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

Galaxy Diner

Wisdom teaches us to stick with the food that made Veselka famous. The burger may be delicious, but read on to find out which three Ukrainian dishes NYC Food Guy always includes on a trip to Veselka…

Mushroom Barley Soup (Bowl $4.50, Cup $3.50)

I’d be hard pressed to name another first course that’s as simple, satisfying and hearty as Veselka’s mushroom barley soup. And this is coming from an eater who’s not a big fan of mushrooms and had never eaten mushroom barley soup prior to this Fall. Now I can’t even consider a meal at Veselka without ordering this soup as my starter or even my entire meal. After buttering and dipping the two pieces of thinly sliced chalah which accompany my bowl of soup (only one slice with a cup), I fall into a tunnel-like trance of soup induced euphoria, letting the hearty mixture of plump barley and finely chopped mushroom and carrot overtake my senses. Intense, I know. But there’s something amazing about the fact that I find such simple pleasure in a dish my Russian and Polish ancestors once ate. Such is the power food possesses.

Fried Potato Pierogies (4 for $5.75, 7 for $8.50)

If you enjoy knishes and you enjoy dumplings (fried or steamed), then you’ll enjoy pierogies. Seasonal specials join Veselka’s 7 standard varieties of pierogie, each served with a side of bitter sauteed onions, but I stick with the classic potato, fried not boiled, and pay an extra $0.50 for sour cream and apple sauce, dipping between the two, creating a delicious confluence of flavor between the sweet apple sauce, the rich sour cream and the peppery potato filling.

You can mix pierogie varieties to create your own sampler but I enjoy the slightly spicy potato because it contrasts the sweetness of the cheese blintze with raspberry sauce I always order.

Cheese Blintze with Raspberry Sauce

(1 for $6.50, 2 for $10.75)

Prior to trying Veselka’s cheese blintze, every blintze I’d tried looked more like a mini grilled burrito than the airy crepe-like creation Veselka offers.

The delicate, confectioners sugar-coated pancake gives way to a sweet farmers cheese filling which embodies a faint lemon flavor. The refreshingly tart raspberry sauce combines with the sweetness in the pancake and cheese filling to provide a deliciously balanced flavor. Spoil your taste buds by alternating bites of the raspberry-topped blintze with the sour cream and apple sauced-dipped peppery potato pierogies (say that 5 times fast).

Veselka’s Weekend Conundrum

A table can fetch a wait of 15-30 minutes on weekends stretching from breakfast until late afternoon. As a result, service can be a bit harried and soup arrives at the same time as pierogies and blintzes, thereby rushing the delicate flavor progression I’ve grown to love. The good thing is that Veselka is open 24 hours, seven days a week and aside from Saturday and Sunday, getting a table or a seat at the counter is usually a smooth venture.

Veselka (Pdf Menu)

Photo Courtesy: Youngna Park, NYMag.com

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.

Will NYC Food Guy return? Read on to find out…

The “What About Bob”-ness of this sandwich refers to the crazy nature of this concoction. In the end, it’s really not that wild. It doesn’t even include tots, they cost a $1 extra, bumping the overall price up to $9.92 for the plate above. Here’s what you’re looking at:

• Eggs scrambled with red pepper and ordinary home fries
• Covered in a healthy offering of slightly spicy Monterey Jack
• Topped with crispy bacon cooked to order
• Housed in a fluffy, slightly tough buttered roll that could have made the sandwich, but instead really did nothing to enhance it.

I’m a sucker for anything this greasy and disgusting but this fell short of my expectations.

• The home fries were predictably undercooked, maybe a big crispy hashbrown held to the eggs with cheese, would be better.
• The red pepper seemed out of place, adding nothing.
• The bread is having an identity crisis. The outer crust was vaguely ciabatta but the meat of it was Kaiser. An upgrade is absolutely necessary.

Onto the “Coffee Shop Grilled Cheese”, $7.96 plus $2 for tots, which is ridiculous to me. Here’s what you’re working with.

• Vermont Cheddar
• American Cheese
• A surprisingly spicy Jalapeno Jack

I love melted cheese, who doesn’t? The marble rye is a solid choice, but it’s just not hearty enough to handle the heft of three kinds of melted, gooey cheese. The cheese poured out all over. I need some thicker bread for a sandwich of this caliber and some bacon wouldn’t hurt either.

If you checked out Big Daddy’s website, it’s a sensory overload. The restaurant is the same. If you’re not ready to be bombarded with color and kitsch and a menu that’s truly diner on steroids then this is not the place for you.

Attention Drinkers: The Gramercy location of Big Daddy’s is open 24 hours on Friday & Saturday. The UES location closes at 12AM on weekends, proving why the UES is no fun.

So will NYC Food Guy return?

Yes and no. Yes I can see myself coming here weekends after a night on the town. Though it’s hard not going to Ziggiz. But no, I will never return here while sober again. It’s just too much to handle for a normal breakfast and for dinner it’s just a glorified Friday’s. There are too many good restaurants out there to waste a real meal on Big Daddy’s Diner.

Big Daddy’s Diner

My friends Lindsay and Teresa recommended the Chicken Pad Thai and the Turkey Burger, respectively, but NYC Food Guy doesn’t eat Turkey burgers. He eats Bacon Cheeseburgers, made of beef.

Despite Vynl’s admirable efforts, they came up big on glitz but fell short on delivery.

Both the bacon cheeseburger & the chicken pad Thai failed to impress. Find out why after the jump.

Thursday night I went for dinner at Vynl Hell’s Kitchen with a few friends. I ordered the 8 oz. Angus burger ($8.95) with bacon well done and cheddar cheese ($1.00/topping). It came served on a fluffy, slightly toasted brioche bun which tasted sweet but would have benefited from being grilled with a little butter. Beside the crunchy, hand-cut French fries sat a half-sour pickle spear, a pile of liquidy, boring coleslaw, and some lettuce, tomato, and raw red onion. Before I get to the specifics, let me tell you a bit more about the restaurant.

A Blogger on a mission, NYC Food Guy was firing questions at the waitress while making mental notes galore. The decorative motif of the restaurant is funky music. Reflective circle cut-outs resembling CDs enclosed our booth from the neighboring one. The menus came inside laminated 1970s and 80s record covers. I was given an Olivia Newton John “Soulkiss” album with Sandy from Grease looking quite sexy on the back cover. The rest of the place seemed like it was just trying really hard to be funky and cool. My two friends who recommended the place were both women in their 20s. So guys pay attention, despite NYC Food Guy’s disappointing visit, the woman in your life might like Vynl.

Let’s return to the matter at hand, the bacon cheeseburger.

My two friends Rocky and Spider also ordered burgers. Spider ordered his well done while Rocky and I went with medium rare, which came cooked to order and tasted like it was cooked on a flat griddle (which the waitress later confirmed for me). I didn’t use the lettuce or onion, but I had a nice looking slice of tomato, so I added that for texture; good move. Cheddar came melted well, but was quiet, upstaged by the bacon and beef. Fries came crunchy, as ordered, had some skin on them and were pretty tasty. Ketchup was served in a small silver cup and reserves were obviously requested.

I also ordered a Vanilla Egg Cream ($3.00)…

…which was tasty but broke from the traditional style: The Vanilla syrup contained pieces of vanilla bean in it but unlike most coffee shop egg creams, the seltzer was actually bubbly. Unfortunately, the vanilla bean as sweetener didn’t deliver the sugar rush I was hoping for. Coming soon on NYCFoodGuy.com: A list of the city’s best egg creams.

***The Downfall of it all was that my friend Rocky and I both felt pretty unsettled after we both ate our medium rare cheeseburgers. I initially thought the combo of the egg cream and burger made me feel slightly queasy, but Rocky, who drank water, was feeling the same way hours later. I didn’t get sick but haven’t spoken to Rocky yet.

NYC Food Guy can’t recommend the Vnyl cheeseburger at the Hell’s Kitchen branch after this experience.

Lindsay and Teresa were also in attendance and they ordered the Chicken Pad Thai ($10.95 w/chicken & tofu, $12.95 w/shrimp) from the Thai Specialties section, a potpourri of Asian dishes: Massaman Curry with peanut-coconut sauce and potatoes and onions served with jasmine rice and Sesame Chicken with honey sauce and broccoli ($11.50) are just two of the eight options you can find here.

Both girls were equally pleased but neither has much Pad Thai experience; NYC Food Guy does. This Pad Thai was bland, something I credit to a lack of chili paste. When I asked the waitress if you can order the Pad Thai spicy she said just add the chili sauce offered on the side, which I inferred meant minimal to zero chili paste in the actual dish. I could be wrong. Either way, I wouldn’t recommend it.

To wash down the Pad Thai, the girls ordered Watermelon Lemonade ($3.50). This is just lemonade with a spritz of watermelon juice. The sip I took was very tart and the lemon overpowered the watermelon. Lindsay enjoyed it but Teresa disliked it enough to exchange it for a Diet Coke. Again, no recommendation from NYC Food Guy.

You have to respect Vynl’s ambition. Where else can you go for a meal and have the option of getting a burger, Thai food, a respectable salad, a grilled tuna steak, macaroni and cheese, and meatloaf? Unfortunately, they missed the mark on two of those options during my visit, but they wouldn’t be in business if they weren’t doing something right.

Avoid the burger and pad thai and head for one of the interesting sandwiches like the Grilled Chicken Club ($8.95) with bacon, lettuce, tomato, basil, harissa mayo, and chili jam or the Vynl Grilled Chicken Sandwich ($8.95) with aioli, roasted peppers, arugula, and jack cheese, both served with homemade potato chips. If those fail and you really want to make Vynl work, just head for the breakfast because really, how bad can that be? In the end, NYC Food Guy won’t be going back to find out.

VYNL (4 locations)

1491 2nd Ave at 78th St.

(212) 249-6080

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754 9th Ave b/t 50th & 51st

(212) 974-2003

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507 Columbus Ave b/t 84th & 85th St.

(212) 362-1107

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102 8th Ave at 15th St.

(212) 400-2118