Keste: Best Pizza of My Life ( in America that is...)

Neapolitan Pizza places are popping up around the city faster than you can say bedbugs! But my go-to "lets impress the family" pizza will always be Keste. On a lazy afternoon, I headed to the West Village to grab a delicious bite with a friend for lunch.

Funghi

This was made with fresh mozzeralla, basil, tomatoes and of course, mushrooms. The sauce tasted like someone just crushed fresh tomato's over it. It was light, delicate and just the right amount. Every component of the pizza was perfect, but the one thing about this place that puts the other pizza places to shame is their dough. It is spectacularly chewy, airy, and perfectly charred. A little bite of heaven. For carb-ophobic freaks out there: To not eat the crust is a complete and utter sin! I was watching some skinny bitch at the table next to me cut off all her crust. I had the urge to pick it off her plate and eat it all for myself. ( Wow, that sounded really fat).

Price: $ 14.00

Verdict: If you are in New York, living, planning, or even teleporting here. You  must stop and try the pizza! On the weekday's they serve sandwiches made from the dough and gluten free pizza's on Monday and Tuesdays!

Keste

271 Bleeker Street

New York, NY 10014

http://kestepizzeria.com/

Pasticceria Rocco: Honey I Blew up the Cookies!!

Walking around the West Village again, I spotted a crap load of tourists outside a pastry store listening to some tour guide. As she rambled on about the store, my gaze turned toward the giant cookies on display at the window. I shoved past the crowd of people to investigate.

I would eat every last crumb of eat cake and lick my fingers with delight afterwards. Which makes me wonder...how many cakes does one eat in a life time? I think I'm already up to 70, possibly even 100....

Somebody was going cookie crazy in front of me at the counter, they were the size of a boob, maybe a 34B?

Rocky Road Cookie

Holy moley did they get the ratio of chocolate chips to cookie down right! Folded in between were pieces of melted marshmallows lending a chewy bite. Chocolatey and even a bit of a coffee aftertaste. A solid rocky road cookie.

Almond Lover Cookie

This was not for lovers, it was for crazy almond stalkers who carry viles of almond oil around their necks! Literally all almonds, the only thing holding the cookie together was the minimal amount of cookie dough. The healthy drizzle of dark chocolate was a perfect topper. Amazing.

Price: $3.00 per cookie

Verdict: Satisfying cookies, and an endless array of other sweets. They have seating too if you want to relax and get coffee or espresso.

Faicco's Italian Meat Shoppe: A...Snack?

The other week I was in the West Village waiting for a friend to meet up for lunch. I was STARVING and had not eaten since 8 am. After waiting for her it turned out that her train was stuck. Well it was 2:30pm and I was ready to eat my own arm. Sooo....I decided to grab a snack.

 Proscuitto Stuffed Roll

I guess this is where the "your eyes are bigger than your stomach" comes into play. This roll was a little larger than the size of a giant New York bagel. The guy behind the counter warmed it up for me in the microwave, and boy am I ever glad he did. The roll was super airy, and chewy. It was a beautiful hybrid of chewy baguette and flaky pastry dough. Umm... and do you SEE the center?? Chopped proscuitto in every nook and cranny. Needless to say I finished the whole thing and ate lunch with my friend an hour later. I was going to have some really satisfying poops later that night.
Price: $3.00
Verdict: Skip Joe's Pizza and head over to Faicco's for a satisfying and savory snack. And don't forget to let them warm it up!

Faicco's Italian Meat Shoppe

260 Bleeker Street

New York, NY 10014

John's of Bleeker Street: Meh....at Least You Can Profess Your Love

  

John's of Bleeker, the last stop at Scott's Pizza Tour that I attended last year. Being so stuffed from eating all the pizza before I got a chance to eat this one, I forgot what this pizza tasted like. So what is a girl to do? Go back to get some more of course!

 Kind of stuffy inside, not enough windows and random flies attacking everywhere!

 I went with Buddy,  when I went to the bathroom, I came back to find this new "art" on the table...(insert "AWWWW" here)

 We decided to get a 16 inch half a plain and half a white.. are you drooling now? Well you should!

 Plain

This was a sturdy slice, not too thin, not too thick, the bottom had a great crispy crunch to it. The sauce was slightly sweet and a little too much on the light side. It was "the standard" slice. It actually tasted better once it got cool and after a nice drizzle of garlic powder, and red pepper flakes.

White Pizza

Again, the standard white pizza, it would have been nice to see a couple of dollops of ricotta cheese and basil, but after the shower of garlic and more pepper flakes, it was a-okay. 

The upskirt

Price: $15.00

Verdict: Would I go traveling over half an hour for this pizza? Hell no. Did it satisfy the craving for pizza? Yep. The service was a bit rocky however, I had to stalk a waiter down in order to get service, though it wasn't even busy. Joe's or John's, the West Village is full of good places to eat!

John's of Bleeker Street

278 Bleeker St

New York, NY 10014

http://www.johnsbrickovenpizza.com/

Murray's Cheese Chop: Could it Be Possible That Just By Smelling The Cheese, You Could Gain Weight?

Every time I pass by this shop in the West Village, I start salivating from the addicting and beautiful perfume of milk, cream, and butter lingering in the air. The other day, on my way to check out the Marc Jacobs store I could not resist any longer. There was only one thing on my mind... GRILLED CHEESE.

Oh, no! But which grilled cheese should I get?? The guy behind the counter was super nice and patient. He suggested the Murray's melt with bacon and a fried egg (his favorite), but I wanted a more lunch-y (is that even a word?) sandwich. I finally narrowed it down between the Provencal or the Tuna Melt. He told me their tuna salad was to die for. I was sold.

While waiting for my delicious sandwich to be made, I wanted to jump over the counter, shove every cheese in my mouth, and slather myself in cheesy goodness took a look behind the case, so many choices of cheese! I suppressed my urge instead, by taking a huge whiff of the buttery aroma in the air. Can you gain weight from smelling too much cheese? 

Hmm... I wonder if they sell the ingredient "awesome" at Whole Foods? 

The most perfectly grilled, buttered tuna melt, possibly ever.

Tuna Melt

FINALLY it was done, after I paid I took a seat on the bench outside the shop ( they need at least 2 more benches by the way since a lot of people were eating standing up) anyway on to the sandwich....

This was made with Tuna Salad, Grafton one year cheddar and red onion on Orwasher's seven grain bread. The strong nutty cheese could have been a little more melted, but do you see the 3 layers of it they put on my sandwich?? It was amazing. Paired perfectly with the tuna salad which was more like the Robin to the  Batman of cheese. The red onions added a nice zing in the sandwich, but were actually very stringy and hard to bite into pieces. Overall a satisfying comfort sandwich that will keep me coming back for more!

Price: $5.99

Verdict: Throw away you depressing, boring salad, take whatever choice of transportation you want to get here, order any sandwich and let your diet go to hell while your brain goes into cheese utopia.

Murray's Cheese Shop

254 Bleecker St.
New York, NY 10014

or

43rd St. & Lexington
New York, NY 10017

www.murrayscheese.com 

Dinner: Gobo

The other night my friend Janet had suggested we go to this vegan/ vegetarian restaurant for dinner. I am always looking for good healthy places to eat, so I was pretty interested in this place. I had a pretty optimistic outlook on this place since my experiences with vegan restaurants were usually very pleasant and surprisingly delicious. The menu was extensive, and we decided to get 4 appetizer plates to share.

The outside, located at one of the busier parts of the West Village

The inside was very roomy and had a modern earthy feel to it. It also had an open kitchen and a juice bar in the front.

Complimentary 7 Grain Toast

The waiter gave us this with a side of sweet potato and raisin spread. The bread tasted like the standard packaged bread you would get at a supermarket, nothing special. The spread was kind of bland as well, though it had a nice creamy texture to it. It would have been nice if they blended the raisins in with the sweet potato, or if they added a tad more honey. 

Price: Free

Five Spice Tofu Rolls

This was actually one of my favorite dishes of night. The tofu was very well seasoned, and the flavors marinated deep into the tofu. It was very soft and tender, and was served with a mango puree. The tang danced around my mouth playfully and had the consistency of milk. The roll was crispy and fun to crunch on, but for 6 dollars I wished there was more than 1 roll!

Price: $6.00

Steamed Green Tea Vegetable Dumplings

These were hand wrapped dumplings and came in a set of 5. The skin was the perfect thickness, though I couldn't get any green tea flavor out if it. The mixed veggies inside the dumpling managed to somehow taste like meat, but was soft, light and chewy. I love that they served pickled veggies with it, which added a nice tartness to the dish.

Price: $8.00

Eggplant Stuffed with Herbed Tofu Cheese

Yum! Is it wrong to say that this tasted like a very well made de-constructed pizza? Two nice generous slices of grilled eggplant sandwiches together the tofu cheese which had the texture and taste of herbed goat cheese. The stewed tomatoes had a very bold flavor which almost overpowered the delicate earthiness of the eggplant. The sauce was a bit too oily for my taste, but over tasty.

Price: $12.00

Seitan with Malaysian Curry

This was a slow cooked seitan stew with chunks of potatoes and carrots. This reminded me of a nice winter beef stew except there was a lingering flavor of curry after each bite. This would be wonderful to eat on a cold winter night, but felt too heavy when it was so warm out. It was hardy and the seitan, carrots and potatoes were all equally tender and well cooked. They had given a cereal sized bowl full, but neither Janet nor I could finish it

Price: $12.00

Verdict: I really enjoyed the atmosphere here and the service was excellent. It was very cozy and I didn't feel overly stuffed, but full and satisfied. Each dish had it's own very bold distinct flavors textures ( if not a bit salty). I would like to come back again for more healthy tapa's style eats.

Gobo Restaurant

401 Avenue of the Americas (6th Ave)

New York, NY 10014

www.goborestaurant.com 

Brunch: Morandi

Hidden in the West Village is a cute restaurant that you can escape from the busy New York life and travel to Italy. The place is spacious with walls made from bricks. The decorations are of wine bottles and fresh baguettes. During nice weather, they open all of the window walls to form an open a patio. I was already in heaven.

Entry to Morandi *photo courtesy of Yelp

Espresso

Taste: Finally, real espresso. It was strong and bold, with nutty after tones. Great to sip on while you wait for your food

Texture: Frothy, thick, the kind of espresso the coats your tongue and the bitterness lingers
Price: $4.50

Complimentary Bread and Olive Oil

Taste: One of the best bread baskets I've had. The sourdough was still warm and the olive oil was fragrant and fruity.

Texture: Nice a crunchy crust, super airy and fluffy innards 

Price: Free

Frittelle di Ricotta

Taste: These were ricotta fritters. They were powered with a cinnamon and sugar coating. Lemony and tart, with bits of dark chocolate chips. It was a tasty morning appetizer

Texture: The outside was crunchy while the inside was gooey, soft, and delicate. I really enjoyed the textures of these little guys

Price: $5.00 for 3

Pizza "Occhio di Buo"

Taste: YUM. Way to start off a day! This was a grilled pizza with sunny side up egg, pancetta, pecorino, drizzled with olive oil and fresh shaved parmesan. The fruity olive oil mixed with the salty and smoky pecorino and the creaminess of the yolk...WOW! Flavor party in my mouth

Texture: The pizza was chewy and soft, the egg was cooked to perfection with the white still delicate and the yolk runny. I loved how they grilled the pecorino too so the it had a crunchy crust

Price: $11.00

Uova in Camicia

Taste:This was cooked beans, asparagus, onions and spinach topped with 2 poached eggs and a slice of proscuitto. All of the natural vegetable flavors came through. This was a like but filling dish. The proscuitto added just the touch of salt it needed while the a sprinkling of pepper gave it just the right kick.

Texture: Soft delicate and melt in your mouth eggs, crunchy veggies and the proscuitto was tender and fatty  

Price: $11.00

Verdict: I really enjoyed my time here and felt like I was back in Italy. I heard this is a good place to find celebrities but I would rather come back  to try their crepes and other dishes instead. The service was attentive and knowledgeable and the ambiance warm and inviting. This is one of my favorite spots in the city!

Morandi

211 Waverly Place

New York, NY 10014

www.morandiny.com

Sweet Tooth: Sweet Revenge

Hidden in the confusing streets of the West Village lies a little high end dessert bar.  Having been always curious for sweet treats, I had to check this place out. They are known specially for using high quality ingredients. This place was the perfect size for a bar/dessert spot, with seating for at least 20 people. Upon walking in, the atmosphere was warm and welcoming.

The outside

Entry

Display of cupcakes

The Crimson and Cream Cupcake

Taste: This was a raspberry red velvet with cream cheese frosting. It was topped with raspberry jam. Wow, this one was way too sweet. I couldn't really taste the light cocoa flavor that I love so much in red velvets. The cream cheese and jam were both overly sweetened, I had to wash it down with water. The cake didn't have much flavor other wise

Texture: The cake was hardy and sturdy, I like that in cupcakes (since they are messy enough to eat as it is)

Price: $3.50

The Dirty Cupcake

Taste: This was a valhora chocolate cake with dark chocolate frosting and topped with cocoa powder. The frosting was very chocolatey and again, a little over sweetened. The cake had a rich chocolate color, but not much flavor either

Texture: Again, hardy and sturdy, the frosting had a nice velvety feel in the mouth

Price: $3.50

The Key Lime Cupcake

Taste: This was a mexican vanilla cake with lemon lime frosting and topped with zested lime. The cake by itself had a great vanilla and milky flavor. The frosting, however had the same fate of the other frosting with its overly sweetness. The zest of lime helped a little by balancing it out with its natural tartness.

Texture: The cake was hardy, and a little creamier than the other two

Price: $3.50

Verdict: This place was really cute, I also met the owner and she seemed to really care about the customers opinions. I really wished I liked the cupcakes more though, but they seemed to rely mostly on the frosting flavor than the cake itself. I believe that a great cupcake should have as much flavor in the cake itself as in the frosting to balance each other out. I really enjoyed the texture of the cakes because it made it easier to eat. Their menu also offers breakfast, dessert drinks and savory "cake" entrees. Though I might not purposely travel to get anything from there again, if I happen to pass by I'll be sure to give them another shot.

Sweet Revenge

62 Carmine Street
NYC, NY 10014

www.sweetrevengenyc.com