THE SAVVY SOYBEAN
 
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UPDATE: It's a sad, sad day in the Italindian community. Bombay Eats has lost their lease and is no longer open for business. It's rumored to be replaced with a Ramen shop (because we totally need more of those), but it hasn't been confirmed. We'll keep you informed!

No, it’s not a pizza-like Uttapam. It’s a slice of regular Italian pizza… with Indian toppings. This is happening.

I first noticed the Indian Pizza at Bombay Eats (52nd btwn 8th & 9th) a few weeks ago, but alas, it was closing time. I did have a chance to peer into the place, which surprisingly looked like an ordinary pizza joint. I left it alone and went on my way… but it wasn’t long till I was once again faced with this delicious anomaly… 
 
 
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Well, it’s another blizzardy, blustery day here in NYC. The streets are covered in a wonderful mixture of black ice and mush, and my warm apartment has never looked better. It’s days like these that I contemplate dropping everything and hopping a plane to the Florida Keys. Sweet air, sunshine, and oh, those juicy Florida oranges… which reminds me, I have one gigantic, lonely orange sitting on my counter. And some sugar. And some flour. Maybe if I can’t go to Florida, Florida can come to me… in cake-form... 
 
 
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Need I say more? Oh, I will anyway…

I happily revisited Good Enough To Eat last night, my go-to UWS spot for veg-friendly American home cookin’ (full restaurant review here). It was excellent weather for this sort of food ­– rain, plummeting temperature, overall yuckiness… a warm brioche roll, a filling entrée and excellent company seemed to be the cure-all.

As anticipated, dinner was delicious, chitchat was delightful, and bizarre cow décor was in full effect … but the one regret I’ve always had when leaving GETE was being too darn stuffed for their homemade deserts. There they sat: sweet potato pie, strawberry shortcake, pear-walnut tart… quietly taunting me as I entered and exited the shop. I’ll get you next time! I’d vow through clenched teeth. Well, this time was “next time” and I came prepared. With a precious corner of foodspace reserved for a sweet treat, I raced to the dessert counter, pressed my nose against the glass and began to salivate…
 
 
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photo by gothamist.com
UPDATE 12/20/10: Yeah, it closed. I'm shocked. I'll shed a few tears later...
It's pizza! It's a cone! It's Pizzacone! Squeezed into a narrow take-out shop on 5th between 32nd and 33rd, K! Pizzacone is open for business as of Monday the 22nd. With the whole portable pizza concept being wildly popular throughout Europe, owner Ingo Pinto figured it was time to take a bite out of the Big Apple… and then smother it in cheese and shove it in a cone.

You can check out a detailed review here on Serious Eats: Slice. Why won’t I be coning-it-up, you might ask? Starting at $4.90 a pop, this novelty (yes, novelty) snack is a bit too steep for Savvy. It also reminds me of the dreadful Hotpocket. Still, if I someday magically find myself in line for this crazy concoction, I wouldn't be entirely upset...

(video after the jump)
 
Mmm Wallabies... 02/20/2010
 
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I have a new favorite yogurt. This is a big deal. Wallaby Organic “Australian Style” is the smoothest, tastiest eco-friendly yogurt I’ve tried. And just for the record, it’s not made from wallaby milk… although that would be interesting.

The brand caught my eye today during a weekly stock-up at Westerly Natural Market. Usually priced at $1.39, it was on sale for .99. It also had a wallaby on it. This was all the convincing I needed. Taking advantage of the sale, I piled up on Lowfat Raspberry, Vanilla Bean, and Black Cherry (though the Dulce De Leche and Vanilla-Banana looked particularly fantastic)...
 
 
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Aside from NYC's recent transformation into the Arctic Tundra, life is pretty good! 8th Continent Soy Milk's Sara Lopez asked me to write a guest recipe post on her blog, 8cpassport.com. Check it out here or read below:

"Hey there! Savvy Soybean here, veggie food-lover and digester of all things yummy in NYC. I love baking vegan, so when dairy-free extraordinaire Lopez asked me to whip up my favorite recipe with 8th Continent Soy Milk, I knew just the thing.

You see, I’ve been a bit overzealous in my fruit purchases lately. Crates of tangerines, bunches of bananas, bogs of cranberries… I like to think it’s motivation. I also like to think I can eat it all. But 99% of the time I wait too long and end up with something even better: bananas mushy for banana bread, plums soft for muffins, and apples just a day too ripe for anything but Vegan Jewish Apple Cake...
 
 
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Well, Valentine’s Day went swimmingly! It’s been tradition over the past three years for Adam and me to celebrate with a home cooked meal, safe from long lines and $24 heart-shaped lobster ravioli (how naïve we were). Since then, cozying up and eating in has been more than delightful.

As you might know, I am an occasional pescetarian. As long as I know where the fish comes from (farming conditions can be deplorable), I’ll sometimes cook salmon or other nutritionally dense fishes. For Valentine’s dinner, I decided to switch things up with Maple-Soy Salmon and Orange Wild Rice. I finished it off with Mocha Chocolate Brownies topped strawberries and vanilla bean ice cream...  
 
 
 
I Am Ashamed. 02/10/2010
 
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But it was delicious. Yes, friends, I ate a hippo… a chocolate hazelnut cream-filled Happy Hippo, to be exact. It caught my attention this past Sunday at m2m, a Korean grocer on the Upper West Side. The hippo just… looked so darn happy. As I stared into its searching eyes, memories emerged of the Hungry Hungry Hippo game I would so enthusiastically play as a child. What fun we had, those hippos and I. Yet, something was oddly dissatisfying about that game. Why’d the hippos get to have all the fun? I was hungry, too, you know. Maybe if I purchased this box… this one box of chocolate cream-filled hippos, I would fill the hungry hungry void in my hungry hungry heart…  

 
 
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The Upper West Side likes to think it’s fancy-shmancy. Whether the food be sub-par or well worth the investment, it can be difficult for a budget-savvy New Yorker to find a memorable meal in one of the ritziest parts of town. Don’t get me wrong; some of the most acclaimed restaurants in the city reside on the UWS- from the outrageously priced Masa ($600 prix fixe, anyone?) to the now deceased Tavern on The Green (sorry, Sex and the City fans)- an optimistic exploration can easily turn into a disheartening schlep when the dollar signs are just too numerous.

Well schlep no more, hungry Upper West Siders! Savvy’s found a refreshingly unpretentious spot that won’t ruin you of all your riches: Good Enough to Eat, between 83rd and 84th on Amsterdam...
 

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