Schnitzel and Things-NYC

Schnitzel and Things
723 3rd Ave
New York, NY 10017

As seen on
-Eat St.
-FoodOgraphy
 
I like that Schnitzel & Things is a little different. When do you ever see Austrian food? I actually went to Austria, but I am unfamiliar with their food, so I was excited to try their thinly pounded schnitzel and other things. Schnitzel is traditionally veal pounded thin and fried to a golden brown hue. It was tender, with a pleasing mild flavor, but I was compelled to keep squeezing more hot sauce onto it, as it was slightly bland. I did appreciate that it managed to feel fairly light and not at all greasy spite being a sizable piece of fried veil. The sides were also pretty good, (I tried Austrian potato salad, cucumbers, and spatzel). Not even knowing what spatzel was I ordered it because it sounded authentic. It was simply a pasta with butter and garlic. Nice and simple. The Austrian potato salad is served warm with sour cream folded in to make it creamy smooth and the cucumber salad was really refreshing. It was nice to check out some different food but I wasn't blown away. It was also on the expensive side. $16 with no drink.They serve eggplant and cod schnitzel which I would like to try sometime. They started out as a food truck so look out for that on the streets of Manhattan but more recently opened a brick and mortar shop by grand central.

Peekamoose Restaurant-NY

Peekamoose Restaurant
& Tap Room
8373 State Route 28
Big Indian, NY 12410

As seen on
-FoodOgraphy

Owners Devin and Marybeth Mills have worked in some of New York City's finest restaurants( the Hudson River Club, Picholine, Le Bernadin, Guastavino's, Atlantic Grill, Remi Restaurant, and the famed Gramercy Tavern). They purchased an old run down building in the middle of nowhere and started their own locally grown/locally sourced restaurant to compete with any NYC eatery. I was really impressed. Located right on the banks of the Esopous Creek, were the freshest fly caught trout in the world comes from. They even have their own chicken coops to get their eggs. Always local and always fresh.

This restaurant is really cool. They have an amazing childrens room and off  the bar is a fire pit with free make your own smores. The bar has a different menu then the restaurant but they let us order off of both. Among the food ordered at our table I sampled  were onion rings, endive salad, short ribs, trout, hamburgers, goat cheese gnocchi, and pumpkin bread pudding. The onion rings were by far the best I've ever had anywhere and the hamburger too. Ive had designer burgers all over Manhattan and they cant compare to this deliciousness. Everything was well thought out and presented as if we were dining on the upper east side. Really a first class establishment. Closest thing around here to dining in Manhattan.

Otafuku-NYC

Otafuku
236 E 9th St
New York, NY 10003

As seen on
-Log On & Eat 
 
This place is the only Takoyaki shop in NYC. Japanese Takoyaki (Octopus Balls) is a made to order fried ball of creamy herbs and octopus made into a corn type fritter. Traditional Japanese street food, I have had these before at Mitsuwa (giant Asian market) in NJ. I actually went here because I heard they were the only place in NYC that offered Taiyaki which they didn't have. This was by far the smallest store/restaurant/food stall I have ever seen. When I got there I had to wait for the 2 people in the store to leave before I could actually get inside to order. The octopus balls are covered in a teriyaki type sauce and bonito flakes. The balls themselves were amazing but I have come to find out I cant stand bonito flakes. They are just dried fish and are way to smokey fishy for me. I would definitely go back and order the octopus without the flake and see if they got taiyaki yet. If you have ever wanted truly authentic Japanese street food Otafuku has what you need.

Ronnybrook Farm Dairy-NY

Ronnybrook Farm Dairy
Prospect Hill Rd
Ancramdale, NY 12503

As seen on
-The Best Thing I Ever Ate

Ronnybrook Farms is so lovely, with such happy cows, At least that's how it seems in my head. I was surprised to see that their store upstate is merely a closet! They aren't really set up for visitors, so if you want a good selection of their products, you're better off checking out their location in Chelsea Market. But I had to go straight to the source. Ive been drinking their eggnog for years but after seeing the actually farm, on The Best Thing I Ever Ate Christmas special, I had to go right to the farm. The farm is located right outside Pine Plains, NY and is not easy to find. Once you think you're lost just keep going and then when you think you're lost again keep going down unmarked dirt roads and then 15mins later you arrive at milk paradise. I mean if you have never had their chocolate milk or eggnog you are really missing out. I'm sure its pure fat but its like a melted eggnog milkshake. The eggnog is seasonal so get it while you can. Best milk around hands down and the chocolate milk is to die for!