'An Actress Eats' Blogger Sarah Schenkkan's Guide To NYC

Sarah Schenkkan was raised in a family of adventurous eaters who made the shared experience of mealtime a top priority. Fast forward to today, and Schenkkan still celebrates her passion for food through her popular blog and Instagram account, An Actress Eats.

As an actress in New York City (you might recognize her from her appearance in 30 Rock or from her role in the first national tour of Wicked), Schenkkan finds time between film shootings and theater tours to explore the "unpredictable, exciting and challenging" city's endless food scene. And from her "Top Spot" blog posts to her drool-worthy Instagram photos, it's clear this Upper West Sider has done her homework.

While her travels (for both work and play) have sparked a desire for appreciating new cultures and cuisines, she still thinks NYC is one-of-a-kind. "There’s so much to do, see and experience here — any time of day or night, any part of the year," says Schenkkan. "It’s easy to take it for granted or forget once you’ve been living here for a while, but it’s not something you find in many places."

When's she's not reciting lines or crafting her latest blog post, you can often find this foodie indulging her "crazy sweet tooth" at Levain Bakery or enjoying the city views from the Brooklyn Bridge. Take a look at the rest of her favorites around the Big Apple:

---

---

What neighborhood do you live in? The Upper West Side.

What’s your occupation? Actress.

Describe NYC in three words: Unpredictable, exciting, challenging.

What’s your favorite overall NYC restaurant? This is a near impossible question, but one place I feel flies under the radar is Huertas in the East Village. It’s classy but not too expensive, the food is great and it’s never packed. How are people not more obsessed with it?

Best Asian food: Atoboy, Chikarashi, Okonomi, Hanoi House, Lam Zhou… this list could go on and on!

Best Italian food: Dante and Via Carota are great go-tos. Lilia in Brooklyn is amazing for a special occasion (or any day of the week if you have the time to wait).

Best dessert: Van Leeuwen, Four & Twenty Blackbirds and Levain Bakery (the OG New York cookie - who can resist those gooey centers?)

Best pizza: Paulie Gee’s, Emmy Squared and Barboncino for sit-downs; Prince Street Pizza for slices.

Best spot for a quick lunch: Mimi Cheng’s, Sweetgreen or Taim Falafel are great grab-and-gos.

Best spot for a romantic date: Buvette. It’s always packed, but the food is terrific and it has the dreamiest interior. They do a great weekend brunch too!

Best glass of wine: The bar at Gramercy Tavern if you’re feeling fancy. Otherwise, Vin Sur Vingt and Bin71 have great wine lists (and food — bonus!) and are relatively inexpensive.

Best Sunday brunch: Olea in Fort Greene. I’m obsessed with this place for any meal of the week, frankly.

Best spot for a business meeting: Atla or Gotan Tribeca have both great food and great coffee (Atla also has cocktails!), and enough space to settle in. Westbourne is also a good option, especially for a breakfast meeting. I love the savory grain bowl!

Best cup of coffee or tea: I’m more into coffee than matcha these days, so: Birch Coffee and La Colombe (my favorite places for iced coffee), as well as any shops that use Stumptown or Counter Culture beans: The Good Batch, White Gold Butchers, Stumptown Roasters (obviously), Stonefruit Espresso.

Best steak: The last real steak dinner I had was at Peter Luger, which is a NYC institution and pretty great. I’ve also heard amazing things about St. Anselm and Keens Steakhouse, both of which I’m hoping to get to soon!

Best craft cocktail: Death & Co and Pouring Ribbons for speakeasy-style service, Dante for aperitivo hour and Italian-inspired cocktails.

What hotel would you recommend for your out of town guests? I don’t stay at hotels in the city very often, but I’ve read great reviews of Freehand Hotel in Gramercy and Henry Norman Hotel in Williamsburg.

Favorite shopping venue or boutique: Madewell. It’s insanely dangerous for me in there. And for food, let’s just say if I let it, Whole Foods would take all my money. Thrive Market (an online site for wholesale organic brands) helps cut some corners.

Best gym or fitness studio: I had to take a break from the fitness studio culture after an injury this fall, but generally ClassPass is my favorite way to try new places. FlyWheel Sports is my mood-boosting go-to!

Favorite charity event or organization: I regularly donate to the American Civil Liberties Union and Planned Parenthood, both of which are doing amazing work in our current political climate. I’ve been really inspired by Julia Turshen’s work at Angel Food East (a charity kitchen in Kingston, New York that delivers hot meals to the elderly and chronically ill) and am hoping to get involved in a similar NYC program soon.

Favorite cultural event: Lunar New Year in Chinatown is really amazing and a great way to experience the neighborhood. Same goes for The Feast of San Gennaro festival in Little Italy. Really any event that blends food and culture is a winner in my book!

What’s the best museum or current exhibit in NYC? I love the Whitney Museum of American Art or The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Met-Breuer is also great; they have a beautiful cafe and coffee bar (Flora) on the ground floor.

Best historic or iconic NYC landmark to see or explore: Walking or biking the Brooklyn Bridge makes for a really fun date, and you get great city views. Same goes for the East River Ferry, which you can take from Dumbo to Williamsburg to Greenpoint. It’s been a while since I’ve gone to any of the classic landmarks, but if you’re visiting for the first time, seeing the Statue of Liberty is a must.

What’s your all-time favorite spot in New York City? That’s so hard! I’ll always have a soft spot for the Jackie Kennedy Onassis reservoir in Central Park. From the first weekend I moved here until now, walking the reservoir has been a constant source of peace and reflection. I love going there.

The best aspect of New York City is: There’s so much to do, see and experience here — any time of day or night, any part of the year. It’s easy to take it for granted or forget once you’ve been living here for a while, but it’s not something you find in many places. And, I know it sounds silly, but the corner bodegas! Anything and everything you could want or need 24 hours a day. I miss them so much when I’m not in NYC!

---

Main Image Credit: Adrien Finkel