Beauty & The Beast

10 oz. Prime Burger ($15.95, served at lunch only) with cheddar, lettuce, tomato & onion

Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steak House

If you’re looking to eat a beast of a burger in a beautiful atmosphere, Del Frisco’s burger is for you.  The burger arrived topped with sharp cheddar and complementary sugar-cured bacon which had been slow-cooked 4 hours.  The slightly-sweet bun was lightly toasted but remained airy and soft.

As a steak house burger, the sweet flavor of the beef shined through foremost, so much so that ketchup isn’t really necessary.   The fresh-tasting 10 ounce patty arrived a perfectly cooked to order medium rare but the slow-cooked bacon stole the show. It was incredibly savory and melted in your mouth, some of the finest bacon I’ve tasted.

The mildly sharp cheddar offered a flavor that didn’t meld with the clean-tasting burger.  The bun also had issues,  it was too flimsy to stand up to the juiciness of a burger this size.  As you can see below, the burger overtook the bun resulting in final bites that were all burger and no bread.

At $11.95 per order, the onion rings are sweet and crispy but unnecessary.  They failed to enhance the burger when placed on top and eaten in the sandwich and they stole valuable stomach space.  The homemade potato chips were similarly defeating, arriving room temperature and lacking any purpose of flavor.  Steer clear of both, in addition to the complementary bread offered at the beginning of the meal, if you want to get your moneys worth with the burger.

The Australian Burger

Whaleys ($12.50) Premium ground beef, tomato, lettuce, beet, pineapple, fried egg, ketchup

Bronte ($11) Premium ground beef, tomato, lettuce, sweet chili, mayo, cheese

Ruby’s Cafe & Bar

This easy-to-miss, 4-table Australian bar and cafe offers 5 types of burgers, two with chicken breast, in addition to some interesting pastas, paninis, salads and breakfast until 1pm.  No French fries or chips are offered.  The Whaleys, seen below, is the most unique burger on the menu but it’s diverse ingredients didn’t create any harmony around the meatloaf-like burger.

More aptly described as a massive meat sandwich, the Whaleys arrives on a crisp but untoasted ciabatta roll which hardly hugs the cumbersome ingredients.  It’s awkward texturally and poorly constructed, the entire sandwiched dominated by the sweetness of the pineapple and ketchup cut against the garlicky beef patty. The overcooked fried egg repelled from the burger and the cold beets, tomato and pineapple continued to detract from the overall unity.  Only the accompanying mixed greens salad dressed in a savory balsamic vinaigrette shined.

The Bronte burger (below), made famous at Kingswood, another Australian restaurant owned by Ruby’s proprietors, was more in tune overall.  Sweet chili sauce and mayo rest atop two slices of melted Swiss cheese which keeps the burger tied to the ciabatta.  I recommend this burger, which may be better as a chicken breast sandwich, over the Whaleys.

If I return to Ruby’s, it would be to pair a non-burger offering with one of their three Australian beers: James Boag, Coopers and Lucky.  Lucky ($7), which comes in a Buddha shaped bottle, was delicious, reminiscent of a lighter, more bubbly Red Stripe.

The Heart-Stopper

Chili Bacon Cheeseburger ($16)

Great Jones Cafe

My first impression: “Wow, I am a carnivore.”  This meat-lover’s burger, served in the cozy, dimly lit confines of this friendly bar and restaurant delivers 3 slices of well-crisped bacon and a light coating of “Mission” beef chili (beef, red beans, celery) crowned atop a massive, griddled beef patty.  It’s all sandwiched between an airy yet sturdy bun from Parisi bakery, the top half of which a healthy amount of cheddar is melted upon.

Overall this massive burger lacked the flavor punch one would hope for.  The juicy yet slightly overcooked burger would have benefited from a nice charbroiling, the flavor of smoke and fire would have added some much needed depth.  The bacon was superfluous, hearty but standard.  The “Mission” beef chili, one of a rotating menu of chili, was mild and thin.  After failing to create the spice I desired by adding some El Yucateco habanero hot sauce, I requested some chopped green jalapenos to add onto the burger.  The flavor of the peppers was a nice touch, but the spicy bite I desired to complement the sweetness of the bun, was missing.

Opt for the sweet potato fries, some of the best I’ve had, over the hand-cut fries below.  The sweet potato fries cut through the saltiness of the chili cheese burger but the heavily-salted regular hand-cut fries, made from a darker potato than your standard Idaho, didn’t complement the burger quite as well.   They would, however, make a great base for chili cheese fries.

I’d just as soon return to Great Jones Cafe to drink as I would to sample some of their other reasonably priced home-cooked offerings such as the Barbque Ribs or the Garlic Shrimp Sautee. A new menu of daily specials accompanies the quality beer menu, which during Happy Hour (5-7PM Daily) allows you to enjoy a $3 pint while listening to Bluegrass on the old school jukebox.

$17 Worth of food and the hand cut fries were the best part.

A sleek interior can’t mask misguided grub.

When It Comes To Charbroiled Chicken, More is Less

Look at that beautiful chicken being cooked over an open wood-fired flame. So much promise. So much potential. The name Cookout Grill implies simple food prepared cookout style. When it comes to the chicken, they’ve got the right idea with the cooking, it’s just the preparation where they took a wrong turn.

Whereas Chirping Chicken’s great for its simplicity, its charbroiled birds are prepared with nothing more than chicken fat, garlic and salt, Cookout Grill gets a little trigger happy. They employ a spice rub containing garlic, oregano, rosemary, a special salt, pepper, prunes (for color), and most offensively, Indian yellow curry powder. The chicken marinates in this concoction for 2 days before being roasted over burning wood. I went with the 1/4 dark meat chicken with corn bread and sauce ($5.50).

The first bite was surprising but not in a good way. I detected the unwelcome yellow curry almost immediately. It didn’t grow on me as I continued eating and I felt duped. Indian curry is not a flavor your sneak into a chicken rub. I say sneak because it’s a dominant flavor; not oppressively so, but enough to be the main flavor of each bite. If I wanted curry, I’d go for Indian food.

The chicken was tender, fatty and moist, what you’d expect from dark meat. The “sauce” contained chopped carrot, red onion, tomato and cucumber in a light vinegar dressing. It didn’t add much but the room temperature cornbread was light and sweet. Unfortunately, the curry was an issue for me. I came for the flavors of a cookout, something the burger delivered but the chicken missed…

Here’s the Beef But Where’s the Love?

I’ll give Cookout Grill credit for two things when it comes to their burger: One, at a half pound, it’s a big burger. Two, it’s cooked over an open flame. That’s where the love ends from NYC Food Guy and apparently that’s where it ends at Cookout Grill too.

The sign out front of the restaurant advertises “never frozen meat.” Well if that’s the case, let us enjoy the use of fresh beef instead of smushing the life out of the burger, leaving a little pink and no juice for my medium rare. My 1/2 pound cheeseburger ($7.99 + $3.00 for lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, cole slaw, a side of your choice and a soda) looked great upon first slice. It was pretty much all downhill from there. American cheese was low quality and the bun was standard cafeteria fare, making the standalone cheeseburger very unworthy of its $7.99 price tag.

It seems like their was no attention to grill work. The burger was flattened and charred around the edges. Although it embodied the cookout flavor, it lacked any real beefiness. Burger purists will argue that I can expect no less with the amount of ketchup I put on. Ordinarily I wouldn’t acknowledge their statement because Heinz ketchup is heaven in a bottle. Unfortunately at Cookout Grill, we were dealing with an impostor…

Ketchup Blasphemy

I know Heinz ketchup when I taste it and this was no Heinz. Despite the appearance of Heinz bottles on every table at Cookout Grill, there was an impostor in our company and its name was Hunt’s. I should have known from the start when I spied packets of Hunt’s ketchup behind the counter. But the gig was up as soon as fry struck ketchup. This brand of treachery is reason enough for me to never return to Cookout Grill.

A Cookout Up In Smoke

If you’re going to bill yourself as Cookout Grill, keep it simple and keep it affordable. The crispy, hand-cut fries were the only saving grace for the $11 burger platter. As for the chicken, I admire the initiative to try something new in regard to the curry spice mix, but it just didn’t work. It’s peculiar to me that so much effort would be put into the chicken but so little into the burger. A better bun, higher quality cheese and grill regulation could put this burger near the top of the East Village food chain. Cookout Grill is exerting effort in all the wrong places; pretentious chicken and underwhelming burgers can’t be masked by a flashy atmosphere.

Cookout Grill

• What: While the beef is almost as delicious as Burger Joint’s, Goodburger offers all the toppings you wish the Burger Joint had. Thanks to Lil NYC Food Guy, I discovered the pleasure of a char-grilled cheeseburger (white & yellow cheddar standard), cooked to order, and covered in crisp bacon and sweet, crispy onions. The toasted bun and shoestring fries are standard, letting the burger take center stage.
• Cost: $9.00 (Cheeseburger $6.75, Bacon $1.75, Crispy Onions $.50)
• Where: 4 Locations in Manhattan
  
• Website: http://goodburgerny.com/
• Inside info: The bacon and onions were plentiful but tasted pre-cooked.

Read on for the answer to that question plus a review of the Fried Calamari with Harissa mayo ($13) and the Grilled Chicken Paillard ( $18 ).

For an extra dollar, Gruyere cheese was draped over my sirloin hamburger. Unfortunately, the cheese didn’t do anything to enhance the overall bland flavor of the entire sandwich. The coarsely grilled burger had a nice charred flavor and a crisp exterior but it was masked by the sharpness of the Gruyere and the overwhelmingly viscous nature of the runny egg yolk.

This was the richest, greasiest burger I’ve ever had. It was a total slop fest. I needed every bit of the airy brioche to mop up the fry & burger grease and runny egg yolk all over my fingers. I realize Gruyere is a richer cheese than cheddar or American, but I don’t think anything could prevent the food coma that ensued after I disposed of this entire burger.  I won’t be getting a burger with a fried egg again any time soon, I’ll stick with bacon and cheese when it comes to clogging my arteries.  That doesn’t mean I won’t get a fried egg on my bacon wrapped hot dog at Crif Dogs.

I’ve had this burger once before, with just cheese, and after two tries, I’m still not impressed. For the $15 basic price tag, I’d go to Brooklyn Diner over Pastis any day of the week.

Fries

The fries were superb, however. Light, wafery, crisp and highly addictive. Just what I’d hoped for at a French bistro. Unfortunately, as you’ll read below, the other fried food didn’t fare as well.

Fried Calamari

The fried calamari ($13) tasted like Outback’s Bloomin’ Onion, equally salty but fortunately not as greasy. The harissa mayo had a barely detectable level of spice and did nothing to enhance the calamari. The bread we were given was better with the marinara sauce than the calamari.

Grilled Chicken Paillard

The Grilled Chicken Paillard ( $18 ) featured frisee, spinach, shallots and cherry tomato. The grilled chicken was overwhelmed by the flavor of fire from the grill, no other spices were detectable. It all boiled down to an unsubstantial hot salad. Brutal. The chicken honestly tasted better when dipped in ketchup. I’d steer clear of this dish.

In the end, after trying Pastis’ burger twice, I can honestly say it’s not good enough to warrant a return. If I end up in the neighborhood, however, and I’m looking for a bite late, it’s good to know Pastis will be serving until around 2AM Thursday and 3AM Friday and Saturday.

Pastis

Harriet’s burger is a huge flame grilled patty broiled to perfection and covered with copious amounts of melted American cheese, grilled bacon and thinly sliced, sweet sauteed onions which have been simmering in a tin over the grill.

It’s accompanied by thin yet hearty skin-on double-fried french fries which turn out crispy and dangerously delicious after emerging from the deep fryer.

The seeded bun is lightly toasted and standard but its chewy and hearty enough to withstand the juice from the massive burger patty.

$10.02 will get you a monster flame-broiled burger covered in cheese, bacon and sauteed onions and accompanied by delicious fries, lettuce, tomato, and a pickle spear.

Harriet’s Kitchen

The “no fries” issue is one that’s addressed on the back of Island Burgers’ menu. Lack of funds initially prevented the existence of a deep fryer, but as time went on and funds increased, there wasn’t even room for a fryer or an expansion. Instead Island Burgers offers Dirty Potato Chips and “Real Big Baked Potatoes”. I haven’t tried either, instead I grabbed some fries from Ted’s Montana Grill, near my office.

The Tijuana burger is a beast.

• The flame grilled burger arrived warm despite delivery from 9th Avenue to 6th Avenue.
• Jack Cheese arrived melty but not spicy. I like to see some jalapenos in my jack cheese.
• Bacon was crisp but portion was lacking. I counted two big strips. I need at least three or four on a burger like this to give the bacon the flavor presence it deserves.
• The guacamole was creamy and fresh. The cilantro didn’t overpower the burger as one might imagine.
• The sauteed onions, which tasted like they’d been sprinkled with Cajun seasoning, weren’t crispy at all and soggied up the top bun almost halfway through. I could do without these if they’re not going to be crispy.

The beef wasn’t very flavorful on its own, but it possessed a nice outer char and it was loosely packed, fatty, and cooked to order.

Conclusion

• Since the burger was so loosely packed, the nice outer char was essential. It was tasty and really held the entire thing together.
• The best method of attack was cutting it in half.
• The bun was fluffy but not airy, it had some well-needed structure which helped absorb the moisture of the onions, guacamole, and burger patty.
• The no fries was an annoyance because I had to coordinate the timing of getting fries from somewhere else and the arrival of my burger delivery. Maybe next time I’ll just try a classic baked potato ($5) with bacon, butter, sour cream, cheddar, and chives.
• I’ve heard good things about their namesake shakes but at $4.75 each, I was hesitant to get it by delivery. If I have the chance to eat at Island Burgers, I’ll definitely check it out.

Island Burgers & Shakes

On Sundays and Mondays $17 gets you a Stella Artois and ALL YOU CAN EAT MUSSELS (they offer 6 varieties). Buyer beware, Anthony Bourdain says Sunday & Monday are the worst days to eat restaurant seafood. Service was great, very patient, but I’d sooner return for one of their 12 rotating Belgian beers than for a burger.

This bad boy must have had at least 4 thick slices of American Cheese on it because it was the dominant flavor throughout the burger. This would be fine if the cheese was a little more well done. It did make for some good bacon/cheese bites, however, especially when there was no burger left between the buns.

I went with a $6 glass of Ommegang Witte. It was light, crisp, and tasty. It made for some quality post-meal burps. Sorry ladies. It’s also brewed in Cooperstown, New York, home of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. And as a huge baseball fan, I’ll admit this was a selling point for me. BXL’s menu describes the Ommegang as: “Belgian-style white ale brewed with orange peel and coriander. Hazy, unfiltered wheat beer. Light and refreshing.” For the laymen, Blue Moon is a similar white ale, albeit a less crisp and refreshing one.

BXL

If you haven’t been to Burger Joint yet, you’re definitely in the minority. I can’t remember the last time I made a move for one of their juicy, flame-broiled beef shoulder cheeseburgers and wasn’t greeted by a line snaking out the doorway.

What I love about the Joint is their no frills attitude towards burgers. These tender, crumbly patties draped in yellow and white cheddar are always cooked to order and come with the works: Lettuce, tomato, sliced red onion, pickles, mayo, ketchup, and dijon mustard. If you want something different, you better be ready because Burger Joint moves fast. The fries are McDonald’s style but they put the fast food mogul to shame. They’re always crisp and piping hot and there’s something about fried food in a paper bag that just makes my mouth water. Unfortunately, the fries take a big hit if you don’t eat them immediately, so get to work.

Burger Joint is inside Le Parker Meridien Hotel. You can enter on either 56th or 57th street between 6th & 7th Avenue. People call it “secret” and “hidden” because if there’s no line, you probably wouldn’t even know the Joint was there. In these cases, look for the neon cheeseburger down the small hallway directly to the right of the hotel’s front desk and you’ll see exactly where to go.

Here’s the scene that will greet you once you’re inside.

Start deciphering the menu now so you know exactly what you want. Burger Joint wants to make this easy for you but if you’re stumbling they’ll just ask the person behind you.

The whole place is no bigger than a Manhattan studio apartment and seating is pretty hard to come by.

There’s nothing like eating these burgers and fries while they’re still fresh and hot, that’s why you need to know how to get a seat.

My no-fail method for a seat is simple but takes some practice and some New York City guile.

1. As soon as you walk through the doorway take notice of who’s at least halfway through their meal. Politely ask these patrons if you can have their table when they’re finished.
2. Add in a little “this place is nuts, do what you gotta do” statement with a smile and get them on your side, that way they’ll hopefully look for you if you’re not on the ball as they get up and leave.
3. That won’t happen though because you’ll be watching them out of the corner of your eye like a hawk and as soon as they depart, you drop your hat or jacket or even one of your shoes, anything to claim that table as yours until you’re ready to eat.

What makes these burgers so delicious?

4 simple concepts have proven why Burger Joint has never disappointed:

1. Fresh Cooked
2. Flame Broiled
3. 2 varieties of cheddar Melted under the broiler
4. Loosely packed, fatty patties

So how do you beat the line?

• Simple, call in your order before you arrive. Here’s the number: 212-708-7414. Put it in your phone right now.
• When you get there, you walk to the front, tell them your name and you get to skip the entire line. It has never failed.

More essentials:

• It’s cash only so bring at least $13 for a cheeseburger ($7.50), shoestring fries in a brown paper bag ($3.50), and a soda ($2.00).
• I’d consider passing on the soda in lieu of a $5 Sam Adams Boston Lager on Tap, served in an appropriately casual plastic cup. It definitely makes the wait a little less grating. Get there now and share the glory.

Burger Joint

Cigarette-smoking finance workers greeted me as I entered The Volstead. I immediately thought I was in for a pretentious and expensive night. And while $7 Heinekens and $10 glasses of Chardonnay uphold the expensive concept, the eating experience turned out to be relaxed and affordable thanks to the diverse offering of small plates which weren’t very small at all.

We started with Buffalo Chicken Pops ($11), Fried Mac & Cheese Pops ($10), and Hummus with Olives and Warm Flatbread ($10).

You can skip both varieties of pops. The Chicken reminded me of elementary school cafeteria nuggets while the Buffalo sauce tasted buttery and cheesy without even a hint of spice. The Fried Mac & Cheese Pops were generic and bland, a waste of stomach space, especially considering how delicious the Hummus was.

The large portion size of the Hummus really validates its $10 price tag. A drizzle of olive oil melded perfectly with the flavors of the chick peas, cumin, and lemon, the last of which subtly shone through every bite. An extra portion of flatbread ($1) nearly got us through the entire bowl.

The Sliced Steak with Creamed Spinach ($19) was also well worth the price. Drops of horseradish mayo crowned thin slices of medium rare char-broiled steak resting on top of twenty pieces of toasted French bread smeared with creamed spinach. These one-bite beauties were delicious. The steak was tender and flavorful, and the bread was addictively crisp.

Unbeknownst to me, while awaiting my bacon cheeseburger, my friend ordered the Grilled Pizza of the day ($11). The long rectangular pizza may have been the most delicious appetizer of all. Each of the 10 rectangluar slices was crisp on the edges and soft in the middle and covered with chopped tomato, garlic, fresh basil, and fresh mozzarella.

If I knew how light, fresh and delicious the pizza was, I’d have ordered it as an entree instead of the Bacon Cheeseburger ($12.00 with cheese + $1 for bacon).

Although grilled over an open flame before being tossed into the oven to melt the cheese, this burger took a hit as a result of the bready, untoasted brioche bun. I’ve come to the conclusion that only the finest brioches do not need to be buttered and grilled. Mediocre brioche like this masks the flavor of the other ingredients.

I ordered the burger medium rare and it arrived closer to medium. The bacon was crisp, as ordered, but tasted like it had been hanging around for a while. The cheddar was bland and didn’t add any flavor, I’d opt for Monterey Jack. The burger is served with shredded Romaine lettuce and three slices of tomato sprinkled with salt and pepper. This odd spicing made the burger very salty so if you order bacon make sure you ask for no salt and pepper on your burger. The fries, served in a paper cone, were crispy and piping hot but of the generic skin on variety, nothing to make a fuss over despite their frites-like plating. During the 2nd half of my burger, I took off the lettuce and tomato and mixed a little mayo into my ketchup for an impromptu Russian dressing which complemented the burger well. In hindsight, I’d skip this burger next time in lieu of sharing the pizza, hummus, and sliced steak and so I could leave room for…

The Milk Chocolate Fondue ($14)!

This was by far the prize of the meal. The chocolate was warm and not overly sweet, leaving room for the Rice Krispy treats, pound cake, and fudgy marble cake to take over in the sugar department. Every side offering was fresh and delicious. If you’re smart you’ll take my pairing advice while dipping…

1. Pair the Rice Krispy treat with the sliced banana
2. Pair the Fudgy Marble Cake with the Sliced Strawberry

Dip, eat and enjoy!

Dinner and two drinks for 6 people ended up costing $45 each including tip, reasonable for a birthday celebration in Midtown, especially considering the wide array of delicious food each of us filled up on.

According to NYMag.com, The Volstead is the latest venture from the operators behind Tribe, Vig 27, Punch and Judy, and PS 450, so you have an idea of what you can expect. I was at The Volstead on a Thursday night. It was crowded with attractive and young professional men and women. Loud music blared from the speakers while the Yankees game was displayed on two flat screen TVs over the long, narrow bar. The remainder of the basement lounge/restaurant’s open space features tables, couches and a private room for small gatherings. I wouldn’t recommend The Volstead for a first date, it’s too loud for potentially uncomfortable conversation. The Volstead shines, however, when you’re with a group of people and you can share a multitude of small plates while enjoying good music and a casual atmosphere.

Dinner Menu

The Volstead

]]> http://nycfoodguy.com/2008/05/06/the-volsteads-milk-chocolate-fondue-is-awesome/feed/ 19 http://nycfoodguy.com/2008/04/18/nyc-food-guy-recommends-cheap-late-night-eats/ http://nycfoodguy.com/2008/04/18/nyc-food-guy-recommends-cheap-late-night-eats/#comments Fri, 18 Apr 2008 23:48:43 +0000 The NYC Food Guy http://nyceats.wordpress.com/?p=738 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.

Taco Time All Over Manhattan

Super Tacos

Open until 2:30am ($2.00/taco)

This truck is parked on the corner of 96th and Broadway. I recommend the Al Pastor tacos (photos). Freshly grilled sliced pork, spiced up and mixed with grilled onion and pineapple and sprinkled with lettuce and cilantro and a slice of tomato. Delicious with some of the spicy green tomatillo sauce. No where else on the UWS can you get this caliber Mexican at this hour. A lot of Latin American people ordered Tortas (mexican sandwiches) while I was there, so I take that as a good sign, though I haven’t tried it myself.

Zaragoza

Open until 4AM Friday and Saturday ($2.00/taco)

This unassuming hole in the wall Mexican grocery serves up some awesome homemade tacos that vary depending on what was most recently cooked. The advantage is you always know you’re eating something fresh, the disadvantage is that you don’t know if your favorite taco will be present. If the chipotle chicken (pictured) is there, absolutely go for it. I’ve read good things about the lamb taco but can’t vouch. I saw them making a burrito when I was there and it was massive and cheap. Wash it all down with a watermelon Jarritos (a candy-like and delicious Mexican soda).

San Loco

Open until 4AM weekdays and 5AM weekends

What this place lacks in quality they make up for with the biggest menu of all four of these places. Prices are a little higher than the trucks but having your pick of the litter makes up for it. Unfortunately, nothing is really great. The chipotle chicken is better than the regular, it’s spicy and moist, although it’s of the stewed variety, not grilled or shredded. The ground beef is standard and boring (taco pictured). Good guacamole and chips, however. The hot sauces and salsa are ordinary, go with some pico de gallo. I recommend a Queso Loco taco (pictured with chipotle chicken), a warm tortilla with melted cheese wrapped around a hard shell taco, with filling of your choice ($3.70 with chicken, price varies according to filling).

El Idolo

Open from 9:30PM to 5:30AM (No taco more than $2.50)

I’ve only eaten at this taco truck once but from what I remember, it was seriously delicious. I’m a pork man so I recommend the al pastor (pictured in 1st 2 photos). It was piping hot, spicy, and sprinkled with cilantro and lettuce. I don’t recall pineapple though it’s a bit hazy. It’s not as flavorful as Super Taco’s al pastor but its damn good when you add some of the fiery red hot sauce. The bistec taco (3rd photo, left taco) was nothing special so I’d pass on that. Same with the standard pork taco (3rd photo, right taco), which was equally mundane. When you’re ready for dessert walk up to 7th avenue and hit the Donut Pub.

24-Hour Donuts The Way They’re Meant to Be Done

The Donut Pub (More Delicious Desserts Here)

Open 24 Hours!!! (donuts $1.10, eclairs $1.20, coffee rolls $1.85)

Forget Dunkin Donuts, this 24 hour spot is an old school New York relic. It defines what a Donut Shop should be. Cheap homemade donuts, a big long counter lined with stools, and cheap coffee in styrofoam cups. I recommend the Glazed Chocolate Donut with Coconut. It’s sweet, slightly crisp on the outside, airy on the inside, and absolutely delicious. This place is so great even their crullers look appetizing and I hate crullers.

UWS Chinese/Thai/Japanese All in One Place

Empire (Menu Pages menu)

Open until 2AM 7 days a week

I haven’t eaten at this restaurant on 100th and Broadway but all I know is they’re open until 2AM seven days a week and they offer Chinese, Japanese, and Thai food. It’s a nice looking restaurant not a divey takeout spot and IT’S OPEN UNTIL 2AM EVERY NIGHT. Where else are you getting this on the UWS? It’s simple, you’re not. Check it out and let me know how it goes.

Diners on Steroids

Big Nick’s

24 Hours/7 Days A Week

When I say “Diners on Steroids”, Big Nick’s defines the term. This place has what seems like a 50-page menu with everything you could possibly imagine served at every hour of the day. If that’s not enough, they also make pizza and it’s not diner pizza, its good pizza, not just at 5AM. The Big Nick’s on Columbus and 71st Street is unrelated and not as good.

While I wouldn’t recommend the Beef Stroganoff, you’re pretty safe going with anything greasy or fried from burgers, to grilled cheeses, to cheesesteaks, to chicken parm heroes. My standard order is a Large Cheese pie ($15.00) (sprinkled with fresh basil) and an order of spicy waffle fries ($3.75). The burgers are big and flame-grilled. I like getting a grilled chicken, bacon, and cheddar sandwich on a toasted hero. Deluxe-ing a sandwich isn’t really worth it because you only get about 10 steak fries and one or two spicy waffle, just go regular sandwich and order an extra side of fries. Delivery is efficient but takes at least 45 minutes. Be ready to order when you call because these guys have no time for BS.

Big Daddy’s Diner (Full NYC Food Guy review)

Union Square location 24 hours on Friday and Saturday

UES location open until 12AM Friday and Saturday

This place is all kitsch but they serve tater tots, which are cool, and they embody the “steroids” label. The “What about Bob?” ($8.92) is an egg sandwich with bacon, melted jalapeno jack cheese, and home fries all on the sandwich (pictured left). “Daddy’s Famous Bake’n Cakes” ($9.96) are hot buttered pancakes with strips of bacon mixed in. The Coffee Shop Grilled Three Cheese ($7.96) contains Cheddar, American, and Jalapeno Jack on the bread of your choice (pictured). It’s grease done right and it’s 24 hours. The only drawback is the intensely kitschy environment, loud music, and cheesy decorations. It’s sensory overload, so if you’re teetering on the border of hangover-ville and you need something stabilizing, this place may send you over the edge.

No Frills Grilled Bacon Cheeseburger Done Right

Veselka (Full NYC Food Guy Review)

Open 24 Hours/7 Days a Week

If you’re looking for a delicious flame-grilled burger, cooked to order, with a great bun, tasty bacon, and well-melted American cheese, then go to Veselka. It’s a Ukrainian diner with awesome pierogies and blintzes which also make great, albeit filling, appetizers. You’re here for the burger though, it’s simple and it saves you the trouble of thinking at 4AM because you know you’re getting something delicious.

The One Worthy Exception: A Carnivore’s dream

Katz’s Deli

Open Until 2AM Friday & Saturday

With that information in hand, look at that ridiculous photo (it’s two sandwiches) and read my review and you’ll understand why you must go there now, especially if you haven’t been yet. It’s a NY institution and it’s a carnivore’s dream.

Sarge’s Deli

Open 24 hours/7 Days a week

Kosher style deli on a larger and less expensive menu than Katz’s. Thick, crinkle cut fries, overstuffed turkey and pastrami sandwiches, breakfast all day, and a plethora of diner-style desserts. You can have it all here and you can have it any time of the day.

Cheap Beer, Free Hot Dogs, and an Outdoor Patio… Enough Said

Rudy’s Bar and Grill – Open 8am to 4am everyday

You’ve all seen this place on 9th Ave but never gone in. They’ve got the big plastic pig outside and the old school neon marquee. Rudy’s is the definition of old school dive bar: Torn red leather banquettes patched up with duct tape, an all black paint job, and only one beer with a cost higher than $4.00. If you’re smart you’ll stick with Rudy’s own brand of Red and Blonde beer ($3.00/$2.50 for pints, $9/$7 for pitchers). You can hang out back on the smoking patio when it’s nice out, but beware if you’re anti-cigarettes because this patio really lives up to its namesake.

The most hi-tech objects in the whole joint are the big screen TV up front, the jukebox on the back wall, and the hot dog machine which rolls Stahl-Meyer all beef hot dogs all night long. You can have as many dogs as you want for free! Need I say more? Places like this are what makes drinking fun.

53rd & 6th Halal Cart

Open from 7:30pm until 4AM

To answer your question, yes, this is the famous Halal Cart that has skyrocketed in popularity since Oprah supposedly mentioned eating there (cue requisite wise crack). And to answer your 2nd question, no, it’s not a transcendent experience. It’s good when you’re starving and probably even better when you’re drunk, but I’ve never really enjoyed “street meat”. The white sauce is tasty but rich, don’t use too much or you’ll feel sick and the hot sauce, served in containers no thicker than three stacked quarters, is ridiculously hot, so beware. My photo is of the $6 lamb/chicken platter. If you want a platter, skip the chicken it’s ordinary and tasteless. The lamb is where it’s at. Go for a sandwich if you’re looking for something less involved, but be careful, it’s a mess. Peel a tiny bit of the foil back everytime your ready for another bite. MOST IMPORTANTLY don’t be a fool and wait in the 3 hour line next to the Hilton, if you look right across the street from the cart, the same guys have another cart going and there’s rarely a long line. Check out the fan site here.

NYC Food Guy’s Amazing Creation – PIZZA BAGELS!!!

I told you you’d be kicking yourself for not thinking of this on your own. This is what you eat when nothing else is open and you can’t walk further than the corner bodega.

All you need is a bagel, some mozzarella cheese, and some tomato sauce. You can get a bagel at pretty much any bodega anywhere in the city, and no matter how far from morning-fresh they might be, they’ll be crisp and delicious after you’re done cooking. You can do this with English Muffins, rolls, and white bread if there’s no bagels around or if you’re really desperate. I got through my first two years of college on these bad boys so I stand behind them completely.

Here’s all you need to know:

1. Pre-heat oven or toaster oven to 400 degrees
2. Spread any kind of tomato sauce on two halves of a bagel, sprinkle with spices as desired
3. Place Mozzarella (or any other kind of cheese you can get your hands on) on top of sauce
4. Put uncooked pizza bagels on foil-lined baking sheet and place into oven for 20 minutes or until cheese is burnt on top
5. Wait a few minutes before you bite in, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve burned off the roof of my mouth with molten sauce since I couldn’t wait 5 minutes for the bagels to cool

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This is just the beginning of the madness. If you know NYC Food Guy at all, I’m on a constant search for the best in Cheap Eats so if I’ve missed any of your favorite places let me know. Leave a comment or email me at lawrence@nycfoodguy.com. Thanks and happy eating.