St. Patrick’s Day Homecookin’: Irish Soda Bread

Date March 16, 2010

NYC Food Guy is proud to present another great recipe from Homecookin’ contributor Spice Jonze’n. If you’d like to contribute your recipes to the site e-mail lawrence@nycfoodguy.com.  Take it away Spice…

When I get my annual craving for Irish soda bread, I know St. Patrick’s Day is close and it’s time to bake this simple and delicious treat.  My mother has been using this recipe for as long as I can remember and it consistently comes out great (add green food coloring for an extra touch). The caraway seeds give this loaf a great flavor and the consistency of the bread makes it like a large scone. It goes great with corned beef or toasted with eggs but it’s also great warm with butter.  Be aware that with all baking there is a science behind the ingredients and procedures; it is important to be exact with the measurements to produce the most delicious outcome every time.

Irish Soda Bread - NYCFoodGuy.com

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$7.50 Bacon Cheeseburger, Griddled then Broiled, at Arthur’s Tavern in Hoboken, NJ

Date March 15, 2010

With the exception of a few deli recommendations friends have passed along, Hoboken, New Jersey is uncharted territory for NYC Food Guy.  But when searching for Hoboken’s best burgers on my own, Arthur’s Tavern repeatedly appeared.  This massive, neon-signed bar, grill and steakhouse made my decision even easier when I saw the $7.50 price tag for a bacon cheeseburger.  Read on to find out if the burger lived up to NYC Food Guy’s “delicious and affordable” M.O. …

Arthur's Tavern - NYCFoodGuy.com

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If You Hate Yourself, Eat Burger King’s New Steakhouse XT Burgers

Date March 12, 2010

If you hate yourself, smoke cigarettes.  If you hate yourself, walk into moving traffic.  But if you really hate yourself and your heart and your stomach, then eat the new Steakhouse XT burgers at Burger King.  My friend Eric and I had the pleasure of eating each of the three varieties of XT burgers earlier this week and we learned one thing: we must hate ourselves.  Just looking at the burgers below must make any normal, healthy person cringe.  But Eric and I? We forged ahead for the sake of you, the reader, the eater, to teach you a valuable lesson: in the world of fast food, bigger does not equal better.  Burger King needs to forget about competing directly with McDonald’s Angus burger and instead just focus on making burgers that actually taste good.

Burger King Steakhouse XT Burgers - NYCFoodGuy.com

From top to bottom: The A1 Steakhouse XT featured a faint steak sauce flavor and crunchy fried onions, all of which were overwhelmed by the burger’s char.  It’s a good thing the Smokey Cheddar XT (middle) is only around for a limited time because the cheddar tasted more like American and the smokey sauce was nauseatingly artificial.  The standard Steakhouse XT (bottom) was actually the best of the three, most closely resembling a thicker Whopper, just without pickles.

KyoChon: First Taste Does Not Leave Me Wanting More

Date March 11, 2010

One of the best barometer’s of a restaurant’s success is whether or not you want to return after your first meal.  KyoChon, one day away from its grand opening, did not pass this test.  The Korean fried chicken chain, which opened its first Manhattan location Tuesday, is still in soft opening, but after waiting an extra year to open–and then pushing back last Friday’s launch–you would expect at least a semi-transcendent experience.  Not only did the famous double-fried chicken underwhelm, it wasn’t even the best thing I tasted.  Read on for the full details…

Kyochon - NYCFoodGuy.com

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Homecookin’: Turkish Meat & Rice Stuffed Peppers

Date March 10, 2010

NYC Food Guy is proud to introduce esteemed recipe contributor Spice Jonze’n. If you’d like to contribute your recipes to the site e-mail lawrence@nycfoodguy.com.  Take  it away Spice…

This recipe takes a lot of cues from Turkish stuffed peppers (Etli Biber Dolmasi) but it can also be customized to fit anyone’s particular tastes.  I like to make this dish very spicy, the way it’s meant to be, but feel free to tone down your spice levels to whatever suits your taste buds.  This recipe is great to feed a large number of people or to have a nice leftover lunch to bring to work tomorrow.

Turkish Stuffed Peppers - NYCFoodGuy.com

One more note before we get started, if at all possible, please source the most local and freshest produce you can find. Sadly, I am not able to make it to the green market every day, so usually the fresh organic produce at your local store is fine; though food always tastes better when the vine to table time is measured in hours not days or weeks (do not buy produce from Mexico, unless it is some sort of hot-ass Chile pepper, ever, seriously — throw that shit on the floor so they stop selling it).

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Long Island Lunch: Diane’s Bakery Cafe in Roslyn

Date March 9, 2010

Diane’s is why suburbanites are happy, particularly those near the Rosyln-based bakery, cafe and neighboring restaurant, Trattoria Diane.  And for NYC Food Guy there are few better Long Island lunches than you’ll find at Diane’s Bakery Cafe, a place Manhattan’s meccas of prepared food aspire to be.

Diane's Bakery Cafe - NYCFoodGuy.com

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Bring Hungry Carnivores & Skip the Appetizers at Vinegar Hill House

Date March 8, 2010

It’s a blustery winter night and you’re wandering through the wilderness, surrounded by dark, unfriendly mountains subconsciously hastening your search for a nearby lodge, a warm oasis stocked with food and drink.  Now replace the wilderness with the eerie calm of Vinegar Hill; the dark, unfriendly mountains with the Farragut Houses;  and the nearby lodge with Vinegar Hill House, a welcoming oasis buzzing with activity amidst a slumbering, industrial Brooklyn neighborhood.    The appetite of a hunter comes in handy at Vinegar Hill House where well-intended appetizers mainly fall prey to entrees only a carnivore can love.  Cast iron chicken.  Red Wattle Pork Chop.  And if it’s offered, a 36 ounce rib eye special.  It’s all part of a seasonal menu carved around the week’s freshest ingredients.  Fitting fare for the site of a former butcher shop.  Read on to see why skipping the appetizers is a smart move on more than one level…

Vinegar Hill House - NYCFoodGuy.com

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Free Drink & Garlic (or Regular) Fries Until March 31st at New NoHo Bar West 3rd Common

Date March 6, 2010

Board games, couches and a free drink with garlic (or regular) fries just for mentioning the term “wheaten terrier.” What more can you ask for? This special, celebrating West 3rd Common’s recent opening (and owner Dan’s dog), runs until March 31st.  Sister bar to my favorite East Village neighborhood bar Common Ground, West 3rd Common serves fries sprinkled with fresh garlic and garlic powder in addition to a full menu of appetizers, desserts and entrees including a steamed burger (photo below) the bar is calling “the best in the city.” Stay tuned for a review of the burger and some other food items next week.  If you can’t wait until then, head over to West 3rd Common this weekend for brunch where $20 buys you unlimited mimosas, screwdrivers and Bloody Marys.

West 3rd Common - NYCFoodGuy.com

West 3rd Common 1 West 3rd Street (Between Broadway and Mercer) New York, NY 10012 (212) 529-2059
http://west3rdcommon.com/index2.html

Cafe Duke’s Spicy Chicken Pizza: Best Non-Restaurant Pizza in Midtown

Date March 4, 2010

Unlike many Midtown desk jockeys, I do everything in my power to avoid eating at the “we have it all” deli.  The Café Dukes of the city are the enemy of little specialty shops everywhere, making up for mainly mediocre, high-priced food by offering more options than your mind can handle, all under one roof. But thanks to Café Duke’s Spicy Chicken Pizza ($8.66 incl. tax) the enemy doesn’t seem so evil.  And excluding pies from actual pizza restaurants like my Midtown-favorite Angelo’s, the Spicy Chicken Pizza is my top choice.  Read on to find out why…

Cafe Duke Spicy Chicken Pizza - NYCFoodGuy.com

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Lil NYC Food Guy’s First Post: Two Tasty Burgers at Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill

Date March 3, 2010

NYC Food Guy always welcomes guest bloggers.  Today we turn the spotlight on a first-time blogger.  He’s my favorite person to eat a burger with, my brother Craig, a.k.a Lil NYC Food Guy.  E-mail lawrence@nycfoodguy.com if you’d like to contribute!

It’s been a long time coming, but after a summer spent living in the city, it was time for my first post.  And what better food is there for me to review then my absolute favorite, burgers?  Last summer, my friend Evan worked at Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill, and has been raving about their lunchtime burgers since.  We decided it was time to finally go check them out and give them a proper NYC Food Guy review.

Mesa Grill Compilation

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Free $25 Gift Card to Uncle Jack’s Steakhouse: Do It

Date March 2, 2010

NYC Food Guy always welcomes guest bloggers.  Today we turn the spotlight on regular contributor King of Ketchup.  E-mail lawrence@nycfoodguy.com if you’d like to contribute!

A couple weeks ago I stumbled across this website advertising an offer for a free $25 gift card for Uncle Jack’s Steakhouse. Two days later, my free $25 gift card was waiting in my mailbox. All you have to do to receive your own free $25 gift card is follow these four easy steps:

  1. Become a fan of Uncle Jack’s on Facebook.
  2. Follow Uncle Jack’s on Twitter.
  3. Send an email to Hallie@unclejacks.com with your name and address requesting your gift card.
  4. Eat free steak.

Porterhouse For Two

Fully equipped with $50 worth of Uncle Jack’s gift cards, my girlfriend and I walked into an empty Uncle Jack’s on 56th street last Saturday night for our 7:30 reservation. Apparently we’re the only people who eat steak at 7:30 on a Saturday night, because by the time we left at 9, the entire place was packed. The back of the gift card instructs customers to present gift cards before ordering, but in hopes of avoiding the Uncle Jack’s “special sauce,” we waited until we were finished before handing it to our “captain” (aka waiter), and they accepted it without a problem.  Click ahead to read about the entire meal.

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BubbleQ Best Bites at 2010 South Beach Wine & Food Festival

Date February 27, 2010

Meat and champagne on the sand, a Friday night only Miami Beach could pull off.  NYC Food Guy has the good fortune to find himself in the midst of the South Beach Wine & Food Festival and last night’s BubbleQ was a carnivore’s delight featuring endless Perrier-Jouet bubbly and meat galore from some serious chefs.  I tried around 18 of the featured 31 dishes and only four truly impressed, one of which is from a newly popular New York chef. Read on for the best bites…

BUBBLEQ COMPILATION - NYCFoodGuy.com

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Skirt Steak & Eggs Brunch Battle: The Breslin vs Yuca Bar

Date February 26, 2010

Skirt Steak and eggs: the Clint Eastwood of breakfast.  Its been around forever and it’s still badass.  And while The Breslin tries to cement its badass status with a no reservations policy and a meat-centric menu, Yuca Bar draws diners and imbibers to its Latin American oasis as coolly as Clint draws movie viewers.  So which skirt steak and eggs is the genuine article: The $17 Breslin version or the $13.95 Yuca Bar prix fixe?

BRESLIN VS YUCA BAR SKIRT STEAK AND EGGS - NYCFoodGuy.com

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Homecookin’: Bacon-Wrapped Baked Brie

Date February 25, 2010

This delicious, affordable and simple recipe comes complements of the esteemed King of Ketchup.  If you’d like to submit your recipes to the site, e-mail details and a photo to lawrence@nycfoodguy.com.  Happy Cooking!

Any dish made with bacon and brie is really hard to mess up.  This recipe calls for three ingredients: brie, bacon, and Pillsbury biscuit flakes, and it can be prepared and cooked in under ten minutes.

Baked Brie with Bacon - NYCFoodGuy.com

  • First, cut a piece of brie about 3/4 of an inch long and 1/4 inch wide.
  • Next, peel one or two flakes off of your Pillsbury biscuits (I prefer the flakes, but the regular crescent dough should work just as well — click the link to print out a $1 coupon) and seal your brie up in the dough.  Make sure to pinch the edges tightly so it doesn’t break open in the oven.
  • Finally, wrap a strip of raw bacon around the outside, and pop that bad-boy in the oven at 375 or 400 degrees.  Cook ’til golden brown and enjoy.
  • And if you really wanna get fancy, you can beat an egg and paint some on the outside before cooking to give this sexy little hors d’oeuvre a slightly crispier, glazed finish.

“Salsa Picante” Mac & Cheese Special at S’Mac for One Month Only

Date February 24, 2010

This is the love child of nachos, Velveeta salsa dip and mac and cheese.  The photo of the glowing orange cheddar-tortilla crumb crust below doesn’t reveal much of the Salsa Picante’s innards but that’s because there’s not much to show.  S’Mac’s description of the Salsa Picante ($7.75), “Pepper Jack, Cheddar, Salsa, Chicken Breast, and Cilantro,” is more like nacho-flavored crust above creamy, mildly spicy, salsa-flavored cheese sauce sparsely studded with green pepper and onion, mingling with chunks of ordinary, flavorless chicken breast.   If you order the Salsa Picante, get it with no chicken. With the exception of beef in the Cheeseburger S’Mac, eaters should steer clear of adding meat to their S’Mac.  Whether it’s slab bacon or chicken, the meat’s lack of flavor and chewy texture only decrease enjoyment.  The option to add freshly sliced jalapeno peppers, something S’Mac does not provide, would really improve the Salsa Picante.  There was an actual upside to this experience, so read ahead to find out…

Salsa Picante S'Mac - NYCFoodGuy.com

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