All posts by Johnny Prime

Chimera BMX

USE CODE JOHNNYPRIME FOR $150 OFF YOUR CHIMERA

If you’re not already aware, I’ve been getting pretty deep into the ebike culture and community here in NYC. I run the NYC Zooz Club and I helped create Electric Wednesday with Mike Rios of S3 Crew. Electric Wednesday is the glue that holds the various riding clubs together here in NYC. We’ve created something really special.

While I still have and love my Zooz, I have to say the Chimera blows it out of the water in every way. I’ve been featuring it prominently on my Youtube account.

Here’s my unboxing and assembly video:

Here is a first ride video:

And, since I know you’re ultimately here for food and not bikes, I have been using it to go to and from restaurants in a new series I created called Ride & Review!

Finally, if you’re interested in buying a Chimera, you can save $150 by using my discount code at checkout. The code is JOHNNYPRIME.

I own the founders edition, bike number 5, in full titanium.

It’s costly, but now Austin, the creator of the bike, offers a Shadow Chimera, which is made of black steel. That will cut your price nearly in half. DO IT!!!

Jin Mei Dumplings

First, check out my Ride & Review HERE:

I finally got a chance to ride over to Jin Mei to try their famous dumplings. At $5 for 15, these fried pork and chive dumplings are an absolute steal!

The skin is a little thick, but not super chewy or gummy. The crisp from the frying process adds great texture to the tasty and generous filling. I will definitely be back.

JIN MEI DUMPLINGS
25B Henry St.
New York, NY 10002

Zaad

First, check out my Ride & Review HERE:

When my wife and I first walked by here, they let us try some falafel for free. It was delicious, so we were sold. I ran it back when using the Too Good to Go app, and for $7 I got this awesome box of chicken shawarma over rice with a salad.

I’ll definitely be back to try more stuff, especially the Philly cheesesteak. I’ve been searching for a good one in the area.

ZAAD
250 Broome St.
New York, NY 10002

San Diego

My wife and I took a short trip to San Diego to celebrate a friend’s retirement from the Navy, so we spent a bunch of time walking around, eating and drinking our way through the city.

Here’s what we tried:

Donut Bar

This spot was pretty good. We liked the lemon pistachio better than the raspberry cheesecake.

Tacos El Gordo

Great spot for tacos, and reasonably priced considering that this place gets a lot of hype and crowds. The al pastor tacos was the winner for us, but we also tried cabeza (face), lengua (tongue) and tripe.

Mike Hess Brewery

The barrel aged Vietnamese coffee stout was our favorite.

San Diego Burger Co.

This wasn’t that good. Skip this joint. I had high hopes, but the patty was a little under seasoned and the bun was dry and crumbled.

Dinner at Greystone Prime Steakhouse is detailed HERE.

Senor Taquero

This spot was probably my favorite place to eat of the entire trip. I wish we had some regular tacos here too. They were so cheap (3 for $7.99)! The rolled chicken tacos and adobado burrito were killer. The churro had a nice vanilla pudding type of filling inside.

Ballast Point Brewery

We had a short pit stop here while we were waiting for Swagyu to open. Speedboat was like a corona with a lime in it. Refreshing.

Swagyu

This was great but pricey at $23. I’d much rather have gone back to Senor Taquero to try the tacos.

The World Famous I-Bar

This is where the retirement party was held. The bar was the inspiration for the scenes in the movie Maverick that take place in the Air Force bar on base. Very cool spot.

Not bad for a weekend trip! We hit a lot of spots.

Greystone Prime Steakhouse

Greystone Prime Steakhouse overall score: 80

My wife and I came here with another couple when we were in San Diego. We tried a bunch of shit, so let me get right into it…

Flavor: 8

We shared a porterhouse for two and a 20oz bone-in rib eye among three people.

The Porterhouse was a 7/10. The strip side had some grey-banding on the edges, and was definitely a bit toothsome in parts. The filet side, however, was magnificent. The only down side was that it lacked the flavor that the strip side had.

The rib eye ate almost like cured ham. It was cooked a bit under, but none of us minded. It was lean in the eye, but there was a ton of flavor in the cap. 8/10.

Choice of Cuts & Quality Available: 9

There’s a good selection of cuts here; wet aged, dry aged, large format, single cuts, everything. Everything is also prime grade. The numerous selections available are why I chose this place over others in the area.

Portion Size & Plating: 8

The portions here were good, and measured up nicely with what I expect from a NYC steakhouse, only a bit cheaper on the budget by about five or ten bucks, which was a nice change of pace.

Price: 8

The total bill was $713 with tax and tip included. As I mentioned above, this would be up a bit if it were in NYC.

Bar: 6

The bar here is actually nice, but the bar tender sucked. He was ignoring my wife when she tried to order (three times), and the drinks were sloppily made. Two of our glasses had massive cracks in them too, and the one we had at the bar as just dumped hastily into a new glass, not re-made from scratch. Cocktails were meh too. Could use some work!

 

Specials and Other Meats: 9

I had to jump at this elk chop dish.

It turned out to be my favorite item of the meal. It was a nice lean but flavorful cross between lamb and venison. 9/10.

Apps, Sides & Desserts: 8

We should have ordered our sides better, because the elk came with both mashed potatoes and spinach, and we ordered bot mashed potatoes and creamed spinach. They were all pretty good, but the versions on the composed elk chops dish were better.

For dessert, we tried a yuzu cheese cake and a delicious chocolate and peanut butter mousse pie that was perfect.

Seafood Selection: 9

Delicious tower for four, which included massive shrimp, a whole lobster, oysters, and tuna tartare.

Service: 8

Service was great at the table, but less than desirable at the bar. The bread came after our appetizers, which was odd, but we were glad it came. It was tasty with a whipped, soft garlic and herb butter.

Ambiance: 7

Ambiance could use a little kick in the balls, as the place glows neon red and purple at times. It feels sort of like a club. But over all it was a good vibe, and I’m glad we went. Here’s the other couple below – we were celebrating his retirement from the Navy.

GREYSTONE PRIME STEAKHOUSE
658 Fifth Ave.
San Diego, CA 92101

Betty

First, check out my Ride & Review HERE:

This spot is pretty good. I might go back for the fried chicken bites and perhaps to try the burger, which looked good when it came out to another person’s table.

BETTY
193 Henry St.
New York, NY 10002

Pecking House Chicken

First, check out my Ride & Review HERE:

This spot recently opened down by Two Bridges, and I’ve been psyched to try it out.

We got five items; three mains and two sides.

1. The Blackened Chicken Sandwich

This was probably my favorite of all the items. It has a distinctly earthy Mexican flavor to it from the Oaxaca cheese and pickled jalapeños. Absolute banger.

2. Chili Quarter Chicken

I expected this to be wetter, spicier and saltier based on what I’ve seen on Instagram to date, but it was still goo. A bit expensive at $9 without a side, but I’d definitely get it again (perhaps the extra hot version though).

3. Salted Egg Wings

These were delicious. No dipping sauce needed! The batter from the salted yolk comes in nice and crisp, and with the wings being slightly smaller than your typical bar room Buffalo wings, you get a perfect ratio or meat to crisp with every bite.

4. Chicken Salt Fries

These could have used a bit more crisp on them, but they were tasty. Also – not too salty! Nicely seasoned, as a matter of fact.

5. Charred Cukes w/Ginger

These were unique! Charring the cucumber softens them a bit and adds a different flavor profile to them that I’ve never experienced before. The ginger sauce isn’t too pungent, so you still get all that fresh cucumber flavor to cool off from the spicy food between bites.

PECKING HOUSE CHICKEN
83 Henry Street
Shop 1
New York, NY 10002

Commerce Inn

First, check out my Ride & Review HERE:

I’ve been meaning to eat here for so long. After seeing the menu during a short visit with The Cake Dealer for a drink, I was even more convinced. So we finally made it happen.

We started with the lamb loin chops (two t-bones) and the beans.

The lamb was perfectly cooked to medium rare, and came as a composed dish with grilled escarole. I loved this. No game flavor, just really simply grilled with salt and pepper.

 

Next, we had the rabbit pot pie, which was on special. It was beautifully presented, but here’s a shot of the pie after we cracked it open.

…I should call her…

Anyway, lots of nicely cooked rabbit – which I love – totally under utilized protein – as well as assorted mushrooms, celery, carrots, and onions.

We also did a side of artichokes, which also came with onions, carrots and celery, served as a cold dish with a hint of curry flavor.

And finally, the rib eye.

This 18oz boneless cut was dry aged and grilled to perfection. The aged flavor was mild, but it was all so tender and delicious. Very nicely seasoned, and the fried onions and garlic that come with it are heavenly. 9/10. The only down side to this steak is that it cost $86. Crazy!

I can’t wait to come back here – already booked my next reservation.

I came back for the porterhouse! It was a solid 8/10. The rib eye is clearly the winner here.

COMMERCE INN
50 Commerce St.
New York, NY 10014

Shhh

First, check out my Ride & Review video HERE:

This secretive omakase joint in the back of an ice cream shop serves up 14 or 18 course omakase meals with unlimited sake for just $96 or $126, respectively.

My favorite pieces were the snappers, scallop and tuna. But the real stars of the show were the appetizers: cod sperm sack and chawanmushi with uni and crab meat!

Snappers:

Scallop:

Tuna:

I can’t believe I ate cum. And I’ll definitely be back for more, especially the soft serve ice cream (not made from cum).

Here are some of the other items:

The cum was torched:

SHHH
113 Division St.
New York, NY 10002

Eastwood

My wife and I came here twice. The first visit was just for a snack and a drink, so I never wrote it up. But now that we’ve had a full meal here, I figured I would put together a review from both experiences.

On the first visit, we had drinks, an Israeli scotch egg, and some cake. They have a nice selection of beer and wine. Saison Dupont is my favorite of all time.

The Israeli scotch egg is surrounded by falafel, which was unique and delicious.

On the second visit we did some entrees. My wife had the lamb burger, which comes with crunchy slaw and a harissa mayo. She added Gruyere cheese at the owner’s suggestion. It was absolutely delicious. Easily a top three lamb burger.

I had the chicken schnitzel plate, which came with fries and a salad. The schnitzel was unique in that it was breaded with a sesame seed batter!

I really liked it.

The cake we had on our first visit was a flourless chocolate birthday cake, which, I think, may have even been vegan. I liked it more than my wife did.

We will definitely be back to try more items from Eastwood. Super friendly staff, great prices, and great food!

EASTWOOD
200 Clinton St.
New York, NY 10002