Maine: Nicky's Cruisin Diner - the best chicken fried steak ever

Alright so it might not be the best ever that I've had since this is only the first time that I had it, but still, it was quite bomb.

When J and I were in Maine, his cousins took us around to eat at places. Bangor, Maine is small but that doesn't mean they don't have good food. Nicky's is a great diner. The typical diner you would see in the movies of the 80s, kind of cool and retro.

The decor of Nicky's was extremely colorful. I mean you can probably spend hours looking at the driver plates on the wall, random hanging pinball machine and this photo booth which I have no clue if it works or not.

J had the Wolfman Jack ($7.99), extremely big breakfast. Well worth the price for so much food.

Ok, so my Chicken Fried Steak ($9.49) was extremely delicious. Maybe it's because I haven't had it before but it was just really dam good. Tasted like fried chicken wings without the bones. The gravy was perfect, I was always afraid it would be heavy and salty but it was literally just perfect. My favorite part would be to just dip the fried steak into the egg yolk. This is definitely one of the best brunch I've ever had.

I'm hooked now, onto chicken fried steak. I would totally order it again and again and again.

Nicky's Cruisin Diner
957 Union St
Bangor, ME 04401
(207) 942-3430

Connecticut: Lobster Landing alongside the water

A couple of months ago, J and I made a quick stop at Lobster Landing before hitting Maine. It was windy and cold that afternoon and the fact that it was by the water didn't really help.

The area was nice, big open space and I'm sure it would be beautiful in the summer when the sun comes out. But that day was eerily cloudy.

The menu was small but J knew what to order for us. His cousin was there also and gotten something else other than the lobster roll. Apparently to her, nothing beats Maine's lobster.

She had gotten the Hot Dog ($3). The wiener was pretty big and for that price, it was quite worth it.

The Lobster Roll ($15) was long. It was alright, nothing that really stood out. The butter was all on the bottom of the roll was made it messy to eat. Good pieces of meat but lacked flavor. It just felt like something was missing whenever I take a bite.

I'm glad I got to try it but still nothing beats Luke's Lobster.

Lobster Landing
152 Commerce St
Clinton, CT 06413
(860) 669-2005

JoJu - an anticipation left in disapointment

I'm not gonna lie, I like a good Vietnamese sandwich sometimes. I know that I might not get the best service at these places because Asian people aren't the friendliest. They care about making money, so they just want your order so they can put it through and get it to you asap. JoJu was a bit different, the people behind the counter were actually young...

Apparently for JoJu, when you check-in Yelp, you get a free egg with your sandwich. Which means, I save just $1 which is still a lot of money. J and I also ordered the Kimchi Fries but they messed that up.

Fries came first, we really thought it was the Kimchi Fries which was why we dug right in but then learn that it was the Banh Mi Fries ($5.25). By then it was too late to change our order. The fries were definitely fried twice if not more than that because it stayed a hard texture throughout the entire time we were eating it. There were a lot of pickled carrots and daikon which I felt like a vegetarian dish, it would've been a bit more exciting if there were some meat in it.

The JoJu Monster (originally $6.75 but I got it for $1 less because of the Yelp check-in) was literally what everyone was raving about. Is it just because of the extra egg that so many people like it? I wasn't impress at all. First off, all the sandwiches I had before had the same problem as this, everything is sectioned off weirdly. Why can't it just lay flat so when I bite, I get a little of everything? The meat and veggies are always squished off to the side...I mainly just taste the egg and the veggies, I didn't even know the meat existed until I look at my sandwich.

I wouldn't travel for JoJu unless I'm in the neighborhood. Then again, I don't really think it was worth it. I rather spent my money at Banh Mi Saigon or Luu's Baguette.

JoJu
83-25 Broadway
Elmhurst, NY 11373
(347) 808-0887

Spina - a little spot that holds a lot of goodies

Spina was a spur of the moment dinner date with J. It was one of the place we saw when we were walking to Kasadela that had a good deal on happy hour. Sure enough, a couple of months later we remembered about it and went there spontaneously.

Spina was empty when we arrived about 7pm. Got seated pretty quickly and was given the wine list. I was a bit puzzled because I didn't see the menu until a god 5 minutes later...started to get a bit worried haha.

I really like how big the wine glasses are. Because it's so much bigger, it looks as if there is a lot less wine but that's not the case. It's just how you perceive it. I rather have a bigger glass because then I can take a good sniff at the wine every time I drink it.

Their in-house Focaccia and Ricotta was amazing. Different than your average bread and butter which can get quite boring. The focaccia was soft and fluffy and the ricotta was just so dam good. Creamy and light, I can use this spread every day if I can.

We ordered our appetizer which were both on their happy hour. Spina's HH starts at 5:30 and ends at 8pm, love the time! They also have $6 glasses of wine which is really affordable.

The Meatballs ($5) are only worth it when it's HH because they're so tiny. The flavor is great and I don't remember when was the last time I had meatballs. Let's just say it hit the spot and it would've been great with a plate of spaghetti.

Our favorite was the Mussels ($5) and during HH, these suckers were only $5 which is a total steal! Flavor was good, be great if we were given some bread to soak up the yummy broth. Mussels were tender and plump, really like the little cherry tomatoes in the dish also.

At this point, we were really satisfied already. As our entree, we ordered pasta. Spina has a pasta bar where fresh dough of pasta is made on the spot. It's pretty amazing knowing that your pasta isn't frozen.

The Asparagus Fettucine ($18) was really light. The asparagus were cut thinly but still held that crunch, the duck confit was a bit on the chewy side but still quite flavorful.

J's Squid Ink Fettucine ($22) was different than what I had imagined. The pasta was made of squid ink and it wasn't covered in squid ink sauce, nice! There's a slight tingy and spiced taste to this dish which makes it that more interesting and quite addictive. Certainly do recommend this one.

The portions might look small but when you're dealing with pasta for one, you don't want to serve too much. Plus, there's actually a lot under that bundle of pasta.

For dessert, we had the Chocolate Souffle ($8) which was not what I expected. I'm starting to think that souffle has a whole new different meaning to it. The chocolate souffle was good, chocolate-y and warm with a light thin crust on the outside. Pair it up with some cold vanilla ice cream and nothing can go wrong.

Spina has 1/2 off their wine bottles on Sundays and Mondays which is another reason to come. J and I adore this place and just couldn't wait to return for another round of date night.

Spina
175 Ave B
New York, NY 10009
(212) 253-2250

Mei Li Wah - the best buns that leaves you speechless?

Three weeks ago J and I thought of going to Mei Li Wah for a quick brunch before heading into Jersey for some personal errands. I've had Mei Li Wah's pork buns before they fixed up the place and it was quite good, small but good.

This time, I wanted us to actually sit down and enjoy the food but time didn't exactly permit us. We ordered a bunch of stuff and ended up not finishing a dish...yes, we're back to being greedy again!

I had an Iced Coffee while J had an Iced Coffee & Milk Tea. Something that he likes, he enjoyed it and said they made it quite well. Me, on the other hand thought the coffee was too sweet. I was hoping the ice would water it down a bit but nope, didn't happen...still sweet.

Saw this and had to get it. One of my all time favorites, Fried Cruller wrapped in Rice Noodles. You get that crunchy and soft texture at the same time, not anyone's thing but hey I can eat this all week long.

Ordered a Siew Mai because J haven't had dim sum in a while. It wasn't the greatest, could be hotter also.

The Har Gow was actually pretty good. It didn't look that great at first glance because it looked so white, I mean, aren't shrimp suppose to look a bit pink? But there were mouthfuls of shrimp and the dumpling skin was chewy and tender.

Last but not least, because we were greedy we also gotten the Beef Chow Fun. I actually wanted the soy sauce pan-fried noodles but they don't make it at Mei Li Wah, so I settled for this. We barely ate half and took the rest to go. It wasn't bad, a lot less greasy than other places.

I have to say, if I had the time to just chill and relax, I wouldn't mind staying here longer. The waitress were ok, better than your average Asian middle-age waitresses elsewhere, that's for sure. They take a while to get to you, but they don't have that mean stink-face when they approach you - win.

Mei Li Wah
64 Bayard St
New York, NY 10013
(212) 966-7866

Breakfast: Big Wing Wong

It's rare that J and I have the chance to go out and eat breakfast. We usually don't eat breakfast together but when given the chance, we opt for a Chinese one. There's so many varieties and choices instead of your boring eggs and bacon or oatmeal or breakfast sandwiches.

I barely ever eat at Big Wing Wong because I usually go to Big Wong or Yee Li (which changed names and management a couple of times). I'm very picky when it comes to Chinese restaurants that offers roast meat. I remember back in the days where you would order a rice or noodle dish and there would be greens in it but now...not a single in sight. So far, only Yee Li gives vegetables with their rice and noodles dishes. Do tell me if there are other restaurants that does this.

J likes Big Wing Wong and it's too early to argue otherwise, so I agreed.

Roast Pork Rice Crepes.
I really wanted the rice crepes with the fried cruller but they didn't have it. I didn't want shrimp and beef so we stuck with roast pork. Made fresh on the spot and was delicious as a morning appetizer. Love how they doused the whole plate in soy sauce.

Pork with Thousand Year Old Congee.
J's go-to morning order. I would order congee but I can never finish it and I don't like how steaming hot it is! I get so impatient which then leads to me burning myself and so that would ruin my chance of actually enjoying the congee. Big Wing Wong puts julienne pieces of ginger in the congee, which I'm not a big fan of either.

Wonton Mein.
Simple and yet filling. Dumplings with noodles is the way to go when you have no idea what else there is to get. I was looking around and overheard patrons eating rice for breakfast, way too early for that. The noodles were perfectly cooked, still has that bounce which I absolutely love when it comes to eating egg noodles. The wontons were excellent also. Remember the soy sauce from the rice crepe? Try it with the wontons because it gives it that extra little salty and sweet kick.

Good breakfast? Indeed. Service was fast and ordering was pretty easy once you know what you want. Big Wing Wong is one of the places that opens bright and early.

Big Wing Wong
102 Mott St
New York, NY 10013
(212) 274-0696

Spot Dessert Bar

Being the crazy couple that J and I are, we somehow landed upon Spot Dessert Bar and decided to do the omakase. Thinking and probably hoping that by doing the omakase, the dishes would be smaller but somehow I really doubted it.

I really didn't know what came over us, but we did it and it was overly painful towards the end because we had a sugar coma. We pretty much tried every dessert in one sitting, never again... never, never, never again.

In no particular order, we had the following --


Yuzu Eskimo



Green Tearamisu



Smoked Coconut Cheesecake



Thai Tea Creme Brulee



Kabocha Brulee Cake



Soft Cheesecake



White Miso Semifreddo


There was only one plate that stood out to me which I absolutely loved. It was the Kabocha Brulee Cake, reminds me of pumpkin/carrot cake. The others didn't work for me, the mixture of different flavors were just off-putting and didn't work together.

After supposedly 8 plates of murderous sweet, we had to order a drink and decided on something cold and light.


Calamansi Honey Thai Tea

Amazingly refreshing and knocked out all the sweetness in my mouth. I would come back, but not for the omakase. Although I don't know how soon I'll return since it was sort of traumatizing?

Spot Dessert Bar
13 St Marks Pl
New York, NY 10003
(212) 677-5670

The Underground Lounge

One of my coworkers was going to play live at The Underground Lounge, I definitely wasn't going to miss it so I joined my other coworkers and trekked to the upper west side.

The lounge/bar is literally underground, well half up and half down. The stairs are tricky, I was thinking how many people actually tripped going up the stairs when they leave. The live music starts at 7pm so we stay by the bar to order some drinks and food first.


X-Rated Kiss

One of the better cocktails that I've had. It taste extremely girly and quite strong also.


Hard Cider

My dear coworker ordered Hard Cider which was just apple cider with just a teensy bit of alcohol content in it.


BBQ Chicken Wings

The chicken wings were alright, nothing really special about it. Although I did wish there was more because it wasn't enough to hit the spot.


Fish Tacos

After having fish tacos at Blockheads for the first time, I fell in love with fish tacos in general. Wherever I see it, I would want to get it. Glad we got to try the Mahi Mahi here beacuse they steamed the fish and the flavor of the fish is still there. Love the mango and pineapple in the mini tacos.

After finishing those two dishes, the live room was open for us to take a seat and get comfortable. It's not a huge place but it's definitely cozy. We continued to order food because we're still hungry. The food took a while to come once we migrated into the bigger room. But the quality doesn't fail to deliver.


Margherita Rustic Pizzette

One of the best pizza I've had. It was fresh and the toppings were just right, the crust was crunchy like a flatbread. I would just go back for the pizza and a drink, it's so good.


Cheeseburger Sliders

The sliders were mediocre, nothing fantanstic about it. It was a bit on the dry side, maybe we needed ketchup...


Muchos Nachos

The nachos were massive but then it started to get soggy in the middle. No beuno. I rather have the toppings on the side so I can just dip into it.
As the night progresses I got another drink --


Cuban Mojito Highball

It wasn't so great. I prefer the X-Rated Kiss a lot more. The mojito lacked flavor, there was a lot of mint but I tasted no alcohol, like it was filled mostly of water. What a disappointment.

The highlight of the bar/lounge was definitely the X-Rated Kiss, pizzette, and the live entertainment my coworker provided us. It was a very mellow night which was great for some relaxing time.

The Underground Lounge
955 W End Ave
New York, NY 10025
(212) 531-4759

Kowloon Cafe

It was a nice Saturday morning, J and I didn't want to head out to the city so we stayed in Brooklyn to find a spot to eat. It was around 1pm when we met up and decided to head to Kowloon Cafe. A Hong Kong based cafe, I love these kind of places. The staff spoke in Cantonese and the service was quick. I've never been here before but J had eaten here a couple of times already.

We got seated immediately but it took us a while to decide on what to eat since they have a ton of dishes on their menu. As usual, we ordered way too much. I guess we're back on the greedy track.


Grass Jelly w/ Soy Milk

I think J started to slowly like this when I ordered it back then. He's been bringing up this drink a lot lately and finally he gets his fix! They serve it really sweet here, and I was so glad that they put a lot of crushed ice into it... the ice eventually melted and mellowed out the sweetness of the soy milk.


Salt and Pepper Duck Gizzard

If you haven't noticed, J and I love gizzards. It's been a while since I've had duck gizzard, chicken gizzard are more assessible than duck. Nonetheless, the dish was good. A bit on the salty side but I can live with it cause I heart gizzards. Duck gizzards are just a bit larger in size but the texture are similar to chicken's, just as gamey and chewy.


Curry Fish Balls

Ever since we ordered the curry fish balls from Hong Kong Station in Chinatown, we are addicted. Not knowing how it would taste at Kowloon, we took the risk and ordered it. It was definitely different than HK Station because at Kowloon they actually use the curry powder which yields that curry flavor. At HK Station, they use crushed chilis, oil, and pepper as the curry sauce. I still love both styles.


Kowloon French Toast

I was never a big fan of HK style's toast but J loves it, must be a Hong Kong thing. This one in particular had a bit of a surprise in the middle for us. There was a thin layer, sufficient enough so you can actually taste it, of red bean paste. What a pleasant surprise! The entire toast was actually pretty good *claps*


Amoy Style Fried Vermicelli

Don't know why they didn't just call it rice noodles. When I'm in the mood for a light stir-fried noodle, rice noodle will be the choice. They have a lot less oil than any other noodle dishes and plus, the Amoy style has a lot of ingredients. Anything from ham, egg, onions, sour cabbage, peppers, shrimp... at the list goes on and on.

Curry Beef Stew w/ Rice

This is where we realized that we ordered more than we can consume. J was like, we should've sticked with the noodles. Haha! But hey, the rice dish was really good, like gooood. The beef was tender and soft, sauce was perfect, even the rice was good.

I definitely enjoy this meal. Then again, I think I just really like Cantonese food in general. A place that is worthy of return.

Kowloon Cafe
2365 86th St
Brooklyn, NY 11214
(718) 333-1388

Mile End

The search for the best New York poutine still continues. Of course, it will never be the same as Montreal's poutine but I would like to think there is this possibility out there where we'll find a poutine that comes close to our (J's and mine) favorite Frite Alors in Canada.

Somehow, searching around Yelp brings me to Mile End. They had good ratings, great photos and most important, the poutine looks really dam good.

When we arrived, we had to wait a while. I was actually surprised at how many people were eating here, must be good...

They had a small menu so deciding on what we want wasn't so difficult.


Classic Poutine

Looks pretty legit to me.
I wish the cheese curds were smaller and colder. Because by the time they served us the plate, the curds were melting. Gah! I want that squeaky feeling of cheese curds between my teeth. The gravy was good, not too overly seasoned and worked quite well with the fries, which were quite good also. And so, that's where the good food ends...

Smoke Meat Sandwich w/ pickle and slaw

The smoked meat was dry. They needed more fat in that meat, not just lean meat. Felt like eating dry cardboard. But, the pickle was amazing. Nice, crunchy, salty... the way a real pickle should be.


Grandpa

Another disappointment. Layers of turkey breast with thinly sliced pickle (-_-) and a turkey rillette, one word - dry. The only moisture was the pickles and the rillette. Plus, I felt like it lacked some sort of texture, probably would've helped if they gave me more pickles.

So, the entire time J and I was sitting at the counter, we noticed the dude behind the counter that was preparing sandwiches started munching on pieces of smoked meat and turkey. He would purposely slice more and just eat the extra pieces, and I say extra pieces because they actually weigh the amount that goes into the sandwich. Man, I rather go to Katz's and let them pile on the meat and they're not dry!

All-in-all, I'm only coming back for the poutine, if I ever come back.

Mile End
97 Hoyt St
Ste A
Brooklyn, NY 11217
(718) 852-7510

Weekday Lunch: Goodburger

This is my second visit to Goodburger and it doesn't disappoint. I know I can go to a fast food chain and get a burger but it's definitely not as satisfying as Goodburger's burger. Plus, my company is just two blocks away from Goodburger which gives easy access. A burger from here starts around $5-ish but with all the knick-knacks you add in the burger, it'll most likely hit around $6-7. Add a complete meal, with fries and a drink (I replaced mine with a milkshake) and that would be $10-ish. But it's great to indulge in some greasy burgers once in a while.

Fries, Burger, Milkshake

They give quite an amount of fries but it lacks texture. I mean, it's really crispy, really really crispy, maybe even hard and it lacks salt. I love salt with my fries and if it's seasoned well, then there's no need for ketchup but that's not the case with their fries. But, I do like how it was packaged - every french fry stayed inside the bag.

The vanilla milkshake was alright. Nothing too surprising. A small is definitely enough to satisfy my sweet tooth.

Medium-cooked, cheese, onions, tomato, lettuce, mayo, and ketchup

Call me weird but I like my mayo with ketchup, it taste almost like the Thousand Island salad dressing. I guess the one thing I really like about Goodburger would be the way they cook their burger. I asked for medium and they cooked it quite well, you can still see the pink in the center which was such a beautiful thing. A little crust on the outside and the middle of the patty was so tender. Though, I do wish they added just a tad bit more sauce and a bigger slice of cheese.

Overall, a great lunch. This is a burger, which won't ever compare to a fast food chain burger. And one more photo for good time sakes.

You can totally see the beautiful layers of the burger.

goodburger
101 Maiden Ln
Manhattan, NY 10039
(212) 797-1700