Last weekend was full of munchies, but nothing too exciting, so I’ll save some ink. And by “ink” I mean fewer words and more funk. Still, I should share right? ‘Cuz sharing is caring. So I hope this post helps get you through the week. The weekend is near! And for those NYU kiddies, Spring Break 2011 is upon us. Everyone, please come back alive! Some people doubt that I’ll come back from Nicaragua alive. Just wait and you’ll be reading about my crazy Nicaraguan adventures and nomz sessions. Did I mention that I’m traveling alone for a few days? Hahahahahaha, I really might not come back…

Speculoos Cookies // 5 of 5

Food: 5

These cookies really helped me start the weekend off right. Long story short, I got them for free, which made them that much yummier. According to Wikipedia, speculoos (or spekuloos) is a “shortcrust biscuit traditionally baked for consumption on St Nicholas’ Eve in the Netherlands and Belgium.” It is “thin, very crunchy, slightly browned” and absolutely delicious! On that note, I think Spekuloos Spread is the next generation’s Nutella thanks to the lovely Waffletruck aka Wafels & Dinges.

Epistrophy // 4.2 of 5

Food: 3

Atmosphere: 4.5

Service: 5

Epistrophy is an adorable wine bar, café, and (sometimes) restaurant in Nolita. By design, it is characteristically meant to be a “Fatty Kat” fave. It has all the essentials: mismatched “vintage” furniture, exposed brick, huge windows, outdoor seating, hipster vibes, funky wallpaper, bookshelves, and oh yeah, exposed brick.

Carbs and Fat. Bread and Olive Oil. Mouth and Belly. YES.

Pseudo-kitchen. I spy hot plates? Reminds me of Bread (Nolita). What’s up with this, Nolita? Grow a kitchen or something! And no, I will not lend you thousands of dollars to do so.

Tagliatelle al Pesto e Patate. Overcooked pasta and underwhelming pesto. But nice touch with the potatoes! And for the record, never use a green plate to serve pasta with pesto. Weird. Visually, just weird.

My life. My love. My latté. Make that a double…

Here’s a terrible picture of the back end of the restaurant. Yay bookshelves.

A not-so-disappointing tiramisu, but a little too much mascarpone and not enough cake-y bits. In Vino, you’ve ruined me!

Cup and Saucer // 3.7 of 5

Food: 2.5

Atmosphere: 4

Service: 4.5

Cup and Saucer is a recent discovery of mine, and it’s one that I’m reluctant to share with you. Why? It’s the only American-style diner I’ve found in Chinatown. How rare… It’s like what Precious was to Smeagol (yup, nerdy Lord of the Rings reference). Anyways, I’ve battled my inner demons and decided to share it with you. So, on Canal and Eldridge, there’s a lovely little diner that serves up pretty delicious food at very low NY prices.

This Chicken and Rice Soup cost almost nothing and tasted great. I might have still been under the influence of the night before, but I remember it being super hot and full of chicken pieces and soupy rice. LOVE soup for breakfast.

Three huge blueberry pancakes and OJ for approximately $6. Deal? Hell yes. The pancake needed some more butter, egg, and lovin’. But 10 points to the chef for using fresh blueberries.

Bare necessities.

Three Ocean Restaurant // 3.5 of 5

Food: 4

Atmosphere: 2.5

Service: 4

Three Ocean Restaurant is one of my newer Chinatown spots. Once or twice a month, Jon and I have lunch with my grandma in Chinatown. She comes into the city just for us, because she knows how busy we are sometimes (#awesomegrandma). Grandma Lau is pretty much over dim sum, so we always order à la carte for our weekend lunch. No matter where we are, we order Walnut Shrimp with Broccoli (probably my favorite Chinese dish ever). For a while (aka for over a year), we frequented Amazing 66 Restaurant. But recently, we’ve been hitting up Three Ocean Restaurant.

Last weekend, besides the Walnut Shrimp with Broccoli, we also had their Green Beans with Black Bean Sauce, Fried Garlic Chicken, and Stir-Fried Lobster over Lo Mein. Everything was AWESOME. The shrimp were lightly fried, sweet (thanks to mayo and candied walnuts), and perfect. The green beans were incredibly crunchy and sweet. The chicken had an amazing crispy texture and intense garlic flavor. The lobster was cooked just right and incredibly tasty. Uh! Writing this makes my belly rumble.

Lillie’s // 4 of 5

Food: 3

Atmosphere: 5

Service: 4

This Irish-Victorian Restaurant and Bar is definitely more bar than restaurant. LOVE the interior design. Very different from the rest of the neighborhood. Miss Lilly, my best friend from WAY back, visited me, and I thought it would be cool to take her to Lillie’s. Get it? Lilly…Lillie’s…Lilly at Lillie’s. Well, I now realize how lame that whole idea was. Thankfully, Lillie’s was cool enough to warrant my lame idea.

Grilled Shrimp Salad. Big, unseasoned shrimp. Lots of arugula. Very little dressing. And cocktail sauce!? That was weird, but I guess it’s meant to flavor the unseasoned shrimp. Hmmm…but cocktail sauce and warm shrimp is weird on its own. Right?

Lilly’s calamari was pretty standard. Good bar grub.

See! I told you. Nothing too exciting, but the “quantity” component was definitely alive throughout the weekend. Bigger and better weekends to come! And look out for my Nicaragua post. That’s if I make it back alive.