Dine or Death

An Choi - Lower East Side

2010-03-08T13:45:00.000-05:00

More banh mi? Sure, why not. This is a relatively new place on Orchard St. in the LES that specializes in Vietnamese street food, namely banh mi and pho noodles. Prices average around $8-$10 and are made fresh. Aside from the normal slew of banh mi choises: pork, chicken, and Viet meats with carrots and cilantro, An Choi offers some more eclectic flavors like sardines in tomato sauce, basil meatballs, portobellos and lemongrass tofu.

I wasn't blown away by the banh mi here, but still good stuff. I'd prefer the cheaper stuff at Saigon or Roots & Vines. An Choi does offer more Vietnamese specialties than both of those places though aside from the Pho and Banh Mi: check it.

The banh mi I had might not have been that amazing to me because it wasn't toasted and the wait was sort of long even though there was hardly anyone around. I think the bread was a bit too thick and blocked the flavor of the meat and veggies. I would suggest going for a hot banh mi if you head over to An Choi in this case. I got the cold cut mostly because I'm trying the cheap stuff. I'm always interested in the good cheap stuff.

85 Orchard St., New York, NY 10002, 212 226 3700, www.anchoinyc.com

lol

2010-03-08T13:14:00.000-05:00

Alarm clock that wake you up with bacon.

I don't have any of this stuff.

2010-02-17T13:54:00.000-05:00

Kitchen essentials according to the LA Times

Alidoro - SoHo

2010-02-11T11:13:00.000-05:00

I've mentioned this place a few times before, finally got around to taking a picture of one of their masterpiece sandwiches. Alidoro is currently at the top of my list for Italian deli sandwiches--they are supreme in every category. The ingredients are the highest quality and freshest I've ever had when it comes to breads, mozzarella and especially prosciutto. A tad on the expensive side, most sandwiches are $10 or more, but this is a rare exception since each sandwich is absurdly delicious.

I suggest that you order any of the sandwiches with prosciutto--it's the best I've ever had. A lot of times prosciutto in too tough so when you bite into a sandwich you end pulling out the whole strip of prosciutto with it. However, Alidoro's prosciutto is the perfect consistency, so thinly sliced, salty and savory--each bite is severed cleanly. Along with top notch oils, sweet peppers, dried tomatoes and fresh mozzarella, I am confident in saying that all of Alidoro's sandwiches are delectable.

Something I should mention about this place is that it has a sort of reputation. The best way to explain it would be to liken it to the Soup Nazi episode of Seinfeld:

You'll see signs about no whining, cell phones, ordering custom sandwiches, asking questions, etc. And I've heard multiple stories of ejections from the store and rude behavior. I think it's sort of their characters for the store, but a lot of people some genuinely put-off by the vibe. I don't really care, because the sandwiches are the bomb. I suggest the Dino and the Pavarotti (picture above). Try anything on foccacia bread as well--it's perfect.

105 Sullivan St., New York, NY 10012, 212 334 5179

Man Vs. Food

2010-02-10T13:02:00.002-05:00

Been watching this show recently and loving it way more than I expected. I want to eat everything. Recently saw the NYC episode and I think it has finally pushed me to go to Katz's Deli this weekend. I'm intrigued by Sylvia's (shown above) since I am addicted to fried chicken. I wonder if they can beat Georgia's Eastside BBQ for title of best fried chicken in NYC I've had.

The Mexican Cart - Midtown (43rd and 6th, northeast corner)

2010-02-10T11:27:00.000-05:00

This is one of the best carts in Midtown and one of the few Mexican carts I've been able to find in Manhattan. The cart is located on the northeast corner of 43rd St. and 6th Ave., they dish out super cheap and amazingly tasty Mexican treats. I used to go to Chipotle all the time on my break for burritos, but since I found this cart I haven't been back. The food is more authentic and served by some legit amigos; they're so OG they wear their IDs around their necks--legit business, bitches.

The chalupas (above) are $6 and you get to choose carnitas, beef, chicken or chorizo. Three chalupas with beans and rice for $6--you will not find a better deal in Midtown. Fluffy, crumbly rice, and refried pinto beans go well with the chalupas--especially if you're like me and order lots of hot sauce on everything.

And here is the Torta. I should have taken a better photo, because this thing is huge and also only $6 and I swear the guy making them has been slowly making them bigger and bigger every time I get one. They're almost as big as footballs. He loads lettuce, tomato, guacamole, beans, pico de gallo, chicken, cheese, onions, and hot sauce onto a buttered and toasted roll and this thing is a monster. Have you ever tried to eat a football? You should. This thing is super messy, you just got to embrace it and fork up everything that falls off. I cannot express how gleeful this torta makes me.

Lastly, I always pick up at pastelillo from this cart. They're like over-sized empanadas. They sell out pretty quick too for only $1.50 each. Super crispy on the outside, they hide tender shredded chicken on the inside that's been infused with hot sauce. Holy crap. Awesome.

Go to this cart if you are ever in Midtown. For $6 or $7 you can get some tasty Mexican food. Bueno.

Northeast corner of 43rd St. and 6th Ave.

Homemade Mandoo

2010-02-10T10:40:00.000-05:00

Every year on Christmas Eve we make hundreds of mandoo for our family gathering the next day. All by hand.

Last year my brother got my mom a deep fryer which helps a lot on clean up.

This year we did a pork and beef combination with scallions and onions among other seasonings.

You gotta fold each one and press the sides together with water making sure there aren't any air bubbles.

Just the beginning.

Frying cutlets with chopsticks!

Midtown (Plus More) - NYC Cravings Truck

2009-12-31T10:28:00.000-05:00

The best food in Midtown is sold in carts and trucks. Don't pay more for less quality and less food at expensive chains and tourist traps in and around Times Square. Since I work near Bryant Park it is difficult to find the good lunch spots for cheap eats with your usual suspects being Chipotle, Metro Cafe and other corporate chains--I consider those two the lesser evils. However, you can find awesome cheap food from street vendors. The apex of said vendors? The NYC Cravings Truck is the holy grail of street vendors.

Serving Tai street food like fried chicken, pork chops, dumplings, zongzi, fish cakes and wings, the Cravings Truck makes a different lunch time stop in Manhattan every day of the week. On Monday's the stop by 48th and 6th where I make my weekly trek to get Thai fried chicken with rice for $7; add a tea egg for another buck.

The chicken is beyond savory and tender, after your first bite the meat will drop off the bone with juices flowing free. An order comes with two nice big haunches served over a bowl of rice with a brown sauce and sour cabbage. The mixture is perfect. Ask for extra sauce for another buck and you will understand why it's the "Cravings" truck. Nothing in Midtown beats the price, the taste or the quality. I'm dead serious when I say this the best lunch in Midtown.

Try to make it early to the stop or else you'll have to wait in a hefty line which at peak lunch hours can reach down the block. Tourists and white collars often walk by perplexed by the long line for the truck and curious onlookers ask what the big deal is. If a vendors quality is quantified by the length of their line then the cravings truck is at the apex. Best fried chicken, best Midtown option.

Twitter - NYC Cravings.com (Both links have daily locations)

Chopstick Etiquette for you ignorant savages

2009-12-29T12:38:00.000-05:00

One they forgot is to never stick your chopsticks vertically into any food--it makes them resemble the incense Japanese families put into food that they place the graves of their ancestors, which as you can imagine, is pretty offensive.

Which are you?

2009-12-29T12:16:00.000-05:00

My family is definitely the bottom picture.

Cup and Saucer - Chinatown

2009-12-29T12:09:00.000-05:00

You spilled diner in my Chinatown! That's like spilling goat milk in my eggnog. OK, tenuous joke references aside you might be wondering why there's a picture of fries and eggs up there. Well, I don't know. So there.

I used to live a couple blocks from this really small and homey diner, Cup and Saucer, run by Greeks with a very classic old timey diner feel to it. Prices were fairly cheap and it had a nice no-frills or pretenses vibe to it. So it was very much the opposite aesthetic to something like the nearby Roots and Vines. It's a nice place for breakfast or a burger. The two egg breakfast ($4.45) is great and cheap. You get two eggs made to order with home fries and toast. Good stuff. Breakfast sandwiches are another good option here, basically your standard breakfast stuff, nothing fancy--like a diner should be. The breakfast sandwiches run around $2-$4.

Oh, so why did I have french fries with my eggs? I didn't realize how late it was (it was almost 2pm) and ordered the two egg breakfast so they were out of home fries at the time.

89 Canal St., New York, NY 10002, 212-925-3298, menu page

New York Hot Dog and Coffee - Buy1 Get1

2009-12-15T12:41:00.000-05:00

New York Hotdog and Coffee is doing a buy one get one free special after 5pm this week possibly longer. Head over and try out those kimchi and bulgogi hotdogs with a pal or if you're me, just get two for yourself.

LES got soul food?

2009-12-15T11:21:00.001-05:00

The spread was so big that we couldn't fit all the food into one shot. Here we are at LES BBQ joint, Georgia's Eastside BBQ, with BBQ wings, fried chicken, ribs, andouille sausage, sweet potato fries, baked beans, corn bread and coleslaw. The waitress was incredulous of our appetite, however we proved our mettle is unwavering and terribly formidable. Of course this was all post-Donut Plant breakfast as well. I bet you think I'm fat, don't you?

Mandoo Bar - Korea Town (Midtown)

2009-12-15T11:12:00.000-05:00

Korea Town--I like it because it's Korean, but I generally don't like its Midtown prices so i don't go there as often as I might like. If you know of a cheap, cheap Korean place with solid performance in Manhattan let me know. Mandoo Bar is probably one of the cheapest places in the small area that is Korea Town. They specialize in Korean dumplings, mandoo, and you can spot the storefront because of the chefs making the dumplings by hand in the window.

The name holds no pretenses, the best thing here is the mandoo--pork, kimchi, vegetable--they are all very good and come hot and steamy, fried or steamed. The kimchi mandoo is certainly the star here, the mixture of kimchi and pork do not masque each other and you can easily taste the full flavors of the spicy kimchi and the savory pork, which fold together very nicely under the guise of tender wonton wrappings.

I tried the kimchi noodle soup and the bibimbap, both of which were sub-par for the pricing. Your best bet here is to take Mandoo Bar's name in verbatim. Get the mandoo, get some drinks. So maybe not the best place for a full course meal, but a great place for drinks and one of the best appetizers ever. Hell, if you want to just go order a plethora of dumplings for yourself and make it into a meal--I would commend you for it.

2 West 32nd St., New York, NY 10001, 212 279 3075, menu page

Mei Lei Wah Bakery - Chinatown

2009-12-10T12:16:00.000-05:00

I like buns. Best bun for your buck in NYC? Mei Lei Wah's $0.80 for your choice of baked or roasted pork bun. Fast, hot and savory, cheap and slightly sweet bundle of soft bready dough and juicy brown pork meat and fat. It's a simple thing, a thing of beauty.

They've got a plethora of other sorts of buns ranging from your large dinner bun with egg, rice and meat to your dessert buns with sweet filling like sugar and coconut. All options are very cheap around $1-$2. Probably a good morning-after place for when your feeling groggy since it's a coffee and tea place too. Everything's on the cheap though so anytime is a good time to try it out--there is no bad time for cheap.

A bun for everyone! Vegetarian options included. And yes, this place is open--it had closed for a short amount of time and then reopened so sometimes there is some confusion as to whether it exists or not.

64 Bayard St., New York, NY 10013, 212 966 7866, yelp page

Dorado: Some good green in Brookline?

2009-12-10T11:56:00.000-05:00

Dorado: Tacos and Cemitas, the new Mexican joint in Brookline looks promising--Mexican food is always promising. I'm a Torta addict so the thought of Cemitas makes me hopeful. There isn't a huge difference by the way, still your basic Mexican sandwich except Cemitas originate from Puebla and have some slight differences like a sesame bun and cilantro along with some other nuances.

Browsing their menu, you can see some pretty fair prices, but the focus here is Eco-friendly. Dorado's Christina Hernandez sent me some specifics on the green tactics Dorado employs:

• Dining utensils made from potatoes (can withstand temperatures up to 375 degrees)
• Cups derived from entirely natural corn-based biodegradable material
• All plastic containers made from 100% renewable resources such as plants
• To-go bags made from GMO free crops
• Bagasse plates made from sugarcane
• Floor made from post-consumer recycled materials
• Wood tables made from the previous tenant’s walk-in cooler

As someone who is very suspicious of anything claiming to be Eco-Friendly I'll have to check the place out myself the next time I'm in the Boston area. Suspicious? Why? A lot of people with green activism in mind miss the point, but it seems that Dorado's got pretty good aim.

Boston Liquor Licenses or the reason why I'd rather go to a house party in Allston

2009-12-10T11:15:00.002-05:00

As an ex-Boston resident of 5 years, I can tell you there aren't many great bars in Boston. Most of them are expensive, crowded with college kids, and if you're not in the mood for a dull sports bar or an expensive high falutin downtown bar or even worse--a club (shudder) then you're out of luck. Especially since I heard the Model and the Silhouette are starting to suck.

I had always told people that the reason why Boston bars' and restaurants' prices and services are more often gruff unfriendly is because of a couple reasons: 1) the influx of discourteous college kids makes restaurant/bar owners hate everyone; and 2) there isn't enough competition among establishments--whereas in a more dense city like New York if you don't like a joint's prices then you can hop to one of 10 places on the same block.

Recently, Boston Magazine's Sean Flanagan sent me an article that elucidates a large part of this problem: apparently the main reason for the aforementioned point #2 is the lack of available liquor licenses. The problem? There's a hard cap on the amount of places in Boston that can serve liquor and so the cost of licenses as the city has grown has skyrocketed to hundreds of thousands of dollars. So maybe you wish there were more cooler independent restaurants and bars in Boston? Well too bad, because mom and pop can't afford to shell out $450,000 for a liquor license while Mr. Corporate Chain has the cash to spare.

Good stuff, Boston. Way to promote that healthy competition we Americans are known for. If you want to know the details you should read the article over at Boston Magazine's site for the complete rundown on the bureaucracy at hand.

p.s. The Other Side doesn't have Brubakers anymore.

Roots and Vines - Lower East Side

2009-12-08T13:21:00.000-05:00

This place has a bit too much of a "too cool for school" kind of vibe--I'm not a huge fan of that kind of thing, but the food was pretty good. It's a very nice and clean spot in LES on Grand St. a block from the glorious Donut Plant. Prices are in the middle range ($6-$10) and they have a great selection on their menu: burgers, banh mi and Mexican. Being part coffeehouse, part bar and part street vendor--Roots and Vines is not a banal stop, which probably adds to its trendy mood and decor: soft lighting and a too many rich kids with macbooks sipping lattes. There's probably someone wearing a beret there right this second. But don't let any of that stop you from scarfing some tacos and burgers or even better: a banh mi.

I tried out the banh mi and although it's smaller in size compared to Saigon Bakery in Little Italy, it's still pretty substantial and well prepared. The bread was crisp and toasted to a fine texture, enough to bed crunchy but not so much that it crumbled apart. The inner working were also pieced together nicely with each ingredient segment nicely portioned so that I could taste a bit of patte, pork, pickled carrot and cucumber in each bite. It was delicious, but when I was finished it left me wanting another--so cruel.

Props to the chef who designed their menu. It has all the beautiful types of food I love: banh mi, tacos, burgers and tortas. Sure, none of them are particularly on the "light" side, but for those people that want trick themselves into healthy choices they offer some salads (goat cheese anyone?). I'll definitely return to try out the tortas, the thought of which make my mouth water.

This a very chill spot, so probably a good place to get a coffee or a beer and something to eat with friends where you can have a conversation. I'd take friends here who like a more modern and cleaner looking establishment--maybe the ones aren't as fond of the dives and grimier places.

409 Grand St., New York, NY 10002, 212 260 2363, Menu Page

The Wall - Lower East Side

2009-11-25T16:17:00.003-05:00

This place boasts the best burger in Manhattan. I would agree with the stipulation that it is the best unorthodox burger in Manhattan. That is, it isn't your conventional beef patty with sesame seed bun and tomato, onion, and cheese kind of burger. No, it is way better than that, I agree, but some may be more inclined to chase after what they are familiar with--those people are fools.

The burger is served on a fantastic buttery roll of your choosing that is toasted to a delightful combination of crisp outer layer and soft bready inside. The burger itself is not very thick and on the smaller side, but no less juicy--and this is compensated more than fully by the fact that it is accompanied by a generous slathering of amazing veggie spread of your choosing. Oh man, this veggie spread is amazing I cannot stress that enough. I want to bathe in it. Take a look at the different spreads you can choose:

Tortuga - avocado, tomatoes, garlic, strained yogurt.

Majorca - smooth mild spread made of roasted peppers, eggplant and farm cheese.

Chris Cross - chunky eggplant and roasted pepper with parsley, garlic, walnuts.

I can and will eat these spreads with nothing but a spoon as if they were a thick soup. So sure, maybe it's not the best burger in the conventional sense of the word, but being awesome because of a technicality is fine with me--so pour that spread on me.

The service here was great, huge plus, the bohemian fellow behind the counter was super courteous and more than willing to explain the ingredients in everything and was apologetic and willing to make fresh anything he had run out of. In addition, an older (Eastern?) European lady arrived later and was also very affable. Cool place, $8 for a burger and the menu overall has a healthier skew to it with a lot of vegetarian options.

85 Orchard St., New York, NY 10002, 212 219 8235, Menu page

Two Boots - East Village (and more)

2009-11-25T15:23:00.001-05:00

This is long overdue. Everyone always thinks "Dude. New York. Pizza. Duuude, New York pizza!" In all honesty I can't remember having any pizza and being completely blown out of the water by it--I mean pizza is awesome and that seems ot be a universal axiom: pizza = always good if not great, but rarely terrible.

I will make the claim that Two Boots has better than average pizza though. They're specialty slices generally all look very good and interesting with ingredients you don't generally find at your normal pizza place. Take a look at the menu and you'll see items like andouille sausage, crawfish, creole chicken, BBQ shrimp, sopresseta and other Cajun inspired flavors. Most of the specialty slices combine these ingredients to make a complete flavor such as the the "Night Tripper" which entails a white pizza with roasted garlic, sun dried tomatoes and jalapeno pesto. "The Bird" is my personal favorite: buffalo chicken, blue cheese dressing, scallions and jalapenos on a white pie (pictured above).

Two boots crust is made with corn meal, which is a huge plus for me--it's crunchy, flaky, and the texture combined with cornbread flavor is perfect. Most of the specialty slices will run you about $3.75 and a plain slice is $2.00. They serve beer and many locations are beginning to do "a beer and a slice" combos to make a cheap opportunity to have a beer with your pizza--classic combination.

Did I mention they do movie rentals too? For cheap and it's easy to sign up. Kind of reminds me of when I was a little kid and the grocery store had a movie rental store inside of it. As of right now, Two Boots is definitely my favorite place for a slice in New York.

42 Avenue A, New York, NY 10009, 212 254 1919, www.twoboots.com

Essex - Lower East Side

2009-10-15T15:42:00.001-04:00

I hear a lot of mixed reviews on Essex and I have come to the conclusion on how you can really enjoy Essex and not end up being a hater. Step One: do not go to Essex on a weekend for brunch with you and a mob of your hungover friends. Just don't do it. You're going to end up waiting for an hour or more to be seated and the seating there isn't adequate for large groups of 4 or more.

Step Two: Yes, you get 3 cocktails with your brunch and that's awesome, but you have to understand that everyone else recognizes that too so DO NOT go with a huge group of people. Step Three: Go with one other person. Go on a date, a man-date, a blind date, a gay date--whatever; you'll get seated fast and I'd even go one step further and ask for a table on the balcony so you get seated faster and you get to enjoy your meal high up in a quiet area away from the sneering groups of hungover people waiting to be seated who probably hate you.

On to the food. For $18 you get a meal and 3 cocktails, it's a good deal. We got "The Southern" with eggs, sausage patties and biscuits with gravy and the ribeye steak and eggs. Overall, the food was decent, but not spectacular, but certainly worth $18 with drinks in tow--3 drinks alone will cost more than that at most bars in Manhattan. My eggs were slightly overcooked, but I don't blame the cook here since the kitchen is probably a madhouse here during brunch and the steak was actually pretty good and not super well done and dried out like most places--even pinkness and cooked to order. The biscuits and gravy were actually the highlight--the sausage gravy made everything delicious.

Beware: the screwdrivers here kill me--I switched to mimosas after one screwdriver foreshadowed my doom before my day had even started. Maybe it's just me though--vodka destroys me. A fun spot all around if you can get past the annoying techno music (hence why you should opt for the balcony seating).

120 Essex St., New York, NY 10002, 212 533 9616, www.essexnyc.com

BiBimBar - East Village (Behind Setagaya)

2009-10-15T15:17:00.002-04:00

BIBIMBAP. It's Korean, it's tasty, it's fun to say. Some folks in the East Village decided to open a no-brainer bar and bibimbap joint--filling cheap eats and beer. I like the idea and the place has a very nice interior and doesn't seem to get that crowded so you can have a conversation with your drinking/eating buds. It's slightly hidden, you have to walk past Setagaya and to the back to get to BiBimBar--it's really not that confusing, but the two places are NOT affiliated in anyway.

Most of the bibimbap run for around $10 and you get a lot of food as bibimbap is generally very filling and easy to make. If you opt for the stone bowl to keep your bibimbap hot and crispy then you'll end up paying a few extra dollars--though it is worth it in my opinion so you can get the crunchy bits of rice at the bottom. Beer isn't the cheapest here, but you can expect about average prices. OB beer is your best bet here, you can get a huge bottle for pretty cheap and it's Korean so you can keep face.

It's hard to mess up bibimbap and BibimBar doesn't fail to make a decent bowl. You can choose from vegetarian, pork, beef and seafood and they all come with a slew of veggies, hot sauce, fried eggs and more. I love it and it's probably more healthy than your average bar food of nachos and hot wings. Definitely worth a try, especially if your looking to try something new. The staff was very nice and attentive, a clean place too--not divey at all.

141 1st. Ave., New York, NY 10003, 212 529 2746, yelp page

The Friendly Toast - Cambridge

2009-10-09T14:36:00.003-04:00

I've been to the Friendly Toast in Portsmouth, NH, so when I was in Boston last weekend and my pals told me they opened one in Kendall Square in Cambridge I was stoked to go and check it out. After a classic good time in Allston with some friends in the nieghborhood behind Jackson Mann we needed a hearty breakfast to re-carb and rejuvenate our tired bodies.

This is what I'm talking about--big portions here, a huge breakfast burrito with a pile of home fries next to it and a tall strawberry kiwi smoothie to wash it down (the other dudes were drinking bloody marys and mimosas). This burrito was thick and unforgiving--just the way I like it. Filled with scrambled eggs, black beans, salsa, avocado-lime sauce, cheddar and cilantro spread with sour cream and mango sour cream on the side. Let me emphasize how massive this burrito was. Damn. It was just the right thing for a empty and overly acidic-feeling tummy after a night of drinking--instantly brings satisfaction to the most empty of stomachs.

It was a little heavy on the eggs and I would have loved if they opted for some bacon or breakfast sausage instead to ease up on the egginess--I had to load up on the sour cream to balance out the eggs because of it. Not a huge hassle, but the egg flavor gets monotonous if you don't have something to take the bland out of it--maybe if they added more avocado-lime? Maybe. Very solid, very filling burrito though--lovely. The home fries were decent, thick and well-cooked: a little crispy, but still tender. I like my home fries seasoned and with onions and peppers, but these were good on the regular.

Smoothie was very tall and fresh and I like that the price is the same regardless of how many types of fruits you choose to get in it. The burrito plate was $10 and the smoothie was $5 so not too bad for a giant-sized meal. Friendly toast has my stamp of approval. The place is huge too so you generally won't have to wait long for a table even at noon on a weekend--good deal.

One Kendal Square, Cambridge, MA 02139, 617 621 1200, www.thefriendlytoast.net

Doughnut Plant - Lower East Side

2009-10-07T12:31:00.000-04:00

I can write as many words as I want, but nothing will lure you to Doughnut Plant better than taking stroll by the store on any morning--the smell will yank you in whether you like it or not. Fresh, warm, sweet-smelling donuts have never smelled so good. These aren't your basic glazed donuts or frosted donuts either, there are some off-the-wall flavors like tres leches, carrot, peanut glaze, vanilla bean, apple cinnamon, pumpkin and a slew of others that are all equally tasty.

I've never been a big fan of sweets and desserts, but I am always interested in tasting them in search for a pleasant surprise. This certainly was one of those surprises. The apple cinnamon donut I had here was perfect for me. Not overly sweet and rich, warm, a subdued sweetness that focused more on the cinnamon apple flavor without being overwhelming. It was especially great as it matched the Autumn morning. The next time I come here I will definitely be trying the coconut glazed donut.

These aren't your off-the-shelf gross donuts with preservatives and weird fats that make you feel ill after eating just one either--on the contrary, I felt refreshed and unburdened by Doughnut Plant's masterpiece donuts. They boast no trans fats, preservatives, artificial flavorings or eggs in their donuts. You will not be disappointed by Doughnut Plant.

379 Grand St., New York, NY 10002, 212 505 3700, www.doughnutplant.com

Tiny's Giant Sandwich Shop - Lower East Side

2009-10-07T12:13:00.000-04:00

There's a lot of hype surrounding Tiny's. Most of the rave reviews mention delicious, large, sandwiches for super cheap--I'd hate to say that's not the complete truth, but that it's still a decent place. First off, it's a pretty cool storefront if you want a cool joint to eat at in LES--perhaps if you want to eat and talk with a few friends for lunch. I think a lot of the overly-hyped reviews are products of the atmosphere and location: it's a pretty cool place and cheap for the neighborhood it's in, however I put things more in perspective or at least try to.

First the quality of the sandwich was not exceptional, it was very basic and none of the ingredients stood out in terms of quality either. The roast beef sandwich was rather on the small side and came with melted Swiss and small, almost diced, red peppers, with a proportionally generous amount of roast beef. The sandwich was tasty, hot, and savory. The melted cheese and juicy roast beef was nice as always. The peppers were negligible and it costs extra for mushrooms, which is pretty disappointing for an $8 sandwich of this size. The size of the sandwich was more on the tiny side than the self-proclaimed giant side and for $8 I was expecting something heftier. And for such a small sandwich it took them a while to prepare I'd say around 10 minutes of wait time.

For the same price point or less I would prefer Parisi Bakery or a Banh Mi--both of these places would yield more food for the same or less amount of money (a lot less at Banh Mi). I would say Parisi and Alidoro far outshine Tiny's in terms of sandwich specialty places. All in all, I'd say Tiny's is only a couple notches ahead of corner deli sandwiches and even then I've had some really good corner deli sandwiches (don't discount those guys!). Tiny's is a par on the course so go ahead and try it out. The main difference between Tiny's and places like Parisi and Alidoro is that Tiny's it cool, it's a trendy place with cool decor--places like Alidoro and Parisi are all about the food--you can tell these guys have been making sandwiches all their life--hell, it is their life; at Tiny's it's just their day job or part time gig.

129 Rivington St., New York, NY 10002, 212 982 1690, www.tinysgiant.com

Georgia's Eastside BBQ - Lower East Side

2009-09-30T15:00:00.000-04:00

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

2009-09-30T12:39:00.001-04:00

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

2009-09-22T12:11:00.002-04:00

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

2009-09-18T12:40:00.004-04:00

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

2009-09-10T10:03:00.005-04:00

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

2009-09-02T10:48:00.005-04:00

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 . . .

2009-09-02T10:43:00.001-04:00

KFC's Double Down Sandwich

2009-09-02T10:30:00.005-04:00

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.

Rub BBQ - Flatiron District

2009-08-11T08:40:00.006-04:00

I don't usually go this part of Manhattan to eat, but I was in the neighborhood and remember a suggestion of a friend so I stopped by to see if it was any good. It seemed like a pretty standard "in-between" restaurant--not too homey, not too touristy. The prices were slightly above what I would have liked to pay for the type and amount of food given, but not terribly expensive in anyway. An entree was around $10, a combination entree was upwards of $15.

I was hungry. I ordered a combo of baked beans, pulled pork, spicy sausage, and sweet potato fries--plus we got hush puppies. First noticeable thing was that the temperature of the food was lukewarm to simply room temperature--which is a bit off-putting. The baked beans were hot and I can contest to their great taste as I am a baked beans lover; they were tangy, thick and there was generous portions of tender pork mixed in.

The pulled pork and sausage were only warm and slightly dry--which is where the BBQ sauce comes in. Apparently it is normal practice to moisten the meat to your liking with the available BBQ sauces--I have no qualms with that. The fries were decent, not very crisp nor very limp, standard sweet potato fries all in all. The hush puppies were not all that amazing either and probably not that great--I can't say in earnest though since I don't have much hush puppy experience, although my companion said they were just OK and she's from Ohio where apparently hush puppies are more prevalent.

I think the catch here is that if you put BBQ sauce on anything it'll make it more than passable, which is generally true if you enjoy BBQ sauce as much as I do. I'd say overall that Rub is a pretty good place if you're in the area and definitely far ahead of places like Dallas BBQ or similar gross chains.

208 West 23rd St., New York, NY 10011, 212 524 4300, www.rubbbq.net

New York Hot Dog and Coffee - West Village

2009-07-21T11:41:00.006-04:00

Odd combination of foods in a generic and vaguely named storefront? Sure, I'm down for that. My friends Lauren and Caitlin notified me of a wacky place where they sell Korean hotdogs--I believe they told me this because I am partly Korean and because they are partly racist. Seriously, what, just because I'm Korean does that mean I will automatically like Korean things? Probably.

This store is kind of like the bizzaro dimension--they sell hotdogs and hamburgers of standard varieties, but then they offer hotdogs with bulgogi and kimchi toppings or chicken hotdogs with chicken kalbi toppings. And that's not all, they sell . . . Belgian waffles? Yeah, I don't know. I'm not complaining, but this place is pretty schizophrenic in a good way.

The hotdog with bulgogi was good if not for the unique take on a standard item, but it wasn't mind-blowing. I regret not getting it with kimchi as well--I think that would add some needed texture variety. The chicken kalbi hot dog wasn't as good--something about chicken on chicken didn't make for a satisfying taste, but that also may be my unfamiliarity with chicken hotdogs. The hotdogs are large, probably twice as big as your standard vendor hotdog or more. The buns are like normal hotdog buns on steroids--much larger and toasted for more bite and thickness. The fries were very crisp, not too salty or greasy, but for some reason the sign says "spicy fries" when these were just normal fries--a bit odd--perhaps lost in translation?

The prices are pretty average, not as cheap as I like them to be, at around $5-$10 with the higher end pertaining to the Korean influenced toppings. I would suggest going here to anyone simply because it's a pretty interesting experience: Korean hotdogs and burgers, coffee, Belgian waffles, somewhat odd furnishings, ceramic hotdog displays, super courteous Korean staff all in the west village. Like I said, bizzaro dimension.

I'm Korean

2009-07-21T09:47:00.003-04:00

Kimchi from Vanessa's - $3
Pork Bulgogi from K-Town - $5
Pickled garlic from K-Town - $2.50

Slainte - Bowery

2009-07-21T08:27:00.005-04:00

I normally would have never went here, but since my friend started working here I tried it out. It's certainly not terrible, but there's a lot of things I have problems with. First is the prices, this is a more touristy and conventional sports bar type of place--it's on Bowery right about Houston so it gets a lot of the moneybags from people in SoHo/Broadway area. Secondly, it's a sports bar. And third of all, it's Irish, which pretty much means the food is either awful or sub-par and I'm not too fond of paying $10 bucks for a cruddy hamburger. So don't do that.

Bangers and mash--simple, traditionally Irish--how could they mess it up? Well, they did. I'm pretty sure the onion gravy was canned, the sausage was unflavorful and most likely frozen with no kick at all, and the mashed potatoes might have been the only somewhat decent part of the dish--although bland. I know the Irish are not known for their quality of food, but c'mon, for $12 I expected much more. I also got a cheeseburger here one time and it was a similar story--my medium rare burger was well done and dry--an overall tasteless experience.

The beer isn't terribly expensive, but usually more than $5. There's $3 Miller Lites for happy hour and sometimes, randomly, there's $3 Yuenglings. The environment isn't much to look at either--it pretty much looks like a Bennigans with big dark wooden benches and tables and some sparse, lame, Irish trinkets. I'm not a huge fan of television screens everywhere either--but that might just be me since I generally go to bars to escape digital things.

The one thing I would recommend if you went here is the sweet potato fries. They're delicious and they're cheap. $3 will get you a "small" which is surprisingly very generous and $5 will get you a huge tub of fries. My suggestion would be to go during happy hour and slurp down Miller Lites or Yuengling (if it's $3) and chow on fries. Otherwise, there's not much other reason to go here when there's a lot cheaper places to eat and drink just a couple avenues to the east.

304 Bowery, New York, NY 10012, 212 253 7030, www.slaintenyc.com

Eastern Noodle - Chinatown

2009-07-02T09:34:00.006-04:00

So you got like $5 in your pocky and your like "Aw, man I could really go for some noodles in my face," so you head to Chinatown and you're like "Aw, man where my noodles at?"

Then you walk to Forsyth and Canal and you see Win Kei Noodle and you're like "Aw, man, winky noodles?" Then you look down Forsyth and you see Eastern Noodle. Then you go there--to Eastern noodle. And you win.

If we're talking cheapest of the cheap then you can get a big bowl of noodles here with very tender and delicious bok choy for $3 (hell yeah). For $4.50 you can get noodles and beef with bok choy. For $3 you can get 12 steamed pork dumplings. The noodles are chewy and thick, but tender--they're hand pulled--by HANDS. There's this really cool middle aged chinese guy who grabs a clump of dough and just starts whipping it around and smashing it on this cutting board and in like 30 seconds he has the long strands of noodle dough--he's probably famous or something.

The broth is a little salty but that means it's a lot of good to me. If you're not feeling the salt then you can add some vinegar which they have handy. They also have fresh cilantro and this really amazing spicy pepper concoction that you can add to anything to make it 10 times more awesome.

The steamed pork dumplings are nice and always come out fresh and juicy. If you're really hungry you can get 12 dumplings and a noodle soup for $8. That's a lot of food. It's a very chill little shop too, there's usually what I assume is the cool guy's little son studying in the corner and he comes takes your order since he speaks fluent english--he's really cool for like a 9 year old.

I know it's summer now, and a little hot for noodle soup, but they have cheap dry dishes too. Me, I can't refuse noodles no matter the temperature outside--especially this cheap and tasty. You'd be foolish not to try it.

28 Forsyth St., New York, NY, 10002 yelp

PizzaWings - Allston

2009-06-29T16:23:00.004-04:00

Guest Editor - Travis England

Pizzawings - pizza, wings
why buy anything else?
fries? why are you getting fries?
pizza or wings
don't dance around the main course
of course the fries aren't very good
pizzafries
frieswings
no no no
I've been coming back since they opened for the BBQ Chicken and bacon pizza, it is absolutely the best bbq pizza I've ever had. I've tried quite a few, but all pale in comparison to what Pizzawings can deliver.
Speaking of delivery, I've always found their delivery persons to be extremely enthusiastic about serving me up my meal, I have no problem throwing down an extra couple dollars for their friendly faces and moderately quick delivery.
If you tried it, and didn't like it, you probably were ordering the wrong thing.
I'd also suggest the Parmesan-honey sauce next time you try tenders or wings, maybe not so much on wings, the tenders are insane with that sauce. Honey hot is good too. Skip the fries, skip the poppers, go for the speciality pizzas, get some wings, grab a beer, great.

Yelp page

Buk Kyung - Allston

2009-06-18T12:24:00.007-04:00

Before . . .

After . . .

Koreans!

I doubt many of the college kids in Allston frequent this place since it's not that noticeable with a modest storefront and Korean name. But it's pretty awesome and if you're a fan of good Korean food at a good price then definitely head in.

The ingredients here are more fresh than your average restaurant, so veggies have more snap and flavor and you don't feel like you just ate frozen/pre-cooked/greasy stuff. The banchans (little free side plates) you get are nice little extras of kimchi, Korean pickles/radish, and some lesser ones as well. there are two dishes here that I recommend especially. First, jajang myun which is a noodle dish in black bean sauce with potatoes, pork, cucumbers and onions--this is their specialty according to many people and rightfully so. My mother who is very Korean liked it so that should be a testament to its authenticity. I liked it too, so that's . . . something too, right?

The other dish I'd suggest here is the jam bong which is first, a sweet name, and second a tasty seafood noodle soup. It's spicy too--very spicy. It's loaded with thick chewy noodles, squid, shrimp, and other assorted seafood as well as a lot of various veggies. It's a very large bowl so you can get your fill of spicy hot noodles and seafood--wonderful.

Some other dishes that were up to snuff was the pork and beef bulgolgi (marinated, tender meat), mandus (fried dumplings), and seafood scallion pancakes. I think for the above pictured meal--appetizers aren't in view--which fed a voracious family of four came to around $50-60.

151 Brighton Ave., Allston, MA 02134, 617 254 2775 yelp page

Big Apple BBQ

2009-06-11T10:48:00.004-04:00

Oh, yes. Thank you.

bigapplebbq.org

I'll see you there this weekend, June 13th-14th at Madison Square Park 11am-7pm.

$3.50 Chinese Take Out - Chinatown

2009-06-10T11:51:00.002-04:00

You've probably been to Chinatown a bunch of times and you probably wonder where the legit Chinese people go eat normally while you sit down to some restaurant that you think is cheap because of your slimy bourgeoisie mentality. They go to places like this.

Yeah, I don't even know the name of this place, but it's on the north side of Chatham Square on Bowery right above the intersection of Division St. There's two signs that detail the options you have here: 1) $4 Eat-in and you get 5 choices from a long buffet counter on a styrofoam tray like you used to get in elementary school 2) $3.50 Take-out and you get a styrofoam compartmental container (shown in picture above) that comes with white rice and 4 choices from the buffet counter as well as a small soup. That's a lot of food for less than $4.

This place is a mecca for cheap eating in New York, which is why all the locals eat there--this isn't the place where tourists go; it's not fancy or well furnished and if you're not comfortable around crowds on non-english speaking Chinese people then you might not want to go here. After paying for your tray you can go to the buffet and point out your selections to the servers who will dish it out to you--after your 4 or 5 selections you will have a nice mountain of food on your tray.

In terms of quality, the food is good--better than a lot of standard American-Chinese restaurants and obviously way cheaper. They do have the American style stuff if you're too afraid to branch out: General Tso's, sweet and sour chicken, spare ribs, chicken wings, lo mein, etc. But they have a lot of other good choices and some weird ones too (scrambled eggs and tomatoes?) but the quality is good and fresh. All of the vegetables are very fresh which is amazing to think you can get fresh vegetables at a place this cheap while most Chinese places in the 'burbs are using frozen crap. I recently went here for an early dinner and it was amazing: fluffy and sticky white rice straight from the ricecooker just like at home, tender bok choy, pork tenderloin . . . it was great.

I can't recommend this enough to the cheapass foodies out there like me.

Mixed Feelings

2009-06-01T14:57:00.001-04:00

Mama's Food Shop - East Village

2009-05-29T10:56:00.003-04:00

Unlike souls, this food is very tangible. Soul food isn't really something that is readily associated with NYC, but Mama's Food Shop does a good job of pushing it forward a bit. When I think soul food, I think large portions, wholesome flavors, cheap prices and fried chicken. Fortunately, those are all things I enjoy.

I had heard and read a lot about Mama's before going there so the trip was hyped up for me and I was envisioning heaps of chicken and mac'n cheese. When I got there it was a quiet afternoon and I was one of maybe 3 people there. I ordered fried chicken, cucumber and beat salad and broccoli. As you can see the bed of vegetables on my plate is mountainous. The piece of fried chicken were rolling off the peak of the vegetable mountain--that's a lot of food. I took this as a challenge, a challenge of ecstasy, and ate every last bit.

Content and full--a rare thing for me when I go out to eat--I was impressed by Mama's and vowed to return to try a less healthy meal. What's next? Fried chicken, mac'n cheese and mashed potatoes. That would be enough calories to sate a normal human for 2 days.

The chicken was great, meaty pieces with crisp batter that didn't feel overly greasy or dry. The veggies were fresh and crisp with a very satisfying snap to them. If your food isn't at your desired temperature there is even a microwave in the dining area for you to heat it up to your liking. Some people may not like the do-it-yourself/homestyle traits like the microwave or that you clear off your own plate when your finished--but I like it, it's much more Dine or Death style to make your patrons not be douchebags.

So for $12 you get a choice of one meat ranging from fried chicken to salmon and 2 sides with choices of a variety of vegetables, potatoes, mac n' cheese and many many others. That $12 meal is huge though, a lot of people get 2 meals out of it and bring their own tupperware for their leftover so it's really a great deal.

200 East 3rd St., New York, NY 10009, 212 777 4425, www.mamasfoodshop.com

Beer Conversation by 2 Dudes

2009-05-28T14:48:00.001-04:00

(2:43:31 PM) Ben Lee: three favorite beers: lone star. yuengling, pbr
(2:43:28 PM) Sean Willis: thats a good threesome
(2:43:47 PM) Ben Lee: it's threeconomics
(2:43:40 PM) Sean Willis: pbr, bud heavy, yueng for me
(2:43:59 PM) Ben Lee: oh shit
(2:43:52 PM) Sean Willis: i love yueng
(2:44:07 PM) Ben Lee: i have to push it to 4 then
(2:44:15 PM) Ben Lee: bc bud heavy is always there
(2:44:22 PM) Ben Lee: it never turns its back
(2:44:12 PM) Sean Willis: BUD HEAVY WTF ARE YOU THINKING
(2:44:22 PM) Sean Willis: so many times i sit down and there a bud heavy
(2:44:24 PM) Sean Willis: and im like
(2:44:29 PM) Sean Willis: damn--i've had this so many times before
(2:44:33 PM) Sean Willis: but its so good and refreshing
(2:44:34 PM) Sean Willis: wtf
(2:44:50 PM) Ben Lee: i know
(2:44:52 PM) Ben Lee: incredible
(2:45:11 PM) Ben Lee: you know what's fucked?
(2:45:13 PM) Ben Lee: budlight
(2:45:18 PM) Sean Willis: yeah
(2:45:20 PM) Sean Willis: so fucked
(2:45:30 PM) Sean Willis: it's like the trick bud made up to fuck with people
(2:45:46 PM) Sean Willis: they were all like "haha all the stupid people will pay us for this shit"
(2:46:02 PM) Sean Willis: and then with bud they were like "the cool dudes will drink this-BYAHHHH"
(2:46:54 PM) Ben Lee: hahahaha
(2:47:09 PM) Ben Lee: history of bud's success by sean

Spice - Union Square

2009-05-19T12:38:00.007-04:00

Here's a great lunch deal: $7 for an entree and appetizer in Union Square. Awesome. Ignore the cone of rice--I don't know why either.

Spice really knows what they're doing--failing economic climate, people don't want to spend a lot on food, but there's a lot of competition in such a densely populated city with so many restaurants. The trick is to just get people in the door and a lunch special like this one capitalizes on all of the people on their lunch breaks looking for something other than a sandwich or fast food.

At Spice, they can keep their cash and still sit down in a relatively nice restaurant and get some decent Thai food. I got the chicken with cashew nuts--it was pretty good, most certainly with $7, and the portion was adequate. The chicken was tender and the sauce was mild, but not bland. A heaping amount of mixed vegetables accompanied the plate and it was lovely--a lot of onions, which some may not like--but I love me some sauteed onions.

Here's the small plate of shumai that I got as well. It was a nice snack before my entree arrived and I'm certainly not complaining about the portions since it came together with the chicken and cashews for $7. Nothing special here, tiny shumai with some garnish--just a little extra bang for your buck.

I would recommend Spice to anyone looking for a cheap lunch spot, especially with friends. The service was fast even though the place was packed at the peak of lunch hour. Our bill for three people came to exactly $21.

39 East 13th St., New York, NY 10003, 212 982 3758, www.spicethainyc.com

Parisi Bakery - Little Italy

2009-05-19T12:05:00.005-04:00

I love sandwiches. For a while I had been on a suprisingly difficult search for a "Dennis." The Dennis had never entered my mind before my friend, Brendan, introduced it to me. His co-worker, Dennis, has ordered the same sandwich from a deli in Long Island so many times that they've decided to put it on the menu as The Dennis. What an honor--how many stout, burly men have only dreamed of having a grand sandwich named after them and then consummated on a menu? Too many. Far and few between have achieved such a feat.

A Dennis consists of: chicken cutlet on a hero with fresh mozzarella, prosciutto, tomatoes, and balsamic vinegar or pesto. How can you go wrong with that combination? Not possible, it's a work of pure, infallible, logic. Basically, it takes cold antipasto and combines it with chicken cutlets on a sandwich--thank you, Dennis--you are an alchemist of sandwichry.

The reason why it was difficult to find this sandwich is because a lot of the corner delis in Manhattan don't carry fresh mozzarella or prosciutto. You have to find a legitimate Italian deli in order to get a sandwich like this and be content. Parisi, is as good as it gets in downtown Manhattan. It's a small deli in Little Italy that's only open early in the day--you'll see why. During lunch hours the place is swamped and it has a very definitive family-owned and local feel.

You'll see all the regulars on their breaks coming to get gigantic heroes of all sorts and making small talk with the sweet, amiable woman and the gruff-looking, but overall nice guy sandwich-makers. All their ingredients are fresh and the breads are all freshly made as well. You'd really have to have a stick up your ass to complain about the service and quality of food here. Depending on what kind of sandwich you get you can expect to get a colossal amount of food for $7-$9.

Note: Apparently Saigon Sandwich gets their baguettes from here, which explains why they are awesome compared to other Saigon Sandwiches in other cities.

198 Mott St., New York, NY 10012, 212 226 6378, Yelp Page

Banh Mi Saigon Sandwich - Chinatown/Little Italy

2009-05-14T08:53:00.005-04:00

I'll try not to facilitate anyone's shellshock here--but delicious sandwiches usually aren't reminders of trench warfare anyways. Some people may be familiar with a Saigon Sandwich in Boston--which I was never aware of--but before you go passing judgment on the one in Manhattan you should note that I have no idea if these two shops are connected in anyway. I wouldn't be surprised at all if they were completely separate in all manners.

These sandwiches are cheap and big--you can get an idea of how big they are by looking at the image above (you can see my knees at the top of the picture). This was one of their more expensive sandwiches at $4.25--I know, a real wallet-buster. The soft and chewy baguette contains pickled carrots, cilantro, cucumber, Vietnamese salami, pork and hot sauce. This is a great deal, delicious and filling. It's not greasy, you will not be a victim of that gross viscous liquid dripping from the bottom end of the sandwich--it's very fresh and the ingredients mesh well together for a very satisfying texture.

This place really exudes the epitome of Dine or Death--quality food, cheap prices and large portions. What could you complain about? Nothing. I was going to make more Vietnam War references, but I have too much respect for stuff like that. If you're like me, you'd enjoy grabbing one of these subs and walking east a couple blocks to the Chrystie St. parks and watching soccer while eating--grab a Arizona Ice Tea on the way over for a awesome lunch at $5.25.

369 Broome St., New York, NY 10013, 212 219 8341, Yelp page

Popeye's - Chinatown (but also everywhere)

2009-05-13T09:52:00.002-04:00

Everyone knows about Popeye's, but not everyone has actually ate there and there's a lot of mixed feelings about the chicken n' biscuits franchise. Some love it with conviction and declare it to be a great and guilty pleasure--others think it to be simply another fast food chain with a menu that will take years off your life.

The former people are cool and the latter are terrible, terrible, liars. Because Popeye's is the proverbial bomb. Prices are decent, the food is hearty and by hearty I mean the taste is very wholesome. Compared to other fast-food fried chicken, Popeye's is less greasy and more crisp--places like KFC definitely have a feeling of uneasy sogginess that Popeye's thankfully lacks.

I've found somewhat of a loophole in the pricing as well. It seems that the combos with drink and a side usually come out to at least $7 on the low end--but what I do is get a 3 piece chicken only meal that comes with a biscuit for $3.48--which is a much better deal.

125 Canal St., New York, NY 10002, 212-966-7077, www.popeyes.com

Flowers Cafe - Lower East Side

2009-04-23T10:58:00.005-04:00

This place sits innocently on the corner of Grand and Essex and sticks out with its flamboyant name and flower-power decorations among the more urbane LES surroundings. But it's not as innocent as you'd think. We are all familiar with these bohemian-bourgeoisie cafe spots that try to exude an organic and fresh theme: family-friendly and a general theme of worldly benevolence.

I pretty much hate stereotypical hippie culture with all the hemp, psychedelics and revelation-tripping stories. But the thing with Flowers is that it's not really like that at all. Sure, it's got literal flowers and a very homegrown theme--but this seems to be a model case of pretension. Yes, there is a certain degree of facade here. The ingredients seemed processed or, at the least, definitely not fair trade and there was no place to recycle your bottles/plastics. They seemed to use a lot of disposable plates and eating utensils as well. They also mistook cream cheese for butter, which is kind of weird.

Aside from the false-pretenses, the food was pretty standard. My sandwich was a pretty basic turkey club with cranberry sauce on a whole grain hero. The size was large and probably the most prominent plus, the ingredients seemed like cold cuts you get from plastic containers in the freezer section of the super market--all of the ingredients didn't have a very wholesome taste or texture to them.

My friend was less than pleased with her food. The prices weren't extreme, but still more than what I would value the food here at. The sandwich was around $8--you can definitely get a better sandwich for less or the same at a lot of places if you just walk west a little into Chinatown/Little Italy.

355 Grand St., New York, NY 10002, 212-777-8785, NY Mag article

San Loco - Lower East Side

2009-04-23T10:24:00.005-04:00

This, my friends, is a Loco Burrito. You may be asking yourself: Sean, what's so loco about this burrito? To which, I would respond: I have no idea.

Upon first glance, you can't even tell there's a burrito somewhere in there--perhaps that is the loco factor? I admit, it would be quite loco if a burrito were able to hide itself--after all, it is an inanimate thing and when inanimate things can do things of their own will--I'm impressed.

The burrito is actually inset between the yellow rice and the guacamole, tomato, and sour cream--see it now? It's kind of like one of those magic eye things you used to get in elementary school, except that it really isn't anything like that at all. I'll get to the point now: this food was pretty mediocre. This cost around $10 and was:

A) Not very flavorful.
B) Not very filling.
C) Not very cheap.
D) Quite the opposite of loco.

I think the discrepancy here is either that I ordered the wrong thing--which I doubt, because burritos are a staple item on any quasi-Mexican menu or that other people's definition of cheap is different than mine--which is probably the most probable answer. There are a lot better and less expensive options in downtown Manhattan than this place and sadly, based on this burrito experience--I would even prefer a burrito from a corporate place like Chipotle or Qdoba, where the burritos are larger, cheaper and of better quality.

Specifically, in terms of the food, the rice was relatively dry, the burrito was bland--last I checked Carnitas were supposed to be tender, slow-roasted, pork pieces--not dry and stringy. The guacamole was standard--nothing special.

San Loco? More like San Mediocre...oh, wait, more like Sans Loco! Get it? That's good. But honestly, I'm not ruling this place out--I'll come back and order something else--apparently the Guaco Loco is really good, but I guess we'll see. Also, I'm really funny.

111 Stanton St., New York, NY 10002, 212 253 7580, www.sanloco.com

Artichoke - East Village

2009-04-17T11:49:00.005-04:00

This place is getting lots of hype about being really cool and the NY Times name drops visits by celebrities like Keith Richards and the owner/chef of Momofuku--it seems like this place was set up for success. I've walked by a few times and it seems like there a pretty big line out the door usually (the inside space is extremely small). I went over with some pals and grabbed a couple slices to check it out while we watched another god damn vampire movie. Apparently vampires are the new pirates. People love them.

I love pizza. Artichoke is no exception, no doubt, their Neapolitan slices were good. First, the tomato and basil slice was thicker than your usual Neapolitan and the crust was even proportionally thicker, but not tough or burnt. Good, although there was a somewhat sparse amount of tomato chunks on top. The artichoke slice, which you would think would be somewhat phenomenal considering it's the establishments namesake, was not phenomenal--but still good. It was a little too buttery tasting, which might sound odd, but I got a distinct buttery flavor enveloping my mouth from it. Maybe some people like that, I wasn't repulsed, but it was a little off-putting.

Is Artichoke a sweet pizza joint? Yeah, it's pretty good. Is it as good as people seem to make it out to be? Probably not--sure, Keith Richards likes it, but he's really fucking old. And the Momofuku guy? Just because he went there doesn't mean he thinks its the bombest ass place--maybe he went home and took a bite and was like "Damn, this shit tastes BUTTERY."

Probably not. But imagining it makes me laugh.

328 E. 14th St. and 1st Ave., 212 228 2004, NY Times article

Krolewskie Jadio - Greenpoint

2009-04-17T10:39:00.006-04:00

To dine in the amber halls of the Jadlo is not a simple task. One cannot wistfully point at this or that item and suppose all is well. No, on behalf of the mighty flowing Vistula and Oder the mind must wander like their beguiling waters, first serene and then treacherous. There is no warning. The ghosts of six million lost souls wander the nether highway from Poland's Curzon Line, they attempt to migrate to any place with traces of Polish pride--praying for a time long past when even the vicious Teutons were humbled in their presence.

Here, dragoons linger with halberds gripped, here, the gaze of Jagiellon nobles fall upon your shoulders and burden you. Your senses weary.

Enough of these prophetic rambles. The food we ate was mediocre. The chicken kebabs were dry and overcooked, the vegetables were average and sparse. My memory disallows me to identify the white substance adjacent the kebabs--only that is was semi-malleable. The beets, I am relatively certain, were canned and the pickles were . . . pickles. The potato dumplings were bland and in need of some non-existent dressing.

The perogies were a saving factor--light and airy, crisp. Wonderful. I think this experience was partially folly on my part. I am aware that the spectrum of good food narrows the more north you go in europe. I think it would have been better to simply order very obvious Polish specialties--namely beef strogonoff or more perogies of various types. I still do not condone "menu filler" though--which is what I consider what me and my companions ordered.

I curse the Piast Dynasty.

694 Manhattan Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11222, 718 383 8993, Yelp Page

Home Sweet Home - Lower East Side

2009-04-01T10:07:00.008-04:00

Before I talk about Home Sweet Home, let me take a brief moment to plus a friend's food blog. The only other person I know that has a food blog--and, unlike me, she can actually cook. Damn. I'm just going to put this link here; you don't have to click it, I mean, you can, but it's your choice. I mean your on this food blog right here already, just saying. However, it may be stereotypically good to hear the musings of a female food person--after all they are the archetypal homemakers and food preparers of past preconceived, narrow-minded notions.

The following series of pictures will test your ability to gauge an establishment's integrity based on metaphor, symbolism, lighting, and aural speculation.

These are the under-dwellings of Home Sweet Home's bar. Either the yard-sale findings of some long-haired hipster or the antique inheritance of said hipster. The word hipster is pretty ambiguous and moot nowadays.

I love birds.

From these images you should be able to gather that Home Sweet Home, is a small divey bar with no outside sign, very dark, a good music selection--expect older music like 90s and before, a lot of dancing, average priced drinks and a cool atmosphere.

131 Chrystie St., New York, NY 10002, 212 226 5708, NY Times article

Cafe Orlin - St. Mark's

2009-03-30T09:19:00.003-04:00

WHAT IS THIS GREEN STUFF? HUH? WHAT IS IT?

It's some sort of spinach sauce thing.

It was good. Anything that makes me look like I'm eating the secret ooze from that TMNT movie is cool with me. $12 for a steak and eggs meal is also cool with me--especially when it's a steak tenderloin and not some chuck steak or broil like in this case. In tow: 2 fried eggs over-easy, 2 slices of wheat toast, home fries, a thin spinach sauce, some sort of high quality and slightly grainy hot sauce that tasted good on everything.

I order steak and eggs whenever the opportunity arises and I'd have to admit this is one of the best I've ever had--possibly the best I've had for such a low price point (excluding homemade steak and eggs). The nicer cut of beef and the spinach sauce really lift above the bar compared to most standard dishes. A respectable portion too, I'm tired of paying more for less so this was a refreshing experience. I love to leave a restaurant not feeling like I was beguiled and satisfied.

The staff was very attentive and our server was congenial as was the other staff we encountered. One of the fondest Saturday brunches I've had. The seating area outside was small and slightly cramped, but not enough to be a bother--I was comfortable. So comfortable as a matter of fact, I was close to ordering a bottle of the house red for $17 and just chilling the early afternoon hours away there--another day.

The menu is great. It's not one of those menus you just glance over and see the same tired descriptions of the same sandwiches and entrees. I know I will come here often, because there are at least half a dozen items on the menu that I am excited to try like their goat cheese sandwich with eggplant and peppers, chicken schnitzel, Tunisian eggs, wood smoked salmon and more.

41 St. Mark's Place, New York, NY, 212 777 1447, www.cafeorlin.com

HEGGS (with soy sauce)

2009-03-30T08:16:00.003-04:00

"The chickens! HEGGS! All the time we eat HEGGS! Nothing but HEGGS! Poop, poop, poop! The chickens poop HEGGS! All day, all night long my job is to save the chickens from the young black boys! All the time the young black boys climb the fence and run at the chicken coop! I hit them with a long stick, I say, 'You muthafuckas you stay away from my chickens which poop the HEGGS!' I cannot think, I cannot think of my own life or my own death, I am always chasing these young black boys with a long stick!"

p. 85 Hollywood - Charles Bukowski

Scratcher - East Village

2009-03-20T11:36:00.006-04:00

There are a damn lot of bars in Manhattan so there's a lot of good ones and even more bad ones--the bad ones I like to call them "clubs." If you go into a place and immediately hear anything remotely sounding like "untz untz" or any variation thereof on their sound system and it doesn't bother you--then you probably shouldn't even read this blog.

The Scratcher is an ideal bar for me. It values simplicity and focus. It's one of the most legit Irish bars in the city, I recently tried their Guinness on tap after many friends had proclaimed it to be the best in the city--they were right, it was damn good and I don't even like dark beer. Tall glasses, congenial Irish bartenders, warm environment without all the lame trinkets and four-leaf clover bullshit that theme bars have--it's great if you don't like to feel as if your senses are being violated while you are at a bar.

Rarely overcrowded, it's a nice place for a date or conversation with friends. The happy hour boasts $4 drinks on tap from 4-8pm--yes that includes Guinness. Great deal. And they don't serve food, but have no problem with you getting food delivered or bringing your own. Like I said, congenial. Did I mention they're economically appropriate? Being "on the scratch" apparently means being unemployed.

209 East 5th St., New york, NY 10003, 212 477 0030, New York Times article

Atomic Wings - Manhattan and Brooklyn

2009-03-18T07:44:00.006-04:00

Whoa. Damn, look at these buffalo wings--they look pretty gnarly. Imagine your teeth sinking into the tangy, spicy flesh straight through the white savory meat inside only to feel a gush of hot buffalo flavoring seething in your nostrils. Yeah, imagine that. Wings stand at the apex of recreational snacking along with nachos and potato chips. They make an ideal marriage with beer, television, conversation, and most other social activity--yet, they retain the ability to be delicious while without social interaction as well--infallible? Maybe.

A subjective question here is boneless or on-the-bone? Which do you prefer? It's a very personal question, your answer will be a product of hegemony, your life's placement on the scale of nature vs. nurture, and the relation of the moon to your coordinates on the Earth in terms of distance and gravitational pull. I prefer boneless, my friend, Brendan, prefers bones. Symbolic? Probably not. Arbitrary preference? I don't think so.

Pricing is decent here, especially for Manhattan. You can get 20 wings for $15.49 and as pictured above you can split it 10/10 so you and a partner can both get what you want in terms of bone or boneless and degree of spiciness. The wings are substantial, certainly not wimpy, and the sauce is a good consistency--not too thin nor too dry.

Waffle fries made a good couple with the wings and you get a generous portion with gravy or cheese dipping sauce for a minimal extra cost of $0.75. Atomic Wings serves alcohol too and has a decent happy hour. A good place to hang and eat food that is, for the most part, bad for you. The servers are very congenial as well, which is always a plus. I've never had to wait in line either, it seems like a very calm place--good for conversation.

Multiple locations in Brooklyn and Manhattan as well as Jersey City.
www.atomicwings.com, info@atomicwings.com, 212-571-7667

Creepin' dis

2009-03-05T12:46:00.006-05:00

Lindsay Withers brings all the over-bearing and slightly-terrifying in an off-kilter and potentially-harmless-way dudes to the yard. And she only has herself to blame for a number of reasons:

1. One of the last surviving female redheads of New England.
2. Finds cool cups.
3. Makes food balls with minimal supplies.

So squat with me in this thrush as we take pictures of her from afar with our spy cameras. But, seriously, see for yourself. She details some ancient recipes on her blog--some sort of chocolate caffeinated drink and food balls.

File this link under "Babes."

Ashkara - Lower East Side

2009-03-05T12:11:00.005-05:00

The small frontier nation of Ashkara, also commonly referred to as Urban Pita, lies on the Western border of the stalwart Bereket subcontinent. Ashkara's main exports of Belgian fries and fallafels are a consistent source of income for the small, militant country. Their borders are often breached by wandering tribes of drunkards late at night--the Ashkarian council has found a clever way in which to subdue these tribes. By playing an awful house/trance channel on XM radio the normally-raucous drunkards are coaxed into a state of ill-awareness; this, coupled with the filling and cheap fallafels pacifies these drunks completely.

Take a moment to valuate the natural resources of Ashkara: fallafel, homemade lemonade, Belgian fries. The monetary value of these raw materials is severely under-valued at a lot-price of around $10. Because of this, the immigration policies in Ashkara are hardly existent and it is very hard to open their door for some reason (seriously, their door is weird).

I'm shedding my faux-wikipedia entry narrative for now. This place is bomb. The fallafels are big and fresh, doughy pitas crammed with crispy fallafel and slathered in hummus. A big highlight is the salad bar--with fallafel in hand you are free to stuff your fallafel further with anything from huge tomato chunks and pickles to garlic and hot sauces along with other various vegetables and dressings. The Belgian fries are nothing to scoff at as well and pair well with the rosemary garlic sauce. I'll warn you though--the fallafel and fries combo is a gratuitous amount of food, especially if you are well-versed in the ways of cramming as to fill the fallafel to the brim with floral goodies.

189 E. Houston St., New York, NY 10002, 212 260 8302, www.urbanpita.com

WWYD?

2009-03-05T11:58:00.004-05:00

What would you do if someone showed up at your house with a cake and cupcakes?

A) Eat cake.
B) Potentially eat some of the cake, but mainly throw and/or slather over other people's bodies.
C) Cover yourself and others in cake and then break all the furniture in the house and then strip down to your underwear.
D) All of the above.

Sarita's Macaroni and Cheese - East Village

2009-03-05T08:53:00.008-05:00

You know what pairs up with delicious gourmet macaroni and cheese really well? Blood. Blood that's been ground from the fresh corpse of an innocent half-witted victim promised free puppies in the trunk of a car. It's true. To be fair, the following review of Sarita's Mac' and Cheese may have been enhanced by the viewing of the movie Blood Car, which means that this mac' and cheese might just be awesome and not super awesome--or that you may be inclined to watch said movie about a car that runs on human blood while eating Sarita's Mac' and Cheese.

The above picture may not look too impressive, but c'mon, it's mac' and cheese--you shouldn't expect a big show out of something that is only partially a contraction (4 syllables is kind of tough though). Let me decipher this cheesy code for you: hidden in the throng of fresh melted mozzarella, a cheesy tar pit if you will, are roasted tomatoes, garlic and basil. A great combination, quite simple, and I appreciated the light mozzarella flavoring as I am deathly afraid of being inundated with over-cheesy, unforgivingly rich, mac' and cheese that leaves you feeling as if you have ingested the cheese of a non-mammal.

Mild cheesiness, adequate amounts of garlic and tomatoe, a perfectly portioned size at $9.75 and the satisfaction of ordering take-out from a mac' and cheese place? I'd say this is a good niche and one that I can forsee many subcultures partaking in: cheese-lovers, pot-heads, drunkards, backpackers, neo-socialists, postmodern absolvists, sex addicts, and, of course, liberal arts students. If you can't find one of the aforementioned categories to identify with then you may want to take a moment to squeeze out an epiphany about how you don't really know who you are. Deep.

345 East 12th Street, NY, NY 10003, 212 358 7912, www.smacnyc.com

On a side note

2009-02-27T14:06:00.002-05:00

Check out these hot jams from The Shingles--the song about John Arbuckle is especially sweet for all of the totalitarians out there tuning in. Music and food often go together--so I thought this would help you digest, allow your bowels to grind and twist uncomfortably as you wince with tribal beats and surf guitars.

Fire in the Arcade of a Chuck-E-Cheese

2009-02-26T09:49:00.002-05:00

Biggie's - Weehawken

2009-02-25T11:05:00.005-05:00

Um, I got these taquitos at Biggie's . . .they were pretty good. And cheap. Biggie's is a cool Mexican corner diner at the Bergen Line. Everything on the menu is super cheap and they have spicy Bocadillos that are filled with savory, slow-roasted meat and crisp spicy peppers--probably your best option here--although any of their archetypal stuff is great: 3 tacos for $6, burritos, etc. It has a friendly diner environment with very attentive staff and is located in a great Hispanic area on Bergen Line with some awesome vintage stores and many other authentic Mexican restaurants. "Biggie's" does sound kind of like the name of a divey strip bar more than a Mexican diner though . . .

3700 Bergenline Ave., Union City, NJ 07087, 201 601 3822‎ Biggie's Info via Google

I miss Men Tei

2009-02-25T07:54:00.003-05:00

I need to find a nice, small, authnetic Ramen place in Manhattan soon--it's discouraging that I have to start from scratch after getting to know one of the waiters at Men Tei in Boston pretty well. Tomoe was my server the first time I wandered in one fateful winter day with the sniffles. In what's like some sort of awesome sitcom type plot Tomoe and his friends who also work at Men Tei are in a band called the Rice Cookers trying to make it big. Check them out, they sound sort of like a Japanese Incubus--which is sort of throwback to highschool alt rock/funk metal (in a good way).

Cafeteria - Chelsea

2009-02-20T09:22:00.007-05:00

This isn't like your middle school cafeteria. There are no vats of condiments that the weird kid that always wears sweatpants like to play with. There are no chicken patties wrapped in tin foil. There are no teachers strolling around to give you detention for throwing a piece of bread at your friend who threw it at you first so really it was his fault and you shouldn't have been the one to get detention because he started it. It's not like that at all.

Cafeteria falls into that genre of "hip" restaurants that are self-aware of their hipness. They say "Hey, come eat here, we're trying to be cool--just like you, even though you don't want to admit it. Cheap is cool, looking cheap is not cool." That latter statement is a good description of Cafeteria. Nice decor, friendly staff, semi-formal setting with a menu that doesn't burn money and a very intimate space (it's small). And, hey the food's good too.

I started with a tomato basil soup ($6). Very simple, but well done--it had these odd, but pleasant, greenish grilled cheese croutons in the middle that successfully sucked up a lot of the soup and became a soggy, crispy vessel of tomato-ness. For the main course, I had the meatloaf ($15). The huge brick of meatloaf sat in a pool of diced tomato relish and leaned against a small pile of garlic mashed potatoes under a canopy of green beans.

The meatloaf was very tender with a slightly well done outer layer. As you cut away at it with your fork you'll notice chunks of tomato stuck inside--it's like the tomatoes are Han Solos and the meatloaf is carbonite. Delicious, savory, carbonite. The potatoes have a subtle garlic flavor and were very, very smooth. The green beans lean towards a more au naturale state, crisp with a slightly waxy bite--if you like your veggies limp then you may not like them. The portions here are very large, and you may feel as though you are laboring away at the meatloaf after a while without more sides to vary your flavors.

It isn't cheap, but relative to other "nicer" restaurants it is. A large meal in a "cool" environment for around $20 isn't too bad. It's good place to bring a date or friends before going out to a bar on a weekend night.

119 Seventh Ave., New York, NY 10011, 212 414 1717, www.cafeteriagroup.com

Cafecito - Lower East Side

2009-02-17T14:07:00.006-05:00

Oh Cubano,

Seductive, tantalizing in every streamlined point--the apex of pressed consumables: spice, meat, cheese--so fine, so perfect in it's natural state.

Cubano, will you meringue with me? Will you tango? Perhaps, we were simply meant for the salsa or, better yet, the defiant--waltz. And now, we lay on the hull of porcelain appetite and slumber. The subtle tupping of margaritas punctuating our existence, one breath at a time.

--The Journal of Earl Sandwich Vol. 12 Ch. XIX

I've had my share of Cuban sandwiches from this and that bar or restaurant. This was by the best one I've had--maybe that's more telling than I want it to be (about me, not the sandwich), but it's the truth. Every facet of the meal was in the good, from the garlic sauce to the mild toasting to the phenomenal authentic au naturale chips. It was a very well thought out and complete meal for $10 sans tip.

The sandwich was pressed firmly as to conceal a thick a layer of roasted pork, ham, Swiss cheese, and pickles awash in spicy mustard and mayonnaise. It's a very ergonomic sandwich that stays together, is easily wielded with one hand, and facilitates the dipping or pouring of sauces like the light garlic sauce and range of hot sauces provided.

Taste and texture slalom peacefully with the savory cheese and meat on the steady and the perky tinges of the cucumbers and mustard on the peaks; your teeth will enjoy the various realms it passes through like the initial crisp crust, then the smooth entry into savory meat and cheese and finally the cold and crispy pickle slices. Pair this with the intriguing authentic brusque Cuban chips and you are in bliss.

That's a satisfying adventure for around $10--I will certainly revisit and report further explorations.

185 Avenue C, New York, NY 10009, 212 253 9966, www.cafecitonyc.com

Vanessa's Dumpling House - Chinatown

2009-02-17T11:56:00.004-05:00

This cost $4.25. That's it. No tip, no tax, no nothin'! So maybe you're wondering what this is--they are universally delicious and practically infallible dumplings resting solemnly next to a large cup of miso soup.

Specifically, there's 12 dumplings there; 12 very large and thick dumplings filled with pork, chive, and cabbage and drizzled in a soy sauce and oil concoction. The price-to-portion ratio here is beyond the Heavenly Gates and made St. Peter fall on his ass. Seriously, where can you get a filling meal that tastes good for less than $5? It's a rarity and a blessing. Place's like Vanessa's fill so many gaps in our lives: only got a a couple bucks in your pocket because of the failing economic climate? Drunk and searching for cheap food on a weekend night? Need a good hangover brunch the morning after a night of drinking? How about something fast that isn't corporate?

We need places like this to fill the oddly shape tetris piece that is missing in your stomachs--Vanessa's is like the long skinny one that you can always utilize to knock out like three lines at once.

The dumplings come in all the standard formats: fried, steamed and boiled. The fried dumplings with pork and cabbage or chive are strong pillars: moist and juicy, yet retaining their shape. You get a very savory taste when biting down on one and feeling the warm juice roll over your teeth. The combination of the soup with an assortment of dumplings is a natural remedy that will rejuvenate the elderly and invigorate the young. Prescriptions available at your local bar.

118 Eldridge St., New York, NY 10002, 212 625 8008, Menu via Menu Pages

The Park Avenue - Weehawken

2009-02-05T10:04:00.005-05:00

One of the more upscale restaurants in Weehawken, The Park Avenue is a three level brownstone that has a pub setting on the 1st floor with access to a private courtyard, a dining area on the 2nd floor with a balcony, a 3rd floor lounge and a rooftop deck for cocktailing. Pretty impressive.

Since the prices tend to rise as you climb up to the Park Avenue's higher levels--I remained in the first floor bar area where they serve a variety of American bar food with some Latin nuances. It's definitely more formal than your average sports bar, but nonetheless it is very much so a sports bar in every definition, which means television screens everywhere and, at the time, even a huge projector screen for football spectators.

I enjoy the peculiar way that restaurants tend to put the word California in a dish's name simply to denote that something has avocado in it--as if everything Californian is comprised of ripe green flesh. And so I ordered a California Chicken Sandwich. The sandwich was actually excellent: large and hearty with a thick cutlet of grilled chicken that was cooked tenderly and remained moist throughout. Layered on top were long slices of avocado, red onions, mozzarella, and chipotle sauce. Sure, it may not be a groundbreaking combination, but they do execute it well--I especially enjoyed that the chipotle had a stronger kick than the average dressing.

The fries were actually notable--particularly crispy and the grease eluded me. With the beer it came to around $15, more or less when factoring in tip. The staff was good. Our server was congenial and attentive, but not overbearing and explained the current ongoings of the bar such as the deal on domestic beer they were having and the deal on buffalo wigs during football season.

I guess I can like a sports bar.

3417 Park Avenue, Union city, NJ 07087, 201 617 7274, www.parkavenuebargrill.com

99 - Northeast

2009-02-02T14:42:00.005-05:00

99 is my Dad's favorite restaurant, which is kind of weird since it's pretty much just your typical chain restaurant with your run-of-the-mill menu of burgers, sandwiches, and "signature" entrees comprised of a few pasta, steak, and chicken dishes. However there is reason behind this favoritism that lies within a timeless axiom. This universal truth is perfecting the basics.

That's right. So while the 99 may not have an Aussie theme or an outrageous deal on Tuesdays or some other hinging gimmick--they do genuinely have a solid foundation in food service; specifically, cheaper prices, larger portions, satisfactory quality, and consistent service. These are all very basic things that pretty much all restaurants claim to have--but we all know too well that this is not the case. I've never run into a person who has spouted off this market-speak laundry list and concluded with "and that's why I like Applebees!" No, it is more often one hinging factor that these people harp on whether it be cheap, cool, fast, etc.

Let's take a look at my order--for $13 dollars I got a combination entree made of baby back ribs, a crab croquette, mashed potatoes, squash, and a honey biscuit. The baby back ribs were good, not as much meat on them as I would have expected here, but still tender. The crab croquette was moist without any hint of "fishiness." Mashed potatoes were on par, obviously not homemade, but they were firm and held shape without looking like some instant made goop. The squash had a very strong brown sugar taste and was very sweet. All together, the meal was filling and ventured well with many "breaks" as I had a couple bites of the croquette and then refreshed my palate with the squash and then rejoined the fray with the ribs etc. There was no time to linger on one flavor.

847 West Central St., Franklin, MA 02038, 508 520 9909, www.99restaurants.com

Chomp - East Village

2009-01-29T12:06:00.003-05:00

Chomp is kind of weird. I mean, look at this logo--what is that thing? It's like Pac Man's retarded cousin that got shock therapy. Brown, bucktoothed, pudgy, and slightly amorphous, it stares off the page more so in horror than in hunger.

It's also kind of weird that there's this Chomp place that has some basic on-your-break menus that have paninis, soup, wraps, bagels, burgers and salads; and then there is a Caribbean stand inside the same storefront that serves authentic Carribean breakfast and lunch foods such as jerk chicken and brown stew. It's kind of cool, I like the weird juxtaposition--as if this Caribbean cart vendor sort of just rolled his station right through the front door and decided: "yes, this suits me."

The menu is pretty cheap for Village prices and most items are $6-7 or less. I opted for a filling post-New Year's celebration brunch and ordered a turkey, bacon, colby jack, and cranberry sauce sandwich with a large bowl of vegetarian chili. Together, with a Vitamin Water, it came to $15--it was a lot of food. The price to portion-size ratio is good here.

The sandwich was decent, the elements were all distinct: cranberry sauce, cheddar, generous amount of turkey--although the amount of bacon was minimal. The chili was good: large pieces of tender tomatoes, zucchini and peppers floating among a throng of black beans; not very spicy, more of a mild chili flavor, but more hearty than most chilis.

250 E. 14th St. and 2nd Ave., New York, NY 10003, 212 353 3211, www.chompny.com

Urban Chicken - Hoboken

2009-01-21T15:08:00.005-05:00

I'll admit, the composition of my plate is a bit off--I think I was going for a bullhorns type of thing--I'm not sure. I'm always partial to ordering out for things other than Chinese and pizza so when we ordered buffalo wing dinners from Urban Chicken I relished in the instant-satisfaction that indulging in delivery services provide.

Urban Chicken, formerly McRib's Chicken, went through a recent redesign in name and marketing, as well as menu. Our order arrived in around 40 minutes and consisted of corn bread, boneless buffalo tenders, and mashed potatoes and gravy. The mashed potatoes and gravy were nothing special, your average fast food style potatoes--comparable to the kind you get at KFC, maybe slightly above that standard. The corn bread, which is always good was also floating somewhere around par, a bit too fluffy without full-bodied, grainy and corny texture that one associates with good corn bread.

The focal point, the chicken tenders, were the logical highlight and rightfully so; very tender, moist white meat, with a proportionate amount of buffalo flavoring. I would definitely suggest this place's buffalo chicken, minus the forgettable sides. A substantial amount of food for two cost us each around $15--give or take a little considering how well you tip. Urban Chicken remains a viable choice for ordering out at night or if you're ever in the midtown Hoboken area.

630 Washington St., Hoboken, NJ 07030, 201 420 7173, menu via AllMenus.com

Cake bugs

2009-01-20T14:20:00.002-05:00

Back story: Sylve moves to Brooklyn. Brooklyn has bedbugs. Sylve has bedbugs. Sylve moves. Sylve has a birthday. Birthday has a cake. Cake is bugs.

Credit to Dena and Betty Paige for the masterful sculpting of this cake. Sorry I don't have a better, close up, picture--but you can see more pictures and find more information on getting your own custom pastries at www.bakedideas.com.

Bring the cake back, in my opinion, give me a thick cheesecake any day over the new trendy cupcakes that are taking over. Every day it seems there's some new cupcake service trying to make it big with red velvet, half-shell, cupcakes in the shape of moonflowers blossoming or some hippie shit like that. What up with that?

'wichcraft - Midtown

2009-01-20T13:45:00.005-05:00

A simple lunch: soup and sandwich. Nothing fancy, no frills, everyone's got to eat. It's break time and you don't want to squander your out-of-office, out-of-store, sitting time, standing time--whatever it is you have on your break. But grabbing something fast and good is a very difficult task, simple request, yes, but very difficult to accomplish.

What you see above is the result: minimal wrapping and design; ergonomics in the forefront. It's hard to mess up a sandwich (that's a disclaimer), but it is something to be lauded when done well. 'wichcraft is a somewhat trendy sandwich vendor that dabbles in soups, hot drinks of sorts, and pastries. Taking the suggestion of a friend, I stopped by their Bryant Park hut and watched the ice skaters while they prepared my pastrami sandwich and tomato soup. That was pleasant.

The food was no let-down as well. The sandwich was thick with pastrami and Swiss cheese and held a strong layer of Russian dressing and a consistent tinge of spicy mustard--I'm not a huge fan of mustard, but this was the kind that is grainy and thick with multicolored seeds, which is more than acceptable in place of the usual off-yellow condiment. Pressed hotly on rye, it was substantial. The tomato soup also has nuances, with a strong Parmesan flavor that switch hits with the the tomato flavor--you don't get too much or too little of either flavor.

This was an above-average lunch. Unfortunately, it also had an above-average price that totaled around $14. Worth the walk in the park? You decide.

11 West 40th St. at 6th Ave., New York, NY 10110, 212 780 0577, www.wichcraftnyc.com

Myers and Chang - South End

2009-01-15T11:08:00.006-05:00

I had always thought Myers + Chang was some upscale restaurant with ludicrously expensive entrees and a formal dress-code. I was wrong. It's one of those restaurants trying to do that hip, cutting-edge, Asian fusion sort of thing.

Prices are still a bit much, but affordable--I just wouldn't go here very often or you'd burn a hole in your pocket for sure. Dishes range from $10-$20 and are pretty small--slightly larger than tapas style portions. In regards to portion-size-to-price ratio there's a large discrepancy. I think the main draw here is the indie-factor. What I am saying is that if you don't eat gigantic portions of food like the abomination that I am, and you don't mind paying extra for large Chinese dragons on the walls that look like they came off one of those tacky shirts the nerdy kids wore in middle school--then you'll like this place.

It sounds like I don't like this place, but that's not true--I am somewhat indifferent to it. I like the idea and the food is up to par for Asian fusion, but it just isn't my "thang." I don't like paying more for hipness. Give me a wooden box to sit on and a ton of authentic food made by a guy with an eye-patch who doesn't like me for an unknown reason--that's a good meal.

They do have a good "cheap date" special--I would suggest that to any guys looking to bring someone on a boring dinner date. For around $40 you can get a three course dinner for two, which is nice.

1145 Washington St., Boston, MA 02118, 617 542 5200, www.myersandchang.com

Christmas gustation

2009-01-08T13:44:00.006-05:00

I took a few photos of some food from my family's Christmas gathering--I think Christmas has gotten better since I've begun to value the food more than the gift-giving.

Cappelletti soup, a very fond Christmas day lunch memory that my Aunt makes in a pot the size of an oil drum.

Roast ham, porketta, lasagna, squash, mashed potatoes, carrots--there's more not pictured: mandu (Korean dumplings), stuffed mushrooms, cranberry and goat cheese salad and much more.

Pakistani Tea House - Tribeca

2009-01-08T08:43:00.005-05:00

No frills in Tribeca? Hard to believe, I know--even more than I thought, apparently Tribeca is the 12th most expensive neighborhood in the entire country. Damn.

Pakistani Tea House offers affordable prices for authentic Punjabi dishes in a buffet style and, ironically, does not carry much tea if any at all. For around $8 you can get a decent amount of food as seen with my styrofoam plate of chicken makhani, chic peas, potatoes, and rice--more carbs please. The taste is savory and doesn't feel like a watered-down American version, although it probably is. Large chunks of curried chicken with a slightl spiciness was the highlight. The rice was standard if anything and the potatoes were slightly undercooked making them a bit tougher than I'd like them to be. The chic peas were great and tender--I would have liked to try more of a mixed vegetables side--next time.

I was the only one eating-in on a saturday afternoon, it was interesting seeing all of the characters that come into a place like this to pick up orders that early: blue collar guys, elderly 1st generation immigrant types, and well-dressed business women.

176 Church St., New York, NY 10023, 212 240 9800

New neighbors

2009-01-08T08:33:00.003-05:00

I've found myself moving again. I recently stumbled into a room in the Lower East Side--I will be a resident of Manhattan now--farewell Weehawken; I'll miss the Mexican food. This should prove to be interesting though with Chinatown and Tribeca to my west and the Fincancial District to the South, not to mention many well-known bars and restaurants in LES. Katz's Deli is a short walk away along with a number of great fallafel places and open markets.

Thanks for the cake Katie.

Flavor tripping

2008-12-18T13:39:00.004-05:00

Aside from an extremely lame host (sweet track suit dude), "Supreme Commander," aka "guy who wishes he was the cool party person from college that organized mixers," which is funny because that isn't a cool guy to be, the New York Times article is alluring. The point is these damned berries.

These miracle berries have the profound ability to make sour foods taste abnormally sweet and thus they have an estranging effect on all foods, since all foods have varying levels of sourness and the alteration causes the rest of the flavors to become jumbled. The possibilities are entertaining: drinking cheap tequila or vodka without flinching, downing hot sauce like water, or perhaps a "flavor roofie" prank.

There are stipulations of course, a single berry costs upwards of $2 and they perish easily, but they are available through Supreme Loser's website and the more humble, MiracleFruitMan.com.

"You're going to have an exciting life now"

2008-12-17T10:17:00.006-05:00

Why? Why is this promotional video so mesmerizing? My ears cannot help but twitter so alertly at the sounds coming from this inane young man's mouth--his beautiful god damn mouth. It's like a perfect story--every couple of lines makes you perk up and think: "he just said that, he said it and he doesn't even backtrack once--he is special."

I think this is what a budding fascist dictator starts off like--you love him for no reason.

"Stop having boring tuna."
"Stop having a boring life."

Jesus.

Major League Team

2008-12-16T10:09:00.005-05:00

If you've been enjoying this blog for more than just the reviews, which hopefully means you like relatively funny things and/or mocking popular things in society because of how unaware we are of the absurdity of our lives then you may want to check out a new collaboration: Major League Team.

So if you like to read a lot of bullshit and you're generally an absurdist person you'll probably enjoy the anecdotal and critical essays posted at MLT. If not, then you're probably not reading this--that's weird.

Pizza Villa - Weehawken

2008-12-11T13:14:00.002-05:00

Pizza. Artistic simplicity at its apex. Each layer, a complex barrier of texture and flavor that meshes with other layers indiscriminately--a complete embrace with nuances of careful revision over centuries of making these geometric anomalies. Yet, one can glean wisdom from it's pronounced simple nature--take notice, all forms are simple: triangle, square, rectangle--and the eternal circle, a symbol of perfection in many cultures. Be weary of polyhedrons.

Pythagoras once said:

"In justification of entwining multiple values of varying mediums it is good to make an external party incredulous of it's equatable, yet axiomatic, results."

Just kidding, I made that up. But it is true--and pizza is a good example of it. Pizza Villa is just a corner place in Weehawken near the Lincoln Tunnel. I see the same old man at the counter every time I go in and every time he is soft-spoken and attentive--he may be a village elder, I'm not sure. The slices are cheap, around $2, and large only one or two and you will be sated.

I prefer the chicken cutlet slice, a generous perforation on the top of the slice filled with chopped chicken cutlet. Substantial. But all of the slices are at least eagles on the course (that's a golfing reference). Their Italian sub is pretty good, but the pizza is their forte. It is universally understood that places like this are always better than franchises like Domino's or Pizza Hut, etc.--Pizza Villa is not an exception to this rule.

3502 Park Ave., Weehawken, NJ 07086, 201 223 0400

Irish car bomb

2008-12-11T09:11:00.004-05:00

Step 1: Pour one bottle of Guinness into a glass. Pour a shot glass of half Jameson Whiskey and half Bailey's Irish Cream. Raise shot glass over Guinness and make a weird looking face at the people around you (see above).

Step 2: Drop the shot glass into the Guinness and quickly drink the entire mixture without stopping or else the cream and beer will curdle and taste terrible--but if you drink it quickly it will taste smooth and almost chocolate-esque.

What a festive drink, right?

Disclaimer: To all the bartenders etc. who think this drink is offensive--It's not. It's a drink, it's not a statement about Irish people, it's a really dumb way to justify drinking a bunch of alcoholic things at once--In an intelligent society we wouldn't be drinking at all. So, please, just take it easy.

Disclaimer: To everyone--Don't drink any alcohol ever.

Around the Clock - East Village

2008-12-08T09:08:00.007-05:00

Open 24 hours, relatively cheap (for NYC), mediocre service--you can gauge this to be a model "drunk food spot" for consistently inconsistent meals.

Some will swear by their fried foods or this or that appetizer because they stumbled in at 4 a.m. and they were in heaven when the greasy edibles descended upon them. But what if they were sober? What if?

Others will still say, sober or not, that this place is severely lacking in the quality factor. I tend to leave things circumstantial; in an ideal world there would be a breathalyzer test at the door of joints such as this so you could visually see whether or not you'll like it:

Drunkard #1 gives the breathalyzer a try.
Drunkard #1: ".11! This is going to be great!"
He walks into the establishment.
Drunkard #2 gives it a try.
Drunkard #2: ".08--Shucks. I'll be back; I have a keg stand appointment."

I ordered a turkey club--I like to think that the simpler things you order at places like this the less of a chance you have of being disappointed if they mess it up. When I think of a turkey club, I think: cold, refreshing, crisp. What I got at Around the Clock: oddly warm, soft, and very rich and buttery. In the end it was OK, I'm sure there's worse out there, but I won't order it again if I end up back there. I am perplexed by how rich-tasting the sandwich was--it was infused with butter in a manner that made it feel as though I weren't eating a sandwich, but rather a butterwich. That's a lot of butteriness.

The waitress was indifferent towards us, I don't think she really liked us--why? I'm not sure. I should've asked. Maybe next time. She probably had a lot on her mind, which is fine. Sort those things out, waitress, please go home and relax after your shift and meditate upon your numerous quandaries--I hope for your success.

*Note: Dine or Death does not endorse the practice of keg stands.*

8 Stuyvesant St., New York, NY 10003, 212 598 0402,

Gourmet Dumpling House - Chinatown

2008-12-05T11:10:00.008-05:00

I have mixed feelings for this place. First, what a great generic name, but the problem lies therein. Read on to see why.

A small store front in Chinatown, it looks very appealing from outside--dumplings are one of those things that you cannot dislike--they are undeniably good; neat packages of steamed or fried meat and vegetables for convenient eating and dipping that can accompany any meal or simply be a snack.

I had a sampling of dishes here: Mongolian beef, a noodle soup of sorts, and two types of dumplings. I'm sorry the details escape me exactly--I believe the dumplings were "sweet buns" and maybe the minimalist yet blunt "pork dumplings."

The Mongolian beef was the highlight here--one of the best I've had. Shredded greens and onions were crisp and held flavor tenaciously. The beef was tender and entangled with the vegetables beautifully. Pressing the wonderful strands of beef and vegetables into rice made it a great experience. The soup was not very good, but not very bad either; literally forgettable to say the least.

What about the dumplings you say? They were unimpressive. Perhaps it was the late night ordering or maybe I am just not used to dumplings of this sort, but they seemed literally too sweet. Among other things they were weirdly chewy and splurted scalding dumpling water when bitten. The texture was not what I expect from a dumpling--too soft, yet requiring vigorous chewing still--an anomaly.

Prices were standard for Chinatown $5-10 per item. Go get the Mongolian beef and be blessed with the might of a thousand Huns on the war prowl.

52 Beach St., Boston, MA 02111, 617 338 6223

Upper Crust and Bostone: Pizza Rivalry

2008-12-04T09:51:00.006-05:00

Upper Crust tends to get mixed reactions from a broad range of people in Boston. Some love it, some say it's overpriced, some say it's the best--others: the worst. I'll try to give you as objective of a review as possible--because I usually do that, I think.

Let's start with some circumstantial logic. Upper Crust is a decent chain with a lot of location in the Boston area and they win numerous local awards every year. They specialize in Neapolitan style pizza, which denotes very thin triangle slices with a mild presence of sauce. It's good, neither heavy in your stomach nor greasy--no excess oil surplus here. However, consider that some will say that it gets very hard and chewy if not eaten while fresh--I have experienced this before.

The Contrast:

I'll assert that on Newbury St. Upper Crust's antithesis is Bostone. Bostone is not a chain so it lacks the availability that Upper Crust has. Also an award-winning pizza joint, Bostone offers Neapolitan style pizza, but shifts focus to Sicilian pizza, which denotes thick, square-shaped pizza with a heartier consistency than Neapolitan. Bostone has notably greasier Neapolitan slices than upper Crust, but their Sicilian pizza is excellent in all variables.

Both are similarly priced with a slice coming to around $3-4. Although expect a large price jump from the Neapolitans to the Sicilian, which can cost anywhere between $18-40 depending on how many toppings and if you get a small or large. If you do get a large Sicilian though, you will see why it's so expensive--they are colossal.

Conclusion:

Get both. See if you prefer Upper Crust's Neapolitan or Bostone's Sicilian. That'd be the easiest way. I prefer Bostone's Sicilian, more filling, more irregular (Neapolitan seems more the standard) and the texture is amazing--a blend of crisp crust that crunches when you bite and soft and doughy on top.

Bostone: 225 Newbury St., Boston, MA 02115, 617 536 9451, www.bostonepizza.com
Upper Crust: Boston, Cambridge, Brookline, Watertown, www.theuppercrustpizzeria.com

Shifting focus

2008-12-03T13:42:00.004-05:00

Expect to see a lot more posts on New York and New Jersey restaurants from now on. I've made the move from the little city to the big city and so I'll be a visitor in Boston and a regular in NYC. I'm sure you're just as excited as I am. Also, I'm going to pat myself on the back for landing an editor job during this economic catastrophe. Thanks, I appreciate you too.

Edward's - Tribeca

2008-12-02T10:57:00.008-05:00

There are lot of good places to eat in Tribeca, but they're not all winners by far. This statement isn't to reflect directly upon Edward's, because Edward's is great--it's sort of the New York parallel to Boston's Parish Cafe. This initial statement was to highlight Edward's, I guess.

A European style cafe with a bit of a diner quality to it, Edward's, certainly stands out, which is something to say for a standard American cuisine restaurant. But the exceed expectation in quality in service, which is an honest perspective from me.

Stopping in for lunch, I ordered the special, a barbecue chicken wrap with a light green salad and cooled it all down with a Brooklyn. I was expecting something average--a chicken wrap does not get me terribly excited, but I was pleasantly surprised and I could see why it was a special and not on the regular menu. The tortilla was toasted to a slight crisp and the chicken was half-shredded, half thicker bits--a good texture; the innards were doused thoroughly in tangy, but not overwhelming barbecue sauce. The salad was light and crisp with a couple cherry tomatoes and a drizzling of oil. The food was satisfying, but it's important to note the waiter was a congenial fellow and sociable; he had an air of sincerity about him--very rare nowadays.

136 West Broadway, New York, NY 10013, 212 233 6436, www.edwardsnyc.com

Amazonia Juice Bar - Midtown

2008-12-02T10:37:00.005-05:00

I decided to stop here on a whim and get some breakfast and do some recreational reading. It was a decent choice. Food on the cheap side (relative to midtown prices) and it was quiet. I got a standard bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich on a toasted bun and it was certainly fresher than any pre-made frozen breakfast sandwich you get at any chain restaurant.

Since this is a juice bar I was obligated to try a smoothie and got mango, orange, banana type that boasted large doses of vitamin C. It was good, but a bit frothy and mild. I tried another that was raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries--similar outcome, but still good.

When I finished the bill came to around $15. I walked down 9th Ave. all the way down to the zeros, stopping at a park in Greenwich Village and at a few shops. It was a very relaxing day. Bright and sunny.

EDIT*--Did anyone notice this post was Bukowski-esque? I reread it today and it was very apparent.

498 9th Ave., New York, NY 10018, 212 268 0796

Pest control

2008-12-02T10:31:00.004-05:00

It was my friend Caitlin's birthday and instead of taking the easy way out, our friend Alison, pulled out all the stops and made this cake for her in the shape of a rodent. It glistens like the fur of a small mammal even! Those small appendages are unsettling as well. However the guts of this mouse are made of red velvet cake--very impressive. A dilemma arises: are all rodent issues considered problematic?

Addis Red Sea - South End

2008-12-02T09:55:00.007-05:00

Never having been to Ethiopia nor having tasted Ethiopian food before I can neither vouch for the authenticity of Addis Red Sea nor deny it. However, I can attempt to reveal it's tasty factor.

Other than having a name reminiscent of a Melville novel, Addis Red Sea is a small Ethiopian restaurant on the main drag in the South End. The staff do not wear uniforms, rather they don flowy robes and skirts that I assume are suitable to African cultural wear. I'm not sure if that interests you, but if you are a rare fetishist then perhaps you'll appreciate me.

The picture above may mislead so let me explain to you that this is not a plate of food; it is a rounded basket with a large saucer atop it that is covered with 3 large pita-esque pieces of porous bread each covered with a few different types of food. The idea here is that eating is very communal and everyone shares and eats with their hands (there are no utensils). There is supplemental bread which is used to pick the saucy and curry-like foods up with. The food ranged from fried crispy fish, collard greens and thick beef stew to tomato salad, lamb and lentils. If you like to have a little of everything then this is a great place for you.

The types of food are somewhat various. Our prix-fixe menu had an equal amount of meat and vegetarian parts that blended well. Pricing is fair with a prix-fixe option made for two coming to $25. All of the food was good, but nothing stuck out significantly--although the cottage cheese appetizer shown above was a above-average beginner. I recommend Addis Red Sea to all, but warn that the cool, porous, bread used to eat everything with is heavy and has a undeniably "eggy" taste to it, which can fill you up in an unsettling way if you are a big eater. Addis Red Sea is definitely a suitable place for groups of people who want to socialize casually and take their time snacking.

544 Tremont St., Boston, MA 02116, 617 426 8727, www.addisredsea.com

Bartley's - Harvard Square

2008-12-02T09:07:00.005-05:00

A mystical sort of fame surrounds Bartley's in Harvard Square. I hear rumors it is the best burger place in the state--or was it the North East? The Nation? Either way, it's been lingering in the recesses of my mind for quite some time and I finally indulged myself with some meat patties of the beef variety and investigated this supposed hamburger-lover sanctuary.

The names of the majority of the burgers on the menu at Bartley's are taken from famous and often scandalous politicians or celebrities with other attempts of wit inserted here and there although the names don't particularly match with the ingredients (not to my knowledge at least). e.g. "The Hillary Clinton: mushroom burger with sour cream and fries." In my opinion this burger is a falsity--Hillary is neither spore-like nor sour. Perhaps this burger should come with molasses to symbolize her tenacity in holding some sort of office or maybe some nail filer to connote the sharpness of her nails--yes the Bill Clinton burger would logically have scratch marks on it.

I order a "This Old House" in honor of my father's longtime spectating of the show and thus my reluctant viewing of it as well when I was younger. We all grow to appreciate things. The thick beef patty was succulent, yes, with a scattering of roasted red peppers atop it and thoroughly melted provolone cheese. The patty was cooked well, not overcooked, juices flowing liberally. The roasted red peppers were simply that, crisp and tasty, but lacking some seasoning. Provolone cheese is mild by nature, but beware of a cheese avalanche whilst you angle your burger upward to bite it. The sweet potato fries were of above average quality--a good substitute for the standard fries.

Over-hyped? Possibly. Delicious? Yes. Prices are fair, but slightly high with a burger averaging around $10.

1246 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02138. 617 354 6559, www.mrbartley.com

Second opinions

2008-11-16T22:23:00.003-05:00

Bored? Like to be intellectually stimulated? Yeah, I bet you do. I bet you think you're pretty great. Maybe you are, but personally, one of my peeves is people who are boastful and think too highly of themselves to a obnoxious extent.

Sorry. What I meant to say was go here and read some reviews on food at McSweeney's Reviews of New Food. The title is somewhat false, because a lot of this food is not new. But it is entertaining and may or may not build your appetite. Here's an excerpt from one review:

"Then I'm slicing this bagel with the same knife I'd always used to slice bagels before I was only a guest here. I'm terrified of the familiarity of it. I know without looking in the drawer exactly which knife I want. I use this knife as if I own it and then realize too late what I'm doing and the knife is screaming, "Who touched me?" There's a thing in the Bible like this, about a bleeding woman who touches the cloak of Jesus and is healed but then won't confess to having done it. I try to erase my using of the knife, wash it and dry it and replace it in the drawer where I found it, the point facing in the same direction it was facing before. "Who touched me?" Oh, no. Not me. You can't blame me for this."

Mela - South End

2008-11-06T11:56:00.010-05:00

OK, first, this is a piece of potato they gave me when I sat down
here--apparently it's complimentary and also it has garnish. Complimentary slice of slightly fried potato? Check.

Tubers aside, Mela is a somewhat gaudy and somewhat formal Indian restaurant in the South End. It's small, well-staffed, mood lit, and decorated in a manner that does not coincide with my personal aesthetic preferences--which is fine, I guess. But the tables do look like glitter with glass plates put over them and the tables are really close together--so much that as I discussed certain explicit topics with my dining partner that the couples next to us were subject to the visual imaginings of my descriptions and my numerous, vague, sweeping stereotypes I make often and without shame. I'm not sure if that last one is a plus or minus for the restaurant.

What matters here, though, is the food. I'm not going to attempt to remember the names of the dishes we ordered because--simply put, I can't. Except for chicken tiki masala, but that's a given. Along with the rice and garlic naan there was a lamb, spinach, and cheese dish and an appetizer of amazing fried fish battered in mild spices with a salty kick. I have had various and many thick Indian sauce and curry type flavors, which I find pleasing, Mela is no exception and the quality is discernibly higher than other restaurants. The highlight was definitely those fried fish hoursderves: tender white flesh, crisply battered, light and airy with just enough seasoning.

The prices are somewhat high, but probably not enough to justify the level of quality. You'll be hard pressed to try and find something as well-prepared as those fried fish tenders at another Indian place though. Yes, I know it's a simple dish, but simple is often not done well. The staff is very friendly, soft spoken and do not rush--very attentive. Did I mention the yogurt sauce? It's great, ask for it and put it on everything edible in sight; you will not regret it.

578 Tremont St., Boston, MA 02116, 617 859 4805, www.melaboston.com

Espresso Royale Cafe - Back Bay

2008-11-03T16:50:00.006-05:00

ERC is a good place. This is no understatement--it's difficult to find a place that is consistent on multiple levels of service, quality and cost.

Your standard cafe setup here with a slew of hot and cold drinks of the caffeinated variety along with breakfast-esque food options. Prices are certainly reasonable and the tastiness level is more than satisfactory. Bagels are thick and chewy with a crisp outer layer--my suggestion is the "everything" bagel which has a satisfyingly crunchy outer layer with a salty bite.

For around $5 you can get the Jackson Crook which aside from being a sweet name entails your choice of bagel with sliced tomato, scallion cream cheese and bacon. This is definitely the high power among breakfast and early morning liquids choices so stay away from Dunkin' Donuts, Starbucks, and the like if you're within distance of an ERC. Another plus is their bike-friendly attitude which reveals itself in the form of a discount at times as well as a usual mob of bike messengers slinking around inside or outside. I enjoy that.

Multiple locations around Boston in Allston, Newbury St., and Symphony make its presence known, but not overbearing. Their coffee and other hot drinks I've heard are of excellent quality, but as a non-coffee drinker I'll have to take others' word for it.

288 Newbury St., Boston, MA 02115, 617 859 9515, www.espressoroyale.com

My suggestion

2008-11-03T16:39:00.003-05:00

Instead of getting a junior whopper at Burger King or eating a bag of cheese doodles or putting something chock full of preservatives in the microwave--it might be a good idea to try something more "raw" in a sense. Genoa salami, fresh wedge of cheddar, Italian spiced olives, and stoneground wheat crackers make for a filling meal (we've surpassed snacks here). If you look down at your food and feel as though you may be in the rickety kitchen of a farmhouse in the Midwest circa the westward expansion then you probably have a pretty good sense of taste.

Thanks but no thanks?

2008-10-28T19:29:00.004-04:00

Halloween is here. It's a fantastic day of pumpkin smashing, teenage hyjinks, candy gathering, justifying girls wearing skimpy outfits and getting drunk. Those last two seem to be what all holidays degrade into once you reach college-age, so if you haven't reached that pinnacle of debasement, try and keep your holidays pure as long as you can. One minute you'll be going door to door grabbing Snickers and Twix and the next you'll be holding the hair of a slutty "nurse" while she pukes in a bush outside a house party in Allston--don't fall into that pit.
Sorry for the rant. This post was supposed to be about sweets--do you like them? I'm not that partial. I feel as though some enjoy Halloween for the sugar, other for the tradition, and the worst enjoy it for the depravity and consumerist defilement. Which category do you fall under?

Homecooked

2008-10-28T18:05:00.003-04:00

Today we shall hang our heads low and whisper a solemn prayer for those deprived of a home-cooked meal--either lacking now, the past, or cursed forevermore. Those distraught souls, hanging in limbo and feeling unsubstantiated--may they know the warmth of a meal made by maternal and paternal knowledge; experience only forged with the wisdom of age.

What say you, young reader? What foods make your blood rush around in excitement like a dog pacing around a hearth on a winter night? Do you have an Italian grandmother who makes the best sauce? Of course you do. Do you have a Polish mother who makes glorious perogis? How about a father who brandishes a blazing grill like a shield?

Tell me, hero. Tell me of your family's culinary exploits.