Officially moved to the Upper West Side a week ago. Roast beef, pastrami and sweet red peppers on rye. My new favorite.

A few weekends ago (July fourth, to be exact), I woke up at 7 a.m. and decided I wanted to go to Stacks for breakfast. Most memorable as of late for my belgian-waffle-with-ice-cream-and-bacon breakfast at an equally ridiculous hour, Stacks is perhaps most valuable for its unwavering willingness to make you anything you want, anytime. 

On the menu are an array of pancake wraps, quaintly named after Hoboken streets, with fillings like scrambled eggs, home fries, bacon and salsa (the Hudson) or egg whites, grilled turkey, swiss and tomato (the Observer). There’s also a list of double-decker deli sandwiches, available all day long. I never order off the menu. But, uncharacteristically, I decided that what I really, really wanted was a tuna melt, wrapped in a pancake, with melted cheddar. So that’s what I ordered. I asked for “a side salad” instead of the fries.

What I got was a giant, twelve-inch pancake, filled with tuna salad and unmelted American cheese, with butter, syrup and a few leaves of iceberg lettuce on the side. I was hardly about to be the girl who sent back a pancake tuna wrap, so with a few quick adjustments, I tailored the meal of my dreams.

I did away with the cheese, syrup, and butter, sliced up the lettuce with my butter knife, and added some of my boyfriend’s fries (as usual, he got the egg white veggie omelette). Please believe me when I tell you this was one of the most spot-hitting and memorable meals I’ve had in recent months.

To make up for several weeks of twelve-hour workdays (which, for the record, I’ve been thoroughly enjoying) I planned a superdate for Friday after work. This mostly consisted of me going to Brooklyn, which I never do. Our first stop was Mile End, where I had a chart-topping St. Ambroise Apricot Wheat beer. The pickle platter was excellent: the new pickles are subtle and delicate and peppery, but the pickled fennel is a clear standout. I don’t even like poutine very much, but this one, with mushroom gravy, I couldn’t stop eating. The reason you go to Mile End, though, is for seven ounces of cured & smoked beef brisket on rye with incredible mustard. 

My boyfriend’s developed a minor addiction to Subway’s new avocado spread. I’m dubious…how do they keep it so green?

the californian: medium-well burger with spinach, onion, tomato, and guac (the saddest incarnation of man food ever.)

turkey club with bacon, lettuce, tomato, and mayo on white toast.

half an hour later at a different restaurant: onion rings

not pictured: coffee & a bloody mary with copious blue cheese olives.