Rating: 4 paws out of 5
Spent:.  $7 per person
Chain: Yes, various locations in NYC. 
Date Friendly: Yes
Note: Open late and have beer on tap, crowded and busy.
328 East 14th Street
New York, NY 10003
(212) 228-2004

www.artichokepizza.com

All this ferret hears is tweets is oh how good this pizza is.  Well, that amount of attention on the internet does deserve some attention from this hungry guy.  With some internet research, he finds out of the heresy that is occurring here from the non traditional NYC style pizza.   This guy definitely needs to taste test the other side of things in the pizza world.

The Artichoke Pizza is a monster of a pizza.  I would really recommend 1 slice per person or even share with a friend.  That crust is very hearty and crisp.  This slice is not entirely artichoke, it also contains spinach and cheese as secondary ingredients.  Come to think of it, it reminds me very close to an artichoke spinach dip pizza, which in this case is a very good thing.  I have a feeling this slice is heavy in the calories and fat, but did I care, no, it tasted too good.

Crab pizza here is a seafood lovers treat.  This ones is also a monster of a slice.  Again recommend just getting 1 unless you have  a huge super human ability to eat.  The crab flavor has a strong dominate taste in this slice.  If you don’t like crab, it should be avoided, if you like crab, then give this one a try.  I like the abundant amount of crab meat in this pizza, trust me, it not just a few pieces, it basically a carpet bomb of crab.

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Rating: 3 paws out of 5
Spent:.$12 per person
Chain: Yes, Astoria, Forest Hill and Bayside
Date Friendly: Yes
Note: Open late.
41-06 Bell Boulevard
Bayside, NY 11361
(718) 225-5200
www.marthascountrybakery.com

Just off the Long Island Railroad Bayside stop, this guy need to seek some shelter, but there are only bars all around.  Many of them are full of cougars too, but wait, this guy smells the sweet smell of cakes, pastry and coffee.  It so dark and cold, but the glow of the window is so inviting.  Will this guy get a warm place to get his fix?  Let’s see.

The interior is very stylish and reminds you of an European like cafe.  There are comfortable table and chairs.  The benches here are a little tight if you are on the heavier side but nether less, everything is pretty clean.  The place generally is not too noisy, good for conversation between long lost friends or bffs.

The menu is easy to read and is clear.  There are a lot of items to choose from and may take you a while to decide what you may be in the mood for.  Many of the cakes and pies that they sell whole are also available in slice or mini version.  There are no description of the coffee drinks, so you may need some coffee knowledge beforehand, but don’t fret, the waitstaff here are pretty friendly and able to explain each one, if needed.

Spinach Pie is pretty much the only savory item you can get at the bakery and surprising, it is very good.  The crust is very light, flaky and crispy.  The filling ratio of spinach and cheese is practically perfect.  The spinach pie is an excellent choice if you want to also want a small dinner / snack with your desert.

Mix Fruit Tart , the pastry has a  yummy flakiness.  The filling that they have within the tart is very tart, I though it was a bit too tart.  The fruit on top are sugar glazed which help balances out the  filling.

Red Velvet Cake  has a moist spongy texture with a mild coco taste.  The cream cheese icing is not overly sweet and held on to the cake well.  This is a decent representation of a southern treat.

Carrot Cake was  very moist with the carrot filler, cream cheese icing is sweet and works well with the cake.  By the way this carrot cake tasted, I don’t think it very healthy for you.  If you like carrot cake, this one won’t disappoint.

Lattes here are made well.  Depending on the barista that is on duty, you might get some fancy latte art.  The espresso is well drawn and the cups feel that they are heated to the proper temperature.  The hot drinks always came at the proper temperature.

Peppermint Latte show up near the end of year during the holiday season after Thanksgiving.  They are just the normal lattes with peppermint, sprinkles and whipped cream added.  If you like mint in the coffee like myself, you should enjoy this one also.

Mississippi mud pie is super chocolaty.  It reminds me of a rich chocolate pudding.  If you like smooth cluster like chocolate, you will enjoy this.   Be warned, get something not as sweet to cut it like coffee or water.

Caramel Macchiato, Macchiato preparations vary from place to place.  At this place it very close to a latte and have a drizzle of caramel syrupy.  I think they poured the espresso into the milk vs the milk into the espresso latte method.  It has a stronger coffee taste than a latte but much sweeter from the caramel.  I would consider this drink as the next step deeper into coffee world if you are used to mochaccinos.

Red Velvet Cupcake – The cupcakes here are decorated in many forms depending on the day that they are made.  The red velvet  cupcake is  pretty much are like the cake slice version with an extra generous topping of icing.  I am pretty confident that the recipe is the same if not very similar.  The cupcake is a good choice if you want a smaller portions of cake.  The slices of the various cakes are sometimes very generous.

White Chocolate Cheese Cake is smooth, creamy, and tangy.  No complaints of the sweetness or the general taste of this pastry.

Apple Pies come in smaller version and are heated up before served to you.  The warmness of the pie enhances the taste of the pie and is a nice touch.  Since this is a mini version, there is more crust than usual than a big slice.  The filling is semi solid and not super runny or gooey.  The filling is also not overly sweet.

The Green Tea Latte is one of my favorites.  It is a drink that is pre-sweetened, with latte like milk and a smooth mild green tea flavor.  This drink does not have the briskness of a brewed tea.  If I had to guess, I think this drink is made with matcha.  Matcha is a Japanese green tea powder that is commonly used in sweet deserts and drinks.

The espresso is drawn well and smooth for cappuccinos.  The portion of espresso, hot milk and froth are correct for a wetter type.  The froth structure is strong and has a velvety texture.   The drink is also topped with a generous dash of nutmeg for the added flavor enhancement.

Pumpkin Pie here is good, too bad it not year round.  The spices and sweetness is just right and hit the spot whenever you looking for some holiday pie.

Pumpkin Cheese cake has a very similar taste to the pumpkin pie, but with an extra richness and creaminess.  Also another recommended item to try when possible.

Raspberry Ice tea here is mild and unsweetened.  You can tell there is a berry flavor present in the tea and not very brisk.

Cafe au Lait is coffee that is with steamed milk.  Coffee at the bakery is pretty fresh, smooth and mild.   It is not bitter but at the same time it is not flavorless.

This bakery does not have anything that is overly special or have certain ridiculous good bakery items.  All the items are very fresh and place is really clean.  While dining here, you can see that many of the items are made on site and are rotated often.  There nothing here that I would say that taste bad at all that I had tried.  It’s pretty much a very good place to chat while having coffee and a tasty treat.

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Rating: 4.5 paws out of 5
Spent: $5 per person
Chain: Yes
Date Friendly: Yes
Note:
between 18th + 19th St
170 8th Ave.
Nework, NY 10011
212 488 2510
http://www.pinkberry.com/

Oh the long forgotten Frozen Yogurt seems to have come back into fashion. This time with arsenal of fresh fruits and crunchy sugary cereal toppings. The Hungry Ferret will ski down the “soft swirls of chilly bliss with a distinct pouty peak” to look for a sweet healthy treat. [Pinkberry TM]

The two main flavors at every chain location of Pinkberry are Original and Green Tea. Coffee and the shaved ice is listed on the website but not available at every location. Pinkberry is frozen yogurt, but it is not your frozen yogurt from the 90′s. This formula that the Pinkberry came out with has a very rich, smooth, and creamy texture.  The reinvented frozen yogurt has a bit of tartness and maintains its nonfat low calorie base.

” Fruit toppings, cut fresh on-site, include: strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, blackberry, banana, kiwi, mango, and pineapple. There are also a variety of dry toppings to choose from, including: almonds, carob chips, chestnuts (new topping), chocolate chips, Cocoa Pebbles, Fruity Pebbles, coconut, mochi (rice cakes), yogurt chips, cookies ‘n cream, granola, and Cap’n Crunch. Pinkberry has introduced seasonal flavors like pomegranate seeds and lychee for holiday and summer seasons.” [toppings via wikipedia]

As you can tell listed above, the toppings can add a good amount of extra calories to the mix.  The two flavors that the Hungry Ferret had tasted, were quite good.  The original flavor can be closely described as vanilla with a tartness.  It was not bland, fatty tasting, overly tart, half melted or have sharp ice crystals in it.  Those previously mentioned are all the downfalls of a frozen yogurt treat.  The  Green Tea had all the good elements of green tea without the bad.  This was one of the best examples of usage of green tea in a desert.  Usually the outcome is horrid, the extremely bitterness or weirdness of flavors just ruin whatever the artist was trying to create.

Because of the simplistic idea of quality control and freshness of fruit and toppings, Pinkberry has earned 4.5 paws.

*Update: Pinkberry has received the National Yogurt Association for Live and Active Culture Yogurt seal.

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Rating: 2.5 paws out of 5
Spent: $30 per person
Chain: Yes
Date Friendly: Yes
Note: Some pastries required to be ordered about 20 minutes ahead of time.
ROOSEVELT FIELD MALL
630 Old Country Road, Garden City, NY 11530
(516) 741-0096
http://www.grandluxcafe.com

While walking the outskirts of the mall, the hungry ferret stumbled upon the architecture of the Venetian in Las Vegas.  Has style of Vegas come to Long Island?  The Hungry Ferret is up to investigating on this gamble.  Lets roll the dice and see if the Hungry Ferret is in favor of Lady Luck.

The drinks at the Grand Lux Cafe are well mixed and did not taste like it came from a soda  fountain or a premix powder.  The lemonade was crisp and refreshing.

The appetizer was the Mini Kobe Hot Dogs with chili and cheese.  The buns were toasted and very buttery, the hot dog meat had a higher quality meat taste than the usual hot dog.  But as a warning, it is a hot dog, don’t expect it to taste like a kobe steak.

First entree was the Spicy Ranchero Steak with Spanish rice and salsa.  The skirt steak was done medium as request, very spicy and tangy.  It had the nice beef flavor and texture of a skirt steak.  The rice was a bit hard and not as good as I would expected.  It might have been sitting in the warmer/oven too long.

Next was the Luncheon Omelette with Ham, Bacon and Mushrooms with fries on the side.  Generally the omelet was not bad.  It had a slight “fake egg” taste to it.  It was possible that the egg was cooked with pre scrambled eggs from a container or mixed with too much water / cream.

The ending of the meal was with a pineapple upside down cake with ice cream.  It had to be ordered close to 20 minutes ahead of time because of its make to order status.   It came hot and steaming with goodness.  There was very nice flavors of pineapple sweetness in the cake.   The macadamia nuts and brittle was a nice complement to the desert.

Bread

Kobe Beef Mini Hot Dogs

Spicy Ranchero Steak

Lunch Omlette

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Rating: 3 1/2 paws out of 5
Spent: $15 per person
Chain: Yes
Date Friendly: Yes
Note: Cash Only
137-80 Northern Blvd
Flushing, NY 11354
(718) 359-2324

The Japanese are well known for noodle houses. Here you can see your dish being crafted through the window. The subtle flavors from the noodles and broth mixing in a bowl of goodness can bring a warm feeling inside. Did Udon West bring the mastery of the Japanese Noodle house to the US? Grab your beer and you can meet the Hungry Ferret at this noodle house to dive deep in noodles and curies from the east.

The Shrimp tempura with a light soy sauce was one of the appetizers first to make an appearance. The tempura did not have a heavy crust, which was good. Often many places have them with a goo between the shrimp and crust. This was not the case, very crisp and crunchy.

The next appetizer the Potato Croque with Tonkatsu Sauce (a thick Worcestershire sauce) had a very nice crispy outside and mash potato inside. It was not greasy and the outside was crisp. They delicately fried it to make sure that the outer layer did not break during the frying process leaving the inside nice and moist.

Next up was the Pork Tonkatsu with Japanese curry. The pork chop was crispy on the outside with a nice tasty crust. The inside was also very tender and moist. Often this meat, the inside would be overly fatty or overcooked and dry. The curry had the taste of a traditional Japanese curry, slight hot and strong “curry” flavors.

Nabeyaki the udon dish, consisted of an poached egg, 2 shrimp tempura pieces, fish cake, pork meat and other various vegetables. This dish comes in a special mini metal pot and a wooden spoon. The noodles were tender and tasty, had a very good texture. The broth was very flavorful and not too salty. The only complaint is maybe the shrimp tempura should come on the side. Having the tempura sitting in the broth for a couple secs pretty much destroyed the crispy exterior.

Shrimp tempura

Potato Croque with Tonkatsu Sauce

Pork Tonkatsu with Japanese curry

Nabeyaki

Sapporo Beer