Athena Pappas

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  • Monthly Archives: October 2019

    • Restaurant Review: Pizza Loves Emily

      Posted at 1:30 pm by athenapappas, on October 26, 2019

      For my birthday a few weeks ago, we headed to Clinton Hill for dinner Emily. Much like Emmy Squared, Emily focuses on delicious pizzas and one decadent burger. However, these pizzas are wood-fired Neopolitan pizzas. First up, we tried the Olympus Mons pizza, which was a cheese-less pizza. WIth Szechuan oil, garlic aachar, pickled jalapeno, and seasonal greens, this pizza was a spicy light start to the meal.

      After our appetizer pizza came my favorite part of the meal…the burger! Seriously, it was one of the best I’ve ever had. The Pat LaFrieda beef was juicy, covered with the special Emily sauce, caramelized onions, and cheddar cheese all on a pretzel bun. You have to go early, they sell out quickly!

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      The pizza menu has several sections: the reds, the pinks (vodka sauce), the greens (tomatillo sauce), and the whites. We tried one from almost every section. The Mons was a red, but our next was from the whites, the eponymous Emily pizza. A sweeter pizza, this rich pie is mozzarella, pistachio, truffle sottocenere, and honey.

      From the greens, we selected the Pico Supreme, which had mozzarella, onion, chicken tinga, and ranch. It’s hard to pick a favorite (aside from the burger), but I think I would have to say the rich sweetness of the Emily was my favorite.

      Regardless of if you prefer the pizza or the burger (burger, the answer is burger), Emily is a great spot for a special dinner.

      Posted in Adventures, New York, Restaurants, Review | 0 Comments | Tagged NYC, pizza, restaurant, Review
    • Adventures in New York: EEEEEATSCon 2019

      Posted at 9:00 am by athenapappas, on October 16, 2019
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      Saturday, October 5th, we trekked out to Forrest Hills Stadium for The Infatuation (one of my favorite food blogs)’s EEEEEATS Con. A two day festival of food, EEEEEATSCon brought together restaurants and vendors from NYC, across the US, and even London. Our first stop was local favorite Crown Shy booth for a short rib sandwich.

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      From there, we swung by Bite Into Maine, a Maine lobster food truck brought to NYC for the weekend. The lobster was fresh and juicy served with the rich-Maine style mayo. For mini-Mexican, we hit La Contenta, based in lower Manhattan. The taquitos were rolled and fried with potatoes and beef topped with salsa roja, shredded cabbage, and queso cotija. The pork carnitas tacos were topped with salsa verde, pickled onion, rostizada, and radishes. Both were just the right amount of spicy.

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      Food wasn’t the only feature of EEEEEATSCon, there were several bars including a Captian’s Morgan Rum tiki speakeasy. Through the telephone booth…was a bar featuring cocktails served in a souvenir coconut.

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      After the drink break, it was time for more food! At the Lolo’s Seafood Shack we sampled the Shrimp Queso Nachos and Crab Cake sliders. Another feature of the festival is weekend-exclusive collaborations. This year, Shake Shack partnered with Uncle Boon’s for an egg-topped, Thai flavored burger.

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      My favorite bite of the day was pizza from Mama’s Too, an Upper West Side Pizzaria (yes, we are already planning to go to their actual location). The square pepperoni slice was pure pizza perfection while the Cacio Pepe slice was creamy and savory. While half our group waited in line for Mama’s Too, the other half ran to Crif Dogs for the Everything Bagel Dog and a Rueben Dog. The Rueben Dog was created by an Infatuation reader, and it was very delicious. The first key to the day was splitting everything, the second was having part of the group wait in one line, while the other half of the group went to a different line.

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      The final stops of the day were Revenge BBQ (for a sausage hero) and Salt & Straw, a famous West coast based, ice cream parlor. It was tough to pick a final flavor of the day, but we finally settled on salted caramel. Although Salt & Straw was one of the longest waits of the day, it was well worth it for the chunky, flavor-packed ice cream.

      Overall, our day at EEEEEATSCon was a culinary adventure. I can’t wait until next year’s festival!

      Posted in Adventures, New York, Restaurants, Review | 0 Comments | Tagged EEEEEATS Con, Food Festival, NYC, Queens
    • Adventures in New York: Fall at the Bronx Zoo

      Posted at 10:00 am by athenapappas, on October 9, 2019

       

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      When the first fall breezes start to cool the New York air, it is a perfect time to make a visit to the Bronx Zoo. Our first stop was a ride on Wild Asia Monorail. This journey over the Bronx River into a recreation of the habitats of Asia features lions, hippopotamus,, and more.

       

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      Other regal creatures can be spotted on the monorail tour. The great thing about the ride is the live narration, so they can slow down and point out animals.

       

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      Giraffes and wild horses also can be seen along the wild Asia Monorail.

       

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      It’s crazy to think that this nature reserve is in the middle of New York City.

       

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      In Jungle World, you can see the majestic leopard stalking his cage. There are plenty of primates, too!

       

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      At the children’s zoo, you can get up close with alpacas and sheep looking to be fed a treat.

       

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      The bright, pink flamingos populate the zoo’s water features. The zoo isn’t all just new exhibits, some of the original zoo buildings stand majestically in the park.

       

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      The seasonal butterfly garden also lets you get up close to these beautiful insects.

      Although the summertime months are often too hot for a visit to the zoo, late September is the perfect time to go. Be sure to get the total experience so that you can see all the zoo has to offer.

      Posted in Adventures, New York | 1 Comment | Tagged Bronx Zoo, New York
    • Restaurant Review: Emmy Squared

      Posted at 10:20 am by athenapappas, on October 1, 2019
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      For former ADA Jared Mogil‘s birthday, we headed Emmy Squared, which is one restaurant of several awesome Pizza Loves Emily Restaurant group. Although pizza is their main focus, their burger (which seriously will sell out) always tops lists of best burgers in the city. Pro tip: spilt the burger and get pizza to share.

      Also known as Le Big Matt, the burger oozing with a double-stacked Pat Lafried grass-fed beef patties, American cheese, greens, pickles, and the proprietary Sammy sauce. If that wasn’t enough, it also comes with a side of waffle fries. This epic burger is cooked to perfection.

      On to the pizza! Serving up thick-cut Detroit style pizza, there is a topping combination for every palate. We decided to do something a little different from our usual style and went for the Hot Chicken: Nashville hot chicken, ‘Bama white sauce, and chopped pickle. It was a spicy, crispy pizza dream come true. Pickles on pizza might sound weird, but it really helped balance out the other flavors.

      I highly recommend Emmy Squared in Williamsburg but be sure to get a reservation. The later you go, the more likely the burger will be sold out.

      Posted in Adventures, New York, Restaurants, Review | 1 Comment | Tagged Brooklyn, restaurant, Review, Williamsburg
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