Katz's Deli

If you had to pay $14 for a pastrami sandwich, this is a good place to do it. 

Peasant

I love this restaurant. The menu reads like a frickin' petting zoo. Rabbits and goats and lambs... Mmmm, gimme gimme gimme. Alex had the gnocchi with fava beans in creamy rabbit sauce (shown) and I had lasagna with goat meat. They also had nice little hens and fishes and plenty of pigs. And wood-oven baked peach torte with hazelnut ice cream. Ok. I'm gonna go do some push-ups. 

16 Handles

I used to be obsessed with Pinkberry but after a month living in corporate housing across the street from one, it started to get boring and so I've strayed. I've been dabbling in Red Mango, Yogurtland and now today 16 Handles. Pros: its DIY, there are 16 flavors to Pinkberry's 2, and countless more toppings including nostalgic Golden Grahams. Cons: the handles poop the ice cream out at turtle speed which is annoying and I presume on purpose, to prevent user accidents. But whatever.  And the peanut butter yogurt sucks. It doesn't taste like much of anything. Why is good PB fro-yo so hard to come by? My quest continues. -A

Parisi Bakery

Parisi is an institution in NYC and I've been hearing about it since we got here. So today I finally went in for a sandwich. Or a hero actually. To call this thing a "sandwich" would be a gross misrepresentation of scale, for I have held human babies that are smaller than what I ate today. And like a baby, this sandwich even came diapered... in paper towels and butcher paper and yet it was still soaked through with olive oily deliciousness. Other highlights included the superthin shaved turkey and the fresh chewy bread for which they are famous. Mmmmnnnn... babiesss.  -A

Felted Holes

Miniaturefoodtastesgood. I can't remember the name of this place... Slate Plus?? We had a work party here last night and everyone got pretty obliterated. I remember the food was kind of good, as far as I can remember. Mini cheeseburgers, pigs in blankets, stuff like that. But this isn't really about food. I just remember taking a picture and wanted a place for it to live.

La Nacional

Food photography doesn't get much grosser than this. But that's how you know that it's real, right?

Anyway, we went to La Nacional for A-Zupper Club last night. When we arrived, a quick peek through the sidewalk-level window revealed the subterranean dining room to be completely empty—not a good sign. So we almost bailed. But 10 minutes later, no one could think of another restaurant that started with "L", so we just bit the bullet and went in. And we were rewarded. Albondigas, fried artichokes, white asparagus, gambas, chorizo, grilled squid, and two paellas—one seafood, one veggie. And lots of sangria to warsh it down.

Yama

This sushi restaurant on Irving Place and E.17th Street was named
after the Michael McDonald song "Yama Be There".
Ok, that was a lie. But they should think about it. Everyone loves a
backstory.

Ed's Lobster Bar

This place makes me very happy. We split a Lobster Roll with Fries and
a Bibb Salad. Chile Margaritas and cold beer to bring it all around...
Straight A's.

Pinche Tacqueria

We needed some hot burrito action yesterday, and thought this place
might scratch. It sort of but not quite all the way did. Not saying I
wouldn't go back, but also not telling all my friends to go right
away. Sigh. Can someone from San Francisco FedEx me two Al Pastor
tacos from El Tonayense? Please?

Coffee Carts

If you like cheap coffee that tastes like it came from a little metal cart on Varick Street, this is your place. 

San Genarro Festival - Little Italy

I hit the San Genarro Festival on the way home last night. I've been passing it for days, and couldn't hold back any longer. Block after block after block of food - I have no idea how many. I saw sausage, sausage, sausage, pizza, grilled corn, gyros, shish kebabs, sausage, italian sandwiches, sausage, sausage, zepolis, sausage, and lemonade. I had a hot italian sausage with peppers and onions. My stomach hurt afterwards. But I'd do it again.

Ray's Pizza - Prince St.

So supposedly, this is the first Ray's Pizza in Manhattan. Out of curiosity, I did a little Wiki search on it, and the story is pretty funny. Lots of mob shit, and there's even an FBI surveillance photo of the owner. You can read up on it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray's_Pizza

Anyway, the pizza was good. I had a pepperoni rocotta and a cheese slice. The ricotta, while interesting, didn't add much. It felt like empty calories.

Cafe Habana - for breakfast

And we're back, 12 hours later for breakfast. Me rikey.

Cafe Habana

Holy Baby Jesus. Cafe Habana is no secret, but it's right across the street from us, so we'll probably spend a lot of time there. Anyway, this picture is dark and nasty and it looks like it was taken in the apartment of a Goth Vampire from Orlando, but this food is good. Really good. Pollo Diablo with black beans and rice. And grilled corn with cheese. And Mexican Coke.

Lupa

We hit Lupa again. Popped in unannounced and sat at the bar for some wine and pasta. I had Tagliatelle with pork shoulder, which was delicious because it contained pigs. And the lady had the Carbonara which was nice and peppery with a lot of bacon. I think it may have been guanciale, or as i like to call it, "face bacon."

Big Boy - Cincinnati

We shouldn't be eating here. Jesus we're getting fat. I don't want to talk about it.

Skyline, Cincinnati

We landed about 25 minutes ago and we already ate about 14 lbs. of cheese, chili, spaghetti and hot dogs. If you're not from Cincinnati, you probably just puked in your mouth. If you are, you've got a river of drool running down your neck.

Dunkin Donuts

"Pah! Donuts! I told you I hate ethnic food!" -Montgomery C. Burns.

An observation from someone who just moved to New York from the West Coast - Dunkin Donuts might be even more ubiquitous than Starbucks in New York. That can only be the result of a willful resistance by a LOT of people to overpay for something that should be free or at least very cheap. Although, it should be noted that even at Dunkin Donuts, a cup of regular coffee is somewhere around two dollars. Anyway, I'm not going to describe my donut or my coffee here. That would be stupid.
-N

Gourmet Deli

I've heard a lot about NY bagels but how has noone told me about the cream cheese? After going to this place on Carmine at Bleecker I would contend that NY's bagels are a mere vehicle for its real star - cream cheese. Gourmet Deli's glass cases are filled with trays piled high with Philadelphia's finest, mixed with delicious things like fresh crumbled bacon & cheddar. And they really slather it on there. My only regret was that I didn't grab a knife, or at least napkins. Using my fingers to redistribute some of the cream cheese got a little crazy.

-A

Dimsum GoGo - Chinatown

We rolled into Dim Sum GoGo on the way to a bar last night because we were starving and there was a long stupid line in front of Joe's Shanghai. Anyway, we went in totally blind, and by sheer luck, it was pretty good. Now that I think of it, I'm not even sure I have the name of the place right—the names of places in Chinatown seem so haphazard. Anyway, I digress. It was good. Dim Sum can be a little scary sometimes. You don't really know what you're getting into every time you try a new piece. That's part of the fun I guess... until it's NOT fun. I guess.

Papaya Dog - Chelsea

Alex hit Papaya Dog today and I'm dying to hear about it.

I'm also dying to know what N.G. stands for on the button that Mr. Frank has pinned to his bun. This must be some top secret shit.

-N

The Green Pirate

Today I hit up the Green Pirate juice truck because I was thirsty and also because I like pirates. I ordered their signature blend of green apple, cucumber, celery with a hint of lemon and ginger. In truth it tasted more like celery, celery and celery with a hint of water. But I still like pirates. My favorite pirate joke: What do pirates wear to cover their peglegs? Answer: Arrrrrrgyle socks.

-A

Sanpanino

I enjoy sandwiches. There's really not too much else to say about it that wouldn't be boring. This was a good one. Yellowfin tuna salad with red onion and celery on focaccia.

-N

Lupa

It's hard to imagine someone not liking this place. We had a lot of different things, and it was all good. Little crispy croquettes with Prosciutto and something green and cheese sitting on little dabs of tomato sauce. Escarole salad with walnuts and pecorino. Ricotta gnocchi with fennel sausage and tomato sauce, and bucatini al'amitriciana. I also took a bite out of the doorknob on the way out just to see if it was good. It was.

-N

Buttercup Revisited

Hours after the Eggs Hussard at Pastis on Saturday, I plowed into a piece of lemon layer cake from Buttercup Bakery. Maybe I wasn't comfortable admitting that until now. Although in my defense I threw half of it away and I didn't pull it back out of the trash later either.

-A

Alidoro

This is a good sandwich. I'm eating a Fellini from Alidoro on Sulliven between Prince and Spring. Sopressatta, fresh mozzarella, arugula, hot peppers and balsamic something on Tremazzino bread. Uh oh, it's dripping into my keyboard. Gotta go.

-N

Noodle Bar

We hit Noodle Bar on Carmine near Bleecker tonight. The idea was to go light after the diabolical lunch we had at Red Hook this afternoon. Mission sort of accomplished. The pork dumplings definitely toed the line and we finished them in about 15 seconds.

-N

Red Hook - Part III

Ok, this one looks like a mess and it kind of was. Pupusas, one with pork and cheese, the other with some kind of flower and cheese. Good, not great, and a little greasy. But it's hard to dislike melted
cheese, so of course we ate it. My favorite part was the pink, pickled cabbage on the side. Think of it as Salvadorean Saurkraut.

-N

Red Hook - Part II

El Rey Del Elote. Grilled corn with Cotija and chile. Stick THAT in your cornhole.

-N

Red Hook - Part I

Sweet Baby Jesus, this is it. Red Hook Ball Fields in Brooklyn. The food coming out of this long line of Latin American vending trucks is not to be missed. Pupusas, tacos, taquitos, sopes, chalupas, grilled corn with Queso and chile, ceviches, aguas frescas... Can't think straight. This is roach coach heaven. Stay tuned.

-N

Mamoun's

Last night I ran down the street through Hurricane Hanna to pick up food from Mamoun's on MacDougal Street. Lamb Shawarma, Kafta, Hummus, Baba, Falafel, and a bag of grilled pitas. Our apartment smelled like King Kong Bundy's armpit for the rest of the night, but it was worth it. Big Love for Mamoun's. I want the smoky, cumin-y Kafta crumbled over my body and buried with me when I die.

-N

Pastis

Eggs Hussard. It looks kind of disgusting, right? But it were delicious, son. Poached eggs, tomatoes, hollandaise and some kind of insanely delicious ham sitting on a piece of butter-fried toast soaking in a glorified gravy with mushrooms.
It was either that or the oatmeal.

-N

Captain Softee

Captain Softee was my nickname in High School. They called me that because I loved soft-serve ice cream cones with rainbow sprinklez. Word.

-N

Joe's

Damn you JOE!!!! I cannot resist your delicious crispy pizza. This is the fourth time in less than two weeks.

Doughnut Plant

Today I decided to head down to Doughnut Plant on the LES for breakfast since I am not working right now and because I am a fatty. I went with a Peanut Butter Glazed filled with Italian Plum Jelly. In case that turned out to be gross I ordered a Plan B: glazed Valhrona chocolate. Then I also got a coconut glazed filled with coconut cream for my husband, or in case I ate Plans A & B and was still hungry.

So far the PB&J reigns supreme. And contrary to what you might expect it was downright wholesome. A viable lunch option and not at all too sugary. For a second, it even made me wish I drank milk. 

Baluchi's

Dinner at Baluchi's Indian Restaurant on W. 3rd near Sullivan. It was OK. The breads were good. The Lamb Biryani was kinda sticky and a little bland. And the Tikka Masala was a little sweet. Like the sauce had ketchup in it or something. I don't know. Couldn't quite put my finger on it. The highlight of the meal was when my wife put her arm down and catapulted a forkful of tikka masala all over herself. On the upside, the samosas and papadums were good. And they had those little candy-covered fennel seeds in a bowl near the door.

Calexico Taco Cart

Grabbed lunch at the Calexico Taco Cart on Wooster and Prince in SOHO today. I guess I didn't really have to say goodbye to Mexican food when I left San Francisco last week. This place was decent. In time, I will feel comfortable saying that it was great, but the Al Pastor tacos at the El Tonayense Taco Truck in San Francisco still occupy a big place in my heart. 

At any rate, we're eating Mexican food and it's good. I had a Chipotle Pork burrito and a grapefruit Jarritos. It was good, and I'll go back.

Yatagan

Yatagan is a filthy little Kebab place on Macdougal Street near NYU. I had a big, sloppy Döner Kebab sandwich on Pita covered in yogurt and hot sauce. Delicious, but impossible to eat without a fork... which is probably why it came with a fork sticking out of it.

Sidenote - this place houses the biggest spinning log of meat i have ever seen. Seriously. I don't think I could get my arms all the way around it. At least not without ruining my shirt.

Peep, SOHO

My writer and I had lunch at Peep in SOHO. I was a fan. It's a small Thai place on Prince near Macdougal i think. Fast, cheap, and tasty. I had Leek Spring Rolls and Chicken Pad Thai for about $10. Then we got loaded and went to a nudie bar for the rest of the day.

Risotteria

We were really hungry and this place was open. The lady liked it. Me not so much. I guess you have to like risotto to go to a place called "Risotteria."

Hummus Place - Upper West Side

Today was Labor Day, and it was beautiful out, so we just followed everyone to see what people do here when it's nice out and you don't have to go to work. It turns out, there's this MASSIVE park uptown. It's huge. It starts at about 59th St. and it must go for 50 blocks. Maybe even 51. Who'd have thunk there would be a big park right in the central part of Manhattan??

Anyway, we grabbed a lunch to-go on the way up at the Hummus place on Amsterdam and W74th. We ordered hummus and favas, beet salad, quinoa salad, and a side of falafel. Way too much food for two people, but we ate it anyway because there are starving kids in the Middle East that are so sick of eating hummus that they ship it all to New York.

Five Points

Dinner at Five Points. Another good one. We had a couple glasses of the pink wine. Do you like pink wine? I know I do. Dinner was an obscene grass-fed cheeseburger with some thick-ass bacon for the lady. And I had a baked pasta which was something like a deconstructed cheesy melty lasagna. And someone ordered the chocolate brioche bread pudding for dessert, which got eaten.

Brunch at Jane

Delice! Roasted Shrimp Huevos Rancheros. It was great. It had shrimp, which were roasted. And Huevos. I could't find the Rancheros anywhere. Maybe they were under the spicy red sauce.

Otto, New York

What was intended to be a light afternoon snack quickly turned into a pizza, salad, cauliflower and a full bottle of wine followed by a two-hour nap. Otto makey happy.

A Salt & Battery

This is probably a case of two people unwittingly stumbling into one of the most popular places in town thinking that they are the first to discover it. But like I said, we just got here a few days ago. I don't know if this is the most popular fish and chips place in town, but it probably could be. It was delicious. I'd drop an F-Bomb in front of delicious, but I'm trying to cut back on F-Bombs. I had the Haddock, she had the Cod. Both were great.

Kombit, Brooklyn.

Kombit is on Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn. It is a Haitian Creole restaurant. Haitian. As in Haiti. I guess when they're not dodging hurricanes and social upheaval, Haitians like Creole food. I liked it. Creole shrimp, beans and rice, and fried plantains.

Joe's again.

I'm here again. And I'll probably come back tomorrow. Went for the fresh Mozzarella this time.