Steve Eats NYC Now On Twitter!

Like the title says, you will now be able to get terribly annoying comments from me on Twitter, if that's what you are into. However I must warn you that I am not all that interesting and might in fact bore you to death if you follow me. I am very skilled at promoting myself.

Pizza A Love Story

Being sick for the last week has certainly hampered my eating habits, in fact it made me not want to eat at all. Whether the food had no flavor (my Mom's chicken and peas, don't tell her I said that) or simply didn't stay with me long enough for me to enjoy it, being a foodie has never been so tough. But no matter how sick I get, no matter how much the food I am eating tastes like cardboard, I can always fall back on my one true love...Pizza. I have always loved Pizza and being from NYC it's part of our heritage or should I say it's in our veins (clogging them up of course). I am not particularly picky but I certainly appreciate the finer creations. I am also a comfort type of guy so if it's triangle and has cheese I will most likely enjoy what I am eating. However one must have standards. No Domino's, No Pizza Hut, No Papa John's. Period. We live and eat in NYC and should never resort to these sham artists because that's what they are. Now if I am at a party or event and all they have is a stack of Domino's pizzas I will mostly definitely eat a few slices all the while holding up my nose and wondering why on earth these people didn't just call a real pizza place, lack of vision I suppose. Without the bad there of course would be no good, and without the good there would be no great. This is what I live by. I feel it is important to continue eating Pizza at all different locations to get the full spectrum of taste instead of finding one great place and always going there...how boring. Now there are always the special joints that warm the belly whenever they come to mind. Like John's Pizzeria on Bleeker. Grimaldi's in Brooklyn. DaVinci's in Bensonhurst. There are too many to mention. And I am not talking about any gourmet or nouveau joints because they fit into another category...'the not-really-pizza-category-if-you-can't-pick-it-up-and-fold-it-like-a-regular-slice-of-pizza-kind.' If you start talking to me about pizza with a million toppings on it I am gonna tell you to take a hike because after topping four it just ain't pizza no more. And if you say how much you love Hawaiian pizza with it's Ham and Pineapple on top I will send two large dudes from Brooklyn over to your house for a visit. Let's just say they don't eat pizza with Ham and Pineapple. In all seriousness I loves me some pizza, any day of the week any time of the year.

Chipotle Is Great Any Day Of The Week!

I declare that Monday's be called Chipotle day in New York, in fact I think Tuesday should also be as well. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday are already considered Chipotle Day in NYC (not really) so by making it also the first two days of the week that means the entire week is dedicated to going to Chipotle...ugh that is already making me feel full. Previously on this blog I compared Chipotle to a local burrito joint (Dos Toros) and if you are looking for authentic burritos Chipotle is not for you. But what you do get is fresh, delicious and yes very filling, made to order any way you like it and I think that's why this chain is so very successful. Now I am no fan of chain eateries but in recent weeks I have come around a bit on the ones (like Chipotle) who go out of their way to serve us the best quality they can provide without all the harmful additives that you find in a lot of the other chains (you know what I am talking about). Since I have decided to call everday Chipotle Day, it is of no significance that I chose last Sunday to visit my local branch and stuff my face. The only problem I ever have is deciding whether to have a burrito or a burrito bowl, this time I chose the burrito because I was feeling extra hungry. Carnitas (Pork) burrito to go, Pinto Beans, Mild Salsa, a heaping spoonful of Sour Cream, Cheese and little bit of Lettuce please. Then it's wrapped up into what I call the 'Silver Bullet'and I was back to work to sit down and polish it off. Of course there is a proper way to eat a 'Silver Bullet'. You must peel back the aluminum foil and unfurl only the top portion keeping the lower half still covered so as not to have the whole thing fall apart. Oh man it was so good! Unfortunately I was so full that I had to unbutton the top button on my jeans because I just had to finish the whole damn thing (not really, the button thing was just for effect). Another day, another Chipotle Day! Whoo-Hoo.

Kimchi Fried Rice At Wawa Canteen

Yesterday was a hot and steamy day in NYC, so of course I had to run a couple of errands for work and I was not too happy about it. Oh well. However what it did offer me was a chance to find someplace new for lunch but that meant being outside longer in the dreaded heat (suffer for food bit). I finally came upon a place called Wawa Canteen at 289 Mercer Street just below 8th Street. It's a very small place and I was hoping for a bit of AC, but unfortunately they had none, at least it wasn't blowing in my direction. I soon realized that this place was a Korean eatery and I was very intrigued because there were lots of great choices. What I didn't want was a huge meal so I chose a simple item, Kimchi Fried Rice with Chicken, and thought that would be enough on such a putridly hot day. A nice little touch was their self serve jug of cold water with lemon, of which I had two large glasses, one while I waited for the rice to be done. Once I got my smallish bowl of rice (small for $9.50) I put a few drops of soy sauce on it and dug in. I would just like to clarify that I have never been a Kimchi fan so this was a bit of a stretch for me and I was taking a chance that I might leave totally unsatisfied. No worries. The rice was extremely delicious and looking back it was plenty of food even though I probably could have had some dumplings or something. It may have been a bit pricey but the quality is what counts, so it was well worth it and I will most certainly stop in again at some point. Please check out their website to see their whole menu: www.wawacanteen.com

Shake Shack Is Good But It's No IN-N-OUT, Sorry NYC

I know...that must sound like sacrilege coming from a New Yorker like me but it's the truth. A few weeks before 9/11 happened me and the wife moved out to Phoenix, AZ to get a taste of the wild, wild west, but mostly because I had been asked to transfer there by my job. Shortly before we arrived the first IN-N-OUT burger outside of Cali and Vegas was built in Scottdale and soon became the hottest (no pun but it was Arizona afterall) burger destination in the East Valley. Just for reference, Shake Shack wouldn't open it's first location for another 3 years in 2004. Anyway the first time I ever tried an IN-N-OUT burger I wasn't all too impressed and didn't understand what all the fuss was about and basically wrote it off. It wasn't until I was schooled by a native Californian about the secret menu that my interest was peaked again. Animal Style all the way baby! Animal Style for the layman is extra cheese, extra sauce and fried onions added to your burger and if you are extra crazy like me you can also get all of that added to your fries. Sweet! When I moved back home back in 2007 all anyone around here could talk about was Shake Shack, Shake Shack, Shake Shack and from the look of the line in Madison Square Park there must've been something to talk about (not the Bonnie Raitt song). Unfortunately I suffer from IN-N-OUT hangover and compare every burger experience that I have to it, whether that's fair or not I don't know but it's hard to Shake? Let's get down to the nitty gritty. I believe there is one major factor that separates these two burger giants and that is the buns (stop thinking dirty). Most people probably think that it would be the meat that would separate the two. There certainly is some truth to that and in this case Shake Shake has the better piece of meat, no question. However the defining part of any burger, to me, is the bun and how that directly affects the entire experience can be often overlooked. At IN-N-OUT they bake their own buns and lightly toast the inside before the creation of each burger. Shake Shack uses a Potato Bun that they say is grilled (last time I was there the bun was not grilled, but no big deal) and for me that certainly takes away a little bit of the enjoyment. I actually like Potato Buns very much and always use them when I am grilling in the back yard at home. But that's just it, I am going to a place like Shake Shack to eat something special that I can't get at home and the bun is where they fail. To say fail is a bit harsh because overall they are far from that, it's just that I feel more thought should have been put into the type of bun that they chose for this extra special treat.

As experiences go both places offer a great time and both are worth repeated visits even if the wait at either spot can often be a bit too long. Problem for all of us East Coasters is that there isn't an IN-N-OUT farther that Texas for us to compare the two. One can only dream. All hail to the king...see below.

Billy's Bakery: More Freakin' Cupcakes

I really wasn't planning on eating anymore cupcakes anytime soon especially since I am not a huge fan. Cupcakes man, they just happen. One of my co-corkers thought it would be a nice idea to have champagne and cupcakes to celebrate another co-corkers soon-to-be first born child, at 11am no less. I don't know about you but adding champange and cupcakes to a stomach that only had coffee in it is not necessarily the best thing to do so early in the day. Eh I thought, better than eating nothing. When the time came to select from the lovely cardboard box I centered in on the least obnoxious cupcake in all it's bland looking glory. Fortunately how it looked was the only bland part about it. It was Red Velvet Cake with Sourcream Frosting and it was extrememly good. We toasted and drank champagne at around 11:15...nothing like drinking on the job on a 90+ degree day. I could have eaten another one, of course, but thought it would be better to pass if I was going to make it through the rest of the day unscathed...if ya know what I mean. Champagne has an interesting effect on a semi-empty stomach or on the brain I should say, that's not really conducive to productivity if one should be so inclined. Could have been worse. The cupcakes were from Billy's Bakery in Tribeca, which is at 75 Franklin Street, but they also have another location at 184 9th Avenue.

So Many Sandwiches, So Little Time

New Andy Deli at the corner of 17th and Broadway. Turkey sub special with a can of soda for $5.99, that and the fact that it is close to my job are the only reasons to eat this sandwich. It's a solid sandwich that lacks the interest that would make you wanna eat it more than 2 or 3 times a year and only when you've tired of everything else in the neighborhood.

This sandwich was so memorable that I forgot the name of the deli where I got it. It's on Thompson right across from the Soho Grand Hotel. However it was far better than the turkey special and exactly the same price without the free soda. I ordered the Breaded Chicken Cutlet, Lettuce, Tomato and Mayo and got a toasted roll without asking for it. Generally I don't like my rolls toasted, an annoying trend over exposed by that crappy chain Quiznos...m,m,m, not so good. Undaunted I ate the sandwich with reckless abandon rarely seen by those who aren't starving. I topped it off with and ice cold glass of tap water which thankfully was free of charge.

Toasted here = good. The Caprese sandwich at Lucky Strike in Soho is one of my favorites even if I didn't have fries with it that day, I just felt like a side of salad would be more complimentary. Put Fresh Mozzarella on any sandwich for me and it will probably be a winner, heck Fresh Mozzarella on a plate by itself would even do the trick. Here the combination works extraordinarily well together with the toasted bread adding a tremendous crunch (of course when I want it). The Grilled Chicken Sandwich at Lucky Strike also works very well for me when I am in the mood, but alas they don't put any Mozzarella on it...hmmm maybe next time I should ask. What a thought!

FYI: I did not eat all these sandwiches in one day and I don't recommend trying it either. These sandwiches should only be eaten by professional sandwich eaters under the supervision of other consenting adults. Thank you.