Nick's Travel & Food Blog

Amorino – Various Locations

I hope that your Christmas was well and that you enjoyed the food. Hope that you were in the moment, connected with those around you as well because that contact time is important. Anyway, the next place is called Amorino. The first time I tried their gelato was in New York City, however what I didn’t know was that it originally started in Europe and they ship mostly all of the ingredients from there. It was even confirmed when I seen Amorino in Paris. They have various different flavors but the one that I like the most is pictured called the Stracciatella. Try saying that a few times fast. Gelato is like a soft and silky texture but it taste really good. This one contains some chocolate in it which is nice. If you haven’t had gelato before I highly suggest that you try it, as it’s really good. If you’ve tried Talenti in the store, this is way better. If you’re up for it, add a macaron on top as it will make it complete. You can have the gelato in a cone or a cup and they will also let you try each flavor before picking which one you like. Try mixing flavors so you get options of what you like the most. Hopefully, it won’t be crowded when you go because people really enjoy this and I must say they are absolutely right.

Tops Diner – East Newark, New Jersey

The holidays are all about coming home. Coming home can be being in the arms of a partner, surrounded by family, or in the good company of friends. No matter which one you choose, there will be food and I hope it’s good. Let me introduce my last gift to you all. For me, this place is like home because it reminds me of some good memories attached to food. I know what you’re thinking a diner? I would say yes, you’re absolutely right. This isn’t your typical diner however. Everything that this diner makes is good, believe me. There menu is quite long so you won’t have any problem ordering something you like. I’ve been here way too many times to know. I have been here, even on the most busiest days, and the food was made with love everytime. This place is a well oiled machine for real and they’ve been doing it for quite a long time. The first item I always get here is the lobster Mac and cheese. It’s so good (pictured) and as you can tell, the portions are huge. You have the cheese, diced tomatoes, breadcrumbs, pasta, scallions, and off course lobster. They aren’t cutting the lobster short on this one at all. The combination of all the aforementioned ingredients just taste amazing honestly. A nice little crunch with the different cheeses makes it delicious. When you bite into it, you’ll see. This place is my all time favorite. Yes, it will be crowded when you arrive but do yourself a favor and get on the waitlist before you arrive please. This will cut the time down tremendously. As mentioned before, the portions are huge so one meal can easily be shared between two. If you like cookies, do also get the chocolate chip cookies to go. They are one of my favorite cookies. It’s in my top three. I’m not kidding. Home for the holidays it is. Enjoy. Another post Friday before the last of the new year Monday.

Diesel and Duke – Montclair, New Jersey

This is another one of those gifts from me to you and I’m glad to share it with you. I guess we can call this my second gift to you for the holidays. This is one of those places that you want to keep secret but then again it’s really not a secret because they have various locations even one in Jersey City. This place has really, awesome burgers. I know I’ve been been saying what places are in my top places to visit and this is my number one burger place. Looks I’ve had plenty of burgers that I’ll share at some point but this is hands down the best. Not hands down, keep those hands raised to applaud this place.

Les Caprices de Charlotte – Paris, France

When it comes to breakfast, I usually eat the same thing but there are occasions where I venture out and try something different. The occasions usually tend to be on a Saturday and possibly a Sunday. In Paris, it’s almost a most to try a croissant. The best one I’ve had so far was at Les Caprices de Charlotte. This is arguably the best croissant I’ve had compared to Sam’s Club and Maison Kayser. First, yes I said Sam’s club. Have you tried their croissants? It’s nice and buttery. Maison Kayser has been popping up in NYC but originally it started, you guessed it right, Paris. However, this specific place in Paris made the best so far. It’s first very flaky. The type of flake that when you touch it a little, it starts to peel off. It’s also very moist and crunchy. Not crunchy to the point where it’s annoying but a tad bit of crunch. The croissant also doesn’t need any butter as it taste as if it already has some added to it. When you bite into this, you have to hold it with two hands to reply get everything. It’s quite enjoyable, especially when you pair it with some tea or coffee. If Paris is on your list of places to go, make this place a must as well.

Gencarelli’s Bakery – Bloomfield, New Jersey

I know some of you need a pick me up on this day and you can look no further then here. I got you. I guess we can call this an early Christmas gift from me to you. Today it’s about dessert and what other way is better then having a cannoli from Gencarelli’s. It’s my favorite cannoli ever. Yes, I’ve had other places come close but it’s still yet to be unbeatable. First, it’s not sitting in the fridge already made which is a plus. They make the cannoli’s to order which is nice. They have either small or large cannoli’s along with the flexibility of the shell being chocolate. I think they can make them dipped in chocolate but I’m not really a fan of that. The powdered sugar is optional as well. Either way, you won’t be disappointed if you order a few from here. It’s not overly sweet either but it’s really just right. I’ve made a few people believers in this place and I know I can make you too. They also have cakes that they can do as well. Leah enjoys the fruit tart cake from there for her birthdays because the fruit is fresh and the cake is even fresher. If you haven’t tried a cannoli before you’ve got to try it from here first. Just look at the picture again. You know it looks good because it’s creamy and oh so delicious. The shell is even fresh and crunchy. Come on, just do it. There isn’t any sitting at the place so it’s more so a grab and go but you can’t definitely enjoy it in the car.

Yardbird Southern Table and Bar – Miami, Florida

It’s #DoubleTakeTuesday and so it’s another round of if the food matches up to all the hype surrounding it. The next place up is Yardbird Southern Table and Bar. By the name you might think, well it does has southern in the title so it has to be good. Well, I thought the same. This place is definitely recognized in Miami for having some good fried chicken and so I decided to try. I’ve eaten tons of fried chicken from different places and sadly this one just doesn’t add up. I’ve still yet to break out my favorite fried chicken place but don’t worry it’s coming soon. So back to the chicken at hand. They say the process begins with a 27 hour brining process followed by their secret recipe of spices and flour which then concludes their final step of frying the chicken to perfection. From the picture, yes it does look fried to perfection no doubt about it. Heck, they even brought out the chicken on a fancy board. As it was coming, I was like yea this is going to good and my mouth was watering just by the sight of it. However, I was definitely taken aback by the little to no flavor and it was warm. Warm as in room temperature warm. Granted Leah and I did come on a Friday night but still, I don’t think it should’ve been sitting under anything to keep it room temperature. The chicken also came out pretty quick which should’ve been caution. I must say I was quite disappointed in the chicken. I’m all about flavor in chicken and so we tried to use the sauce that came with it and that really didn’t help much. The decor of the place is absolutely splendid and it does give you a Miami feel but the food was just okay. I will add they did have biscuits on the menu and those were quite tasty. One of the better biscuits that I’ve tried so far because of the texture of it being fluffy, moist, and not hard. We also had the macaroni and cheese and from the picture it also looked good. I think that was really it because when you tasted it it was like some milk was missing because it wasn’t as creamy and other cheeses weren’t used I really thought this place was going to stack up to the thousands of excellent reviews but in this case it didn’t quite measure up to how it was portrayed. I might have to try it again based on maybe it just being that day. I don’t know. We’ll see.

Mama’s on Washington Square – San Francisco, California

Cali! One of my favorite places to visit. I like LA but I more so enjoy San Francisco. I do miss it, I must say. I guess you can say I’m doing that Cali dreaming. lol. Let’s get back to the topic at hand though. This place is called Mama’s on Washington Square and the food item above is their well known French Toast. I’ve been to many brunch places and this place is in my top three. It might be in my top two because that’s how good it is honestly. I just want to let you know that you will have to wait at least 2 hours. Yes, I said it right. 2 hours! It’s really because the place doesn’t sit too many people because it’s quite small but also because there will be a line even before the place opens up. Cali is three hours behind, so you should be okay in waking up especially if you’re on the east coast but do prepare yourself. Your feet will get tired because there is no sitting down here unless you’re sitting on the street. It’s honestly a place you have to go visit especially if you’re in the area. When you bite into the french toast it will be like nothing you’ve tasted before. It’s so soft and it’s really tasty especially with the syrup. I think it’s all in the batter and they way they make it seems so addicting. I’m not even kidding you. Look, you have to go to this place. I’m telling you, you have to. Don’t be in San Francisco and not go at least once. It’s like a food that you enjoy it so much to the point where you either want to eat really slow to take it all in or order another. I think you may want to do both. It’s a really nice place and the food will be amazing no matter what you order. You’ll even smell the fresh pastries that they have when you walk in and you’ll also want to have some of that to go as well. How it works is that you’ll need to know what you want before you get in because you order at the register and then grab your assigned seat. I really enjoyed it when I went and I know you will too.

Allswell – Brooklyn, New York

So it’s Friday and I got to leave you all with something good for the weekend. Hopefully this one will count. So above is the fried chicken sandwich from Allswell. This is in my top five fried chicken lists. I feel like I’m giving you all some secret gems. Actually, it may not be based on the tons of positive reviews. Anyway, this place is well known for their chicken sandwich. It is pretty tasty and has a nice crunch to it. From the picture it does have a lot mayonnaise on it. If you don’t like mayonnaise or don’t really like a lot on the sandwich, do ask for it on the side. This is their homemade mayonnaise which taste pretty good. The bread on this sandwich complements it well and then the fries on the side top it off. I do wish they added a little more flavor to their chicken because it’s really good. However, they do have some speciality sauces that you can add to it for your liking. The place is on a well known street in Brooklyn but it’s not easily identifiable so do take your time walking. Look, it’s right down the street from Sweet Chick so if you can do both in one day, do it to it. You know you want to. The place is very modern inside almost as if they redid it. Do try to sit by the window if you can, that’s the best seat in the house. The also have a cute bar that you can sit at if it’s quite full. Of course they also have other menu items and speciality drinks but you’re coming here for the chicken sandwich. Don’t forget! See you all Monday right back here.

Blended Flavors – Linden, New Jersey

Depending on who you ask about this place, some people will say this place is really good while others say it’s okay. For me, I would say it depends on what you get but overall it’s still a good place that you have to try. Blended is more so a soul food place that serves jerk chicken, mac and cheese, turkey wings, shrimp and grits, chicken and waffles, and seafood mac and cheese. Since I’ve been going, I haven’t had a bad experience or the food not being good. Leah usually gets the jerk chicken with greens and curry rice while I get the wings with fries. Lately, I tried the Carolina BBQ wings. First I must say I thought they were going to be tossed in the sauce but it came on top. I still thought it was pretty good. The sauce was really good as it was a little sweet and smoky which was nice. The chicken had a nice crunch to it on the outside and was juicy on the inside. In regards to the jerk chicken it’s very authentic and it’s worth an A, no doubt about it. It’s not too spicy where you’re like, I can’t eat this any more but it’s just right. The place is quite small but they do have some seating but I probably wouldn’t suggest eating in unless you’re by yourself. The staff is really nice and welcoming and so far the food has been consistent which is always good in my book. This is one of the few places that hasn’t closed which is great because every restaurant that appears to go there always closes down. I’ll keep going there to support them especially since I like their hospitality.

Poffertjessalon Seth – Rotterdam, Netherlands

It’s Wednesday and so many of us need a pick me up on this day for sure. You’re almost there to Friday and in the words of Rob Schneider, “You can do it”. For some, traveling to another country is a luxury while for others it’s an experience that you can’t put a price on. However, if you get to travel to another country, it can be an experience that you’ll never forget and ultimately share with others. Today, it’s about Rotterdam, one of my favorite cities to visit to date in the Netherlands. If you get to travel there, stop by this place to get some Poffertjies. I know it’s kind of difficult to pronounce right but it’s Dutch so that’s why. Poffertjies are pretty much miniature pancakes that are light and what I would call fluffy. They are served with butter, powdered sugar and of course syrup. This pancake is really good. They serve about 10 on one plate but you kind of want to eat them all to yourself though. The texture is on point and when they are preparing it, it almost makes you wonder how do they do that. This place serves them on the outside of the restaurant which is nice and they have seating outside and inside. You can see how they pour the batter into the pan and they in one motion, flip them over pretty quickly. It’s actually pretty cool to watch. The best way to eat them is with a fork while also dipping them into the butter on the side. I think you’ll like it. I was a believer the first time I tried it.