The Big Apple - a few short reviews

So here is where my advanced apology is going to be useful. Other than the french fries place, I pretty much gobbled down all or most of the food before I could take pictures, so there won't be that many pretty pictures to look at this time, sorry!

First up is Doughnut Plant:

This cozy donut place at the edge of China town had just edged my favorite warm glazed donut from Krispy Kreme down to second place. I've seen this place featured on Food Network and The Travel Channel so I knew it was good, but I was just not prepared for how good these donuts are. Actually these donuts are not good, they are GREAT!

Hazelnut glazed

The donuts are big and fluffy, not to mention delicious! It was so good that I ate about 3 of these babies and I'm a pretty small girl who eats like a bird. They use fresh fruit for the glaze and filling, and believe me, it makes a really big difference! The peach glazed that I ordered had a very subtle peachy flavor that just lingers in your mouth begging you to take one more bite. The Blackout, which is a chocolate cake doughnut with chocolate pudding in the middle, is unlike any cake donuts I have ever had. It tastes just like a chocolate cake and I had to fend off my boyfriend, who doesn't like cake donuts, from taking it from me.

This is a must visit for anyone who travels to New York. The donuts are a little pricier than what you're used to, but it's worth every penny!

Next, Pommes Frites:

This is another place I saw on the Food Network, Pommes Frites is a small little, mostly takeout shop that sells only one thing: pommes frites aka french fries. What makes this place unique is the 25 sauces that you can get with your fries; sauces such as Pomegranate Teriyaki Mayo, Peanut Satay, Sweet Mango Chutney Mayo, and Irish Curry are just a few that caught my attention.

We ordered the regular size with roasted garlic mayo. They filled the fries into a paper cone and if you are able to sit down at one of the few tables they have in the back, you can sit your cone down in one of the holes on the table, which I thought was pretty neat. We also ordered the poutine, which we were really excited about and always wanted to get ever since we saw Jay and Silent Bob mentioned it on an episode of Degrassi.

Poutine

The fries were very thick and crispy, but I don't know if it's because they're double fried or maybe ours were fried a little too long, the inside was a little bit dry. In my opinion, I think the fries that I made at home tasted better, but that can very much just be a personal taste issue. The garlic mayo was different but good, my boyfriend enjoyed it more than I did because he's more of a mayo person than me.

The poutine was quite tasty though. For anyone who doesn't know what poutine is, it is a Canadian comfort food that has french fries topped with fresh cheese curd and brown gravy. The gravy helped with the slightly dried fries, and the cheese curds was somewhat rubbery and squeak against the teeth when bitten into, which was pretty fun for me to eat. I know it's sort of strange that cheese would squeak, but I learned from my Wisconsin trip earlier this year that the squeaking of the curd is a sign that it is fresh and good.

Even though Pommes Frites did not make my definite go back list, I would still recommend my friends to check it out since they are quite unique and is worth a try as my taste could be very different from yours.

And lastly, Gray's Papaya:

We went to the Midtown branch at the corner of Eighth Ave. and 37th St. and ordered the "Recession Special" which consists of two hot dogs and a drink that costs $3.50. For me, Pink's hot dog in L.A. is still my favorite, but you can't beat the price at Gray's Papaya, unless you go to Costco. The hot dogs are smaller and thinner than what I'm used to, but it's full of flavor and snaps when you bite into it. And don't get me started with the papaya drink. I really didn't think I would like the papaya drink, I would eat fresh papaya, but it really wouldn't be my first choice for fruit, however, the papaya drink was so goooood. It was light, refreshing, a little frothy on top, it's no wonder they're famous for it.

If you ever decide to check it out, be advised that this is not a restaurant and you won't be able to sit down to eat your dogs. It is open 24/7 so it's a great place to go for your midnight munchies or after a fun time from partying at the clubs.