Always happens, that's Manhattan!

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I (finally) turned 21 this past week.

Rather than doing the traditional college “bar/pub crawl,” I wanted to do something that suited my tastes a bit more… taste buds, that is. So I opted for a four day long “restaurant crawl” in my favorite place in the world: Manhattan!

The ability of easily obtaining the best of any type of cuisine is one of the reasons why I am endlessly fascinated with this microcosm of a city.

The highly competitive Manhattan restaurant scene varies depending on which neighborhood you are in. However, there is one common denominator with every restaurant: QUALITY.

I am not saying that every restaurant in New York City is without fault. It’s just that city natives will not put up with anything but the best. Which is why every restaurant finds a way to stand out to the (extremely large) crowd.

There are two places in particular I would like to point out. Not restaurants, but rather, little shops I stumbled upon during my concrete jungle adventures.

Pomme Frittes: This East Village eatery sells only one thing: French fries. Oh, and over 40 dipping sauces. Not only was this my favorite place in the city, it could very well be my favorite place in the world. They cook everything to order, so you’re guaranteed to nearly burn your mouth on the freshness of their product. With everything from traditional cheddar cheese sauce to a pomegranate teriyaki mayo, this is THE PLACE for anyone who is as obsessed with French fries as I am.

Doughnut Plant: Located in the industrial Lower East Side, I learned of this place from Bobby Flay’s Throwdown show on the Food Network. Any local foodie will also tell you that this is indisputably the best place to go for doughnuts in the city. I tried the crème brule doughnut which had a vanilla bean custard filling with caramelized sugar on top while my friend had the carrot cake with cream cheese icing and bits of shredded carrot dispersed randomly inside the round doughnut.

I have no recipe to share this week; however, I do have a suggestion: GO OUT TO EAT! Not every night, of course. But picking the most hectic night of the week and saying the hell with cooking is unbelievably satisfying.

I encourage every one of you to patronize local restaurants rather than chains. It is in these mom-and-pop joints that you find the best food cooked with a special ingredient: love.

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