My mom and I spent the last week in New York City visiting my uncles, aunt, and a couple cousins. We also managed to see two Broadway Plays (Of Mice and Men with James Franco and Chris O’Dowd–outstanding acting! and After Midnight with Fantasia Barino), two ballets (NYCB & ABT), attend a taping of the TV cooking show The Chew, and go to 3 museums. What a trip! In between all the excitement we managed to get a little sleep and eat to our hearts’ content. The food options in New York are so numerous one could literally spend a lifetime going to a different restaurant for every meal.

Magnolia Bakery ©EverydayCookingAdventures

We saw food in not just the street carts and usual restaurants but also in some of the art in New York. Of course, the city’s nickname is the Big Apple, but we saw food related art at The Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum.

Egyptian art of man fishing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art ©EverydayCookingAdventures 2014

Not just limiting ourselves to the three main meals of the day, my mom and I were able to squeeze in afternoon tea at the ritzy Pierre Hotel on 5th Avenue, cupcakes at Magnolia Bakery, Foccacia Bread at Eataly New York, and of course shared a slice of New York pepperoni pizza over our week-long trip.

Afternoon Tea at The Pierre, A Taj Hotel ©EverydayCookingAdventures 2014

Our favorite dinner was on our last night, on a top floor of the Museum of Arts and Design at Columbus Circle. The restaurant is named Robert and my mom and I couldn’t decide if it was to be pronounced like your basic man’s name or with a fancy French twist like Row-bare. It deserved the second pronunciation as the meal was impeccable. The views out over Columbus Circle extend up across the entire length of Central Park and the upper west side. You could see clear to the end of the Park and we couldn’t believe how green it really is. I can now see why someone would shell out the big bucks for the Central Park view apartment. Stunning. The food was equally fantastic and our window-front table was to-die-for.

Dinner at Robert at the Museum of Arts and Design ©EverydayCookingAdventures 2014

Our other favorite meal was at the actor, who also happens to be our cousin, Burt Lancaster’s favorite restaurant in New York City, called Patsy’s. It is an Italian restaurant without the tourist-trap vibe that so many Times Square area restaurants are caught up in. It is so authentic that it has been kept in the same family since its opening in 1944! The current owner, the grandson of the original owner, Mr. Sal Scognamillo was so congenial and genuine that I wanted to get out of my seat and hug him. He had wonderful stories about cousin Burt helping to save the restaurant’s reputation along with Frank Sinatra in the 60s and made our hearts warm with his enthusiasm. The traditional spaghetti with veal meatballs were so tender and juicy and the dessert of Napolean Cake was melt-in-your-mouth happiness.

Patsy’s Napoleon Cake ©EverydayCookingAdventures 2014

Finally, we ate a very interesting meal at the revolutionary Momofuku, Ma Peche. The Momofuku brand of restaurants are owned by Chef David Chang, who was recently on a PBS series called “The Mind of a Chef” and on Anthony Bourdain’s last season of “Parts Unknown”. The chef is an artist in his free time and advocate for anything with ramen noodles. I knew we would be in for an interesting and different eating experience and we certainly were! The restaurant serves dim sum style as well as a small menu of large plates to share. It was SO fun! I love eating lots of little bits of different things so this was my kind of meal. I loved the ramen noodles with shredded lamb and the pork bun taco that was so much better than any pork bun I’ve had at a Chinese restaurant even in San Francisco’s Chinatown! The scallop ceviche and avocado dip were also top favorites.

Ramen and Lamb Dish at Momofuku Ma Peche ©EverydayCookingAdventures 2014

Our trip to New York was successful both on a family togetherness level and on an entertainment level. That includes the entertainment of eating. I only wish our yearly New York trips happened more often as I so enjoy the time we have together there. There are so many many restaurants to try so I know I will always have a reason to return.

By cousin Burt Lancaster’s photo at his fave NYC restaurant, Patsy’s ©EverydayCookingAdventures 2014

New York Pizza ©EverydayCookingAdventures 2014

Fennel and Garlic Creamy Soup at The Grand Tier Restaurant NYC ©EverydayCookingAdventures 2014

French Onion Soup at Midtown’s La Bonne Soupe ©EverydayCookingAdventures 2014