Burger Joint is arguably the most popular burger spot in NYC. You need my secrets to success, however, if you want to enjoy these flame-broiled cheeseburgers without waiting on the long line. I’ll also reveal my no-fail method to secure a hard-to-get seat in addition to some other essential information.
Strapped for cash this Mother’s Day? Consider TCBY your savior. The country’s self-proclaimed best yogurt joint is giving away FREE cups and cones for all Mom’s on Mother’s Day. Here’s a link to the listings of all 28 NY state TCBY locations.
By popular demand and as a result of it being one of the best cookies ever, I present death by chocolate aka Levain Bakery’s Dark Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookie. This is by far the most buttery and decadent cookie at Levain’s little bakery on 74th off Amsterdam Ave. The combo of dark chocolate cookie dough, crisp on the outside, chewy on the inside, and melty bittersweet chocolate chips forces you to contemplate what kind of cookies you’ve been eating your entire life. After Levain, every cookie just pales in comparison.
Click here for Levain’s best cookie and here for the Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter cookie.
Milk Chocolate Fondue. Wow. I’ve been down on fondue since the Artisanal disaster but The Volstead changed that by providing cubes of Rice Krispy Treats and fudge infused pound cake, sliced strawberries and bananas, and whole blackberries for dipping. Grilled pizza, tasty hummus, and sliced steak and creamed spinach bites rounded out a solid meal in a sexy atmosphere. The Volstead’s upping their stock further by offering free lunch Tuesdays all May to readers of Midtown Lunch.com. Delicious photos and the low down after the jump.
Levain Bakery’s cookies ($3.75 each) are simply the best. I’ve said it before and after eating at least 2 every week for the past month, I’m saying it again. Levain’s chocolate chip walnut cookie is the best I’ve ever had. Unlike most of my other “best claims”, I can’t imagine this one will be topped. They’re even more amazing when warm so ask for them to be tossed back in the oven for a few seconds or do it yourself at home. Below you’re looking at a Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip cookie crowning a Chocolate Chip Walnut. I imagine every meal in heaven starts and begins with cookies from Levain.
We’re all on the hunt for NYC’s best tacos so when we hear that Snack Dragon is serving cheap tacos in Alphabet City until 4AM on weekends, we have a reason to be excited right? Wrong. I hit Snack Dragon sober and had five tacos, only one of which was actually delicious. It’s unfortunate they were out of Carnitas pork, the self-proclaimed best and the only one I really wanted, because the chicken, steak, and fish were all lackluster.
The Nacharito above was the one standout. So how do you mess up tacos?
New Yorkers rejoice, Shorty’s has answered your cheese steak prayers. Midtown’s version of “wiz wit”, a cheese steak with cheese whiz and fried onions, is the truest version of the Philadelphia classic NYC Food Guy has encountered thus far. I’m yet to try 99 miles to philly or Wogie’s, but until then I’m ready to hand Shorty’s the crown for the best cheese steak and some of the crispiest fries I’ve had in this city.
I’m confident in that statement because I’ve never even eaten Shorty’s in-store, I’ve only had it delivered from their 9th Avenue and 42nd St. location to my office on 6th Avenue and 51st St.. With at least 30 separate orders to my office over the past few months, the three avenue, 9 block trek hasn’t yielded one unsatisfied eater. If that’s not a true barometer for success, what is? Read on to find out why Shorty’s is so delicious.
NYC Food Guy’s not a buffet man, never has been, never will, unless Peter Luger’s decides to go middle America on us. If I am going to hit the buffet though, you better believe I’m going to East Buffet in Huntington Station, Long Island, where $35 (after tax and a 12% service charge) allows you to eat your weight in sushi, shrimp cocktail, steamed crab legs, and Peking duck.
But that’s just the beginning. With three massive buffet stations, a sushi bar, a wall of Korean BBQ, a raw seafood bar, and a wall of desserts, it can be overwhelming figuring out a plan of action. Enter King of Ketchup who’s eaten at East at least 15 times and has the buffet strategy down to a science.
Sunday is NYC Food Guy’s gluttony day. And what better way to invoke the 2nd of the seven deadly sins than with $28 all you can eat ribs at my favorite BBQ spot, Georgia’s Eastside BBQ. Why is it my favorite? Well aside from the meaty, fall-off-the-bone ribs, the service is great and it’s affordable. Since my first post they’re no longer offering unlimited sides with the all you can eat, something they tinkered with early on, but that shouldn’t matter because you’re here for a carnivorous feast and Baby Back Ribs are the star of the show.
The ribs- baked over beer between two cookie sheets before being tossed on the grill and sauced up- arrived hot, fall-off-the-bone, and very meaty. The skin was drier than usual so we asked for extra sauce, a mandatory move, regardless of skin quality. The fries were spot on, crispy and cooked fresh. Pass on the potato skins ($4), listed as a special, they arrived undercooked and underloaded. The cabbagey cole slaw is sweet and light, a nice “palate cleanser” as King of Ketchup called it. After the King and I polished off two racks of ribs each and paid our $64 bill, it was off to sugar Sweet sunshine for some of the city’s best Banana Pudding.
The key to great Banana Pudding is simple: 1) Balanced ratio of ripe banana to Nilla wafer and 2) rich, creamy pudding. sugar Sweet sunshine’s ratio favors the Nilla wafer, but it makes no difference, the pudding is so sweet and decadent, you’re forced to sit down in one of their comfy armchairs and enjoy the knee-buckling deliciousness. A $4 small cup is more than enough for two people. Their cupcakes are great as well, better than Magnolia’s. Go with the Ooey Goey (chocolate cake with dark chocolate almond buttercream frosting), it’s the co-owner Deb’s favorite.
Georgia’s Eastside BBQ 192 Orchard St. b/t Houston & Stanton New York, NY 10002 (212) 253-6280 sugar Sweet sunshine 126 Rivington St. near Norfolk St. New York, NY 10002 (212) 995-1960Unlike Dodger Dogs in Los Angeles, Chili Cheese Coneys in Cincinnati, or Garlic Fries in San Fran, Major League Baseball in New York is known more for its overpriced players than its overpriced stadium grub. Enter NYC Food Guy. I’m here to tell you that if you’re going to Shea Stadium the best bang for your buck may just be the $7 Nathan’s Chili Cheese Foot Long Hot Dog.
$7 for one hot dog is ridiculous, but this puppy is a meal. Beefy chili, artery clogging cheddar cheese sauce, and a plump, juicy dog (ask for a well done one). It’s obviously not as good as the Nathan’s in Coney Island, especially when it comes to the flimsy white bun, which collapsed under the weight of the dog and toppings. The dog is typical Nathan’s, not too snappy with a balanced flavor between garlic and beef. The chili is beefy and thin but works well with the overtly artificial cheese sauce, which was killing me slowly.
The fries ($5.00) are certainly Nathan’s style, but definitely not up to par. They’re never really crispy, even at the real Nathan’s, but most of the time at Shea they’re not only soggy but cold too. I’m a french fry addict, I have a hard time not getting them, but I will definitely pass on these next time I attend a Mets game and I suggest you do the same. Honorable mention to Leo’s Latticini (a.k.a Mama’s) Italian heroes which I hear are significantly better at the actual Corona, Queens store.
Wondee Siam was recommended to me after the Midtown Pork Drunken Noodle Showdown between Topaz and Pam Real Thai Encore. Pork Drunken Noodles (flat noodles sauteed with Thai Chiles and Basil) is my favorite Thai dish and I haven’t found anywhere that does it better than Topaz. I’m the NYC Food Guy, however, and I have an open mind, so it hurt me that much more when Wondee Siam showed up with two skimpy portions of Drunken Noodles ($8.50 each) filled with the most undesirable and out of place vegetables I’ve ever encountered in any Thai dish.
Cauliflower? Cabbage? Zucchini? What are these vegetables doing in my Drunken Noodles? They’re obviously there to make a severely small portion look heartier and to decorate the appearance of some extremely mediocre pork (tough and stringy). Overall, this dish was greasy, weak on flavor and spice, and a straight up rip off. I usually like to give places more than one chance to impress but Wondee Siam gave me NO REASON to return.
See the rest of my Drunken Noodle Tour here.
Wondee Siam 792 9th Ave b/t 52-53 St. New York, NY 10019
(212) 459-9057
Charcoal broiled Cheeseburgers remind me that summer grilling is on the way. There are few better thoughts.
This is the $4 cheeseburger from Carnegie John’s street cart on 56th near 7th Avenue and it’s delicious. First it’s griddled, then charcoal-grilled, then put back on the griddle before being covered in American cheese, shredded lettuce, and tomato. It’s a two-hand burger and it’s only $4. Go pick one up and eat it outside. Read on for Carnegie John’s other go-to option for a cheap and tasty lunch…
NYC Food Guy loves nothing more than ending a night on the town with a delicious meal. Everyone has their late night pizza spot or diner, but sometimes you need to think bigger and better. I’m here to make that very easy for you by shedding light on places that stay open past bedtime or way past last call.
When you talk about Midtown Thai, there is no hands down go-to spot. Everyone has their individual favorites because everyone’s definition of great Thai varies. NYC Food Guy has been in the process of paring down the competition by eating one of only two dishes at every place: Pad Thai with Chicken and the Dish of the Day Drunken Noodles (Pad Key Mao) with Pork. This is New York and there’s no better way to determine who’s best than by pitting two places together in a head-to-head fight to the death. In other words, an NYC Food Guy Showdown! There will be a lot more of these, but what better to debut with than a fiery Drunken Noodles battle royale?
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