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I stopped by House of Small Wonder for a snack around three yesterday. It’s an odd, in-between time for diners and restaurants alike when it’s not quite lunch but definitely not dinner. Unsure of the appropriate meal to order for the hour, I settled on a banana Nutella croissant figuring it’s always time for dessert.

The croissant turned out to be quite small, so I finished it in a few bites. Still hungry, I caved to my savory craving and ordered the Okinawan taco rice, a popular Japanese lunch dish consisting of ground beef on a bed of rice, lettuce and tomato, topped with an egg over easy. I like well-seasoned ground beef so much I’d eat it on its own with a fork in a bowl, so, needless to say, I’m enamored with this dish. Plus, the red sauce they use reminds me of sweet homemade ketchup. Basically, it’s the Asian equivalent to sloppy joes without the burger bun.

In an attempt to detach myself from the Internet, I ignored my phone for a full twenty minutes and turned to a book instead. I tried to memorize details of the garden-inspired decor and Prussian blue walls to motivate a trip to Home Depot or wherever it is that people buy paint. I eavesdropped on my neighbors and briefly wondered about what brought them there. Are they students? Restaurant employees? Freelancers? (I wonder if we’re Twitter friends…) Do they like the show Girls or did they drag their feet through the first three episodes of the second season like I did? How do they know each other? Why are they splitting a croissant!? It’s tiny.

I took out my phone to capture the foggy afternoon and my pre-lunch pastry, grateful I was inside with good food and the rare pleasure of not having to talk to anybody.

house of small wonder, 77 north 6th street, brooklyn. (718) 388 6160

late lunch  Just discovered Sips & Bites, a catering company and tiny cafe on N. 10th Street in Williamsburg, my new neighborhood. This place is so cute! Pictured here is the half halloumi cheese sandwich + soup combo. Today’s soup was corn chowder, which was hearty, a little spicy, full of flavor and utterly satisfying at 5pm when I decided it was time to tear myself away from my laptop to get some grub. As usual, I feel lucky to live in such close proximity to great food and restaurant owners who care about the quality of ingredients they use. (Although, at this point, I guess one can say that about a lot of Brooklyn neighborhoods…) Sips & Bites 178 N.10th Street Brooklyn, NY 11211(347) 889 5333 follow me on instagram

late lunch 

Just discovered Sips & Bites, a catering company and tiny cafe on N. 10th Street in Williamsburg, my new neighborhood. This place is so cute!

Pictured here is the half halloumi cheese sandwich + soup combo. Today’s soup was corn chowder, which was hearty, a little spicy, full of flavor and utterly satisfying at 5pm when I decided it was time to tear myself away from my laptop to get some grub.

As usual, I feel lucky to live in such close proximity to great food and restaurant owners who care about the quality of ingredients they use. (Although, at this point, I guess one can say that about a lot of Brooklyn neighborhoods…)

Sips & Bites
178 N.10th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11211
(347) 889 5333

follow me on instagram

Have a favorite restaurant server who always makes your day? Tell us about him or her for a chance to leave them a $100 tip this Thanksgiving… I’m so proud and happy about this Foodspotting campaign. foodspotting: This week, Foodspotting is celebrating Restaurant Staff Appreciation Week to show our thanks for the passionate individuals who make a great meal – and great foodspotting – possible. From now until Monday, November 28th, tell us about your favorite restaurant service experience and about the individual who made it happen. Leave your story on the Foodspotting blog, Twitter, Facebook or Google+. Be sure to include the tag #tipitforward so we can find your entry. Our favorite entry will receive a $100 gift certificate to that restaurant and the staff member who provided the service will receive a $100 American Express gift card aka a $100 “tip”… Photo via Flickr.

Have a favorite restaurant server who always makes your day? Tell us about him or her for a chance to leave them a $100 tip this Thanksgiving…

I’m so proud and happy about this Foodspotting campaign.

foodspotting:

This week, Foodspotting is celebrating Restaurant Staff Appreciation Week to show our thanks for the passionate individuals who make a great meal – and great foodspotting – possible.

From now until Monday, November 28th, tell us about your favorite restaurant service experience and about the individual who made it happen. Leave your story on the Foodspotting blog, Twitter, Facebook or Google+. Be sure to include the tag #tipitforward so we can find your entry.

Our favorite entry will receive a $100 gift certificate to that restaurant and the staff member who provided the service will receive a $100 American Express gift card aka a $100 “tip”…

Photo via Flickr.

Amy! Hi, dk if you remember ever talking to me, haven't been active on tumblr for awhile. Anyway, I just moved out to Brooklyn from Portland and was wondering if you had any recommendations in regards to food/restaurants/markets. Just thought I'd try asking you (: Thanks.

Asked by
greenpants

Hi Isaac, of course I remember you. You’re in Brooklyn? That’s great! You arrived just in time for a hurricane :)

Al Di La is a wonderful Italian restaurant in Park Slope. Actually, there are loads of great restaurants in Park Slope; I recommend you walk up and down 5th Avenue to see.

For pizza, visit Franny’s on Flatbush Ave and Roberta’s in Bushwick. Lucali and Di Fara are popular spots too, but I have not yet been!

Williamsburg has its own restaurant ecosystem so those who live there never have to leave for good food, really. Go to Egg (crazy lines!) or Traif for brunch; Saltie for the Scuttlebutt sandwich; Marlow & Sons for lunch; and people swear by Diner for dinner, though I must say the lamb chop I ordered had the tiniest amount of meat on it that I’ve ever seen… On Saturdays, stop by the outdoor food market Smorgasburg for awesome snacks, like fried chicken buttermilk biscuit sandwich from King’s Crumb and salted caramel macaroons from Danny Macaroons.

I haven’t been to Peaches in Bedford-Stuyvesant (Bed-Stuy) in a while, but they have wonderful, authentic Southern food, like the cheesiest cheese grits topped with shrimp. You can read my review here.

There’s no easy way to get to Red Hook, but it’s worth it to take a car, bus or the IKEA ferry there where you’ll find hot buttery lobster rolls from Red Hook Lobster Pound and Baked for my favorite cupcakes in the city. I can go on - and we’re only talking about one borough after all - but let me know how it goes with this list. Also, use Foodspotting and download our app on your phone; it’s one of the best ways to see what good eaters recommend wherever you are. The other best way is by getting personal recommendations from friends. See above for those ♥

On Tuesday I was invited to a media party at the Maritime Hotel to celebrate the launch of The Japanese Grill, a new cookbook by Matsuri Executive Chef Tadashi Ono and writer Harris Salat in New York City. Chef Ono churned out dish after dish on the grill to showcase the book’s bests, like flavorful shrimp skewers, which, despite still being full from a late lunch, I got seconds thirds of. Also on rotation were steaks, pork chops, mushrooms, string beans and the most brilliantly red cherry tomatoes I’ve seen recently. To wash it all down, I had my first frozen margarita of the season. Life was good. I got to take a copy of the book home, but at the last second insisted that Nicole, my friend and date for the evening, keep it. As much as I wanted to hold on to the gorgeous food photography, I knew she’d be more likely than me to use the book to make food whereas I have more than enough beautiful cookbook-turned-coffee-table-books at home. Still, it’s during times like these that I wish I had a grill and enjoyed using it. Thankfully, whenever I start feeling remotely sorry for myself I snap out of it quickly. After all, there’s always the chance that the new apartment Nicole moves into this summer will have outdoor space with a grill where the delicious shrimp skewers can be recreated. (Oh, a hammock would be nice too!) Well, time will tell. In the meantime, I’ll check to see if Matsuri have them on the menu… Buy The Japanese Grill: From Classic Yakitori to Steak, Seafood, and Vegetables on Amazon. Photo of the North Cabana in the Maritime Hotel where the party took place. 17th Street at Ninth Avenue, NYC.

On Tuesday I was invited to a media party at the Maritime Hotel to celebrate the launch of The Japanese Grill, a new cookbook by Matsuri Executive Chef Tadashi Ono and writer Harris Salat in New York City.

Chef Ono churned out dish after dish on the grill to showcase the book’s bests, like flavorful shrimp skewers, which, despite still being full from a late lunch, I got seconds thirds of. Also on rotation were steaks, pork chops, mushrooms, string beans and the most brilliantly red cherry tomatoes I’ve seen recently. To wash it all down, I had my first frozen margarita of the season. Life was good.

I got to take a copy of the book home, but at the last second insisted that Nicole, my friend and date for the evening, keep it. As much as I wanted to hold on to the gorgeous food photography, I knew she’d be more likely than me to use the book to make food whereas I have more than enough beautiful cookbook-turned-coffee-table-books at home. Still, it’s during times like these that I wish I had a grill and enjoyed using it.

Thankfully, whenever I start feeling remotely sorry for myself I snap out of it quickly. After all, there’s always the chance that the new apartment Nicole moves into this summer will have outdoor space with a grill where the delicious shrimp skewers can be recreated. (Oh, a hammock would be nice too!)

Well, time will tell. In the meantime, I’ll check to see if Matsuri have them on the menu…

Buy The Japanese Grill: From Classic Yakitori to Steak, Seafood, and Vegetables on Amazon.

Photo of the North Cabana in the Maritime Hotel where the party took place. 17th Street at Ninth Avenue, NYC.