Perfect afternoon for a stroll at Union Square greenmarket

Shoppers at Union Square Greenmarket

There's is just something invigorating about stumbling across a farmer's market in the middle of a metropolitan area. The contrast of small town farmers and high heeled ladies in their Manolo's. The banker in a pinstripe smelling the harvest tomatoes and cantaloupe. The sea of plastic tents in an ocean of steel, concrete and glass. Whether you are in Milan, Buenos Aires, Makati City or

in the Greenmarket in New York, the appeal is the same.

Here are some photos I took at Union Square on a perfect September afternoon. Even the krishna's were out with their pamphlets. The Union Square chess regulars were taking in the spotlight as many passers by stop to take a quick look at a the city's Karpov's and Spassky's. New Yorkers were tasting wines from the Finger Lakes while I was enamored with the Smokra (smoked okra). In this city of all cities, it's great to see that the farmer's market is very much a part of its DNA. And in New York Greenmarkets, they welcome food stamps. Now, that's an amazing concept.

The Union Square Greenmarket is open 4 days a week in season (Monday, Wednesday, friday and Saturday).

A Sexy Hotel in Midtown Manhattan

The sexy bedroom setting

Sometimes, boutique hotels just don't cut it on a business trip. There was a time in Chicago when the extremely dark hallways at the W hotel Lakeshore was more of a nuisance after a long day of meetings and all I want was to get back to my room and chill. It is also quite common to find the hotel staff more interested in their acting careers than being hospitable to their guests. Such was surprisingly not the case at the Hotel Gansevoort Park Avenue in midtown New

York where I stayed on my last business trip. I would normally stay loyal to a Marriott brand but even the Courtyard by Marriott during Fashion Week was pricey in the range of $500 per night. Ouch. For $360, the Gansevoort was a steal.

The door staff in their simple purple polo shirts were gracious and helpful. On my way out to La Guardia, one of the door staff went in the middle of 5th Avenue to flag a taxi down. I really felt that he wanted to get me to the airport as expeditiously as possible. The front desk staff were professional without being to chatty with the guests. I arrived at the hotel a little early and the front desk agent said that my room was not yet clean and that he would call me when it was ready. About thirty minutes later, he actually called to let me know that I was good to go. Nothing out of the extraordinary but I appreciate the fact that he didn't forget to call me right away.

The lobby was a mis-mash of designer type sofas and chairs which worked well for the space, but it certainly was not inviting as a "third place" in the hotel. It was not designed as a revenue center for cocktails but merely a resting point between your room and the bustling city outside.

My room at the Gansevoort was large, especially by New York standards. Seductive photos hung above the bed unfortunately my wife wasn't around to enjoy the setting with me. The parlor was well equipped with a loaded iTouch playing the hotel's CD. The beige sofa and striped mauve chair were comfortable though not necessarily plush. A tray of office supplies was a nice touch. The mini bar was fully loaded with well appointed items such as mints, Grey Goose 375 ml bottles and a tempting bottle of Patron. The bathroom was likewise spacious with a double trough sink, a deep tub and an enclosed glass shower. Am I really in New York? I do question the hotel's decision not to include even a tiny desk and task chair. It's one thing if the lobby was designed for social work, but it wasn't. 

The hotel was still on its final stages of opening in September. The supposedly fancy fitness center wasn't done yet and the Plunge Lounge atop the building serves as the hotel's makeshift restaurant. 

Overall, the Gansevoort is an anomaly in the world of NYC boutique hotels. But then again, this is midtown Manhattan where some work still needs to occur. Hotel Gansevoort Park Avenue - a definite recommendation on your next trip to the big apple.

Funky meets Classic in the hotel lobby

A long, low profile fireplace set the mood in the lobby

Bright curtains add a POP to the room

Even the night light looks sexy

The bathroom trough sink

Green sofa in the lobby

Purple chandeliers

You can never go wrong with some complimentary post-it notes

The well equipped parlor less a desk

The tempting mini-bar selections

Definitely a nice touch

Momofuku: Pork Bun Heaven?

I have been on a mission the past year to indulge in David Chang's world famous pork buns ever since I saw the photo  in his first cookbook, Momofuku. After salivating on these pork belly pieces of heaven, I finally had the opportunity to visit Momofuku Noodle Bar in the East Village to sample the goodies myself. Chef Chang didn't invent the pork buns, but he sure made it cool for the foodie nation. 

My brother Brian and childhood classmate, Vigie, joined me for my much anticipated degustation. While the all wood counter resembled the photos from the book, the romance of the space was completely whitewashed by the bright sunlight penetrating through the floor to ceiling windows. I envisioned a ryokan-like space that would transport me back

to the days of the samurai, but those bright windows and the view of the UPS truck on First avenue ruined my first impression of the place. The pop music in the background didn't help either. So lesson number one, go to Momofuku at night and make sure you are joined by your gregarious friends for dinner to wash out the music.

But I was here for the pork buns and also for the ramen. Two of my favorite Asian food groups. The pork buns came and while it looked good, it lacked the "love" from the all caucasian kitchen staff. For $9.00 pork buns, I wanted a little bit more attention to detail such as the perfect amount of hoisin sauce and cold cucumbers perfectly placed underneath the pork belly and slightly sticking out of the buns for color. I have to give Momofuku credit for the generous pork belly portions, but are these the best pork buns I have ever tasted? It's good but not memorable.

Despite my less than stellar review of the pork buns, the Momofuku Ramen with pork belly, pork shoulder and poached egg ($16) was incredible. My bowl of ramen had all the traditional fixings with a broth the Japanese would Kampai for. If you're a fan of the movie Tampopo, this is the equivalent of ramen nirvana.

The house-made kimchi was delicious and was perfectly presented in a canning jar. My brother's Roasted Short Rib with kimchi, caramelized cauliflower and poached egg was also a big hit on our table along with Vigie's order of spicy and velvety baby bok choy ($9). 

Was I glad to have made the vigil to Momofuku? Absolutely. But I hope that as David Chang's restaurant empire grows, he makes the occasional stop to his first restaurant to keep things true to his original vision of an Asian noodle bar. 

Momofuku Ramen with Pork Belly, Pork Shoulder, Poached Egg

Roasted Short Rib with Kimchi, Caramelized Cauliflower, Poached Egg

 Salty Peach Amuse Bouche

 Ham Bun with Charred Onion Mustard, Pickled Onion, Romaine

 Delicious House-Made Kimchi

 Sauteed Bok Choy with Pork Broth, Cipollini, Chili Flakes

Momofuku's packed interior

A Chinese-Latino Fusion in the Upper West Side

My Hotel Life is delighted to feature a foodie blog post from Vigie Bucu of Manhattan. Vigie is a childhood classmate of mine from the Philippines. On a recent reunion in New York, I discovered that my friend is a walking encyclopedia of New York City. No wonder that his choice of restaurant is a hole-in-the-wall fusion of Chinese and Latino. Here's Vigie's insider recommendation:

My entry is one of my fave comfort food places in Manhattan, an ethnic comida latina Y china resto: La Dinastia! Right in the middle of the upper west side nabe, just blcoks from Lincoln center and CPW. Also nearby is the ABC studios for Good Morning America and Regis and Kelly. It has hosted and seen its compliment of local ABC News
7 celebs as well as from the soap tv series. Like any restaurant, especially with ethnic specialties, you really need to know what to order in order to have a hit vs. a dissappointing miss. This place is low key, vinyl counter top, linoleum floors and just a big enough space, though they have these booth like seats and tables on one side good enough to seat 4 people, 2 if your big! Your not here for ambiance but to satisfy those comfort cravings, be wholly filled and be more than satisfied - such gusto!

I have four specific dinner entree's that I always debate internally everytime I go to Dinastia; its easier when you're craving something specific but all of these are well worth it Shrimp and Brocoli in Black Bean Sauce - I can even cook this BUT there's a few spices that I'm having a hard time identifying flavoring this shrimp-food senses. Also, they use those large shrimps bigger than a Susan B. Anthony dollar - not the 25 cents size! Fish Fillet Platter - served w/ butter sauce and good enough for two! Just a simple fish dish, sprinkle olive oil and squeeze fresh lemon! Bistec Palomilla /Grilled Tenderloin Steak - grilled on its own iron platter served sizzling hot! I often wish my steaks were as good as this when eating at some of NYC's rated and storied steakhouses in one of those IT luncheons!!! My beef craving at its max, comes with the onions glazed alongside! I sometimes ask them to place fresh garlic on top before it is served at the last minute. 

Chicharon De Pollo/Boneless Fried Chicken - an absolute fave and mystifying delight all at the same time! WHY?!?!? Never have I deconstructed ONE particular food in all my life, being a cook and growing up with my family's very succesfull restaurant business back in Manila and being taught by mom on even the most difficult Filipino heart-attack specialties - THIS really gets me! Being fried and used to grease, you will be a bit puzzled once this dish is served crunchy and cracklin, not even a thick coating, then you realized IT'S NOT GREASY! Almost dry outside, but still juicy and tender inside with combination of garlic, ginger, soy sauce, and those spices am having hard to identify. I've been to all sorts of fried food, there's always a hint of grease, but not this dish!

I often take food to go and riding the subway you will defintely get heads turned your way, if not their attention as those spices starts wafting through, people will sniff and often asked: Whar is that great smelling food? Where did you get it? Dinastia, and those in the know just nod their heads and smile.

La Dinastia

145 W. 72nd

New York, NY 10023

212.362.3801

Subway: 72nd/Broadway

The Coolest Food Truck in New York

There's a lot of buzz around Manhattan's Big Gay Ice Cream Truck. From the New York Times, Time Out, Gourmet, Vendy Awards and even Men's Health. If you need a delicious afternoon treat in the city, guess what, you won't be the only one in line for CocoCone or the Belgian Slipwich. During my encounter with BGICT in Union Square, Food
Network was inside the truck filming an episode for a show featuring food trucks in New York. Unfortunately, I couldn't place an order but if the photo menu posted on the side of the truck is an indication of the caliber of ice cream served, then the BGICT is worth every lick.

Abraco Espresso NYC. Coffee worth the wait?

Long lines can easily form at Abraco at any time of the day. This is at 2PM.

I can't stand to wait in line. Just like LA traffic, I would rather take the side roads, even if the drive took me longer, than to sit bumper to bumper on the 405 freeway. Now for a good cup of coffee, that's a different story. After a satisfying lunch at Momofuku, my brother Brian took me and my friend Vigie, around the corner to Abraco espresso cafe. My brother likes a good cup of coffee and wherever we are
in New York, there's always a gem of a cafe just a few blocks away.

In the East Village, Abraco is the place. Perhaps, in all of Manhattan. The line was long with an assortment of locals  gathered around the tiny storefront on East 7th. There were no camera wielding tourists (except for me). No trendy Miu Miu bags. Abraco, from the looks of it, cater to the die-hard cafe society of New York. The type who would walk ten blocks for an independently owned cup of joe rather than surrender themselves to a venti at Starbucks.

Abraco is named after Gilberto Gil's song, Aquele Abraco, translated to "that hug." Bay area transplants, Oliveto alum, Jamie McCormick, and Suspicious Suppers blogger and baker at vegan bakeshop, Babycakes, Elizabeth Quijoda, partnered with former Ninth Street Espresso barista, Amy Linton, to form the cafe triumvirate in the East village. I ordered a cafe cortado ($2.75), the afternoon drink of choice in Spain, Portugal and Cuba. It's an espresso with a cut of steamed milk and a thin layer of foam for the latte art. It was creamy with a little punch in the end. A perfect way to start my afternoon.

The food menu at Abraco is a simple take on Mediterranean treats such as olive oil cake ($3), brioche cinnamon buns ($3) and onion marmalade, swiss cheese, potato on focaccia ($6). Sometimes, the simplest things in life are always the best. For one of the best cup of coffees in Manhattan, Abraco is definitely worth the wait and the extra blocks.

Latte art-to-go

Ti Amo Eataly NYC

Walking into Eataly in the Madison Square Park neighborhood of Manhattan brought me back to my first experience at Dean & DeLuca and the time my sister Haj and I decided to shop for our New Year's Eve frozen gourmet dinner at Picard; foregoing a formal dinner in the Marais. It was food heaven! My grade school classmate from Ateneo, Vigie Bucu, was the accomplice on this foodie excursion to Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich's incredible new food haven. 

Oscar Farinetti opened the first Eataly in Turin. Now this the American version so imagine filling an entire football

field with the best of Italian and regional American products, throw in several restaurants, a cooking school, a rooftop beer garden, a myriad of food counters, cooking products and even a working ATM from an Italian bank (hmm...) - now that's a food lovers nirvana.

Eataly is super cool and deserves every accolade for reintroducing the food market in our food obsessed society. Plan on spending several hours here. Sign up for a cooking course with Lidia Bastianich. Sample the wines designated for each section. Grab the ultra chic grocery basket and shop for fresh broccoli from Maine and eggplant from Long Island. While you're at it, meet up with a friend over a cup of espresso at the LavAzza counter. While I can't imagine an Eataly opening in Grand Rapids soon, a Chicago location will be greatly appreciated.

The simple storefront entrance merely pretends to be a neighborhood gem versus a mega food store

The decadent offerings at the pasticceria counter

A guest orders at the rosticceria counter

Fishmongers at the fish counter

Don't miss the entertaining signs all over Eataly

The wine counter

Only the best 10,000 products are offered

Balsamico from Modena

Not your typical shopping basket

Guys at the pizzeria counter

Every imaginable pasta is available in the dried pasta section

Fresh cuts of meat

The butcher shop

Fresh breads are made on premise

Dining areas in every corner of Eataly

I love these stand up tasting tables

Kitchen products

In case you get lost...

"Organized clutter" promoting Italy