Taka Taka–Mexican Sushi and Japanese Tacos

Can you spell fusion? Taka Taka on West Broadway and Grand in SoHo, NYC can. With their combination of Mexican taco’s and Japanese sushi this place is a win. Their Japexican or Mexenese  cuisine includes sushi, tacos, tapenyaki, and several cold and hot starters that can satisfy your Mexican or Japanese cravings. Being fairly new, Taka Taka does not have that many reviews online. If anything it actually has bad reviews. I came here with my family when my brothers came to visit during MLK weekend. The restaurant has a modern Japanese-ish diner feel to it with lined up booths and a conveyor belt that snakes through the restaurant. A little bit on the pricey end, this restaurant has very few items that are worth it. The staff is friendly and the kitchen creations are fun to enjoy but not worth a return trip.

Is Artichoke the best Pizza in NYC?

A while back I had to get my fried oreo and funnel cake fix at Led Zeppole. So I dragged Omer out to East Village for my sweet treat when we noticed a long line protruding from Artichoke on 14^th street. Being a sucker for long lines, I had to stand there even though I wasn’t hungry . Omer said we’d come back another day for the pizza that so many stood in line for late night. Instantly when I got home I had to look up artichoke and read the reviews.

Ivy Bakery and Lounge

Over Martin Luther King Weekend, my brothers Saad and Waseem came to New York to visit. They were kind enough to deliver us our car, but not without trekking the treacherous terrain  of an 800 mile cross country drive accompanied by a brutal snowstorm. Dollars to donuts, you can bet they made an adventure out of it. 18 hours later they finally made it to Manhattan. The first thing on our agenda was to feed these hungry storm torn soldiers. We decided we would venture down to East Village and eat at Artichoke Pizza, however destiny pitted our stomachs against us- we stopped at the first place serving hot chocolate and snacks. 

We walked into a small, quaint bakery called Ivy Bakery and Lounge which served made to order goodies without fillers or artificial ingredients. They bake in small batches to ensure freshness, their savory sweets can also be customized. 

Ready to serve desserts included pie, muffins, cookies, brownies, and tres leches parfait. At the time, Ivy was serving two types of pie, Buttermilk and Peanut Butter. Pie flavors vary by day and can be pre-ordered if you like. The buttermilk pie was served cold , the crust was flaky, and the custard had the perfect amount of tang. The two slices were annihilated within minutes that I wasn't fast enough to take pictures. The peanut butter pie was deemed favorite and we made various failed attempts over the weekend to return for it. It's a bit heavy, creamy, sweet, and taste like childhood. No jelly needed. 

Lets also not forget the reason we walked into Ivy in the first place. We ordered 3 hot chocolates, made from organic chocolate. The hot chocolate had the perfect amount of cocoa- not to sweet or chocolaty. But more importantly the warmth from the cup radiated to my arms and into my soul. (okay I'm exaggerating a little bit, but nothing beats holding a hot cup of chocolate on a cold day outside). I would definitely recommend coming here.