Hudson Valley Mini Food Guide

Last weekend, I left NYC and took a drive up to the Hudson Valley.  It was such a dreamy, relaxing trip.   I actually couldn't believe how long it has taken me to commit to renting a car and exploring the area.  I thought I'd  share some food-related gems we found along the way.  Beware - this is a long post, but with a lot of pictures!

Flarah's

While I was visiting my parents in Des Moines over Labor Day weekend, my mom took me to a little place called Flarah's.  Flarah's is famous for their bite-size cheesecakes, but we went for their yummy lunch.  With it's modern style (think Ikea furniture), it's perfect for sitting down for a well-balanced lunch.  They have a great "Pick 2" deal, half a sandwich, salad, or soup combo.  I chose the Vegetarian Delight, and Roasted Apple Salad.  It comes with crisp chips, and an unusual fruit salad.  The fruit salad was both our favorites, we loved that is almost like a fruit slushy, and really a perfect dessert (no need for the cheesecake).  All the food was well-made and tasty.  I left feeling satisfied, and it brought a little brightness to the rainy day.  If you live in the Des Moines area, you should definitely give it a try.

If you are looking for a simple plum dessert, try this Plum Crisp I made last year.

The Best Thing I Had In My Mouth - The Taco Truck

On Sunday, I finally made it downtown to visit the High Line - Section 2.  It was actually pretty crowded and hot, so we ended up making a bee-line for The Lot On Tap, which is an a outdoor bar surrounded by various food trucks, with picnic tables in the center.

Dumpling House

On Sunday, my friend and I ventured down to Chinatown while running errands in the city.  We wanted a "snack," so he took me to the Dumpling House.  There we had a cheap feast - $8 in fact!  Whoa!  We got eight vegetable dumplings, a vegetable steamed bun, sesame pancake, and a taro milk bubble tea.  The place is small and bustling, so we didn't even try for one of the few tables in there.  Instead we went to Sarah Roosevelt Park and ate on the one park bench that didn't have snow on it.  Although, I wished they had fried vegetable dunplings, you really can't complain for eight bones.  And did I mention how awesome the sesame pancake is?  It is like Pizza Hut's thick crust with sesame seeds on it.  Okay, that might sound gross, but it is good - I swear.  They also use the bread for sandwiches, which I am sure are amazing.  If you are in New York and want to eat cheap, go there.  It is pretty amazing to watch all the women work.  A couple rolling out dumpling dough, one manning the sesame bread and fried dumplings, another slicing it, and a couple others screaming out numbers impatiently waiting for you to give them your ticket.  All in all a Chinatown success.  The worst part of the meal was having to watch the hipsters play bike polo while we ate.  Seriously, is that game even fun?

Sesame pancake - sooo good.

Vegetable dumpling.

Steamed vegetable bun.