After a hot dog on Coney Island, it was only appropriate to get something sweet. We went just a few stores down to Paul's Daughter. This restaurant serves corndogs, ice cream, fries, beer and cotton candy. 

As the blue and pink striped candy cotton swung in the wind ... I knew it had to be mine. How often do you get cotton candy? Only at carnivals, and this is like the ultimate carnival.

It was good - cotton candy is always good. Pricey, yes, and could've been more bang for my buck. But good.









Grade: B

One day of my trip to NYC was devoted to getting to Coney Island. We were spending our nights in New Jersey and riding the bus into Manhattan each day. From there, we had to take the subway all the way down to Coney Island. There were so. many. stops. I seriously think there were like 29 stops. And once we finally got to Coney Island, I realized the rides weren't open. It was too late in the season.

Fortunately, the beach was still open, as were the restaurants. And Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs is the place I've heard about for quite some time. So I ordered a hot dog with chili. And, I must say, I don't love that chili. It's weird. Maybe I'm spoiled by delicious hot dog joints in West Virginia? But this one was chunky, closer to actual chili and pretty runny. I think, next time, I might choose a different place.



Grade: C

Because I didn't get my traditional flat New York slice at Di Fara's, I was determined to get another slice of pizza. I found it in Lombardi's Pizza, which claims to be the first pizzeria in the United States.

The cash-only restaurant actually had available seating as soon as we walked in (!!). Thank goodness. The menu listed pizzas, a few salads, calzone and just a couple appetizers. We ordered a small original margherita pizza ($22). Eeesh pricey for a small.

The interior of this restaurant is definitely old school Italian, with some red checked tablecloths and family photos on the wall. Cozy.

The pizza was very tasty, and again, with fresh basil! I think that's the way all pizza should be. Anyway, this was quite good. Good sauce, good flavors. Better crust.

Grade: A

Remember how I said ramen is a thing now? It is. And Momofuku Noodle Bar in New York City is doing it very well.

Like literally every other thing in this city, we waited a very long time for our table. Finally, we were seated along the long table with strangers on either side of us and looked over the menu.



We put in an order of the pork buns (not on the menu but clearly ordered often). This was a very good decision.

The pork buns were just two bites or so each, but talk about some flavor! I love the texture of that chewy bun, plus super tender pork and a nice tangy sweet sauce. Just divine.

My main entree was the Momofuku Ramen - with pork belly, pork shoulder and a poached egg. This ramen was a good bit different from the other I had back in Boston. It was clearly a prettier presentation. And, there were more extraneous ingredients beyond noodles and broth. Plus I loved the little fish cake on the side!

My verdict: I love the broth. This broth is so delicious. It's salty - but not overly salty - and hot and soothing. I liked the larger, chewier noodles better than these ones. THOUGH, these are much easier to eat. The pork is delicious, and I love the fish cake. A good bit of other ingredients helped break up texture so it's not just a big bowl of soup.

Grade: A

I had one single drink in New York City, and it cost me about $17 total.


$17.


We stopped at E&E Grill House before we headed to our Broadway show for happy hour, and I looked over the menu. Yes, I could've just got a beer - but what fun would that have been? I wanted to try something unique to this place, so I ordered the Violet Beauregarde: elderflower liqueur, prosecco, fresh lemon juice, blueberry-pomegranate juice.

It was tasty, yes, and refreshing. But for that price? Meh.

Grade: C