Taco in Spanish Harlem

Antelmo wrote about a quesadilla stand in Spanish Harlem (August 20th) and SeriousEatsNY came out with an article about Taco stands in Spanish Harlem (August 26).

http://newyork.seriouseats.com/2010/08/taco-thursdays-east-harlem-taco-carts-stores-taco-mix-tacos-de-arroz.html.

The Taco stand that both Antelmo and SeriousEatsNY recommended was called "Taco Mix". It is a hole-in-the-wall taco place (they have other dishes too such as burrito, quesadilla, sopes). When Antelmo was ordering Tacos for us, I saw a big pot of meat bubbling in brown liquid behind the counter. Growing up in Asia, that's a good sign of something fantastic is cooking in there. So I asked Antelmo to inquire about the content of the pot.

(reader discretion is required, it might gross you out, be warned)

Antelmo: "it is stuff that you do not want to eat".
Deming: "What is it?"
Antelmo: "pigs ears and other body parts"
Deming: "Dude, get me one of those. Where else in NYC will I ever have pigs ear taco?"

My verdict about this "exotic" taco?  FREAKINGLY AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS.......I will spare you the details on the texture and taste.

I know it is not for everyone. Some people are totally turned off by it, some people "cursed" me for eating such things. However, if you are an adventurous eater, I highly recommend it. I have since returned to the same place twice, ordering the same Taco, which is called Taco Mixto. You can read more about this "mysterious" taco on the SeriousEatsNY link above.


For people who prefer something more normal, order the "Taco Pastor". The meat is sliced off from a huge meat skewer rotating behind the counter (just like those you see on the ubiquitous Halal Food Cart).

Switch Topic

There is a quesadilla stand about 20 feet away from Taco Mix (written up by Antelmo). I had the quesadilla there and I was surprised by how good it is. Antelmo is right, their quesadilla is mom-would-be-proud-FANTASTIC.

When you order quesadilla at a regular place, you would normally see the already-made Tortilla being taken out from a bag, some already-cooked meat is quickly tossed over it and some generic shredded cheese is added. Not this place.

First off, the tortilla at this stand is cooked fresh. Although the meat is already cooked, it is reheated/sauteed on order. Some stringy white cheese (someone please educate me on the type of cheese) is added. That's all.

The result? One very good Quesadilla. Now I know what real quesadilla is.

Next mexican food on the radar.....tamale....Antelmo, let's go!

Continuation of our street food discussion

I have been championing the idea of bringing ethnic street food indoor with communal table settings. Each "vendor" specialize in one food item. In another words, a food court minus the pizza hut, mcD, and panda express. Since we are on this topic, let me update us on two recent development since I wrote the last piece.

a) the opening of "EATALY". 
http://www.nypost.com/p/lifestyle/food/welcome_to_eataly_G5QHOIVyNtzG44tyFb5GVM

The name of this place is a played of two words "eat" and "italy". In other words, it is an italian "food court" opened by Mario Batali, and two other people. I didn't get to explore EATALY, but I have heard good and bad things about it. The bad thing is the crowd. This place is over-run by tourist now. Probably not what Batali had envisioned but it brings in $$$, so I suppose he won't mind as much. I implore you to read more about this place if you are curious. I think this place is taking a step closer towards the "street food indoor" concept.

b) Food vendor at Tavern on the Green.
http://gothamist.com/2010/09/16/food_vendors_coming_to_tavern_on_th.php

Tavern on the Green was a beautiful restaurant in central park serving mediocre food (according to critics, not me). Their license wasn't renewed, so now it is just an empty building within a beautiful setting. So some 'smart' people came together and decided, "why not invite some of the famous food carts that are serving around the streets of NYC to set up shop at Tavern on the Green? Read the article and find out about it more.

24 hr Taco Stand

This may be a response to Deming's word in the previous blog :)

For all of you that live in the top shelf of society and roam about among the pedigree, take a note from those who dine in the street. There is no reason why one should pay 60 dollars for a meal . To quote a friend who shall remain nameless, you only do that in your 25th anniversary or perhaps on valentine's day( to try convince the girl that you just got back together with, after dumping her a month before, that you really missed her). But I digress!!!!

I love Spanish Harlem, it has character charm and most most of all I like the way it makes me feel :) , like a tourist in NYC. When you walk on 116 east of lex the city is alive with young women dancing, kids running, moms yelling, couples having an animated discussion, and preachers yelling the good word through a megaphone as if trying to yell the love of God into you head.

OH good times. This is home. The gray area of life, the place where food is a nourishment for both body and soul at a price that a worker bee can manage.

Here is what you need to know, if you want good street food and are willing to go for the adventure:

Take the 6 train to 116th go east btwn 3rd and 2nd. There you will find a 24hr, yes 24hr, Taco stand where you can get a home made quesadilla with your choice of meat fro 3 dollars.

The full menu is in the second image, but let me just say, I never have spent more than 10 dollars, including tip, to go home complaining of how much I ate.

I love food, simple food, cheap food. Why don't you join me next time ?



Mom would be proud!!!!

Whose idea was it?

This is not a restaurant/food review. But some thoughts about food. Warning, it is a long thought.

Have you ever encountered a story, a painting, a piece of music, or just an idea, created by someone else and that made you leaped off your chair and yelled "that was my idea! he stole my idea!!"

I have....Anthony Bourdain (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Bourdain) "stole" my idea.

Let me explain.

Anthony Bourdain wrote a most recent book titled "Medium Raw" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medium_Raw). I flipped through the book at Borders one lazy afternoon and stumbled upon this paragraph. The said chapter of the book involved Bourdain's criticism of new restaurants trying to "invent" new food and thus making the eating experience "complicated" for the eater and the creator of food. What followed was this sentences:

"If any good comes out of all the pain and insecurity (of creating new food experience), I can only hope that the Asian-style food court/hawker center is one of them. This institution is way overdue for an appearance (on a large scale) in America. Scores of inexpensive one-chef/one-specialty business (basically, food stalls) clustered around a "court" of shared tables. When will some shrewd and civic minded investors (perhaps in tandem with their city governments) put aside some parking lot-size spaces (near commercial districts) where operators from many lands can sell their wares? Sharing tables, as in classic fast-food food courts? Why, with our enormous Asian and Latino populations, can't we have dai pai dong -literally, "big sign street", the Chinese version of the indigenous food court, like they do in Hong Kong- or hawker centers, like in Singapore or Kuala Lumpur? Or "food streets," like Hanoi and Saigon? The open-to-the-air "wet" taco vendors and quesadilla-makers of Mexico City?"  End of quote

That, my friend, is what I have been talking about for the last 4 years.

As Bourdain pointed out, we do have food courts here in America, the ones in the mall...but the food are bad!!!!

If you have spent time living in any Asian country, what Bourdain said will resonate with you. Or put it another way, think about the food/restaurants that you go back to time and time again. What are they?

Taco, Roast Chicken (Pio), Soup Dumplings, Cumin Burger, Bahn Mi, Arepas, Dosai, Cerviche,  Tamale. You can argue that because we are a multi-ethnic bunch of people, hence we love ethnic food. But i think this is a weak argument. The food that i mentioned are simple, delicious, and affordable PERIOD. NO frill, NO BS, NO gimmick, and won't cost you $60 (inside joke with Antelmo).  Why is the best chinese food in chinatown? The best mexican food in spanish harlem, the best indian food in jackson heights? Instead of waiting for New Yorkers to come out from their "shell" and explore these "intimidating" neighborhoods (literally), why not bring these food all under one roof and make it more accessible to everyone instead of having to seat in a basement mall in Flushing?

the concept is there, the market (new york city) is there for the taking, how to implement? Give me half a million dollars and I will answer that question...

if you can't give me half a million dollars, this is how you can help. Send this article or share it with friends who might share the same sentiment as I. Maybe we can create a new food movement here in NYC, maybe one of your rich friends might be interested as an investor. Maybe Bourdain is secretly working on this project already.....

Battle Ramen (Round 2)

(picture source: serious eats new york)











I can finally say that I have eaten at Ippudo Ramen. (4th avenue, between 9th an 10th street). If you remember a few posts down, I did a comparison of Setagaya and Rai Rai Ken. However, a "Battle Ramen" ain't complete without Ippudo Ramen. What is the rave about this place? Why is there a 30-40 minutes wait during rush hour? Why does it garner a 4 stars review on yelp (1538 reviewers, last check)?  The answer...

The noodle and the broth.

It is like going to an Italian restaurant and if someone ask you why do they have the best spagetti and you say "the pasta and the sauce" or at a pizza place and you say "the dough and the cheese".

I am sure it takes years to make the perfect bowl of ramen or pasta or pizza. I am not saying that Ippudo Ramen is perfect since I don't even know what "perfect" means.  But i have to say, Ippudo Ramen is very very good.

I went there at 5.30pm on Thursday and there wasn't any wait. (by the time i left at 6.30pm, there was probably a 10 minutes wait). If you really want to try their noodle, i suggest going before 7pm. I ordered the first ramen on top of the menu - the classic shio ramen (ramen with salted broth). The noodle is very chewy and "melts" in your mouth. A good sign of freshly made noodle. Other ramen places probably uses dried noodle (don't quote me on this). The broth, ah yes, the broth makes or brakes a bowl of ramen. The flavor of the broth is very complex. I tried my best to figure out what i am tasting. Something tells me they cooked the broth with shiitake mushroom (among maybe 1000 other ingredients). 

Will I go back to Ippudo ramen? Yes. Do I want to wait 30 minutes of a bowl of ramen? No. 

The Meatball Shop (On Stanton street, between Allen and Orchard street, next to Katz Diner and Sunshine cinema)

What restaurant do you open after working for Eric Ripert at Le Benardin and, at his recommendation, attended the Culinary Institute of America (C.I.A) with full James Beard Scholarship?

A meatball shop called "The Meatball Shop"

I went to Sunshine cinema (first time, awesome place) to watch "The Girl with the dragon tattoo" (awesome adaption of an awesome book). Needed a place to grab a quick bite and decided to go to The Meatball Shop, a place that i first learned about just a few days before.

The set up of the restaurant immediately tells you this is a fun place. Long communal table in the middle, a few tables on the side (for diners who prefer more intimacy), and a nice looking bar. I have no idea how to order food in the beginning and i had to ask the waiter. Turns out, you are suppose to "check some boxes" on the menu with a sharpie to indicate what food you want to order. The waiter will later return the menu after erasing your mark. A recyclable menu and ordering sheet. Cool.  

We ordered our meatballs to go since we were running late. Unfortunately i had to eat my meatballs in the dark. The only other food i recommend eating in the dark is --popcorn.  I can only 'taste' my food based on what i feel on my fingers and the smell of my food. There is the meatball, a piece of bread, and some vegetable on the side. I wolfed it down during the movie previews so that i won't be distracted when the movie starts.

Overall, i think the meatballs are delicious. I definitely want to return here someday and try their different meatballs with different sauces, with the lights ON!

here is a funny story, the book/movie "the girl with the dragon tattoo" was written in sweden by a swedish author. What's popular in sweden besides IKEA?  Meatballs. At one point i was stuffing meatball in my mouth while the actor in the movie is teaching his niece how to make meatballs......

 (i 'borrowed' this picture from the internet, sorry for not asking for permission)

Craftbar

Craftbar (and other Craft restaurants) was opened by Tom Colicchio. (Not sure if he still owns/runs the business). Tom Colicchio opened Gramercy Tavern with Danny Myer many years ago before opening his own restaurants. His gained his celebrity status since hosting Bravo channel's Top Chef.
 
It was another one of those spur of the moment thing that led me to Craftbar. Again, as in any of the "named brand" restaurant, what struck me first is the space and decor. It has a very cool, young and trendy vibe (good date spots). Our server isn't the friendliest, she has a "pissed-off" face. Perhaps because we didn't order drinks or she just had a bad day. Someone need to tell her to get rid of the attitude.

After doing some research beforehand, i have decided to order chorizo sage leaves starter. Although it says "small plate" on the menu, it is definitely to be shared with 4 people!! The chorizo is wrapped with sage leaves and deep fried. It is delicious. Is there a way to not make chorizo delicious? Maybe when it is raw.

Next up,  the menu calls it "confit berkshire pork shoulder, tomato molasses, smoked pearl onion". I simply called it "braised pork, asian style". Confit? really? Berkshire? Is this necessary? That said, i thoroughly enjoyed this dish. You have to wrap the meat with the lettuce leaf they provide. Again, it is suppose to be an appetizer, but big enough to be shared with four people.

After eating 4 chorizos and half a pound of berkshire pork, do I still have space for my pasta dish? Barely. I ordered a lamb ragu pappardelle while my friend ordered the goat cheese ravioli. The goat cheese ravioli is too "goat-y" for my liking. While the pappardelle is a little dry, the lamb ragu is just fine, nothing spectacular.

Overall, good food, generous portion, perfect for group dinner.

With so many restaurant options in the city, I don't think I will be revisiting Craftbar anytime soon.

Ma Peche

Foodies, by now, should be familiar with David Chang and his momofuku empire. Ma peche is his new restaurant located in mid-town Manhattan. I heard of Momofuku noodle bar when it first opened. My labmate was the first few people to eat there. Sometime later (soon after Ssam bar was opened), I read an article about David Chang and his "struggling" restaurant business. Then and now, what a world difference.

Back to Ma Peche. I went there a month ago for dinner, sat a the bar and ordered bar food. The shrimp chips that they offered (for free) at the bar reminded me of...wait for it....HOME!

I ordered three dishes
a) Shrimp summer roll -- a few friends went to Ma Pech on separate occasions and they all raved about the summer roll. I have to agree, pretty darn good summer roll. The texture of the chewy shrimp, balanced by the crunchiness of fried summer roll wrap, and freshness of the vegetable. A winner.

b)  bahn mi (french-influenced Vietnamese sandwich)  - This dish is pretty solid too. Initially i thought the meat in there is a thin slice of cooked pork. It was much later did i realized it was actually terrine/forcemeat, which takes a little more technique to prepare. If I have know earlier, i would try eat my sandwich slowly. The pickled vegetable overpowered the delicate flavor of the terrine.

c) rice noodle - this is an unusual dish. totally not what i expected it to be. Don't get me wrong, i enjoyed it but the texture is different. How should i say this. It felt like eating baked ziti, but chinese style. If i were to venture a guess, I think the rice noodle was baked to give the crunchiness texture, then stir fried with meat and vegetable.

overall, i like the chill ambiance here, the food is solid, the price is reasonable, location is good (for east-siders). My next stop is Momofuku noodle bar and ssam bar......want to go with me??

Xi'an Famous Food

Xi'an is the name of an ancient city in China, a few hours from Beijing. Xi'an food isn't one of the more popular imports from China, compare to Cantonese, and Sichuan. Thanks to this 'restaurant', I think Xi'an food deserve to be recognized.

There are two locations. One is in Flushing, Queens, the other one is in Chinatown Manhattan. I found out that Anthony Bourdain visited the Flushing location and was impressed by it. Their signature dish is the "liang ping", which is a kind of room-temperature flat rice noodle. The second one is the cumin-flavored lamb "burger".

Antelmo, Daniel and myself liked the cumin lamb 'burger' a lot, but they are not crazy about the 'liang ping'. This place is definitely CHEAP, and the food is delicious. I would say it is on the "spicy hot" side. The problem I have with this place is that there is no place to eat. The 'restaurant' is more like a "closest". I don't know how they can cook in there but it kinda does remind me of my own kitchen space that I have survived for 6 years and counting. There is a park nearby where you can eat (which was what we did) or like most people, take the food home.

Location: Between Forsyth street and West Broadway. Directly under the Manhattan Bridge. The place is so small, you might miss it.

Burger or Brgr?

Serious restaurant critics who write for major newspaper/magazine visit the same restaurant 4-5 times before writing a review. Since I am not a restaurant critic, I will write about my experience at this new burger place after visiting it TWICE.

This is a burger restaurant called "Brgr". Yeah, creative, right? Drop the vowels and you get the name.

They claimed that the meat are from "grass-fed cows". Okay, a gimmick? Judge for yourself. All I care is this, "is the brgr delicious"?


YES


I had two different burgers on my visits. The first was a burger with a fried egg -"Fresh Morning Brgr". The yolk breaks into the meat and mixes with the goodness. The second brgr I had was "The Magnificent Meadow", which is a burger with mushrooms.

People who know me know that I am a die-hard fan of the Shake Shack. I still think Shake Shack burger is the best but there are a few reasons why I will be coming back to "Brgr".
First, location. This Brgr joint is located on 61th and Lexington Ave. a place that I walked by frequently. Also, it is 15 minutes walk from my apartment (the other location is in Chelsea). Second, there is NO line and plenty of seats. Third, the staff here are very easy-going.  Fourth, did i mention the burger was well-cooked?

The downer? The fries (two kinds are offered: sweet potato and russert potato) were too salty on my second visit, suggesting inconsistency. Also, I have heard complains about the greasy-ness of the burger. Oh well, it is a burger, what do you expect?

Since most of you reading this article attends Redeemer, I recommend that you check out this place with your friends. I would love to hear your feedbacks.

again, it is between on 3rd avenue, between 60th and 61st street

Caracas

You want good Arepas in the city, yeah they are not in Astoria.

http://www.caracasarepabar.com/index_2.php

I have a friend who is from Venezuela and he says that these are like the one from home.

They have a restaurant and then a to go place next door closer to 1st.

The problem with this place is that it always has a line, and the wait is always about 30 mins even for take out and all the Arepas are above 6 dollars, which being a Cali kid seem like to much for to little food. Nevertheless if you are with friends, you are payign for the experience and you can order it and then go to one of a few parks. Thompkins Park is just around the Corner, but if you want dessert later I would recommend to go to St Marks Church on 2 and 10th. It may be a longer walk but you are around a lot of ice scream places after that. There is a no dairy ice scream shop which tastes like jelato :) just across the street.

I digress while in Caracas try the A4 - La Guayanesa 6.50 the cheese is so good.

Also try the Tamarind water, I grew up with it and it is perhaps my favorite "Agua Fresca".

Image from the web :) someday I will get my own.

Battle Ramen

Who hasn't had Ramen before? please stand up! please stand up!

Ok, no one stood up...

Two ramen places in NYC came highly recommended - Ramen Setagaya and Rai-Rai Ken

Rai rai ken is a hole in a wall restaurant with ONLY 14 seats. The moment you enter this place, you feel immediately transferred to Japan. Ramen setagaya, on the other hand, has two locations in the city.

I went to Setagaya last week and rai rain ken two days ago. Two ramens in a week, it is time to write my review.

The most important ingredient in Ramen is the soup and I think both places are quite solid although Rai rai ken's soup has more intense flavor than Setagaya, which can only mean two things....a) they use better ingredients, b) they added more artificial flavoring. The second most important ingredient is the ramen (direct translation: pulled noodle). I think setagaya noodle has better texture than rai rai ken. However, I would love to one day have freshly made Japanese ramen.

As for the complete eating experience, Rai Rai ken definitely wins, because of the setting. Setagaya is good too but you are looking at St. Marks street's pedestrian (define it however you want).

The holy grail of Japanese ramen in NYC is Ippudo Ramen. I have never been. There is a 30-60 minutes wait at any given time. Ippudo better blow rai rai ken and setagaya FAR FAR AWAY to justify that wait.

Hoomoos Asli

I'm always looking for new lunch options around my office. One of my go-to blogs is Lunch with Front Studio, which blogs lunch and a 4pm snack every weekday and has been a fantastic source of ideas. Yesterday, looking for someplace new, healthy, and close, I checked out Hoomoos Asli on their recommendation. I tried the hoomoos sandwich (above), which was delicious and cheap at only $3.65. My friend had the falafel sandwich, which included the same ingredients as mine (hummus, Israeli salad, fresh warm pita), with the addition of some tasty falafel. They weren't too dry, as falafel sometime are, and when I go back, I'm definitely getting that sandwich. Their house-made mint lemonade is not to be missed.

100 Kenmare Street
(between Cleveland Pl & Elizabeth St)

Cafe Rio in Utah

The ONLY place, I was told, people in Utah go for Mexican food
is at Cafe Rio. It is a chain that has sprout all over Utah. According
to the locals, every Cafe Rio is packed from open to close.  I believe them based on what I witnessed at this place. People who works there are super friendly, and energetic. Everyone seems excited being there. You wait in line to get your food (like Chipotle) and there are plenty of comfortable tables and seats for you to enjoy. There were probably 8 people working behind the food line working in sync like a production chain.

Cafe Rio's signature and award winning dish is their Pork Burrito.
I skipped the burrito and had a Pork Taco as well as a steak taco. The pork is sweet, which was unexpected, too sweet for my preference. The steak, however, is delicious.

Chick-FiIl-A

Everyone from the South or has been to the South claimed that Chick-Fil-A has the best chicken sandwich.  Chick-Fil-A founder claimed that they invented the chicken sandwich.

Yep, I have to agree. Pretty darn good sandwich.

Chicken and Waffle on the same plate?? (Lola's chicken & waffle in Phoenix)

Is this just me being a foreigner that have never spend time in the South? Or is this something 'different'?

Check out the picture bellow 

How are you suppose to eat this? A friend jokingly suggested that I should cut the chicken into pieces and place it on the waffle, pour the maple syrup on the chicken and eat the whole thing like a chicken sandwich. Yuck? Yummy?

Well, that's not how I ate in anyways...I ate them separately. As for most fried chicken, this fried chicken is good. Crunchy outside, juicy inside. The waffle (there were two pieces actually)? eh..just a waffle. Never had Clinton Street Bakery Waffle, suppose to be amazing. Really?

Washed everything down with Southern sweet tea. This is for Sarah Davis...really that much different from McD's sweet tea? I can't tell. To me, it is tea with lots of sugar.

Deming's take on In-N-Out

As you guys know, I was in Phoenix and Utah for combine 10 days. One of the main thing I did during this trip is to 'eat'. Home cooked or at a restaurant. It will be too much for me to list down everything that I ate but here are same samples.

First off, In and Out.  This was my first time eating at In and Out. I had to do it to put to rest my internal debate on who has the best burger. My verdict? Shake shack beats In and Out, Burger Joint and Petey's (Antelmo's new favorite in Astoria). In terms of taste, I would put the latter three in the same category. Shake Shack is just different in the texture of the meat, and the 'special' sauce. Shake shack meat is juicer too. People have complained that Shake Shack burger bun is often soggy. You know why? It is because of the juice from the meat!! Now that debate is over for me...time to move on...(disclaimer: I fully respect people who prefer other burger venture)

A Piece of Mexico

Tamales

All over the city!!!!

GO READ ABOUT IT

and Mexican ingredients :).
READ ON HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN !!!

Food by Neighborhood

Every time when i am in a different neighborhood, i always wonder "where is a good place to get a quick bit", "where can i find a good cafe/wine bar" -- that sort of questions. There are a few neighborhoods that i am very familiar with ie: chinatown, st marks and parts of UES. I wish i know more about other places....

While we have this blog now, I am hopping maybe we can also create a 'thread' where people can add to a list of places to eat BY NEIGHBORHOOD.

Maybe antelmo can create some sort of 'header', sort by neighborhood. Not sure how this work....

Baoguette Cafe in St. Marks

The French ruled parts of Vietnam from the late 19th century to mid 20th century hence a lot of Vietnamese cuisines are heavily influenced by the French such as the French bread - baguette.

Make sure you order the classic baoguette or the sloppy bao (sloppy joe in a baguette). The meat comes in mild, medium, hot and very hot. Trust me, you don't want it to be very hot. Or else you will look like Eyjafjallajokul spilling ashes. I will stick with the medium if i were you.

Also ask for a sample of the pandan flavor ice cream. Pandan is a kind of fragrant leafy plant found everywhere in Malaysia, it is often used to infuse flavor into drinks, and dessert (kueh, daniel). I have made a point in my mind that if i am in this neighborhood and needed a snack/dessert, i will have the pandan ice cream.

BTW, there is this Baoguette Cafe in St Marks, and a few restaurants simply called "Baoguette". They are not related. Not sure which one comes first and which are better.

The Freeman Restaurant!!!!

First of all Daniel found this place and showed it to me while we were roaming the city, but I went and used it for Mon and I's 6 month anniversary.

The place is hidden in an alley in the middle of the block which makes going to it feel like a scavenger hunt, and if you are going there for the first time, literally like discovering a new restaurant where no one has eaten.

It is decorated very rustic with stuffed animals and deer heads on the wall.

They describe themselves as rugged clandestine American Tavern with a simple and rustic inspired by old American traditions menu.

The place requires no reservation for parties less than 6 and can have a 30 min to 2 hour wait according to online reviewers.

We got there close 7:30 on a Sunday and they told us we would have to wait for 30 mins so we sat at the bar and in no less than 15 mins we had a seat.

The waiter was nice. The food was okay I would even say good but honestly nothing excellent like Katz is with pastrami or Shanghai cafe is with soup dumplings or shake Shack is with burgers.

Nevertheless, the homey experience and the feeling that you are somewhere else, is worth at least a visit. It is very Americana. I did not have appetizers or drinks but Allison says and I quote

" yeahthey have really good artichoke dip

like AMAZING

HEAVENLY "

Have fun, now go find it.

http://freemansrestaurant.com/

Photos where form the internet.

Lenny's Wonderful Sandwich

Lenny's is a wonderful sandwich restaurant that has mushroomed all over the city in recent years. It is a great place for a quick sandwich to go. There is one right across from my lab. There is only one sandwich that you should order at Lenny's and everyone who is a frequent patron of Lenny's will tell you -- Lenny's Combo #1. (Hot pastrami, corned beef, Finlandia swiss cheese, coleslaw and Russian dressing).

IN N OUT

This is heaven!!!

If you are looking for a good Hamburger and you are in California, take out your smart phone and look for your nearest IN n Out. It is a simple menu with only 3 main things hambuger, cheese burger or double cheeseburger.

Now for those of you who don't know here is the secret menu
http://www.badmouth.net/in-n-outs-secret-menu/
extract from the site

2×4 Burger

Tester: Josef
Description: A “2×4″ is a burger with two beef patties and four slices of cheese. You can also order a “3×3,” a “4×2″ or any other meat/cheese combo your little heart desires. Rumors of a “100×100″ are widespread and thus far unproven. (Yeah, yeah. It’s been proven now. We know. —The Mgmt.) We’d love to see a photo, though.
Comment: The 2×4 was humongous, but great.

3-by-Meat Burger

Tester: John
Description: Three beef patties, no cheese. You can pretty much order “any number”-by-Meat.
Comment: Triple the meat, triple the pleasure. Do you want your colon blocked but don’t want to wait for years and years for it to happen? Well, In-N-Out has the burger for you. I miss my cheese.

“Animal Style” Burger

Tester: Patti
Description: Mustard-cooked beef patty, additional pickles, extra secret sauce with grilled onions.
Comment: I love this burger. Best if ordered without tomato. It has lots of oniony, cheesy, goodness with “special sauce” to boot. (No one ever says that the sauce is just Thousand Island dressing.)

“Double-Meat” Burger

Tester: Maureen
Description: A Double-Double without the cheese.
Comment: The Double-Meat burger was huge — very filling. I would have liked some sauce, however. It seemed a little dry.

The Flying Dutchman

Tester: Steve
Description: 2 beef patties, 2 slices of cheese. That’s it. No lettuce. No onions. No bun. No nuthin’.
Comment: Two all-beef patties with cheese. What more can you say?

Grilled Cheese

Tester: Rachel
Description: Cheeseburger without the “burger.”
Comment: I always order the grilled cheese because I don’t eat beef and veggie burgers are boring. It isn’t as boring as a regular grilled cheese. The sauce makes it better.

“Protein Style” Burger

Tester: Aaron
Description: Any burger you want wrapped in lettuce instead of that carbohydrate-laden bun.
Comment: It felt like it was missing something…oh yeah, the bun! The lettuce wrapping actually made it less messy, but I was still hungry afterward. Next time, I’ll try “Animal Style.”

Veggie Burger

Tester: Chandra
Description: Hamburger with no burger and double tomatos.
Comment: Expected a “veggie burger.” Got a bun with whole grilled onions*, sauce, lettuce and double tomato. Not bad, but rather overly simple for eating out. Won’t order it again. I’ll stick with my usual Grilled Cheese with grilled onions.

“Extra Toast”

Tester: Shireen
Description: Leaves your bread on the grill a tad longer resulting in “crispy buns,” which is not as dirty as it sounds. Can be ordered with any burger.
Comment: About the same. Maybe slightly crispier than normal — but not much.

Fries: “Animal Style”

Tester: Ian
Description: French fries with secret sauce, onions and cheese on top.
Comment: Excellent! I will definitely order these again. Mmmmm…cheesey, oniony goodness!

Fries: “Light”

Tester: Desiree
Description: French fries cooked a little less than normal.
Comment: My light fries were very good.

Fries: “Well-Done”

Tester: Patti
Description: French fries cooked a little longer than normal.
Comment: I couldn’t really tell the difference from these vs. the normal fries. Not very impressive. I don’t think I’d bother asking for well-done again.

Choco-Vanilla Swirl Shake

Tester: Rachel
Description: Chocolate and vanilla shakes in the same cup. Swirled, not blended.
Comment: It tastes like a regular chocolate shake to me.

Lemon-Up

Tester: Tevin
Description: 1/2 Lemonade, 1/2 7-Up. Since they started letting you get your own drinks, you can make this yourself.
Comment: I thought it was OK. And it tasted like a tangerine.

Neopolitan Shake

Tester: Maureen
Description: Strawberry, vanilla and chocolcate all swirled together — not blended.
Comment: I loved the Neopolitan Shake. I expected all the flavors mixed together, but they were separate.

Tea-Ade

Tester: Miles
Description: 1/2 Iced Tea, 1/2 Lemonade. Since they started letting you get your own drinks, you can make this yourself.
Comment: It wasn’t good.

Failures

Tester: Various
Description: Not everything that we found on the Internet actually existed. So here are a few imaginary items that we ordered so you don’t have to.
Wish Burger – I assume this is a reference to a song from 1957 by The Chips, where you have two slices of bread, and you wish you had some meat. It’s supposed to be a veggie burger. Our lovely cashier had no ide what we were talking about. But she did recognize the words “Veggie Burger.” So we ordered that instead.
“On the Sal”: “On the Sal” was supposed to give us all the vegetables that normally go on the burger, with secret sauce on top, and nothing else — basically a tiny side salad. Once again, the lovely cashier had no idea what I was talking about.

Tiramisu

well.. since Sarah cited a place out of the NY metro area.. so will I.. if you are ever in Rome.. head off the beaten path to the San Giovanni neighborhood to try some of the best tiramisu in the world at Pompey

Southern Cuisine

Chicken and gravy from Hominy Grill in Charleston, SC

Uighur food

This is "dapanji" - big plate of chicken, eaten in a now-closed restaurant in Beijing. It's a Uighur specialty found in the Chinese province of Xinjiang and is seriously delicious. Unfortunately, there is no Uighur food to be had in New York. I visited the one contender - Cafe Kashkar - a couple of years ago, and found it disappointingly Uzbek. If anyone is up for a trip to Brighton Beach, though, I'd be willing to try it again!

Food

We always talk about food, I think it was Daniel who started this quest for finding great eatings and then we followed suit. I am proposing a silly experiment inspired by Deming.

Your quest is to upload a picture of a place you have eaten in that you love (if you want to review it do so). Because we are all New Yorkers is hard to get together and eat at the same time, so the rest of us can go at any given time.

I know what you are think this is kinda uninteresting, nevertheless this can serve as a record of all the cool places we can eat and others city.

The only rules are you cannot give out the secret spots, like where we get out tea :).... you guys know what I mean.

I will start with

Taco Taco (Amazing Mexican Food)

1726 2nd Ave, New York 10128

(Btwn 89th & 90th St)

I love this place it is like eating at home. Try the Sopes!!!!

http://www.menupages.com/restaurants/taco-taco/

Your turn!!!!!!