Top 6 Brunch Items You Must Try At STK Rooftop In New York City

Enjoy the breathtaking views of the Hudson River and Manhattan skyline while indulging on delicious items from a menu that highlights casual American grill cuisine at the newly renovated STK Rooftop this weekend.

1. STK Signature Lil Burgers

Don’t underestimate these mini burgers based on their sizes - these decadent, juicy sliders are everything you have ever dreamed of. Jam-packed with flavors, the STK Signature Lil Burgers highlight juicy beef patties topped with caramelized onions, aged cheddar, and special STK sauce in between toasted black sesame buns.

2. Tuna Tartare

Hiding underneath the crispy taro chips are fresh, well-seasoned tuna tartare over creamy avocado puree. You will want to likc the plate to get every drop of the soy honey emulsion, which adds an interesting balance of sweet and savory to the dish.

3. King Crab Club Sandwich

Don’t expect fillers from this open-faced sandwich. Atop a soft, brioche pretzel roll is a generous mound of king crab meat mixed in with creamy citrus ginger aioli. The crunchy lettuce prevents the pretzel roll from becoming soggy. Enjoy the sandwich with a side of salad.

4. Chicken Sausage Benedict

Everyone’s favorite brunch item has undergone a slight makeover at STK, and it’s absolutely delicious. Instead of the traditional Canadian ham or smoked salmon, STK tops the toasted English muffin with savory chicken sausage. On top are pieces of grilled asparagus and perfectly poached eggs with d’espelette hollandaise sauce.

5. Baked Eggs

They tell you, “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” but when it comes to brunch, you can certainly judge an entree by its looks. And this beautiful (and huge!) baked eggs topped with a spread of cheese, micro greens, and cherry tomatoes are as delicious as they look. You will find a generous amount of spinach and wild mushrooms.

6. Truffle Fries

Flavorful STK fries look more like edible Jenga. You get the perfectly crispy exterior with moist, soft interior that pack all the taste of the potatoes.

Top 12 Sandwiches In New York At Thrillist’s Hall Of Heroes

Hosted by Thrillist, Hall of Heroes celebrated 11 of New York’s best things between sliced bread (+1 dessert sandwiches!). Here is the round-up of top sandwiches in the city!

1. THE REUBEN from American Cut

House-made pastrami, fermented slaw, ramp Russian dressing, and Jarlsberg cheese, piled impossibly high on rye bread

2. THE CUBAN from Café Habana

House-marinated roasted pork, sliced ham, swiss, and garlic dill pickles, all dripping with chipotle mayo and pressed on a roll

3. THE SPICY CHICKEN SANDWICH from Sticky’s Finger Joint

Chicken fingers, pickles, Sticky’s sauce, homemade purple slaw, and a healthy dose of hot sauce on a potato bun

4. THE MORNING AFTER from Union Bar & Kitchen

Mad crispy panko-crusted pork cutlet, provolone, a fried egg, hot mustard-infused tonkatsu sauce, and pickled ginger, nestled on an English muffin

5. THE CHEESESTEAK from Whitman’s

Beef Chip steak buried with sautéed onions and covered with melted cheese on a toasted hoagie roll

6. THE MEATLOAF SANDWICH from Fresh Salt

Homemade meatloaf slider piled high with lettuce, tomato, red onion, and mouth-zinging horseradish mayo

7. THE ITALIAN from Alidoro

Prosciutto, soppressata, mozzarella fresher than Will Smith, sweet roasted peppers, and olive paste

8. THE MAINE-STYLE SEAFOOD ROLL from Luke’s Lobster

Seafood sandwiches loaded with fresh lobster, crab, or shrimp (pro-tip: eat all three)

9. THE PB&J from The Jam Stand

The childhood classic you thought you knew, reinvented with blueberry bourbon jam and washed down with a bourbon milk punch

10. THE BLT from Melt Shop

Braised and smoked pork belly, tomatillo relish, and bibb lettuce, topped with mojo mayo because ok yeah let’s do this

11. THE ROAST BEEF SANDWICH from Blue Dog

Roast beef, mozzarella, caramelized onions, and avocado, punched up with curry mayo on ciabatta

12. CUSTOM ICE CREAM SANDWICHES

At Hall of Heroes, even the desserts came in sandwich form. Stack up your own ridiculous frozen ‘wiches with cookies like Snickerdoodle and peanut butter and a whole spread of ice cream flavors, all rolled in even more sugary toppings.

Spicy Chicken Sandwich and Bland Avocado Sandwich from Andala in Cambridge

Harvard students have the tendency to think that anywhere outside of Harvard Square is simply too far. This notion restricts many students to the "Harvard Bubble," preventing them from venturing into other parts of Cambridge/Boston. While spending a part of summer in Cambridge, I visited a couple of restaurants and cafes in Kendall Square and Central Square, including Andala Cafe. According to its website, Andala opened to serve as "a warm place where people can socialize in an environment that fosters intimate conversations."

In addition to coffee and tea, Andala offers Middle Eastern food. My friend and I decided to get a vegetarian dish and a meat dish and share them. The Chicken Khalili Sandwich ($8.95) is grilled chicken with jalapeno peppers in Jerusalem salad sauce, served in toasted Arabic bread. The dish came with hummus and some vegetable sticks on the side.

The Arabic bread looked like pita, but it was thinner with crunchier exterior. I wasn't sure whether to pick up the food and eat it like a sandwich or use utensils because the bread was too thin and everything inside sort of fell apart.

Inside the two thin slices of Arabic bread were grilled chicken, lots of jalapeno peppers, yogurt-like dressing, and basils.

The sandwich would have been...edible if there weren't jalapeno peppers because these were extremely spicy! I literally took a bite and couldn't eat it anymore. The spiciness from the peppers was definitely way too overpowering.

The Avocado Press Sandwich ($7.95) didn't have any description in the menu, so I had no idea what to expect except that there will be avocado inside. Like the chicken sandwich, it was served in Arabic bread, but it had potato salad on the side instead of hummus. The sandwich was sprinkled with basil on top.

Inside the sandwich were huge chunks of avocado, tomatoes, romaine lettuce, some sort of black bean puree sauce, and...lots of mozzarella cheese. I wish I had asked what was in there because the sandwich would have been perfect sans cheese.

The Avocado sandwich was a sharp contrast to the chicken sandwich because it tasted rather bland. Rotating a bite of the chicken sandwich and a bite of the avocado sandwich, therefore, was very complementary :)

Savory and Sweet Brunch Menu at Henrietta's Table

When my mom came to visit me from Korea, one of the restaurants we dined together with my friends was Henrietta's Table. I have only been here once during Restaurant Week, so I was excited to try its food when the restaurant isn't too hectic and crowded.

Since we were there on Saturday afternoon, Henrietta had a limited fixed menu. All the items were $17, whether you get seafood or sandwich. I ordered Grilled Swordfish with Sauteed Vegetables. Henrietta's Table prides in its use of organic and locally-grown ingredients. I thought the swordfish was a bit overcooked. The sauteed vegetables were drenched in oil so it was too greasy for my liking. I did appreciate the wide selection of vegetables, which included grape tomatoes, green beans, cauliflowers, and carrots.

My friend opted for the Turkey, Bacon, and Tomato Panini with Potato Salad. This entree was definitely overpriced (not worth $17 for sure...). In between the pressed sourdough bread were smoked turkey, bacon, and sliced tomatoes. I could probably make this in the dining hall. The potato salad was made with red tomatoes with skins and mixed in mayonnaise.

The Crystal Valley Farms' Rotisserie Chicken with Creamy Corn Polenta was a decent serving. I am not quite sure what was on the top of the chicken, but I am guessing chopped celery...? I used to like chicken a lot, but nowadays, I don't find it very savory. I prefer lamb chop :)

My mom also got the Grilled Fish, but she got it with butter sauce at the bottom. I was confused that she had more variety in vegetables. For example, I didn't get a single broccoli!

The only sweet brunch dish on the menu was the Challah French Toast. It had three huge slices of challah bread, smothered in an egg batter and then pan-fried. It was served with glazed and buttered apple with whipped butter and maple syrup.

Colorful Vegetable Frittatas and Pistachio Meringue at Tatte

Kendall Square is home to a couple vintage coffee shops and bakery, including Tatte Bakery & Cafe. I don't have a huge appetite for baked goods (or at least I try to resist them), but I decided to check out Tatte because I heard the cafe also has a great lunch menu. Tatte offers an outdoor dining option, which is perfect for the sunny days in the summer.

I got this picture from Tatte's blog, but when I got there around 12:30pm, the place was completely packed that we actually had to wait for a couple minutes to find a place to sit down for two people. The bakery had an extensive display of cookies, pastries, and other sweets in addition to a full lunch menu that includes sandwiches, salad, and plates.

My friend and I decided to have dessert first. We ordered two Pistachio Meringues, which were served on a china plate with flowers. Perfect for a tea party?

Each meringue was about the size of a fist. It was sprinkled with toasted pistachio. The meringue itself didn't taste like pistachio, so I am guessing it was just a plain vanilla one. The meringue was crispy and light.

We were about half way through our meringue when the waiter brought our orders. My friend's Balkani ($8) is a roasted eggplant, feta, fresh basil, tomato, and pesto sandwich served on Ciabatta bread.

The sandwich was served on a wooden cutting board, which gave off the aura of freshness. The square-shaped Ciabatta bread seemed pretty dense. It was served as an open sandwich, with one side of the bread smothered with pesto and the other topped with basil and feta cheese.



I had Vegetable Frittata ($13), a colorful assortment of housemade vegetable frittatas served with creamy yogurt sauce and fresh cucumbers. The three vegetables were sweet potato, zucchini, and cauliflower.

I was afraid the dish might be too heavy for lunch, but the frittatas were super light and fluffy! I loved the slightly mushy texture of them. Each frittata also had a distinct taste of its respective vegetable. I think my favorite was the sweet potato. The only downside about the dish was that the frittatas were topped with large chunks of sea salt that made the flavors too strong.

 

Where Is My Avocado? Smoked Salmon Crepes at Crepes on Columbus NYC

Crepes used to be the food item that I went out to eat when I lived in Davis, but since coming to Harvard, I haven't been able to find a decent creperie to satisfy my craving for this French delicacy. While spending this summer in New York City, a friend of a friend recommended Crepes on Columbus in Manhattan Valley. Even though the neighborhood was slightly sketchy, the restaurant seemed to have been remodeled recently. 

I waited for about 10 minutes for my friend to come from work. Like any other bored person would do,  I spied on both the restaurant goers as well as people passing by the store. I also loved taking a peak at the table next to me as the waiter brought their food because it made it so much easier for omeone as indecisive as me to choose what I want for dinner.

It turns out that my friend isn't a huge fan of crepes. Instead, she ordered the Prosciutto Sandwich ($10.75) with fresh mozzarella, sliced tomatoes, and pesto. It also came with a salad on the side.

The bread looked like baguette, but I think it tasted like French bread. I don't eat pork so I don't know what the sandwich tasted like. my friend said the prosciutto was slightly dry.

I chose the savory Smoked Salmon crepe ($12.75) with ratatouille, egg, scallions, and basil creme fraiche. However, I modified the menu to cater to my taste bud, so I substituted egg and basil creme fraiche with avocado and spinach.

The crepe had two surprises, one of which was pleasant, the other not so much. First, it was packed with smoked salmon and spinach! I tried to cut it with a knife but this proved to be difficult because the inside would ooze out. The second, not so pleasant surprise was that it had guacamole instead of avocado...I was expecting fresh avocados! Also, the combination of smoked salmon and guacamole was weird. The crepe was crispy enough when I first got it, but it quickly became soggy.

Crab and Lobster for Lunch at the Red House

Restaurants in Harvard Square offers plenty of patio seatings even though they are utilized only a couple months during the year. When the weather is nice, it is definitely to your best interest to take advantage of outdoor seatings. I went to the red house for lunch. I have been here before a couple times, but this was my first time coming for lunch. For a starter, my friend and I ordered the baked stuffed Cape Cod oysters ($9) with spring onions, shiitakes, & buttered crumbs to share.

The color of the dish was phenomenal, especially the pink hue of the pickled onions. I personally prefer raw oysters. The stuffed oysters were a bit heavy for my liking and I wasn't a huge fan of the artificial taste of the buttered crumbs. The thin bed of lettuce left something more to be desired.

The Maine crab cake sandwich ($13) with chipotle-caper remoulade was served as two sliders. It also had a side of greens and potato salad.

The buns for the sliders were nothing special. They just tasted like dinner rolls you get in the dining hall. The crab cakes were fried crispy (I asked to see if they could be baked instead, but no luck), but it lacked the lumpy texture of a rich crab cake. The potato salad, made with red potatoes with skins, also had lots of mustard seed. Interesting.

The chipotle-caper remoulade added creamy, a little spicy tang to the sandwich. I think they should change the name to crab cake sliders as opposed to crab cake sandwiches...

Finally we had the lobster risotto ($25) prepared with fresh lobster meat, dandelion greens & triple cream brie.

The dandelion greens were really bitter! Granted that I have a salty taste, this dish was sort of bland and had too strong of a creamy, cheesy taste rather than savory. I would have liked to see more lumps of lobster meat.