Food Adventuring Around NYC
Brian Hoffman is a classically trained actor who is now a full-time tour guide, blogger, and food obsessive. He leads food and drink tours around New York City, which not only introduce tour-goers to delicious food, but gives them a historical context. He has written food articles for Gothamist and Midtown Lunch in addition to overseeing this blog and a few food video series, including Eat This, Locals Know, and Around the World in One City. His latest series is an international cooking show with his son which can be found on this site.
SADLY, LANSKY’S OLD WORLD DELI IS NOW CLOSED. Jewish delis seem to be an endangered species. There are only a handful left in NY from the golden age (the ’20s and ’30s) and when many New Yorkers speak of delis now, they are often referring to the bodega on the corner. And I fear there is a …
SADLY, BATI IS NOW CLOSED. I pretty much eat everything, but there are certain cuisines I like better than others. And one cuisine I’ve tried and tried, but just never get too excited about is Ethiopian. It’s a unique experience: going to a traditional Ethiopian restaurant. First off, they don’t really offer you silverware. In …
SADLY, ARTIE’S DELICATESSEN IS NOW CLOSED. Corned beef and pastrami were introduced to New York in the late 19th Century. And shortly thereafter, came the deli, the combo sandwich, and finally the Alka Seltzer. And the classic NY delis haven’t all been around from the very beginning (although Katz’s opened in 1888), but they have …
When Time Out published this list of 100 Tastes You’ve Gotta Try, I figured there would be some burgers, pizza, lots of ethnic food, a few hip cocktails or two. But I never guessed that this list would bring me to a strip club. A strip house, maybe, but a strip club? And I remember …
New York delis have that classic old-school charm. It usually involves surly waiters, flimsy menus, and a dated and unattractive dining room. It reminds you of the 1970’s and makes you feel like you’ve stepped into a Jewish grandmother’s home. One who is so busy cooking that she doesn’t have time to clean. All my …
SADLY, RYE IS NOW CLOSED. Is it just me or do all the new restaurants in Williamsburg look alike? And to frustrate me even more, most of them don’t even have a sign out front. You just have to know it’s there, or get close enough to look at the menu on the door (if there …
SADLY, STAGE DELI IS NOW CLOSED. I don’t understand why delicatessens are so celebrity obsessed. It seems it’s a requirement to have a wall of celebrity photos hanging over you as you enjoy your corned beef and pastrami. I guess famous people love delis. Is that how they stay so skinny? Stage Deli, which is down …
I love that you don’t need a car in New York. As much as we bitch and moan about the public transit system, it can really take you just about anywhere within the five boroughs. There are certain places (like Red Hook, Brooklyn) that are difficult to reach by train and will force you to …
When I posted the first episode of my web series, I reached out to some NY pizza bloggers (whose blogs I had been using for research and insight) to introduce myself and present my video. The response was pretty overwhelming and I was quickly welcomed into the community. So much so that I was invited …
SADLY, EISENBERG’S SANDWICH SHOP IS NOW CLOSED. New York City is filled with celebrities. And one reason the famous people love this city is because they can blend in with everybody else and, most times, New Yorkers don’t care if Richard Gere is eating a sandwich in the next booth. So one NY tradition I …
It’s not often that I compare eating to sleeping. Even though they’re two of my favorite activities, I generally like to keep them separate. For food, I like to be up, alert and have all my senses working. For sleep, I prefer to relax, dream and just lay there (and for as late as possible). …
Little Pepper (or Xiao La Jiao) is a misnomer. They might be small tiny particles of crushed peppers and spices, but they don’t just put a little on their Szechuan dishes. They load them with lots and lots of pepper. I speak of one dishe in particular, but this cuisine as a whole is not …
SADLY, CARNEGIE DELI IS NOW CLOSED. Let’s talk about Woody Allen for a second. You could make a very convincing argument that he is the ultimate New Yorker. Forget Walt Whitman or Donald Trump. Woody was born in Brooklyn, his jazz ensemble plays at the Carlyle every week, and he made a film called Manhattan for …
Once upon a time (okay, the 1960’s), in a kingdom far far away (actually, Kew Gardens, Queens), there was a very famous kosher deli that was known for their smoked meat and they called themselves the Pastrami King!!!! (That last bit was supposed to be echoed for the whole kingdom to hear) Well, I guess …
For my halfway mark, it’s fitting that I return to one of my new favorite places in New York. Somewhere that I have dined at before, reviewed favorably on the blog here, and somewhere I shot a segment of my first webisode. The list brings me back to Kesté. I’ve established somewhat of a relationship with …
Okay, seriously, if you call yourself “Perfect Pizza” then your slice better blow my f***ing socks off. I want to walk out of that pizzeria completely sockless. Well, needless to say, my feet were fully covered when I walked out of Patzeria Perfect Pizza. And it’s a good thing too, since it was freezing outside. …
Not to be confused with another Prime Meats in Carroll Gardens (another list stop), Michael’s Prime Meats is a butcher shop in the far reaches of Brooklyn. It really took me forever to get out there. And the whole time all I could think was “What if they’re out of the chicken burger?” I shouldn’t …
What a nice little surprise. We were on our way to Levain Bakery to get my favorite cookie in the city. I was a little pressed for time (what else is new?) and as we reached 74th Street to turn the corner, I noticed another confectionary that I hadn’t seen on this street before. It …
Food should do a lot more than just taste good. Sure, I think that’s the most important part, but chefs should remember some other important things. Food should be nutritious. I’m not saying everything should be healthy but you want some nutrient or energy provider in there (pizza even features most of the 5 food …
If you’ve ever heard the term, “A kick in the kishke,” you know it’s probably painful regardless of if you know what the word kishke actually means. And if you’ve ever actually been kicked in the kishkes, I am sorry for you. I hate to make these connections, but kishke means guts. And that’s basically …