DELICATUS

Where: Delicatus, 103 1st Avenue S, Seattle

Who Went: Chelsey & Owen

Number of Visits: 3

What We Ordered: BBQ Chicken Sandwich and Pavo Diablo

What It Cost: ~$20

What We Thought: 

Everyone's gotta have their go-to lunch place, right? I used to have this aversion to becoming a "regular" anywhere, because I watched too much Monk and knew that if I was a regular somewhere, the murderers would know where to find me. 

Paranoid, much?

Well, Delicatus may be the first place where the awesome flavors, friendly service, fresh tastes, and just DANG GOOD sandwiches will make me overcome that murder/restaurant regular fear.

I've only been to Seattle for two weekends so far, and we've eaten here three times...

Delicatus has the most amazing sandwich menu - I've never seen so many sandwich creations!! It's definitely inspired me to be more creative at home. The ingredients are super fresh - great bread, amazing cuts of meat, and inspired toppings. Man. I wish I was having this for lunch today. The bread and topping matches are all thoughtfully combined, each sandwich having the perfect balance of flavor and texture variation. It sounds silly to keep going on and on about a little sandwich, but we just really loved them!

The Pavo Diablo is my favorite -- loads of fresh turkey and spinach with sliced avocado, harvarti, spicy chipotle aioloi, roasted peppers on sourdough bread. Come on. Tell me you're not salivating right now. It's amazing, the flavors meld perfectly, and I could eat it every day. The Gypsy Rose Lee sandwich is also a personal favorite, with some of the best mozzarella I've had in a while.

Fresh, creative, fantastic sandwiches.

What You Should Do: Take your next lunch meeting here. It can get a little busy, but if you go a little early or late, no problem. And say hi to us while you're there ;)

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THE ROOF

Where: The Roof Restaurant, Joseph Smith Memorial Building, 15 S Temple, Salt Lake City, Utah

Who Went: Chelsey & Devynne

Number of Visits: 1

What We Ordered: Standard Buffet

What It Cost: $97.17

What We Thought: 

The theme of the day was Treat Yo Self 2015. I had just finished my very last day of actual classes ever, so my sister and I hit up Salt Lake with a treat yo self mentality, which of course needed include dinner with incredible views. 

And what better way to treat yo self than STARTING WITH DESSERT? Yep, I did it. I mean, how can you resist an itty bitty eclair and tiny slice of your favorite pie, when its sitting on two GIANT tables of desserts? It's impossible, I tell you. And since it's time to treat yo self, go for it.

The menu options were quite expansive. On the chopping block the day we went were ham (meh) and slow-roasted prime rib. But if that didn't suit your tastes, there was poached fish, chicken roulade, pasta with a cream sauce and sundried tomatoes, and sooooo much more!

Basically it's the fanciest buffet you've ever seen, and this isn't even half of the desserts...by the way...

We thought that this little chocolate mousse was funny, because the chocolate piece had a cross on it, and we were at Temple Square (LDS joke..ha. ha...)

Um yeah, I was a bit too ambitious with my additional dessert plates. I basically was so full I only took one bite of each thing. But they were all FREAKING AMAZING. Especially that mini creme brulee!? I had two of them. The cheesecake was just okay, but the carrot cake was really moist and delicious, and the chocolate cakes were so rich!

Plus, I mean, can you beat this view?!

The other creme brulee, spotted here. Their interpretation of "salads" was interesting in the salad bar, but it was fun to try different combinations of "salad" and the fruit and cheese plates were pretty good too.

I know it might seem boring to end on a picture of soup, but this French onion soup was probably the best I've ever had, and I'm totally craving its simple, rich and wholesome flavor right now, even though its supposed to be 102 degrees today!!

What You Should Do: Yes, it's expensive. Yes, it's a buffet. But it's a dang good buffet, and can be a lot of fun if you go into it with that mindset. I'm not even a buffet lover (by ANY means) but we really enjoyed our visit at the Roof - it was special, the hot rolls were from heaven, the servers were fun, you got free unlimited soda, and THERE WERE SO MANY DESSERTS! I basically would have thought it was worth it just for the rolls + mini creme brulees + views. I would not take children here, but for a fun and special night out, it was awesome. I think maybe we caught it on a good night based on other people's experiences, but I would certainly try it again.

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CITY GUIDE NO. 3: DESSERT IN NEW YORK CITY

Dessert in NYC is no joke.

There are so many options, so many wonderful places to visit, and just, please save room for dessert! Like after every meal...

First up, Dylan's Candy Bar aka a true mecca for all candy aficionados! This place is three stories, chock full of any type of candy you could ever want. Sure it's a little overpriced, but man it's fun. They have a sweet photo booth (always a major attraction in my eyes), and an extensive candy bar where you can mix and match many different candies. I was extremely partial to the mini cinnamon bears!

Balthazar bakery is for you more sophisticated (slash...less childlike...) dessert lovers. These chocolate sables are pure deliciousness, not too sweet, and a great little snack while you peruse around SoHo (or sneak them into MoMA like I did!)

Ah, Laduree. Bring me back to Paris please! This place is just as good as in Paris, and as you can see...I'm a bit Paris obsessed...My favorite flavors include citron vert (lime), framboise (raspberry), salted caramel, and anything floral! But really, you can't go wrong here, and you can really do some amazing shopping in the neighborhood while you munch on your new favorite treat!

Next up was another Paris favorite...Maison Kayser! I ate at Maison Kayser in Paris, so when I saw they had one in NYC, it was at the top of my itinerary for the UES! Honestly, my only regret was eating here only once!! They had one of my all-time favorite foods, choquettes, and the croissant and apple tartine totally transported me back to Rue Monge. Though it was also quite enjoyable to eat it in Central Park across the street!

Magnolia Bakery - cupcakes were meh (I've decided we are extremely spoiled with amazing cupcakes in Utah!!) but the banana pudding??? YUM!!! SO GOOD!!! WANT TO EAT IT EVERY DAY! I've since made a copycat recipe at home, but it just wasn't the same. Probably my favorite part of Magnolia Bakery was watching them frost the cupcakes…their technique was mesmerizing… 

Serendipity 3: Honestly, I don't know if I'd go here again. Our experience was just…weird. The service was AWFUL (the host walked up a staircase and just expected us to follow, not saying anything, and then walked to our table and just waited for us to catch up. It was extremely weird). The frozen hot chocolate was good, but not amazing enough to compensate for the bizarre-o atmosphere. I'd probably say go to the location in Las Vegas instead - much more pleasant. 

My only regret: passing by Momofuku Milk Bar without stopping in. I AM SO BUMMED I MISSED THIS PLACE! I'm a huge Christina Tosi fan, and this is like my number 1 regret from visiting NYC. If you are going soon, please bring me home some Karlie's Kookies and Crack Pie!! I'll pay you back :) 

Don't forget to check out my other NYC post if you want to eat real food (i.e. besides dessert only.....)!

COW CHIP

Where: Cow Chip, 102 1st Avenue South, Seattle

Who Went: Chelsey & Owen

Number of Visits: 1

What We Ordered: Cow Chip with Walnuts + Peanut Butter Cookies

What It Cost: $4.50

What We Thought: 

So, like I said, we are moving to Seattle. And actually, Owen is living/working there part-time right now, so we have started scoping out the neighborhood, trying to find some great places to eat! This cookie place had an adorable sign outside, and since I tear up instantly when I think about leaving Ruby Snap behind (honestly, a tragedy), I figured I need to find the best possible cookie replacement in Seattle (though nothing could ever truly replace Ruby Snap of course).

Owen passes this place every day on his way to work, so I thought we definitely needed to check it out.

On the surface, these cookies look fine. And in reality, they WERE fine. But they weren't awesome. They didn't change my life. All they did was make me think "Wow, that was an expensive cookie." And the customer service was quite terrible. I'm not a huge fan of feeling like I'm an inconvenience to whomever is working, and this place was super awkward and we just wanted to EAT OUR COOKIES AND GET OUT OF THERE.

What You Should Do: Yeah, skip it. I know, you thought a pretty cookie picture for a Friday sounds pretty good...sorry to get your hopes up. If you're still in the SLC area, go to Ruby Snap for me and cherish it, okay? Thanks.

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CITY GUIDE NO. 2: NEW YORK CITY

Obviously, New York City is an amazingly huge city, and there is no way I could ever hope to put together a truly comprehensive and current guide to this wonderful place. However, I will share with you some of  the can't-miss and the definitely-skip places (based on my experience, and lots and lots and lots of Google time....)!

First up: Shake Shack!

A great place for a dang good burger, and probably the cheapest meal you will eat in NYC. We visited the location on the UES, and there was no line, and it was absolutely delicious. It's just your basic, classic, wonderful American burger, and the SHAKES. OMG. So, so, so good. I got the black & white cookie one, and it was to die for. We almost ate here twice, we liked it so much (but you know me...) If they opened one in Utah or Washington, I would probably die of happiness. 

Not the greatest photo, but hey - I was on vacation! 

We also visited Mighty Quinn's BBQ, because my little brother's name is Quinn! It was pretty good - I liked the sweet potatoes on the side, and the crunchy cucumbers were good, but honestly, I would SO much rather have barbecue at Blue Smoke instead (pictured terribly below). The BISCUITS there basically changed my life, and it had a much cooler, less stoner atmosphere. Plus the most divine fried chicken with honey and OMG IT WAS SO DELICIOUS AND AMAZING. Go to Blue Smoke, for sure. 

Artichoke Basille.

I guess we had just gotten used to NYC pricing, but we didn't balk when we thought about spending $30 for a pizza to share. Yeah, the server really should have warned us. This was literally the biggest pizza I have ever seen in my life. Use my mom's cell phone on the table to the left of the pizza as a size reference!!!!! We each ate one piece and were quite satisfied, then had a second and didn't eat the rest of the day. Luckily, you can order by the slice, so PLEASE DO THAT. This pizza was the bomb, probably the best pizza I've ever had (its all about the sauce), and you would be amiss to miss it!

Smorgasburg over in Brooklyn was definitely a fun experience! Tons of different food carts and stands with flavors from all over the world. We had Korean tacos, spicy chicken and cheddar cheese waffles (with the BEST pickles!) and these amazing ice cream sandwiches from The Good Batch that were so delicious on this hot day. They have other highlights like Dough doughnuts and the famed Ramen Burger - its definitely a fun place to spend an afternoon! 

Eataly was incredible! I know if I lived in NYC, I would be SO tempted to come here all the time and would probably waste very much of my money… The options were incredible, and I wish that I didn't have to try to fit everything into a carry-on (darn liquid limits!) or else I would have come home with lots of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, tomatoes, and more! We ate at the Pasta place, it was the bomb. We had to sit at the bar because of a huge wait, but it was actually fun because we got to see into the "kitchen," and you know how I love that. The Nutella bar also looked like a dream come true, for those of you who are into that :)

Chelsea Market was not as amazing as I had hoped - don't get me wrong, it’s a fun place to walk around for a little while, and I would definitely go there for lunch instead of breakfast like we did. Skip the cupcake that so many people rave about at Amy's Kitchen -  we thought it was dry and unexciting. Also Fat Witch Bakery was a let down…not much improvement over boxed brownies, and you should probably just make them at home (or with this recipe!)

DOUGHNUT PLANT OMG. Home of square doughnuts, and filled doughnuts where the filling goes ALL THE WAY around, this place was the bomb. Their seasonal flavors were delicious, and we especially flipped for the pumpkin and spiced pepita doughnut. SO GOOOOOOD! 

Breakfast at The Smith was quite good, conveniently located to our apartment, and had really fancy ketchup. My pecan caramel pancakes were quite the indulgence, and incredibly tasty. A great option if you're in the area. Plus they supposedly have a photobooth in the bathroom downstairs, but it was out of order when we were there…

Locande Verde was one of our "NYC Brunch" experiences (in Tribeca, it felt quite appropriate), and it was totally worth it. The food was divine (my ricotta pancakes with lemon curd and blueberries were otherworldy, and my mom's french toast with toasted hazelnuts and grapefruit was inspiring) and it had a really fun atmosphere. I definitely would go here again! 

Mary's Fish Camp - this one divided us. I really liked my lobster roll (my first one ever - it was rich, buttery, and divine!!) and my mom was not impressed with her dish (the daily special). It was in a pretty pretentious area in the West Village (Louboutin around the corner), and the service was not amazing, so I'd say only head here if you really, really want a lobster roll. 

We didn't take any pictures at Babbo (it was way too dark), but this was our one total splurge option. Gwyneth Paltrow recommended it, so I felt pretty cool when we got a reservation. Honestly, it was good, maybe even great, but did it change my life? No. The saffron panna cotta was definitely the bomb, and I would recommend this place if you want something fancy but still with a cozy atmosphere.

Tal Bagels has dang good bagels, with lots of options. This was where we went to get our "authentic" NYC bagel, and it definitely lived up to the hype. I'm sure there is somewhere else that the real bagel experts go, but this was in our neighborhood and was delicious, so I was satisfied. 

Other NYC must-dos:

Sail around the Statue of Liberty: This was the classiest and most awesome thing we did in NYC, and it wasn't even that expensive. Skip all the lines on Liberty Island and see the Lady herself in great style.

New York City Ballet: Even if you're not a huge ballet fan, you have to appreciate their dedication and incredible talent. Lincoln Center is gorgeous, and its just a beautiful thing to do in a busy, busy city

Kate Spade New York Madison Avenue: If you're a girl, you're going to love this place. Trust me.

Met Museum: Duh. Not overrated. Must do. Wish we could have stayed there for three days.

Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge: This was totally fun (surprisingly busy!) and a great way to enjoy the Manhattan skyline! Take the subway over, and watch out for bikers on your walk back!

Where we stayed: POD51 Hotel

It was tiny (so tiny), but met our needs, was in a great location, and was not expensive (by NYC standards). I'd probably stay here again if I was traveling on a budget.