Sandwiched In New York City
As summer settles into New York City, Serious Eats provides an invaluable list... NYC's Top 10 Ice Cream Sandwiches
Previously:
Gelato in da Lower East Side
Summer Chemistry 101
Dessert Truck in NYC
Chinatown Bakeries
The Oldest Bars in New York City
Nothing like realizing you've spent a lot of time in the oldest bars in New York City to make one feel like an old drunk. Two of our all time favorite burger and beer bars make SloshSpot's list of The 10 Oldest Bars in the United States
Burgers to die for
The LES Gets a Burger Bar...
...And They Make a Great Burger!
Barbecue in the City
Good barbecue is like good sex, there's no such thing as too much. If you didn't get your fill this weekend, dig in to delicious photos of the Big Apple Barbecue Block Party at NewYorkology, Gothamist & Eater!
Up In Blue Smoke
Real BBQ In NYC
Image via NewYorkology
The Perfect Cannoli
Yum-me. Serious Eats: New York has found "the most delicious cannoli my tongue has ever welcomed". Made by Salvatore Bklyn and sold Sunday's at the Brooklyn Flea. We're so there!... Sugar Rush
Sugar Sweet Sunshine Happiness
The Dessert Truck in NYC
Beignet Porn
Crazy Asian Pizza Crusts
A sampling of weird, yet oddly tasty sounding pizza crusts from across the globe. Shrimp and Mayo Roll Crust, Cheesy Lava Stuffed Crust, Sweet Potato Mousse-Filled, Cookie Crust Pizza and more!... Top Ten Crazy Asian Pizza Crusts
New York City's Best Pizza
Hot Pizza Upskirts!
Vodka & Pizza
Link via The Girl Who Ate Everything, images via Slice!
Guide to NY's Chinatown Bakeries
Chinatown's bakeries are one of New York City's last remaining cheap and delicious food frontiers. This week Ed Levine's NY Eats serves up a tasty post with Gordan Mark's excellent... Guide to Bakeries in Manhattan's Chinatown!
All the best spots are covered! Plus there's a yummy breakdown of the treats to be found, from roast pork buns to egg custard tarts.
And while you're in the area, check out CityRag's Lower East Side Food Tour!
99 Cent Store Cooking
With food prices skyrocking and .99 cent stores in abundance, what could be better than a cookbook of gourmet "treats created with ingredients purchased solely from 99¢ stores"?... The 99¢ Only Stores Cookbook!
Author Christiane Jory's clever book has more than 100 recipes for appetizers, side dishes, main courses, and desserts made with items she found at 99¢ Only Stores!, including... Artichoke Spinach Bake, Spicy Sesame Noodles and St. Patrick's French Toast! (pictured)
Previously: NYC's Best Dumplings: 5 for $1
Dessert Truck in NYC
There's a gourmet adventure around every corner in New York City. Ed Levine stopped by the Dessert Truck and delivers a yummy review with mouth watering pictures... For Desserts on the Go!
Gourmet adventures in NYC...
Lower East Side Food Tour
Fried Chicken & Waffles
The Dumpling House
Shack in Effect
'Inoteca
Dessert Truck images via Ed Levine's New York Eats
Hot Upskirts
Probably not what you were expecting but very tasty none the less. From the archives of Slice Pizza Blog, there's no need to be shy about... Hot Pizza Upskirts!
Warning: Vodka and pizza can lead to upskirt madness.
More hot upskirts below!...
Thai Food in New York City
For ages amazing Thai food has been served at Sripraphai in Queens, and it's as yummy as ever. Delicious photos from wEnDaLicious!
Soft Shell Crab with Garlic above; Pad Thai, Crispy Watercress Salad and Green Curry with Coconut Milk below...
Previously:
East Village & Lower East Side Delivery Tips
Russ and Daughters Still Has the Goods
Last Meal at HoJo's in Times Square
More great posts and photos on Sripraphai dining below!...
Deep Fried NYC
With so many great Chinese restaurants in New York City, it's good to go with a theme. And if you're looking for fried dough, Congee Village has the goods...
Scallion pancakes left, deep-fried crullers rights, via Slice NY
Best Dumplings in NYC, 5 for $1
Sesame Pancake Sandwich, $1.50
Craziest Deep Fried Street Food, Ever
More Congee Village dishes below...
New York City's Best Pizza
Lombardi's often wins, for good reason, we love Lazzara's square pies, Grimaldi's and John's are worth the trip. But when it comes to old school, thin crust pizza, Brooklyn's legendary DiFara's rules!...
Photo by NYCviaRachel, more yummy pictures here and here!
Previously:
NYC's Best Dumpling House
Fried Chicken & Waffles
Good Winter Eats
Vodka & Pizza
Fried Chicken and Waffles
Lunch is served! From Jeremiah's Vanishing New York, fried chicken and waffles at Sylvia's lunch counter - Harlem's 125th St. Anyone wanna take a ride uptown?
Previously:
NYC's Best Fried Dumplings!
Lower East Side Food Tour
Stick to Your Ribs
Or grab something from the soul food buffet below...
Halloween Party Food
It's not just "ween"-ies anymore! We've collected the ultimate, unsavory list of... Gross Halloween Recipes!
Dare to eat from the Kitty Litter Cake!
Tons of creepy Halloween party food below...
Hello Kitty Airlines Purrs
You might think the attraction of Hello Kitty Airline is the airplanes or stewardesses, but it's all about the in-flight meals!...
Great pics of the cute tickets and goodies in Hello Kitty Craze: Hello Kitty Airline! (Link via AgentBedhead)
Previously: A fetish for photos out airplane windows
2 more delicious Hello Kitty In-Flight Meals below...
New NYC yummy
Our all time favorite spot in New York for dumplings (and still the king, in our humble opinion) - the Dumpling House - has added a fantastic item to their menu... the kimchi sandwich! a thick fresh slice of sesame pancake, split open and stacked with kimchi, grated carrot, cucumber, cilantro, dumpling and hot sauce on request (a veg twist on their famous beef sandwich). Inventive and delicious. And like everything at the Dumpling House insanely cheap at $1.50.
Plus 5 pork & chive dumplings for $1, and an extra slice of sesame pancake for .50 cents (both hot out of the pan) = $3 dinner
Information on the Dumpling House
A great Lower East Side Food Tour
One and two star dining
Anyone can eat along side celebrities in NYC. They're pretty consistent in their restaurant choices, and many of the places are accessible and have ok prices. Two restaurants where you're just about guaranteed to see a star or two, are NYC hot spots Pastis and Da Silvano (and both actually have good food.) This weekend Lindsay Lohan hit Pastis and Jay-Z and Beyoncé dined at Da Silvano.
More tips...
- Browse the Gawker Stalker archives and you'll see patterns in restaurants where celebs are spotted repeatedly.
Vodka and pizza
They go together like a hand in glove. We're totally addicted to the heavenly pizza made with vodka sauce from Lazzara's on West 38th street in NYC. The crust is thin and flavorful, mozzarella is fantastic, but it's their insanely delicious vodka sauce that sends this pizza over the edge. One of the best pies in NYC right now...
Lazzara's kicks Lombardi's butt. And they still have one of the best chicken parmigiana sandwiches around. Menupages notes they're a favorite of Jay-Z's!
Previously...
King of all parms
Lombardi's delivers
Schoolhouse dining
If you're looking for a yummy multi-course meal with paired wines, but don't want to break the bank, check out L'Ecole at The French Culinary Institute. A decadent and leisurely 5 course dinner is a fixed price of $34. Add a selected glass of wine with 4 of the courses for an extra $15. The whole experience is a tremendous bargain...
There are 2 ways you can go, in the earlier dinner hours food is prepared by the instructing chefs, in later hours meals are cooked by the students. Both are good, the menus are well detailed on the official site. The restaurant is roomy, service is nicely paced, wine pours are generous. The food is very good, not exceptional, but very tasty, a little inventive, and fresh. Great reviews at various sites. Spend a night at L'Ecole and live large!
Chow Holland
Completing our trip triptych today... here comes our Top Ten Amsterdam Food Experiences, told in photos!...
Winter Food
Reviews of two of our stand-by favorites in the Lower East Side for warm and delicious winter dining... Apizz and The Loreley
Best street food, ever
Possibly the BEST street food EVER invented - French Fry-Encrusted Corn Dogs from streets of downtown Seoul (sold for $1)
Not all fried food is yummy - The 30,000 Calorie Sandwich
Sweet NY
NYC's Lower East Side has many great, unique food shops, and the holidays are a good excuse to stop by 2 of our favorites...
Russ and Daughters has tons of wonderful stuff to bring home to the family or just have around the house and feel decadent... bagels, pastrami lox, tofu cream cheese, dark chocolate dipped apricots, fruit strudel, everything's amazing.
Economy Candy has all the candy of your childhood dreams and then some, packed in a small, old, family run shop. Tons of fun and unusual stocking stuffers!
For more great food sopts in the 'hood check out CityRag’s Lower East Side Food Tour!
killer sandwich
follow the crazy tale of The 30,000 Calorie Sandwich! "The sandwich was actually freaking awesome! It took me about 15 hours to eat but I did it."
Fried Mushrooms, Bacon – 14 pieces, Onion rings, Ground Beef, Corndogs, Swiss Cheese, Provolone Cheese, Cheddar Cheese, Sliced Ham, Sliced Turkey, Pastrami, Sliced Roast Beef, Bratwurst, Braunschweiger, Wheat Bread, Lettuce, Feta Cheese, Italian Salad Dressing, Oregeno, Salt & Pepper, butter, Parmesan Cheese, Canola Oil.
yay! more sandwich loving calorie laden goodness from our girl Christie
East Village and Lower East Side delivery tips
if you're looking for some good food delivery in the Lower East Side or East Village, here are a couple of our favorites!
Frank for delicious homey Italian
Rice for super cheap and yummy Asian fusion
Indian Curry Mahal: for a tasty and inexpensive Indian feast
Tiny Giant for great sandwiches and veggie burgers
more EV/LES food links!:
- Hot Soup!
- Lower East Side Food Tour
- Gnocchi nirvana at Apizz
- The Loreley Schnitzel Fo' Shizzle
- 'inoteca: one the LES's best
- Sugar Sweet Sunshine is Cupcake Heaven
- Teresa's for breakfast and Polish food
- NYC's Best Banh Mi
- NYC's Best Fried Dumplings
- and more delivery tips: Schiller's Liquer Bar for burgers and fries, Jeep for Thai, 88 Orchard, Clinton St Bakery and Mama's for all kinds of stuff - menus for all these places and lots more can be found on MenuPages.com
ripe
if you happen to find yourself in the NY's Berkshires checking out the foliage, be sure to stop by our favorite farm stand - Green Acres. lots of different heirloom tomatoes (like the crazy cherry tomatoes below), tons of apples, homemade pies, good stuff.
get happy
we wanted to give another shout out to Happy Happy Happy, a great bakery in the LES that creates wonderful treats that are wheat and gluton free (and vegan.) everything is delicious and has a great homemade taste. we're a sucker for their beautiful and perfectly sour lemon tarts, crisp vanilla bean cookies and traditional french madelines. please support Happy Happy Happy and other small businesses and storefronts in the NYC!
And HappyHappyHappy now has mail-order so you can have their goods delivered anywhere in the US!
ummm, beer gardens
Newyorkology has a great post on one of our favorite spots - The Bohemian Hall & Beer Garden in Astoria, Queens.
"Not only can you get $12 pitchers of great Czech beer such as Pilsner Urquell, Staropramen and Krusovice, but they also make plenty of alcohol-absorbing house specialities such as goulash, barbecued kielbasas and savory crepes. But the pros know to order the fried cheese, with the slice of ham in the middle." lots more info on what to get and when to go!
and if you don't feel like truckin' out to Queens... The Loreley in the Lower East Side is pretty great!
(Photo credits: Emmanuelle Richard, (bottom,) and Jim Lowney, (top.)
2 Big Macs have less fat than 1 Chipotle burrito!
FourFour has a killer post today exposing that a vegetarian Chipotle Burrito has 52 grams of fat and 1168 calories!! (just the veggie basics: beans, rice, cheese, guac, salsa, sour cream, and lettuce - not even any meat!) scroll down to see the details and calculator they used. Chipotle is part of the McDonalds corp, notorious for putting tons of bad stuff in their food to make it more addictive. Looks like they're doing the same at Chipotle, but that chain seems to be flying under the radar, for now. we hope the word gets around - 52 grams of fat and 1168 calories (and we usually get some meat in ours) is just not right. a Big Mac has 21.5 grams of fat and 485 calories in comparison. as much as it pains us, so long Chipotle!
Update: AllThingsChristie sent us a link the calculations she did on a Chipotle burrito a couple months ago - 83 grams of fat and 1784 calories... Holy shit: Chipotle Calculator
Update #2: a reader kindly sent us info that a Big Mac has 560 calories and 30 grams of fat. still more than twice as much fat as a Chipolte burrito with meat, but we wanted to correct the Big Mac info (Thanks Nick!) (image via Rachelleb)
NY produce is in peak season!
stands throughout NY state are filling up with delicious fresh produce this month. trailers stacked with corn, peaches and tomatoes are starting to line the roads. our favorite area for buying fresh off the farm is a strip of road right off the Taconic Pky in Columbia County. peaches are at their peak right now. and no offence to Georgia, there isn't a more flavorful, juicy, bright tasting peach on the planet.
if you can't make it upstate, there are tons of Farmers Market's throughout the city (including the Union Square Greenmarket) that feature wonderful NY state produce.
slice of construction
heavy new construction has popped up directly next to the development of the hotel at 200 Allen St. assumed it was expansion of the hotel's footprint, but when we stopped by to take photos, the construction supervisor said a new pizza place is going in. it was an informal conversation but he mentioned the name will be "La Sala". and from the looks of the serious construction going on, gutting deep into the walls and at least one story below ground, it's going to be a big place. with all the sucky over-development in the LES, we're keeping our fingers crossed that some good pizza comes in.
Pizza restaurant construction << -- >> Pomeranc's Allen St Hotel
Open Bar tonight!
who doesn't love to hear those words?! 
on Ultragrrrl we found a link to a brilliant idea-of-a-site called My Open Bar - "your guide to free booze". it lists a bunch of places around NYC where you can get smashed on the cheap... "Having realized the dire need for a centralized and coherent source of openbar listings (because paying rent and shelling out 7 bucks on a Brooklyn Lager just wasn't working out), we took it upon ourselves to give you, our esteemed reader, this free service". click the "open bars" link for daily listings around the city!
burgers to die for
via DoubleViking comes a link to The 20 Hamburgers You Must Eat Before You Die. only one of our favorites made the list (the Burger Joint), but that just means we have 19 more try, including the #2 nationwide spot holder... the Luger Burger at Peter Luger Steak House in Brooklyn. Check all 20 out here.
and cool news for NY food lovers... Curbed has launched a new New York City restaurant blog called Eater!! it's already looking delicious, we'll be checking in daily!
(photo credit: TheFoodSection)
Last Meal at HoJo's
the closing of the Howard Johnson's in Times Square has been in the news. according to the employees, there's no set close date yet, but we headed over grab one last meal with some friends in case it happens fast...
and it was great. same classic bright orange interior, moldy smell, slow service, and totally empty at lunch time. the food was actually really good. Clam strips were super crispy, chewy but still tender and a nice tangy flavor, with the classic Hojo's parker rolls, fresh cole slaw, great fries and a yummy chocolate malt on the side. a friend's western omelet was huge, fresh and tasty. just like we remembered (like lots of old school NY clubbers, we've hit Hojo's many times over the last 20 years.) the prices are ridiculous, total Times Square tourist rip off ($17.95 for the clam platter and $6 for the shake.) still all in all it was a fine lunch. gotta hit happy hour one more time before close.
Chef Can't Imagine Times Square without Fried Clams
Goodbye Cheap Cocktails No Mo Hojo in Times Square
'Wichcraft hits Bryant Park
taking a cue from Danny Myers' Shake Shack - renowned NY chef Tom Colicchio is opening 2 branches of his diverse and delicious sandwich shops - 'Wichcraft - in kioskes in Bryant Park!
snapped this photo today - looks like they should be open just in time for the free Monday night movies in the park!
cheap beer here!
if you live in NYC and like beer, the New Beer Distributors outlet is BEER HEAVEN! the nicest sales people around, tons of good beer and cheap prices - from domestic cheapies to rare microbreweries to international brands...
prices are great, a sampling of beer by the case:
Pabst - $13
Rolling Rock - $19
Labatts - $21
Sapporo - $24
Dixie - $25
Harpoon - $26
Dinkel Acker - $28
Sam Adams - $29
Boddington's - $37
and they'll break down any case into a 6 pack for you and charge you exactly 1/4. plus they have 2 big rows of all kinds of beer for a buck a bottle! for $6 you can put together a 6 pack sample "tasting". the New Beer Distributors outlet is located on Chrystie just above Delancey, open to the public Monday-Saturday from early morn until 6:00 pm sharp (closed Sunday.)
Foodie NYC rules!
Foodie NYC is a great, one of a kind, bi-monthly, NY food event. 6 courses, 6 wines, 50 people. born from his passion for food, wine and sharing these with friends, organizer and chef Joe DeSalazar has created a dining experience that's delicious, original and a lot of fun. 4 key elements go into making the event so special...
Atmosphere: each event is held in a beautiful loft exclusively devoted to Foodie for the night. the space is decorated magically with fresh flowers, candles, linen and nice place settings. there's a handsome menu at each seat with the person's name printed at the top. the lovely atmosphere is breathtaking when you walk in. cool music is played throughout the night.
Food: having read Joe's great food blog and column in the Gothamist for a few years, we knew the meal would be wonderful, and it was. the site has excellent descriptions of the menu and theme of the night (Joe plans each meal with great detail, the main aspects being region and season.) we attended Modern Takes on French Classics and every course was great, read it and drool (our favorites: Braised Lentil Spring Roll with truffled gruyere fondue and Skate and Mushroom Paupiote with curry mushroom broth, mushroom puree, haricot vert, charred yellow pepper) and the next event, Burgundy Spring Tasting on May 22nd sounds fantastic.
Wine: hands down the finest wine tasting we've ever experienced. for the higher level wine option, Foodie's wine guy Ben Brandt, pairs a group of truly exceptional wines, each SUBLIME. to be able to try so many older vintage, rare and well known (and very expensive) wines in one night is an experience we'll never forget. our favorite was the 1975 Haut Brion (at around $620 a bottle, it's hard to believe they don't loose money on the wine.) the list of wines Ben has put together for the next tasting looks incredible.
People: this is an aspect of FoodieNYC that surprised us. we were a bit worried about dining with a bunch of people we didn't know, but found ourselves enthralled in great food conversation with everyone at our table throughout the night. topics ranged from best NYC restaurants to favorite recipes, wines and shops. the fine food and wine conversation and the warm vibe at our table made the night even more memorable. the event is pulled together by an eclectic group of hard working chefs and stylists that are dedicated to making sure every element is perfect. in addition to Joe and Ben's work, Whitney Horsey-Sherin decorates and does the menus; and in the kitchen is - Grant Bremer a great cook and prep master Wayne Cheng.
and we'd like to add a note on value... at $105 per person for the tasting with traditional wine and $205 per for the tasting with classic Burgundy wines (including tax and tip), it's a bargin. 3-4 hours of delicous food and fantastic wines in a beautiful setting. Foodie NYC is a wonderful and unique New York dining experience.
Stanton Sociability
catching the buzz around The Stanton Social opening, we stopped by this week with a couple friends to check it out – and wow, it's a great place! beautiful space, decorated with darks woods and golden lighting; very roomy and comfortable. there’s also a cool bar on the 3rd floor. and the food is inventive and delicious. over 50 items on the menu, everything is small plate and designed for sharing. at first the portions seemed small, but by the end of the meal we couldn’t finish dessert (at around $55 a person, including drinks tax and tip, for 3 hours of great dining it seemed like a bargain!)
cocktails were tasty and refreshing (our one complaint of the night was that they were on the weak side), but they have some unusual “signature” combinations (and a good wine list.) a bowl of super thin, homemade potato chips flavored with rosemary are brought out while you browse the massive menu. service is good and our waitress was very helpful. the menu is huge but organized in a way that makes it easy to order. you can start with a few dishes and add as you go. (we ordered several dishes at the beginning and the kitchen did an excellent job of paring items and sending them out at just the right pace.) everything we tried was very good, some were amazing….
- Kobe beef sliders, at $6 each and about 3-4 bites, are probably the most expensive burger we’ve ever had. they are also off the scale, insanely good! can’t even compare them to a regular burger. so flavorful, a decadent texture and there’s simply nothing you can do to keep the juice from rolling down your chin. even with our eye on so many things to try and their high price – we ordered a second round as soon as the waitress came back.
- Ahi tuna kabobs with a brown sugar crust and watermelon salsa fresca were heavenly, nicely browned with a delicious glaze on the outside perfectly rare and melt in your mouth tender on the inside. 3 for $14.
- French onion soup dumplings – LOVED the chewy dumpling dough and crispy crouton on the outside contrasted with the juicy burst of super rich onion broth and melty gruyere cheese inside. served in a cool escargot like dish, with bamboo spears, makes it easy you pop the whole thing in your mouth. 6 for around $8.
- Haricot vert with buttered almonds - a simple dish that we’re a sucker for, done perfectly with tons of luscious toasted almond slivers tossed in a pile of freshly steamed haricot vert $6
and we found ourselves in constant envy of what was being delivered to other tables. on our list for next time: red snapper tacos looked cute and delish, everything from the raw bar was fresh and fab, and the soufflé dessert trio looked fantastic. all around a great new addition to the hood that we can’t wait to return to!
Update: Catherine's Pita hit it Friday and has some raves of her own. and do not miss Andrea Strong's fascinating article in New York Magazine about AvroKO - a visionary group of young architects and designers behind The Stanton Social's fabulous space!
stick to your ribs
this weather whispers BBQ in our ear. Dinosuar and R.U.B. are some of the hot new comers, and we've always liked Virgil's, but for kick-ass ribs - the place to go is Blue Smoke! we're talkin' real wood smoked ribs, slow cooked, tangy bbq sauce, and meat that's so tender it falls off the bone...
Blue Smoke highlights and tips:
- dish recs: ribs ribs ribs! - all are excellent, pulled pork, (all their meats are slow smoked and amazing), mac and cheese, creamed spinach, fry bread is a must and the home made chips and blue cheese dip are a favorite. great cockatils, mojitos and blood orange margaritas are strong and delicious.
- on the expensive side, but worth it! sides serve 2+ generously, we skip appetizers and dessert and still can't finish the amazing rib sampler and sides (and the leftovers are killer.)
- get a reservation or go very early. they get packed. but tables are roomy and well spaced, service is excellent, and food comes fast (the waiters are very helpful with dish recommendations)
- NY Metro's Blue Smoke review
- Blue Smoke's official site has lots of info and menus
(thanks John, George and Laura for the help on this!)
the Chowhound Guides are coming!
Chowhound, the best NYC and all around restaurant resource on the net, is publishing a Guide to the NYC TriState area! (and one for the San Francisco area.) Chowhounds and their leader Jim Leff, are hands down the most knowledgeable, accurate and passionate food consumers around. we read the site daily (and post often), and their great insight has been tipping us to new places and guiding our dining decisions for many years. according to Jim the guides are being published by Penguin (great!) and will be out at the end of the month! "Each book contains more than one thousand eateries." Keep an eye out on Chowhound and Amazon for Chowhound's Guide to NYC Tristate Area - guaranteed to rock your NY chow life!
Shack in effect
hit the Shake Shack yesterday. and for real, that was the best burger of our life. everything's as amazing as last year if not better! smell's like the best burger barbeque you've ever been to as you enter the park. at 3:15 we waited about 5 min in line and another 10 min for the food. everything was GREAT, but OH THAT BURGER! just perfect.
$11 for the dog, shack burger, cheese fries and rootbeer. a nice little lunch for us and our burger bud, Chucky. we both noticed that service was excellent (even better than last year, if that's even possible.)Danny Meyers restaurants (like our fave Gramercy Tavern) are known for great service, it makes the spot extra nice that this tradition is carried on at the Shake Shack. here's last year's review and photos for more info.
modern dining
Andrea Strong's restaurant reviews are delicious. filled with rich and vivid descriptions of the entire meal and combined with her hilarious and personal writing style, we can't wait to read where she's dined. this week's review of Danny Meyer's new restaurant The Modern is a fabulous example.
also on the site... the Review Archive is a great page to check out when picking your next fine dining experience, or finding the best dishes at a place you're planning to hit.
the weekly Buzz has the latest news and hot tips on NY dining. this week she solves a mystery for us about the opening the new restaurant Kitchen and Cocktails on Orchard. after taking these photos last week, we'd been wondering about the "March opening". per the Buzz it will be opening the end of May.
mmmm burgers
as we count down the hours until the Shake Shack reopens this coming Monday, it seems like a good time to follow-up on Epstein's Bar, the burger joint/bar that opened on the corner of Allen and Stanton a couple months ago. and we're happy to report Epstein's serves a dam good burger!...
the meat is very flavorful and has that juicy, melt in your mouth quality. comes with nice pile of lettuce, tomato and onion (and fries.) AND they toast/brown the bun on the grill! (one of the secrets to an outstanding burger! a very important touch also done by Shack Shake.) the fries aren’t anything special and service there can be so-so (we usually order ahead and then pick em up to take out, while we walk Buddy) but the burgers are always great!
salad star
NoHo Star is nice spot to grab a bite when you're in the Soho/Noho area. big open room with a lively brasserie feel, a comfortable atmosphere and great food.
food highlights include: some tasty and inventive brunch items, excellent burgers and fries, and wonderful huge sundaes! but what gets us crazing a visit is their delicious Fried Chicken Salad with Stilton and Endives. A huge bowl of mesclun greens, lined with endives, and piled high with tons of tender, moist and golden fried chicken chunks. add a generous handful of quality stilton on top and their very flavorful balsamic vinegar dressing and you have one of the best salads in NYC! they also make a mean ceasar salad (tossed at the table), and a great crispy calamari salad. with a nice brown beer and the wonderful French bread they bring on the side, you have the perfect salad meal!
24 days until the Shake Shack reopens!
UPDATE - Shake Shack has moved the opening date to Monday, April 4th!
one of the biggest culinary events to hit New York last year was the opening of Danny Meyers Shake Shack in Madison Square Park, and for good reason! PERFECT burgers, tender, juicy and full of flavor; served on a soft bun with crisp lettuce, fresh tomato and special sauce. the BEST BURGER IN NYC! they also have excellent hotdogs, great shakes and some very tasty fries (that you can get with their wonderful cheese sauce.)
put this together with the lovely park atmosphere the Shack is nestled in, with lots of trees, benches and a great area with tables and chairs... and you have one slamming New York meal! (and why we found ourselves jumping on the R train once a week to hit it during lunch.) which is what we would have loved to do on a gorgeous day like today, so here's CityRag's inside scoop on the Shake Shack's Reopening!...
called Danny Meyer's management company (everyone we spoke to was very helpful) and were directed to a woman in operations. she told us that... the Shake Shack will reopen on Friday, April 1st! for the first month they will only be open for lunch (11-4). then around May 1st they will extend to full hours (which they anticipate being 11-10.) she also told us there won't be any menu changes right now, just the same great stuff, and pointed us to the Shack Shake's Official Site - that has the shack's full menu and some great photos. man, we can't wait! 24 days and counting...
Japanese tapas
one of the best things about living in NYC is vast variety of wonderful food you can have delivered to your door. Menupages.com has made it easy to browse through tons of great places by neighborhood. we've posted many of our favorites in the past, and here's another one... Yoshi, a Japanese restaurant on Houston and near Ludlow, has great delivery! we're not big on having sushi delivered so we usually get a mixed bunch of small plates and call it Japanese Tapas!
here's a favorite meal of some of the items that shine at Yoshi (going clockwise from the upper left corner)...
- goma-ae - steamed spinach in a rich sesame sauce
- shitake yakitori - shitake mushroom grilled on skewers in a flavorful teriyaki sauce
- fried gyoza - tasty homemade pork dumplings
- edamame - fresh steamed soy beans with sea salt
- miso soup - lots of nice chunks of tofu and seaweed
- spicy fried shrimp roll - 2 fresh jumbo shrimp, deep fried and rolled up with spicy mayo, lettuce and a bit of flying fish roe - great texture and so tasty (one of the best fried shrimp dishes around!)
- tatsuta-age - tangy crispy chicken chunks with fresh lemon on the side (simple and delicious)
Lombardi's delivers
Lombardi's is often noted (and debated) as being New York's best pizza. we're not ready to give them that award, but they do make a dam good pie. great homemade sauce, fresh mozzarella, and a fantastic flavorful crust. any night of the week you'll find a line of people waiting to get in, but here's a little tip... Lombardi's delivers to just about anywhere below 14th St! (including the EV and LES!) delivery is fast and the pie is fab. so next time you order pizza, why settle for average when you can have a world class pie that people line up for delivered to your door.
the shot above is their traditional cheese pie. Lombardi's toppings are also excellent - pepperoni, sausage, fresh vegetables, and other great stuff like fresh ricotta and wonderful calamata olives. all pies are dusted with a sharp pecorino romano cheese. if you don't like sharp/pungent cheese you can ask them to hold it.
gnocchi nirvana at Apizz
Apizz is a hidden gem when it comes to Lower East Side restaurants. heavenly food, a rich and warm atmosphere, great service, and tucked away enough so that, although it's usually full, it doesn't get the crazy and busy scene 'inoteca and others do (and they take reservations.) we've dined there several times since they opened in 2002. at first the food was off to a slow start, but we're happy to report that on our last couple trips just about everything was excellent!
and last night we discovered a dish that embodies the term "to die for" - Gnocchi con Ragu di Carne...
homemade gnocchi with the perfect sublime texture, covered in a rich and slow cooked tomato sauce loaded with braised short rib meat that's incredibly tender and has a deep beefy flavor, and topped with a superb grated pecorino. the best Gnocchi dish we've ever had.
most of the menu features food either fully cooked or finished in the beautiful wood burning oven that's open at the front of the restaurant. more great dishes last night included: a fantastic appetizer of lightly fried asparagus, zucchini, and cremini mushrooms served with fresh lemon and a caper mayonnaise ( finished in the wood burning oven giving the vegetables a lovely smoky depth.) a whole sea bass wood smoked with lots of thyme and rosemary, served with a wonderful herb sauce, and a big arugula and tomato salad on the side. and a crispy chicken fillet with the same perfect arugula salad and shaved parm on top, sounds simple but this was an exceptionally bright and flavorful dish.
other highlights of dining at Apizz - the room is beautiful and romantic, tons of brick, raw wood, exposed beams. the head chef cooks everything in front of the room in the large brick fireplace, surrounded by fresh ingredients, bottles of high end olive oil, etc. service is excellent. a nice selection of Italian wines are listed by region, many great wines in the $30 range. and before the meal they bring out some of their wonderful chewy and crusty bread, with a dish of excellent ricotta and the server comes over to your table with a big crock of yummy tomato sauce and ladles it into a bowl on your table. so good, we could make a meal out of it.
the mussels, calamari, wild boar lasagna and many other dishes are also excellent. we've found the meatballs to be a bit plain. and while the pizza is very good, not rave-able. and they seated us for our 7:45 reservation at 8:20 - ouch.
more NY Gnocchi info ... we're a gnocchi lover, if it's on the menu we're getting it. and Apizz's version is now officially our NYC favorite! some other great versions around NY (for fellow lovers): the simple and incredible ricotta gnocchi at Lupa, Uncle Tony's gnocchi at Frank's (made with basil, marinara and fresh mozz), and the gnocchi in white truffle sauce at Assenzio (menus and directions for all can be found on Menupages.com) And for the very best NY chow talk and some in depth Gnocchi discussion, check out Chowhound.com (we've heard from the 'hounds that Hearth has a slamming version.)
Lower East Side Food Tour testimonials!
this summer we put up a bunch of information and a homemade map for a Lower East Side Food Tour that highlights some of the LES's very best ethnic and carry out food. this last weekend 2 readers took the tour and sent us nice email with some cool testimonials. so we thought we'd throw up the testimonials and repost a link to the tour and map incase you're in the LES and looking for something to do in the snow this weekend (and maybe we'll see you along the way. that strudel is looking good...)
TXP writes "hey wanted to give you city rag folks a shout and let you know that after reading your blog (and enjoying it for months) that we hit nyc this past weekend and had a blast following some of your recommendations... managed some of the "food tour". tinys is killer, economy candy the bomb, that dumpling spot was great" (TXP also wrote that they found Epstein's Bar to be a cool and welcoming spot.)
And Black Lilly took the tour and had a yummy time! she LOVED Sugar Sweet Sunshine (and spotted Buddy's pic on the wall :-) and even ran into our fave guy at Russ and Daughters!
scoop of the day!
Mary's Dairy, the fabulous dessert and ice cream place that hit the west village by storm this summer is opening an east village branch! it will be located on 1st Ave between 9th and 10th Streets. unfortunately they won't make it in time for tomorrows warm weather, but we're told it should be open sometime in the next week or 2! stay tuned for a visit. we scream for ice cream.
good n' cheap midtown eats: Celia's
after seeing a tip on Chowhound, we checked out Celia's latin restaurant on 9th Ave at 35th St. last week, and are happy to report - the place ROCKS. a huge list of daily lunch specials of yummy spanish food, and all are $5.25!!! we got the pernil (roast pork) and it was delicious, tender and nicely seasoned. with it came: yellow rice, saucy beans, a pile of fried plantains, a piece of buttered bread and 2 big chunks of lime. so much good food for 5 bucks. a great, authentic, midtown spot.
stuffin' stockin's
there's no better place in town to find fun treats for kids than Economy Candy (the old time candy store on Rivington and Essex in the LES). with our 2 nephews in town for the holiday, we took advantage of the chance to fill their stocking with some cool stuff...
giant candy canes, Wonka Bars, Pez dispensers of their favorite characters, Bertie Botts Beans, huge speckled jaw breakers, Gummi Lunch sets, little tin "suitcases" with Rudolph characters on the outside and holiday gumballs on the inside.
we also snagged foil covered milk chocolate soldiers, marzipan fruit, Almond Roca, jelly fruit slices, and a couple adult favorites... their lovely dark chocolate covered gram crackers and heavenly dried apricots from California (the kind with a real intense apricot flavor, no those flavorless Mediterranean ones.) a massize selection, and everything is so cheap! (and there's info on places to check out near-by in our LES Food Tour)
counting the EV's blessings: Frank Prisinzano
the east village has been packed with Italian restaurants for decades. but it wasn't until the arrival of Frank Prisinzano a few years ago that we got the good stuff (delicious, real deal, Italian cuisine.) starting at 2nd Ave and heading east there's: Frank, Lil' Frankie's, and Supper. and we love them all.
each is little different, but they all serve wonderful, homey food based on Frank's grandmother's recipes. and all are in the inexpensive to moderate price range with over-the-top friendly atmosphere and service. the pasta sauces are heavenly and full of flavor, rosemary chicken is excellent, gnocchi has the perfect texture, salads are big and fresh, bread is always excellent (and the pizza at Lil Frankie's is great. )
a couple of our favorite dishes from Frank (shown above): homemade spinach and ricotta ravioli, their heavenly fennel parmigiana, and slow cooked ragu with sausage and meatballs (so tender), about $28 for the order (without tax and tip.) and Frank and Lil Frankie's deliver! menus, hours and directions for all of Frank's restaurants can be found on Menupages
happy again
couple weeks ago we noted a new store called Happy Happy Happy featuring dairy-free and gluten-free desserts and baked goods opening on Allen Street. yesterday we checked them out, and we're happy to report their desserts are DELICIOUS! we should preface this by saying we've never sought out gluten free desserts and were a bit skeptical about how they would taste - but they are WONDERFUL. we tried their homemade vanilla almond cake, mini chocolate cupcake (both pictured), and madelines. all were delicate, moist and rich in flavor. the vanilla almond cakes were especially heavenly with almost a marzipan like quality. they're just getting started and the assortment is a bit limited, but everything we tried so far was really yummy and well made. looking forward to more.
good ‘n cheap Indian food
for decades E 6th, and the areas around 1st and 2nd Aves at either ends have been packed with cheap Indian restaurants. over the years we’ve had our favorites, and recently some new places like Angon on 6th, Banjara and Bricklane have brought some nice higher fare to the area. but for our money the best place in the strip is Indian Curry Mahal. it’s kind of a down and dirty place. we mostly get delivery, but the food is very good and super cheap! the flavors are rich, chicken is very tender, servings are insanely generous, breads homemade, and the food is never overly greasy.
this order consists of Papadam and Vegatable Samosas appetizers; Cheese Poori and Onion Kulcha bread; Chana Saag and Chicken Tikka Masala entrées; plus raita sauce and a bunch of free condiments, rice and dahl. the order was $20.05 with tax (not tip) and we had to throw out food after 2 full dinners (for 2 people plus Buddy’s share)
yes Virginia, there are great cheap eats in midtown
in honor of the NYTime's and Gothamist's recent coverage of Margon (in their "Heroes" reports) - thought we'd throw up a shot of our lunch from Margon yesterday...
Margon Restaurant has been a fave of ours for a while (and beloved and written about by knowing Chowhounds for years.) their Cuban sandwiches aren't the best around (go to Spanish American or Castillo De Jagua for the killer Cubanos in Manhattan) but they're dam good! a little on the small side, but well pressed and toasted, they use excellent thinly sliced, tart pickles, and they throw in a non-traditional touch of a couple slices for fried chorizo (like fried salami) that's very tasty! our trick is to order on Thursdays (the day after their roast pork lunch special) the pork is always super fresh that day. but what we really love at Margon is their perfect black beans! so flavorful and nicely saucy, served on white or yellow rice with some tasty tender slices of fried plantain on top (you get a huge amount and they're great the next day.) about $10 including tax.
opening night reports on Dinosaur BBQ!
if ya don't know yet, the renowned Dinosaur BBQ of upstate NY opened a branch in Manhattan this week. hot off the steam table, today Chowhound's are posting reports on last night's opening - and it's looking great! check out Dan's cool review and the growing number of posts and reviews that follow (see Followups at bottom for all reviews). yeeeehaaaaw!!! we'll be headed there soon.
update: more chowhounds post good findings!
Epstein's Bar update
last week we scooped the opening of Epstein's Bar in the LES. this week Andrea Strong fills us in on some cool behind the scenes info (4th story down), including an owners connection with the great White Horse Tavern. and a house beer, Epstein’s Ale, being made by the guys from White Horse.
we ran into partner Eric McMannes this morning when we were snapping their new awning - and the story keeps getting better... first - he's a great guy, (second we've met, this place is going to have a good vibe.) and some more cool bits of info...
- he's friend's with the Corner Bistro folks, and they've hooked him up with the same meat supplier (for those who've noted our previous Corner Bistro comments, the Epstein's owners couldn't be more humble about the comparison, and simply hope to be as good.)
- they will be open for lunch!
- and they'll be opening a nice size sidewalk cafe in the spring! (we're super happy about that one, cuz it means Buddy can hang!!)
- the bar is looking beautiful and will open tonight, but food will not be served for about another 2 weeks
- and finally as the awning shows - the place will be called Epstein's Bar (although they enjoy the pun, the name will not include the second R as in the virus "Epstein-Barr")
behold the power of bagels
NYC is the food capital of the world. tons of amazing and great stuff across all categories and ethnicities. amongst this surplus of wonderful chow there are a few items where New York reigns king - and bagels are one of them!... and so CityRag brings you a:
guide to bagels in new york city...
if you live in New York and are indiscriminately buying bagels at delis - stop that! true bagel nirvana starts in a BAGEL SHOP. the best bagels come from places that are devoted to making bagels - where the turn-over is so fast that every bagel being sold has been made in the last couple hours, and most are still warm. where the shop is all about the quality, and takes pride in their reputation. and every customer in line is there buying bagels. this is where you get the best bagels made in the world. a combination of soft, dense and chewy, with an outer skin that's crusty and brown, an inside that's moist and almost steamy, and a heavenly fresh baked flavor.
Top Tier:
Bagel Nirvana in NY can be found at: H&H Bagel, Murray's Bagels and David and David's Bagels (the bagels shown are from David Bagel) - their bagels and shops are the quintessential version of what we've described above. Ess-a-Bagel is also at the top - but a bit doughier than the rest.
Second Tier:
Places where the bagels might not be right out of the oven, or made on the premises, but are still excellent: Kossar's Bialys, Russ and Daughters, Zabars
more bagel info and shops
on AOL CityGuide you can vote for City's Best Bagel 2005
NYCeats (now AFullBelly.com!) explains David versus David's
Chowhounds don't just debate about bagels, they do it by neighborhood! Search for "bagel" on the Manhattan or Outer Boroughs boards for lots of great info and opinion on NY's best bagel.
happy happy happy
more Allen St openings, also caught last night... a small store front on the west side of Allen between Stanton and Rivington... Happy Happy Happy is opening soon and will sell dairy-free and gluten-free desserts and baked goods. (we'll just leave it at, um, "a lot less excited" than the burger joint news. and...) welcome to the hood!
Update: the Happy Happy Happy people sent us info that their shop will open next Friday, Nov 26th at noon, with a link to their site. the desserts look DELICIOUS! stay tuned...
Epstein’s Bar - the LES is getting a burger joint!
holy hamburger heaven! this news rocked our world… a couple months ago we mentioned the building of a mysterious new bar/restaurant on the corner of Allen and Stanton (formerly the Living Room, see 3rd pic.) in the last week the exterior was demo’d and some nice big windows went in.
last night we were walking Buddy and a couple dudes who looked like they were involved were leaving. one crossed the street our way and we said hi and asked him if he could tell us what was going in… he said “a really really good burger joint” was going in, to which we re
