The Best Things I Ate This Week (October 22-28, 2017)

This is the place where I can highlight all the great things I eat throughout the week, fueling my love for food and providing a constant stream of inspiration. Here's just a few of the best bites:

1. Disco Waffle Fries at Pig Beach, Brooklyn, NY

Panic at the disco fries. (@pigbeachnyc serves up waffle fries topped with cheese sauce, jalapeños, pulled pork and pimento cheese, and I’m losing my cool) #fries #beautifulcuisines #lovefood #bbq #discofries #nycrestaurants #menwithcuisines

A post shared by Jake Cohen (@jakecohen) on Oct 23, 2017 at 9:15am PDT

As we just now are getting hit with Fall weather, we took advantage of a warm Sunday by celebrating my father's birthday at Pig Beach in Brooklyn. With outdoor picnic tables and awesome BBQ, it was the perfect lunch celebration. A highlight was their disco fries, which consisted of waffle fires topped with cheese sauce, queso, pulled pork, pickles and jalapeños. It was everything you could ever want piled on a crisp bucket of waffle fries.

2. Quince Tart Tatin, Gramercy Tavern, NYC

Please have ‘mercy on me. (Had the pleasure of sampling just a few of @mirouskokovic’s incredible fall desserts for the tavern and dining room at @gramercytavern including their Dutch apple pie with hickory ice cream, goat cheesecake, chocolate and cajeta pudding, pumpkin sundae and Quince tart tatin; it was the sweetest end to another incredible meal at one of my favorite NYC restaurants!) #nycrestaurants #gramercytavern #eeeeeats #dessert #pastrychef

A post shared by Jake Cohen (@jakecohen) on Oct 26, 2017 at 5:20am PDT

A spontaneous dinner at Gramercy Tavern with my fiancé and mother was amped up by a surprise tasting of six of the fall desserts from the tavern and dining room menus by pastry chef (and my friend), Miro Uskokovic. Everything from the Dutch apple pie to the pumpkin sundae to the goat cheesecake was absolutely perfect. However, my personal favorite was his quince tart tatin, placing a perfectly poached quince over crisp pastry. There are literally no bad choices when it comes to their dessert menu (and make sure to get a cookie plate).

3. Cheeseburger at Matchbox Cafe, Rhinebeck, NY

Patty like a rockstar. (Spontaneous trips up to the Hudson Valley always require a stop at the Matchbox Cafe. They 100% have the best burger and brownies in the whole state of New York.) #burger #hudsonvalley #eeeeeats #beautifulcuisines #eater #lovefood #tastingtable

A post shared by Jake Cohen (@jakecohen) on Oct 28, 2017 at 11:05am PDT

Just going to throw it out there: this is the best burger in the entire state of New York. I've been going here since I was a student at CIA and I can vouch that this is the one place I always stop at when in Rhinebeck. The burger is beyond (so is the reuben), but make sure to go all out on desserts. Their red velvet cake is perfection (even Oprah loves it) and their brownies are the only ones that I think could stand up to my own. 

4. Delicata Squash Rings at Fuku, NYC

I don’t Fuku with you. (Swung by @fuku to visit my girl @chefstephabrams to see the stuff she’s been working on for their fall menu. In addition to the awesome chicken sandwich, their new delicata squash rings are literally crack and I want to eat them everyday.) #fuku #friedchicken #nycrestaurants #eeeeeats #eater

A post shared by Jake Cohen (@jakecohen) on Oct 26, 2017 at 5:55pm PDT

My good friend Stephanie recently started at Fuku doing all the R&D for their new menus. I had the pleasure of tasting the Fall menu with her and was blown away. In addition to their stellar fried chicken sandwich, the delicata squash rings were next level. Mocking classic onion rings, these squash slices are breaded an fried, before getting served alongside ranch dipping sauce. These bad boys put any other fried side to shame.

5. Kebab at Ravagh Persian Grill, NYC

Grilling me softly. (Continuing the binge eating today with all the Persian kebab at @ravagh_restaurants; the best part is the lavash on the bottom that soaks up all the juices!) #persian #persianfood #kebab #lovefood #beautifulcuisines #huffposttaste #tastingtable

A post shared by Jake Cohen (@jakecohen) on Oct 22, 2017 at 6:14pm PDT

This is our go-to Persian kebab spot in NYC. While we typically order take out from there, a family celebration demanded an actual visit. We went a little crazy with the ordering filling the table with rices and stews to go with this giant platter of Persian kebab (we ordered one of everything, of course). The best part is the lavash at the bottom that soaks up all the juices.