NYC Late Night Food: Specialty Sandwiches & Whole Wheat Honey Pancakes at Galaxy Diner in Hell’s Kitchen
February 17, 2009
I’m willing to cause controversy by declaring NYC’s best falafel, but when it comes to diners, there are so many in this city that it’s impossible to applaud only one as “the best.” But therein lies NYC Food Guy’s motivation to find diners that are a cut above the rest. Galaxy Diner, on 46th Street and 9th Avenue, is a great spot for late night dining thanks to their mouth-watering “specialty sandwich” menu and their walnut and strawberry-filled whole wheat honey pancakes. Read on for more food porn and a taste of some other delicious options.
French Dip ($10.95, +$1.00 for fried onions)
Roast beef with natural gravy on garlic bread with french fries, cole slaw & pickle
Fried onions arrived crispy as requested and fell out in strands from the garlic butter-adorned toasted Kaiser Roll. The fried onions are essential as the ordinary jus leaves the flavor of the fresh, well-stacked roast beef flat.
Fried onions are well worth the extra dollar and I’d consider spending even more for some melted mozzarella or provolone cheese. At one point I added a slice of a friend’s bacon to the sandwich but it didn’t really enhance.
Whole Wheat Honey Pancakes filled with strawberries and walnuts ($11.35)
$6.25 +$2.55 per topping
More dessert than breakfast, these light but cakey flapjacks certainly don’t conjure memories of whole wheat, especially once they’re spread with butter and syrup. The key is making sure to ask the waiter that your strawberries and walnuts are BAKED INTO the batter.
Juicy sliced strawberry and crunchy walnuts line the inside of the three nice size pancakes. This would be great to split if paired with another entree, but the portion is mangeable for one as well.
The Remaining “Specialty Sandwiches”
$10.95 each, deluxe (french fries, cole slaw & pickle) included
Balboa grilled roast beef smothered with Swiss cheese and fried onions
Shuttle Burger Deluxe 8 oz. beef burger on toasted bun with cheddar cheese, topped with chili and onions
Tuna or Patty Melt Deluxe with American, Swiss or meunster cheese on rye bread
Dynamic Duo open steamed corned beef & pastrami on toasted hero with melted Swiss
Steamed Corned Beef or Pastrami on Garlic Bread
Bar-B-Que House Special sliced beef with barbecue sauce on a roll
Reuben corned beef or pastrami with tangy sauerkraut and melted Swiss cheese, grilled on rye bread
House Special grilled Swiss cheese
February 17th, 2009 at 8:14 am
These are the types of places I miss when I am not in NY. It all looks really good. My stomach rumbled after reading this. Most of all, I want the pancakes!
February 17th, 2009 at 9:36 am
This is critical information, being just one block up from Rudy’s. Thanks!!
February 17th, 2009 at 10:03 am
wow…..mouthwatering no doubt, Im taking good notes of all the places Im reading here so the next time I go to NY I can try them all….I’ll probably try not to eat 5 days before going, so that way I’ll be able to have like 6 meals a day or more XD, naa but this is going to be a big dilemma
February 17th, 2009 at 4:24 pm
wow.. that roast beef san looks delish!
February 17th, 2009 at 5:47 pm
Wow! I have been on the hunt for a French dip sandwich in NYC…thanks for doing all the work for me. Yummmm
February 17th, 2009 at 6:22 pm
Hey, great article! Looks like I have another place added to my list!
February 17th, 2009 at 11:50 pm
Looks great, I must try this place sometime!
February 18th, 2009 at 1:43 am
FN,
Pancakes were pretty serious but I’d only swear by this place as a great late night spot, can’t speak for it as a crowded daytime place. It was pretty empty when I was here allowing the cooks to really focus on our food.
stevenp,
Amen to that brother. Rudy’s rocks.
miguel (spain-faicco connection),
Don’t eat for a month before you come and then when you do we’ll feast.
zeitgeisty,
Definitely a quality roast beef sandwich although the beef itself doesn’t wow, it’s really the combo of the beef with the onions, gravy and garlic bread.
fivefingerfeast,
I wouldn’t say this is the best. There’s definitely room for improvement especially when it comes to the actual beef but this is a good start, especially late night.
Alex Kirwan,
That’s what I like to hear. What’s on your to do list already?
Daniel Glaser,
If you do end up trying Galaxy, let me know how it goes.
February 18th, 2009 at 1:19 pm
How cooked is it? Doesn’t appear to be very rare..
February 20th, 2009 at 1:23 am
zeitgeisty,
The meat was cooked through. It was still tender but most of the juiciness came as a result of the jus. I would definitely prefer it rarer.
April 5th, 2009 at 10:12 am
Just went there yesterday, well I walked out so I did not eat a thing. Much to my disregard of all the people that said the staff was rude, I said to myself they need thicker skin. But that was not the case. My wife and i walk in, and we wait for ten minutes plenty of empty tables,
the young russian girl aka hostess???ha! walks over, first hangs up her cell phone her convo was more important. we go to sit down and she puts us in the corner where there wasa tree/plant and heat pole blocking half the table. clearly was not meant for two people, I asked if we could sit at the table next to us, she says what this not good, I say not its not, she being the immature being rolls her eyes like she is having a seizure. I asked if all was ok she just walks away.
as we order she looks again rolls the eyes then says to a waiter he cant sit in corner cuz he fat. being that I am5’9′ 180 pounds, far from fat.
I get and say your attitude sucks, you need to grow up. then she says why what I do. americans
I cant believe this happened all for no reason. I believe that if they changed the staff the palce business would go up 100%.