Brooklyn!

Normally, when I fly to New York I am usually in Manhattan. On this trip, my work conference was in Brooklyn and I stayed for almost a week. It was a nice change of pace and I found out that I was on the last scheduled flights to John F. Kennedy International Airport as United left the airport for Newark. The United P.S. flights moved over to Newark as well. I was able to snag myself a business class seat on the way to JFK but not the return.

I was not anticipating being in Brooklyn as early as I was so I was in a separate hotel the first night at the Hilton Garden Inn Queens/JFK Airport. I can't tell how new this hotel is but it felt recent and the accommodations were nice. The only thing I don't like about staying near JFK is that it is a pain to navigate the Airtrain to the rental car facility to then be picked up by the hotel shuttle. It's also the same path if you decide to take the subways from Manhattan to the airport area.

Hilton Garden Inn Queens/JFK Airport Hotel King Room

Had dinner at Tavern on the Green. I enjoyed a delicious meal of coq au vin with a side of potato croquettes and a Caribbean Old Fashioned. Finished off the meal with a pumpkin cheesecake mille feuille. In other words, a pumpkin Napoleon.

Tavern on the Green

Tavern on the Green

The next day, checked into the Sheraton Brooklyn New York Hotel. Suprisingly, my room shrunk in comparison to the Hilton Garden Inn. Cozy but comfortable, it was a good thing that there is a Club Lounge and I was mostly out of my room for work. I was hoping for an upgrade to a suite but the hotel was packed with two weddings at the end of the week. The Club Lounge was very nice and served tasty treats for breakfast and evening. The elevators could be a bit slow at times.

Sheraton Brooklyn New York Hotel King Room

For dinner, wondered over to Pies 'n' Thighs. Had watched Diners Dives & Drive Ins and wanted to try my two favorite foods - fried chicken and pies! The buckwheat waffles that came with my chicken and waffles was surprisingly good. The biscuit was good too. The apple pie (to go) was delicious the next day.

Pies n Thighs Chicken and Waffles

After dinner, had some ice cream from OddFellows Ice Cream Company. I found the flavors interesting but stuck with something a little plain and simple.

The next day, I had lunch options on my own and opted to visit Juliana's Pizza. Before there was Grimaldi's, Juliana's founders decided to sell their stake and start their own restaurant next door! I wanted to see if there was a difference between Juliana's and Grimaldi's. Both have very similar texture and taste profiles. I would say that Juliana's may be a bit more chew and holds great for next day cold pizza eating.

For dinner, went back to Manhattan and ate at Mari Vanna. Recommended by a colleague's son, I tried this Russian restaurant. Russian food isn't something I have come across and it was going to be interesting to see what it was all about. The decor inside was very different but my chicken soup (Chicken Boullon) was delicious. Very homemade tasting. I did not care for the vareniki but the honey layered cake (Medovik) reminded me of baumkuchen cakes. The other dessert, Bird's Milk, reminded me of a soft cream cheese cake.

Mari Vanna Bird's Milk and Medovik desserts

 

 

Walked around the Brooklyn Bridge after dinner and had ice cream from the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory. To be honest, I've had better. I would have made the trek back to Oddfellows if I could.

The next day, I went to Dinosaur Bar-B-Que for lunch. I hadn't been in a very long time. The last time, the Harlem location just opened. It appears that the BBQ restaurant has made huge success and have opened multiple locations in the area including one in Brooklyn. Not terribly busy during the lunch hour, I was able to enjoy ribs and shrimp combo (with corn slaw and kim chee fried rice) and a glass of cider quickly before hopping back to the conference in no time.

Dinosaur Bar-B-Que Two Combo Meal

For dinner, met with friends at Cucina de Pesce because of my Blackboard Eats discount. I enjoyed my appetizer of steamed mussels. Really, it was an entree portion if you were the only one eating the dish. The pumpkin ravioli hit the spot as well and contrasted well with the mussels. I was so full from eating all week that I did not opt for dessert when the waiter brought the tray out.

Cucina de Pesce Pumpkin Ravioli and Steamed Mussels

The next day, the conference ended with guided tours around the area. I elected to go to Brighton Beach to view the area post floods/hurricanes. I did not realize how large of a Russian population still exists in the area. I had lunch at Skovorodka on 615 Brighton Beach Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11235. I had the beef stew and it was a hearty meal with a very large puff pastry covering the soup. I think I enjoyed eating here more than I did at Mari Vanna.


Afterwards, checked into the W New York. The room was slightly bigger than the Sheraton. I thought it was funny that a Manhattan hotel was roomier and cheaper than a Brooklyn hotel. After reading the reviews on Tripadvisor and the hotel site, I did not think it was as bad as the comments posted. I thought the room was comfortable and livable.

W New York King Room

 

 

For dinner, I opted to go to a Belgium bar BXL East. I tried their rib special. It was good but not something I would opt again. I did like the fact they had pate but the bread could have been of better quality. Overall, a nice pub and I was still able to catch my college football game despite the Mets playing in the World Series.

On my last day in New York, I went shopping in the morning and grabbed lunch at Shake Shack. Personally, I would rather have Shake Shack than Five Guys but NYC does not have the corner on burgers and shakes. Afterwards, went by Lady M Cake Boutique to try some of their cakes. Having tried multiple variations of layered cakes lately, I would say Lady M is on the bottom of my list. Still good but not as tasty as the other types I have had. The pumpkin pie was pretty tasty.

On my last night, I moved to the Four Points Manhattan Soho Village. Similar sized to the Sheraton, I did not need much since I was leaving so early in the morning. On this particular trip, I used Uber quite extensively. This is the first time I have used them and it is convenient. Taxis are everywhere in NYC but I did find them faster when I needed to leave for the airport at 3 am. The pricing was similar so you don't get any savings. It is more of a convenience than anything else.

Before heading out to dinner, I grabbed a dozen bagels from David's Bagels on 273 1st Avenue, New York, NY 10003. The lady was nice and put them in sealed bags once she realized I was taking them onto a plane. For dinner, I went to Do Hwa for another Blackboard Eats discount. If upscale Americanized Korean food can exist, it did at Do Hwa. I ordered the special stew off menu and enjoyed the hot steaming bowl of goodness. It was super big so I wouldn't recommend eating by yourself. I ordered ribs as an appetizer to counter the seafood medley in front of me. I did not like the ribs as much. Overall, I enjoyed my meal and the service was attentive. A good ending for the week.

Do Hwa Spicy Seafood Stew with Deji Kalbi