All the hot spots on my NYC Birthday Food Crawl!

End of April Extravaganza

As I mentioned in my last post, I was feeling some type of way about my birthday this year. The US is still not out of the woods with the pandemic, my partner is still living across the country, and my beloved roommates/best friends and I were all preparing to move out of our apartment! Needless to say, my birthday was the last thing on any of our minds.

However, I devised a fun way to celebrate safely from home doing one of my favorite things- throwing a spontaneous (and now infamous) DiMattia Food Crawl for one. 😎

Not quite “foodies”

Honestly, these mini crawls first came into my life way back in 2015 and were always accompanied by my friend, Mason. We’d have days in Philly or Pt. Pleasant Beach or Altoona, PA that were solely devoted to driving (or walking) around to various restaurants or food trucks to try one thing and then continue on.

Most notable moments were the double cheesesteak day in Philly (where we tried multiple cheesesteaks in the span of 24 hours), the 3,000 calorie meal (where we hit Applebee’s and Cold Stone one after another), and the Mashed Potato Sub place down the shore (please comment what you think this is because we DEFINITELY did not know what we were in for). 😂

In any case, these are wayyyyy less fun to do solo and I was missing Mason’s presence each time I ran out on one of these pickup errands! Though thankfully, my girls did help me consume some of the food so I didn’t overdo it. 😅

Of course, there’s no way to hit all of my favorite spots in the city of New York in just a week, but I managed to get some goodies that are worth trying next time you visit!

So, without further ado…

Stop 1: Luke’s Lobster (UWS)

Luke’s had been on my to-do list for a long time and it did not disappoint! I had tried the lobster bisque before (scooped it up in the freezer section at Whole Foods), but that wasn’t anything to write home about. Thankfully, I gave it a chance from their Upper West Side shack and was obsessed!

The lobster roll is on the smaller side, but absolutely STUFFED with huge portions of lobster. The side of chips and a pickle was a nice (and delicious) touch as well. The staff was incredibly kind and attentive, so much so that I came back to this location to get one for my mom at the end of the week!

Stop 2: Virgil’s BBQ (UWS)

I’ll level with you- I am not a Virgil’s BBQ fan. HOWEVER, Virgil’s in Times Square holds a special place in my heart because it was the first job I got when I moved to the city! Yup, you heard that right. I took my first bartending job in Manhattan at a chain restaurant in TIMES SQUARE. Predictably, I only made it six weeks before I quit. 😅

When I worked here, I was a vegetarian about 95% of the time. So, that meant for staff meal my options were severely limited because the menu is predominantly barbecued meats. My favorite thing to get though? Hands down the Mac & Cheese! Super hearty, but delicious in small doses. I loved adding a drizzle of their made in house bleu cheese dressing over the top.

Stop 3: Brooklyn Chop House

This one had caught my attention right before the pandemic hit and I was SO bummed I hadn’t gotten to take my partner here for date night! Luckily, they are open again for takeout and seem to have a really awesome outdoor seating set up as well.

Trying to pick just one thing, I was overwhelmed with options I wanted to try- seriously look at their menu and you’ll see why! It’s filled with tons of unique dumpling flavors like lobster spring roll, bacon cheeseburger, and Pac Man seafood. But, I absolutely loved these French Onion Soup Dumplings and can’t wait to test some of their other dim sum specialties on my next visit!

Stop 4: Shorty’s (FiDi)

Shorty’s captured my attention initially as a rec from my girlfriend, Chelsie, who ALWAYS knows the best food spots. So, it was really no surprise that these cheesesteaks became my favorite ones I’ve EVER had (yes, including Philly). Even that first year in the city when I was mostly vegetarian, my occasional cheat meals would be here.

Also, I’ve been to every location in Manhattan and can confirm their consistency. 😂 And every time I go, it is flawless!! Oh and do yourself a favor and get the cheese fries while you’re there.

Stop 5: DŌ, Cookie Dough Confections

I first went to DŌ before even moving to NYC. I would come in a few times a year to visit my love, Harvey, and drag him around to all my favorite sweet spots while I had the chance. The edible cookie dough craze was over awhile ago, but my love for their version has stood the test of time.

It’s hard to pick just one out of their wide variety of flavors (and yummy seasonal options), but my go-to is definitely Heavenly. This is a sugar cookie dough with nutella, chocolate chips, caramel bits, and sea salt. The perfect combo of sweet and salty! 😍

Pit Stop: Homemade Sweets

We took a little breather from buying treats to make a few!

My beautiful roommate, Katherine, took time on my actual birthday to make a lemon meringue pie from scratch! Lemon meringue is one of my absolute favorites and definitely one I have no clue how to make anymore. I BELIEVE we made it once in a cooking class I took in high school…but I have long since forgotten the deets. 😂

My magical friend, Heather, also made me a birthday treat this year- in the form of delicious, home-brewed Ginger Beer. Kind of like a kombucha, this sweet NA ginger beer was fermented with love. ❤

I did a little easy baking myself to celebrate my partner’s birthday, which is a few days after mine! I used a dough recipe from Life as a Strawberry to make some chocolate chip cookies and they did NOT disappoint. Also, if you get a chance, check out their recipes for bread! If you’ve ever seen me post a loaf on Insta, it’s straight out of their Everyday Artisan Bread Book!

Stop 6: Carvel

I don’t even want to start thinking about the amount of money my roomies and I spent over the course of two years in our apartment by ordering Carvel on UberEats. Truly, the number would shock and upset me. 😂

So, on this the final week of us living together, I of course realize we can walk down to the corner grocery store and pick up a Carvel ice cream cake for a fraction of the cost. And it would be just as delicious. But, if you DO go to an actual Carvel location, I also recommend the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Sundae Dasher with cookie dough. 😇

Stop 7: Peacefood Cafe (UWS)

Another amazing spot I wish I had found sooner!! Big thank you to my gal, Natasha, for turning me onto this sweet little vegan cafe in the Upper West Side. It looked like a great spot to sit down for lunch, but in my hurry I could only grab a pastry. I feel like this Raspberry Crumb Bar would be tough to beat! 😋 

Stop 8: Shabu-Tatsu

If you’re tryin to take my girl Marisa on a date when she’s back in the city, definitely make reservations to this amazing shabu-shabu East Village hot spot! 😏

Seriously though, Marisa turned me onto this restaurant a year ago and it was the perfect place for my last meal in NYC before move out day. Shabu-Tatsu is a dining experience and the only one on the list I ate outside of our apartment! They did a fantastic job with their outdoor dining set up- very on top of the temperature control, distancing, and sanitizing. Their team truly went above and beyond to ensure we had the perfect evening.

The meal started with hot tea and concluded with ice cream, as all the best ones do! The small group of us had an amazing night, enjoying each course and savoring the time spent all together for the last time in awhile. We split a few things amongst our pod and the Sukiyaki, Tofu Bibim Bap, and Gyoza were all fantastic! The company, even better. 😉

Stop 9: Anthony Franco’s (Sparta, NJ)

Bad news: I’m back in Jersey for a few days.

Good news: The first thing I got was pizza.

Jersey pizza is better than New York pizza. I said what I said. ✌🏼

Stop 10: Playa Bowls (Sparta, NJ)

If you asked me what my favorite dessert place of all time is, I would say Playa Bowls. Super delicious, with the added bonus of at least SEEMING like a healthy treat. I mean, it’s supposedly just blended fruit and chopped up fruit and some granola so like, it should be healthy! But, it’s truly just too darn good. I can’t believe it could also be good FOR me!

I prefer the açaí base, strawberry and banana, with Nutella or honey drizzle. Really though, this local Jersey company has a ton of incredible options so you can’t go wrong!

And that’s a wrap! I am safely back in Jersey for a week and gearing up for the next adventure. Something very sweet that I noticed reading this post back was just how many restaurants and foods are associated in my mind with the people I love most. Getting to go out and physically see my friends and family for meals again is something I am eagerly anticipating.

Today, I am extra grateful to have so many wonderful people in my life…especially ones that are down to eat delicious food with me. 😉

Share in the comments!

Have you been to any of these spots before? What are your favorites?