Michael White is a seriously high class Italian chef.  But now he is diverting his attention from octopus and bone marrow fusili to “Wisconsin style” pizza. And he’s doing it in my neighborhood, the East Village, which means it’s my obligation as a borderline pizza addict to sample some.  The best barometer for a new pizza place [...]

Posted in EAST VILLAGE, MANHATTAN, Nicoletta 11 Comments »

White meat chicken breast finally has a raison d’etre and it’s name is the Lebanese Pressed Chicken Sandwich ($10) at Porchetta. Just when you thought things couldn’t get any better at the porcine palace, Chef Sara Jenkins had to go and follow through on all the Lebanese food talk and create what is quite possibly the [...]

Posted in EAST VILLAGE, MANHATTAN, Porchetta 7 Comments »

Let’s get this straight right off the bat: There’s no pad thai or drunken noodles or pad see ew at Zabb Elee. In fact, you won’t find any dishes where noodles are the main component.  What you will find are a lot of fried and grilled fish and meat dishes with various dipping sauces and [...]

Posted in EAST VILLAGE, Zabb Elee Thai 2 Comments »

If you’ve ever wondered what the finest funnel cake would taste like topped with cheese and sauce instead of powdered sugar, this is it, only much, much better.  In order to achieve this state fair food gone deliciously wrong, Forcella’s owner and pizzaiola Giulio Adriani deep fries the stretched dough until almost cooked through. Then [...]

Posted in EAST VILLAGE, Forcella, MANHATTAN 8 Comments »

I used to hate hamburgers. Hard to believe, I know. As much as I love my mother, I sadly have to blame her. Growing up, her definition of the perfect burger was “the more burnt, the better.” Mom meant well – she’s a great cook, and amazingly, still getting better – but [...]

Posted in Brindle Room, EAST VILLAGE, MANHATTAN 11 Comments »

Peels is known for brunch, but since I refuse to wait for a table at brunch on weekends, I decided to give dinner a try. Unfortunately, the $7 side of Brussels sprouts was the most memorable part of my $100 meal for two.  I should have known that in this food-consumed city, if the [...]

Posted in EAST VILLAGE, MANHATTAN, Peels 11 Comments »

Bacon, egg and cheese; the old reliable of breakfast sandwiches. It’s always good but rarely exciting. You wouldn’t think removing the bacon from the triumvirate would change that but when you’re replacing it with a fried potato pancake and swapping out the standard Kaiser roll for fresh-baked challah, breakfast starts to look a [...]

Posted in B&H Vegetarian, EAST VILLAGE 8 Comments »

You wouldn’t know I was having a really satisfying meal by watching me. First you’d see a look of incredulity come over my face – eyes wide then quickly narrow – as I examine my first bite with a mix of suspicion and awe. After tasting, you might wonder why I’m shaking my [...]

Posted in EAST VILLAGE, Hot Kitchen 12 Comments »

If you’ve never had a dulce de leche cookie sandwich, also known as an alfajores in Spain and Latin America, now is the time. Thanks to East Village newcomer Zucker Bakery, you can get what I’m sure will be a regular fix for just $2 per bite-size cookie. And there will be a [...]

Posted in EAST VILLAGE, Zucker Bakery 14 Comments »

Zaitzeff is a family name. And their eponymous burger joints – three are scattered throughout Manhattan – bear the marks of a family establishment: friendly service and food, both full of personality. All burgers (Sirloin Quarter Pound, $9.25) are grass-fed and served on sweet, housemade toasted Portuguese buns; better than English muffins. Romaine, [...]

Posted in EAST VILLAGE, FINANCIAL DISTRICT, Zaitzeff Burger, Zaitzeff Burgers 5 Comments »

The great conundrum for every serious food lover: Do you reveal the little places you love at the risk of making it that much harder to get in yourself? Well life is about sacrifices, and fortunately for me, the biggest I’ve had to make are connected to this blog. Without further adieu, I reveal [...]

Posted in Dessert Club ChikaLicious, EAST VILLAGE 9 Comments »

When a man has family, he has food. Last night, I was running late for dinner, a fairly frequent occurrence for me. I consider it an inherent trait – a skill, if you will – meant simply to increase my appetite for the meal to come. Fortunately, my brother Craig, aka [...]

Posted in EAST VILLAGE, The Cardinal 11 Comments »

Through all my varied, sometimes indulgent, eating over the last three and a half years of NYC Food Guy’s existence, the meals that left the most lasting impression – no matter the cuisine – were comprised of fresh, flavorful ingredients allowed to shine in their near natural form.  Fresh, as it turns out, leaves you [...]

Posted in EAST VILLAGE, Northern Spy Food Co. 15 Comments »

The headline says it all.  Tallgrass Burger, a new burger joint in the old Elvie’s Turo Turo spot on 1st Avenue near 13th street, will open its doors to the East Village at some point today, likely mid-day.  And for the next few weeks, Tallgrass is enticing diners with a special: Buy one burger, get [...]

Posted in EAST VILLAGE, MANHATTAN, Tallgrass Burger 3 Comments »

For the last year or so, the New York City pizza conversation hasn’t strayed far from the same few places, justly showering praise on pizzerias like Motorino, Co, and Veloce.  What eaters have missed, however, is that Gnocco has been serving consistently delicious pies for at least 10 years.  Take the Tartufata pizza ($18.95), my [...]

Posted in EAST VILLAGE, Gnocco, MANHATTAN 6 Comments »