My Life In Meals: Bagels, pizza and comida cubana

Sorry, friends, for the brief hiatus. Without further ado, here are three lovely food items I've eaten in the past two days.

1. Spinach bagel with sundried tomato cream cheese from Murray's Bagels
Sometimes I forget why people are so obsessed with bagels. They're really just bread, after all. And then I bite into a real bagel, and I remember how comforting a good doughnut-shaped piece of bread can be.

I ordered the special of the week: a spinach bagel with sundried tomato cream cheese. It was not at all like you're picturing – some artificial green and red breakfast item that looks like it's Christmas themed. The bread itself tasted like a fresh plain bagel with real spinach leaves added in, while the cheese had a few actual large chunks of red tomato but, aside from that, was creamy and natural.

So. Much. Cream Cheese.

It was a Sunday around noon when I went to grab my bagel, and boy, was the place packed. I felt overwhelmed trying to make my decision and place my order in haste, but I'm glad I did. The thick layer of cream cheese spread in between an already hefty bagel made chewing an actual exercise. (I legitimately felt my jaws getting a work out, but truthfully, I didn't even mind.)

2. Pernil especial from Sophie's Cuban Cuisine
I took a bite out of some fried sweet plantains the other night, and they made me think of home. But they were from a Mexican restaurant and only decent at best. The taste, though, made me crave rice and beans. I wanted a real Cuban meal.

Every day on my way to work, I pass Sophie's Cuban and wonder to myself, is it any good? Is it authentic? Will the food taste like it does in Miami?

Look at dem plantainz.

While I can't say that my one sample (today's lunch) gave me enough experience to answer any of those questions, I can tell you that the Special Roasted Pork sandwich (a.k.a. el pernil especial) is worth a try. It's made to order, fresh and warm, right before your eyes. Not just roasted pork with onions, it's topped with sweet plantains (as good as I'd hoped for!) that make it deserving of being called especial. The Cuban bread is slathered with mayo, as it very well should be, but the especial also comes with the addition of Sophie's special green sauce – which I shall warn you is spicy and made with jalapeños, according to the Internets.

3. Artichoke pizza from Artichoke Basille's Pizza
Tonight I tried a $5 slice – so worth the Lincoln – of the pizzeria's signature artichoke pizza. It has a buttery crust, topped with a rich cream sauce that's essentially spinach and artichoke dip, plus large chunks of artichoke embedded into the Mozzarella. It's thick and large enough that one slice counts as a full meal, and I suggest cutting it straight down the middle so you will have two slices that you can hold in your hand and fit in your mouth.

I could eat this for dayz.

I discovered that Artichoke's actually sells its frozen signature pizza in markets around the city, so I might have to pick up a box and finally put my oven to good use.

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Note: I covered a lot of ground last week, and I've yet to thoroughly blog about it because I've been busy working, gallivanting about the city, eating to my stomach's content, and most importantly, sleeping and/or complaining about being exhausted and not getting enough sleep.

Until I get around to writing about the things that truly deserve to be written, I shall leave you with this image of a vegetable bouquet...

Yes, that rose is made out of a tomato.