February 19, 2010
I walked fourteen blocks for Indian take out from Punjab but before I got home I stopped for Pad Thai. I was compelled by the big poster behind the window of Cafetasia: $2 Beer & $5 Pad Thai All Day. My immediate thought was that the Pad Thai would make a good appetizer for my three Indian curries. But surprisingly, Cafetasia’s $5 bowl of Pad Thai is filling despite the presence of just 3 measly shrimp (you can also choose beef or chicken). Asking for my Pad Thai “spicy” didn’t offer much heat and unfortunately allowed several over-saturated pockets of crushed peanut dominate the dish’s flavor. Ask for hot sauce on the side to avoid this.
With Blue Moon, Sierra Nevada, Brooklyn Lager and Sapporo on tap and Singha and Amstel Light in bottles all for $2, all day, this is a deal worth trying as long as it exists, which for now is indefinitely.
Cafetasia 85 Avenue A b/t 5th & 6th Street New York, NY 10009 (212) 260-8570 www.cafetasia.com
Posted in Cafetasia, EAST VILLAGE, MANHATTAN 
1 Comment »
February 15, 2010
It’s me. Your sense of adventure. The reason you moved to New York City. I’m your craving for new experiences and I’m hungry! Starving! No more excuses. Just get off your ass and do it! NYC Food Guy is making it easy for you. It’s time to explore uncharted territory with your feet and your fork. Go to Freda’s at 109th Street and Columbus Avenue and eat Caribbean food. Spicy jerk chicken. Tender, fall off the bone chicken stewed in a tangy brown sauce. Yams which are more caramelized than candied (and may alone be worth the trip). So read this review and quit wasting our time, feed me!
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Posted in Freda's Caribbean Food, MANHATTAN, UPPER WEST SIDE 10 Comments »
January 19, 2010
Two crispy-edged, fluffy on the inside, plate-size pancakes studded with slices of ripe banana and topped with mixed candied nuts and a melting river of whipped banana brown sugar butter! Syrup is superfluous. If you want to avoid the $21 price tag, you’ll find the recipe for this decadence in the thumbnails below. Let us know how they turn out.
Norma’s at Le Parker Meridien Hotel
119 West 56th Street b/t 6th & 7th Ave (Google Map) New York, NY 10019 212-245-5000 Open 7 days/week until 3pm Official Website Norma’s Menu (PDF)
Posted in MANHATTAN, MIDTOWN WEST, Norma's 9 Comments »
January 15, 2010
The Executive Chef, Nick Anderer, he knows how to do it. Dana, my waiter, he knows how to do it too. Even the cute barista (yes, Maialino has actual baristas) knows how to do it, as the feathery heart she shaped into my cappuccino foam proves. “It” is a microcosm of the Danny Meyer brand; great service and great food. And after my first formal Meyer restaurant experience, NYC Food Guy can confirm that Meyer has done “it” again, improving on his soon to be globe-spanning success with his first Italian venture, Maialino. My three dining companions and I put Anderer and his kitchen to the test, ordering a prodigious feast you have to see to believe…
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Posted in MANHATTAN, MURRAY HILL/GRAMERCY, Maialino 9 Comments »
January 11, 2010
Sinful food photos are what make a NYC Food Guy review but I have so many waiting in the wings, the real sin would be not sharing them with you, my hungry readers. Cue the gratuitous food porn…
There’s not much left to say about Momofuku Noodle Bar. All NYC Food Guy can reluctantly add is that the food is truly worth the ever-present wait. Most dishes are delicious (except for the tamales) but if I could only eat two, it’s the Steamed Pork Buns ($9) housing a ribbon of crispy, fatty pork belly resting on a dab of hoison sauce and topped with sliced cucumber and scallion…
…and the Momofuku Ramen ($16), a steaming porky bath of springy noodles topped with bamboo shoots, crisp nori, sliced kamaboko (white fish cake), chopped scallions, pulled pork shoulder, more pork belly, and crowned with a single, decadent poached egg. Crack the egg, dip some pork in the yolk and brace yourself for the swoon.
Momofuku Noodle Bar 171 First Ave b/t 10th & 11th St, New York, NY 10003 (Google Map) 212-777-7773 Official Website
Related: Momofuku Milk Bar Cinnamon Bun Pie vs Cinnabon
Related: Momofuku Milk Bar Candy Bar Pie
Posted in EAST VILLAGE, MANHATTAN, Momofuku Noodle Bar 12 Comments »
January 4, 2010
If you like doughnuts at all, then you haven’t lived until you’ve made the pilgrimage to Doughnut Plant, the holy land of sugar-coated fried dough in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. And like any cultish New York City institution, the lines can be long and the hours can be short but if you manage to secure the goods, all is forgiven thanks to the melt-in-your-mouth caress of doughnut bliss. Read on for a taste of each doughnut below plus a surprise treat …
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Posted in Doughnut Plant, LOWER EAST SIDE, MANHATTAN 10 Comments »
December 11, 2009
The bun is similar to pita. The red sauce is ajvar, a Serbian spread combining red peppers, eggplant, garlic and olive oil. But the half pound burger? Well it’s straight middle America. Because at Question Mark Cafe, an unassuming few-month-old eatery on 1st Avenue b/t St. Mark’s & 9th St., cheddar cheese (though the menu reads provolone) and crispy pre-cooked bacon are pressed between two lean, hand-formed burger patties resulting in a pocket of beefy, cheesy, porcine indulgence.
Overall, the burger’s leaness (85:15 meat to fat ratio) makes it more novel than delicious, deriving most of its flavor from the bacon and slightly spicy ajvar. But you can’t beat the price because the deluxe stuffed burger gets you all the food below for just $9.75. The best part of the plate? The orange-ish Urnebes spread featuring feta cheese, roasted peppers and chili flakes. All burgers come topped with this creamy, spicy sauce unless otherwise specified. And while Question Mark Cafe finds its feet, there’s a rumor of a pastrami stuffed burger coming soon.
Question Mark Cafe
135 First Avenue b/t St. Mark’s Place & 9th Street
New York, NY 10003 (Google map)
212-614-9800
Hours: 11AM to 11PM daily
Posted in EAST VILLAGE, MANHATTAN, Question Mark Cafe 17 Comments »
December 10, 2009
sugar Sweet sunshine, home to NYC’s best banana pudding and some of its finest cupcakes is open at the Union Square Holiday Market until Dec. 24. You’ll find the sliver of a stall on the west side of Union Square between East 14th & East 15th street, near the Gandhi statue. Special iced sugar cookies ($0.75) join a roster of shop favorites including cake in a cup ($4), pumpkin eggnog pudding ($4), chocolate bomb ($4), brownies ($3), a wide selection of cupcakes ($2) (go for the Ooey Gooey, chocolate almond buttercream frosting atop chocolate cake), and naturally banana pudding ($4). But act quickly, because the good stuff goes fast. Read on for a map of the Union Square Holiday Market & sugar Sweet sunshine info.
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Posted in LOWER EAST SIDE, MANHATTAN, Sugar Sweet Sunshine 6 Comments »
December 8, 2009
Momofuku Milk Bar’s Cinnamon Bun Pie is a high class, low cost slice of NYC’s dessert elite. Cinnabon is a low class symbol of NYC’s contribution to obesity. In the end they both serve the same purpose, satisfying a sinful desire for cinnamon and decadent frosting. But as discriminating foodies, we must ask, which is better? Read on for the final verdict…
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Posted in FOOD SHOWDOWNS, Momofuku Milk Bar vs Cinnabon 22 Comments »
December 4, 2009
Free food alert! This one complements of Ketel One Vodka who in the spirit of “celebrating the season responsibly,” (because THAT’S HOW THEY DO in Meatpacking!) brought Michael Pislakis on board to dole out free food from the “Ketel One Canteen.” NYC Food Guy stopped by last night and discovered Psiklalis is offering three pre-prepared specialties: a surprisingly juicy and flavorful lamb burger (my favorite) topped with a creamy roasted red pepper feta sauce (ask for extra), a char-grilled chicken shish kebab pita topped with fennel and onion salad and Tzatiki sauce (eat this one quickly, the pita suffers in the cold) and a caponata and couscous wrap (too healthy for this guy). The canteen will be open from 12AM to 2AM Friday & Saturday on the corner of Gansevoort & 9th Avenue (Google Map) so now there’s really no excuse for not going to the Meatpacking District this weekend.
Photo Credits: Michael Psilakis from Harlan Turkell & Kefi Burger from A Hamburger Today
Posted in MANHATTAN, MEATPACKING No Comments »
December 2, 2009
Just two weeks after its East Village opening, La Lucha, the new Mexico City style taqueria/Lucha Libre boutique, will debut its brunch menu (below, click to enlarge) this Saturday. Brunch will run from 11AM to 4pm Saturday and Sunday and the regular menu will be in effect all day. The brunch dish NYC Food Guy is looking forward to most: Chilaquiles, crispy tortillas cooked with simmered tomatillo salsa, queso fresco, onions, and sour cream. You can add chicken for $1. Hello La Lucha, goodbye hangover.
Related: NYC Food Guy’s review of La Lucha
La Lucha 147 Avenue A b/t 9th & 10th Street New York, NY 10009
212-260-0235 Weekday hours vary, call to confirm
Brunch Sat. & Sun. 11AM – 4PM
Closes most nights between 1AM & 1:30AM
Currently BYOB but a wine & beer license is expected soon
Posted in EAST VILLAGE, La Lucha Taqueria, MANHATTAN No Comments »
November 30, 2009
If you love traveling to New York and want to get a little more out of it, take Carlos Beraza’s lead and open a restaurant. That’s what the Mexico City native did, along with two friends, when they opened La Lucha two weeks ago on Avenue A between 9th and 10th Street. Their business card says “La Lucha – Sacalo Del Ring,” which loosely translates to “taking the fight out of the ring,” and that’s just what they accomplish. La Lucha offers New Yorkers a real taste of downtown Mexico City, specifically the no frills taquerias where Mexicans excitedly eat and drink prior to attending Lucha Libre (Mexican wrestling) matches. And it’s more than just kitsch, because aside from a strict no burrito policy, and a menu named after famed luchadores and Lucha Libre moves, La Lucha is also a boutique for everything Lucha Libre. I had the pleasure of experiencing this unique marriage of pop culture and street food the night they opened, and after a tiny taste, I can’t wait to get back…
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Posted in EAST VILLAGE, La Lucha Taqueria, MANHATTAN 10 Comments »
November 25, 2009
The owners of Spanish tapas restaurants Sala Bowery & Sala One Nine have focused their attention stateside with the opening of Rye House, a modern bar offering craft beers, house-made rye whiskey, well-crafted cocktails and a menu of casual American fare centered around NYC’s first homage to the legendary meat, cheese, french fry, and cole slaw-stuffed sandwiches at Primanti Bros. Restaurant in Pittsburgh, Pennslyvania. Unfortunately, the two split links of smokey andouille sausage inside Rye House’s admiringly-named “Pittsburgh” sandwich ($10) provide the only detectable flavor amidst bland house-made cole slaw, hearty yet under-seasoned hand cut French fries and melted mild provolone cheese inside two slices of surprisingly delicious toasted Pullman loaf.
In attempting to “clean up” the real Primanti Bros. sandwich, Rye House abandoned the standard issue tomato and with it acidity that could really enhance the sandwich. An upgrade to a more flavorful cheese and adjustments to the cole slaw’s mayo base would also improve what has the potential to be a great NYC sandwich. Rye House has been open for less than one month and I look forward to returning to give the “Pittsburgh” another try.
Read on for the full menu plus NYC Food Guy’s take on some other items…
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Posted in FLATIRON/UNION SQUARE, MANHATTAN, Rye House 4 Comments »
November 23, 2009
Often overlooked Murray Hill grease pit Ziggiz, former home to NYC Food Guy’s favorite fries, has officially boarded up and gone out of business. Not a surprising turn of events considering Ziggiz signed their own death warrant back in June, shortening hours of operation to 10PM, thereby eradicating the core of their business: late night munchie-seekers stumbling in after a night of debauchery. Ziggiz served the neighborhood well but now we bid farewell to a place that never realized its full potential. Thanks for the grease and good times.
If you’re still looking for some serious French fries and late-night eats check out these posts:
Posted in Uncategorized No Comments »
November 23, 2009
Just when you thought the burger frenzy had calmed, Bill’s Bar & Burger hits the scene about a month ago garnering Shake Shake comparisons and “best” burger praise from A Hamburger Today, Ed Levine at Serious Eats, Josh Ozersky (RIP Feedbag), and Rob and Robin at NYMag. Bill’s, the brainchild of Stephen Hanson (B.R. Guest), employs the “smashing” technique (adored at Shake Shack and originally proliferated by Midwest fast food chain Steak n’ Shake) resulting in a griddled burger that’s supposed to offer a crispy, salt-crusted exterior surrounding a juicy, meaty interior. Hanson, according to Ed Levine, claims to have been honing this process for over a year. Unfortunately, the best laid plans often go awry. I had the displeasure of finding this out not just once, but twice (any place getting this much praise deserved a second look). Read on to find out why…
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Posted in Bill's Bar & Burger, MANHATTAN, MEATPACKING 2 Comments »
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