food

{snow it your way}

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{Yeti tracks with strawberries, fruity pebbles, grass jelly, and condensed milk.}

{Yeti tracks with strawberries, fruity pebbles, grass jelly, and condensed milk.}

I think it's about time I write a full-on post about my unhealthy obsession with Snowdays Shavery. Ever since it opened in the summer, Snowdays has been one of my main destinations when I head to the city on the weekends, even on these cold winter days. Cold snacks taste better when it's colder outside, right? (RIGHT.)

On hot summer days, I like to (somewhat) enjoy patbingsoo, a Korean shaved ice dessert with ice cream, red bean paste, condensed milk, fruits, and whatever else your heart desires (or rather, what each differing cafe has to offer). The problem I have with patbingsoo is that the ice is just, well, ice. There's no taste and the dessert is essentially tasteless if you take away all the toppings. And come on, you're just eating ice with some fruits. Let that sink in for a moment.

Let me just say that LA trumps NY when it comes to desserts, hands down. The first I've heard of any kind of "shaved snow" was from my West Coast friends. So naturally, when I came across pictures of what looked like delightful, fluffy folds of flavored ice in NYC, I immediately set my mind to visiting Snowdays.

I visited Snowdays for the first time on a hot summer day, just two weeks after their opening. We had just finished brunch, and with some gentle nudging by yours truly, we found ourselves at Snowdays. The sizes go from regular (which is still pretty large), large (huge), and yeti (speaks for itself). Since it was our first time, Kevin and I went for the regular size Yeti Tracks snow cream, which is the blueberry x oreo flavor, with mochi, fruity pebbles, and pocky sticks topped off with a generous drizzle of condensed milk. The dessert was a huge hit, and we were instantly hooked. We devoured the shaved snow in a matter of minutes. It didn't take us long to decide on a second serving. Unfortunately, the Yeti Tracks flavor was sold out, so we were treated to the last bit of the off-menu mango flavor.

Since then, it's been love at first sight. Kevin and I make trips downtown just for this fluffy goodness. Even when the toppings end, the shaved ice itself has enough flavor to survive on its own. Thank you based Tony Quach for bringing this delicious treat to NYC.

{Snowdays Shavery is located on 10th St. between 1st and 2nd Ave. in NYC}

{Picture via Kevin's IG @kevin_m_lin}

{Picture via Kevin's IG @kevin_m_lin}

{Mango shaved ice with the works.}

{Mango shaved ice with the works.}

{Graduated to the yeti size. Devoured in minutes.}

{Graduated to the yeti size. Devoured in minutes.}

{tacos el gordo}

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{Carne asada fries, al pastor taco, lengua taco, & carne asada tacos}

{Carne asada fries, al pastor taco, lengua taco, & carne asada tacos}

What's a trip to the West Coast without some authentic Mexican tacos? No where in New York {to my knowledge} has tacos as authentic as the ones I've had in California, notably El Chato Taco Truck and El Taurino in Los Angeles.

So naturally, during our week in Vegas, we needed to hunt down the best tacos. With glowing recommendations from friends, we trekked to Tacos El Gordo. Ordering was intimidating at first with Spanish flying across the room. Each meat was sectioned off, so if you wanted to order Carne Asada tacos, you'd have to go to a specific section, and so on. I wanted to try them all, so I went from right to left, with my al pastor {pork} taco first, a lengua {beef tongue} taco, and then finally my two carne asada {steak} tacos accompanied by my small {but still relatively large} helping of carne asada fries.

Tacos El Gordo was well worth the hype surrounding it. There was always a generous amount of meat in each taco, which was balanced out with the onions, cilantro, salsas, and of course, a warm tortilla. I wish I took some more pictures, but I was too excited about my carne asada fries, eep! Lastly, I got a guava juice pop, the perfect ending to my meal and perfect for combating the dry Vegas heat.

As one of my last meals in Sin City, Tacos El Gordo was the cherry on top of my perfect vacation. I'll be back for more al pastor tacos.

{summer 2014}

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Cue the summertime activities! As previously mentioned in my graduation blog post, I have an ongoing list of things that I want to do this summer and on. As this is not a complete list just yet, I'm open to other ideas and events that are happening in the city, so if you guys know of any other activities, let me know! Feel free to let me know if you'd like to join me on any of these adventures.

From the Roof Garden Café & Bar at the Met

From the Roof Garden Café & Bar at the Met

  • Explore/barhop in Williamsburg
  • Brooklyn Botanical Garden
  • Get through at least more than half of my food to do list
  • Explore different coffee shops
  • Learn how to (properly) longboard
  • Go hiking
  • Boozy picnic at the park
  • Rooftop barhopping in NYC
  • Explore West Village
  • NY Philharmonic Concert in the Park
  • Museum hop
  • Smorgasburg/Williamsburg Flea Market
  • Bike along the West Side Highway
  • Attend the Metropolitan Opera
  • Tour Brooklyn Brewery