October 14, 2011
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 head in what looks like disagreement, eyes closed and directed at my plate; or why I’m groaning slightly and exhaling through pursed lips like I pulled a muscle. You wouldn’t know, until you hear a barely audible “wow,” that my mind and body is registering a life-changing experience; food has this power over me. You would have witnessed all of this had you joined me for a plate of the Mei Shan Beef ($14) at three-week old Hot Kitchen. Wispy curls of beef are fried and then sauteed, the edges crispy, the meat tender with a slight chew. The surface of each piece dotted with crushed Sichuan peppercorns and star anise, each bite more lip-numbing and fragrant than the last. One of the most praised dishes at RedFarm, the buzziest Chinese restaurant in Manhattan, is the “Spicy Crispy Beef.” Hot Kitchen’s Mei Shan Beef is the self-assured adult version, secure in its boldness. Ma Po tofu ($11), the barometer of a Szechuan chef’s dexterity, rises above mere staple, its cubes of tofu floating on a shallow lake of fire that would melt Nirvana’s Meat Puppets cover. For the rest of Hot Kitchen’s greatest hits, stick to what’s marked (by hand) on the menu in the restaurant.
Hot Kitchen Link 104 2nd Ave b/t 6th & 7th Street 212.228.3090
Posted in EAST VILLAGE, Hot Kitchen 
11 Comments »
October 11, 2011
All great sandwich makers hold a certain truth to be self-evident: success depends on ingredients and construction. Each layer of the sandwich must be fresh and placed in accordance with how it complements the next closest ingredient. Perfection in simplicity and creativity are equally hard to achieve but supremely valued when accomplished. Court Street Grocers is barely a year old, but their sandwiches reflect years of wisdom. The Delight ($10) achieves perfection by contrasting texture and flavor; toasted Orwasher’s pumpernickel, tender house corned short rib and melted muenster cheese provide a solid foundation for a sweet and tart salad of Gus’ full sour pickle chips and house made coleslaw and thousand island dressing. The thoughtful preparation is mirrored in CSG’s sourcing of local baked goods and regional food products (check out this impressive page), making it a general store that’s anything but general.
Court Street Grocers Link 485 Court Street at Nelson Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231 718-722-7229 Open Mon-Sat 8am-8pm, Sunday 8am-7pm
Posted in BROOKLYN, CARROLL GARDENS, Court Street Grocers 4 Comments »
October 10, 2011
In his best-selling book “Outliers,” Malcolm Gladwell writes that a person needs 10,000 hours of practice in order to be called a world-class expert in anything. It’s no wonder Gladwell sauntered into Red Farm for dinner late Thursday night; chef Joe Ng and partner Ed Schoenfeld must have well over 10,000 hours of practice preparing and eating Chinese food. Hopefully Gladwell didn’t miss out on my two favorite bites: the Kowloon filet mignon tarts ($8.50 for two) and the steamed pork and crab soup dumplings ($10 for 4). A piece of tender grilled beef glistens atop asparagus and a miso-filled tart, taunting you to eat it all in one bite. You’ll be wise to take only a small bite of the soup dumpling, one just big enough to slurp the soup from its delicate encasement. The intense flavor of the pork and crab is best experienced slowly, a spoonful of tart black vinegar beneath. 10,000 hours? It only took me one hour to realize the best soup dumplings in Manhattan are in the West Village.
RedFarm Link 529 Hudson Street near Charles Street, New York, NY 10014 Open Daily 5:30pm-Midnight (212) 792-9700
Posted in RedFarm, WEST VILLAGE 5 Comments »
October 6, 2011
Sure, fresh fruit and vegetables are great. But let’s be honest, the best thing to come out of the recent farmer’s market surge are the fresh-baked desserts. Take the cinnamon and sugar-coated apple cider donuts from Prospect Hill Orchards. I can’t walk by without purchasing at least six of these ($4); they’re fresh, delicate yet dense and small enough to eat two or three without feeling guilty. The small apple pies (price TBD) are also excellent, especially if you reheat it and pair it with vanilla ice cream. You can find these fresh-baked treats Thursday and Saturday only at the Tucker Square farmer’s market at Columbus Avenue and 66th street.
Tucker Greenmarket Link Columbus Avenue at 66th Street, New York, NY 10023 Open Thursdays and Saturdays, year-round 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Prospect Hill Orchards Link
Posted in Tucker Greenmarket, UPPER WEST SIDE 2 Comments »
October 5, 2011
Just in case you forgot, one of New York City’s best roast beef sandwiches is alive and well in Murray Hill. Defonte’s knows that great sandwiches start with great construction. The bottom half of a Brooklyn-baked hero roll is topped with thin slices of fried eggplant, house made fresh mozzarella and rare, machine-sliced house made roast beef. The top half of the hero roll is then held at an angle as hot jus is carefully ladled on. The result is a sandwich that maintains its textural contrast – juicy, fatty, creamy, crispy – and allows each of its ingredients to shine. I like to order my #20 with a side of spicy mustard. You can also ask for it on garlic bread if available. Defonte’s is open seven days a week – it used to be closed Sunday – so now there’s no excuses.
Defonte’s of Brooklyn Link 261 3rd Avenue at 21st Street New York, NY 10010 212-614-1500 Open Daily until 5pm
Posted in Defonte's of Brooklyn, MURRAY HILL/GRAMERCY 3 Comments »
October 4, 2011
I love coconut desserts, but there aren’t many noteworthy options in Manhattan. That’s why I jumped at Smith and Wollensky’s coconut layer cake. Considering the massive slice of cake – topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and served with a curl of crispy shortbread cookie – the $10 price tag is fairly reasonable for a Manhattan steakhouse. Unfortunately, bigger does not equal better. The citrus-flavored rum sauce beneath the cake felt out of place and I was disappointed by the standard frosting and lack of coconut between the layers of soft cake. It wasn’t a bad dessert, it just didn’t make me weak at the knees. Save your space for steak and lobster.
Smith and Wollensky’s Link 49th Street & 3rd Avenue New York, NY 10022 (212) 753-1530 Open Daily for Lunch Monday – Friday at 11:45am, Dinner 7 nights per week 7pm-11pm, Wollensky’s Grill open 11:30am-2am daily
Posted in MIDTOWN EAST, Smith and Wollensky's 8 Comments »
October 3, 2011
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 lot of bites, because these buttery cookie sandwiches are held together by chewy caramel and rolled in coconut. Eat them with your morning coffee (Zucker serves Stumptown), as a mid-afternoon snack or post-dinner dessert. Whatever you do, don’t waste any more time, these may be the best bite-sized desserts in the East Village.
Zucker Bakery, 433 E. 9th St., nr. Ave. A; 646-559-8425 Open 8am-6pm Tuesday-Friday, 9am-6pm Saturday, Closed Monday
Posted in EAST VILLAGE, Zucker Bakery 13 Comments »
September 29, 2011
Sometimes after a particularly unsatisfying meal of small to large proportions, I begin to drift off – mentally, that is – to a place where I can forget about the mediocrity I recently ingested and look to the future to decide where I’m going to eat next. Not where I’ll eat tomorrow or next week, but where I’ll eat immediately after I leave the offending restaurant. Pizza is typically my solution in this situation, but last week, I was on the Upper West Side after 10pm on a Wednesday. That left nothing but Big Nick’s and it would be plain masochistic to eat there before 4am, especially while sober.
As I turned onto Broadway from 79th street, I noticed La Caridad 78, the humble Chinese-Cuban restaurant both my uncle Steven and former NY Times restaurant critic Sam Sifton hold in high regard. Uncle Steven favors pepper steak and beef chow fun, strong performers on the greasy, starchy scale. Sifton has a carnal love for the fried pork chops in black bean sauce, which he is known to “murder” annually with fellow NY Times writer Michael Kimmelman.
Turns out there’s a reason they commit murder together: one plate is filled with enough glistening, crisp-edge pork to feed three hungry people, especially if you consider the accompanying plate of yellow rice and black beans. Salty, juicy, and fatty, the pork chops certainly hit the spot. And while it’s not the best food in Manhattan, for $14.40, it may be the most affordable feast. Would I be making a return trip for the pork chops next year? No. I departed with my leftovers and gave them to a homeless man on 72nd street. Satisfaction is one thing, gluttony is another.
La Caridad 78 2199 Broadway at 78th Street, New York, NY 10024 (212) 874-2780 Open 11:30am-12am Mon-Sat, 11:30am-10:30pm Sunday, Delivery Hours: 11:30am-11pm Mon-Sat, 11:30am-10pm Sunday
Posted in La Caridad 78, UPPER WEST SIDE 6 Comments »
September 23, 2011
It may look enticing, but at Ditch Plains on the Upper West Side, mac and cheese on a hot dog tastes like exactly that. I wanted to love it, really. But nothing is done to elevate the stoner-enticing “Ditch Dog” (2 for $14 with fries). It’s just a heap of bland white cheddar macaroni on top of a griddled hot dog. How about a trip under the broiler to add some burnt cheese charm? What about a handful of crispy frizzled onion strings for texture? Maybe some chopped jalapeno mixed into the macaroni would spice things up? Sadly, there was no redemption with the “Sloppy Dog” (2 for $14 with fries) either, just ground beef in overly sweetened tomato sauce. An off-the-menu special gets you one Ditch Dog and one Sloppy Dog ($14 with fries), but even alternating bites, adding drops of Cholula hot sauce and stuffing French fries into the hot dog buns couldn’t assuage my disappointment. I wonder if my college roommate still has those rolling papers?
Ditch Plains 100 West 82nd Street near Columbus Avenue New York, NY 10024 (212) 362-4815 Delivery: (646) 613-2490 Open 11am-2am Mon-Fri, 9am-2am Sat-Sun, Breakfast and Lunch served until 4pm daily 29 Bedford Street at Downing Street New York, NY 10014 (212) 633.0202 Delivery: (212) 219-2126 Open Daily 11am-2am
Posted in Ditch Plains, UPPER WEST SIDE 10 Comments »
September 21, 2011
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, tomato and sauteed onions are complementary. American cheese ($1.00) and bacon ($3.25) will set you back a bit. Fries ($5.00) are a la carte, hand cut and cooked in an iron skillet atop the stove so the oil can be changed frequently. A heaping stack of potato arrives at the table somewhere between limp and crisp, perfect for grabbing three at a time and swathing them through a pool of Heinz. You can even order a mixed fries ($5.00) and receive regular and sweet potato. And don’t overlook the full sour pickle, it’s from The Pickle Guys on the Lower East Side and it’s damn near perfect. Zaitzeff is the kind of place every neighborhood is lucky to have.
Zaitzeff Burgers Financial District – 72 Nassau Street at John Street (212) 571-7272 Open 10am-10pm Mon-Fri, 10am-6pm Sat & Sun, East Village – 18 Avenue B at 2nd Street (212) 477-7137 Open 12pm-12am daily, Murray Hill – 711 2nd Avenue b/t 38th & 39th Street (212) 867-3471 Open 10am-11pm daily
Posted in EAST VILLAGE, FINANCIAL DISTRICT, Zaitzeff Burger, Zaitzeff Burgers 5 Comments »
September 19, 2011
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 the East Village’s Dessert Club, ChikaLicious. If you’ve been searching for something sweet south of 14th Street and it hasn’t yet taken you here, you’ve been spinning your wheels. Everything is delicious. Read on for my top picks and an explanation of what you’re looking at above.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Dessert Club ChikaLicious, EAST VILLAGE 9 Comments »
September 16, 2011
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 Lil NYC Food Guy, arrived at The Cardinal early.
Curtis Brown, chef and owner, left the kitchen at Bubby’s in Tribeca to open his own Southern joint. Only The Cardinal is much more than that. I happened to know that Chef Brown is from North Carolina and works miracles with a smoker. The fact that pepper bacon comes out of that smoker kind of makes him a hero.
Could this be the real BBQ restaurant the East Village needs? Like any experienced BBQ lover, I called ahead to see what was in stock. Disaster! Only two portions of brisket left. I hang up the phone to frantically call Craig and tell him to reserve the brisket, but I already have a text message. It’s from Craig. “Ordered the brisket. Only two left.” Now that’s what family is for.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in EAST VILLAGE, The Cardinal 11 Comments »
September 15, 2011
I may have disappeared for a full year, but it was not without reason: I chose a job over my blog. But now I have a new employer and only one thing matters: NYC Food Guy is back!
If you know NYC Food Guy, you know I’m dedicated to finding delicious and affordable food. When the PIX11 Morning News came calling for my top cheap eats throughout the area, I got hungry just thinking about all the great options. The toughest part was deciding which restaurants made the cut, which is why you should check out the video above! If you’re experiencing issues with the video player, you can watch here.
Posted in Best Cheap Eats in Manhattan, NYC FOOD GUY VIDEO 2 Comments »
September 13, 2011
I may have disappeared for a full year, but it was not without reason: I chose a job over my blog. But now I have a new employer and only one thing matters: NYC Food Guy is back!
Whether New Yorkers have missed NYC Food Guy or not, soon they’ll all be missing summer. That’s why you should check out the summery outdoor drinking and dessert spots I highlighted in July on the PIX11 Morning News, before all hints of the heat are gone. If you’re experiencing issues with the video player, you can watch here.
Posted in NYC FOOD GUY VIDEO, Outdoor Drinking & Cold Desserts 1 Comment »
September 12, 2011
I may have disappeared for a full year, but it was not without reason: I chose a job over my blog. But now I have a new employer and only one thing matters: NYC Food Guy is back!
The quote in the title of this post belongs to my lovely 20-year old sister Melissa. She knows what she’s talking about and she can eat, though you wouldn’t know by looking at her. Melissa and I have honed her palate with pancakes at Clinton Street Baking Company, burgers at the Burger Joint and Sicilian pies at Adrienne’s Pizza Bar. She used to be the girl who always ordered chicken fingers for dinner. Now she’s disappointed that Americans are content with processed cold cuts. Mention Boar’s Head and we applaud because it’s better than what they’re serving at Subway. These are sad statements about our turkey sandwich expectations. Torrisi brines their fresh turkey daily and tops it with thin, fresh veggies and a fiery eggplant-hot pepper sauce. A healthy dab of mayo ties it all together. Get the smaller version, on a squishy roll ($9), that way you don’t have to share.
Torrisi Italian Specialties 250 Mulberry Street at Prince Street, New York, NY 10012 (212) 965-0955 http://www.piginahat.com/ Sandwiches only available from 11am-4pm. Torrisi’s all-day sandwich operation, Parm, is opening next door in late September.
Posted in SOHO, Torrisi Italian Specialties Turkey Sandwich 15 Comments »
content rss
Recent Comments