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Simone Says: “Two” Good Not to Eat!

Writer's picture: Simone SteinbergSimone Steinberg

If you’re reading this, it must mean you’re 1) my mom or dad, 2) you’re hungry, or 3) you clicked on this post because I sent it to you or I posted it online for you to see. No matter the reason, welcome! If you’ve been here before, you know that this is not just any ordinary food blog, but it’s my travel journal as well. If you’re new to Simonesaysfood, be ready to hear about my travels, whether it is to a cafe down the street, or to some faraway city. This post is particularly significant, however, because today marks the two year anniversary of Simonesaysfood! I initially made this blog to record my meals, but I have grown to really enjoy writing about my adventures and publishing my work. I was just ending my first year in high school when I started this blog, and I’d like to think that I’ve come a long way; from my first post, to many trips with family and friends, and to my first time publishing this blog on Facebook (and going from getting 10 views to 300 views!!), it has been a great experience. Though it has only been two years with Simonesaysfood, this is only the beginning.

Anyway, food! Here’s some of my most recent meals.


This first meal was at Row House in Harlem, New York. We went on Easter, so the restaurant was packed with Church-goers and happy families. My parents and I were accompanied by our family friends, which included three other couples and their kids as well. Our packed table added the necessary excitement to have a wonderful lunch on the beautiful day. Between mimosas and bloody marys, we finally got our meals: some people had truffle grilled cheese (which looked UNREAL) and I got the Market Salad with grilled shrimp. Here’s a snapshot:

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Complemented by a mimosa, the market salad had toasted almonds, pear slices and other seasonings laying on a bed of spinach, and I chose the grilled shrimp over the grilled chicken. (Notice the truffle grilled cheese in the back!)

A few days later, my friend and I went to Akai Lounge in Englewood, New Jersey. This hip Japanese restaurant serves only the best meals, and is a local favorite. Because I don’t go there regularly, my friend knew exactly what to order for us to share. To start, we had the spicy tuna pizza, which is spicy tuna on top of crispy rice. For the entree, we shared two rolls: the December roll (spicy tuna and “crunch” topped with salmon and avocado) and the Pain in the Ass roll (spicy tuna and lobster salad topped with shrimp tempura, red tobiko and eel sauce). Here are pictures:

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The spicy tuna pizza came with spicy mayo and a great teriyaki sauce. I was pleasantly surprised with how good this was.

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The front roll is the December roll and the back roll is the Pain in the Ass roll (notice the shrimp tempura on the top!!!!).

A few weeks ago, I went to Washington D.C. with my parents to tour colleges. Though we’re not new to the area because my sister went to college in Georgetown, I still find myself eating at new places! But, to continue with tradition, we headed straight for our favorite dinner place: Filomena Ristorante. This old-school Italian restaurant serves their pasta by the pound, so it’s inevitable that you leave the place with a food-baby. Mom got a light pasta dish, but my dad and I shared these two enormous plates of ravioli stuffed with brisket (game changing, I know!) and rigatoni with fresh tomato sauce. Though I don’t have a picture of the brisket ravioli (to be honest, the lighting in the restaurant was terrible) the description is as follows (copied from the website):

Tortelloni Di Michele: Brisket of Beef Braised slowly for many hours with Wine and Vegetables in an overstuffed Pinched Ravioli with a light sauce of Pine Nuts, Sage, Crimini Mushrooms, Brown Butter, Veal Stock and a touch of Cream.

Sounds amazing… I know.


The other pasta dish was rigatoni with a lighter red sauce, so it complemented the ravioli nicely. Here’s a snap:

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Mozzarella cheese and the grilled chicken mixed together well with the super fresh (homemade!) pasta.

Though we were stuffed, we couldn’t leave Filomena’s without a slice of their homemade cheesecake. Here’s a photo:

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Topped with fresh fruit, the cheesecake was a great end to the meal.

The next morning, we decided to keep it light and have breakfast in the hotel. At Cafe Deluxe, I had a bowl of fresh oatmeal with syrup and berries on top, and with eggs on the side. (Did I say this was going to be a light breakfast? Oops.)

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Tell me this doesn’t look amazing… I know… this looks amazing.

Some other food highlights from the past few weeks are as follows:After studying endlessly (okay, that’s an exaggeration) for my AP exam and then actually sitting in the classroom to take the test, I treated myself to a (rather expensive) acai bowl from Healthway Natural Foods in Tenafly, New Jersey. With granola, honey and blueberries that were mixed in, it was the best post-exam snack I have ever had. Here’s a (quite beautiful) photo:

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My favorite breakfast that I can make at home is what I call the Breakfast for Champions: two whole-grain eggo waffled toasted to perfection, smothered in almond butter and topped with banana slices and cinnamon. It honestly sounds like a lot of food (hence the name), but I usually use a small banana and I watch the amount of almond butter I use.

Since we’re on the subject of breakfast, here are two other breakfasts I’ve indulged in this past weekend. My friend’s dad made us incredible waffle french toast…

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The waffle french toast was made with challah, and instead of using a frying pan, it was cooked in a waffle maker instead! Genius!

Also, at the Tenafly Classic Diner, my dad got these unbelievable quinoa pancakes. Topped with slivered almonds and banana slices, these pancakes tasted good and I considered them to be “healthy” as they were made with quinoa.

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Notice the syrup being poured all over. #actionshot. Incredible.

The rest of my #eeeats are still getting attention too! On the top left was a corn beef sandwich from the Tenafly Kosher Deli (classic Jew food). On the top right was this Yasso Greek Yogurt bar I had after I ran a 5k on Mother’s day (the ice cream was salted caramel flavored!). On the bottom left was a smoothie I made that had half of an avocado, strawberries, bananas and lemon juice; it was amazing. In the middle bottom photo, my friend and I had cute sugar cookies on Memorial Day, and in the bottom right photo, I enjoyed a tomato/mozzarella/basil/balsamic vinegar wrap from Chez Cheese in Tenafly.




That sure is a lot to ~digest~! Like I always say, I hope you enjoyed reading this post as much as I’ve enjoyed eating the food! If you want to be featured on this blog, take me out to eat 🙂 Just kidding… but actually, if you can, try to visit some of the places I’ve been raving about!

Thanks for two amazing years of support for Simonesaysfood! Here’s to another two years and beyond! Cheers! (Pictured below: last weekend at my brother’s college graduation… we made a toast to him!)



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