This trip ended up being a crazy whirlwind of soccer camp, dropoff at summer program and family reunions so the food took second priority… Quick thoughts!
- Dinosaur BBQ - we went on a Saturday evening to the Harlem location and it was HOPPING! 45 minute wait to get seated. But it was worth it. BBQ wings were delicious. Ribs weren’t particularly smoky but were the perfect texture - fall off the bone but still maintaining their form and not mushy/falling apart.
- Motorino - honestly, this was the first family dinner so the focus wasn’t the food. But I greatly enjoyed the pizza. Perhaps not as good as Sei in LA but still very well executed.
- Zaytinya - eh. I remember loving the OG DC iteration but that one seemed to be more focused on small plates. I thought the food was fine. Nothing to write home about and I won’t be back.
- Eleni’s - this place doesn’t get mentioned much but we love the food. Just simply grilled Greek classics - branzino, octopus, calamari that is reasonably priced, perfectly charred, not too tender but not too chewy. Delicious pita that is grilled with olive oil.
- 38 Food Hall - we went here several mornings to get rice rolls (really nice texture, super thin, and freshly made) and jianbing that you customize however you want.
- Heytea - one of the few Chinese drink chains that is in the US but not in LA. They specialize in grape juice drinks. Absolutely delicious and so refreshing.
- Chili - fun Chinese place with servers dressed up in what I assume is early 1900s Shanghai garb. Really refined presentations, great flavors - my family loved the crab roe tofu dish and tea smoked duck over crispy sticky rice - and very reasonable prices for the quality.
- Little Alley - one of the few repeats from our last visit. Their softshell crab rice cake dish is worth it on its own! $35 for 2 nicely sauteed softshell crabs over a huge portion of rice cakes.
- Expresso Culture - this was the real surprise of the trip… their cookies are amazing. Fat like Levain, but not quite as fat… the interior is just as molten but the exterior has more crisp. So good. Even the gluten free peanut butter chocolate was delicious.
- Cafe Chelsea - we went with friends. It was fine. The standout imo was the steak frites… they use a hanger steak which I love!
- Reichenbach Hall - my sons love soccer and so we spent a couple nights here watching games. Absolutely electric environment especially when Germany was playing. And the food was solid. I expecially enjoyed the wurstplatte and the others loved the curry wurst. I also thought the Pur apple cider is perfect - not too sweet, not to tart and goes down easy!
As I look back on this trip, it was definitely more disappointing than our previous trip but sometimes other things trump food… in this case, it was seeing my mom, sister and brother and their families for the first time together since COVID… Lots of tears and laughs.
Random side note - we happened to watch The Outsiders. Absolutely loved it. The fight/dance scene to end the 1st half is incredible!
