New York City Summer 2026 Travel Log: Day 3 — Country Sausage Benedict at EJ's Luncheonette

For our final meal in NYC, we went for brunch at the iconic diner, EJ's Luncheonette:

Country Sausage Benedict: Poached eggs and breakfast sausage on buttermilk biscuits, topped with sausage gravy and served with home fries

I went for the Country Sausage Benedict — a Southern twist on a New York classic. I've never actually been to the Southern US or, like, Cracker Barrel, so this is pretty much as close as I'm gonna get to Southern food. (Actually, this Benedict originally comes with grits on the side, but I didn't feel like I was ready for that step yet...) This is one of those dishes that tastes like it'll clog your arteries, so basically, it's tasty AF and I'm now sort of obsessed with sausage gravy. A truly delightful ending to this year's decadently delicious NYC trip.

EJ's Luncheonette

1271 3rd Ave. 

New York, NY 10021

(212) 472-0600

New York City Summer 2026 Travel Log: Day 2 — A Feast of "Bites" at NR

We went for an early dinner (like, really early, as in happy hour early, because our schedule revolves around the babies' nap times) to a gorgeous Japanese fusion eatery called NR, where we had a feast of appetizers (or "bites," as they call them):

Spicy Tuna: Tuna, anchovies, truffle, shallot, porcini mushroom, spicy mayo, and lime zest in filo cups

Deviled Egg + Egg + Egg: Sea urchin, caviar, tosa vinegar jelly, dashi, wasabi, Japanese mustard, mayo, and shiso on quail eggs

Seafood Tower (Bottom): Fresh oysters

Seafood Tower (Middle): Uni + salmon red caviar jelly, hamachi sashimi, tuna with cucumber foam

Seafood Tower (Top): Fried shrimp and fries

Pork Buns: Pork belly with lettuce, scallion, teriyaki, and tartar 

Miso Glazed Eggplant: Deep fried eggplant, miso, pomegranate, mint, and dill

Incredible flavours and ingredient combinations — this was honestly one of the most interesting meals I've had in a long time, and there is no shortage of Asian fusion restaurants back home. We were unfortunately too full after the apps, but I'm really hoping we get to come back for the ramen, which is actually what NR is known for. I mean, there is a $42 USD wagyu and bone marrow ramen on the menu that is just too indulgent to not try once in my lifetime...

(Oh, and in case you're wondering, we managed to do just over 11,000 steps today. So, yes, we feasted, but at least we felt slightly less guilty about it!)

NR

339 E 75th St.

New York, NY 10021

(646) 226-4874

New York City Summer 2026 Travel Log: Day 2 — Matcha Latte and Assorted Italian Cookies at Sant Ambroeus

What to do when it's raining outside but the kids are napping so you have just over an hour to entertain your family visiting you from Canada?

Matcha latte with pistachio milk

Assorted Italian cookies

Well, my brother takes us to fancy Italian cafes for lattes, cookies, and family gossip. Indeed, a great way to spend an afternoon!

Sant Ambroeus Coffee Bar

1334 York Ave.

New York, NY 10021

(212) 606-7070

New York City Summer 2026 Travel Log: Day 2 — Prime Steak Tartare, Poulpe Grillé, Moules Frites Marinières, and Croque Madame at Match 65 Brasserie

Met up with my brother and his family at Match 65 Brasserie this morning for a most délicieux brunch:

Prime steak tartare: Black Angus sirloin, quail egg, cornichons, and toasted baguette

Poulpe grillé: Grilled octopus, olive oil, lemon, herbs, and capers

Moules frites marinières: Mussels, white wine, shallots, roasted garlic, fresh herbs, and toasted baguette served with fries

Croque madame with fries

Yep, that's a lot of calories and fat grams to consume before noon... And that's not even including the leftover piece of brioche French toast from my nephew's plate that I shared with my mom for "dessert"... So we'll have to walk a lot today, rain be damned. (Good thing I wore my new Hokas.) But it was TOTALLY WORTH IT. 

Match 65 Brasserie

29 E 65th St.

New York, NY 10065

(212) 737-4400

New York City Summer 2026 Travel Log: Day 1 — Market Vegetables and the Steak Sandwich at Westville

Greetings from NYC! We're back for our annual trip to visit my brother and his family — and finally meeting my 8-month-old niece, Amelia, for the first time! (She is, objectively, the most adorable baby I've ever seen with the smiliest face, squishiest rolls, and most perfect milky skin. No bias, of course.) We arrived late afternoon so, to see the kids before their bedtime, my brother suggested an early dinner at their favourite NYC chain, Westville. They're known for their fresh produce, with a menu featuring over 20 different vegetable sides. Outside of vegetarian/vegan restaurants, I don't think I've ever actually heard of any restaurant that specializes in vegetable dishes, but here are. So we ordered 6 veggie plates to share:

Beets with goat cheese and walnuts

Brussels sprouts with honey dijon

Yuca fries with chipotle mayo

Roasted mushrooms with fresh herbs

Esquite (Mexican roasted corn kernels with chipotle mayo and cojita cheese)

Roasted carrots with fresh herbs

Steak sandwich with caramelized onions and horseradish mayo on a club roll and a side of sweet potato fries

And I got the steak sandwich as my main because, you know, balance. All the vegetable sides were delicious — my favourites were the beets and yuca fries — but I'm happy to report that Westville does their other dishes equally well because my steak sandwich was excellent. The steak was tender and cooked perfectly medium rare, the bun had a good chew but didn't hurt the roof of my mouth, and the horseradish was just spicy enough to feel a clearing in the nasal passages but not enough to overwhelm. It was the perfect accompaniment to a vegetable feast.

I can see why Westville opened up so many locations in NYC. Honestly, it's a great concept — delicious but (mostly) healthy dishes that also promotes fresh produce and local farmers — and the prices are reasonable. I wish they would open one closer to home. I can see this doing really well in the Toronto area. Then again, it took Shake Shack two decades to come to Canada, so I'm not holding my breath. 

Westville

1359 1st Ave.

New York, NY 10021

(212) 257-2133

New York City Summer 2025 Travel Log: Day 3 — Lox Bagel at Tompkins Square Bagels

A little breakfast at Tompkins Square Bagels before leaving for the airport:

Lox and cream cheese bagel

Did you think I'd leave NYC without having a lox bagel? (The answer is no. Always no. I'm a proud Canadian, but New York bagels beat Montreal bagels every time. Yes, I said it. Sorry, not sorry.)

Fair warning, though — Tompkins Square Bagels is one of the most popular bagel chains in NYC, so there is ALWAYS a line-up, especially on the weekend. The location we went to on the Upper East Side consistently had a line-up for all the days we were there, from morning to close. When we got there for breakfast on this Sunday morning around 9:30AM, there were 50 orders ahead of us. Still, the bagels are so fucking good, it's totally worth the wait.

Tompkins Square Bagels

1159 3rd Ave.

New York, NY 10065

(212) 203-4862

New York City Summer 2025 Travel Log: Day 2 — Green Papaya Salad, THEP Platter, Chicken Massaman Curry, and Khao Pad Sapparod at THEP Thai Restaurant

It has been a long time since either my mom or I had authentic Thai food, so when my brother gave us several suggestions for dinner, we ended up choosing THEP:

Green Papaya Salad: Shredded green papaya, tomatoes, string beans, and peanuts tossed in a Thai spicy lime dressing
THEP Platter: Crab rangoons, spring rolls, chive pancakes, fried chicken dumplings, and fried shrimp dumplings
Chicken Massaman Curry: Rich coconut Massaman curry with bone-in chicken, avocado, sweet potatoes, onions, peanuts, and fried shallots
Khao Pad Sapparod: Shrimp pineapple fried jasmine rice with egg, onions, scallions, tomatoes, carrots, curry powder, and roasted cashews 

Though I do wish we were able to get a table inside the restaurant (it's Saturday night and we didn't have a reservation so they only had one table left on their outdoor patio) because it was getting kinda cold and our table was slanted (a few utensils may have dropped to the floor), the food itself was incredible, especially the Massaman curry, which was rich, flavourful, and sweet, with huge pieces of juicy, tender chicken (apparently, bone-in chicken is the authentic way) and big chunks of sweet potato. I'd never had avocado in a curry before, but it lends a smooth earthiness and different textural component to it. The green papaya salad also makes for an amazing palate cleanser between all the rich, savoury dishes.

Our server was really nice and almost scarily efficient — as she was speeding by, she replaced our jug of water before we even realized it was empty, and sped by again with new cutlery literally 20 seconds after my mom dropped her spoon. Also, as far as I could see, everyone who works there is also Thai (or at least spoke Thai to each other), which is always a good sign for authenticity at a Thai restaurant. Definitely recommend if you're looking for an incredible Thai meal in NYC!

THEP Thai Restaurant

1439 2nd Ave.

New York, NY 10021

(212) 899-9995

New York City Summer 2025 Travel Log: Day 2 — A Ride on the Roosevelt Island Tramway

Aside from never having visited Central Park Zoo in the last 30+ times I've been to NYC, I also had never been to Roosevelt Island. My brother thought it'd be nice to spend the afternoon just roaming around and enjoying the nice weather with a bit of different scenery than the regular hustle and bustle of Manhattan, so he took us on a little trip to Roosevelt Island via the Roosevelt Island Tramway:

Queensboro Bridge
Roosevelt Island Tramway
Roosevelt Island Tramway
East River
Queensboro Bridge
View of Queensboro Bridge from Roosevelt Island
View of Queensboro Bridge and East River from Roosevelt Island

To be honest, there's not much to do on Roosevelt Island because it's mostly residential, but the weather was amazing — not too hot, sunny with a lovely breeze — and the views of Queensboro Bridge and the East River are spectacular, so we took a long stroll around, went down their main retail street, and stopped for some drinks at a cute little cafe called Cafe Aviva (where I had a most delicious iced matcha) before heading back on the tram to Manhattan. It does cost a single MTA fare to go on the tram one-way, but I thought it was worth $5.50 to visit an area of NYC that isn't crowded, dirty, or touristy.

And including our stroll through Central Park, we walked over 30,000 steps! Surely, that's enough exercise for the week.

Roosevelt Island Tramway

254 E 60th St.

New York, NY 10022

(212) 832-4555

Cafe Aviva

559 Main St.

New York, NY 10044

New York City Summer 2025 Travel Log: Day 2 — Guacamole con Totopos, Corn Esquites, and Tacos at Tacombi

After walking 10,000 steps through Central Park, it was time for lunch. So my brother suggested Tacombi, one of his go-to places for Mexican and is super kid- and stroller-friendly. (In fact, there was a 5-year-old's birthday party being held a few tables down from us.) They've designed the place to look like a Mexican street eatery with square fold out tables, metal chairs, concrete floors, and a big open kitchen, where everyone cooking is actually Mexican — always a good sign for authentic Mexican food.

Guacamole con Totopos
Corn Esquites
Beef Birria Taco
Sinaloa Shrimp Taco
Baja Crispy Fish Taco

This meal did not disappoint. It was everything I hoped it would be, but especially that birria taco, which is by far the best I've ever had. Like, I will dream of that taco for years to come. Frankly, my only regret is that I didn't order another one.

Tacombi

202 E 70th St.

New York, NY 10021

(646) 726-4302

New York City Summer 2025 Travel Log: Day 2 — A Stroll Through Central Park

We already visited Central Park Zoo, but it was such a nice day today — a perfect 23°C, sunny with a light breeze — that it would've been churlish not to take a walk through Central Park.

Central Park
Central Park Mall
Central Park Mall
Naumburg Bandshell
Bethesda Terrace Grand Staircase
Bethesda Terrace
Bethesda Fountain — Angel of the Waters Statue
Conservatory Water
Conservatory Water
Alice in Wonderland Sculpture by Jose de Creeft

This might just be the best free thing to do in NYC.

The Mall

Central Park

New York, NY 10022

(212) 310-6600

Naumburg Bandshell

Central Park

Terrace Dr. Near W 72nd St.

New York, NY 10019

(212) 501-7809

Bethesda Terrace and Fountain

Central Park

New York, NY 10024

(212) 310-6600

Conservatory Water

Central Park

E 72nd St.

New York, NY 10021

(917) 522-0054

Alice in Wonderland Sculpture

Central Park

E 74th St.

New York, NY 10021

(212) 310-6600

New York City Summer 2025 Travel Log: Day 2 — Exploring Central Park Zoo

Having a 21-month-old nephew who is fascinated by animals gave us a great reason to visit Central Park Zoo, which I had never been to before despite having been to NYC at least 30 times. So, we spent the morning exploring the flora and fauna:

Scarlet Macaw
Toco Toucan
Victoria Crowned Pigeon
Australian Ringneck
Plush-Crested Jay
Tricolored Heron
Banded Mongoose
Gila Monster
Bolivian Gray Titi Monkey
Black and White Ruffed Lemur
Japanese Macaque
Patagonian Mara
Emperor Goose
Mandarin Duck
Hydrangeas
Begonia Grandis
Canna Indica
Hydrangeas

As someone who doesn't particularly like spending time in nature, I hadn't felt the need to go to a zoo in over three decades and somehow forgot just how fascinating wild animals are. Kinda disappointed that we didn't get to see the leopards or bears or red pandas (toddlers get fussy REAL FAST and it was getting to nap time), but it does give me more reason to visit again. Of course, leave it to me to spend more time in nature in New York City of all places when I live in Canada…

Central Park Zoo

Central Park

830 5th Ave.

New York, NY 10021

(212) 436-6500