Modern Filipino fare at Jeepney and octopus salad at Ippudo in the East Village, NYC

Even though I was in New York City this June for the AFB 2014 Helen Keller Achievement Awards, I made sure I set aside time for some good eaten’ since NYC is such a gastronomical destination. Because MasterChef season 4 winner Luca Manfé’s cookbook, My Italian Kitchen had just published, I also made it a point to meet up with Luca to get my copy signed and for a little MC reunion.Luca set up an evening of cocktails and pizzas at Zio Ristorante, a bumpin' Italian restaurant from his friend, also named Luca. (Who would’ve thought?) There I met Christine Silverstein and Elizabeth Cauvel from MasterChef season 5 (which was currently airing at the time). That’s right, three generations of MasterChef contestants getting together to eat and drink. I was also ecstatic to meet up with some familiar faces from crew: Perry, Trask, and JP, who were like my guardians during my sequestered time away at MC3. (Perry and Trask even refer to themselves as my MC3 “mom and dad”—they’ve seen all of us contestants at our best and our worst.)We gathered around some highboys in Zio where, by the 7 o’clock hour, was already festive and alive. I was handed a refreshing tall cocktail and munched on some slices of Fior di latte pizza—much like a margherita with toppings of fresh mozzarella, tomato, and basil. Luca the owner was friendly and hospitable; no wonder he and MC4Luca are such good friends—both exude Italian charm and conviviality.We moved the party to Jeepney next, the sister gastropub to Maharlika, the Filipino restaurant that first introduced me to fish sauce micheladas. Jeepney is dark and humid with an edge of danger, much like how I’d imagine an underground bar in Manila to be. I was told nude photos of Asian models from the '70s adorned the walls. Our group crowded around a table near the back and pored over the menu. Meanwhile, the party next to us made their way out of the narrow restaurant, leaving behind remnants of unidentifiable carcass and a splattering of forgotten sticky rice atop banana leaf (see Jeepney’s Kamayan Night to see what this is all about).I was full and feeling the effects of the cocktails I’d had at Zio by now and, thus, not having much of an appetite, so I shared a plate of tacos with my cousin. Pretty tasty though not the best tacos I’ve had, but I can’t fault a Filipino gastropub for not being able to feed me the best street tacos ever.I’ve only eaten at Maharlika and Jeepney once each so take my words with a grain of balut salt, but I felt Maharlika was superior in terms of food though Jeepney’s vibe was hipper. Reminiscing fondly of my former fish sauce michelada from its sister restaurant, I asked the bartender to make me any cocktail with fish sauce. I’ve decided I love spice and coriander in my cocktails.We were bedraggled by intense food coma afterwards. Even though I had a better food experience at Maharlika, I would come here again, but only when I have a more pliable stomach.For lunch another day, I returned to Ippudo in East Village with a friend from grad school. We had the tako wasabi, an appetizer of raw baby octopus dressed in a sauce made from the spicy Japanese root (refreshingly tasty) and the lunch special curry ramen (of which, upon first slurp, I regretted its heaviness). Perhaps it was my ramen selection, but I may have to divert to another ramen joint next time I'm in NYC.Have you been to Zio, Jeepney, or Ippudo? Thoughts? What’s your favorite Filipino dish? I grew up eating this stuff at friends’ houses, but Jeepney was not your typical lumpia and pancit fare. Would love to try Kamayan Night next time.Coming up, I visit Little Italy in the Bronx where I have a slice of cheese pizza.