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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Sushi Park After Dark

After dark, Sushi Park is one of the most happening Japanese spots in the East Village. Located just a few feet from the famous St. Marks Place, it is a place the locals love to eat. I know what you are thinking, "There are tons of sushi spots in NYC, why is this place so popular?" The answer to your mind boggling question is, it's 50% off all the time! Obviously, this is a marking technique but its working for them!

Two weeks ago I had my first sushi experience ever. My friend Jill introduced me to this place and I liked it so much that I had to take my boyfriend Alex to it the next weekend. The place was packed full of people and the food full of flavor. During our visit we grubbed on a few different sushi rolls like Avocado & Cucumber, Shrimp Tempura, Mango Shrimp and deep fried Spicy Tuna & Asparagus. We also had some Edamame and fried pork dumplings. Talk about a masterpiece.

Avocado & Cucumber Roll

It's a sushi party!

Edamame

Pork dumplings

 The menu is great because there are so many options. They have over 30 different types of sushi rolls.If you are not into sushi, they also have dinner entrees. Check out the full menu here.

Sushi Park is located 121 2nd Ave. New York, New York 10003. Prices are a steal because all sushi is 50% of the price on the menu. If you love sushi or if you've never tried it, you have got to check this place out. You are going to fishing-love it.


PS- Before Sushi Park we saw Soul Doctor on Broadway. Oh. My. Gosh. I cried like three times because it was so stinkin' good. Go see it today!

The Soul Doctor himself!

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Baked by Melissa's Bite-size Cupcakes

“Ever since she was a little girl, Melissa loved to bake.”Her passion became her career in 2008 after being fired from a job in advertisingand thank goodness for that! Baked by Melissa specializes in bite-size cupcakesso you can try more flavors without the post-dessert guilt trip. Genius.

With locations all over NYC and one in NJ, Melissa serves upover 12 unique bite-size cupcake flavors a day. Some of the incising flavorsinclude: Tie-Dye, Mint Chocolate Chip, Red Velvet, Chocolate Chip Pancake,Cookie Dough, Peanut Butter & Jelly  andof course the flavor of the month. My favorite is Cinnamon. Too delicious tosum up properly. Recently, they have also introduced “In Chocolate” which is abite-size cupcake dipped in chocolate.

There are three ways to get your paws on these babies solisten up! You can pick up, ship or choose delivery (Manhattan only).  Planning a large event? If you order over 300cupcakes, YOU can be the cupcake creator and choose your cake, icing, stuffingand toppings. You can buy Baked by Melissa cupcakes in whatever amount youlike. Whether it’s one cupcake to satisfy your afternoon craving  or 500 for your next holiday party, Baked byMelissa has got you covered. Single cupcakes are $1 and the more you buy the morethe rate goes down.

Baked by Melissa 100 Pack

Check out all Baked by Melissa locations here. And by theway, each cupcake is under 50 calories, so indulge a little!

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Nicoletta

As an avid Instagramer, one day I came across a photo of what appeared to the most fantastic looking meatballs ever. Naturally, I had to check the place out for myself so I took my boyfriend, Alex and my friend Little Leeron to see what all the fuss was about.

Alex- always happy to eat.

Little Leeron

Nicoletta is known for their "made fresh to order" pizzas but they are so much more than that. Although the pizzas I saw on the walk to my table did look amazing, I had to get my hands on those meatballs! Know to the chef as Polpette, these brick-oven baked Neapolitan meatballs topped with pomadara and bread crumbs are to die for!  We also tried the Stromboil and the Pollo alla Parmigiana: "breaded chicken breast fried to a beautiful golden brown, covered with Chef White's pomodoro sauce and topped with melted mozzarella cheese served with a side of spinach, sautéed with onions, garlic & chile flakes." Both were equally amazing. Check out the full menu here.

Polpette

Stromboli

Pollo alla Parmigiana

Nicoletta is located in the East Village at 160 Second Avenue, NY, NY. The menu is reasonably priced with appetizers starting at $5, pastas staring at $17 and pizza ranging from $17-$23. This is a great date spot and they have a nice outside seating area. For more information on Nicoletta, check out their website here.

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Some photos from Tasting Table

Frozen S'More at Dominique Ansel Bakery

Do you have a hankerin' for campfire s'mores but you can't get out of Manhattan? Fortunately, it's 2013 and we live in a city of very innovative foodies, so these days if you need a s'more look no futher than Spring Street. Oh, and did I mention the twist? They're frozen!

First Dominique Ansel Bakery took NYC by storm with the Cronut (croissant and donut mixed pastry), and now they have done it again with the Frozen S'More. This sweet invention is made up of marshmallow, vanilla ice cream and chocolate wafers all frozen together, then torched to perfection.

Time Out Magazine has named this the "Dish of the Moment" and I completely agree! You can get your hands on one at 189 Spring Street NY, NY for around $6.

S'Mores aren't your thing? No big deal. Dominique Ansel Bakery has plenty of other enticing options to choose from. Check out their full menu here.

The days of summer are winding down, so get your summer Frozen S'More before they are gone. On the bright side, I can't wait to see what fabulous creation they come up with for fall. Frozen S'Mores for life!

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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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Umami Burger

Umami Burger known for their many locations in California. They have now moved East and opened a location in NYC, so last weekend my friend Jill and I decided to see what all the fuss was about.

Umami Burger is "The art of creating that perfect mouthful...Experience it for yourself..After one bite you'll accept no substitutions." They like to call it "What you wanted before you even knew that you wanted it...Where YUM is the new WOW!" I couldn't agree more.

After a short wait we were seated and started studying the menu. After reviewing all of the unique burger combinations, I decided on a bacon cheese burger called Manly Burger. Jill went with the Umami Burger that was topped with shiitake mushrooms, caramelized onions, roasted tomato and crisp Parmesan. To see all the delicious burgers click here.

MANLY BURGER

UMAMI BURGER

yummy fires!

Jill and I enjoyed these burgers so much! Umami Burger is located at 432 6th Ave. NY, NY 10011. Go get your burger on!

Do you tango with mango?

     This past Saturday was very eventful. One of the highlights of the day was when I saw the mango lady at Union Square. This fantastic Spanish women peels and slices fresh mango, bags it up and sells it on the corner and it's such a hit. I have bought mango from her so many times and every time I go to Union Square I am on the lookout for her. She peels, slices and bags the mango right in front of you then you hand her three dollar bills and enjoy. The mango lady make this city so much sweeter.

Panera To Go

     After we picked up some mango, we made a pit stop at Panera Bread to get some Broccoli Cheddar Cheese Bread Bowls for our picnic at Central Park. I know everyone knows how amazing these things are so I don't need to tell you again.

    After we enjoyed some delicious food in Central Park, a really nice lady offered to take our picture saying: " you never know you might frame this one day!"