Grimaldi's: Brooklyn New York

If this is your first time reading this hella rad blog, then you dont know that I love pizza. So welcome to K&S, I love pizza. That being said, when I was recently in New York I really wanted to try some east coast pizza. Months ago I was watching food network and something came on about Grimaldi's. I remember thinking, if I ever go back to NYC I will try it. Well we did and boy, was it an adventure in time and patience.

My mom and I were staying in Manhattan in the Theatre District and we set out that morning walking towards the Financial District. We had no intention of walking the entire way...but we did and yes, that is about 6 miles. After the long walk past several duane reade stores we decided to take a cab over the bridge to ensure we would be on time for our lunch date at Grimaldi's with a new hip hop supergroup "They Live".

As the cab pulled up we had no idea the line would be that serious. It was down the block.

A few minutes later a man came out and let us know it would be about 30min from where we were standing. It actually took like 45min, but it was cool our hip hop friends were running late anyway. The wait was too long, the heat was too much and the complaining people were getting on my last nerve. But I was doing fine actually because I knew once inside I would be able to eat pizza and sometimes nothing in the world compares to that.

When we got seated I got right in the line for the bathroom. I was surprised how small it was inside but that makes a lot of sense why the wait is so long.

The line for the bathroom is right next to the kitchen. So you are able to catch a full view of the pizza chefs and the historic coal fired brick oven.

While we were still waiting on our friends we ordered some chianti and after the wait outside my mom and I pretty much pounded our first glass. I dont even remember what it tasted like.

First came out the veggie pizza my mom ordered which she asked for mushrooms and onions.
The sauce was bubbling and the smell was amazing. The smokey crust looked so damn amazing. I couldnt wait for it to cool down so we could eat.


They Live asked me to order them a pepperoni pizza with ricotta cheese. It also looked extremely tasty with the scattered basil and chunky tomato sauce.

The four of us killed two large pizzas. I dont think They Live ate anything before meeting us because they stopped talking when the pizza came out. The pizza's were both very good but I did like the pepperoni a bit better because of the salty meat. The mild fresh mozzerella cheese and rich sauce were extremely kick ass. The only thing that didnt hold up was the crust. The ends were perfect but as the crust got to the middle it was a bit too soggy for my favor. I love a thin crust as long as it doesnt turn into mush. Taste wise, I will admit...they have something going here.

Everyone agreed that this pizza was good, but I don't know if anyone thought they would wait and hour to eat it...I think I might. After our late lunch we headed back to the city and all made the trek over the Brooklyn bridge. It was beautiful even though we got caught in the rain but the sun was out and it didn't matter, I just had pizza.

19 Old Fulton Street, Brooklyn NY

Molly Moon's Homemade Ice Cream

Out of all desserts, I favor ice cream more than any. I actually enjoy frozen custard more than ice cream but lets not go there right now. About a month or so I was out to dinner in Wallingford with some friends and we drove by Molly Moon's. 40 or more people were lined up around the block to get in. My friend driving informed me that they supposedly had the best ice cream in town, I immediately became impatient and wanted to get some for myself but we were off to a show so Molly was going to have to wait.

One afternoon a few weeks ago L. and I took the bus to Wallingford to visit our friends and wanted to also grab some brunch (which reminds me I need to write about that place). We ate our brunch and started heading towards our friends house and there we have it...we walked right by Molly Moons. It was the middle of the afternoon and there was still a damn line. We got in the back and waited our turn with the other intersted parties. Just looking around, I was plesently surprised by the selection of ice creams and the simplicity of the space.

As we waited we were able to see and smell one of the employees making fresh waffle cones. Having the waffle irons right out at the counter most likely increases sales, we both got waffle cones.


I went with the Salted Caramel (reminicient of the taste I had from Mark's amazing fudge cake with salted peanut ice cream at Spring Hill) and L. went with the Vanilla Bean.This ice cream was really good it was rich and tasted very fresh, creamy and natural.

If I remember correctly some of the other options that day included Chocolate, Basalmic Strawberry, Maple Nut, Raspberry Sorbet and a limited edition flavor...Baracky Road. Upon reviewing the website, I noticed you can also request flavors! I think someone should make an ice cream that tastes just like Jell-O's pistachio pudding. All of the ice creams are made from local and organic ingredients and the cups are compostable, this place is so green. The place was packed so we had to take the ice cream out onto the street which was fine because all of the screaming kids were a bit too much to take anyway.

I think Molly found the perfect place to set up a place to get ice cream in a community that needed an ice cream shop. By the way, Molly Moon is a real person and she writes her own blog about her ice cream business experiences, check it out!


1622 ½ N 45th St
Wallingford, Seattle 98103
206.547.5105

Open Noon to 11pm
Everyday

mio viernes oaxaqueno

when i used to live nearby, la carta de oaxaca used to be a great option for a quick, inexpensive (early) dinner. the only problem with this place is that it gets so packed so quickly! la carta is open for both lunch and dinner with a two hour siesta between shifts.

i love the dining room: red, brick walls; rustic, white, shared tables; black-framed/white-matted photos of la vida oaxaqueno; rattan chairs; and a salsa bar. sheesh i love salsa bars. the menu (carta) is a simple, well-executed mix of moles, tacos, and seafood dishes.

our party of five started off with chips and guacamole accompanied by a mix of pico, chipotle, verde, and roasted tomato salsas from the aforementioned bar. the chips were hot and, dare-i-say, over-salted. they were good, but not moose-good.

B ordered the mole negro oaxaqueno (the house specialty!). this mole was served with olive-oiled white rice, chicken or pork mole, and freshly-made tortillas then sprinkled with a salty, dry oaxaqueno cheese. delicious and devoured.

A sampled the tamales de mole negro. what made this dish oaxacan is the banana leaf wrapper in place of the traditional corn husk. the leaf imparted a distinct banana aroma and flavor...so much so that A swore there was banana in the masa dough. i tried a bite of the masa, and it was oddly banana-y, but im sure it was great with the deep, umame-ness of the mole.

M and i shared the tostadas de camarones which were simple and straight-forward. the chopped, lime-laced shrimp was mixed with tomatoes, jalapeno, avocado slices, and garnished with queso oaxaqueno. perfecto.

M selected the tacos al pastor filled with barbecued pork chunks, cilantro, chopped onion, and salsa verde. they looked and smelled refreshing and summery and were served with a lime wedge and lightly-pickled radishes (one of my favorite taco accompaniments!).

E also ordered the mole negro oaxaqueno...again, tasty!

lastly i tried the sope caldo, which was a large bowl of fire red, spicy broth filled with bone-in, skin-on fish chunks, carrots, potato, green beans, and zucchini served with fresh tortillas. the broth was spicy-spicy in a good way and especially delicious after i squeezed in some lime and threw in the juice-less body. i really enjoyed cupping broth out of the bowl with pieces of tortilla and would definitely order this dish again in repeat visits.

please enjoy la carta de oaxaca for lunch or an early dinner since the wait can be intimidating in the later evening hours. M's only complain was that the servings were quite small, and he was hungry even after he and B shared a second plate of tacos carnitas.

la carta de oaxaca
5431 ballard ave
206.782.8722