Bon Chon, Patzeria, Yakitori Taisho, Joe Shanghai @ NYC

Sorry, I have been neglecting this blog. Life has been really busy, but it will get better, I promise.
Overall the weekend, I have made my 4th trip to NYC this summer, once again trying to stuff more yummy food to feed my food baby.

Bon Chon

I know there is a Bon Chon 45 min away from my house, and yet I have never been there given that everyone around me have been raving about it. Coincidentally, our hotel in NY is two blocks away from K-town, so we figure, why not try out Bon Chon while we are here.
 

Mix Bon Chon Wings

After having my first Bon Chon, my impression was, why do people rave about it so much? Is it because people haven't had many Asian flavored wings before? I agree, Bon Chon wings are really crispy, but I thought Pollo Campero has pretty crispy fried chicken as well.  I do love chicken wings, probably one of my favorite food, I will eat it in any flavor, even just plain with salt, so I am not hating on Bon Chon, I just don't understand what's the hype?  I would eat Bon Chon again if I happen to be in the proximity, but definitely not going to wait in line, or call ahead to order and drive all the way to the store for pick-up. Like really? No.

Bul-go-gi Taco

While the wings were not up to our expectations, the Bul-go-gi taco, we thought were fantastic.  Love the spicy mayo with Korean BBQ flavored beef. Really glad we ordered it on top of the wings, and special thanks to the waiter for reassuring us on ordering the tacos, because we told him it's our first time at Bon Chon, and we weren't sure if ordering Tacos is a good idea, but he told us, he actually love the tacos more than the wings. I cannot agree more.

Sausage Pizza

Before catching Phantom, we wanted to grab something quick to eat.  After doing a quick search on yelp, we found this little hole in the wall Pizza Joint - Patzeria Perfect Pizza near the theater district.  90% of the shop is the kitchen, oven and register, there are only 4 stools in the shop and a short bar table.  When we first got there, the premade pizza on the display cabinet didn't look too appetizing at all.  But trust me, after they heat it up in the oven, you will find yourself with some toasty, crispy, Italian thin crust pizza with delicious toppings and melted cheese which you are going to have a hard time not to devour it in a short time.
   

Tomatoes and Basil Pizza

Haven't had really good pizza in a while, probably not since my trip to Italy. Highly recommend, will come back next time when I am in the theater district.

Chasyu Tonkotsu Ramen

I do admit, Yakitori Taisho is like my to-go place in Japanese Town. Even though the food is not extraordinary, but in terms of the variety of dishes and yakitori, affordable pricing, and the cheap draft Sapporo, I really can't complain. For the sake of blogging, I promise, next time I will try some place new.

Quick review on their Ramen, broth is good, the pork is good, my two complains, both equally important, I don't like their noodles and where's my egg? Yes, I know I can get the best ramen from Ippudo, but I don't want to wait 3 hours.

Combo A

I love getting this combo, because of the chicken gizzards and chicken skins.  One of the reasons why I like coming here is because of their yakitori, it's not as good as the old Sushi Taro's yakitori (omg, I don't want to get started on that), but I really don't know any other place in MD/DC that has affordable yakitori (Kushi is not affordable).  If only Sushi Taro still serves yakitori...(reminiscing the good old days)

Yaki Onigiri with eel

 Grilled rice ball with eel, pretty good, especially when it was hot.

Hokke Tei

Grilled Hokke, this was ... not good at all. I recommend grilled fish from Tempari. It's way better, so don't waste your money on this dish.

Sapporo

Joe's Shanghai @ Chinatown

Whenever I go to NYC, there are two places I always try to eat at (1) Otafuku in Japanese Town (best Takoyaki and yakisoba) and (2) Joe's Shanghai.  I have only been to the one in Chinatown, since it is one of the few good restaurants left in Chinatown. When I am in Flushing, I usually like to try somewhere new.
 

Chicken with noodle and peanut sauce

This is one of my favorite Shanghai dish, it's really good if prepared right. I was very disappointed that Joe's Shanghai did a poor job with this dish.  The noodles were too soft, and the sauce is lacking flavor, I will not order this dish again at Joe's Shanghai.

 

Soup Dumplings

This is a must at Joe's Shanghai, basically you don't have to order anything else, this is reason why they are famous, and why people come here. Definitely best soup dumplings I have ever had.  Of course, I have never  been to Dang Tai Fung or Shanghai.  One day, I will!

Coming Up: Probably Cafe Asia

Big Cheese Truck

I didn't even know a grilled cheese food truck existed, until my coworker told me.  He is a lover of grilled cheese, and he saw on their website they are coming near our work, so I followed them on twitter.

Big Cheese Truck

Menu

 The menu was simple, Watermelon and feta salad, 5 types of grilled cheese, gazpacho, and some dessert options.

Gazpacho and pesto with mozzarella grilled cheese

My coworker got the traditional cheddar cheese on sourdough, and I got the pesto and mozzarella grilled cheese, and we both got the gazpacho.  Let's talk about the gazpacho first, it's really refreshing, probably one of the cheapest and better gazpacho I have had. It has just the right amount of crunch (from the chopped vegetable), and wonderful flavor.  I think it's a perfect combination with the grilled cheese sandwich.  The grilled cheese is a lot bigger than I thought.  It was made to order, hot and toasty when I got it.  It was my first time having pesto and mozzarella grilled cheese, not bad. However, I do think that the traditional cheddar and sourdough is slightly better.

Big Cheese Truck

Mussel Bar @ Bethesda

Finally had the chance to visit Mussel Bar 2 weeks ago. 

Allagash White

 Thank god for the HH special price! Allagash White is a very delicious beer.

Pork Belly and Mussel Pizza

I have never had this combination before, but I have to say, it was very good! The pork belly is really tender, the mussels are kind of hard to notice, they are there, but I don't think it contribute anything to the overall taste of the pizza.  I would still order this even if pork belly is the only topping.  Definitely a must order item, especially if it's half price during HH.

Classic

For the main dish, we decided to go for the Classic Mussels - steamed in roasted garlic, shallots, cream and Sauvignon Blanc.  There are many other very interesting combo on the menu, but the white wine and cream sauce is my favorite.  I also have this mindset that a if you are call a Mussel Bar, having a good Classic Mussels should be a pretty fundamental thing to ask for. Just like if I go to a breakfast place, good scrabble eggs is minimum requirement, if they can't even make good scrabble eggs, how can I trust the other dishes on the menu, it's the simplest thing ever. So, I thought if the Classic type is good, the others can only be better.  So here comes the verdict, Mussels Bar's mussels.....are good, not fantastic, I have definitely had better at more affordable price. I would say Bistro Bis at Union Station, Bistro du Coin at Dupoint Circle and Chef Tony's at Bethesda have better mussels.  If you are a mussels fan like me, go check them out. 

French fries

You can add $2 and substitute the French fries for sweet potatoes fries, we meant to do that, but forgot to tell our server.  Even so, their French fries are really good; fresh, crispy, and seasoned well.

I won't go to Mussel Bar because of their Mussels, but I would go for the half price beer and pizza for HH.

Mussel Bar

Coming Up: The Cheese Truck