la maison du macaron, new york, ny

right around the corner from eataly, one of my favorite new york eateries, is la maison du macaron. i came in here one day, attempting to escape the heat during the big apple barbeque in madison square park. 

people come in here for the macarons, which are delicious. the flavors are interesting and beautifully arranged behind a glass display case. personally, i think they're better than laduree macarons. flavors like lavender, green tea and strawberry champagne are delightfully different from the selection at other macaron shoppes.


while the macarons are delicious, i love the lattes and almond croissants at la maison du macaron. some of my favorite new york afternoons have been spent sipping a latte while sitting on comfortable, mismatched vintage furniture and studying artwork on the store's exposed brick walls. for a brief moment, you can't help but feel like you've escaped the frantic, new york pace.

mama's on washington square, san francisco, ca

mama's always has a line. even during the weekday, which is when i stumbled upon it. being drawn to restaurants with a line, kyle and i decided to try it out. there's something about a neighborhood restaurant with a line outside, a need to know why so many people are willing to wait outside on a cold san francisco morning for a warm breakfast. they must know something! after snagging a street parking spot right in front of the restaurant, i stood in line for about 20 minutes. this might have been the most well spent 20 minutes of my life.

the inside is informal with a cozy tables and warm sunlight pouring through the windows. you place your order first and then find an open table. there's an unspoken protocol, guests know that they cannot snag the first open table until they have placed their order.


i ordered the famous monte cristo sandwich which is a cross between a turkey grilled cheese and french toast. the soft, sweet and salty sandwich comes with jam and while it seems strange to smear jam onto a grilled cheese sandwich, the combination makes your taste buds confused, happy and excited all at the same time.


kyle ordered the cranberry orange french toast with fresh berries. this dish is most likely the leading cause of obesity in america but when you're eating it, you just don't care. made with house-baked sweet bread, dipped in a sugary egg bath and then pan-fried (probably in butter), the french toast has a slightly crispy exterior and then softly melts in your mouth.

mama's is a must when you visit san francisco. good food, fresh squeezed orange juice and an inviting atmosphere, what more could you want.

ray's hell burger, arlington, va

this is probably not the best place to take someone on the first date, unromantic, no ambience, crowded and slightly dirty. nevertheless, if you're in the mood for a good burger, not afraid to get your hands dirty or maybe it's the fourth date..then ray's hell burger is probably the right place for you.

when you get inside, there's a long line along one wall to get up to the cash register. kyle ordered the big punisher which has pepper jack cheese, jalapenos, and grilled onions. i opted for the dogcatcher which has bone marrow, persillade, lettuce and tomatoes. bone marrow may seem like an odd choice for a burger topping and that's because it is. i love bone marrow- it's a bit carnivorous when you think about what you're actually eating..but maybe you're just thinking too much. my only complaint is that the marrow doesn't add much in the way of flavor to the burger, plus the burger is juicy enough as it is that the marrow just adds to the jus..leaving a messy pile of wilted bun on your plate and greasy hands. 


the other thing to note is the fact that tables are a first come first serve type of deal. there were many awkward moments perching by a table that looked like it was about to become available, only to have someone swoop in to take your table. normally i would have been ok with that and politely just backed away, but when you're holding a burger in one hand and a milkshake in the other and someone gets between you and your chance to eat said burger..primitive instincts start to kick in.


good burger joint, not as good as ray's other restaurant in arlington, ray's the steaks.

ben's chili bowl, washington, d.c.

i guess you can't really go to washington, d.c. without going to ben's chili bowl. obama went there, biden went there, bill cosby went there, etc. if it's good enough for obama, it's good enough for me.


the place opened in 1958, and reeks of history. when i got there, there was a line out the door which wrapped along the side of the building. when i finally made it inside, i knew i had hit the jackpot. this place puts up no fronts- you can see right into the kitchen. i use the term kitchen quite loosely here because the kitchen is actually, a deep fryer (with a visible container of frying lard in the corner), a grill, microwave and vats of chili warming on the counter.the thing to get is the original chili half-smoke, i highly recommend sharing it since you might hate yourself later. made with a half pork/half beef sausage, placed atop a warm bun and smothered in chili, onions and mustard.  this thing makes you want to quit the gym, move down south, wear plaid and let yourself go. how can something this good be hiding right here in our nation's capital? amidst the political rhetoric and corruption, ben's chili bowl makes america seem right.

tartine, san francisco, ca

it's only fair that my very first blog post is dedicated to tartine bakery in san francisco, ca. i'd like to think that i discovered this wonderful french patisserie haphazardly while wandering through the yuppie mission dolores area on a sunny saturday morning but alas, 30 or so early birds beat me to it (and the 2900+ reviewers on yelp). inside, it's a no frills atmosphere with wooden tables and chairs, an espresso/coffee bar along the back wall and a doorway which lets you peek into the kitchen and smell the freshly baked croissants coming out of the oven.
after waiting for about 30 minutes in line, it was finally my turn to pick anything i wanted from the glass case (anything i wanted meaning 2 things - to share with the bf..who seems to really be into sharing when the food is good). 

we picked a frangipane croissant and a croque monsieur sandwich. this was my first frangipane croissant and i honestly have never tasted one quite as good since then. flaky, buttery and crispy on the outside, topped with sliced almonds with the most tasty, fragrant almond paste filling on the inside. i don't want to know what was in it but it tasted like heaven.

the croque monsieur makes me wonder why i dislike french food so much..i bet it's not even french. this one was an open faced sandwich with gruyere, thyme, bechamel and ham. the saltiness of the ham was balanced by the sweetness of the gruyere...add in toasted buttered bread and the drooling begins. my favorite part of this sandwich wasn't even the sandwich itself, but the fact that it comes with a spicy pickled baby carrot that was a delicious blend of spice and vinegar.

overall tartine is a great way to start a lazy weekend morning.