An Update of Sorts

Been a pretty mellow couple of days. It finally snowed yesterday. But I guess it's not going to for another week or so. I love the snow here. For multiple reasons. The biggest is, the wind is usually pretty minimal. New York is cold, but definitely manageable. But when it is bright blue skies and like 15-20 mph winds, it is the WORST. Cuts right through your layers. So I can definitely handle this.

Went to a sandwich place on Friday called Cheeky's Sandwich. It's on Orchard St. which I turned down off of Rivington in the Lower East Side. Definitely one of my favorite streets in New York. Ton's of cool shops, art galleries, museums, and bars on Orchard. I got their pork sandwich. All their sandwiches are pretty simple but pack a ton of flavor. Mine was marinated seared pork chops, caramelized apples, onions, and mustard on challah bread. Pretty good sandwich. A bit overpriced, but good. 

That night Mal and I went over to Brooklyn to see Portugal. The Man at Brooklyn Bowl. This is the second time we have been here (the first for Dum Dum Girls) and I am really starting to like this venue. I just wish they booked better bands. This was definitely the best I have heard Portugal. The Man sound. You can tell that as they get more and more popular (bittersweet) that they are really just honing in their live sound, which has always been good. Playing for about an hour and half and they played a little bit of everything. But what just blows me away is how they are now playing stuff off their debut, Waiter: "You Vultures!" Everything is so layered and so good. The highlight of the set, for me at least,  was their 10 minute version of "Elephants." Throw in the best cover of "Helter Skelter" (Sorry Thrice) that I have ever seen, plus a cover of "All the Young Dudes" by Bowie and of course the Etta James (RIP) cover of "I Would Rather Go Blind" in the encore. You can check out the rest of the setlist here. Couldn't have asked for a better show.

I am hoping to god that I start my job this week. Starting to go stir crazy. It's hard when Mal goes to work only cause, like I have said before, we don't have a ton of money, so for me to just go out and spend it on stuff, especially stuff that I know at some point Mal would probably want to do, sucks. So yea that being said, I really hope I start this week.

Last year when we came here in January, the day we were leaving we were walking through Chelsea Market and noticed that there was a huge chili cookoff going on. I was bummed that we could not participate because you needed to have tickets. Well this year, we got tickets and it is next Friday. So stoked for the NYC Chilifest. I just feel bad for anyone that will be around me for the next week. Nineteen different chili's (including last years winner Northern Spy Food Co), corn bread, cheese, and all the Sam Adams beer we can handle. 

Another FOOD MEGA POST???? sorta.

So Mallory started her job yesterday. She had an absolute blast. It's gonna be a crazy handful of months, but all worth it in the end.

In other and not so surprising news, we ate some more awesome food. Yesterday while Mal was at work I went to this slider place called, Mark.

They do some really good sliders and are relatively cheap as well. Pretty simple. Meat, onions, pickle, and cheese. I add some ketchup. I could eat these things all day. Their fries are also super good.

After Mal got off I met her at a beer bar called, Rattle 'N' Hum. Lucky for us, it was imported beer night. Tons of beer Mal and I had never even heard of, almost to a point where I was overwhelmed. I went with the St. Feuillien Triple. Really really good beer.

It's a pub, so they have pub food. I went with the Tequila Chicken Sandwich with fries. 

I guess they do a lot of special beer events so we will definitely be back. Next week they are doing a California beer night, so you can bet your ass we will be there. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE HAVE BALLAST POINT BARMY ALE.

Today, Mal needed to go look for some models so we went over to Brooklyn, Williamsburg in particular, and went to this sandwich place that I had heard about called Graham Ave. Meats and Deli. 

I have eaten a lot of sandwiches in my day. And a good amount here in New York. I have never had a better sandwich. And boom goes the dynamite. Everything about the Godfather sandwich I got was insanely good. Chris Grillo knows exactly what he is doing. Hero bread, mozzarella, sweet peppers, 3 Italian meats, lettuce, onion, mustard, and their own special blend of oil and vinegar. Every bite was so damn good.

I had a bite of Mal's plain ol Salami sandwich, and it as well, was amazing. It is a shame this place is in Brooklyn, cause I honestly think I would be there every day.

After we got back to Manhattan, she needed one more model so we went to Union Sq. I guess every week day they have the Union Square Market. Tons of local stuff (vegetables, fruit, fish, meats, cheese, etc) all on the cheap. I got a bag of apples. One of the apples (and I have no idea which one) was the best apple I have ever had. I feel like I am starting to repeat that sentence a lot...

FOOD MEGA POST!!!!!

Not really mega. Just 3 places that I have been to in the last few days that I haven't had time to post about it. First is a pretty good and definitely cheap Italian Café called, Gaia.

The more and more I eat Italian food around here, the more and more I love, which I didn't think was possible. We have pretty much became Yelp fiends and try and read just a little something before we go anywhere. I know that kind of takes away the pleasure of experiencing new places on your own, but as a person living in New York with not a ton of cash rolling in yet, I want to get my moneys worth.

Gaia does fresh Italian Café food. Panini's, some pasta, salad, and lots of coffee and desserts. I went with the Militare Panini. For 5 bucks, it was pretty damn good. Mortadella with smoked carciotta and honey mustard. I kind of wish the bread was a little left crunch as it made it hard to eat, but good none the less. 

Mal's best friend Cassie was in town for a couple days this past weekend. So we tried to eat as much good stuff as possible. She ended her trip to NY today by going to Brooklyn Bagel & Coffee Company. I went with a plain bagel and their AMAZING jalapeño asiago cream cheese. Just know that they cover the bagel in cream cheese. So I scraped about half of it off and it was perfect. The best bagel in NY so far.  

We haven't really done the Jewish deli thing yet cause honestly, I am not a huge fan of the style of food. Though Kat'z is about a 5 minute walk from our apartment, but it is always swamped and it is ridiculously expensive. But today as we were walking home through the Flatiron we decided to grab some lunch. I pulled out my list of places that we want to eat, and the first place in the Flatiron section was a sandwich shop called Eisenbergs. If you go to that website make sure you look at all the pictures. Celebs and "celebs" alike, LOVE this place. And what's not to love. It's tag line is, "Raising New York's Cholesterol Since 1929."

I went with the Reuben on rye, with pastrami, cole slaw, provolone, and dijon. Definitely one of the better sandwiches I have had in NY. The cole slaw really mellowed the meat (which like I said before, I don't really enjoy that much) and the mustard added a nice ending flavor. 

Mallory starts work tomorrow and I won't be starting for another week and a half or so, so I am gonna try and do some new stuff on the blog. Maybe not all New York centric. I am thinking about doing a monthly mixtape or something along those lines, so maybe look out for that. 

Jurassic Park Post Rock? YES.

I know this blog has pretty much been about food since I started it. Wasn't my initial plan, but food is pretty awesome. So here, without further adieu, is a post about music. Subway music to be more specific.

There is a band that I first heard about 2 years ago called, You Bred Raptors? I don't remember how I heard of them, but I did. And I am so glad I did. Post Rock. Jurassic Park themes. Masks. I AM IN.

They are a three piece consisting of a bassist, drummer, and cellist. The bassist plays an 8 string and is incredibly good. The drummer is all over the place with his time signatures, and the cellist, at first, doesn't seem to make sense, and then you hear it and realize, yea that needs to be there.

They play a lot of subway shows and are registered with the MTA as an Artist for Transit. We finally got to see them tonight at the Herald Sq. - 34th St. station. And they definitely did not disappoint. I shot a video of them playing and a picture.

Here is their song "Archeopteryx."

Someone please tell me how every post-rock band hasn't taken this band on tour. Go buy their shit! 

The Diner of All Diners

So it's not often that you are comped a full meal and drinks. Hell, it's not often you are comped anything. (Why is that by the way?) But last night, Mal and I, OH we were comped alright.


It seems like new restaurants are opening EVERYWHERE and EVERYDAY here in New York. People who frequent Portland know all about Pok Pok Wing. Well one of those just opened up about a 2 minute walk from us. It replaced BaoHaus, another huge food pilgrimage stop. Since we have been here, 6 new restaurants have opened within a quarter mile. And I am sure just as many have closed. It is seriously cut throat. Am I complaining? NOPE. I clearly like food. And the more options I have, the better.


Our good buddy Jay moved here about a month before us from San Diego as well. He has been in the restaurant business for quite some time and was looking to pick right up where he left off in SD. So one night we were at a bar called The Summit. Awesome drinks. Probably some of the best we have had yet. We got to talking to the bar tender and she mentioned she was opening a restaurant of her own. Jay being the sly guy he is, offered his card and they exchange all the necessaries. Well fast forward about 2 months later, he is the night GM of the restaurant.


And this isn't just some restaurant opening up. First of all, it's a diner. Diners are awesome. But this isn't a normal diner, it's a gourmet diner. With a world renowned chef to boot. The guy who owns it is Mathieu Palombino. He is also the owner of a pizza place that is suppose to be one of the best in the city called, Motorino. Just google his name and TONS of articles come up. Did I mention that this place is also a full bar? With cocktails? Like good cocktails? The Summit Bar owner, Hamid Rashidzada, is the guy who provided the drink menu. Google his name too and you will see how popular he is as well.



So Jay informed us about a week ago that they are going to be doing a friends and family night before the restaurant opens, and said that he put our names on the list to go. Needless to say, we were stoked. We haven't really had a "nice" meal since we have been here, mostly because it is so ungodly expensive. He also informed us that EVERYTHING would be free. Jackpot.

Our reservation was at 7. The restaurant seems done, at least I hope it is cause they open on Sunday, and it looks good. Classic diner style but still looks classy. We started off with drinks. I got the Jenni Lee. Bourbon, lime, bitters, and mint. A very smooth drink. Usually bourbon is the dark drink I try and stay away from, but this was damn good. 

Mal is a big fan of tequila, so naturally she went with the Sunshine on my Shoulders first. Herradura tequila, hibiscus agave, fresh lime, and orange bitters. She loved it. And it reminded her of our favorite place, The Ace Hotel in Palm Springs.

We then ordered some appetizers to get the food going. I didn't take any pictures cause to be honest, the plate didn't look that appealing. The food was good, but the plate looked bleh. We got a charcuterie plate with smoked ham, prosciutto, paté, salami, and smoked bacon. We also got a cheese plate that had bleú, brie, gouda, goat, and one terrible smelling one that I didn't even bother with. Mixing these two appetizers together was awesome. We then ordered some more drinks, of course. Mal got the Rupert Holmes. Coconut rum, coconut milk, bitters, jalapeño accent, and pineapple juice. A seriously tasty fruity drink.

And I got what was the best cocktail I have ever had. The 1879. Mitchers whiskey, orange zest, and bitters. I liked it so much that throughout the night, I had 3 of them. So smooth and delicious. 

At this point we had ordered our entree's and were just kind of enjoying our time. Our waiter came over and apparently thought we needed more alcohol. Not complaining. So he brought us over a 23 year old aged rum called Ron Zacapa Centenario from Honduras. It was the smoothest alcohol I have ever tasted. And full disclosure, we had two more towards the end of our night.

Needless to say, we were both feeling pretty toasty at this point. Me with two 1879's and the Jenni Lee in and Mal having gone back to the Sunshine on my Shoulders plus the Rupert Holmes. Our meals had arrived. If there is Mac and Cheese on a menu, Mal will order it. So that's what she did. A mammoth bowl of it at that. And it was fucking delicious. The best tasting mac and cheese is always the one that is stickiest. And this bowl of mac and cheese was god damn sticky. 

I ordered the NY Strip Steak. I rarely eat steak. And I only do when I know it is worth eating. This was worth eating. A 13 ounce steak is a big chunk of meat. And I ate every bite. It was, to date, the best piece of meat I have ever had. Ordered it medium and with the béarnaise sauce. The chef decided to send out all three available sauces (ginger ketchup, béarnaise, and red wine). Well, being that I am not the total food connoisseur, I started pouring the red wine sauce all over the meat (only cause I realized after tasting the béarnaise that it was just a tad too buttery). The sauce was insane. It brought out so much more flavor from the meat. It wasn't until I asked our waiter for another side of the red wine sauce did he point out that I was actually enjoying the ginger ketchup. WHICH BLEW MY MIND. Ketchup? On steak? Ew. Yea not this ketchup. 

My steak came with a massive side of fries that were absolutely delicious. Sans most of them were all cut in about half inch sizes, which is a huge pet peeve of mine. But regardless I dipped the shit out of those fries in the ginger ketchup sauce as well. 

After devouring the steak, our waiter informed us that the bartenders were jonesing to make a boozy milkshake. Yea, didn't turn that offer down. I got a milkshake that had vanilla ice cream, mint, cherry jubilee and bourbon. Not as thick as I would have liked it, but delicious and definitely boozy nonetheless.

Mal got a pistachio milkshake. Hate pistachio. But she seemed to enjoy it. 

At this point, we were both drunk, and both so insanely full. Two appetizers, twelve drinks, one 13 oz. steak, one cauldron of mac and cheese, and 2 milkshakes. What did we pay? 55 dollars (for tip). What should we have paid? $255.00 without tip. $310.00 with tip.

STOKED. Cannot thank Jay enough. Bowery Diner is gonna do awesome. This was by far the best meal we have had in New York so far. And not just because it was free. But because every bite and every sip was amazing. 

Meat. Buns. Sauce.

The burger. So good. Right? Everyone has their own version of a burger and everyone has their own sub version of a burger and everyone has their own sauces and everyone has their own toppings, etc etc etc.

Long gone are the days of bun, tomatoes, cheese, lettuce, onions, pickles, meat and ketchup.

Aioli, grilled onions, avocado, 4 thousand types of cheese, chili, jalapeños, pesto, chimichurri, fried eggs, peanut butter, and a million other types of shit thrown on a burger. Everything is possible.

What do I like?

Pretty much everything. Minus tomatoes. But I do like ketchup. Weird. I know. Shut up about it.

We have been to a handful of burger places in NYC since we got here. Shake Shack, Bare Burger, The Burger Joint, Five Guys, Good Burger, and some other places where we got burgers. All were pretty good. Shake Shack is just like In and Out, Bare Burger is just like Burger Lounge, Burger Joint (the best one we've had) is just like Rocky's, and Five Guys and Good Burger are kind of middle of the road places.

Today we went to Joy Burger Bar. They are known for their sauces, and if you know me, you know I love sauces.

I got the midi size (8 oz.) Lettuce, pickles, sautéed onions, cheddar cheese, garlic mayo, dijon mustard, and honey mustard. Good burger. The bun started to get soggy which to me is always a good thing. Meat was perfect. And the sauces were delish. Especially the garlic mayo mixed in with a little ketchup.

Grilled Cheese. Hard to Mess Up.... uh

I enjoy a good grilled cheese. In fact not many other foods go better with a beer than a grilled cheese. We were meeting some friends in Astoria around 5 for some hookah, and since Mal and I hadn't really explored that area, we decided to head over early for some lunch and walking around.

Astoria is cool, but it reminds me of downtown El Cajon, which obviously isn't the most ideal place, but cool for what it's worth. I looked on my list of places to eat and there was one in Astoria. The Queens Kickshaw does gourmet grilled cheese, specialty coffees, and some craft beer to boot.

Let me preface by saying that the title of this blog post is completely sarcastic. It is VERY easy to mess up a grilled cheese. And really hard to make one that is REALLY good. The Queens Kickshaw was right in the middle. For a couple of different reasons.

Pros
1) It's grilled cheese. So no matter how bad it is, it's still gonna be somewhat good.
2) I love gruyere cheese, so the sandwich I got (The Gruyere. Pickled and caramelized onions on rye bread ) was gonna be good.
3) My sandwich came with a side of Napa cabbage caraway slaw that was insanely good.

Cons
1) Small. The sandwich looked like it was on half slices of bread.
2) The Price. For the size of sandwich we were getting, the 9 dollar price tag just seemed too much.
3) Service was also pretty bad, but I try not to judge my food on the service.

So was it good? Yes. Would I go back? Not without a drop in prices. It's hard coming from San Diego where I can go to Hamiltons and get not only one of the best grilled cheese sandwiches in San Diego, but probably one of my favorite sandwiches, The Blind Tiger (sharp cheddar, beer candy apples, beer candy bacon, and grilled onions) for a dollar cheaper.

After lunch we decided to walk down to the Socrates Sculpture Park right around sunset. Which provided for an awesome scenery of the city.