Monthly Archives: February 2015

American, Burgers, Restaurant Reviews, Upper East Side

Parlor Steakhouse

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NOTE: THIS PLACE IS CLOSED!

I haven’t had the chance to review this joint completely on the steakhouse tip, but me and a couple of friends came here for the bottomless brunch deal (caveat – not really bottomless – limit of five drinks within two hours).

At $29 you have a pretty good selection of entrees to choose from, including steak and eggs. We all went with the burger for this go-round, which came pre-sliced on the plate, and which isn’t everyone’s cup of tea (I’m fine with it):

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It was a decent burger, but we were all in agreement that there are better burgers around. Good, strong yet soft bun, nice toppings, although I wasn’t too crazy about the pickled onions. A little bit of a thicker patty than I like, but whatever. The real star(s) of the plate were the French fries with fried onions on top:

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They were absolutely perfect in every way. Crisp outside, soft inside, nicely salted, etc.

I stuck with the Bloody Mary for my drinks, but managed to get some photos of my friend’s girly drinks (bellini and mimosa).

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PARLOR STEAKHOUSE
1600 3rd Ave.
New York, NY 10128

Deli, Restaurant Reviews, Upper East Side

2nd Avenue Deli

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What better way to cap off a day of beer and burgers than to put down a massive, heaping pile of corned beef, sandwiched between two slices of rye bread? This baby was so excellent that it almost made me forget that I dropped nearly $20 for it. Check out what half of a sandwich looks like from the famous (but moved) 2nd Avenue Deli (on 1st Avenue, UES):

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2ND AVENUE DELI
442 1st Ave.
New York, NY 10021

East Village, Pizza

Joey Pepperoni

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This is a no-nonsense category 3 dollar slice joint down on 1st Avenue just below the 14th street L station. Doughy yet crispy crust, quality melty yet crisp cheese, and a good sweet sauce. Fucking hits the spot. I easily put this slice down after a full meal (dessert included) at a nearby French bistro. Great little slice.

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JOEY PEPPERONI
222 1st Avenue
New York, NY 10009

Burgers, Diner, Lower East Side/Chinatown

Mikey’s

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This little lower east side burger joint is the perfect place for a hits-the-spot burger and fries combo.

mikeys seating

For $10 even, you get a pretty fucking solid little burger and a HUGE order of french fries. And on the weekend they still serve up the lunch special, which means you get a free can of soda with it.

mikeys burger

mikeys fries

The bun is a great potato jammy, and the burger comes topped with lettuce, tomato and onion. The patty gets a wonderful crisp on it due to the flat top griddle:

mikeys griddle

The menu is pretty great looking. I will definitely be back to try a couple of the hotdogs:

mikeys menu

MIKEY’S BURGER
134 Ludlow St
New York, NY 10002

Banh Mi, Lower East Side/Chinatown, Pho, Restaurant Reviews, Vietnamese

Pho Vietnam

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This little spot is currently my new favorite Vietnamese food joint. It’s nice and clean inside, new-looking, and the food is really tasty. My wife and I tried a few items as a base level test run to decide if we would come back.

The pho: very flavorful, a good size, fresh ingredients. In fact they keep a jar of sliced jalapeños right there on the table next to the chopsticks, spoons, napkins, hoisin and sri racha.

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The banh mi sandwich: nice and traditional, great bread, lots of filling and at least a foot long.

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Next, one of my wife’s favorites: banh cuon. Really good quality shit here. Nicely cooked noodles, ample filling inside, and good slices meats and herbs.

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Last was my noodle dish that had cut up spring rolls and sliced lemongrass BBQ pork chop on top. Simple and delicious.

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We will definitely be coming back for more. Sit tight until then, when I can supplement the review with more deliciousness.

Okay so here’s the update as of 2/7/15:

Unfortunately this trip was not as good as the last. The avocado shake was less avocado-et, the banh cuon had grainy noodles.

pho vietnam banh cuon

The other two dishes we ordered contained meat that was a bit chewy.

I grabbed the bun bo hue, wanting to sample the more authentic flavors of this dish as opposed to the more fusion style of Obao.

pho vietnam menu

For $7.50 you get a shitload of food. The bowl is huge:

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The unfortunate thing about my order, however, was that the noodles were too soft (perhaps overcooked) and most of the meat was very chewy. For a stewed type dish I was hopping for softer meats.

pho vietnam bun bo hue

I had the same issue with the pork casserole, or clay pot pork. The meat was pretty chewy, but the flavor was good.

pho vietnam pork

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Egg rolls are decent.

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The avocado shake was not as sweet or rich/flavorful as other times I’ve had it:

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But my wife had a decent cup of Vietnamese coffee:

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PHO VIETNAM
87 Chrystie St.
New York, NY 10002

Burgers, Midtown West, Pub Food, Restaurant Reviews

The Irish Pub

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I’ve walked by this place a bunch of times on the way to work and wondered: what an incredibly generic name!

I checked out their menu online, and I was intrigued by the Diablo Burger – a burger topped with buffalo sauce, jalapeños and sautéed onions.

irish pub plate

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Mine was cooked a little over, but otherwise it was good:

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The bun was fantastic: strong, supple, yet soft and pliable. It even had a nice branded logo on top:

irish pub bun

The cajun fries that came with it were great too. Old Bay seasoning, if I had to guess, and nicely fried to a golden crisp.

Wash that down with a pitcher of brew and you’re all set. No happy hour specials though. Lame.

irish pub beer

THE IRISH PUB
837 7th Ave.
New York, NY 10019

Eastern European, Flash Deals, Midtown West, Restaurant Reviews

Balkanika

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I nabbed a Groupon deal for a seven course tasting for two at this joint, with wine pairings. At $75, it was a steal.

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The meal opened with a lightly sweet Macedonian Muscat and a delicious tomato soup. The soup was smooth and velvety, and reminded me almost of a vodka sauce.

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Next was the Balkanika salad, which was mixed greens, beets, pine nuts and prosciutto, and served with a light red Macedonian wine. This was a hearty salad. The addition of the beets and prosciutto means that you could easily eat this dish as a main course in a larger portion.

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Next was a yogurt, feta, mint, garlic and dill dip/spread served with toasted whole wheat pita bread. This shit would be amazing on an everything bagel instead of cream cheese. It came with a shot of this absinthe/sambuca type of liquor, on the rocks.

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Next up was an eggplant and zucchini tapenade with pine nuts, onions, garlic and red peppers. I wasn’t too thrilled about this dish, but then again my wife and I are not bigs fans of eggplant to begin with. This course did not come with a wine pairing.

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My favorite course of the night was this spiced beef wrapped in grape leaf and cabbage. Each had its own flavor. In one, the meat was perfumed and spicy. In the other, it was mild and comforting. Both very good in their own way. This dish came with a red; Shiraz.

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The last savory course was chicken kebab with yogurt sauce and potatoes. The chicken was nice and tender on these, and the yogurt sauce was thicker than the typical runny white bullshit you get with a kebab. The potatoes were delicious as well. Soft, yet still firm enough to pick up with your form, and deeply flavorful. This came with a white Gavi wine from Italy.

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The dessert course was, of course, baklava. It was a little tough to break through with the tiny dessert forks, but the nutty flavor was excellent. It was a bit too sweet, however. Perhaps too much honey. It was served with a flute of Prosecco.

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The place even serves their mezes and sides by the pound in what looks like a deli counter. Nice!

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BALKANIKA
691 9th Ave.
New York, NY 10036

Burgers, Flash Deals, Pub Food, Restaurant Reviews, West Village

Wicked Willy’s

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I snagged a groupon for this place that got me two burgers with fries, and two beers for $20. Not a bad snag. Unfortunately the day my buddy and I came here, there was some sort of fire going on underground in the sewers that made the entire block smell like burning diarrhea. Fucking obnoxious. Occasionally the smell would waft into the pirate-themed bar, which really sucked. You can see the scene below. Apparently the fire was raging, with that God-aweful stench, for about four days without response from the fire department. I guess no one thought to call, or no one realized that it was actually a fire as opposed to just a lingering bum smell.

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In any case, the burger I tried was called “Black Beard.” The meat was a blend of chorizo and beef, topped with lettuce, tomato, onion and cheddar cheese.

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It was seasoned well, and dressed with a garlic aioli that made the flavors pop. The only down side here was the bun. It was a little crumbly and dry.

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Fries were solid. Crispy, golden, and seasoned properly:

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Decent burger, fun bar, and I kinda liked the pirate theme. They play live music and even have peer pong tables set up, with a massive projector screen in the back room as well. Here’s a photo of some broad who was measuring dicks in the men’s bathroom:

bathroom art wicked willy

WICKED WILLY’S
149 Bleecker St.
New York, NY 10012

Pizza, West Village

Percy’s

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I strolled by this little category 3 dollar pizza joint while I was on my way to grab a burger with a friend. It turns out this was one of the best dollar slices I’ve tried to date. The crust was nice and crispy, and the cheese was of good quality. I only wish there was a bit more sauce on this baby. But I have to say: this place is a much better buy than some of the standard category 2 joints charging upwards of $2.50 for a slice.

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They do offer some topping slices for a dollar more.

PERCY’S
190 Bleecker St
New York, NY 10012