Georgia's Eastside BBQ - Lower East Side

Oh, yes. I've been waiting to find a place like this and only blocks away from my apartment. A blessing for having such delicious food so close and a curse since I am going to blow all my money on fried chicken and ribs--a delicious curse. And they have Lone Stars!

It's hard for me to describe the feeling of satisfaction one undergoes when sitting before the pinnacles of tastiness: baked beans, mashed potatoes, fried chicken, pulled pork . . . and I'm certain this feeling of euphoria will only be enhanced when I get to try their corn bread and ribs. This place really gets a huge thumbs up from me for a number of reasons. First, they have soul food and BBQ which is really what any person with a sensible stomach knows is the best thing for your attitude--a feast like this can turn a lousy day into a jolly one.

The fried chicken: light and crispy batter, juicy perfectly cooked meat--this is very impressive when you understand that their chicken breast is boneless. Too many times have I been served chicken of all sorts so dry it looks like and feels like leather. But somehow, these fine people, were able to cook a large thick boneless breast without drying out the edges--the whole piece was juicy throughout. I sincerely applaud this.

The sides are just as good. The mashed potatoes consistency is perfect--not too thin and not too chunky, slightly buttery. The baked beans are tender and savory; tangy and slightly spicy, interspersed with thick pieces of pork. The portion sizes are grand with generous bowls for your side dishes and a pile of chicken on your plate. I'm tired of being served baked beans in a dinky cup--I want to be eating beans for days.

The storefront is small and cozy, price are reasonable ($14 for the fried chicken dinner), portions are large and the waitresses are very nice to me even when I am delirious and say silly things. One of my favorite beer selections ever here: PBR, Bud, Lonestar, Corona. Sweet tea with free refills for $2 and well-mixed Arnold Palmers? Thanks Georgia's Eastside BBQ, thanks.

192 Orchard St., New York, NY 10002, 212 253 6280, www.georgiaseastsidebbq.com

Song 7.2 - East Village

I've walked by this place a million times and never really thought of it as anything special. I don't know why, but it never really stuck out to me that it could be a good Korean joint in the east village. The one to finally get me to stop and try it out was my good ol' mom. She's Korean. She loves Korean things. We went to Song 7.2. I have no idea where the "7.2" comes from. It's as if there were 7 previous versions of this restaurant and this is the tweaked latest version that you have to download like those annoying Java updates for your web browser.

I didn't get a picture of all the food, but we ordered several dishes. The staff was very attentive and polite. The mandoo were pretty good, crispy and a good size--not the wimpy kind you get out of the freezer at H-Mart. The beef kalbi wasn't bad persay, but not really kalbi--it was simply a cut of steak served on lettuce so . . . good beef steak and bad kalbi?

The highlight of the dinner to me was the spicy pork bulgogi, tofu, kimchi plate. What an amazing combination of all things I love. There's something about Manhattan and kimchi being served hot that I am really enjoying. The hot kimchi and bulgogi went together so well in all forms: the spicy chili pepper taste clinging to every morsel, the tender pieces of pork complementing the snap of the vegetables and cabbage in the kimchi, the cold cubes of soft tofu mixing with the hotter counterparts. Amazing. I am really craving this amazing trio and my perspective on Song was changed entirely just because of this one dish. I think this one plate made Song go from standard Korean restaurant to "god damn, I want pork bulgogi, kimchi and tofu."

In practical terms (boo), this place seems more like the kind of place people go to get drunk on soju and simultaneously sate the "drunken hunger" we all get when you get wasted and tired. The drink prices were more on the cheap with specials on soju, while the food is a little pricey, but Korean restaurants in NYC are always pretty expensive. Most of the entrees ranged from $10-$20. Better than trekking to K-Town in Midtown? Probably. The best Korean place downtown? Nope. Do I still really want to go there? Yes.

117 2nd Ave. between 6th and 7th St., New York, NY 10003, 212 777 1286, yelp page

Corner Bistro - West Village

If you're searching for a good burger joint then Corner Bistro is probably for you--if you're looking for a place to get drinks for super cheap then Corner Bistro is definitely for you. A four word review of Bistro would go something like this: "Cheap beer, good burgers." Then you'd go there and solemnly nod at my words reverberating in your mind.

Bistro has a good mix of ups and downs and I would call it a very situational place, in other words, your experience at Corner Bistro is heavily effected by when you go. You could go after 6 p.m. and be packed in with what looks like a bunch of finance frat boys and the ongoings of your typical "sausagefest" bar in terms of demographics. Seriously, some of the conversations I overheard--I wouldn't be surprised if it was a fratboy mixer that night. This place is really small, so going post-6 p.m. means lots of dudes (mucho duderinos) and long waits to get a table to eat at since everyone is cramming in for dinner. I wouldn't suggest it.

However, go during the day on a weekday and you'll be able to breathe and the number of popped collars significantly decreases as well. Then you can enjoy a number of beers on tap for only $2.50--hell, most of their beers are less than $4.50 save for a Guinness. The burgers which float around $6 dollars are very hyped up. I was skeptical, but I ordered the Bistro burger which is just a bacon cheeseburger and was pleasantly surprised. The thick beef patty was very juicy and tender and they did not skimp on the bacon at all--the top was covered in thick and crunchy strips of porky goodness.

The fries were sub-par, dry and crunchy and on the border of stale, but tolerable. So, to reiterate my previous review in a more specific variation: "Good burgers, cheap beer, go during the day during the week, beware of douchebags."

 331 West 4th St., New York, NY 10014, 212 242 9502, www.cornerbistrony.com

Rai Rai Ken - East Village

The search for a good authentic Japanese noodle house continues in NYC. The amount of Japanese ramen places and Chinese noodle restaurants is staggering, but I've found what I consider the best bowl of Chinese hand-pulled noodles already at Eastern Noodle. All that remains is to find a Japanese ramen place in NYC that can pair up to Boston's Men Tei.

Rai Rai Ken has it down in regards to aesthetics--the place is a tiny cramped hole-in-the-wall with bar seating only so you'll have to get close and friendly with your neighboring diners regardless of who they are. The prices are fair and portions are about average. I was in a mood to indulge so I ordered kimchi, yaki soba, gyoza and miso soup--it looks beautiful all together. Service is fast and friendly, the food didn't take long to serve--as a noodle place should be quick.

The food was all up to par. The yaki soba was exceptional: thick noodles with generous amounts of veggies and a brothy pork sauce that was great prize at the bottom of the bowl since it soaked into the bottom portion of the food. The kimchi was not as spicy as you usually find it and slightly less crisp than I like it. The dumplings were flavorful and crisp, but a little on the small side. Miso soup . . . is miso soup.

I also tried the curry tofu ramen and the miso ramen--which were pretty good. But the real problem here is that I was yearning for the simple Ramen of Men Tei from back in Boston--huge bowl with tons of broth and thin noodles, a few slices of pork, artificial crab meat, and bean sprouts. Basically, I'm a fool for not ordering the Shio ramen here ($8.50). My meal pictured above cost around $20 dollars which isn't terrible for a large meal like that, but to the normal person a bowl of ramen ranged from $8-$12.

214 E 10th St (between 1st and 2nd Ave.), New York, NY 10003, 212 477 7030, yelp page

Great NY Noodle Town - Chinatown

Noodle Town. How can you resist a place called Noodle Town? You can't. This is another great, cheap stop in Chinatown. It's also right near the only and best arcade in Manhattan on Mott St. and the delicious bakeries on Bayard St. You can stop in Noodletown and grab a cheap meal fast and even when you decide to dine-in it is one of the fastest places I've ever been. I think I've never had to wait more than a couple minutes for my food to be brought out. Most dishes are around $4-$6 and are large so it's a great place to go if you have a group of people low on cash and large on appetites.

A great tactic for this place is stopping by and dishing out $4 for a roast pork over rice which includes a huge container with a bed of rice, steamed cabbage, and a layer of roast pork over the top. It's a lot of food and you can watch the butcher right next to the cashier hack away at one of those pig shanks you see hanging in the windows with a huge cleaver--cool. Then he drizzles it with sauce and hands it to the cashier. Let me reiterate--this is a lot of food for $4. In the picture above I couple it with 8 pork dumplings for $2 from Vanessa's Dumpling House on Eldridge St. to make a huge meal that is probably way too filling for any normal human being.

There are a lot of other good choices here like various noodle dishes, lo mein, roast duck over rice, and you can order meat by the pound too. For $8 you can get a pound of soy sauce chicken or BBQ chicken and for $9 you can get a pound of roast duck. Great place all in all, definitely a trademark Dine or Death location.

28 1/2 Bowery St., New York, NY 10013, 212 349 0932, yelp page

Last Supper

Photographer James Reynolds did a series on death row inmates' last meals which you can see here. I can't help but wonder if some of these are embellished--I'm fairly certain that he probably read up somewhere on certain inmates requests and re-enacted them himself--it doesn't say how he set it up on his site. I wonder what Pall Malls taste like.

Thanks for the link, Ben.

Ninja New York - I'm totally going here . . .

KFC's Double Down Sandwich

Looks appetizing, no? You can read about KFC's new "Double Down" sandwich here. It's pretty simple though: 2 friend chicken patties, bacon, cheese, "special sauce--the end (of your health and dignity). It's even more brutal that KFC is trying to pass this off as part of their "Unthink" marketing scheme where they try to pass their grilled chicken off as a healthy choice. It seems that bread simply means there's room for more meat. Hey, I like bread.

And, yes, of course I would eat it. But I'd rather go to Popeye's over KFC any day--It's cheaper and the chicken is crispier and more flavorful than the greasier and soggier KFC chicken.