We just got back from a couple days in New York, it's always so nice to have a change of scenery! We went in for for my brother in law's engagement, we actually surprised him! If you're unfamiliar, it is a Chassidic custom to pray at the resting place of the Lubavitcher Rebbe before making the official engagement announcement. The dating process before then is generally kept private so it's a very exciting time to announce to everyone and celebrate!
Since it was such a short trip, and our kids don't even own proper winter clothing, we decided that Mendel and Sheva would stay with my parents, which they were overjoyed about since my parents just got the cutest golden retriever puppy.
In front of 770, Lubavitch World Headquarters
We didn't have so much time for sightseeing so we didn't make it out to the city this time around, but we did try some amazing new kosher eateries. Ever since Brooklyn became a hipster hub, Crown Heights has been stepping up their food game -- LA needs to follow suit imho. Since we took a red eye and landed around 5am, we decided against barging into the home of our hosts and went to Chocolatte, which is open 24 hours, to wait for the day to begin. I had the most amazing (and my first!) sachlav there -- has anyone had one before? It's basically a rose water pudding topped with crushed pistachios.
Shortly after, we decided it was a decent hour to knock on our family friends' door and promptly crashed for a few hours. Even though the weather was warm for New York in December, it was still cold, which my body translates into hibernation mode, or sleep and eat. So once we woke up and were refreshed, we headed out to grab lunch with a friend of mine at Calabria. We hadn't seen each other in almost two years (since our last NY trip) and it was really nice to catch up. The pizza at Calabria is so unique, it comes in rectangular pieces that are priced by weight. We tried two types, one was a champignon mushroom and the other was a veggie blend.
Slices by the ounce at Calabria
After walking around the shops on Kingston and making our obligatory souvenir purchases, it was time to meet up with our family for dinner. We landed on Beouf & Bun, an artisanal burger spot. We made it before the crowds really hit and managed to get a good table, because soon after the lines went out the door. We got wings and onion rings for the table, and Kovi and I shared pulled beef tacos and a pastrami burger. Everything was delicious!
Seriously stuffed, those onion rings were so good!
The next day, we slept in and since it was practically the afternoon, we considered it socially acceptable to start the day with sushi. We hit up Noribar, which was really good! The fish was fresh and both rolls we got were delicious. Another plus was the mod interior, although I forgot to snap pics when we were there.
After our "brunch," we headed to the Ohel, the resting place of the Rebbe, to surprise the newly engaged couple! We ended up spending a few hours there in all the excitement and by the time we left it was time to eat again. We still had a few hours before the engagement party later that night and really wanted to try the new Alenbi Kitchen so we headed there for some pre-gaming.
I absolutely loved the moody interior, it felt intimate and glamorous at the same time, and the bench seat was super comfortable! We ordered a bunch of small plates for the table, all of which had twenty ingredients and I cannot for the life of me recall any of them now. What I do remember was the sunchoke and leek soup was beyond and I will be attempting to recreate it in my home kitchen. It was definitely pricey, but the ambience was worth it if you're looking for a night out.
Deciding what to order was no small feat.
Next we went back to where we were staying to get ready for the engagement party. I actually forgot to document the party, we were too busy having fun! My in-laws are hosting an LA edition as well so I'll have to recreate it then.
After another long night, we woke up late again on our last morning, and had just enough time after packing to head to the Brooklyn Artisan Bakehouse for brunch before catching our flight. I'm so glad we did because it was soo good, even though I was set on a butter croissant with homecured gravlax and they were out. We did get to sample their amazing home baked breads, with various toppings such as tuna tartar, and eggs and pesto. We even ordered a couple of cinnamon buns for the flight which smelled amazing the whole uber ride to the airport.
Sittin' pretty out front
Overall, I'm satisfied with what we accomplished in the time we had. Food hopping is no small task, and we were able to tackle a variety of different genres in a matter of days. Now that we're back home in LA, we can begin to detox a bit, until we head back to New York in a few short months for the wedding, that is!
We can't wait to be back!
Are we missing a crucial stop on this kosher foodie tour? Fill us in in the comments below and we'll give you a shoutout during our next New York trip!