Mochidoki Soho

What do you get when you put mochi and ice cream together? Just the most hyped about dessert to ever hit the NYC market—Mochi Ice Cream! Sweet, pillowy, and perfectly bite-sized, Mochi Ice Cream is the ultimate fusion dessert, and there’s no better place to get it in NYC than at Mochidoki’s flagship brick and mortar on 176 Spring Street.

Founded in 2015 by mochi enthusiasts Ken Gordon and Christopher Wong, Mochidoki is known for its whimsical yet refined take on Japanese desserts. Using only thoughtfully sourced, premium ingredients, the shop cranks out a multitude of imaginative flavors, including Black Honey Walnut with kuromitsu (Japanese molasses), Salted Caramel with cracked caramel candy, and the sweet yet savory Apple Miso Caramel. Already tried those? Mochidoki’s team of culinary advisors is always crafting winning combinations, including the new (and highly recommended) Pandan Pistachio. Tropical and floral, this flavor features buttery roasted pistachios and a hint of toasted vanilla for a bite of creamy bliss that makes the trek to Soho worth it all by itself (although I’m also a big fan of their strawberry and black sesame).

The New Pandan Pistachio Flavor
Photo Credits: Mochidoki

But if you’re not feeling the trip to Soho these days, or maybe just live too far away, you’ll be happy to know that Mochidoki also offers nationwide shipping on their website! Delivered with dry ice to keep it fresh, ordering your treats online is a sure way to get your mochi ice cream fix. Still in the city but want to experience Mochidoki on a night out? Both Nobu and Tao offer Mochidoki flavors, meaning you can end your decadent dinner in a setting as luxe as the dessert itself—while experiencing the best of Asian fusion that NYC has to offer.

Shop Mochidoki on their site, https://mochidoki.com/, or keep up with new flavors on their instagram, @mochi_doki. 

ROLLN

“Someone sold their soul to be able to make their vegan tuna roll this good.”

- My friend upon their first bite of ROLLN’s Avocado & Vegan Tuna

In the looming and beautiful shadow of the Flatiron district sits a small sushi oasis named ROLLN. This sushi sanctuary sits at the unique location of 38 East 23rd st, doors open to welcome flatiron workers and park frolickers alike. Upon entering, one is immediately struck by the cleanliness of the eatery. The contrast between the dusty weathered streets versus the smell of fresh, fragrant rice is tangibly refreshing and invigorating. Be prepared to breathe in and let all your senses take a vacation here. 

The rolls themselves are placed neatly together in a glass display, steam from their creation still rises off the nori indicating their fresh and delicious status. From California to Teriyaki Chicken to Salmon Avocado roll, all of these options sit perfectly and briefly stacked until their inevitable food adoption. The only hard part of eating food this good is deciding what to try first. 

ROLLN is the ongoing exploration between Australian Expats: David Tam and Gavin Tseng. This endeavoring partnership sought to bring fresh and hand rolled eats to their community and source their ingredients from certified sustainable and organic distributors only. With proprietary quinoa-based rolls, vegan options and a 100% gluten free establishment, ROLLN continues to raise the bar on quality and food accessibility. Other establishments, take note.

Photos by ROLLN

PortuGrill NYC

Stopped by Portugrill last night and WOW is all that I can say. This is hands down the best chicken I've had in the area. The staff was welcoming, warm, and greeted me with a huge smile. The menu had an array of mouthwatering choices such as grilled chicken, churasco (skirt steak), and Portuguese sausage, with great prices to match. You literally cannot go wrong with anything on the menu.

Before my meal, I stopped to ask the warm man behind the counter for recommendations.  As it turns out, the man was Al, the owner of Portugrill. Al, who is probably one of the nicest guys you will ever meet, he turned his love for his mother’s Portuguese charcoal broiled chicken into a specialized piri piri chicken dining concept. You can tell he was passionate about the food and the way it’s made - it was a local and refreshing experience.

I went with Al’s recommendation of white meat chicken with sausage and grilled pineapple. The food was beyond good. It almost felt like home cooking because of how fresh and flavorful each bite was.

While there, I took the time to learn about the Portuguese method of cooking chicken. First,  the chickens are butterflied and brined overnight. They are put into grill baskets, which rotate over a gas flame and allow the chicken to be slow grilled, while being continuously basted and seasoned with water and piri piri pepper. Then everything comes with the house special green sauce, made with avocado, garlic and yogurt.

Portuguese chicken is unique and hard to get around New York. This new spot is very important to the city and will provide some of the best authentic Portuguese foods you will ever have.

Everything I tried was delectable and the chicken is freshly grilled when you order. The potatoes, lime cilantro quinoa, and black beans were also so good -- basically everything I've tried makes me want to go back, so stop reading and go try it !!!

PortuGrill opened its doors on the Upper East Side on January 9th. PortuGrill serves fresh Perdue chicken and all of the chicken is hormone, antibiotic and blemish free, and all sides are non-GMO, sustainable and locally sourced.

PortuGrill is located at 1215 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10028 and will be open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. For further information call (917) 261-4001 or visit www.portugrillnyc.com.

Stax Ice Cream’s Winter Treats Launch

The creations at Stax Ice Cream are rooted in the belief that ice cream is a treat to be enjoyed even during the coldest time of the year—and, after trying their new winter flavors, I’m convinced. Prepared for the holidays, this charming little ice cream shop offers respite amid the busy streets of Chinatown in the form of cozy Christmas decor and seasonal sweet treats.  

Founders Sophie Gao and Vida Feng strive for quality with a personal touch. Their ice cream is handcrafted in small batches and every dessert is cleverly and delicately adorned. Stax isn’t your average ice cream shop, and certainly not the place to quickly grab a vanilla or chocolate waffle cone; aiming to deliver a unique experience, the ladies at Stax have developed and perfected innovative flavors that pull from both Western and Eastern palates, including fruity pebbles, jasmine milk tea, ube, cornflake bourbon, and more, all which can be made into one of their famous “Cremella” donut ice cream sandwiches. Because who needs a cone when you can eat your ice cream in a donut?

For this holiday season, the launch of Stax Ice Cream’s Winter Treats collection will debut a new line of treats for their Treats Bar in addition to their Holiday Mini Ice Cream Cakes featuring three new winter flavors: Peppermint Oreo Bark, Roasted Oolong Milk Tea, and Red Velvet & Cream. Not only are the ice cream flavors irresistible, but the cakes themselves are adorable—the Roasted Oolong cake is exquisitely decorated as a snowman with a candy corn nose, while the Red Velvet (my personal favorite) is a red-nosed reindeer with pretzel antlers. The Peppermint Oreo cake is a brand new take on one of their classics—a unicorn—but this time with a seasonally appropriate candy cane striped horn.  

These sweet, winter-themed inventions will be available at Stax until the end of the month along with the spreading of holiday cheer and #sweetvibesonly.

TGA NYC: The Experience

I don’t know how, but it took me a whole year to get over to TGA NYC, the luxe sports bar located on the ground floor of the midtown Crowne Plaza Hotel. Still, no need to whine about lost time. I’ve been to TGA, I’ve tried it, and the verdict is in: I love it.

A high step above the usual midtown sports bar, TGA is practically a carefully designed and high ceilinged piece of modern art. Even now, decorated for the holidays, the white christmas trees and twinkling lights remind guests that TGA isn’t just an ordinary “Done with the grind of the day” after work drink spot -- it’s a cool, “I made a zillion dollars out of nothing,” after work drink spot, complete with a back-alley beer garden and creative cocktails. And then, there’s the food.

My friend and I started out with a whopping three appetizers: A Loaded Mac and Cheese with shrimp, short rib, and bacon; the TGA Jumbo Crab Cake, served with pineapple relish, sour cream, and black bean sauce; and Risotto Croquettes filled with a creamy truffle sauce. Everything was delicious -- I stuffed myself silly -- but I have to give the top prize to the crab cake. I don’t mind pineapple on pizza, but I now love pineapple on crab cake. Not a combination I would have expected, but definitely one I hope to try again in the future.

The real star of the meal, however, was the risotto I ordered for my entree. While the dish can be ordered with steak, shrimp, mushrooms, or asparagus, I, at the recommendation of my waiter, chose the three cheese. I was not disappointed. My biggest fear with risotto is that it’ll be bland, but the three cheese was a far cry from -- my friend ended up abandoning his amazingly seasoned Braised Beef Short Rib to eat what, as he put it, was “the best risotto he’s ever had.”

A huge shout out to Chef Israel Calderon for his wonderful dishes and beautiful presentation. TGA NYC is truly an experience, and in addition to breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a happy hour, they offer what’s sure to be a world-class bottomless brunch on the weekends. So check it out! And maybe I’ll see you there -- because I’ve already made another reservation.

For more information about TGA NYC, check out their website, https://www.tganyc.com/, or their insta, @tganyc.