food worth coming back to the blog for...maple glazed bacon. need i say more...

It's no surprise that the tagline for Tipsy Parson is "belly filling goodness" because that is just what it is.  We haven't been back to the place in a while, but it sure falls into my life changing and repeat restaurant category, even made it to the The Best Thing I Ever Ate 2012 post.  We went for brunch (big surprise), and as a side note, we've been very lucky to be living in a neighborhood where multiple brunch joints are accessible just steps away, especially since the weather decided to drop 40 degrees overnight.  The likelihood of us traveling far to eat today was very slim.  As an ode to this (and basketball season) - here is the back page of the AM New York not too long ago....

Today I felt like pancakes, which is a rarity since I am a savory kinda gal, and I knew that I wouldn't be disappointed if we went back to Tipsy Parson.  (FYI if I was willing to schlep all the way to Clinton Street Bakery for pancakes, I would've.  But not in 30 degree weather).  I ordered the Cornmeal Pancakes with fresh figs, fig compote, candied walnut butter.  James had the Pig in a Poke, with grits, Andouille sausages, poached eggs and toast.  Normally I wouldn't trust to eat grits in any other place but the south, but Tipsy Parson cuisine is based around that southern comfort style, it's a risk that is actually not risky at all since they have been proven to be authentic and crowd pleasing every time we've been.  Everything we ate was amazing, including the random side salad that came with James' meal, which I ended up eating because for some reason, it was so freakin good I couldn't stop eating it.  You know a place is good when random greens with just dressing is something you can't stop eating.  And while everything we ate was so so so good, of course what did me in was the maple glazed bacon.  I can say with confidence that this is the best bacon I have ever had.  And if you've read this blog, know me, have heard my sister's maid of honor speech focused around me and my affinity for bacon, have witnessed the many gifts I have gotten with a bacon theme, I think it's safe to say that I've eaten a lot of bacon.  Bold statement right there, best bacon I have EVER had.

While in the past, I had been pretty tolerant of long waits and crappy service if the food made up for it, but I'm finding that nowadays, I have less and less patience for that stuff.  As a result, I am more aware of when the "overall experience" and not just the food is worth mentioning.  Staff was super friendly, and they were playing the best music (80s then transitioned to the 90s toward the end).  I think I was singing more than I was eating, and James and I were about to bust out the 2 minute dance party.  If I wasn't slightly hung over from the night before, I would've...

Survey says....belly filling goodness indeed :0) 

 

The Best Thing I Ever Ate 2012 (the NYC version)

Happy New Year Everyone!

What better way to start off the new year than to be reminded that you’re still constantly on “Filipino time”, aka always late.  In fact, I’m so late/so behind on my posts that Blogger looks totally different now, and screaming right in my face how much I have not kept up with my blog, with all these stats of views, comments, etc.  I didn’t have to be a former engineer to understand that the graph they show when I first log in shows that I haven’t written in ages, er, and people are not “viewing” it if I am not writing.

SO, if I write it, they will come, eh?

I was planning to write this post just prior to the new year (see above paragraph).  Many of you might have seen the show Best Thing I Ever Ate on the Food Network.  Well, it’s definitely one of my faves that I am consistently watching, and also inspired me to write this post.  Since James and I moved to the city, our culinary adventures have expanded, mostly because now it is so accessible to us.  Many of these have become REPEAT RESTAURANTS (brush up on your foodie vocab people – see sidebar on your right) for me, mainly because they have some LIFE CHANGING (vocab) items on their menu. 

So who made the cut for me in 2012?  In no particular order…

Cherry Cream Scones from Amy's Bread

Typically a tourist trap, but still fabulous in its own right, Chelsea Market is just a hop, skip and jump away from our apartment. And thankfully because right in the market is Amy’s Bread, and no contest to the other 5+ bakeries/pastry shops that reside there. These scones are not just any scone, it’s the scone that you wish you had 5 more after you ate the first.  Good balance of tart and sweet, you almost don’t feel like you’re not indulging because it’s a scone and not French fries. But it turns out that scones are really fattening so you are, in fact, indulging.  But so so worth it.

Crispy Brussels Sprouts from Alta

I actually wrote about Alta in one of my posts, The Tour of Little Plates . So that’s says something in itself.  People who know me well know that I have a really weird obsession with Brussels sprouts, random, since pop culture tends to give the veg a bad name.  Like on family sitcoms, it’ll be used as a threat to be eaten if the child did something bad.  I have yet to find a place that makes that good of a Brussels sprout dish; heck, maybe if you try them at Alta, you might become obsessed too.

Chili Vinegar from Dirty Bird to Go

I am not even sure if that’s what they formally call it, but they have this vinegar that has a spicy chili flavor that is so good, I even dipped my Brussels sprouts in it (see above regarding obsession with brussles spouts). I am typically not a fan of vinegar flavor, or anything that spicy, but for some reason, you feel like you keep wanting more and dousing the vinegar on everything on your plate. 

Brussels Wafel from Wafles and Dinges

Do we see a trend here for names of food that I love?  Well if you don’t know, know you know- Wafles and Dinges is the best food truck around.  I imagine that this truck has legitimate stalkers, people who google search, twitter follow them, and hunt them down to see where they are located on a daily basis just to grab one of these bad boys.  I may or may not be one of them.  You don’t even need to get all the bells and whistles, just powdered sugar.  It’s that good. Amazing.

Maple Glazed Bacon from Tipsy Parson

Silly people, a best thing I ever ate list without bacon? If bacon became a lollipop, this would be it.  And I don’t think I need to say more than that.

Crème Brulee Doughnut from Doughnut Plant

Take it for NYC to make something that should be inexpensive, like a doughnut, and up charge 3 times over. In walks the crème brulee doughnut! It is the ultimate indulgence, both in taste and price.  It has the crunchy outside, the inside its doughy with crème filling.  And it’s this tiny, tiny doughnut that it shouldn’t even be called a doughnut, it should be called a munchkin, with the price of an individual sized cake.  Nevertheless, I am a sucker, and I am obsessed.

Mac n Cheese from Dinosaur Barbeque

You know when you’re out, and you see mac n cheese on the menu? You always have to get it right?  And I have been tricked every single time because till this day, I have yet to taste better mac n cheese than the one from Dinosaur.  It’s worth the schlep uptown. Ya heard it here.

The Tribeca Burger from New York Burger Company

Ok, I may get burned at the stake here for saying this one, but I have to say, this burger never disappoints.  I know, I know, there are probably a million places that have life changing burgers, but every single time I go there, it is always a really good, solid burger that hits the spot.  This puppy comes with cherrywood smoked bacon, blue cheese & avocado… not to mention a perfectly sized brioche bun.  And if you get French fries, they have a killer sauce bar with 10+ types of sauces. 

Everything Bagel from Murray's Bagels

No NYC list would be complete without having a bagel on the list.  And really, who gets a bagel if it’s not an everything bagel.   Good balance of crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside, another one of those up charged items that are worth it.

Banana Cream Pie from Billy's Bakery

Billy’s is known for their cakes and cupcakes, but I know them for their banana cream pie.  Large chunks of banana, perfect crust, not too sweet whipped cream topping…it’s the best.

I know I typically put pictures on my posts, but somehow my iPhone has no pictures of my faves, apparently just ones of my niece, nephew and dogs.  So I made a huge effort to bust out with the hyperlinks – use them people! They were an extra effort to stick them in, and you can delve into the places a little more yourselves :)

What are some of the best things you ever ate? Which ones do you think I am just plain cray cray for thinking that they are best?