Wooly's Ice is nice

Wooly's Ice 
79 Elizabeth Street
New York, NY 10013

Wooly’s Ice is a yummy collaboration between three cousins, established the summer of 2011. I’ve only managed to catch them twice since they opened. So when I finally bumped into Wooly’s Ice stand again at South Street Seaport, it was an unexpected yet delightful surprise because I’ve been craving Wooly's for months.

Meet one of Wooly's Co-Founder/Co-Owner, David Sat

This Hawaiian and Taiwanese inspired shaved ice is a healthier alternative to Pinkberry and Red Mango treats. The flavored ice comes in different flavors, such as mango, strawberry, green tea, or my favorite - condensed milk! The big block of flavored ice is shaved paper thin with a frozen cotton candy texture that’s fluffy and delicious. It’s like eating fresh powdered snow soaked up in sweet delectable flavors, laced with condensed milk, and topped with amazingly fresh fruits. 

Berry delicious shaved ice is so refreshingly good

Mango madness with fresh mango and blueberry

Original condensed milk flavored shaved ice topped with fresh strawberry, kiwi, and a drizzle of condensed milk. So heavenly good!

Wooly’s is a great way to cool off during the summer heat, and to satiate your sweet tooth. They even won The Vendy Award for best dessert, so you know this place is legit. So capture this wonderful blizzard in your mouth and follow them here!

Mickey's rating: 9.5/10 
Price range: $$

Reel engagement

This is how he did it. :)

Reading the reel, Thompson starts off by listing all the places he tried to kiss me. Then, at the end he says, “But it’s my birthday, so here’s my wish... Will you marry me?!”

Thompson's story: “I’m turning 30 this year and I’ve always wanted to hike up Half Dome in Yosemite National Park. Mickey was sweet enough to plan a trip for us and 4 other friends to camp and hike in the park for Memorial Day weekend. Half dome is about 8800 feet elevation so I wanted to use the Image3D viewer to replicate the touristy viewfinder experience you would get on the top of the Empire State Building. The hike was strenuous and took almost 7 hours to get to the top. When we got to the top she was already overwhelmed with emotions. We sat off to the side to enjoy the view and I presented her with the Image3D viewer as a reciprocal early birthday gift. She started laughing with every slide, completely unsuspecting of what was coming at the end. I counted each click.. 6 clicks in total before I bent down on one knee and asked her to marry me. She paused and asked “what are you doing?!” It took her a few seconds before she was able to process what was happening and realize that I was proposing. We cried a little together, laughed a little and she said yes.”

After asking many many times “what are you doing?!”... of course I said "YES!". Climbing Yosemite Half Dome was probably the scariest and most dangerous thing I've ever experienced and it took 14.5 hours to complete... but it also became the most amazing and memorable day ever! Thank you TBW for being there with us.

Our story is featured here.

It's not Bánh Mì, it's Num Pang

Num Pang 
21 E 12th Street 
New York, NY 10003 
www.numpangnyc.com

“Num pang” means “bread” or “sandwich” in Khmer, very similar to “bánh mì” which also means “bread” in Vietnamese. The difference between the two sandwiches? The spices used in the ingredients - but they are indeed very similar. Num Pang is an itsy-bitsy Cambodian sandwich shop in Greenwich Village. They have a variety of interesting and unique concoction of sandwiches made with coconut tiger shrimp, hoisin veal meatballs, peppercorn catfish, grilled skirt steak, roasted cauliflower, or their signature pulled duroc pork.

Five spiced glazed pork belly with pickled Asian pear

I opted for the five spice glazed pork belly with pickled Asian pear, served on a perfectly toasted and soft French mini-baguette with pickled carrots, fresh cilantro, sliced cucumbers, and creamy homemade chili-mayo. The sandwich was complete perfection, with juicy and tendered pork belly. The pickled Asian pear was an interesting twist that added depth to the tasty flavors. It was delicious, but I will need two of these bad boys to fill me up, cause the sandwiches are rather small and kind of pricey. I would still go back to try all the other sandwiches though. It's too yummy! Thanks Jason for the recommendation!

Mickey’s rating: 8.5/10 
Price range: $$
Cash only

Stressed spelled backwards is desserts

Dessert Club, ChikaLicious 
204 E 10th Street
New York, NY 10003 
www.dessertclubchikalicious.com

If you’re a sugarholic like me, your sweet tooth is going to totally appreciate this heavenly place called Chikalicious. I’ve been here several times, and I’m always amazed at how this tiny and cute dessert bar can have an endless amount of desserts to choose from… from cupcakes, to ice cream, cookies, pudding, and macarons. 

Vanilla bean cupcake

Triple chocolate cupcake

Delicious!

S'mores cupcake

Mini banana Boston creme cupcake

Warm chocolate chip cookie

"Lin" spectacular sundae (Jeremy Lin inspired sundae) - maple pecan over banana bread pudding

Apple crisp a la mode

Éclair ice cream cone

The delectable cupcakes here aren't overwhelmingly sweet, and the frosting is light and airy, which I love. Most of the sweets that I’ve tried are unique and yummy, but part of the magic comes from warming it up in the microwave for a few seconds. I certainly recommend this place for a quick casual and delicious after-dinner treat. Enjoy the sugar rush!

Mickey's rating: 8/10
Price range: $$

Ain't nothing but a chicken wing

Andy Ricker's deep-fried chicken wings dressed in fish sauce have been voted best wings in 2012 by NY Mag, and won the James Beard Award for his Thai cooking at his restaurant, Pok Pok. I finally had my first Pok Pok wings in Portland, Oregon a few months ago, and it was one of the tastiest chicken wings I’ve ever had. It was so good, that the following week I tried the newly opened Pok Pok location in LES, New York. The verdict? Portland location definitely tasted better.

But don’t flip, potato chip! It's ok that you don't have the time to fly to Portland and try these famous wings. Thanks to the internet and google, you could make your very own Pok Pok wings at home. These chicken wings are simple to make, and only requires a few ingredients that you might already have inside your kitchen. It's so good, you're going to want to make these tasty sweet & savory sticky wings for your next Super Bowl party. Enjoy!

Pok Pok Wings 

Recipe from Food & Wine 
Makes 5-6 servings 
PRINT RECIPE 

Ingredients: 
1/2 cup Asian fish sauce
1/2 cup sugar 
4 garlic cloves, 2 crushed and 2 minced 
3 pounds whole chicken wings 
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more for frying 
1 cup cornstarch 
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro 
1 diced shallot 

Directions:  
In a bowl, whisk the fish sauce, sugar and crushed garlic. Add the wings and toss to coat. Refrigerate for 3 hours, tossing the wings occasionally. 

Heat the 2 tablespoons of oil in a small skillet. Add the minced garlic; cook over moderate heat until golden, 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels. 

In a large pot, heat 2 inches of oil to 350°. Pat the wings dry on paper towels; reserve the marinade. Put the cornstarch in a shallow bowl, add the wings and turn to coat. Fry the wings in batches until golden and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Drain on paper towels and transfer to a bowl. 

In a small saucepan, simmer the marinade over moderately high heat until syrupy, 5 minutes. Strain over the wings and toss. Top with the cilantro, shallots, fried garlic and serve.