Tag Archives: food trends

Melt Shop Grilled Cheese

Let’s get right to the point — Little Muenster has some major competition. Just like cupcakes, grilled cheese sandwiches aren’t just a food trend — they are a classic comfort food that has been pleasing many for generations. Which is why it isn’t a surprise to me that grilled cheese shops are popping up all across town.

Melt Shop is actually in far east Chelsea — that’s the first major plus, I didn’t have to go all the way downtown like I did for Little Muenster. Convenience is key. I also appreciated the speediness of the service and the wide selection of sandwich choices.  What’s even more exciting? They offer a breakfast menu as well — something that I need to try out! To see the entire menu, click here!

Knowing what types of food I love… take a wild guess at what I ordered.

truffle grilled cheese

Yup — I went for the Truffle Melt… a grilled cheese made up of havarti, arugula, and cracked black pepper that has truffle oil drizzled on top, all melted together in between two pieces of sourdough bread. Did you know, if you add truffle to dairy the flavor really pops? So, what could be better than cheese and truffle? Hmmm, probably nothing.

The sourdough bread had the perfect crispiness after it came out of the sandwich press, and the arugula added the perfect greenery to the grilled cheese.

Looking for something with a little more substance? Melt Shop offers grilled cheeses made with meat — chicken, pork… you name it!

So, I leave you with this thought — what could be better than a warm grilled cheese on a cold winter day? These sandwiches really hit the spot and take the grilled cheese food trend to a whole new level.

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Fried Mac & Cheese at The Diner

Diners are always such fun places to eat at — you never know what will be on the menu. The Diner is located on 14th Street and 9th ave, right on the boarder of the neighborhoods Chelsea and Meatpacking. I can’t tell you how many times I have walked by this neighborhood diner, but I have yet to eat here until this past weekend when a friend was in town.

My friend Brittany and I arrived fairly early for a Sunday morning. When we got to The Diner around 11 a.m. we were seated instantly, but by the time we left not a single table was available! Brunch in New York City typically starts past noon and can go until 5 p.m. Can you imagine?

That’s the beauty of New York City weekends, no matter where you go, you’ll be able to order eggs and pancakes until the restaurant starts to serve dinner. But at a diner, that’s every day of the week — you can order dinner at breakfast, and breakfast at dinner!

Maybe I’m a little behind on this specific food trend, but this weekend was my first time I tried fried mac and cheese balls! Even though this was my first time having this insanely fantastic food, I think I was spoiled by The Diner’s version of this food fad.

The fried mac and cheese balls tasted phenomenal, but when you dunk the bite into their own personal cheese dip that’s when you are truly blown away! The rich, creamy cheese dip adds fantastic texture and flavor to the already crispy, creamy, cheesy mac and cheese balls. Maybe it was because we were probably the first order of the day, but the fried part of the food wasn’t greasy at all! In fact, they didn’t even feel like a guilty pleasure.

I’m really curious as to how to make these at home. But I know even if I mastered the fried mac & cheese ball portion, I would never be able to replicate the best part of The Diner’s dish — the cheese to dunk the balls in.

(For all you Penn Staters out there… The cheese sauce tasted exactly like the cheese topping from The Dark Horse’s cheese fries! I still think they have the best cheese fries in the world! Not even a New York City restaurant has been able to live up to the dive bar’s unhealthy side dish.)

2012 Food Trends

I recently read over a USA Today article that talks about food trends for 2012 — I actually wasn’t at all that surprised about the selection that was made. For anyone who is living in a city and you’re surrounded by food trends whether you want to be or not, you know what the newest fads are.

It wasn’t all that long ago that cupcakes captivated our attention… Cupcake bakeries were opening on every other corner like Starbuck’s cafes. From Baked By Melissa here in New York City as well as Magnolia Bakery and of course Billy’s — to Georgetown Cupcakes in Washington, D.C., people were seeing these mini-cakes every where! Even Sex and the City (the episodes, not the movie) had Carrie and Mirada chatting outside of Magnolia Bakery in the New York City’s hip and trendy West Village neighborhood.

Then came the popsicle shops and stands. And this food fad came at the most perfect time — right at the start of an insanely hot and almost unbearable summer in 2010. But who wants popsicles in the middle of winter? Plus, you can’t box up a half dozen pops to take into the office for a co-worker’s birthday. So, popsicles had a shorter life-span than cupcakes. And even though everyone will love cupcakes for generations to come, the popularity of going out with a friend for just a cupcake won’t last too much longer. Actually, it’s not even on the radar for popularity any more. And these things are not only costing your wallet a good chunk of money, but they are insanely fattening. I do admire the idea that the cupcake shop Baked By Melissa has. They make insanely small, bite-sized cupcakes. I actually was at an event recently and these little cupcakes graced our tables for dessert — if a large cupcake came my way, I doubt I would have eaten it. Cupcakes actually get pretty messy, they get all over the place, they crumble after you take a bite, and there is not lady-like way to dig into a cupcake the size of your fist. So these petite-chic treats were the perfect touch to the dessert table.

The Meadow in the West Village in NYC

The Meadow in the West Village in New York City

So, a new food trend according to USA Today is salt. Yes, salt. I’ve been chatting on and on for a year now about my favorite salt shop in the West Village called The Meadow. I love that an entire shop is dedicated to selling only the finest salts from all around the world. Not only are they beautifully colored, they also provide your food with an outrageous amount of flavor! Whether you are sprinkling a bit of salt into a dish, or actually cooking your food on a block of pink Himalayan salt, you are guaranteed to love whatever food it is you are making. Even a new hidden gem in the Chelsea Market called the Filling Station is selling a nice selection of salts — but in all honest, head to The Meadow for a wider range of this seasoning.

a shop for salts

Salts from around the world in The Meadow in NYC

Food trucks are another food trend for 2012, but I had thought that these mobile “restaurants” were already winning over people’s attention? The Food Network has already had 2 seasons of The Great Food Truck Race (and I’ll admit, I’m hooked). Maybe food trucks have won over the hearts of city dwellers but now they are off to captivate the rest of America’s suburban inhabitants. We will see.

What other trends are there? “Drugstores as food stores,” is one of them. Well, duh. CVS has all of a sudden added grocery-like items to their store, as well as Duane Reade in NYC… and would anyone ever consider Walmart as a semi-drugstore as well as Target? Because for so long these two stores didn’t exactly have the “mega store” label. Americans just love that one-stop-shop sort of store where they can purchase everything at once. So, naturally brands like Target and Walmart are going to have to make this possible.

Other trends include: Mindful Snacks, Pickles, Butcher Shops, DYI Food, Gluten-Free Food (even if you don’t have a gluten allergy), Seaweed (for lunch!), Quick Response codes on food packaging, Artisan Chocolate, and finally — Korean food.

What other possible food trends are there going to be? I’d love to hear what everyone out there is thinking because you just never seem to know these days where and when a new trend is going to launch.