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All posts by Johnny Prime
Gemma
I finally got to try some of the food at Gemma in the Bowery Hotel. Started with a delicious orecchiette pasta with broccoli rabe pesto and sweet Italian sausage.
Next up: beautiful burger with broiled cheddar on top.
My favorite dish was the Cornish hen. So flavorful!
And a really nicely cooked center cut New York strip steak.
We finished off with some pistachio cream cannoli.
Really great meal!
GEMMA
335 Bowery
New York, NY 10003
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Great Jones Distilling
After trying their bourbon a few times and really enjoying it, I finally got over to Great Jones Distillery for some food and drinks.
My wife and I tried a flight of their spirits as well as their fancy burger.
The burger is topped with a bacon and bourbon jam, blue or cheddar cheese (we chose blue based on the waitress’ recommendation) and potato chips.
It was cooked perfectly, and the fries were good. However, we wish we picked cheddar since the blue sort of overpowered that bacon and bourbon jam. But otherwise it was good.
I’m a fan of their bourbon too, so we picked up a bottle on the way out. I’m looking forward to going back for a tour and a steak.
GREAT JONES DISTILLING CO
686 Broadway
New York, NY 10012
Bastard Burger at Bronx Brewery
My wife and I just tried Bastard Burger over at the new Bronx Brewery location in the east village.
The beer selection is great – a little something for everyone, as opposed to just non-stop shitty IPAs. We tried a cardamom ale, and a saison. Both were tasty.
The burger is quality as well. I’m not a huge fan of the stringy cheddar, but the patty, toppings, bun and sauce were all good.
The “Ziggy” fries are awesome. Crispy and well seasoned. I’d definitely eat here again.
BASTARD BURGER
64 2nd Ave
New York, NY 10003
Best Burger NYC
Oddly enough, I first tried the fried chicken sandwich here with onion rings, and both were awesome. Spicy honey, slaw, and great pickles.
That made me want to come back to try the burger.
This was incredible! Plus, it’s real handsome:
I highly recommend this burger – so good!
BEST BURGER NYC
53 Little West 12th St
New York, NY 10014
Katz’s Delicatessen
I never got around to writing about Katz’s, because the last time I went was before I started this website. Now that I live closer, and since the good folks at Hendrick’s Gin sent me a $25 gift card along with some cool Katz’s swag like gin and juniper soaked pickles and an apron, it was time to go back.
Nothing has changed inside since my last visit, which was pre-2009, aside from some new pics of celebs on the wall. I was pleasantly surprised by the lack of a line at 6pm on a Friday. I thought it would be mobbed. My wife and I opted for waiter service. As soon as we sat, a nice platter of pickles came out. The tomatoes were the winner, oddly enough. I usually devour half sours like an animal!
We wanted to try more sandwiches, but we went with two fulls and one half. First up, the full sized tongue sandwich. This is served cold.
This was my least favorite of the three. The slices were too thick, and the meat wasn’t quite cooked properly. Too tough, too chewy, and too sinewy. Felt like it needed to be cooked lower and slower, so that everything became tender. As far as tongue goes, PJ Bernstein is the king. Without question.
Next up was the half sandwich of liverwurst. This was also served cold.
These thick slices of velvet deliciousness were very much welcomed after the tongue. This was great, and it was a lot of liverwurst for a half sandwich. Some of the best wurst I’ve had!
Last, and clearly the best of the three, was the combo pastrami + corned beef hot sandwich, full size.
In my prior visits, I recall not liking the pastrami so much. At times it was too fatty and sinewy as well, chewy as fuck with those hard ridges along the edge not rendering out properly. But this time it was perfect. And the corned beef was stellar; I’ll go with corned beef over pastrami any day of the week in most cases. But anyway, the sandwich was so juicy and tender, it really didn’t need any mustard.
I can’t wait to go back and try both the roast beef and the brisket. Those were the other two “must have” items that we just didn’t have the stomach space for on this trip. I feel like I rediscovered an old favorite in coming here. It definitely put a smile on my face. One critique I will give is that I think they can benefit from some improved rye bread. I realize it’s just a vehicle to deliver the meat, but I was expecting better.
KATZ’s DELICATESSEN
205 E Houston St
New York, NY 10002
Omakase Room by Mitsu
Last night I took my wife to Omakase Room by Mitsu. This was a 12 piece sushi omakase featuring some of the best pieces I’ve ever had. Some of our stand out favorites:
Fatty Tuna Cheek (I ordered a second of this!)
Hokkaido Uni
Temaki Hand Roll (this was a pre-course)
Blackthroat Seaperch, Cherry Blossom Seabream, and Splendid Alfonsino
There was even a sort of “dessert” piece: a rolled omelette. This was sweet, but not overpowering.
I can’t wait to go back here when the menu changes in a few months. This was our favorite omakase so far.
OMAKASE ROOM BY MITSU
14 Christopher Street
Ground Floor
New York, NY 10014
Grand Street Pizza
Grand Street Pizza is a relatively new spot on Grand between Clinton and Essex. This joint is serving up crispy, thin crust, classic Brooklyn/NYC style pies that are as gorgeous as they are delicious.
I put this is the same realm as Scarr’s, Patsy’s, NY Pizza Suprema and Joe’s. Very good, and you can get it by the slice. I can’t wait to try more.
GRAND STREET PIZZA
384 Grand St
New York, NY 10002
Wildair
I popped into this joint with some friends mainly to try a domestic wagyu strip they recently put on the menu, but everything we had here was great. This place serves up smaller bites and tapas style dishes. Some of the highlights were the prawns, the potato cake with uni on top, the beef tartare and the stuffed chicken wings.
The star of the show was 24oz of 9/10 deliciousness. The “thrice cooked chips” that came with it were absolutely perfect.
The au poivre sauce really wasn’t needed, but both that and the roasted garlic really made the flavors pop.
For dessert, the mille feuille with cinnamon brown sugar cream was the big winner, but the mousse with granita and meringue was a nice way to cleanse the palate at the end of the meal.
WILDAIR
142 Orchard St
New York, NY 10002