My phone, the gastronome 10

Here is a collection of #foodporn that has been gathering hypothetical dust on my iPhone since the summer. Enjoy!

Uncle Ted’s in the West Village: These roast pork buns were had for dinner with Rene back when I was still working in that neighborhood. Uncle Ted’s is a relatively new addition to the ‘hood, and it has a chic, albeit harshly lit, interior with a modern white and gray decor.

We love dim sum and anything consisting of pork-filled dough, but these buns were disappointing - all dough and a negligible amount of pork. Ah, nothing compares to Nom Wah.

Next came the braised duck dumplings: sweet shredded duck in thin, bland dumpling skins served in a light broth. Slightly un-traditional but a successful take on dim sum.

Finally, we shared this huge plate of beef and broccoli. This was pretty standard and nothing to write home about, and as you can see from the excessive sheen, pretty oily.

Farmer Jon’s Oatmeal Stout, for happy hour with my sister at Heartland Brewery. Heartland brews their beers locally and serves them at their several Manhattan locations. The list of their craft ales and lagers is a lengthy one but the Oatmeal Stout is, in my opinion, the best. It has a rich espresso and dark chocolate flavor with a smooth, restrained acidic finish. A must-try for dark brew lovers!

Apple pie, fait maison by yours truly for Thanksgiving, using my tried-and-true pastry recipe.

Hot chocolate, also by me, in a brand new Bodum mug (gifted to me by my amazing girlfriends). Recipe: Stir 1 tsp cocoa powder, 1 tbsp chopped dark chocolate, 1 tsp instant coffee and 1 tsp sugar into 8 oz of hot milk. Stir to combine and simmer until chocolate is melted, about 2 min.

Blueberry and raspberry Linzer bars to help ring in 2014 - a perfectly portioned, not-too-sweet dessert.

A comforting bowl of shoyu ramen at Ramen Yebisu in Williamsburg, during a particularly cold and rainy Sunday afternoon. I consider Momofuku Noodle Bar the gold standard of ramen but this place gave it a run for its money. The egg noodles were pleasantly chewy and the savory broth was accented by the nuttiness of sesame oil.

Pork Slope is a “roadhouse-style” bar in Brooklyn - ran by Top Chef Dale Talde - that serves classic American bar food. You’d think since it’s backed by Talde’s name the food would be a notch higher than standard bar fare, and I’ve been excited to try it for a while now, but unfortunately, it fell flat. I ordered the brisket sandwich with a side of mac & cheese. The beef had good texture but it was hard to actually taste it since the sandwich was completely drowned in a smoky barbecue sauce. The Texas toast that the sandwich was served on absorbed the sauce as well and the whole thing just turned into a soggy barbecue sauce mess.

Rene ordered their signature Porky Melt, which is a house-made pork sausage patty with cheddar, sauteed onions and mustard on marble rye bread (not pictured). This was definitely a unique and indulgent offering and I liked it way better than the brisket. However, the pork was so greasy that we both literally had grease dripping down the backs of our hands. The flavors were great overall, but that oil has got to go.