Fresco Gelateria

Fresco Gelateria is a small gelato shop located in the East Village of NYC. Known for their attention to detail and fresh flavors, Fresco Gelateria has some of the most delicious gelato I have ever tasted! "After six years of owning and operating a gelateria in Athens, Greece, brother and sister, Ilias and Venetia, bring to NY their passion for classic Italian gelato," and I think everyone can agree it was a brilliant idea.

I discovered this place thanks to another NYC Food Tour. We were able to sample a few of these tasty flavors like coconut, strawberry and chocolate. I don't even like coconut but I loved this!

 With a funky list of flavors, there is something for even the pickiest eater. Some of the flavors include Salted Caramel, Rose Water, Goat Cheese, Vanilla Bean and Peanut Butter. Fresco's also serves up freshly baked pastries and assorted espresso based drinks. Their products are simple but amazingly executed and you should probably head on over now. 

Fresco Gelateria is located at 138 2nd avenue NY, NY 10003. Expect to pay for quality, because you're worth it! 

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Doughnut Plant

Yesterday I had the pleasure of visiting Doughnut Plant on the lower east side to pick up some doughnuts for our staff Birthday celebration at work. And then, I had the pleasure of trying to flag down a taxi with my foot, in the scorching heat, while awkwardly holding two boxes of three dozen doughnuts.  I'm just going to go ahead an pat my self on the back for that one. More importantly, let talk about how awesome Doughnut Plant is!

With recipes dating back to 1910, Doughnut Plant is pleasing the people of New York City one by one. Originally inspired by his grandfathers doughnut recipe, Mark, creator of Doughnut Plant, has been in the business of fried dough since 1994.  Starting from the basement of a tenant building gone kitchen work space, Mark and his team have come a long way now with two Doughnut Plant locations in NYC as of 2011 and locations in Tokyo and Seoul. I would like to personally thank Mark and his grandfather for their amazing doughnuts. Well done folks!

The doughnuts here are not so typical and that what makes it that much more interesting. They use all natural, high quality ingredients to make flavors like; Peanut Butter Jam, Black Out, Vanilla Bean, Tres Leches, Coconut Lime and they always have a fresh seasonal fruit flavor. Check out the full menu here.

Glazed and Peanut Butter Jam

 Cinnamon Sugar, Tres Leches, Vanilla Bean, Black Out

The Famous Peanut Butter Jam Doughnut

Doughnuts For All!

Doughnut Plant is located at 379 Grand Street and at 220 West 23rd Street in NYC. Grab a friend and go get some sugar at Doughnut Plant. You will be glad you did.


P.S. This is my favorite book right now and is the perfect accent to coffee and doughnuts. Get your copy now!

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Cubana Cafe: Yummy, Yummy In My Tummy.

Oh. My. Gosh. This place rocks. After walking two miles to discover the place we had planned on going to dinner was closed, Alex and I ended up at this fabulous joint: Cubana Cafe. The inside was small and homey and the decor made me feel like I just stepped into a party in Cuba. The walls were bright, seating was tight and the food was comforting.

            

                      Outside

Inside

To start off we ordered a Relleno de papa: crispy mashed potato stuffed with savory ground beef, served with a tomato cilantro relish and it was so, so good! Next we moved on to what I'm assuming was baked slices of Plantain with some homemade sauces.

Finally it was time for the main course. We ordered a Shrimp with Roast Garlic Platter with tomato salsa, rice and black beans and Palomilla: pounded chicken breast marinated in garlic lime and onions, served with rice and beans. It sure did hit the spot!

Shrimp with Roast Garlic Platter

Palomilla

This place is awesome and you should check it out! They have two locations in Brooklyn. For more information check out their website here. Until next time...enjoy your rice and beans!

RIOZ Brazilian Steakhouse

RIOZ Brazilian Steakhouse is an authentic Brazilian Steakhouse located in Myrtle Beach and Columbia, SC. When we recently visited Myrtle Beach we could not wait to try this place out. About ten seconds after we were seated we were invited to go to the extensive salad bar that featured a lot of cheese, sea food, sushi and my favorite: rice and beans.

Oh, and don't forget the Sangria.

Then after you choose what you would like to eat from the salad bar the meat begins! They have continuous table side service of 15 different choices of meat which include beef, pork, lamb and poultry. Check out the full menu here. The coolest part about this whole thing is that you have a card which is red on one side and green on the other and whenever you are ready for meat you flip your card to green and when you're full you flip it to red.

 We really had such a great time at this place and want everyone to love it as much as we did. Next time you are in the south be sure to check it out! For the full meal its around $37 a person. Not bad I say, not bad.

Steak 'n Shake

    

    
     This past week I have been at Myrtle Beach with six of my friends- one of whom is obsessed with Steak 'n Shake. The whole ride down to South Carolina all my friend Jordan could talk about was how excited he was to get to Steak 'n Shake. When we arrived to the place "famous for steak burgers" he was in heaven.

      We all sat down and got to looking over the menu and couldn't believe how cheap everything was. Their menu is full of unique burgers but that's not all they have. This place has a full menu of breakfast, lunch, dinner and milkshakes. Check out the full menu here.

 

    I indulged in the Prince of Royale Steakburger which was topped with bacon, cheese and a over hard egg. To finish it off I also had a Salted Pretzel Milkshake for dessert and it was amazing! The best part about this place is the prices- $4 for a burger and fries and $3.75 for a huge milkshake. Can't beat it!

To find a Steak n'Shake near you click here. Now go shake it with a steak!

Greetings from Myrtle Beach!

Hope you are looking forward to more of my fantastic food finds! I'm super excited to tell you all about all the delicious food I have been eating in Myrtle Beach, SC this week. Check back tomorrow for a new post that will make your mouth water!

Bonkey's Bangs

    

Pineapple Mango Snowball

     Eat, Sleep, Scoop. That's their motto and they're sticking to it. Bonkey's Homemade Ice Cream and Snowballs is "striving to keep "mom & pop" shops alive in small town America," and I am so glad they are. Bonkey's Homeade Ice Cream and Snowballs has been open since 2004 and gets its name from the owners Bonnie and Keith.

     The menu at Bonkey's has so many options that it would take you over an hour to read them all. They have everything to satisfy your sweet tooth like ice cream, snowballs, old fashioned candy and chocolate covered cheesecake on a stick. The snowballs topped with marshmallow are my favorite and they have over 100 flavors to choose from. There are way too many things on the menu to list so  check out the full menu here.

     Bonkey's is located at 28 E. Franklin Street, New freedom, PA 13749. They are open Monday-Friday 3-9pm and Saturday and Sunday 12-9pm. Go get your snowball on!

Earl of Sandwich

     So one time my friend Annie was like "Oh My Gosh Olivia...you have got to try Earl of Sandwich," and that was that. When Alex and I went to Atlantic City for the weekend we walked right on over to Earl of Sandwich and got ourselves some of the goods. Well... we got lost for almost a mile and couldn't figure out what casino it was in, but when we finally figured it out, then we walked right on over.

"I'm pumped to find Earl of Sandwich!"

"Seriously- where is this place?"

"Earl of Sandwich straight ahead!"

      Alex and I visited Earl of Sandwich in the Showboat Casino in Atlantic City, NJ. It's quick service and the sandwiches were delish! Their menu is made up of hot sandwiches, wraps, salads, breakfast and desserts. Check out their full menu here. It's a good place to go if you want some yummy food in a hurry. I got their famous Hawaiian BBQ sandwich. Its made of grilled chicken, ham, swiss, pineapple and Hawaiian BBQ sauce. 

Hawaiian BBQ

 Earl of Sandwich has a lot of locations and luckily one of them in right here in NYC at 1290 6th Avenue (W 52nd st between 5th & 6th ave) New York, NY 10104. Go get some meat between two slices of bread already!

Pizza Roma

   
"To most New Yorkers, square pizza is a Sicilian slice with a heavy crust. But now, from Pizza Roma, comes a different kind of slice: the first, authentic artisanal Roman style pizza in New York, also known as “Pizza al taglio” (literally “Pizza by the cut”). Made from a unique pizza flour imported from Rome, the dough is allowed to develop over the course of 96 hours, thus resulting in a lighter crust that is easier to digest" That statement right there straight from the Pizza Roma website sums up exactly what kind of delicious pizza is made.

Throughout this blog you will learn all about the things in life that make me smile and Food Tours are one of them. I discovered Pizza Roma while on the Food of NY Food Tour of Greenwich Village. The pizza is so unique and the toppings paired together are amazing. The pies are made with local and organic indigence and in the shape of a rectangle. Oh and they slice it with scissors just like in Italy! My favorite is the zucchini mozzarella pizza.

The food here not cheap by any means but it is well worth it. A pie for two people ranges from $30-$35.  Pizza Roma is located at 9 Barrow St  New York, NY 10014. For more information check out their website here.

Carlo's Bakery

Next time you want to get out of the city for a afternoon, head on over to Carlo's Bakery in Hoboken, NJ. Carlos's Bakery fuels Hobokens with cakes, pies, cupcakes, cookies, wedding cakes and much more.Its just a train ride away and you better believe it will be worth it. Carlo's has been serving up delicious baked goods since 1910 and recently received National recognition on the reality show "Cake Boss" where the fourth generation baker-decorator Buddy Jr. and his family star in the series about Carlo's Bakery.

Since watching the show "Cake Boss" my friends and I just had to go to the bakery and see what all the fuss was about. When we arrived we looked at the bakery, saw the line outside and thought "OK that's not so bad!" Then we looked in the other direction and saw the other half of the line across the street and then we knew we should get cozy for the rest of the afternoon.

We waited in line for a few hours and when we finally entered the bakery it was complete chaos. Talk about a panic attack. You get a ticket with a number on it when you walk into the overwhelmingly crowded shop and try and see through people to decide what you want to order. Oh, and if you don't hear your number you just wasted your afternoon. So I listened closely and ordered my $12 worth of personal pastries. Once we walked out of the shop we sat and enjoyed the sweet treats, then contemplated if all the chaos was worth it...and it was.

Do you see all those people!?

Yay! I have a number!

Enjoying our treats on the street!

For more information on Carlo's Bakery and to see everything they can make you, check out their website here. Carlo's Bakery is located at 95 Washington Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030.