Big Decisions at Chelsea Market

February 24, 2010 — wecouldeat

Friedman’s Lunch
Chelsea Market
75 9th Ave, Chelsea

It’s nearly impossible to decide on a single eatery for lunch at Chelsea Market. It’s like the most delicious, gourmet food court you can imagine. There is the butcher shop, the dairy, the fish store, several bakeries, and many other little restaurants and food purveyors. I usually like to do a little tour and get the most variety of bites for my visit, but this time we made Friedman’s Lunch our singular choice for this visit. Friedman’s is known for homemade comfort food at affordable prices. It’s a bustling place, like the rest of Chelsea Market, with the charm of a modern-day luncheonette with industrial decor matched with softer wooden tables and chairs. We ordered the Market Scramble, a basic, unremarkable vegetable and egg dish, and the Shrimp & Grits, which was delicious. The grits are creamy with high quality cheddar cheese and the shrimp blackened and perfectly cooked over easy eggs. The combo is total comfort, the culinary equivalent of being on the couch with a blanket and pillow on a rainy day. Next time, I’d like to try some of the other enticing comfort dishes like the Pastrami Hash, Huevos Rancheros and Turkey Meatloaf. Since I can’t have everything at Chelsea Market, I guess I’ll have to be satisfied with conquering these places one by one…

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A Moroccan Veteran on St. Mark’s

February 24, 2010 — wecouldeat

Cafe Mogador
101 St. Mark’s Place, East Village

It is easy to pass by the unassuming Cafe Mogador, hidden in the chaos that is St. Mark’s place. It is a few steps below street level and has been there for an eternity in Manhattan years (since 1983). But this place is a large, relaxed oasis, that is great for a big mug of coffee and afternoon conversation, which Spud and I often do. In the evening, at 8 pm, it transforms into a packed Moroccan cafe where drinks flow and voices are raised. The food is pretty good too, although it’s almost an afterthought in the evolving atmosphere. We had the Mixed Platter of tabouli, babaganoush, hummus, and salad which was fair, and not memorable. But the signature dish, the tagine, was slow cooked and quite flavorful. Of the five varieties, we chose the Casablanca: chick peas, raisins and onion with chicken. It’s difficult to find a traditional, quality eatery on St. Mark’s, but this Moroccan treasure has definitely lasted for 25+ years for a reason.

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The Winds of Change under the N Train

February 11, 2010 — wecouldeat

Haddad’s
22-47 31st Street, Astoria

I have to admit that I was a little bummed when Choo Choo’s closed its doors late last year. It’s not that I ate there all the time, but I did enjoy their flavorful rotisserie chicken and plentiful sides, and it was a solid option for cheap, basic eats in the Ditmars area of Astoria. I also get scared when an eatery closes because there is a pretty likely chance the space will turn evil, into yet another bank, tanning salon or jewelry store. But much to my delight, the new eatery Haddad’s is really tasty and just what we needed here. Haddad’s keeps the fast food setup of Choo Choo’s, but offers a variety vegeterian Lebanese favorites including crispy falafels, hummus accompanied with fiery pickled peppers and radishes, and slow-cooked mousaka, which is similar to the Greek version, but without the meat. We also tried non-veg dishes like the chicken shwarma sandwich and rice side dish, which contains a bit of chopped meat and a sweet cinnamon-esque flavor. Everything was fresh and packed with flavors and really enjoyable. The prices are reasonable, the staff is eager, and the space is clean with most of the preparation completed behind the open counter. All in all, I have decided that change is good and Haddad’s is an excellent addition to the Ditmars culinary landscape. We needed more bright, new cheap eats serving diverse cuisines here and I even have a feeling Spud and I will frequent Haddad’s more often than Choo Choo’s.

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The One Man NYC Burger Tour

February 5, 2010 — wecouldeat

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!

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