Keep Calm and Carry On: The Diary of Foodie and Gourmet

A few weekends ago, I was spending time with my parents at our cabin in upstate NY. We were busy running errands and stopped into our local Mexican restaurant for dinner. My parents and I don't eat Mexican food very often, so this was a bit out of the ordinary for us.  Coyote Flaco is about a 10 minute drive from our cabin and it's almost always packed. Personally, this was my first time dining at Coyote Flaco, but I've always heard positive things about this place. The bar By the time my parents and I arrived for dinner, it was late in the evening and we were ravenous. We descended upon the tortilla chips and salsa like locusts!  We also decided to end the evening with a pitcher of yummy sangria For starters, my parents and I shared an order of "tequila wings" and the chile relleno. The tequila wings were basically buffalo chicken wings and they were very tasty! The chile relleno was a ground beef and cheese stuffed poblano pepper. I re...

I hope that everyone had a lovely Labor Day Weekend! Sorry this post is so late. The past week was quite busy and I have only just found time to sit down and write this post. I spent Labor Day weekend with my parents at our cabin in upstate New York. I took Amtrak from Manhattan on Thursday and met my parents in the nearby city of Hudson, since they were already up at the cabin. Rather than cook dinner at our cabin, which is what we normally do, we indulged and enjoyed a lovely dinner in Hudson. The number of restaurants in Hudson has increased substantially over the years. Some are Manhattan quality, others are quirky, and some have a truly local flare. On the evening of my arrival, my parents and I dined at an Italian restaurant called “Ca’Mea.”   333 Warren St (Hudson, NY) Ca’Mea blends local produce with beautiful Italian flavors. I love Italian food, so I was excited. One thing I love about having a house in the Hudson River Valley is all of the top notch...

68 Clinton St. (Lower East Side) For the past couple of months, I have been fascinated by Filipino food. For some reason, I find myself thinking about it and reading about it, mainly because I know nothing about it. Whilst I eat pretty much any cuisine, I am particularly fond of Asian food. That said, I’ve never eaten Filipino food! A few months back, I asked my friend K, who is Filipino, to introduce me to this exotic cuisine. She was more than happy to oblige and took me to “Pig & Khao,” located downtown, near Delancey Street. K told me that Filipino cuisine essentially has two flavors: sweet and sour, and sometimes those tastes are combined. The variety of dishes on the menu was amazing, so selecting only a few was very very challenging! I defaulted to K’s judgment and let her select dishes from the menu. Granted, Pig & Khao is technically fusion and not strictly traditional Filipino, however we both had such a great evening there! This past week, I was g...

Yesterday, one of my co-workers at the cancer center and I decided to treat ourselves. A month or two ago, another one of our colleagues, now a first year medical student, had told us about an amazing cupcake store on Bleeker St. She had described these cupcakes as the best she'd ever eaten. With an endorsement like that, how could we resist? It took us several subway rides, but eventually, we arrived at this unsuspecting cupcake heaven!  228 Bleeker St (West Village) The store itself has this magical quality. It's hard to explain. I couldn't help but smile when we walked in. It was like traveling back in time to my childhood. With the swinging counter seats, fairy lights, board games, and vintage lunch boxes --- it has a very fun ambience.  Of course, we weren't there to admire the furnishings --- we were there on a cupcake mission! My coworker and I made a beeline to the two glass counters, filled with an assortment of cupcakes. Blueberry cheesecake, cook...