Turkey is cool and everything. We're not anti turkey. We just think that sometimes turkey is a little ... bland. We don't think we're the only ones that feel this way.
Don't get us wrong. We'll eat it. We definitely relish all the delicious places to snag turkey in New York City, and we're all about getting creative when it comes to those turkey sandwiches.
By all means, if you're looking to eat Thanksgiving dinner out in the city, please eat turkey. That's the whole tradition.
However, we'll just go ahead and say it: there are plenty of foods in this city that get us way more amped than turkey. Like ... pizza. And ... cronuts.
Do you catch our drift? We live in one of the most vibrant culinary capitals of the planet, so forgive us if we're over the moon about sushi burritos and just sort of eh about turkey.
Read on to see which foods in NYC we're way more thankful for than turkey.
1. Pizza
pizza OK, OK. Some of you are unhappy about the 🍉🍕. Here's a 🔥📷 of #DiFara to make up for it. #DailyPizza #EEEEEATS 📷: @akuban
We're pizza-crazed in this city. We're pizza wild.
It's not just because the first pizzeria, Lombardi's, is in our city. Although, that might have something to do with it.
Really, though, it's because we've got Di Fara, Rubirosa, Joe's and Roberta's. We've got Artichoke Basille's for late-night drunken pizza and John's for when we want real, no-nonsense pizza.
Plus, don't even get us going on the convenience, fiscal responsibility, and tastiness of dollar slices. We will pop off about dollar slices if you let us.
In NYC, our main motto is pizza is bae. We shout it in our sleep. It's the one thing everyone in this giant, insanely populated city can agree on: pizza is bae. We'll say it until we're blue in the face. We are just way thankful for the pizza scene here.
2. Cheesecake
Have you had cheesecake from Junior's? We're going to have to guess that you haven't, or else you probably wouldn't be here talking to us. You'd probably be too busy eating cheesecake.
Junior's cheesecake is filled with rich cream cheese beneath a crunchy, graham cracker crust. If you haven't sunk your teeth into some, we'd highly recommend getting it in your belly stat.
Also, we'll give mad props to Eileen's, Two Little Red Hens, and S&S Cheesecake. There are plenty of cheesecake joints in this city with light, spongy crust atop a creamy, cheesy, rich slice of cheesecake.
If you asked whether we'd rather have some turkey or a slice of cheesecake, it'd depend on our mood. We're kidding. If you asked which one we'd choose, we'd pick cheesecake every time.
3. Sushi burritos
It used to be a West Coast thing and now, thanks to Uma Temakeria, it isn't.
How pumped were we when two of our all-time favorite foods collided into one delicious ball of seaweed, rice, and fish? We were so pumped.
So pumped in fact, that we ran to Uma Temakeria and shoved a terramkai roll (seaweed salad, daikon, carrot, avocado, lime, and sesame seeds) into our mouths as quickly as we could. Now, we eat one at least weekly.
The sushi burrito combines the convenience of eating a burrito with the tastiness of sushi. We're all about it. So all about it, that we're entirely thankful for it.
4. Cookie shots
xviviwangx The only kind of shots I take are cookie shots 🍪🍼 #cookieshots #dominiqueanselbakery #nyc
Okay, so the cronut and Dominique Ansel's holiday special, 100-layer Cinnamon Spun Roll both fall under the Dominique Ansel umbrella of dessert dominance.
We're thankful for them. We're so thankful for the frozen s'mores, the Mini Madelines, and the DKA (Dominique's Kouign Amann) which is a smaller version of the traditional Breton pastry. That's basically a caramelized croissant heaven.
Most of all, though? We're thankful for the cookie shots. We've got to say it. If you haven't had a cookie shot from the Dominique Ansel Bakery run; don't walk. Today.
It's got a crisp cookie exterior with a fluffy, moist interior, and it's filled with refreshing milk. It's the time-old tradition of dipping cookies in milk, combined with our adult reverence for throwing back shots. They're great. We're so thankful they exist.
,5. Chicken and waffles
santafebrew Whether it's breakfast, brunch, lunch, brinner, or dinner, Imperial Java Stout goes with them all! Thanks @bleugarten for featuring one of our favorite brews! Cheers to best friends: food trucks and beer! #craftbeer #chickenandwaffles #foodtrucks #NMBeer #drinkwhatyoulove #eatwhatyouwant #Repost. ・・・ Brinner and dinner at Bleu Garten! @chefraysstreeteats @phill_me_up_cheesesteaks @stella_reauxs_foodtruck @backdoorbbq @theescapeokc #gartening #patiolife #midtownokc
The combination of chicken and waffles is just so dynamite. It's such a stellar collision of sweet and savory.
While it's true that it's a southern classic, we've adopted the tradition in NYC with fervor. We've got plenty of places serving such on point chicken and waffles, we're considering calling up whoever's in charge of Thanksgiving (Obama?) and suggesting chicken and waffles be made the new cuisine.
From Amy Ruth's, with their juicy-on-the-inside and crispy-on-the-outside chicken and waffles, to Buttermilk Channel who's all set on the sweet and salty combination going on here, we've got to say we're entirely grateful for whoever decided chicken and waffles was something we needed in NYC.
We're also grateful for whoever brought this combination to NYC, and brought it with a vengeance.
6. Pork buns
Basically, we're more thankful for Momofuku Noodle Bar than most anything, but especially here, for turkey.
The pork buns at Momofuku Noodle Bar live up to their reputation of decadence. The pork belly is cooked to perfection, and will fall apart in your mouth as soon as you bite into it.
Their rich, braised pork taste comes from cooking it low and slow. Here's a pro tip: they've taken them off the menu, but they'll still serve them. Just ask.
We're also pretty Thanksgiving-grateful for the pork buns from BaoHuns, Jum Mum, and Ippudo, too. We are more than thankful to live in a city where such a delicious cuisine item exists.
7. Halal Guys
If you haven't been drunk and frantically spooning oversized bites of chicken and rice from the Halal Guys into your mouth, you're not a real New Yorker yet.
There's just something so incalculably satisfying about the combination of the chicken, its succulent sauce, and the gooey rice to soak it all up.
Chicken and rice from the Halal Guys is the best drunk food in the whole of the city, and instantly upgrades any night on the town from mediocre to delicious.
So, we're thankful for the troves of Halal Guys stationed at food carts all throughout the city, scattered in front of our apartment and jobs and bars. We're thankful they work long hours and that they're always there when we need them at 4 a.m.
Check out 7 Best Restaurants Near Holiday Tourist Traps in NYC.
[Feature Image Courtesy Instagram]