Food Adventuring Around NYC
Many consider the best part of Thanksgiving to be the side dishes, which is why I don’t understand why they are often as boring and bland as the turkey itself. Creamed green beans? Gelatinous cranberries? If only we turn to the dips of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine for our Thanksgivings, Novembers would be a …
Not only is Mama’s Too in the West Village the second location of this highly praised pizzeria (the first is far up on the Upper West Side), but it’s also the second over-hyped pizzeria to open its second location right here in the West Village. That’s a lot of seconds! And it only took a …
When I visit an ice cream shop, I want to try all the flavors. I expect that. But when I stop at a taco joint, I don’t expect to want to try all the cuts of pork. But Carnitas Ramirez is not your typical taco joint. The owners of Taqueria Ramirez opened this small house …
I almost skipped over Zillions Pizza. While the old movie marquee and neon sign is rather inviting, the neighborhood it’s located in is not. Sandwiched right between Cannabis stores and behind Port Authority, this is not the most appetizing of blocks. But I was trying to grab a quick bite before my bus and have …
Trying to find some really good food on Coney Island is tough. You’re mostly here for the kitsch and crappy fast food. I somehow managed to track down some decent tacos and ice cream recently, but more often than not, you’re going to want to eat at Nathan’s. If you’re a first timer to Coney …
Gertrude’s is the latest Brooklyn-centric restaurant with a focus on classic New York Jewish food. Of course, here it’s upgraded and refined so the prices are far from what you would have seen in the “good old days”. But I’ve more than accepted that that is the case nowadays and I understand why. Since Gertrude’s …
Perhaps the New York hot dog is going the way of the pizza and gaining influence from out west. New Yorkers know Detroit-style pizza is as ubiquitous now (if not more so) as coal oven pies and it seems like most of the new hot dog places are ignoring the sauerkraut for a drag through …
My search for the best pizza in New York continues…. Old school is a perfect term for Vito’s Slices and Ices. From the shadows of nearby Port Authority, this places screams nostalgia. Slices of greasy cheese pizza and colorful Italian ices. This is childhood. Ambiance is one thing (and Vito’s has it in spades), but …
On the food cart tour I lead, I often talk about how many street vendors hope to one day transition into a brick-and-mortar location. Well, a few months ago that came true for Lai Sheng Zhang, who with his wife, operated a cart in Chinatown, and now has a small little takeout restaurant on one …
I’m counting down the 10 best dishes I tasted in 2023… My eating out was definitely different this year. I let go of the need to visit all the latest “hot spots” and found much more comfort and enjoyment in old standbys and casual neighborhood spots. The pricing at new middle-tier restaurants also reached peak …
When I awarded Lin & Daughters a perfect 10 our of 10 last year, I did not think I would get better (or as good) dumplings for a long time. But that is because I had not yet been to Samniwago. It was not for lack of trying. I visited the Mott Street Eatery (one of the …
I’m counting down the 10 best dishes I tasted in 2023… Eating out was definitely different this year for me. I let go of the need to visit all the latest “hot spots” (still have not been to Bad Roman or Tatiana) and found much more comfort and enjoyment in old standbys and casual neighborhood …
I’m not sure I really understand the difference between a finger and a nugget when it comes to chicken. The birds, of course, don’t have either. I’m sure the difference comes from the shape of the fritter. It wasn’t until I was ordering the house made versions at the local favorite Krupa Grocery that I …
Unlike Martin Short’s character on Only Murders in the Building, I have never been someone who could make a meal out of dips. It does make sense though – how are dips and bread much different than pizza or a deconstructed sandwich? I get it, but it’s just never seem to be my thing. That …
Growing up in South Florida, we went to Disney World a lot. Although my family were not terribly adventurous eaters, you would have thought I would have fully explored the food options at the Disney theme parks. Sure, I remember eating at Epcot’s Morocco and Germany when I was a kid, but my other Disney …
This corner space in Fort Greene right outside the subway space is prime real estate. Pretty awesome and amazing that it now hosts its second hip vegan fast food chain. I do miss Broccoli Bar quite a bit, but no doubt the Atlanta-based Slutty Vegan has garnered more of a cult following with Tik Tok …
I often visit one of Lady Wong’s two locations to pick up a sweet sensation known as kuih, the bite-sized Singaporean treats usually made from rice flour and anything from brown sugar to pandan to coconut milk. They are a nice treat which I will write about on this blog one day, no doubt. But …
I love, love raw oysters on the half-shell, but I would rarely pick a plate of them as a dish of the week here in NYC, because they don’t usually reflect much more than good sourcing and storage. Sure, a chef has to be able to shuck them well and serve them quickly. There is …
I remember when this corner was Matty & Weg’s. The storefronts in the neighborhood of Cobble Hill change as fast as any other neighborhood in NYC, but lately, it seems like it has been for the better. Despite heartbreaking closures (like the recently shuttered Esposito’s Pork Store), the residents manage to mostly keep out the …
I mean if you travel to a place like Colombia and miss the street food, you kind of missed the entire reason to come to Colombia. On our week-long stay in Cartagena, we ate all sorts of fruits from carts and even drank some coffee. But, clearly the real deal was at the Frito carts. …