LOCAL: Ramen, Bubble Tea and a Hot Pastrami Sandwich

What do ramen, bubble tea, and a hot pastrami sandwich have in common? Well….usually nothing but, two weekends ago, I consumed an entire bowl of ramen, a taro bubble slush, and half a hot pastrami sandwich all in ONE DAY. Talk about a cheat day!

Momofuku Noodle Bar

I have written ALL about my search for the best vegetarian ramen in New York City several times. See HERE, HERE and HERE. After much research (ie. eating ALL of the ramen), I have come to the determination that my favorite ramen in NYC can be found at Momofuku Noodle Bar.

If you are in the neighborhood, or if you have a ramen craving, head downtown and order the Hozon Ramen. You won’t regret it. The Hozon Ramen has a miso base and is made with scallions, chickpeas and baby bok choy. It is the perfect fall and/or winter food. It always warms me up! E really loves their famous Momofuku Ramen which has a pork broth base, pork belly, pork shoulder and a poached egg. ALL OF THE PORK. He always adds Momofuku SSAM Sauce and Sriracha. Who doesn’t love a little extra spice with their ramen?!

For dessert, I HAD to have a blueberry cream cookie. They are my favorite Momofuku Milk Bar cookies!

Address: 171 1st Avenue, New York, NY 10003

Special Spicy Sauce and Sriracha

Smoked Chicken Wings with Pickled Chili, Garlic and Scallions

Hozon Ramen (Vegetarian)

Momofuku Ramen

Blueberries and Cream Cookie

TK Kitchen

A short walk away from Momofuku Noodle Bar is St. Marks Street. E and I love wandering up and down St. Marks, peering into the little shops and bars as we go. A month ago, we stopped into TK Kitchen with some friends for a bubble tea. I was really impressed with their bubble slush! I had not had a good one since we moved down from Boston. I miss Jaho!

As a post-ramen snack, I was craving a Taro Milk Bubble Slush. E happily obliged. Isn’t he the best? My Taro Milk Bubble Slush was exactly the light and refreshing snack I needed. After that hot bowl of ramen, I wanted to cool down a bit. The tapioca bubble balls were chewy and delicious!

Address: 26 St. Marks Place, New York, NY 10003

Taro Milk Bubble Slush

Ben’s Kosher Deli

After our downtown wandering, we headed uptown to Central Park for a walk. It is gorgeous in the park in the fall! The leaves were already starting to change colors and falling off the trees. It was such a lovely afternoon.

E and I couldn’t decide if we wanted to stay in NYC for dinner. We had already consumed A LOT of food! A friend of ours who just moved to NYC met us at the park and couldn’t stop talking about this matzah ball soup that she had several weeks prior. It really put me in the mood for matzah ball soup and a pastrami sandwich. And I knew just where to get one!

Ben’s Kosher Deli on 38th Street has fast become one of my favorite delis in NYC. The pastrami is always lean and melts in your mouth! Upon our arrival we were immediately seated in a booth. The servers quickly brought out a plate full of pickles, two half sours and two full sours. I inhaled the full sour pickles before E and our friend noticed they were there. Don’t worry, they brought out more! And I shared this time.

E and I ordered a matzah ball soup and a hot pastrami sandwich. After everything we had already eaten that day, we thought it would be wise to split both items. It ended up being the perfect amount of food! The matzah ball was soft, and the soup was hot and delicious. It was a nice beginning to our meal. We slurped every last bit of soup out of the bowl.

When the pastrami sandwich arrived, I SQUEALED I was so excited. I slathered on some Russian dressing and took a bite, and the another and another, until it was ALL GONE! It was PERFECTION.

And the most satisfying end to the most epic food day ever!

Address: 209 West 38th Street, New York, NY 10018

PICKLES!!!!

Matzah Ball Soup

Hot Pastrami Sandwich with Russian Dressing