Well, winter hasn’t quite decided to take a vacation yet! The snow may have continued throughout the day, but Chris and I decided to get out of Manhattan and head to Brooklyn for some comfort food bites.

First up on our agenda? A trip to DuMont Burger. While I will definitely be back to try their burgers.. this trip was all about their mac and cheese. 

Let’s just say this ‘food tour’ wasn’t exactly on the healthy side.. but hey walking through the snow can work up quite the appetite (or at least I’m telling myself that). Chris and I decided to split a side of their onion rings and their famous mac and cheese.

I enjoy a good onion ring and DuMont does this just right. The Spanish onions are cut thick and then covered in a tempura batter that is the perfect combination of fluffy and crisp. I’d happily come back just for a side of these with their special sauce.

Next on our order was their mac and cheese. They offer a bacon add-in, but I suggested we opted for it plain. In my view, to really test out how great a mac and cheese is, you need to do so without any of the extras first. Otherwise it ends up shadowing the cheese mix a little. Their mac and cheese is made with radiatore pasta and a mix of parmesan, gruyere and cheddar cheeses. 

So how do I think it stacks up? I was a big fan of the style of noodles. It’s a little different variety than most restaurants select and the noodles soak up the cheese just right. The cheese blend was a nice combination with a great combination of creamy without being too heavy. Finally, the mac is topped with a nice crust of melted cheese on the top which really finishes off the dish.

After we were filled up on fried and cheesy goodness we headed a little further out in Williamsburg to check out one of my favorite donut joints. 

We first had Dun-Well Doughnuts in the fall at Smorgasburg and I’ve been wanting to have another go at their donuts every since. At I continue my quest to find the best donuts in the city, Dun-Well currently sits a top of my list. The dough that their creations are cooked with is just perfect. 

I follow their accounts on Facebook and Instagram so my mouth was watering before we even made it in the door. We didn’t make it in until the afternoon so they had sold out of a lot of their varieties, but they still had the mini pie options that I had saw on social that morning so I was happier than a clam!

Okay… take a second to check out the bottom right menu item. Doughnut Sundae!?!? That’s just all sorts of fatty deliciousness sounding. If it wasn’t snowing I probably would have went with that route but since we were still pretty full from lunch we opted to take our treats to go. 

Now here is the part that kind of blew my mind a little… It turns out their donuts are vegan! Now I’ve certainly had delicious vegan options in the past, but being someone who doesn’t like missing out on ingredients.. my mind often just assumes that gluten-free or vegan bakeries are just missing a little in their treats, even if that’s a terrible theory.. Well, it’s time I officially throw that mindset out the window because Dun-Well proves that doing things a little different can have even more amazing results. I mean, look at these babies below!

Once we had our treats, it was time to head back to Manhattan. Not before snapping a picture of OMG Taco though. Um, how awesome is that name??  

I’d say our snow noms tour was a serious success. Delicious, and the perfect way to fight off some of the winter blues. Scoots wanted to say hi too :-)

The warm weather may be on its way out of the city, but not before I tell you about one of my favorite outdoor food festivals! I’m talking about Brooklyn’s Smorgasburg! There’s a few different locations (you can find them here), but the one I’m talking about today is the East River State Park spot.

Something I think it fun about Brooklyn is some of its colorful graffiti. We don’t have a ton up on the Upper East Side and it certainly adds a little color to the scene!

This location is really awesome because its right along the waterfront and has THIS view! Oh heyyy, Manhattan! Nice view + some delicious bites? Always a win in my book. 

Now onto the good stuff… the food! I really love Smogasburg because it’s not just another food fest. It’s known for coming up with crafty and unique bites that you won’t find at the weekend street fair. One of the most notable creations to come out of the fest is the Ramen Burger. Yep, you heard me right, the Ramen Burger. The bun is made out of ramen noodles and it’s no joke. People have been waiting in hour+ long lines since it arrived on the scene and the line still hasn’t slowed down. 

This was as close to the burger as I got this trip, but one day I’ll have a blog post on that master creation.

Here’s a look at some of the bites we did have on this trip though! We started our food adventure with some pigs in a blanket at Brooklyn Piggies.

A solid place to start and their condiments were a tasty addition to the pigs.

Next up we headed to the holy grail of donuts, Dun-Well Doughnuts. You all know how much of a donut junkie I am, and I have to say their chocolate peanut butter pretzel donut is sitting at the top of my list of New York donuts now.

It’s probably a good for my health that they’re based in Brooklyn or these would be an often rotation in my diet. Oh but Brooklyn, I will be back for more..

If you’re a cornbread fan, make sure you stop by Jack’s Chedbred! We went with the maple bacon and the honey sea salt options. De.lic.ious!

As if the maple bacon chedbred wasn’t enough to fill my maple fix, I also picked up a Vermont maple lemonade at another stand. I’m all for trying different types of lemonade and I’d never seen a maple one before! 

So if you’re looking for something a little different in the food scene, get to Smorgasburg! This particular location is only open for a few more weeks before they move indoors for the season, but no matter where you visit them your tummy will thank you!

I’ve heard so much about how awesome Brooklyn Bowl is and I finally made it out there! Bowling was a go-to activity growing up and now that I don’t get to go as often I get so excited to go when I do! We went there to celebrate a friend’s birthday and had such a fun time! 

(PS: Had to borrow pics from online — a lot of mine turned out terrible since it’s so dark in there!)

When you walk in, The building has the old bones of an ironworks factory that has been re-done (and L.E.E.D certified for my eco’s) and decorated with the vibe of an old carnival. SO fun!

Once we secured our lanes we headed into the bowling portion, where our shoes were delivered to us and we plopped down on their tufted leather couches (which were super comfy by the way). Definitely a different level of service than you’re used to at an old bowling alley! After that the drinks starting flowing and we got our bowl on! The only thing that was kind of lacking was the cheesy graphics that come on the screen after you get a spare or strike! I didn’t think those added much to the game, but I must say I missed their cheesy-little selves!

After we’d bowled for a little bit we had worked up an appetite. Generally I wouldn’t tie good food and bowling together, but their food was fantastic! Like, I’d go back just to eat good. The only thing that got  a little messy was eating wings followed by sticking your fingers in bowling balls — good thing they had wet wipes! It really was delicious though and we ordered pretty much one of everything on the menu. Don’t worry, there was a lot of us ;-)

Not only is it a bowling alley and restaurant, the venue is also a concert hall! And not just for small names either, Guns N’ Roses, Snoop Dogg, and Kanye West have all played there. None of them were there on the night we were there, but there was live music while we were bowling which was pretty different and cool. 

When we were done bowing we hung out for awhile and listened to the bands too. All and all, a really awesome place! Since there’s a little something for everyone! Plus you can just go there for food and a concert without bowling if you want. :)