Made an annual trek to NYC and wanted to provide a few highlights:
Okiburu House of Tsukemen A new tsukemen spot opened in the LES. Definitely the best version i've had outside of Tokyo. Thought the noodles were perfect and the dipping broth was fantastically flavored
Bo Ky I usually stay in Manhattan's Chinatown, which allows for some wonderful eating options. Stopped into Bo Ky one morning and had their Beef Belly Flat Noodle Soup. It was legit one of most satisfying breakfasts i've ever eaten. Also made my first stop into
Xi'an Famous Foods. Hand pulled noodles here were fantastic!
Matsunori As i was making group dinner plans, realized that NYC has seen a large influx of "affordable" omakase sushi restaurants. Ended up selecting Matsunori based on availability and it being BYOB. $79 for 13 pieces and a handroll. I left thinking places like this would thrive in Chicago and that i'd expect some to pop up in the near future
Scarr's and
Joe's We did some pizza crawling and these 2 have become very dependable spots along the way. Scarr's was objectively better, but can't beat the quintessential NY slices that Joe's serves.
NYC is filled with cocktail bars/bars. A few favorites were:
Bar Goto Great drinks and they had fantastic wings
Analogue Nice, relaxed cocktail bar in the west village
Pubkey Divey cocktail bar in Greenwich Village which had great drinks and a helluva food menu (smashburgers, hot dogs, chopped cheeses)
Bar B This was an Italian standing tapas wine bar with Japanese influences in Chelsea. Alright, that's a lot of words that don't seem to go together. But it was great, and if i lived near here, i'd be a regular
This was my 3rd trip to NYC since Sep '21 and it was first time the city felt back to "normal". Also, I still can't believe how much nicer LaGuardia is now compared to before.