Lunch Break: Scandinavian, Haitian, And Healthy Pizza
Today's Lunch Break covers the world 'round: Vandaag for Scandinavian goodies, Kombit for Haitian/Caribbean delights, or Revd Up Pi for the newest in healthy pizza. By Yvo Sin.
Vandaag
103 2nd Avenue
New York, NY 10003
(212) 253-0470
vandaagnyc.com
A lunch menu that includes a seasonal pickle pot, smoked pickled sausage (pictured), and pickled oyster can only mean one thing: Scandinavian food, rich in the pickling tradition! The focus here is on Denmark and Holland, where you will find such delights as open faced sandwiches filled with mushroom and hazelnut terrine, gravlax, grilled bacon, duck confit, or pork rib, each accompanied by their own specially-picked complementary items. Try the bitterballen: slow braised oxtail croquettes with mustard relish, sure to make you go 'hmmm'.
Kombit
279 Flatbush Avenue
Brooklyn, NY
(718) 399-2000
kombitrestaurant.com
Haitian food is hard to find in NYC, but here at Kombit you'll find it pretty fairly represented - mixed in with Caribbean food. Fritai lakai - a sampler platter of appetizers - includes akra (black eyed pea fritters), sweet white potatoes, and griot (fried pork). You'd do well to order the lambi, savory slices of stewed conch, which comes swimming in a fragrant red, tomato-based broth. Save room for dessert; pain patat, or sweet potato bread pudding, is one of the best you'll ever try.
Revd Up Pi
451 3rd Avenue
New York, NY 10016
(212) 679-3743
revduppi.com
Slices of pizza that clock in at 170 calories each? Yes, please! Swimsuit season is fast approaching, and most people are eyeing the scale, wondering where that extra 5 pounds came from. Indulge in one of your favorite foods without the extra calories, and stay on track for a banner summer: Rev'd Up Pi claims to have pizza that's both low calorie and tasty - slices range from 100 calories (vim & vigor - a vegetarian pizza) to 290 calories (free range Buffalo chicken - pizza topped with a lightly spicy Buffalo dressing). Feel free to eat your way through the menu, because nothing is that calorically heavy to make you think twice.
For the latest on where to eat in the Tri-State, follow us on Twitter!
Yvo Sin is the founder and head writer of The Feisty Foodie.