My 101st Blog
According to my blogger.com dashboard, this is my 101st blog. I thought I would commemorate this occasion by listing some of my favorite places to eat in New York City.
It's no secret that I am not a picky eater. I like food in many shapes and varieties. However, it's a misnomer that I am some kind of "foodie"; I'm much more comfortable eating stuff served in its own wrapper than I am choosing the correct fork with which to spear a cylinder of raw fish atop a bed of mesclun salad. Here is a list of some of my favorite spots for fast eats while strolling around New York in between lunch and dinner.
Rickshaw Dumplings
Honestly, I'm more impressed with the genius of this place than I am with the food, though it is quite tasty. You order from a selection of six different dumplings, including a delicious duck variety, choose fried or steamed, and then you can decide to have it alone with a dipping sauce, or in a specially-crafted soup or salad that is tailor-made for your dumpling. The kitchen is just cranking these morsels out constantly, and as you stand and watch them through a pane of steamed glass, you realize how easy it is to make a dumpling. They've got to be the most foolproof food, all wrapped in their doughy purses and plopped in a sauna. At ten bucks a pop, why aren't I making this at home? Oh yeah, it's because I'm a lazy fuck. Thanks, Rickshaw!
Caracas Arepa Bar
A couple of hole-in-the-wall spots near the corner of 7th Street and 1st Avenue, Caracas is split into two entities: an arepa "bar," a tiny place with three or four tables and a counter, and a cramped restaurant with seating for about thirty customers. Larger folk like myself would probably find it more comfortable to order from the bar establishment and wolf the food down outdoors. For those not in the know, an arepa is a flat corn cake with a split in the middle, like if a piece of corn bread married a pita. That middle is then stuffed with something very delicious, from steak to whitefish to plantains, and everything in between. This is the kind of place you want to go with someone else, so you can split your order and get a taste of everything. The empanadas are nothing special, so stick with the arepas. And don't sleep on the home made beverages: my favorite is the Chicha, which is like drinking a rice pudding.
Benfaremo, the Lemon Ice King of Corona
Okay, so if you're not going to be at the U.S. Open or the somewhere in Flushing Meadow Park in Queens, you're probably not going to want to make this trek. But if you do, I promise it will be worth it. These guys have been making the best shaved iceys for over sixty years, and the proof is in the ingredients: real fruit. If you get a cantaloupe flavor, you will find chunks of cantaloupe in your icey. Same goes for every other flavor, except possibly for weird ones like popcorn and peanut butter, which I have never tried. Who wants an icey that tastes like popcorn? All of the fruit flavors, however, I can attest to. The place is nestled right on the southern end of the infamous Spaghetti Park, an Italian stronghold in this overwhelmingly Latin neighborhood. You can't miss it, just look for the gated traffic triangle with Italian flag bunting draped around it and a half a dozen old guys playing Bocce inside. White folks are welcome to stand and watch, but don't even ask if you can play winners.
Sammy's Halal Cart
And while you're already hanging out in Queens, swing by Sammy's Halal on the corner of 73rd Street and Broadway in Jackson Heights. Halal carts have become more and more prevalent on the streets of New York, eclipsing hot dog vendors in number last year, but Sammy's is the best. How do I know? Well, he was a 2006 Vendy Award finalist! Seriously, that's just reaching. A "Vendy"? Give me a fucking break. Next they'll be giving out "Beggies" to the best panhandlers and "Robbies" to the best con men at Penn Station. The chicken and rice platter at any Halal cart is key to determining its worth, and Sammy's has the best around. He throws carrots, peppers, and onions in there, and doesn't chop the meat until it looks like it was blasted with a twelve-gauge shotgun. The white sauce seems to be a discernible mix of tzaziki and yogurt, which is better than most sour cream with who-knows-what concoctions you get on the street. Very delicious, and this cart is right outside of the 74th Street/Broadway subway station in Queens, which is pretty much convenient to anyone that wants to make the journey.
It's no secret that I am not a picky eater. I like food in many shapes and varieties. However, it's a misnomer that I am some kind of "foodie"; I'm much more comfortable eating stuff served in its own wrapper than I am choosing the correct fork with which to spear a cylinder of raw fish atop a bed of mesclun salad. Here is a list of some of my favorite spots for fast eats while strolling around New York in between lunch and dinner.
Rickshaw Dumplings
Honestly, I'm more impressed with the genius of this place than I am with the food, though it is quite tasty. You order from a selection of six different dumplings, including a delicious duck variety, choose fried or steamed, and then you can decide to have it alone with a dipping sauce, or in a specially-crafted soup or salad that is tailor-made for your dumpling. The kitchen is just cranking these morsels out constantly, and as you stand and watch them through a pane of steamed glass, you realize how easy it is to make a dumpling. They've got to be the most foolproof food, all wrapped in their doughy purses and plopped in a sauna. At ten bucks a pop, why aren't I making this at home? Oh yeah, it's because I'm a lazy fuck. Thanks, Rickshaw!
Caracas Arepa Bar
A couple of hole-in-the-wall spots near the corner of 7th Street and 1st Avenue, Caracas is split into two entities: an arepa "bar," a tiny place with three or four tables and a counter, and a cramped restaurant with seating for about thirty customers. Larger folk like myself would probably find it more comfortable to order from the bar establishment and wolf the food down outdoors. For those not in the know, an arepa is a flat corn cake with a split in the middle, like if a piece of corn bread married a pita. That middle is then stuffed with something very delicious, from steak to whitefish to plantains, and everything in between. This is the kind of place you want to go with someone else, so you can split your order and get a taste of everything. The empanadas are nothing special, so stick with the arepas. And don't sleep on the home made beverages: my favorite is the Chicha, which is like drinking a rice pudding.
Benfaremo, the Lemon Ice King of Corona
Okay, so if you're not going to be at the U.S. Open or the somewhere in Flushing Meadow Park in Queens, you're probably not going to want to make this trek. But if you do, I promise it will be worth it. These guys have been making the best shaved iceys for over sixty years, and the proof is in the ingredients: real fruit. If you get a cantaloupe flavor, you will find chunks of cantaloupe in your icey. Same goes for every other flavor, except possibly for weird ones like popcorn and peanut butter, which I have never tried. Who wants an icey that tastes like popcorn? All of the fruit flavors, however, I can attest to. The place is nestled right on the southern end of the infamous Spaghetti Park, an Italian stronghold in this overwhelmingly Latin neighborhood. You can't miss it, just look for the gated traffic triangle with Italian flag bunting draped around it and a half a dozen old guys playing Bocce inside. White folks are welcome to stand and watch, but don't even ask if you can play winners.
Sammy's Halal Cart
And while you're already hanging out in Queens, swing by Sammy's Halal on the corner of 73rd Street and Broadway in Jackson Heights. Halal carts have become more and more prevalent on the streets of New York, eclipsing hot dog vendors in number last year, but Sammy's is the best. How do I know? Well, he was a 2006 Vendy Award finalist! Seriously, that's just reaching. A "Vendy"? Give me a fucking break. Next they'll be giving out "Beggies" to the best panhandlers and "Robbies" to the best con men at Penn Station. The chicken and rice platter at any Halal cart is key to determining its worth, and Sammy's has the best around. He throws carrots, peppers, and onions in there, and doesn't chop the meat until it looks like it was blasted with a twelve-gauge shotgun. The white sauce seems to be a discernible mix of tzaziki and yogurt, which is better than most sour cream with who-knows-what concoctions you get on the street. Very delicious, and this cart is right outside of the 74th Street/Broadway subway station in Queens, which is pretty much convenient to anyone that wants to make the journey.
posted by Reggie Hemingway at
10:00 AM
1 Comments:
My day job was contacted about doing the books for Rickshaw...if we end up moving forward, I want to cut a deal moving forward, for some hot dumpling action at a discount.
I am so glad you love Caracas' arepas. We should share some soon.
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