Baohaus
238 E 14th St (2/3), East Village

As I have proven (hopefully), you can get cheap eats all over this fine city, but the East Village is hands-down the mecca for interesting and inexpensive grub. You can argue that there are great finds in the LES, Flushing, and most of Brooklyn, and that is certainly true, but there is no other neighborhood that has (relatively) cheap rents, an ultra eclectic population,  a major university,  and a bohemian tradition. In the East Village I can probably find quality grub for under $10 on an average of every other block.

One of my current favorites is Baohaus on 14th Street. This little powerhouse with only a couple of tables slings gua bao aka Taiwanese hamburgers. These doughy buns are small, but pack a ton of flavor. We tried these 3: CHAIRMAN BAO ($3) all natural berkshire pork belly braised and served with crushed peanut, cilantro, haus relish and taiwanese red sugar; UNCLE JESSE ($2.50) organic tofu fried and served with crushed peanut, cilantro, haus sauce, and taiwanese red sugar; and BROCCOLINO BAO ($2.75) tempura broccoli served with zha jiang bean paste, shiitake mushrooms, minced daikon. Plus, we had to get the special JEREMY LIN curried fried pork chop with pickled daikon, pickled carrots, lemon aioli, jalapeños, and cilantro. They were all amazing, which says a lot, because it’s tough to get tofu to be on the same level as pork belly. The spongy bao itself makes a great container that doesn’t get soggy and balances the spicy, salty and sweet ingredients in a way that a tortilla could never do.

I also like the chill, street vibe of this place which plays hip hop and feels like a product of the neighborhood, and not a refined stuffy Midtown transplant. Here’s to keeping the East Village weird, cheap and delicious!

Yes, this title does exist and it is one amazing treat. Plus, it is made from gourmet, local ingredients and is only $4. Where can you get this at once, you ask?

Puddin’ by Clio
102 St. Mark’s (A/1), East Village

Puddin’ is a tiny shop is making a name for itself with its super high-quality puddings created by skilled owner Clio. There are the usual puddings, such as chocolate, butterscotch, and rice, along with signatures like Banana Cream Dream and Coconut Cruise, but when I stopped by this afternoon, I couldn’t resist the ice cold puddin’ pops on an 80 degree afternoon. I chose the Cookies & Cream and Spud tried the Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge, and both were incredible! There were big chunks of cookies in my half-dipped pop and silky smooth ribbons of fudge and peanut butter in hers. These decadent treats are going to be a huge hit this summer. Eat your heart out Bill Cosby, these ain’t your Jell-o Pops!

P.S. Crif Dogs is right down the block and would make a delicious pairing.

LIC Market
21-52 44th Drive, Long Island City

LIC Market is committed to local, seasonal and innovative cooking, and the results are fantastic! The atmosphere has a rustic vibe, similar to many of the market-driven Brooklyn eateries, and without any attitude. The staff is friendly and pleasant and we felt very much at home here. The brunch was one of the best we’ve had in a long time. Much to Spud’s delight the generous complementary starter included pumpkin bread, whole grain bread, and a chocolate pastry.  We tried the Shirred Eggs ($11),
two eggs baked in braised green lentils with roasted zucchini, chorizo & manchego cheese, and the Slow Roasted Duck Hash ($12) crisp potatoes, red onion, peppers, dried cherries & pine nuts with two fried eggs, along with the roasted beets as a side dish. Everything was fresh, simple, flavorful and absolutely delicious. There are plenty of intriguing menu items $10 and under as well, like the Bullseye Eggs, Shredded Brisket Sandwich and Ricotta & Pignoli Salad. The dinner menu looks excellent as well. Get to this LIC gem before the rest of the city discovers it.

Forcella
334 Bowery St (Bond/Great Jones), Noho / East Village

About two weeks ago I profiled Basil Brick Oven Pizza in Astoria, one of the nominees for Time Out NY’s Best New Pizzeria Award, and while it didn’t win, I was convinced it should have. Instead of just sulking in the anti-Queens paranoia I was feeling, I decided to take matters (pizza) into my own hands and check out the award winner, Forcella on the Bowery. Forcella offers traditional Neapolitan pizza from a huge tiled round oven. The dough is slightly chewier than Basil’s and equally as delicious. Along with foodie friends Kim & Jared, we tried one with potatoes, pancetta, barrata (amazing homemade cheese) and rosemary, another with caramelized fennel, smoked mozzarella and sausage, and a third with arugula, mozzarella, lemon slices and pecorino. They were all delicious, and I actually really enjoyed the lemon slices. While Forcella has 20 pizza varieties to Basil’s 40, it does offer a fuller menu and a nicer, more spacious atmosphere, at least until Basil’s renovations are complete. But what really must have put Forcella into the winner’s circle is its signature **fried pizza**. Now don’t think deep fried Texas State Fair pizza, this pizza is flash fried which yields a rougher texture, quite similar to how I imagine a savory zeppole would taste. Since the dough is the star here, we tried the Montanara ($10), a simple Margherita preparation. The flash frying really took this pizza to another level, which I would recommend trying, it’s something special. I guess the ancient adage is correct: everything is better fried.

Chimney Cake
50-10 Jackson Ave, Long Island City

Just when I thought I had seen nearly every culinary creation NYC has to offer, last weekend I stumbled into a storefront devoted to baking and selling chimney cakes. Yeah, this was a new one for me too. Chimney cake is apparently a traditional wedding pastry that has made by Hungarian grandmothers in Transylvania for hundreds of years. While I doubt Dunkin’ Donuts is intimidated, this tasty cake and a cup of coffee make for a satisfying breakfast or snack. It is more substantial than a croissant, less doughy than a bagel, and similar in taste to brioche. The cylindrical shape of the crusty exterior unravels in a spiral to reveal a 1/4 inch layer of dough in the interior that is akin to a popover, but thicker. It is baked by wrapping the dough around a wooden log, rolling it in sugar and trusting it into the fire. There are many dusted flavors, including chocolate, cinnamon, almond, sesame and ginger. The menu also offers savory chimney cakes and a few other items. These cakes are made with love from owners who believe in their product. And for $4 each, they are a great bargain that you can unravel all morning long…

Basil Brick Oven Pizza
28-17 Astoria Blvd, Astoria

It is really very unusual to get excited about a new pizza place in NYC, especially one that opened on an unglamorous stretch of Queens with little fanfare. But in the last few months little Basil Brick Oven Pizza has been making a bonafide name for itself, so much so that Time Out nominated it as one of the top 5 new pizzerias in the city. I will take that claim even further, and say that if it was located in Manhattan or Brooklyn, it would have won that popularity content. Yes, it is that good.

The menu offers 40(!) 12-inch Neapolitan style pizzas from its brick oven. The creative combos go way beyond meats, veggies and Hawaiian. How about Specks & Brie or Carbonara, or two of our favorites, Herbed Pumpkin Walnut Sauce, Homemade Fresh Mozzarella, Pancetta; and Tomato Sauce, Homemade Fresh Mozzarella, Asparagus, Peas, Fresh Tomatoes and Arugula? All the ingredients are top quality with the San Marzano tomatoes, fresh vegetables, and the real difference maker, fresh homemade mozzarella cheese. The gnocchi al pesto, one of three pasta dishes, is very good as well. But my current favorite is Il Polpettone ($9.25), Sliced Homemade Beef Meatballs, Touch of Tomato Sauce, Parmigiano Reggiano, Homemade Fresh Mozzarella & Extra Virgin Olive Oil. They call it a panini, but it is more like a calzone. I can’t really explain why it blows me away, it is not so appealing to look at (see photo) but it must be the creaminess of the fresh cheese combined with the right balance of meat and sauce, all enveloped in slightly chewy dough. It is a masterpiece.

Basil is in the process of expanding next door, so hopefully it will be a neighborhood favorite for many years, because it is already the best pizza place in Astoria. And it delivers – to me!

Wafels & Dinges Truck
31st Street and Ditmars, Astoria
Locations vary

BIG NEWS: One of the best and most popular food trucks in NYC, Wafels & Dinges, has come to Astoria! It’s a neighborhood first, and yes, it is only on Sundays, but based on today’s crowd, it won’t be long before others follow its lead.

This awesome truck has been a favorite for a for years. I almost always get the liege, a soft and chewy waffle, with the speculoos sauce ($5), served warm. Speculoos is a type of biscuit I believe, but the sauce is similar in consistency to Nutella, but with a less nutty flavor. I crave it all the time, and now I can get it without crossing the river! I would love to try some of their savory concoctions as well: bbq pulled pork wafel and bacon-syrup wafel. Those salty-sweet combos must be delicious. Besides the great waffles, the staff is outgoing, friendly, and obviously enjoys their jobs. It’s really nice to see, especially in a location so close to me. Check their site for other locations and carts around NYC.

With summer right around the corner (and what felt like summer last week), it is not too early to start dreaming of warm weather favorites like fish tacos. Until a few years ago, I was never a fan of fish and seafood tacos, I thought they were bland, limp, and ultimately unsatisfying. But I have had a few great shrimp tacos (my reviews of Pinche Taqueria and Cafe al Portal) and I can officially say, with a few new fast food taco joints opening, quality fish tacos are a definite craving. It makes sense, they are quick, cheap, flavorful, a moderately guilt free. Here’s the info on one new joint…

Dorado Tacos
28 East 12th Street (near University), Greenwich Village

Dorado Tacos is a new tiny storefront branch of a Boston chain with a couple of small tables, specializing in fish and seafood tacos. The tacos are ordered individually, wrapped (as they should be) in double corn tortillas. We tried the grilled fish ($3.25) which is a
grilled seasonal catch (we had tuna) with cabbage, crema, tomatilla & avocado salsa. The tuna was tasty and the condiments added a lot of flavor, as they should for a basic grilled fish taco. The shrimp taco ($3.25) was tastier, of course, because it was beer battered chipotle shrimp, along with jicama, crema and pineapple salsa. But both were great for a quick snack or add a quality Doado Chopped Salad ($6.95) of romaine, green cabbage, jicama, tomatoes, cucumbers, scallions and watermelon with citrus & chipotle dressing & queso fresco for a complete, healthy meal. Not to paraphrase from Taco Bell, but thinking outside the bun is a great option, especially in the warmer weather.

The Good Steer
Lake Grove, Long Island

Are we in Oklahoma or Montana? Nope, right in the NYC suburbs, among the malls, The Good Steer has been churning out solid grub since 1957. I have been to the Midwest and down South and this place could fit in anywhere – anywhere except the New York metropolitan area that is. But The Good Steer works here too, because most people enjoy a big, family-friendly atmosphere, large portions, and lots of meat. To be in business for 55 years, this family owned favorite must be doing something right. Spud’s family has been coming here for maybe half that long, and even though they are not weekly regulars anymore, they are still recognized and hugged at the door. It’s that kind of place.

Now, I am aware that this is my third consecutive burger post, and I do recommend the delicious “shroomaroomaroom burger” on an English muffin with “Cheese Dream” sauce, but the big (Texas sized) star here is their famous French fried onion rings. The menu boasts that 3,000 pounds of Spanish onions are used weekly to make these delicious ring piles. That’s a lot of onions! If you are in the neighborhood, perhaps shopping at the mall or visiting a nearby beach, mosey on in to The Good Steer and order yourself a big plate of meat and rings, you won’t even need to wear your cowboy hat and spurs.

Exactly one year ago, I wrote a review titled “Socially Confused” that slammed the recently opened Social Eatz. I was pretty harsh in judging its name, concept, location and food (see review), so to be fair, I wanted to give it another shot, plus I wasn’t picking up the check, and free food always tastes better (Thanks Neil!).

Social Eatz
232 East 53rd (2nd/3rd), Midtown East

This time I was not messing around with “app’z” and went straight for the burger. A year ago, I remembered the bibimbap burger looking great, but mistakenly got the disappointing bulgogi burger. My hunch was correct, the signature bibimbap burger was amazing! It’s Korean style ground beef with a slow cooked egg, covered in lettuce and served with pickled carrot and cucumber. It’s $12, which is a splurge for WeCouldEat, but I am sure it’s the best item on the menu and all this flavor is worth the extra 2 bucks. Plus, it comes with a side of spicy kimchi. If you don’t believe me, it did also win Eater.com’s Greatest Burger in America competition! In my last review, of Corner Bistro, I said that nothing beats a classic burger, but the problem in this city is that almost every bite you taste can just be phenomenal. I’m not sure that the bibimbap burger is the best in the whole United States, but it is a unique and tasty burger, and Top Chef Angelo has redeemed himself in my eyes (and belly). I recant my earlier review, it is worth stopping by Social Eatz next time you are in Midtown East.