NYC Day 3

Ok, ok, my trip was a month ago and I haven't posted day 3. Day 3 we woke up pretty hungover from our late night. It was almost 11 by the time we got moving. We wanted something different, not typical hangover food so being in the heart of Chinatown (which is actually a misnomer - it should be Asia-town because of all the different ethnic groups represented here) we decided to try Nha Hang Pho Viet Huong, a Vietnamese restaurant near our hotel. The menu was huge, like s Greek restaurant with page after page of interesting stuff. Deciding on one or two items was going to be quite a chore. We all had some Vietnamese iced coffee which was presented in its own little brewing vessel. It was so think it looked like syrup...and it took a while for the water to filter through the grounds but when it was done, you mixed it with this condensed milk and were rewarded with one of the strongest and best tasting coffees you will ever experience.

I opted for the Mi Vit Riem Dong Co, which is essentially Pho with duck and mushrooms and an order of Bo Nuong Lui, which are charcoal grilled beef skewers with sesame seeds. My friends ordered some spring rolls, a traditional Pho, and some frog leg curry. Of all of the items, I enjoyed the beef skewers best. They were full of flavor and were served with a sweet dipping sauce. We devoured them. The spring rolls were also excellent. My pho was satisfying and I loved the duck leg and the mushrooms, but honestly the broth was a little weak. I tried to make up for it by adding some sirhacha, hoisin, and the basil, which helped but couldn't hide its lack of depth. Pho Tru Trinh in Milwaukee's broth was much better. My friend's traditional Pho (with tripe, flank steak, meatballs, tendon, etc) was good, but the broth was also lacking. The frog curry was a pain in the ass to eat, but there were a ton of frog legs and the flavor was great with a decent amount of heat. Probabaly the best of the 3 entrees. It was a good hangover cure (I credit the coffee and the broth).

My friends then wanted to tour the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Having been there twice, I ventured off on my own and visited record stores and other sites all afternoon, essentially riding the subway and getting off at places that sparked my interest. I did a ton of walking and found some really cool neighborhoods and stores. While walking through the Village, I spotted a Gray's Papaya and decided a snack was in order. I couldn't believe the prices, I spent under 3 bucks in Manhattan and got 2 dogs and a papaya drink. The drink smelled kind of strange, but it tasted refreshing given the blistering heat. The dogs were pretty decent with this sort of sweet onion concoction on them. It was a perfect mid-afternoon snack and I can see why so many people love these dogs. I could have easily chowed down about 4 more.

I wandered around a nearby store called Gourmet Garage, where I sampled cheeses, dips and other assorted goodies then headed down to Battery Park to meet my friends. We ate some mediocre pizza near ground zero and grabbed a cab back to the hotel, then on to the airport. Three days is not enough to really enjoy New York City and though I have been there two other times I regret not going to Central Park on this trip. I also wanted to check out Brooklyn, but there simply was no time.

At the airport we joked about all of the animals we consumed on the trip. Here is what we came up with:

Beef
Pork
Duck
Rabbit
Fish (salmon, tuna, snapper, yellowtail)
Clams
Lobster
Snails
Lamb
Frog