CoffeeStudyTalk

Visiting NYC for a week in May and planning my itinerary.  I’m focusing on specific areas of Manhattan for each day to minimize travel times.  Giving me a chance to hit 12 neighborhoods in 7 days. Day 1 - Arrival/Times Square/Midtown South Day 2 - Midtown East/South - MoMa/Summit One Day 3 - Midtown West/Upper East Side - Central Park/Highline/Met Day 4 - Lower Manhattan/Brooklyn - 911/Staten Ferry/Dumbo Day 5 - SoHo/Greenwich/Upper East Side - Guggenheim Day 6 - Upper West/East Side - Central Park/ANM Day 7 - Times Square/Departure I. Planning & Checklist To prepare I did about 40 hours of research watching primarily YouTube videos, blogs, various online sites and maps.  I did it over a span of several months spending about 2-3 hours per week. Lesson learned from past trips is to bring enough cash and have methods for easy access to more as needed. Safety Common Scams Map Manhattan Subway System Videos Subway - LGA to Manhattan Subway - Times Square to Staten Island Ferry Top attr

Since expanding into wine, I’ve also enjoyed food pairings and one of my favorite has been dipping bread in balsamic and olive oil. My favorite combo has been: Frantoi Cutrera - Primo - Extra Virgin Olive Oil DOP Guiseppi Giusto - Aceto Balsamic Vinegar IGP (red label) The Giusto Red is a lovely thick balsamic and blends nicely with the Frantoi Primo olive oil.  I’ve tried other brands, but always end up back to these 2. Oils has 3 levels of quality assurance: DOP - most strict and for Balsamic vinegar must be Italian and 100% grape must and no more tha from 7 grape varieties.  Also aged for a number of years. IGP - medium strixt ans for balsamic vinegar allows minimum 20% grape must, 7 grape varieties but can be grown anywhere in world.  They allow for other ingredients like caramel coloring and 60 days minimum aging. Commercial - pretty open category.  The rating system doesn't guarantee its the best, only the minimum standards.  There are many IGP that surpass a DOP.  So the

Found a great bagel shop in Texas.  Beats Einstein Bro in quality although the price is higher, but it’s worth it when you want a quality bagel. Got the Salmon Lox on Onion & Chives Schmear and a classic Bacon & Eggs.

Sometimes I just want a margarita and some chips.  Mi Cocina is most elegant choice.  It’s not the best margarita, but it’s decent and strong.

Ordered the steak and it was excellent.  Had a bunch of appetizers and amazing Old Fashioned.  This place has got it all.  Prices were not bad for the drinks.

Enjoyed a delicious Barbacoa Mexican Breakfast.  Reminded me of Austin where I got something similar.  You can tell it’s gonna be good when the chips & salsa are good.  Coffee wasn’t too bad.

Had a nice lunch at Platia Greek Kouzina in Frisco, Texas.   Got the Brizola Steak and it was delicious.  I’d have preferred some fresh veggies as it was overwhelming carbs, but the pita bread is amazing and so was the hummus dish.

Tried a new restaurant in Carrollton Dallas Texas called Saemaeul that specializes in BBQ Pork.  It’s quite good as it’s very tender and delicious.  They slice it thin and looks almost like beef tongue. The ban chan side dishes were excellent and I also tried the cheese & egg side dish, tasted amazing and was like a fluffy omelette with corn and cheese.

Embarking on a 3 night road trip to Waco, Austin and San Antonio.  Riding in the 2016 Toyota Highlander V6. Planned Itinerary: Day 1 - Monday - Waco, Austin 10:30 am - Dallas to Waco 1 pm - Waco (2.5 hrs drive) 1:15 pm - Magnolia Market 1:30 pm - Lunch - Club Sandwich Food Truck 2:30 pm - Waco to Austin (3 hrs drive) 5:40 pm - Austin 6 pm - Dinner - Ramen Tatsu-ya Day 2 - Tuesday - Austin, San Antonio 7:30 am - Breakfast Hotel 9 am - Umlauf & Downtown 11 am - Domain Shopping Center 12:30 pm - Lunch - Miyo Sushi 1:30 pm - Chi Cha Boba Tea 2:30 pm - Austin to San Antonio (2 hrs drive) 4:30 pm San Antonio 5 pm - Riverwalk Mall 5:30 pm - Dinner - Dave & Buster 6:30 pm - River Walk Day 3 - Wednesday - San Antonio 7:30 am - Breakfast Hotel 9:30 am - Alamo 11 am - River Walk Boat Tour 12:30 pm - Lunch - El Castillo 1:30 pm - River Walk Mall 4:30 pm - Dinner - Ostra 6 pm - River Walk Day 4 - Thursday - Austin, Dallas 7:30 am - Breakfast Hotel 9:30 am - San Antonio to New Braunfels - Bu

Enjoyed the 22 oz Cowboy Ribeye at Al Biernat’s Steakhouse in Dallas, Texas.  Ordered it medium rare and for $70 it was worth the price. Was cooked to perfection and every bite was phenomenal.

Giving the $10 Taco Bell Pass a try and it’s supposed to allow me 1 Taco per day for 30 days.  Sounds like a deal as it includes Taco Supreme’s for basically 33 cents each. Day 2 - Confirmed it works Not that I doubted it as it’s from their official app and have enjoyed my second discounted Taco Supreme.  By Day 4, I’ll have broken even. Day 23 - This was such a good deal! I’ve eaten too many discounted tacos 🌮.  It’s point of ridiculous.  Entering final week. I also scored at least 6 more free tacos from welcome gifts and other events.  By my estimate I’ve spent $10 to get about $90 worth of Taco Bell… Day 30 - And it’s done. Kinda sad but also relieved it’s over.  Getting tired of eating Taco Bell everyday.  I got my money’s worth.

Wow.  I didn’t realize the bagels from Einstein Bro’s are great.  I’m used to Starbucks and this place beats them hands down.  Coffee was decent and had a syrupy texture on the simple, unsweetened Americano. For smears, I’ll stick with the spicier jalapeño one vs. chives.  Chives was ok, but jalapeño gave it a little kick.

Had a nice lunch of Seollungtang and Tonkatsu at the Food Court in the Fresh K Market in Carrollton.  The curry was delicious and I could eat just that with the rice.   The Seollungtang beef soup was excellent.