10 Must Try Foods Upper West Side

I think every part of New York City has foods that you just need to try. A foodie bucket list perhaps. The Upper West Side has many wonderful restaurants, some that have been around for over 50 years. There is a reason why a place would be in business for so long, especially in a city like New York, where places open and close daily. If you should venture to this wonderful area, and get away from Times Square (not a favorite of mine), here are the foods you need to sample. In no particular order because that would be terribly hard:

1.   Levain Bakery - The cookies, you MUST try the cookies They are life changing.
2.   Zabar's            -  Matzo ball soup OR/AND bagel with lox and cream cheese
3.   Jacques Torres - Wicked hot chocolate AND chocolate covered cheerios
4.   Nice Matin      -  Short rib ravioli
5.   Parm               -   Perfect meatball parm sandwich
6.   Red Farm        -   Best Chinese food, shrimp dumplings that look like pac-man
7.   Epicerie Boulud -  Best snack food experience
8.   Maison Pickle    -  French dips
9.   Jin Ramen         -   Best ramen and steamed pork buns
10. Old John's Lunchoeonette -  Breakfast menu is suburb 

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Levain Bakery New Location

Levain Bakery is a place that I have been meaning to get to for quite a few years. Yes, years. There are so many things to see and do in New York City, sometimes places get way down on my list. The day I was walking around the Upper West Side, I knew I had to find this place. It is really very small, but, what they make is just out-of-this-world!  

These pizza's look amazing, don't you think?  

These brioches are to die for. You can ask for the chocolate one warmed if it isn't warm when you are ready to purchase it. It is sublime when warmed. The chocolate kind of oozes out, and the smell is quite fabulous!  

They are famous for their chocolate chip cookies, the 6 ounce size of them is pretty impressive. The scones are pretty awesome too! Another item if you are a chocolate lover, Valrhona Chocolate Rolls, are a MUST if they have them when you visit. I don't think you can go wrong with any items in this bakery.  

These are what I brought home! The cookie is the chocolate peanut butter and I must say, it was just so luscious, I was in heaven! The really nice thing about this bakery, they do ship their items from their web store! You can purchase HERE if you wish to have some sent home, or send as gifts to family friends. 

These cookies are so worth every penny! I like to cut them in (2) pieces and throw in my freezer. Then when I want a pick me up, I just pull one out. They freeze very well.  

The dark chocolate peanut butter chip are like fudge! It is probably the BEST cookie I have ever enjoyed.  

The regular chocolate chip are pretty amazing as well. 

Today's Words of Wisdom: "You know an odd feeling? Sitting on the toilet eating a chocolate bar" - George Carlin 

Levain Bakery 

Levain Upper Westside

167 West 74th St

New York, NY, 10023

T: 212-874-6080

Hours: Mon-Sat 8am-7pm, Sun 9am-7pm

Levain Harlem

2167 Frederick Douglass Blvd

New York, NY, 10026

T: 646-455-0952

Hours: Mon-Sat 8am-7pm, Sun 9am-7pm

The newest location on 351 Amsterdam Avenue ( West 77th Street) is much bigger and was very easy to purchase some goodies to take home! 

Adorable photo from Levain Bakery website!! 

 

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Upper West Side Walking Tour

The Upper West Side is a fabulous area for walking. The best way is to not have an agenda, and just see what you find! Here are some of my faves! The Museum of Natural History, a gorgeous building and wonderful exhibits. Plus, The Night at the Museum is one of my favorite films.  

Don't laugh, but I have yet to try a Shake Shack burger. The lines are just always too long, and I refuse to wait for a burger. One of these days I will sample something.  

I forgot where I saw these, but I just love them. The architecture here never gets boring and no matter how many times I see something, I see something new.  

I would love to add flower boxes to my home. They just look so darn lovely.  

This is in front of the famous Dakota building.  

Classic Upper West Side architecture. I cannot get enough!  

I am still dreaming of these lemon pancakes with a dollup of ricotta on top from Gina La Fornarina. This was a stop that wasn't planned, and it turned out so darn well.  

Nice Matin is located in the Lucerne Hotel, which is a gorgeous building. A more detailed shot is below, they took so much time with these buildings.  

This time of year, stopping at Jacques Torres for some ice cream would make you very happy.  

I love when you just stroll upon a farmers market. You find them all year round in the city, I wish my hometown would have them 12 months a year.  

Levain Bakery is just the ultimate "go off your diet" bakery. I was in the city on a Sunday, thinking I could just pop in and pick up some items - the line was almost down the whole street! They are opening a 3,000 square feet new location on 351 Amsterdam Avenue between 76 & 77th Streets. This shop will still remain open. I cannot wait to check out the bigger space and get my hands on some of those cookies!! 

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A Trip to Levain Bakery

Levain Bakery is a place that I have been meaning to get to for quite a few years. Yes, years. There are so many things to see and do in New York City, sometimes places get way down on my list. The day I was walking around the Upper West Side, I knew I had to find this place. It is really very small, but, what they make is just out-of-this-world!  

These pizza's look amazing, don't you think?  

These brioches are to die for. You can ask for the chocolate one warmed if it isn't warm when you are ready to purchase it. It is sublime when warmed. The chocolate kind of oozes out, and the smell is quite fabulous!  

They are famous for their chocolate chip cookies, the 6 ounce size of them is pretty impressive. The scones are pretty awesome too! Another item if you are a chocolate lover, Valrhona Chocolate Rolls, are a MUST if they have them when you visit. I don't think you can go wrong with any items in this bakery.  

These are what I brought home! The cookie is the chocolate peanut butter and I must say, it was just so luscious, I was in heaven! The really nice thing about this bakery, they do ship their items from their web store! You can purchase HERE if you wish to have some sent home, or send as gifts to family friends. 

Today's Words of Wisdom: "You know an odd feeling? Sitting on the toilet eating a chocolate bar" - George Carlin 

Levain Bakery 

Levain Upper Westside

167 West 74th St

New York, NY, 10023

T: 212-874-6080

Hours: Mon-Sat 8am-7pm, Sun 9am-7pm

Levain Harlem

2167 Frederick Douglass Blvd

New York, NY, 10026

T: 646-455-0952

Hours: Mon-Sat 8am-7pm, Sun 9am-7pm

 

To be assured not miss a post, sign up for each one to be emailed to you HERE. Be sure to check for your Feedburner confirmation email, or your subscription will not be processed. Your email is not sold or shared with anyone. Thank you so much for being a reader of this blog! 

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NYC Valentine's Day Gift Guide 2014

Valentine's Day will be here before we can blink an eye! It is amazing to me that January is over already! Where did the time go? I thought I would come up with a Valentine's Day Gift Guide with New York City products! New York City has some of the BEST shops in the world, and the merchandise is just amazing. I like to give regular gifts for Valentine's Day, not always chocolates, but they are nice to give if you know of a GREAT chocolate shop! Here are just a few items I thought would make for nice gifts, not only for your significant other, but your best friend, your mom, sister or perhaps mother-in-law!! 

My favorite coffee New York Gourmet Coffee makes a wonderful gift for the coffee lover! So many flavor selections, no calories and they grind the coffee to whatever you prefer or you can receive the whole bean. The Salted Caramel and Peanut Butter Cup are new and I need to try those soon! All flavored coffees come in Decaf as well for those who need to choose that type of coffee. They also make non-flavored as well if you are more that type of a coffee drinker.

The museums shops in New York City (or any city actually) offer some amazing and unique gift ideas. This ultra cool necklace from Museum of Art and Design is called a Swedish Love Story Necklace. You would receive many compliments wearing this piece just about anywhere!! 

One of the most original chocolate ideas comes from Jaqures Torres, Mr. Chocolate, with chocolate covered cheerios! What a fun gift, they do ship these from his website, along with lots of other wonderful chocolate confections! 

Les Amants Miniatures by Palais des Thés

You can check out my fabulous review of this wonderful tea set HERE and be sure you are giving one unique gift to whomever you choose to receive it. This is so lovely, I had to include it in my list for you. 

I had the pleasure of visiting the Goorin Brothers Hat shop in the village and it was so fantastic! Hats for the gentlemen or ladies can be found here and would be a marvelous Valentine's Day gift!! 

Our friends at The Savory Pantry have these old fashioned candies available that are made in Brooklyn, New York. I love the bottles they use to store them, and the old fashioned type labels. Flavors come in Green Apple, Concord Grape and Wild Strawberry. 

Levain Bakery actually ships their amazing cookies nationwide. I cannot begin to tell you how many points you will score if you send this gift to a lucky person. These cookies are just heaven on earth!! You can also check out my review of the bakery HERE. 

I have become a MAJOR fan of the Drybar product line. When I use these styling products, my hair always looks it's best. This is a great way to try them, a trio of 3 of their best styling products. They sell direct on their website, as well as Sephora, and it would be also fun to include a gift certificate with this set for your favorite person to receive a blow out as well! 

Henri Bendel is one of the most iconic stores on 5th Avenue. This ultra cool bag screams New York City and would make for an incredible gift. I love these types of illustrations, this Megan Hess Street Style Shopper can be found online exclusively! 

This would be a real fascinating gift for either a guy or gal. Accomplice New York is a cool show. Here is some info from their site which best describes it:
Accomplice is a theatrical scavenger hunt.The world becomes your stage during this urban exploration. Part cafe crawl, part immersive theatre, Accomplice transports its participants into a world of secrets, clues, and mystery.Bars, street corners, and iconic landmarks take on new depth and meaning as you stroll through historic neighborhoods carrying out a mission.Lines between reality and play are blurred as actors send you from place to place, leaving you asking, “Who’s in on this? Who’s not?”

I hope you have enjoyed this small list of ideas. Tickets to a Broadway show is always a very nice gift if your receiver is a fan of the shows. You can get pretty creative with your gifts these days. I tried to select items that would work for a lady or gentleman.

Disclosure: The Savory Pantry is a sponsor of this blog. I do not receive any type of paid commission for any purchases made via this post. These are items which I myself find pretty fabulous and would make for a great gift for the Valentine's Day holiday. Actually, any holiday, for that matter!! Thank you.

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