Doughnut Plant

I can't get over the magnitude of the carrot cake doughnut. Bare with me. Last weekend I made a scheduled stop to Doughnut Plant while I was feeling the pain of cold season. Through my fever and stuffy nose, I knew that a delicious yeasty doughnut wold take my pain away so I made my way over to Doughnut Plant.

Vanilla Bean Doughnut

I went on a Sunday. The parking situation sucks. My boyfriend had to park illegally while I jumped out to grab the grub. There were no lines. The shop is about the size of my closet. The people who work there were nice. They have digital signage with their full menu and a display case showcasing each flavor they offer. They have a great selection of various yeast, filled, and cake doughnuts. 

 The flavors that jumped out for me immediately were the Vanilla bean, which looked like a big glazed doughnut, and the Chocolate Hazelnut. My boyfriend went with the carrot cake.

Carrot Cake Doughnut

The inside of the Vanilla Bean doughnut was so fluffy, doughy, and perfect. The vanilla taste was subtle and the glazed top layer was just perfect. The Carrot Cake doughnut was the real MVP. This guy is a moist cake doughnut with a layer of cream cheese frosting glaze on top. The audacity. I am so glad I don't live in NYC. Like my whole pay check would be spent on designer doughnuts.

                                                                   Doughnut Plant

Food Porn

                                                   It's Wednesday. Keep your head up

Negril Village

Brooklyn is the Caribbean food capital of the US but when you don't feel like going to Brooklyn there's Negril.

I read this article about 100 black owned restaurants and bars in NYC. I'm determined to make my way down the list. Beginning at Negril Village.

We randomly stopped by midday. The restaurant had a great vibe, we were seated on the upper level. The menu is filled with the usual suspects; oxtail, stew chicken, and so much yummy sea food. My boyfriend had the curry shrimp. It was presented beautifully and he loved it. A bit on the spicy side but nothing crazy. His only complaint was that he wished that the portion was larger.

Curry Shrimp

I chose the stewed chicken. As a West Indian, I won't tolerate less than perfection on this dish. It was just ok. It could have been warmed up a bit more also. I wouldn't get this dish again. Other than the food,  the sevrice was super slow. Not sure why since the restaurant was nearly empty.

Brown Stew Chicken

I would go back to Negril as soon as I finish going to the 99 other restaurants on this list. 
Enjoy the action shots!

Negril Village

Waffle De Lys

                                   My job used this caterer for an event and I fell in love.

The waffles were made fresh right in front of us. Once your waffle is made, you walk up to an array of sweet and fruit toppings. I choose strawberry, nutella, and hazelnuts at the suggestion of the server. Such a great combo and the waffles melt in your mouth. These waffles are a good size and I would defiantly hire them for events like a birthday party or wedding.


                                                             Waffle De Lys

Waffles INCaffeinated

                                                               We love waffles.

My boyfriend is from Pittsburgh and during a trip back home he brought me to Waffles INCaffeinated. The place was packed on a Saturday morning and we waited about 30 minutes to be seated. The restaurant is on the small side with tables placed close together. The wait staff were friendly enough but seemed frazzled. 

The menu has an array of breakfast and brunch items like sandwiches, salads, omelets. The star of the show are the waffles. You can customize you own waffle or get one of the interesting ones on the menu. I opted to make my own with white chocolate chips, Oreo crumbs, and vanilla ice cream. The boyfriend opted for a boring waffle with pecans and strawberries. Whatever. 

Awesome waffle. A bit on the dry side and not as soft as I would have liked. The ice cream tasted delicious, creamy, and homemade. We had our waffles with a side of bacon and potatoes. So yum. I loved the multicolored potatoes. 

The boyfriend ordered some apple juice and and glass had a lipstick stain on it. Yuck. He asked for some water instead and there was some unidentifiable debris floating around in that. I would smuggle in your own beverage here.

I would definitely go back but you can get a breakfast 10 times as good as this at any Jersey dinner. I guess this is good for Pittsburgh people.

Turks and Caicos Travel Diary: Part 2

We arrived in Providenciales on a Tuesday in September. Perfect time to travel to the island. The airport was uncrowded, the kids all started school so the resort was pretty much adults only, and the resort was probably at less than half capacity.

Grace Bay Beach

After lots of research we decided to stay at Seven Stars Resort. Awesome choice. This resort boasts great food, an attentive staff, and luxe rooms. It's only ten minutes from the airport.

Seven Stars Resort

Every staff member that we encountered was friendly and eager to help. Even the cab drivers. Caribbean people are the best.

Provo Ponies

Highlights were Grace Bay beach; the best beach I've encountered. I also enjoyed the Island vibes tour which picks you up at your resort for snorkeling and stops off at iguana island. I also loved provo ponies despite my overzealous horse. Amazing experience.

Lo Duca Pizza

I am only reviewing pizza joints this week. I go to Lo Duca's fairly frequently since I work in the area. Average food. Nothing special. I went in this week during the lunch time rush. It was very crowded. I waited a few minutes to order and when I went to order I asked for a calzone. The guy at the counter let out a laugh..I'm not sure whats so funny about a calzone but ok. In the past, I was always told that it would take 15 minutes. Time and went on and on. About 20 minutes passed and the lunch time rush was over. I was the only one left waiting for my order. The guy asked what I was waiting for. I said a calzone. He laughed and said oh yea! At that point I knew that a mess had occurred.

They forgot my order. I assumed this. The employee said nothing. Just walked over to the dough and started making my order. At that point I debated just walking out but my lunch break was almost over and by the time I drove someplace else I would have no time to eat. Ugh

I waited 15 more minutes and the woman behind the counter mumbled that a calzone order was ready. Ugh. I walked over waiting for her to explain, apologize, or acknowledge what had happened. She just told me my total and waited for payment. Ugh.

Terrible customer service. Obviously I will not be coming back to Lo Duca ever. They lack human decency and do not appreciate their customers. Since I waited so long, I had time to observe their methods. There are 2 people behind the counter so you would think that 1 is on the register and the other is preparing the food. Wrong. They both alternate between operating the register, touching people's cash and credit cards with their bare hands and then touching everyone's food. Nasty.

KC's Pizza

      So I go to this pizza place all the time. It's ok. Very average. Maybe below average but this time I had to write a review.  

This pizza was so salty. It was absolutely disgusting. I have never has worse pizza in my life. I come to KC's and expect average pizza but this was a complete mess.

I would have complained and asked for my money back but I was already at home, hungry, and tired. Just yuck.

kcpizzeria

Homemade: Spicy Thai Wings

My boyfriend makes THE BEST wings in a sweet and spicy Thai sauce. It's such an easy recipe I had to share.

Ingredients: 1 pack of chicken wings and 1 bottle of Roland Chili Sweet Sauce
Prep: Preheat your deep fryer to 375
Serving: A pack of 6 wings will get you 2 servings. 6 wings per person

1. Take the chicken wing and cut between the wing and the drumstick to separate them. Chop off the bone of the wing that is sticking out.

You should have 3 pieces. The wing, the drumstick, and the extra piece of bone (all 3 pieces are pictured towards the bottom of the picture). You can throw out all of the bone pieces.

2. Take all of the wings and drumsticks and put them in a bowl. Use cold water to clean the pieces thoroughly.

3. Load your deep fryer with the pieces. 6 at a time.

4. Fry them for about 10 minutes.

5. Place them on a paper towel to soak up the oil

6. Heat up the Roland Chili Sweet Sauce until it begins to bubble and add the wings to the sauce

The final result....

Please let me know how you like them!

Jose Tejas

                   We went to Jose's again. We couldn't even move on and try new dishes. Pathetic.

Warm Chips and Salsa

Margarita

Chicken Burro

                                                   Delicious as always. So flavorful.

Cajun Burger

This burger is a must have. The sauce makes it so good. The fries are delicious as well. 

UPDATE

So this is what Jose's looks like on a Saturday for dinner. As soon as you walk in there is a line just to give your name to the host. The wait is always around an hour for dinner each time I've been. Jose's is well worth the wait though.

Frozen Mango Margarita

The mango margarita was really good. Though, I did not like it at first. It had a sort of a sour bitter taste to it. Once I let the drink melt a bit the bitterness went away. Strange

French Quarter Chicken

This is Jose's all star dish. The chicken has an amazing lemon sauce on top that is boss. The dish come with rice and beans which are a great compliment to the chicken

                                   

Talenti Gelato

Obviously nothing can beat the fresh, creamy, fluffy gelato that I had in Greece but damn this stuff is good too! My favorite flavors are Caramel Apple Pie and Southern Butter Pecan.

Talenti Gelato Caramel Apple Pie and Southern Butter Pecan

The Caramel Apple Pie has little pieces of apple and pie crust with caramel swirled in. Sold.

Caramel Apple Pie Gelato

The Southern Butter Pecan is the perfect mix of pecans, caramel, in delicious ice cream.

Southern Butter Pecan

Look at that big glob of caramel!

Tops Dinner

The lasagna is so delicious. Gooey cheese in rich flavorful tomato sauce. They do not skimp on the ground meat. This meal is well worth the price as the serving size is huge. This is my new favorite on the Tops menu. Comes with a sad little bread stick on the side that you can ignore.

Meat Lasagna

The shrimp is yummy and seasoned well. I didn't taste the ribs but the I was told that they were delicious in sweet barbecue sauce.

BBQ Ribs & Shrimp

Now this cheesecake right here... One of the best desserts and the BEST cheesecake that I have ever had. Tops recently revamped their menu and cleaned house of all of the less popular cheesecakes that used to be on the menu. It's clear why the Dulce de Leche Cheesecake was one of the ones that made the cut. Creamy delicious cheesecake, not dense, with delicious caramel on top.

Dulce de Leche Cheesecake 

I cannot deal. This is a must try at Tops Dinner. Such a creamy and surprisingly light dessert. Not too rich. Just the right amount of sweetness.

Food porn. Enjoy perverts.

                                              

Carmines 44th Street

Carmines is a strong tourist restaurant staple in the Theater district. It's always packed. Everything is served family style so to get the full experience I would go with a large group 5 or more so that you get to try a wide range of dishes.

Carmines looks like the typical Italian Restaurant. From my experience the wait time during peak weekend hours can be anywhere from 15 to 2 hours. Seriously. I would strongly suggest to make reservations.

The Spicy Scarpariello Wings are so good. They not spicy at all. Just a delicious lemon and herb taste. These are a must try.

Spicy Scarpariello Wings

 The spaghetti and meatballs was just alright. Nothing special. I would skip this dish.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

                                          The Chicken Parm was just ok. Nothing special.

Chicken Parmigiana

                                                                       Carmines

New York International Auto Show

                                                             
I was dragged to the nyc car show held at the Javits Center on a cold rainy Friday. The tickets were $16 per person. Large crowds.

                                                                         My favs.

1970 Chevrolet Chevelle LS6 SS

G 65 AMG

2015 SL 63 AMG Roadster

1956 Ford ThunderBird Roadster