Ah, the Big Apple. It’s hard not to enjoy your time in this magical city. Being a creative person with a gigantic imagination, NYC has a special place in my heart. Every time I come to this city, I feel like I’m seeing it for the first time — mainly because there is so much to do that every trip I’ve taken has been drastically different and filled with adventure. Over the course of the four days, I kept thinking how vast this U.S. truly is. I hadn’t left the country, but NYC and Dallas feel like different worlds.
Looking back on this trip, I realized that overarching theme of this trip wasn’t site seeing, museum hopping, or nights at the theater… it was food! And I mean, c’mon, six college girls in New York for four days? How could it not be? I can honestly say that I did not have a bad meal on this trip, and I feel like food is such an interesting way to experience a city. So, I decided that it would be fun to rank our different meals from the trip. Bon appetit!
9. The Plaza Hotel Food Hall
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Firstly, I would like the say that this place is so freakin’ cool. It’s in the basement of the Plaza, and has anything you’d ever want to eat… pasta, paninis, macarons, you name it! I ended up getting pasta, and it was delicious! However, I paid about $30 for a bowl of pasta and a water which I just found ridiculous — especially since it wasn’t even a sit down restaurant! It was certainly very tasty and great quality, but I don’t know if I would come back here solely based on the ridiculous prices.
8. Joe and the Juice
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I was super excited to try out this place! When I was in Palo Alto this summer, I saw one there and have been curious ever since. It was very trendy and cool, and I did like what I got. However, the reason that this is so low on my list is because of a similar reason to the Plaza Hotel Food Hall…the prices! I paid $17 for a TINY juice and sandwich (and not even a particularly fancy one). Long story short, I’m never complaining about Starbucks prices ever again!
7. The Smile
We went here for breakfast on the first morning of the trip. It was good! Very cute little hidden café in Downtown. It was exactly what we needed, but it was definitely nothing too special. I had a pretty good breakfast sandwich and side salad for $12. Definitely still a little pricey still, but nothing as crazy as the last two stops.
6. Angelo’s Coal Oven Pizzeria
https://www.instagram.com/p/BpACo1dAE-Q/?taken-by=angelospizzanyc
We came to this little pizza shop right before we headed to the airport to leave. All of us were craving pizza, and Angelo’s definitely didn’t disappoint! Again, it was nothing special, but it sure did hit the spot! I believe one large pizza is $24, and each pizza was split between 3 people. Very delicious and good prices — especially for NYC!
5. Balthazar
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I know what you’re thinking… this is a New York classic! How could it be so low on your list?! Honestly, I just think I got the wrong thing. I ordered the Chicken Paillard, and it was good. That’s about it. Everything else I tried (i.e. the steak, french onion soup, etc.) was incredible, but I wasn’t as impressed with my dish. I definitely would go back because of the old school NYC vibes, but I will be ordering something different next time!
4. Laudrée
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I’m a French minor and pretty much obsessed with French culture (even though I’ve still never been to France)! I’d never been to Laudrée before, so this was a must on this trip. I got 6 macarons, and ended up eating all of them in about 30 minutes. I admit those were not my finest 30 minutes, but they sure were delicious! This place definitely deserves all of the hype that it gets. My favorites were the pistachio and the vanilla. Pro tip: if you want to get 6 macarons without paying over $20, do not get the Laudrée box! I saved about $6 just getting mine in a bag.
3. Eataly
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We came here on the first night of the trip, and it was so much fun! Our reservation was for 10pm which was definitely the latest meal I’ve ever eaten. I’m a huge pasta girl, and Eataly did not disappoint. We ordered prosciutto, burrata, and a specialty pasta that we split as appetizers. Then, we each ordered a pasta dish. I don’t know if it was just because of the excitement of getting to the Big Apple, but every thing I put in my mouth was delicious. Period. The wait staff was also so beyond kind! We ended up being the last people in the restaurant, and they continued to be so kind and generous!
3. Lafayette
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Oh. My. God. This place was incredible. I ordered a Croque Madame, and it was amazing. Layette is owned by the same people as Balthazar which is part of the reason why I believe that the only reason Balthazar wasn’t one of my favorites was because of what I ordered. My meal at Lafayette was beyond delicious. The basket of pastries they brought to us as an appetizer was also a great touch… Possibly the best croissant I’ve ever eaten!
1. Catch NYC
There are truly not enough words in the English language for me to describe this place to you all. If you ever have a chance to go to Catch, GO! It is a tapas style restaurant (which I personally love), and everything was perfect. We got Waygu short rib tacos, different types of rolls, lobster mac and cheese, chicken lettuce cups, parmesan truffle fries, and my favorite…crispy cauliflower! This cauliflower tasted like orange chicken. I have no idea how this is even possible, but just trust me! As amazing as all of this was, the dessert definitely stole the show. We got the famous “hit me” cake and their dessert special of the evening: cookie dough spring rolls with a white chocolate dipping sauce. Writing this post has made me hungry again… SOS.
Repost from astoldbymeredith.com.
