New York - I'll take my fried chicken smothered in gravy, with a waffle on the side please

I just got back from the most wonderful holiday. Over the Easter break, the Bidmead girls (myself, my mum and my sister) were drawn to the city the never sleeps for a weeks stay. We explored New York to our heart's content, visiting the many fascinating things the city has to offer, as well as catching up with my mum's childhood friend and her two daughters who live there. It goes without saying that eating an immense amount of delicious, incredible and exciting food formed a large part of our time spent in the big apple too!

Big Yellow taxi in the back, Pretzels to the left...I've landed in NY!

There is no way I could squeeze all the food NY has to offer into one post (let alone my jeans. Yes, I am returning from this holiday slightly larger than I arrived - but that, my friends, is the sign of a holiday well spent). So, here is the first of a few posts on my trip to the Big Apple.

For for our night eating out in the States, we thought we'd do it in traditional, southern-style. We hit up Miss Maude's Spoonbread Too in Harlem, which serves American soul food. Think fried chicken, mac 'n' cheese, cornbread, candied yams... it's hardly healthy, but then who on earth goes on holiday to eat healthy food?

The Sampler- fried chicken, ribs, mac and cheese, collard greens, candied yams, fried shrimp and tartar sauce. I apologise for the bad quality photos! I aim to improve them with a better camera in time.

I went for the Miss Maude's Sampler, described as "A smorgasbord of Southern delights, including shrimp, ribs, chicken and vegetables". It came with collard greens (basically cooked chard), candied yams and mac and cheese. I loved the sweet, cinnamon-y yams with the rich, dark meat, and really enjoyed being able to sample a little bit of each classic dish.

Chicken and Waffles...no I don't get it either. 

I was pleased when our friend Emma ordered the Chicken and Waffles as I'd always wanted to try this, but feared it might not be actually something I really liked. And it turns out I was right. Waffles? Yes. Fried chicken? Absabloodylutely. Put together? Not so much. Next time I'll stick to chicken for my main and waffles for my dessert.

In case these mammoth portions aren't filling you up...try a half price dessert on top of your smothered chicken!

Do you know what smothered chicken is? Perhaps you'd guess it's chicken covered in some kind of sauce. Well...make that sauce gravy, and try deep frying that chicken first. I didn't get any of this in my sampler platter, but my mum's friend Jess ordered a plate, meaning I got to try it. Think of all the flavor of fried chicken, with it's soft tender meat and addictively crispy skin, topped off with spoonfuls of salty, meaty gravy - quite the combination.

Note the scale of this slice of red velvet cake. About 2/3rds the size of my head.

You may be surprised (and impressed) to learn we even managed dessert. We shared a peach cobbler, which is some kind of mix between a pie and a crumble, and a slice of red velvet cake. Both were exceptionally good and I particularly liked the cobbler, with its sweet stewed fruit on the bottom and cakey-buttery crust on top. I always argue that even if you are full from your main, desert is a whole different compartment of the stomach waiting to be fed. It would appear my dinner companions agreed, as we managed to finish both the deserts!
This meal was a hit with everybody, and also very good value considering all the food we managed to consume. I could only imagine what other foodie delights were in store...this truly was only the beginning! Stay posted for some classic New York deli food, dim sum at Chinatown's oldest restaurant, food markets and Trinidadian food in Brooklyn, and a very non-traditional Passover dinner.