Restaurants Archives - Page 2 of 27

Restaurants

NYC luncheonettes reprise a simpler time

Posted on December 6, 2023December 5, 2023 by Pat and David

Across Fifth Avenue from the Flatiron building, S&P Lunch (174 5th Ave., New York, NY; 212-691-8862; sandwich.place) hardly toots its own horn. A plaque in the window reads simply ‶A Great Place to Eat Since 1928.″ Judging by the crowds waiting for a seat at 11:15 on a Sunday morning, the modest luncheonette doesn't need any more publicity than that. We love old-fashioned luncheonettes. S&P is the real deal, boasting vinyl-clad stools along a long counter and a grill menu of eggs and sandwiches. We joined the queue that started just inside the door and ultimately scored our preferred seating. No booth in the back for us. We prefer the counter, preferably right in front of the grill. In deference to S&P traditions, we ordered...Read More

At the source for true New York cheesecake

Posted on November 30, 2023November 24, 2023 by Pat and David

We grew up in the era of quickie “cheesecake” made with Philadelphia cream cheese, tons of sugar, and an egg. The mixture was deposited into a graham cracker crust and topped with canned pie filling. We both loved it. But we always knew that there was something else called “New York cheesecake” that was presumably more complex and therefore superior. When we spotted a location of Junior's amid the neon clutter surrounding Times Square, we thought we might have located the cheesecake grail. After all, Junior's holds a registered trademark on The World's Most Fabulous Cheesecake®. We soon learned that the restaurant chain has been making it since the original Junior's opened in Brooklyn in 1950. Times Square locations were merely Junior's-come-latelies. So we made...Read More

The ecstasy of pastrami at Katz’s Delicatessen

Posted on November 24, 2023November 21, 2023 by Pat and David

Established in 1888, Katz's Delicatessen was already a New York institution when it rocketed to international fame in the rom-com When Harry Met Sally. We probably don't even have to describe the scene where Meg Ryan, as Sally, fakes an orgasm at a table in the back of the deli. She was eating a roasted turkey sandwich. We can't imagine the volume of her pleasure had she ordered Katz's famous pastrami. We've learned that it's best to be flexible about eating hours if you want to avoid the biggest crowds at New York's iconic eateries. We stopped at Katz's early one morning and the guy at the door told us that we would be able to walk right in if we returned for lunch by...Read More

Russ & Daughters bagels are worth the wait

Posted on November 21, 2023November 19, 2023 by Pat and David

“I come in for the chaos,” joked the man standing next to us in the crowd at Russ & Daughters (179 East Houston St., New York, NY; 212-475-4880; russanddaughters.com). We came for the bagels. On this Saturday morning, the long, narrow shop with a display counter along one side was jammed with people. To be fair, the “chaos” was of the controlled variety. Customers were in an almost jovial, anticipatory mood. It felt like the ticket line at a rock concert. Clearly, part of shopping at Russ & Daughters is the cheek-by-jowl camaraderie. There is a method to the madness. You take a number from the ticket machine at the door, just like at the supermarket deli. Then you try to squeeze to the back...Read More

Essex Market charts NYC’s changing tastes

Posted on November 18, 2023November 18, 2023 by Pat and David

The oldest establishment in the New York municipal market system, Essex Market's latest re-invention arguably strikes the perfect balance between supermarket and food hall. The old Essex Street Market, created in the 1930s as the flagship of the city's public market system, became essentially obsolete in the 21st century. The latest transformation, which opened in 2019, nails changing tastes and approaches to food in New York. Essex Market (88 Essex St., New York, N.Y.; essexmarket.nyc), as it's now called, is as much a gathering space as a shopping destination. It's located in a fancy new complex with luxury condos and a movie theater. The basement level is technically a separate operation called the Market Line. As you enter Essex Market from Delancey Street, the Indian...Read More

Lombardi’s, where New York pizza got its start

Posted on November 13, 2023November 12, 2023 by Pat and David

Even Google doesn't know how many pizzerias there are in New York, but various uninformed estimates place the number between 1,000 and 32,000. What we do know is that it seems there's a pizza joint on every block and many of them sell slices to go. That fits with the NYC culture of literally eating on the run, or on the walk. New Yorkers seem to be constantly eating in public. But we digress. Surrounded by pizza from the moment we arrived in New York, we immediately gave up on trying to find the “best” pizza in the city. We were just happy to visit what might be the oldest pizzeria in New York. At least that's what Lombardi's claims. It was established in 1905....Read More

Gray’s Papaya carries the dog and juice standard

Posted on November 10, 2023November 8, 2023 by Pat and David

It's been nearly a century since the Papaya King started serving the unlikely combination of all-beef hot dogs and tropical juices. It became a New York thing. In 1975, Papaya King franchisee Nicholas Gray closed his Upper West Side franchise and re-opened as Gray's Papaya. It was built on the same menu, but had the added seasoning of Gray's in-your-face promotion. A dog and a juice at Gray's Papaya (grayspapaya.nyc) became the way that everyone from struggling folksingers to late-night sanitation workers managed to get a tasty bite and keep going. Gray's soon eclipsed the original Papaya King, with multiple locations around the city. Changing economic conditions and pricey real estate have taken their toll on the papaya-hot dog business, closing down the Papaya Kings...Read More

Woks still pop at Chinatown’s Wo Hop

Posted on November 6, 2023November 6, 2023 by Pat and David

The James Beard Foundation's America's Classic designations tend to shine a spotlight on homey, old-fashioned eateries. Maybe more to the point, the nominations reflect a kind of culinary nostalgia for the comfort food of someone's childhood. Last December, the JBF named Wo Hop (17 Mott St., New York, NY; 212-962-8617; wohop17.com) in Manhattan's Chinatown to the America's Classic honor roll. Since we're spending a month in Manhattan, we made Wo Hop our first lunch-time stop. The restaurant has been in business continuously since 1938, making it one of Chinatown's most senior establishments. If you want to taste what New Yorkers used to think Chinese food was, this is where you come. The New York Times notes that Wo Hop offers an “authentic taste of an...Read More

Savoring summer’s sweet end at iconic clam shack

Posted on October 12, 2023October 12, 2023 by Pat and David

As the days suddenly grow shorter and the weather cools, we find our tastes turning to the foods of fall and winter. Squash and pumpkin instead of tomatoes and peppers. Sage and rosemary instead of basil. But we couldn't let summer pass without one final visit to Woodman's of Essex (119 Main St., Essex, Mass.; 978-768-6451; woodmans.com). Located on the marshes next to the causeway over the Essex River, Woodman's is iconic. The establishment claims to have invented the fried clam. Many people dispute that. But no one disputes that since the first batch cooked up in 1914, Woodman's has pretty much nailed the art of the perfect fried clam. The restaurant's success has lifted it from the ranks of mere clam shack. For one...Read More

Atlántico knows how to salute National Lobster Day

Posted on September 26, 2023September 26, 2023 by Pat and David

Someone, somewhere named September 25 as National Lobster Day this year, but the crustacean commemoration mostly flew under the radar. A few restaurants, however, marked the occasion. We were pretty thrilled to celebrate with the lobster bocadillo at Atlántico (600 Harrison Ave., Boston; 857-233-1898; atlanticoboston.com) in Boston's South End. This third of chef-owner Michael Serpa's restaurants focuses on the seafood traditions of Spain and Portugal. We'll vouch for that. The menu echoes much of what we've eaten in Cádiz, A Coruna, San Sebastian, or Barcelona — but with a New England twist. Tourists to Boston might argue that every day is Lobster Day. It's the dish they've been anticipating and they seem to order it with abandon. Those of us who live here indulge less...Read More