers in New York City: strangely enough we had the best burgers on Ellis Island (at the Immigration Museum)

Best burgers in Toronto: for a quick, casual meal head to Casey’s (don’t forget to try one of the yummy cocktails)

Biggest letdowns in New York City: Katz Delicatessen (bland food, seriously overpriced) and The Burger Joint at the Parker Méridien (Anthony Bourdain considers this the best burger joint in NYC; how much did he get paid to say that?! The atmosphere is nice though, very unusual)

Biggest letdown in Toronto: Ethiopiques (I was really eager to try Ethiopian food, but this place was filthy (there was a fly in my water and hair on my plate, and the walls hadn’t been painted in years), the service was slow (there were only about ten customers so we don’t really understand why it took the waitress - we think she doubles as a “wannabe chef” - half an hour to get us our drinks (oh and she even got our order wrong); the food was really, really bland (isn’t Ethiopian food supposed to be extremely tasty?) and overall it was a disappointing experience.

How to save on food in New York City: splurge as much as you can, because New York City has so much to offer, but if you’re looking to save a few “bucks” try cart food. It’s tasty and cheap! Another alternative is to buy a salad and drinks at a 24-hour pharmacy and/or grocery store (try Duane Reade and the Food Emporium). Avoid places like TGIF (we tried the one in Times Square and I must say it was the most disgusting food ever, not to mention expensive) and Wendy’s (unless you like greasy, soggy burgers).

How to save on food in Toronto: we recommend Urban Eatery, the food court at the Eaton Centre, where you’ll find dozens of self-service restaurants – sandwiches, pizza, poutine, burgers, salads, Thai, Chinese, vegetarian… and of course coffee!

Something very peculiar in New York City and Toronto is the fact that restaurants charge a small fortune for bottled water (it took us a few days to understand why no one was drinking bottled water, and why we were paying 8 to 12 dollars a bottle). Restaurants serve free “ice water”, which is basically tap water with ice cubes. You get as many refills as you like and it doesn’t taste all that bad. We used to drink wine and/or cocktails with some ice water on the side.

Best rooftop bar in New York City: 230 Fifth has it all: amazing views, delicious drinks and beautiful people

Nice beer pub in Toronto: enjoy a casual evening (playing board games or pool) with a pint of beer at C’est What

Maltese food in Toronto: yes, MALTESE pastizzi, Kinnie and other delicacies… at Malta Bake Shop. Worth a visit if you’re in the area!

That’s it for now. Bon appétit!

A few little extras below...

The best espresso in NYC @ Eataly

No comment @ some random Canadian supermarket

Junk food with a view @ the Niagara Falls

Sempre e solo Lavazza

I'm half Italian. I love coffee. And by coffee I mean espresso.

I studied in Italy for a few months, which fuelled my caffeine addiction even more. I would literally have a coffee – sorry, espresso – every hour. And real Italian espresso is nothing like the schifezza they drink here: soluble coffee – I can’t mention any brands, but you all know what I’m talking about. Now the problem is my body can’t really handle caffeine very well. I’ve always been a nervous person. My heart rate is always far too high, and yet I can’t resist the temptation.

I bet my boss thinks I can handle stress. After all, I manage to translate very creative texts in the blink of an eye, especially poems, my pièce de résistance! Sorry boss, I panic. A LOT. I’m a perfectionist. And when the going gets tough, the coffee gets poured in industrial quantities.

I’ve tried switching to tea – peppermint, lemon, raspberry, even chamomile. My taste buds hated it. Subtle flavours, yuck! I need the kick of espresso. Lavazza. Yes, it has to be that particular brand. I refuse to drink anything else.

I know coffee breaks are a big thing in offices – people get together, gossip, enjoy a sweet treat and get away from it all for a few minutes, all while sipping a delicious cup of black gold. In my case, coffee is my main source of hydration. So wrong, I know. I’m forcing myself to drink more water, but when you’re freaking out over a deadline, your dog is barking like mad because he needs to go for a wee and your e-mail server is blocking all your outgoing messages, water is not exactly the best pick-me-up. Maybe in those cases I should just scream beam me up!

Heart-shaped coffee spill... Coincidence? I think not!