If it weren’t socially unacceptable, I would gorge myself on delicious food until I looked like a glazed ham with legs.

Unfortunately, it’s not socially acceptable, so I have to settle for a few choice meals here and there to get my fix.  While in NY I had some GREAT food and some mediocre food… overall, a good experience.

So, the first two meals sucked donkey balls… one was from a pub and the other was a gross breakfast at a streetside cafe.  Not even worth mentioning.  HOWEVER, after that things started getting good. 

We went to Pastis on Wednesday night, which was pretty awesome.   I had to push my way through the hoards of celebrities clawing to get in, but once through, it had a fantastic atmosphere that felt authentically French.

I had an arugula salad with eggplant, chickpeas, and feta cheese.  It was yum.

One of the best end-to-end experiences of the trip was at Lil’ Frankie’s Pizza.  I passed by earlier in the day to check that sucker out – it seemed to be a cool place, so I headed there for dinner.  First, I have to say that the waiter rocked my world.  He was nice, SO knowledgeable, and a hottie to boot. 

He told us about the specials with such aplomb… it convinced us to purchase a ball of imported italian buffala mozzerella for TWENTY FIVE dollars.  But it was AWESOME…

The next course for me was a shredded duck ravioli with a tart tomato ragout.  I must say that, although the cheese was really the “king” of the meal, the duck ravioli was surely the “king that usurped the original king’s throne in a complex and dramatic murder plot”.  DEE-lish:

I will say that the meal was really heightened by the super-cool clientele and the weird and mismatched (and often freaky) decor.  Definitely a place I’d recommend.

I was speaking to a vegan friend earlier in the day, and she was gushing about the delicious cakes and pastries at Babycakes in the Lower East Side.  Baked vegan food really intrigues me… so I decided to stop by and try it out.

First, it was a bit tough to find… but once I figured it out, I loved it!  First, the atmosphere was great… wicked interior design concept and really friendly staff.  I asked the guy at the front to recommend something, and we chatted.  After he scolded me for not liking brownies, he recommended the coconut doughnut.  Moist and coconutty and totally delicious.

DOUGHNUT!!!

Finally, I had an AMAZING experience at Ruby’s in Nolita.  First, I walked by earlier in the week, and there was posse of very attractive men chatting out front. 

So already, there was an impetus for me to try it out.  Secondly, they have a surprisingly large menu for a cafe with a kitchen the size of a closet:

Third, the decor was pretty cool.  I kind of want to copy the painting on the wall…

FOURTH, I had the absolutely, positively BEST hamburger I’ve EVER had in my life.  EVER.

FIFTH, we saw NEW YORK PAM!