The Naughty Fork Takes… New York City

Everyone knows that New York City is a food-lovers heaven, and as I roll to my gate at JFK, I can attest to the fact that NYC lives up to its reputation. I made it my mission to take on all the best food spots in the city within a four day period according to what you guys said was “the best of the best”. Without further ado, here are the spots The Naughty Fork visited:

Naturally, the first thing I craved getting off the plane at 8 A.M. was pizza. It seems the best eats in NY are found in hole-in-the-wall places and Prince St. Pizza fits the bill perfectly. The pizza wasn’t the cheapest you could find, but the line around the corner proved that no one cared. Everyone was waiting and waiting for one thing and one thing only: the pepperoni pizza. The main character of this story was not the pizza, but the pepperoni. Yes, it crisps at the ends! I truly don’t know how they do it.

A must eat in NYC.

I was told by many of my fellow Instagram foodies that Momofuku Milk Bar was the place to go. Also a friend of mine told me the noodle bar was the secret gem real New Yorkers love to go to, so off I went. As a ramen-eating college student, you could imagine my happiness when a giant bowl of fancy noodles was placed in front of me. After a 20 minute period of silence, our group decided we would be back, and back we came.

P.S. Do not forget to order one of the buns too…they’re just as delicious.

Luckily, I came to NY during the best time of the year. Well, for a foodie that is.

Opened only for a few months out of the year, Madison Square Eats was my final destination for the trip. It consists of 15 food stands. Convinced I was going to get my money’s worth I started my food marathon. Don’t get me wrong the food is fantastic, but that precisely happens to be the problem- you end up eating $100 of delicious food REALLY quickly. Start with the lobster roll. It’s pricey, but what lobster filled roll isn’t. Next check out Roberta’s for some excellent pizza. If you’re feeling adventurous, head over to Jicama for the sweet and salty pulled pork slider (ON A DONUT, Yes ON A DONUT!). I felt my arteries clogging just typing it. For dessert, I would go with the ice cream sandwiches, preferably the red velvet. Do not leave without trying the Nutella filled churros.

You’ll be rolling out of the park after this one…

This isn’t a new place for me. In fact, every time I go to New York I drag someone through the 4 different trains and 7 blocks just to get my hands on one of these cookies. As it turns out, not one of those people were complaining by the end of the long trip. But who would? Another perfect candidate for the hole-in-the-wall category, Levain Bakery serves THE best chocolate chip cookies in town. There is no hesitation in that statement. I think the most puzzling aspect is the way the outside bakes while the inside stays this gooey cookie dough-like texture. I just drooled a little. If you don’t go, you did New York all wrong.

Another summer time pop-up market caught my eye in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Occurring all day Saturday, it draws the attention of tourists everywhere. The quiet streets of Williamsburg fill with people in hopes of eating some of the best food in the city. Similar to Madison Square eats, the entire field is lined with about 40 food stands with lines circling each one. A trip to the ATM is a requirement since THEY ONLY TAKE CASH! Don’t make the mistake of going without it. It’s also not the cheapest adventure, but all of the food is delicious. Check out Big Mozz for the mozzarella slider and definitely stop for some corn on the cob.

Next stop: Smorgasburg . I know you will be standing in the mile long line, but remember you will leave holding the Ramen burger. A staple on all foodie Instagrams It lives up to its name…Maybe even surpasses it.

Let me share a wise foodie tactic: have one person in your party stand in Smorgasburg’s line while another stands in the line for the “Home Frite” french fries next to it. While it is also a long line, the fries are worth it.

Let me just say now that the majority of these foodie places are located in the East Village so I recommend taking a full day and just eat around there. (Obviously people aren’t as crazy as I am though) Anyways, there are few ice cream places that can successfully differentiate themselves from other ice cream spots, and Big Gay is one of them. Famous for their Rocky Roadhouse and their Salty Pimp, they don’t fail to bring the customers what they came for. Granted, most of the people in line are young adults who have seen these ice creams somewhere on social media, but deliciousness does not discriminate by age… Trust me.

I couldn’t come to NYC without trying a New York Bagel. I have heard of many famous bagel places, but none seem to compare to Space Market. Again, this is not a place you would think would sell some of the best bagels and sandwiches in NY, but they do. Whether you’re a sweet or salty person, they’ve got you covered. I tried the peanut butter, banana, and jelly bagel as well as the turkey club and I wasn’t disappointed. If you’re in the area, stop by and check it out.

I made the executive decision one morning to stay hungover in my bed and order bagels for delivery. Postmates, I love you. Being the indecisive person that I am, I couldn’t choose between two bagels so I ordered them both. I went with the safer choice: the egg, cheese, tomato and avocado bagel, as well as the more “adventurous” option: the tobiko cream cheese, smoked salmon, and butter lettuce bagel. If there’s any way to cure a hangover, a delicious bagel from Blackseed will do the trick.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to finish my list of places which included: M’o Il Gelato for their hot panino with dark chocolate gelato, 10Below for their rolled ice cream, Waffles and Dinges for the incredible waffles, The Bagel Store for the rainbow bagel, Mimi Cheng’s for the cheese burger dumplings, and more. I guess I wasn’t even close. Soooo that means I have to plan yet another trip to NYC?? Where should The Naughty Fork go next time?

I take suggestions.