I usually don’t post links off of other sites, but Billyboy’s One Man Burger Tour of NYC from Roadfood.com is pretty remarkable. He reviews all the best places with close up pics of each burger, so the reader can select the preferred style and toppings of each beefy wonder. Enjoy!
Our Top 10 of 2009
January 27, 2010 — wecouldeat2009 was another phenomenal eating year as we sampled all qualities of grub from all over Gotham – we even made it to Staten Island! While we may not have lived up to all of our predictions from last year’s post, we did some mighty fine eatin’, considering how many awful Diner Cakes we consumed as well. Here is our list of the best things WeCouldEat ate in 2009. Yes, there are a few gourmet additions that are beyond our usual scope, but they are transcendent experiences. So enjoy! We certainly did!
(Click on the links and read our reviews, when available)
Most Creative Sandwich: Knishwich – Lansky’s, Upper West Side
Best Sandwich for $5: Baoquette (Classic or Chicken) – Baoquette, Murray Hill
Best Chicken: Buttermilk Fried Chicken - Redhead, East Village
Best Fish: Miso Black Cod – Nobu Next Door, Tribeca
Best Beef: Beef Wellington – One If By Land, Two If By Sea, West Village
Most Creative Pizzas: Wisconsin, New York and New Mexico Pizza – Sage General Store, Long Island City
Best Comfort Plate: Anything Really But My Fav is Pork Shoulder, Mac & Cheese, Brussel Sprouts – Mama’s Food Shop, East Village
Best Tacos: Fish Tacos – Taqueria Downtown, Jersey City
Best Fancy Dessert: Raspberry Napoleon – La Bergamonte, Hell’s Kitchen
Best Non-Fancy Dessert: Crumb Cake – B & W Bakery, Hackensack
Bonus! Our Favorite New Neighborhood Restaurant: Vesta, Astoria
Holiday Bonus: Good Eatin’ Down South
January 12, 2010 — wecouldeatSometimes its nice to just jump in the car and get away from home. Spud and I did this for a week and had a blast. We drove from New York City to Georgia and back and feasted on some of the best grub this country has to offer.
Here is a sampler platter of the highlights in chronological order:
Best Crumb Cake Ever from B & W Bakery in Hacksensack, NJ
Real North Carolina BBQ from Parker's in Wilson, NC
Fried Green Tomatoes from Jestine's Kitchen in Charleston, SC
Shrimp & Grits, Butter Beans, Spoonbread, and Okra Casserole from Jestine's
Nanner Pudding from Jestine's
Edisto Island Potato Casserole and Sweet Potato Biscuit from Charleston's Cafe
Lowcountry Boil from Red's Ice House in Charleston
Jalepino Hush Puppies from Red's Ice House
The Big Nasty from Hominy Grill in Charlston
BBQ Ribs and Brisket Plates from Blowin' Smoke BBQ in Savannah, GA
Chili Cheese Cole Slaw Dogs from Nu-Way Weiners in Macon, GA
Seafood Plate from Fiddler's Crab House in Savannah
A Huge Lunch at Mrs. Wilkes' Boarding House in Savannah
Key Lime Cake and Peach Cobbler from Marandy's in Savannah
My Favorite Dessert of 2009
January 12, 2010 — wecouldeatLa Bergamonte Patisserie
515 West 52nd Street (10/11 Ave), Hell’s Kitchen/Midtown West
While it has been in the top 3 dessert listing in Zagat for years, I had never given must thought to La Bergamonte. I always wrote it off as some snobby place where the pastries would look great but taste like cardboard. Luckily, I was partially wrong all these years. Yes, the pastries look great, but they actually taste even better! And while I don’t know if it’s snobby, because we were the only customers, the staff was friendly, and who really cares when the sweets are this good?? The mousse mouse was rich and chocolaty, but the raspberry Napoleon was unbelievable! It was easily the best Napoleon I have ever had. The cream was rich with a thick texture, the filo layers were not too stiff and not too soggy, and the ripe whole raspberries put it over the top. It was one of those special food items, where every bite I took was a high because it was so delicious, but simultaneously a low, because I knew it was one bite closer to coming to an end.
The one downside of the Hell’s Kitchen location is that it’s on a boring side street and is easily overlooked. The facade looks like it’s a Midtown deli, but the inside is more sleek and modern. The Chelsea branch is more inviting, more like a traditional cafe. Either way, go for the pastries, they are quite remarkable.
I Love You Mama!!
January 8, 2010 — wecouldeatMama’s Food Shop
200 East 3rd Street (A/B), East Village
Yes, I love my Mama, but her cooking certainly does not compare with my beloved Mama’s Food Shop in the East Village. It’s been serving heaping plates of delicious down-home comfort food since 1995, and I’ve been an obedient, loyal customer since the beginning. Mama’s is set up like a traditional Southern cafeteria where the customer lines up at the counter, is served food straight from the abundant tray table, pays, grabs a table, and stuffs his/her face. The proteins include fried and baked chicken, meatloaf, and the new tilapia and pork shoulder offerings. They are all good, although the pork is my current fav. Unlike most menus, the carbs and veggies are just as important here. The mac & cheese and mashed potatoes are done in the ultra-comforting classic way. The brussel sprouts, braised kale, and German potato salad are other favorites- hell, all 14 choices are my favorites. They cook everything with love – just as Mama should. The exceedingly casual East Village vibe is always a plus when gnawing on chicken bones and stuffing one’s face with mac & cheese. While I recommend the ginger-mint iced tea, I can’t recommend the desserts because I’ve never tried them. After tackling the enormous main dish mounds, I’ve never had room. Mama’s not only gets a big fat Golden Bonzone, it also gets a coveted Hall of Fame selection. Oh, I almost forgot to mention that you get 1 meat and 2 sides for $13 – and that includes tax and tip! Plus it’s BYOB. So now you know why I love Mama…
No Bull Here
January 6, 2010 — wecouldeatDos Toros
137 4th Avenue (12th St)
Think of Dos Toros as a fresher, greener, local version of Chipotle and Qdoba. This small eatery serves large San Francisco Mission-style burritos. The menu is very basic: pork, chicken or steak in a burrito, taco, quesadilla or on a plate. There’s also guacamole and chips. Everything is made to order right in front or you and all the meats are top quality and other ingredients are organic. Even the plates and plastic ware are sustainable. I enjoyed the large, flavorful pork burrito. I hope the quality food and sustainable practices of small California eateries moving east becomes a trend here.
Getting Comfy with Penelope
December 17, 2009 — wecouldeatPenelope
159 Lexington Ave at 30th, Murray Hill/Midtown East
Penelope is all about comfort. It serves bright, creative comfort food in a cozy setting, with sweet service and a warm. Not surprisingly, it’s a popular neighborhood place. We ordered a future classic: arugula with warm chicken meatballs. The melt-in-your-mouth meatballs were a perfect contrast with the spicy greens. Next, we had one of my favorites: chicken pot pie, which was light and flaky outside and warm and creamy inside with squash and asparagus, in addition to the standard peas and carrots. An excellent version. For dessert, we shared the marvelous raspberry sour cream coffee cake. It wasn’t overly sweet, which I prefer, and had a nice balance of flavors and a classic crumb topping. I have no idea who Penelope is, but her restaurant certainly is warm and comforting on a cold day.
10 Napkin Burger
December 16, 2009 — wecouldeat5 Napkin Burger
Corner 45th & 9th, Midtown West
I generally like going to the theater, but loathe having to find pre-theater dinner places in the mega-touristy Times Square/Theater District area. Restaurant Row is 30 years past its prime, most of the Little Brazil is gone, and most everything else is over-priced and crappy. 9th and 10th avenues are the only oases for good cheap eats, like Gazala Place, Island Burgers and Shakes, and several Mexican hole-in-the-walls. But if you are going with a date or friends, and want more of a proper restaurant, there is really slim pickins. That’s why 5 Napkin Burger is a welcome newcomer. Yes it’s touristy and unauthentic, I mean the menu contains shrimp tempura, matzoh ball soup and steak frites. But in a land of schmaltz, at least you can get a quality burger, and there is something for everyone on the menu.
We had the colossal Burger for 2 and it was pretty incredible. It was as big as my head, and if you’ve seen my head, that’s no small feat. It is 2 8oz patties, cheddar, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, onions and 5N sauce. Those ingredients blend to form the same flavor profile of a gourmet Big Mac. And I’m saying that in a good way, because McDonald’s tastes great – it’s just horrible for you. Plus, when eating it, I like I was on Man v. Food, even though I had to share with Spud. It is also comes with 2 sides, a pretty good deal for $22.50. We ordered the bowl of pickles and the onion rings. Both were very tasty.
I also dug the dark, bustling atmosphere and friendly service. Check out 5 Napkin Burger, it’s a fun and satisfying choice in the Theater District. In a sea of losers, these owners know how to create a winner.
Feed Us, Oh Wise Sage
December 4, 2009 — wecouldeatSage General Store
24-20 Jackson Ave, Long Island City
Sage General Store is a delightful little cafe/bakery that really understands itself and its customers. So many places try to be everything to everyone, but Sage has just a few tables of happy customers. The General Store moniker may be misleading, because it’s not a store, but offers breakfast, brunch and lunch menus with eggs, salads and sandwiches, and blue plate specials in a country store setting. It’s dual pride and joys are the delicious wood-fire organic sourdough pizzas and baked goods. The pizzas are only available on the weekends, but are reason enough to visit. The four of us split 3 pizzas and were very satisfied. We had the Wisconsin: Nueske’s bacon, caramelized onions & crème fraiche, New York: Crème fraiche & Smoked Salmon, and New Mexico: Ancho chile sauce, avocado, grilled chicken & jack cheese. The ingredients are top-notch and it shows. We also deeply enjoyed the decadent rocky road brownie and red velvet cupcakes. The Sage American Kitchen has been perfecting these recipes since 1997. These days everyone with a kitchen serves brunch, but Sage kicks it up a notch – for the same price – and offers a warm atmosphere and friendly service to boot. Plus, it’s worth coming out to LIC for because it’s 2 blocks from PS 1 Arts Museum and around the corner from this insane graffiti building. Check it out – you’ll be making a wise decision.
Vesta: The Neighborhood’s Besta
November 23, 2009 — wecouldeatVesta
21-02 30th Avenue, Astoria
Rarely does a new restaurant in my neighborhood of Astoria excite me as much as Vesta has. Italian restaurants, in particular, tend to be mediocre in quality, with the same standard, boring offerings. Maybe I’m jaded because I have a wife of Italian heritage who can seemingly throw together any five ingredients with some noodles and pop out an excellent dinner? Whatever the reason is, since my first bite of dinner at Vesta, I cannot stop thinking about this fantastic new trattoria, on a less than stellar thoroughfare in West Astoria. Situated on the corner of 21st Street, Vesta’s nearby competition is a sub-par Filipino place, a White Castle and a McDonald’s. But Vesta would be a star in any area. The owners are from the neighborhood and this is their baby. They provide the warm welcome, order the local ingredients, and find the local artwork that decorates their homey place.
They obviously take pride in their menu as well. They offer classics like lasagna and meatballs, which are slow cooked and delicious, as well as small plates of greenmarket vegetables, steaks and delicious thin-crust pizza. We had the roasted eggplant pizza with charred onions, tomato & ricotta salata. The eggplant was tender, the flavors melded well, and the crust was cracker-thin – and it was only $10. We also enjoyed the cavatappi with spicy roasted cauliflower, parmigiano, bread crumbs, which is basically a gourmet mac & cheese. The portions are big, the menu is creative, the ambiance is nice, the staff is warm, and the prices are reasonable. It’s no wonder I can’t stop thinking about returning to Vesta for their brunch pizza, which everyone is raving about.
