Hot Cross Pork Buns

I just spent the past weekend in Brooklyn/NYC visiting friends and eating some amazing food...

I am happy to say that my first dining experience in Brooklyn was a very enjoyable one. Thistle Hill Tavern in Park Slope is a small gastropub with few tables but a lot of character.

It is a great neighborhood spot that offers a fresh and flavorable menu at reasonable prices. The wine list also boasted some great wines for cheap. Their salt and pepper french fries were hands-down the best fries I've ever had!

Another Brooklyn fave was Caroline's homemade bacon, fried egg and cheese McMuffin. Doesn't it just look delicious???

A special thanks to Caroline and Chris (and the pups) for not only putting me up this weekend, but also for introducing me to Momofuku's pork buns.

These babies literally melt in your mouth. One of my favorite things about this dish is the cucumbers. They are the perfect crisp texture and are amazing with the tender pork and hoisin sauce. In one word: unreal. I have heard/read lots of good things about Momofuku's growing restaurant empire, and I am so happy that the food lived up to the hype. We got the pork buns at Milk Bar. I suggest picking up a compost cookie or a slice of crack pie while you're there.

To round out the weekend of insanely good food, my Brooklyn locals steered me in the direction of Joya. This Thai place in Cobble Hill is not your typical Asian take-out. A hip dining room with a DJ and a menu featuring Thai mainstays such as pad thai and all the curries as well as some new takes on spring rolls (ummm duck and mango spring roll, anyone?) were all the more satisfying when the bill was $40...for 4 people.

On top of a great weekend, it was refreshing to eat at NY restaurants that weren't overpriced and were actually good, no GREAT. I will be making a return trip very soon, as my craving for more pork buns will eventually become too great to control.