Pop Pub was Pop-tastic

In a night out on the town I joined some friends for drinks and food at Pop Pub. It was fun and delicious. There are three locations around NYC that I've been to and I loved this vibe. Each one is slightly different. Pop Pub was very laid back and a great place for a gathering (on University between 11th and 12th).

When you walk in you think it may be just another dive bar with good burgers and beer, but in the front there's an order station for take out. I think that the counter may be set up differently for lunch but we got there at about 8:30. We sat down in the back of the beautifully wooden area and ordered the gobble gobble and the invisible burgers. I was so excited because two orders was the perfect amount to share and I think there's something really fun about mini burgers.

The gobble gobble are really great turkey burgers with lettuce, tomato and special sauce. The invisible burgers are fried portabello burgers with lettuce tomato and cheese. My dining buddy let me indulge with two of the turkey burgers while she had two of the invisible ones. We devoured the burgers and then ordered some homemade donuts for dessert. The donuts were warm served with hot fudge and strawberry jelly to dip. I wish I had enough room after my three burgers to eat the six mini-donuts myself, but I had to share! It was a fun way of making friends at this gathering by sharing my donuts.

Can't wait to visit Pop Pub again soon when I'm less beat from the heat to try one of their innovative cocktails. In the meantime I will just fantasize about the mini burgers and plot my next trip to NYC. Though, with the food truck craze in Boston, I wish that the Pop Burger/Pop Pub crew will decide to open a truck in Boston so I can enjoy their mini burgers in my two favorite cities.

On my next trip, I'll post some pics!

Gnocco: You make me smile

I've been on a whirlwind NYC trip (sounds scandalous, I know). Last night (Friday), I went to Gnocco with a friend for her birthday. The restaurant is way downtown and truly a hidden gem. Not only was the food outstanding and homemade, but it was also extremely affordable.

The restaurant is on E10th between A and B and when we walked it, it looked like we were stopping into a pizza joint. Now NYC has great pizza, so I would have been ok with that but I knew better! We were seated in their garden area. The best way to describe it is like a baseball stadium with a sky dome. It was a brick area with some plants, tables and a tent-like seal overhead.

The meal started with some italian bread and outstanding olive oil and balsamic poured for us. Since we could not decide individually on pizza or pasta, we got two dishes and shared. Great choice! The pasta dish was tagliotelli with homemade ragu and peas. The pasta was fresh and sturdy and the sauce was perfect. As my friend put it "there is way more meat than tomatoes." I could also tell by the consistency of the peas that they too were fresh. See the photo we took below on a smart phone.

 The pizza was outstanding. We got a vegetable one. The crust was as thin as possible without breaking. The pizza was loaded with artichokes, mushrooms, fresh tomatoes, cheese, sauce, eggplant and onions. It was perfectly cooked. The crust was tasty with a hint of salt. As I'm writing about it right now, I'm wishing I took the leftover slice home and had it for breakfast.

Also, the service was outstanding. Next time, I go, I plan to save room for one of their homemade desserts.