Whenever it's this warm out (one million degrees) I tend to gravitate to spicier foods to try and balance myself out. I don't know if it actually works or if it's just because that's something my family has always done but in my head it totally makes sense.
Anyway! Earlier this afternoon I came across Juniper- a place I must've walked by at least 20 times without a second glance, and decided to try it. The food here is so incredible that I actually feel stupid for never giving it a shot. I picked the Jambalaya from their specials menu and the chef, who was hanging out watching the Yankees game <3, warned me that it "had some kick" so I added a bottle of Virgil's Cream Soda to my tab. Being that I've never had Jambalaya before I was definitely not prepared for how spicy it was but it tasted so good I nearly scarfed up the entire plate in 30 minutes anyhow. As with most traditional Jambalaya (thank you Google) my lunch had chicken, Andouille sausage, baby shrimp and fresh mussels- which were by far my favorite part.
Now, if you've been in NY long enough to see even one summer you know everyone goes crazy and everyone gets irritable- myself included- and recently I've been getting really annoyed with the fact that EVERY restaurant in this neighborhood is constantly packed. So, since the last thing I want to do is rub elbows with a sweaty stranger at 3pm I was glad to find Juniper sitting patiently on Berry and N7th just waiting for me to nix my blinders.
I definitely suggest you do the same...and maybe try the Truffle Burger when you go because the guy at the bar could not shut up about it.
<3 Ash
!!!! Before I go here's a little treat. It got stuck in my head the second I saw the word Juniper. Don't ask and you're welcome :)
