Now that I've
learned how to "check in" on Facebook, you might have noticed that we
spent the weekend in NY enjoying the holiday lights, seeing a show and eating
lots of great food. Kind of hard not to eat well in NY, as long as you avoid
any restaurant within 10 blocks of Times Square. We stayed with my
brother-in-law on the upper east side (66th & 3rd) which has a ton of good
local spots and easy access to the subway to explore the rest of the city. I apologize for the lack of pictures. I
wasn't thinking of blogging until the bus ride home and I started recapping all
the great places we went.
Boltbus ride from
Philly and a late dinner Friday night at The Smith in Midtown. A huge space by
Manhattan standards, well lit and stylish. A good restaurant with a decent bar,
and not the other way around; they do mostly steaks, chops and seafood. We had
some great shishito peppers that were a flashback to Spain. Nicely blistered
and just a little sweet. Mac & Cheese was great - crunchy little crust on
top and served in it's own little skillet with a good béchamel as the cheesy
base. My chicken pot pie was enough to feed 3. Needed some salt to amp up the
flavor a bit, but the pastry top was flaky and buttery. So good on a cold windy
night.
Brunch with some
cousins the next morning at Extra Virgin, down in the Village. Almost no wait
on a Saturday at noon (apparently unheard of in NY) and wonderful food. The
truffled mushroom turkey burger was probably the best I've ever had. They serve
it with a little side of porcini aioli that really brings out a depth of flavor
and lusciousness in the burger. My only complaint about the place would be the
$10 bloody mary's. They served them in tom collins glasses (should always be in
a pint glass). The mix was watery and not spicy in the least. Basically tomato juice & vodka. Made me miss the good ones at N. 3rd & Standard Tap. Worth coming
here just for the food though.
Craft beers for $5
in Manhattan? Impossible you say? Well you would be completely wrong. The Pony Bar serves only crafts on draught and has a live updating screen of what beers
are being poured and what's up next. Basically the NY version of Kraftwork. The
menu didn't look like anything special so we just stuck to the beers. For $5 a beer though, I might never drink
anywhere else here again.
I've always wanted
to have that NY pizza moment. That slice that explains what all the fuss is
about. The reason that foodie tours come here. Well, I finally had my moment.
John's Pizzeria on 64th street was incredible. Kind of a no frills place with
some booths and a decent list of beers you can get by the pitcher. The pizza
that they pull out of their ancient ovens is just about the best I've ever had. They serve only whole
pies - no slices, it's definitely a sit
down experience. There's lots of good pies in Philly (Stella, Tacconelli's,
Zavino) but this seemed to be on a whole different plane of existence. The
chewy crust with just a few blisters. The deeply flavored sauce. Pepperoni that
does a little dance on your tongue. Mozzarella that tastes like it was
stretched just minutes before going on. I ate my slices. Did my little happy
wiggle in the booth. And tried to savor that moment. Mmmm.
I get it now.
Can't come here and
not get bagels right? Sunday
brunch/hangover helper with some more cousins at Ess-A-Bagel on 51st & 3rd. This place looks like they
opened up in the 70's and never touched a thing since (the website confirms my
suspicion). The bagels are pretty stellar though. The line is generally
stretched along the counter and back to the door. They do not pride themselves
on efficiency. Getting two bagel sandwiches made took about 10 minutes, plus
another five to pay for them. The food is worth the wait though and nothing rights
the ship like carbalicous bagels. I've told my wife before that good bagels are
one of the best things she's brought into my life. Up until I met her I only
knew frozen Lenders and Dunkin Donuts. For shame. What I've been missing out on.
It's great having
family to stay with in Manhattan. Hotels are insanely expensive and having
someone there that knows the good places is clutch. A quick 2 hour bus ride and
we can play food tourist for a weekend - one of my favorite activities. Still
need to get a Papaya Dog on one of these trips and maybe a trip to Brooklyn
next time to check out the scene there. So much food and so little time to
eat.
-Food Baby
The Smith - Midtown
956 Second Avenue,
New York, NY
(212) 644-2700
Extra Virgin - Greenwich Village
259 W 4th St, New
York, NY
(212) 691-9359
Pony Bar - Upper East Side
1444 1st Avenue New York, NY
John's Pizzeria - Upper East Side
408 East
64th Street, New York, NY
(212)
935-2895
Ess-a-Bagel - Midtown East
831 3rd Avenue, New
York, NY
(212) 980-1010
Oh I have so many suggestions! Ping me before your next trip!
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