NYC : Little Poland

If you want a quick and hearty meal that's easy on the wallet, get the Borscht Soup at Little Poland. I stopped, ordered a bowl of Borscht and an order of boiled cheese filled pierogies. The pierogies were good, not as good as my mother's though. Mom always caramelizes onions in butter and mixes them with the pierogies. She also uses cottage cheese as a filling. The soup is definitely the route to take. The service was great and atmosphere relaxing. The waitress I snapped a photo of was as sweet as pie, thanks again! The address is: 200 Second Ave, between 12th and 13th street, in NYC. Cheers!

NYC EATS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hello everyone!

I will be putting up a bunch of new posts over the next couple weeks from my trip to NYC. They include, Malaysian, Polish, Mexican, Chinese, and Aussie pot pies! If you travel to NYC trust me: eat it!!!! The spots I chose have cheap but REALLY good food. I love trying new foods or at least foods I can’t find easily in Central PA. My favorites were as follows: Indian Pancakes at Nyonya, Borscht Soup at Little Poland, Dim Sum at Jing Fong, a Sesame Pancake Sandwich with Roast Beef at Vanessa’s Dumpling House, Fish Tacos at La Esquina’s Corner Deli, Traditional Pot Pies at The Tuck Shop, and Kalustyan’s Food Market for specialty foods and spices. Last but not least a stop at a famous dive bar, The Mars Bar. Also I’m posting some random photos of the food markets in Chinatown.

Cheers younz guys!

Mrs. Groves Pastries

Do your sweet tooth a really big favor and pop into Mrs. Groves for some incredible treats. The staff is as sweet as the sticky buns they bake. You CANNOT beat the prices! Get there early—if you don't, the pickins get slim. They have an assortment of baked goods including: Bear Claws, Fresh Baked Pies, Sticky Buns, Cookies and more. Mrs Groves is the definition of the mom & pop shop! I HIGHLY, suggest getting up and heading there early for stickies and coffee to start your weekend day. While there, pick some extras up for all your friends and family to gobble down. Cheers!

Mrs. Groves is located in downtown Altoona on 12th St, near 4th Ave & 15th St. Phone: (814) 944-4745

East European Market, State College, PA

I'm out of time, so I'll post the details later.

I went to the This market in State college last weekend. It was an absolute treat! It didn't feel like State College and I loved it!!!!!

Viet Thai Restaurant, State College, PA

If you arrive in State college, PA hungry for Thai food, head to Viet Thai Restaurant. If you never had Thai food, go to Viet Thai. I realize there aren’t many Thai restaurants in town, only two actually but it’s my favorite. I ordered Beef Chilli Saute with extra spice and it was great! Lot’s of flavor, lot’s of heat the meat and vegetables were not overcooked or under. Amanda ordered the Red Beef Curry, it was equally as tasty. Although I liked my Saute much better. Over the summer I made an authentic Thai curry that called for a lot of coconut milk. Ever since then, I’m not so crazy about coconut milk. Like the time in junior high school I ate so many Thin Mint style Girl Scout cookies I got sick and didn’t eat them for years. We also ordered the fish cakes and the Seafood Tom Yum. The Tom Yum was delicious. It had crab, mussels, calamari, and shrimp in it. A great starter! The day was cold and I had no interest in spring rolls. Although, I do enjoy their spring rolls. The Tom Yum was an excellent choice. Make sure to try the Vietnamese Coffee if you have never had it. The metal piece on top of the glass is a filter that contains hot water and coffee grinds. It’s a mini coffee maker a top your glass. The glass holds condensed milk, which you later mix before you drink. I would highly suggest visiting Viet Thai. It’s in State College, PA, on Atherton Street, between the Greyhound Bus station and Rainbow Music.

The address is: 146 N. Atherton St. State College, PA, Phone: (814) 238-5004. Go to yelp.com for more specific reviews, I give Viet Thai the thumbs up!

Iced Tea

So summer is coming to it's close. The Cicada's sing in the trees, the humid days have waned and nights have become cool. This year I felt jipped, summer seemed only to last a few weeks before ending. A lot of people complain of summers sweltering heat, praying for seventy degrees days and cool shade. Not me though, give me the heat. I'll take cool shade but make me sweat. I want to feel I've earned the crisp air of autumn time. Anyway, I was thinking back to those few 90 degree days in early August we had here in Pennsylvania. I remembered—Iced Tea. Nothing is a refreshing as a cold glass of ice tea when you are thirsty. I was drinking it in the morning in place of coffee it was so good at the time. Get a big pickle jar fill it with the tea you've brewed once it has cooled, add some fresh mint, some sugar and lots of ice. Stir it well, take time to listen to the ice cubes jingle off the sides of the jar too. Pour a tall glass and gulp it, don't sip it. That's what the second glass is for.
Sit back read a book, put on a record and watch that jar sweat. Any how, just thinking.

Granola with Pumpkin Seeds

Granola is simple to make and damn tasty! To make this particular mix I used the following ingredients: Oats, Pin Oats, Dried Cherries, Flax Seed, Pumpkins Seeds, Molasses, and Olive Oil. Unfortunately I don't have the directions in front of me to tell you how to make this. I can tell you one thing, don't burn it, the granola becomes bitter. I think, the molasses is responsible for that. Well, my lack of attention and a oven probably helps too. Anyway, its simply made and cheaper than store bought granola. Make it yourself, eat it with everyone!