Decaf Vegan Delight!

Do you hate coffee? Are you a vegan? Do you like keeping a healthy diet? Do you love tea?

Argo Tea has an insane menu of teas, hot, cold and decaf. With scattered locations around NYC, the standard menu along with the seasonal menu flavors cannot be beat. The first time I went to Argo Tea was because of the “Irish Cream Tea Latte” poster that was hanging in the window. My friend Jaymelee and I walked by, then walked back and said we had to try it! It just sounded to good not to try! We left Argo Tea full of smiles. Delighting in the flavor of the tea while actually drinking something quite light. The customization of soy milk, whole milk, almond milk or skim milk allows you to customize to your liking.

In addition, their small bakery of quiche and muffins has some gluten free options for our gluten free friends! This place keeps getting better and better! For all nutritional information, you can check the link on their website! Nutritional Information Here

Allergy Info:
Customizable Tea’s (all tea can be made either hot or cold!)
Many Decaf Teas
Gluten Free and Vegan Options at the bakery and the catering menu
100% Organic
Nutritionally balanced
Wholesome ingredients

Foodie Rundown:
My personal favorite is the Green Tea Strawberry Cream (made with skim milk). This is naturally sweetened and delicious! Definitely has caffeine, but is delicious either hot or cold! You can also buy the loose tea and bring it home, which is fabulous!

Seasonal Irish Cream Tea Latte (made with skim milk) was my first ever tea from Argo. A life changing experience, if I must say so myself!

Other Teas to try:
Earl Grey Vanilla (hot)
White Tea Acai Squeeze (cold)
Pom Tea (either hot or cold)
Tea Sangria (hot or cold)

Locations:
NYC
Flatiron Building
NYU Langone Medical Center
Columbus Circle
Chelsea
Union Square
NYU Academic Resource Center
Chicago
Boston
St Louis
Beirut, Lebanon


Argo Tea

Mesa Grill

Bobby Flay continues to bring southwest style excellence to NYC after years of success. At Mesa Grill, you will be in awe of the menu, the décor and the service. The food from the appetizers, drinks to desserts were all tasty, spicy, sweet and savory. Leaving with only the feeling of wanting to go back when I was done with my meal.

Allergy Info:
Mesa Grill uses a lot of spices, and if you do not like spices or cannot eat them, almost every dish can be altered to be less spicy or not spicy at all.
There are some nuts on the menu, but they are very accommodating
Allergy Friendly
Vegetarian Friendly

Foodie Rundown:

Appetizers:
Bread for the Table –Corn and Jalapeno Corn Muffins were such a lovely substitute for bread at Mesa Grill. Great consistency and flavor to begin our southwestern foodie journey!

Roasted Corn Soup with Ancho Chile Crema and warm hominy croutons – Considering this was my first ever taste of corn soup, I thought it was outrageous. It was creamy and had a little kick to it, that was definitely worth trying (pictured)

Rough Cut Tuna Nachos and the Blue Corn Pancake – So when I asked the waiter for his 2 favorite appetizers, these were the recommendations. The Rough Cut Tuna Nachos came with Mango-Habanero Hot Sauce and Avocado Crema. The tuna was perfectly served, fresh chips to dip, and the right amount of spices. The fresh tuna was delicious, and the mango flavor and colors of the dish really stood out. Now the boldest of these 2 appetizers was the Blue Corn Pancake with Barbecued Duck and Habanero Chile-Star Anise Sauce. This just brought together savory bbq flavors, with the rich tasting duck and the spices from the sauce. It was to die for. Only thing I would have changed would have been to have more pancakes on the plate! (pictured)

Grilled Skirt Steak with Chimichurri, Pickled Red Onions and Charred Corn with Tortillas – My dad and boyfriend both got the Sunday night skirt steak special. It was grilled to perfection and both found it to be very delicious. I loved the flavors of the onions with the chimichurri sauce. Definitely a must have if you go on a Sunday! (pictured)

Cornmeal Crusted Chile Relleno filled with Roasted Eggplant, manchego cheese, with sweet red pepper sauce and balsamic vinegar – Now, to the average eye (like mine), I had no idea what on earth this was. But it kinda sounded delicious? So I asked about it, found out it was the oldest item on the menu, since the Mesa Grill opened, and that it was the only vegetarian item as an entrée. Well, I did some good homework, because I fell in love with Chile Relleno. Imagine an eggplant, fried in cornmeal, filled with cheese, with spices and flavors that you didn’t even know existed! I had everyone at the table try it, and the consensus was the same! An A+ for the Cornmeal Crusted Chile Relleno! (pictured)

Side Dish:
Roasted Corn with Chipotle Aioli, Lime and Cotija – a perfect side dish full of flavor for sharing! A definite must for the table! (pictured)

Dessert:
Sticky Toffee Pudding with salted Cajeta and Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, need I say more? (pictured)

Seriously, thank you Bobby Flay.

Locations:
NYC
Las Vegas
Bahamas

Fun Fact: The Mesa Grill used to be a factory in the 1960’s. What did they manufacture?
Answer: Coo Coo Clocks


http://mesagrill.com/new-york-city-restaurant/about.php

Madison Square Mexican!

Calexico is a gourmet Mexican food truck at Madison Square Eats! Offering up burritos, quesadillas and tacos with delicious seasonings and healthy options!

Allergy info:
Vegetarian friendly
Healthy options available (any burrito can be served "naked" without the tortilla and with a salad instead

Foodie Rundown:
Burrito: Pollo Verde was amazing, and I don't even like chicken! Slow cooked chicken with bacon and tomatillo salsa with rice, beans and cheese in a tortilla

Chipotle Pork Quesadilla with chipotle "crack" sauce! The sauce is like a chipotle mayo, and is definitely described correctly!

Locations:
Greenpoint, Brooklyn
RedHook, Brooklyn
Cart Locations (follow Calexico on Twitter @CalexicoNYC)
Madison Square Eats till the 19th

www.calexicocart.com

Roberta's Pizza

Thank you Madison Square Eats for bringing a little slice of Brooklyn to Flatiron.  Roberta's Pizza, located in Buschwick, brings excitement and delicious pizza to the neighborhood.  My friend and I got the bee sting which is only on the brunch menu and not the lunch and dinner menu.  If you can't make it out to Brooklyn for the pizza, stop by Madison Square Park to grab a personal pie and a beer!

Allergy Info: 
Allergy Friendly



Foodie Rundown: 
Bee Sting: Mozzarella, Tomato, Chilli Flakes, Sopressata and Honey.  Now this is an amazing pizza, different then your normal pizza, spicy and sweet and definitely hits the spot.  The honey is drizzled on the top and adds an amazing sweetness 

Location: 

261 Moore Street, Brooklyn, NY

Madison Square Eats (until October 19th)

http://robertaspizza.com/

I want Billy’s….Cupcakes!

So, I’m more of a cookie lover, but I think these cupcakes officially have changed my mind. I was lucky enough to try 2 cupcakes at work from Billy’s Bakery. They were fluffy, delicious, and flew like hotcakes out of the containers, so I was happy to get my hand on 2 different flavors. Billy’s bakery has more than just cupcakes though, and I can’t wait to be able to try more menu items! They have cheesecakes, pies, cookies and bars and other items such as breakfast muffins and biscuits. They are located throughout the city, so make sure to check them out for your next event or birthday!

Allergy Info:
No preservatives in any products
Nuts are used in certain items such as the carrot cake, pumpkin bars and some of the breakfast items (for example the banana nut mini loaf). Although there may not be nuts in whatever you order, they’re still made in the same kitchen, so nut allergies beware!

Foodie Rundown:
Red Velvet Cupcake: Very velvety, delicious and the frosting was amazing! (warning: this cupcake stains, so make sure you’re careful when eating it, check your fingers, your clothes and make sure that it’s not all over you!)
Banana Cupcake: I have never tasted a cupcake like this before. It was like banana bread with a cream cheese frosting, so flavorful and seasonally appropriate. I absolutely loved it!

Locations:
Chelsea
Tribeca
Nolita

http://www.billysbakerynyc.com/

Mayhem & Stout

Madison Square Eats does it again! Mayhem and Stout slow braises all of their meat. The sandwiches are made to order and are mouth wateringly delicious. The bread was great, and the sauces all looked good, so I’ll have to go back and try more of them. This place is definitely for the meat lover. No vegetarian options on the menu.

The menu changes daily, but here is a sample of what you may find on a daily basis:
Short Rib Brisket ($10);
Pork Shoulder ($10);
Fried Chicken ($9);
Sauce Choices (The Dragon, Yellow BBQ, Red Harissa, Maple Brown Sugar Sriracha);
Add-on Choices (Spicy Slaw, Pickled Carrot, Jalapeno, Escabeche, Fresh Scallion Chive

Foodie Rundown:
Taken from Mayhem and Stout’s website:
Our menu changes daily. All relishes, spreads & sauces are house-made using the freshest, most high-end ingredients available. Our meats are slow-cooked until they are fall-apart tender.
My combination? Short Rib Brisket with The Dragon sauce, with jalapeno and pickled carrots

Location:
They are located in DeKalb Market in Brooklyn (138 Willoughby Street)
Or
Madison Square Eats until October 19th

Follow them on Twitter @mayhemandstout
http://mayhemandstout.yolasite.com/

Madison Square What?

From September 21st to Friday October 19th, make sure to check out Madison Square Eats in Worth Square, across the street from Madison Square Park! What is this amazing feast you may ask? It is a collection of trucks, restaurants and vendors offering some of the best food in the city.

I’m going to try and get to each and every stand before they leave, here’s a sweet one for your Monday.

Today’s post is for Momofuku Milk Bar. I bought 2 nut free cookies from the Momofuku Milk Bar stand. Every ingredient is listed on the back of the cookie labels which is great. There are nuts in the bakery / factory where the cookies are made, but they are not in the Blueberry and Cream Cookie or Cornflake Chocolate Chip Marshmallow Cookie, which are the 2 that I bought.

Allergy Info:
Allergy Friendly
Nut friendly ** (anything on their menu on the website will have **’s to specify if the item has nuts in it or not.
Periodic soft serve ice cream flavors that are gluten free, unfortunately all the items on the menu otherwise have gluten


Foodie Rundown:
I need to go to the store to try more things, but the cookies were outrageous! Soft and gooey and lasted a few days. These were just outrageous! MUST TRY MORE!

Just to get an idea of the flavors, here are the available cake flavors, can you say, “yummy???”

· apple pie cake cheesecake filling, apple compote, pie crumbs
· banana cake**banana cream, hazelnut crunch, gianduja fudge
· birthday cake rainbow cake crumble, sprinkles, vanilla frosting
· carrot cake cheesecake filling, milk crumbs, streusel buttercream
· chocolate chip cake passion fruit curd, chocolate crumbs, coffee buttercream
· chocolate malt cake malt fudge, malted milk crumbs, charred marshmallow
· dulce de leche cake dulce de leche frosting, milk crumbs
· mint cookies n’ cream cake cookies n’ cream frosting, mint cheesecake, chocolate crumbs
· pistachio cake** lemon curd, pistachio frosting, milk crumbs
· pretzel cake stout ganache, burnt honey frosting, pretzel crumbs
· strawberry-lemon cake lemon curd, pickled strawberry jam, milk crumbs

Locations:
East Village – 13th and 2nd
Midtown – 56 btetween 5th and 6th
Upper West Side – Columbus
Brooklyn – Williamsburg
Brooklyn – Caroll Gardens
Urbanspace meatpacking market – Corner of 13th and Washington