The beginning

So, I moved to New York yesterday. The flight there had moments of misery considering that I was sick, had to make two stops on the way and cannot, for the life of me, sleep on a plane. When I arrived at LaGuardia airport I had been up for 26 hours and felt more than a little bit funky. But when I saw the famous skyline just beyond the airport, I knew I had arrived. This was the beginning of a new adventure...

Now, the reason I came to New York was to find work. I'm a journalism guy from University of Oregon, so what better place to go than New York? That and my focus is in design (specifically magazine) and this is really one of the best places for it. I've also wanted to come to New York pretty much since I saw Ghostbusters for the first time.

But I'm also a big food guy, and what better place for restaurants than New York? A city this big has to have some amazing food, and I'm out to find it. Sure, it'll have to be cheap for a while, but that doesn't mean that it won't be good. In fact, I've already tried out a few places. Here's what I've found (with abbreviated reviews):

Boyd Thai - This was the first place I went. I got their spicy noodles, extra spicy and it was pretty darn good. It had a nice amount of veggies (baby corn, zucchini, bell peppers, onions, green onions, carrots) in addition to the chilis, mint and wide rice noodles. But the stars of the night were actually in the appetizers. First, they served some of those fried shrimp crackers with a hot sauce that was very nice (think an Asian version of chips and salsa). And the spring rolls, while good (but sort of ordinary) didn't compare to the little lettuce and carrot salad served on the side with a spicy, creamy dressing. I could eat that stuff all day. Overall, I'm going to this place again. Kudos to Chris for bringing me to this one.

Mamoun's - This was my first falafel place, and it was just what I needed. I got a falafel sandwich with hotsauce, lettuce, tomato and whatever that sauce is they usually put in. Even though I had a cold, this thing was packed with flavor and filled me up but didn't make me stuffed. It was just perfect. And it was only $2.50. I think I'll be having more of this while I'm in The East Village.

Two Boots - My first New York stlye pizza in the city. This place had the advantage of having several different pies available by the slice with great combinations of ingredients and great names. (The Dude, Mr. Pink, Bayou Beast, etc.) The name (as indicated on the front doors) came from the restaurant's cross influence of Lousiana cajun and Italian food. With that description, I thought that it would be spicier. As it was, there was good flavor, but it did lack the spice. But there were so many varieties of pizza there I'm going to check it again. And I'll probably get some hot sauce for my pizza, too.

So that's it so far. There is bound to be a lot more reviews (and perhaps pictures) in the future, as well as updates on what the heck I'm up to out here. Stay tuned!