2013.
I’ve traveled to the East Coast on various occasions – each one filled with a lot of fun and food – but in 2013 I experienced one of my most memorable trips. Accompanied by my 3 roommates I traveled from Flagstaff, AZ to Boston, MA and over the course of 5 days we did Boston, NYC, Saratoga, New Haven, and Martha’s Vineyard. It was an exhausting whirlwind and so worth it.
*In 2013 I was still a full blown omnivore and although I was aware of my allergy to wheat I was still willing to suffer for good food.*

Boston, MA
Boston is one of those places that every time I visit I can 100% see myself living there. The food scene alone is enough to make me want to become a Bostonian and not to mention when you live in the cluster that is the New England area you’re never far from anywhere else (NYC, Vermont, Maryland.. even Canada).
Mike’s Pastry – Home of the Cannoli. If you’re walking around Boston it’s not difficult to figure out that Mike’s Pastry is the place to visit – locals and tourists alike are carrying their signature white and blue pastry boxes all over the city. Inside it’s exactly what you would imagine for a popular New England bakery – loud and fast. There are multiple lines, numbers, and you can tell that the employees are no-bullshit (with a smile). You better know what you want before you get to the counter because you do not want to be the person holding up that well-oiled machine. Home of the Cannoli indeed.
Regina Pizzeria. That’s one thing about good East Coast eateries – lines lines lines. Every place is well worth it though – why else would people line up around the street? There are now many locations all over the city, but the original Regina Pizzeria (since 1926) is in Boston’s North End on Thacher St. — Once inside it really just feels like any other local sports bar with pitchers of beer and crankin’ out the pizzas. One good indicator of the amount of tables this place goes through is the fact that they use paper plates – no time for washing dishes. For delicious, local, brick-oven pizza – Regina Pizzeria is the place.
Chinatown – Boston, MA. I don’t know about everyone else – but when I’m traveling and there is a Chinatown located in one of the cities I like to venture that direction because I know I’ll find some good eats. Boston was no different. Boston Chinatown is one of the largest and well known in the U.S. — it has a great location in the heart of the city, so it’s easy to get to and easy to get to where you’re going next. Restaurants, bakeries and shops line the colorful streets.
James Hook & Co. You can’t visit Boston without enjoying a Lobster Roll. I’ve sampled Lobster Rolls on the East and West coast.. and sorry, home – but they’ve definitely got us beat. There’s just nothing like the traditional New England ‘lobstah’ roll. Located on the water’s edge it feels right walking into James Hook & Co’s tiny building and sampling fresh seafood. Do yourself a favor and order the classic lobster roll and you won’t be disappointed with the mountains of lobster meat between 2 buttery sides of toasted bun.
Connecticut
There’s quite a lot to see and do in Connecticut, but I’ll focus on New Haven (home of Yale University) and Norwalk. As a side note, I’d like to point out that Yale is the closest thing to Hogwarts I’ve ever experienced (besides The Wizarding World of Harry Potter of course).
Memo’s Colombian Restaurant & Bakery in Norwalk, CT is an experience to say the least. It’s an incredibly unassuming establishment that had I not been accompanied by a Colombian from Connecticut I’d never have even known it was there. Having never eaten Colombian food before and with no idea what to expect we decided on the follwing — order one of almost everything on the menu and multiple bakery items. I mean… I had 3 strapping young men with me to assist in consuming these heaps of food. Try as we might we couldn’t finish everything, but it was delicious, heavy, meat-forward food that made you want to nap for the entire rest of the day. Just plain good ol’, home-cooked food.
Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana – New Haven, CT. We walked all over New Haven exploring the campus of Yale University, a local farmer’s market, and then through some shady neighborhood streets and across train tracks to get to Frank Pepe Pizzeria. A little history is necessary with this classic Napoletana style pizza joint. New Haven, CT is considered one of the best pizza cities in the nation – but often overlooked due to it’s small town status. Frank Pepe’s was started in the early 1900’s by one of the many immigrant families from Napoli, Italy and immediately established itself as the number one pizza place in the area. A bit unique in it’s style their pizza is coal fired, thin crust, and popular toppings include white sauce, clams, tangy tomato sauces and sometimes cheese. There is a notorious rivalry between Frank Pepe and Sally’s Apizza – so don’t hesitate to check them both out and make your own decision.
Lines. Lines. Lines.
New York, New York.
I am always down to visit New York City. It’s everything you would ever imagine based on the countless TV shows, movies, and stories you hear about the city that never sleeps. You could live there your entire life and never experience all of the culinary wonders awaiting around every corner – but every time I visit I’m drawn to two places time and again – Chinatown and Little Italy. There are Michelin star restaurants, hole in the wall pizza joints, and delicious delis lining every street of this grand city, but my heart (and stomach) wants what it wants.
Chinatown – NYC.
One word: Noodles. If you like dumplings, whole cooked ducks on display in the window, and lemon chicken (yes lemon.. not f***ing orange) – then Chinatown NYC is for you. I myself search out dem noodles. It’s difficult to go wrong in choosing a place to eat – I’m sure they’re all amazing. I was on the search for my favorite NYC Chinatown place – ‘Happy Lucky’ but on the way we ran into a women on the street that said – “Do you like noodles? This place has the best noodles.” How did she know!? So I said “Sorry, guys, I know I was raving about Happy Lucky but we’re going here instead”.
Best. Decision. Ever.
Little Italy – NYC. Little Italy and Chinatown are located conveniently adjacent to each other in NYC making it very easy to have two full meals one right after the other — because obviously. Go anywhere in Little Italy for a good slice of pizza, amazing pasta, and delicious cannoli. I’m not even joking – there are old Italian men, dressed to the nines, sitting on chairs outside of their restaurants, and grandmas yelling in Italian at each other out of apartment windows across the busy streets below… it’s surreal.
Many more adventures than this were had by me and my compatriots throughout this New England trip, but I hope you enjoyed hearing about some of the best food I’ve ever had.
And cheers to the best housemates I’ve ever had also.

Mike’s Pastry – 300 Hanover St, Boston, MA 02113
Regina Pizzeria– 11 1/2 Thacher St, Boston, MA 02113
James Hook & Co– 15-17 Northern Ave, Boston, MA 02110
Memo’s Restaurant and Bakery – 60 S Main St, Norwalk, CT 06854
Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana – 157 Wooster St, New Haven, CT 06511
I Think I'm Quite Ready For Another Adventure. 