All posts by Johnny Prime

Amigos Tortilla Bar

This Key West spot is home to some of the best tacos I’ve ever had. For just $12 you get a platter of three tacos (choose hard shell, round soft flour or square soft corn) with sides of rice and beans.

DSC09890

I went with carnitas (spiced pork meat), baja fried fish and shrimp. The carnitas was a bit salty, but it was packed with juicy flavor.

DSC09884

The seafood tacos are topped with a really nice fresh cheese, as you can see on this shrimp taco:

DSC09885

But by far the best taco of the three was this baja fried fish taco. The golden crisp on the outside of the fish was light and crunchy – not bready at all. So fresh and delicious.

DSC09889

The rice and beans are standard issue – tasty.

DSC09891

My wife ordered this baja fried fish bowl, which is an amazing deal for just $9.

DSC09893

The place also serves up some killer nachos and roasted corn. You MUST try the roasted corn, even if it is the only thing you end up trying here. Fucking absurdly good.

DSC09882

DSC09881

They also have a ton of fun hot sauces to light your ass up, and great strawberry margaritas.

20160102_162854

DSC09878

Square One

For our first meal in Key West, we hit up Square One. The place had a really nice drink menu and food selections, so I figured it was a perfect spot to try.

DSC09763

The decor is minimalist rustic, if that makes any sense.

DSC09773

DSC09845

DSC09846

It looks like pig wings have made their way down to Florida. The ones here were a healthy size and tasted really great. They were breaded lightly and fried crisp. The meat was super tender.

DSC09766

These duck dumplings were a very nice Chinese inspired appetizer as well. The flavors were robust.

DSC09765

My wife had this nice bowl of mussels, which were actually an appetizer portion but probably big enough for an entree if you are indulging in a few starters.

DSC09772

The snapper was all gone, but they had some local grouper. It came seared, and served atop some nice soba noodles.

DSC09768

A couple of days later my wife and I went back to try their flight of bloody mary drinks at breakfast.

DSC09843

From right to left that’s tomatillo and melon, carrot habanero, yellow tomato and regular tomato. Each was rimmed with a different type of salt to accentuate the flavors within. Really nice.

I had a lobster cobb salad to go with the bloodies. Lots of good quality lobster meat!

DSC09849

If you’re ever in Key West, I highly recommend this place. It’s great for drinks at the bar or any meal of the day. If native New Yorker Lucas is tending bar, you’ll have a great experience.

Prime Steakhouse

Prime Steakhouse overall score: 68

My wife and I, along with three other couples, came here for a blowout steak meal while we were on vacation in Key West. I didn’t have high expectations since NYC is the steak capital of the world, but everything looked pretty good online in terms of menu and reviews. Check out the breakdown:

Flavor: 6
I had the 24oz bone-in rib eye. The chop itself was prime quality, but not aged. It was slightly thicker on the bone side than the fat cap side, which made me worry about the evenness of cooking.

DSC09808

To my surprise it was cooked nicely to medium rare, despite the cut.

DSC09811

It lacked ample seasoning, however, and, the outer crust had a spotty or uneven sear on it. Some parts were lightly seared, and other parts were over seared, which created a bitter, burnt flavor in some bites.

Choice of Cuts & Quality Available: 7
The menu here covers all the bases with a strip, porterhouse, filet and rib eye. They offer a surf and turf option as well, but overall our table was not quite impressed with the quality. Perhaps some aging is needed to take these chops up a few notches.

Portion Size & Plating: 8
Portions are good here, with everything being a good size, and plating is basic but elegant.

Price: 6
At $62 for a rib eye I should be getting something that rivals NYC’s best. That was not the case. Most of the other items on the menu were NYC prices as well, so we left feeling a little over-spent.

DSC09827

Bar: 5
For this location, which is on the water and on the second floor of a pier, I was expecting a big bar that was either outside or facing the water. But instead it was a somewhat small bar that faces a wall. The drinks were pretty good, and the cocktail menu had some interesting selections, but drinks are a bit on the pricey side.

DSC09796

DSC09798

Specials and Other Meats: 7
There wasn’t anything of note on special aside from a pasta dish, but the place does offer a decent amount of alternative meats, like two cuts of pork, veal and chicken. No lamb, but that’s not a huge deal. My buddy’s wife ordered the veal:

DSC09809

Apps, Sides & Desserts: 6
We over-ordered on sides, which is often a problem when dining with a big group at a steak joint. There were some hits and some misses. I’ll start with the biggest hit – the carpaccio:

DSC09804

Though a bit salty, the hit of truffle oil complimented the capers and shaved cheese nicely. The meat itself was super thin and soft.

The oysters were crisp, clean and fresh, and extremely well priced at $16 for a dozen.

DSC09801

Another starter was this mozzarella and tomato stack with balsamic vinaigrette and basil. Decent, but nothing special.

DSC09799

On the side, we enjoyed the hash brown potatoes. They were fried crisp on the outside and tender on the inside.

DSC09820

The creamed spinach was way too heavy on the cream while also being very light on flavor.

DSC09817

The truffle mac and smoked gouda had utterly no flavor or scent of truffle whatsoever, and it also lacked seasoning. It had a decent crunch on top at least.

DSC09814

Dessert was a star though, which was key lime pie that is made in house from fresh, local ingredients. Great way to end the meal.

DSC09823

Seafood Selection: 8
There’s a good amount to choose from here for seafood, as you might expect being in Key West. I mentioned the oysters above already, but my wife had the tuna tataki appetizer as her entree, which was pretty good.

DSC09815

She also had a she-crab soup, which had a nice flavor to it as well. Prime also has a few local fish and fresh catch items available for entrees in addition.

Service: 9
Chance was a great waiter, and we had no complaints on timing or anything like that. It was a big table, and he did a solid job tending to our needs. Bread was a bit lame, but the butter was a whipped sweet/honey style that I do enjoy from time to time.

DSC09793

Ambiance: 6
Perhaps this place is a bit nicer to dine in during the daytime, when you can see out over the water or hang out on the deck outside the restaurant. I just felt like this place could be anywhere, and being in Key West Florida, on the fucking water, they could have made more of the surroundings.

DSC09797

Key West

I just posted a shitload of reviews for various restaurants we tried in Key West, but this page is more about the bars and other fun stuff you can find there.

Hog’s Breath: This is a great dive bar with live music and their own proprietary brew. Located in “old town” it truly has a pirate, old timey feel. A definite must-see place if you’re in Key West.

20151231_133347

20151231_133731

Sloppy Joe’s: this is where we watched the ball drop on NYE.

DSC09835

20160101_000150

Captain Tony’s: a very old structure that’s been the home of Sloppy Joe’s in the past.

20151231_133131

Margaritaville: the original location of Jimmy Buffett’s lost shaker of salt, where you will find yourself “wasting away again” with a nice frozen margarita…

DSC09877

20160102_153551

Chocolate dipped Key Lime Pie on a stick: Try one – excellent! Some are not as good as others, but this “Kermit” one is fantastic.

DSC09901

Willy T’s: This place has money all over the walls for some strange reason, and great live music.

DSC09774

Rick’s: A great upstairs bar that’s set up like a mini village or boardwalk of various watering holes. Tons of fun.

DSC09780

DSC09784

Irish Kevin’s: A good Irish bar with live music. Our friend Kevin, who is Irish, was legit in this place.

DSC09777

DSC09778

Conch Shack: Why not? There are many good seafood shacks in town. We didn’t get a chance to try this one, otherwise I would have written a full review of it.

DSC09936

Unnamed Daiquiri Shack Places: Drink while walking. Do it – they make fresh shit at a lot of these places, and have some local beers as well. Take a look at this bottle of Key West Sunset Ale that I didn’t try for some stupid reason:

DSC00011

The Walgreens Theater: An old theater on Duval Street was converted into a Walgreens. Pretty neat.

20151231_142527

DSC09935

Tropic Cinema: There’s an actual movie theater on Eaton Street with a statue of Marilyn Monroe blowing her skirt up. Worth a stroll-by.

20160103_100000

Ripley’s Believe It Or Not: A fun diversion from alcohol for an hour.

20160103_124910

20160103_125225

20160103_125329

20160103_125916 small

20160103_130108

20160103_130152

20160103_131335

20160103_131403

Southernmost Point: Here, you are 90 miles from Cuba. Take a pic with all the tourists who wait on line to get a shot.

DSC09861

The Smallest Bar in Key West: Very small. Drink a pull and move along down Duval Street.

20151231_232208

Key West Cemetery: Go during the day, unless you plan to break in and raise the dead at night. I jogged through on a morning run, and then snapped a few photos at night as we walked by.

20160103_094908

DSC00040

DSC00041

Chickens and Roosters: These guys are everywhere in Key West, running all over the place unfettered and unchecked. I guess you can call them “free range.”

DSC09838

Leather Master: Bring out the gimp!

DSC09907

Butterfly House: This is a great place to bring a broad. It’s a greenhouse filled with butterflies, birds and even a flamingo or two (which I suppose are also birds).

DSC00003 crop

DSC00009

DSC09960

DSC09980

DSC09989

Garden of Eden: On the top floor of The Bull bar on Duval, there’s a weird nudist colony of sorts. Go ahead up if you like seeing weird flapjack titties and flaccid dongs.

DSC09903

Art Galleries: Like Lahaina in Hawaii, Duval Street in Key West is full of cool art studios, photo galleries and stores. We liked some of the octopus sculptures and steampunk skulls.

20151230_151453

20151231_142754

Tree Stump Octopus: I can not remember exactly where this is, but it MAY be Catherine Street.

20160102_084551

Sarabeth’s

We visited the Key West location of this joint for brunch and liked it a lot. I had a poached salmon cobb salad with a side of duck bacon.

20151231_124132

20151231_124117

20151231_124253

The salad was on point – salmon was perfectly cooked, and all the components came together nicely. The duck bacon tasted a lot like turkey bacon, and it had a similar texture as well.

The Malt House

I came to this cool village joint for a press dinner.

DSC09653

The interior is like an old world tavern, with lots of exposed brick, warm tones and wood beams on the ceiling.

DSC09656

DSC09753

The beer selection is really great, both on tap and in bottles/cans.

DSC09662

DSC09654

Chef Armando cut his teeth at STK and Five Napkin Burger before taking on the executive chef role at both this Malt House location and the newly opened, massive Financial District location.

DSC09698 edits

The bar room is really well apportioned, with an L-shaped stretch that also has some tabletop seating nearby. At happy hour they offer nice food selections and cheap drink options, along with dollar oysters! There’s also a full menu at the bar for the other eats, and they offer flights of beer (four for $10), American whiskey and Scotch whisky.

Here’s what we had on our press tasting:

DSC09667

All the apps came out on a big platter, with the exception of the mussels, of course:

DSC09671

The onion rings had a nice bacon flavor to them. They were fluffy without being too bready, and the onion inside was cooked through.

DSC09678

The baked, fried and grilled wings were excellent – the best of the “fried stuff,” for sure. They had a mild buffalo spiced roquefort sauce on them, but that didn’t take away any of the crisp to the skin.

DSC09674

One of the more unique items on the menu is the fried cheese curds. You just don’t see them all that much around here. They were like small bite-sized bits of “cheese sticks,” only less melty and more airy and bready.

DSC09692

The fried pickles were crispy as hell! They were sliced paper thin first, and then battered and fried. These went nicely with the homemade ranch sauce.

DSC09687

The ranch sauce, by the way, was the best of the three sauces we had (the other two: a house sauce that was similar to thousand island, and a chipotle mayo).

The star of the openers, however, was the crock of mussels that were steamed in a sauce made from roasted tomatoes, chorizo, garlic, herbs (rosemary, for one) and white wine. Delicious.

DSC09693

Chef Armando hits back to back home runs with the burger and the mahi mahi tacos when it comes to the entrees.

DSC09712

DSC09726

The burger is a blend of short rib, chuck and brisket that makes for a tender, juicy and superbly flavorful patty of beef. Topped with onion marmalade, pickles, bacon, lettuce, red onion and cheese, you really can’t go wrong.

DSC09729

The fries on the side, however, were a little bit lacking in comparison to the incredible burger. Not as crispy as I like, and a little heavy on the grease flavor. The truffle fries had a better crisp to them, but I didn’t get much of the truffle flavor, and they were cut a little thicker than I like for French fries.

DSC09715

The tacos are super refreshing, with really nicely cooked fish and fresh ingredients. I’d definitely go back for these.

DSC09738

We seriously tasted an astonishing amount of food on this press event. Next was the open-faced strip steak sandwich on a French baguette, topped with melty gruyere, red onion and arugula.

DSC09718_2

The steak was pre-sliced but thick, making it good for the open-faced, knife-and-fork format.

The lobster mac and cheese was topped with a generous portion of lobster claw and tail meat, and it had the flavor of truffle oil to bring some earthiness into the dish.

DSC09732

We even tried a salad with grilled chicken. Pretty good. It was nicely dressed and the chicken breast was perfectly cooked.

DSC09736

For dessert, we sampled both the creme brûlée and the chocolate cake. My favorite between the two was the creme brûlée. It was smooth and creamy, nice and evenly textured.

DSC09746

The chocolate cake was served warm, with a scoop of house made vanilla on the side.

DSC09744

The cake was slightly dry, but the ice cream was a good way balance that: eat some ice cream with each bite of cake, and problem solved.

DSC09752

But what can I say: The Cake Dealer really spoils me when it comes to cake and bake.

To sum up: I’ll definitely be back here for some drinks, burgers and tacos. Great shit. Awesome US craft beer selection (like Bourbon County) that rotates out often, and excellent burgers. Most likely I will come for happy hour and indulge in some dollar oysters too.

THE MALT HOUSE
206 Thompson St.
New York, NY 10012

Ginvent Calendar

Drinks by the Dram offers up some amazing holiday gift sets. In particular is their line of advent calendars filled with beautifully crafted glass dram jars of booze. You can choose from whisky, rum, vodka, cognac, tequila, bourbon, absinthe, armagnac, mezcal and gin (original and botanical), along with “premium,” “old” and “rare” versions of some, which contain an even better selection of drams than that which is already inside the standard versions. I can’t praise these guys enough; what they’re doing is ground breaking.

I’ve already chronicled my love of their whisky advent calendars (I’ve tried both the standard and the premium, thanks to my amazing wife), but this year I completed the “ginvent” calendar. On December 1st, my wife gave me this incredible early Christmas gift:

IMG_20151201_093109

Day 1: Edinburgh Gin – peppery and crisp, florals release when shaken with ice.

20151201_075510

Day 2: Filliers Dry Gin 28 – dry, very nice for a martini

20151202_074029

Day 3: Hayman’s Old Tom Gin – citrus / sweet lemon botanicals

20151203_083138

Day 4: Tarquins Handcrafted Cornish Gin – smooth, medium botanicals

20151204_085410

Day 5: Perry’s Tot Navy Strength Gin – Strong as FUCK – difficult to drink near at room temperature, heavy on the juniper/evergreen flavor and aroma, but shaking this up with ice really tames the flavors into a wonderful cold-sipping gin

20151205_111903

Day 6: Two Birds London Dry Gin – really smooth and clean, especially when shaken with ice – my favorite so far.

20151206_174859

Day 7: Darnley’s View Gin – nice and smooth, even neat and at room temperature – would be great in a martini, slightly peppery.

20151207_191457

Day 8: Dangley’s No. 8 Distilled London Gin – good amount of coriander and lemon peel.

20151208_081005

Day 9: Ferdinand’s Saar Dry Gin – tasted of slight bitterness and spice, definitely dry!

20151209_082645

Day 10: St. George Terroir Gin – strong flavor and aroma of the woods, tree bark, pine needles and sap.

20151210_184317

Day 11: Fifty Pounds Gin – this is my all-time favorite gin, and 11 happens to be my favorite number – its dry, has a little spice to it, super clean and crisp – excellent for either sipping neat or for an ice cold martini.

20151211_080810

Day 12: Warner Edwards Harrington Dry Gin – so I guess these gins have brand names like law firm partnership names – this one was clean and crisp after a shake with ice, but I wasn’t crazy about it neat at room temperature.

DSC09365

Day 13: Da Mhile Farmhouse Botanical Gin – fragrant with florals on the nose, generous citrus peel / lemon rind and coriander flavors.

20151213_114104

Day 14: Elephant Dry Gin – strong, spiced, very nice for dry martinis.

20151214_190350

Day 15: FEW Barrel Aged Gin – amber coloring, like a whisky, with a slight whisky flavor to it from the aging process – fantastic gin!

12347964_1086854001326164_3407157369033325595_n

Day 16: Death’s Door Gin 2011 Harvest – taste was clean, crisp and strong.

20151216_080406

Day 17: Pickering’s Gin – tasted smooth, crisp and dry, with a hint of juniper and citrus.

20151217_190757

Day 18: Hendrick’s Gin – one of my top choices, this is a dry gin that’s excellent for a high quality martini. Unfortunately I let a few days build up so my photo here is from a catch-up day of several gins. And no, I’m not a pussy. I was busy drinking other shit on those missed days.

20151221_182202

Day 19: Dodd’s Gin (The London Distillery Company) – taste is heavy with juniper and pine, but not overpoweringly strong in the alcohol bite. Drink with ice or cold.

Day 20: Whitley Neill Handcrafted Dry Gin – this stuff is fantastic. I first became aware of this gin at a bar show in the Javitz Center a while back when I first started drinking gin. It has unique flavorings inspired by African botanicals like gooseberry, cassia bark, angelica root, florentine iris and baobab fruit, as well as the standard coriander, lemon peel, orange peel and juniper berries. The silhouette of a grand baobab tree is actually on the label as their logo. This gin is a surprisingly refreshing new take on the standard style London dry gin. Drink neat if you like!

Day 21: Pinkster Gin – the gin actually has a slight pink hue to it, as you can somewhat see in the image above. It’s really light, at 37.5% alcohol, but with a spicy kick. I drank it neat at room temperature, but I imagine it would be great cold, on the rocks, in a martini or in a mixed drink.

Day 22: Professor Cornelius Ampleforth’s Bathtub Gin – crisp and dry, very nice when taken cold, shaken with ice. Somewhat like a good Beefeater or Hendricks.

20151222_185821

Day 23: Citadelle Gin – flavor comes with a nice black peppercorn hit, but with a nice scent of lemon peel on the nose. I enjoyed this neat, at room temperature.

20151223_115633-01

Day 24: Four Pillars Rare Dry Gin – tasted more botanical and bitter than I expected, but the scent was a pleasant citrus lemon. Much better, and more mild, when shaken with ice.

20151223_115716-01-01

Guide to NYC Food Halls

Food halls are becoming a big thing in NYC. At these places, you’ll find tons of small booths or kiosks, typically inhabited by some of NYC’s top restaurants or food merchants. In the last few years there has been an explosion of these joints popping up all over, with big-named chefs and celebs like Anthony Bourdain and Mario Batali throwing their weight behind the idea (yes, that’s a fat joke about Mario). This page is your resource for exploring them. Essentially it’s just a list, with an occasional link for the ones that I’ve visited and decided to write about in the past:

COMING SOON:

  • Anthony Bourdain’s food market at Pier 57 (August 2016)
  • Danny Meyer’s food hall at Hudson Yards
  • Dekalb Market Hall (currently closed)

Blu on Park

Blu on Park overall score: 90

NOTE: THIS PLACE IS NOW CLOSED

This joint just opened up on 60th Street, just east of Park (not actually ON Park, but close enough). Owner Amir is having a great first few weeks after opening, with a packed house on most nights. Chef Russell slings the food here, after doing a 12 year stint at The Boathouse in Central Park. Impressive.

Flavor: 10
I ate here with my wife, sister in law and brother in law, so we got to try a good amount of food. For our steaks, we went with a 40oz tomahawk rib eye for two, as well as a porterhouse for two. Let me first discuss the tomahawk:

DSC09627

This fucker was cooked perfectly. You can see that nice bright pink medium rare awesomeness  stretch from end to end. The crust had ample and robust seasoning, which was kept simple to course salt and cracked pepper. Even the far end of the fat cap was still a perfect medium rare; I was really impressed with that.

DSC09620

The porterhouse was similarly pro-executed. In fact, in the first few bites, we couldn’t readily identify which side was which between the filet and the strip – THAT’S how tender the strip side was!

DSC09629

On second glance it’s clear that the top is strip and the bottom is filet, but the filet side was quite generous.

Choice of Cuts & Quality Available: 10
Blu offers two sizes of filet, two sizes of rib eye, multiple sizes of porterhouse and a strip. Everything is aged for about 28 days (with the exception of the filet) and is prime quality. These babies come from Master Purveyors in the Bronx. I’m familiar with their products and I can tell you they are top notch.

Portion Size & Plating: 10
Portions are all generous here, from apps on up the chain to entrees and desserts. The plating is simple and elegant, no fuss.

Price: 8
The prices here seem to be on par with other steakhouses in the area. It was a hefty bill, but I didn’t feel ripped off. In fact, it was the opposite: I was really happy with the meal and was happy to fork over money for a well-worth-it meal.

DSC09640

Bar: 8
This place puts up some really great cocktails, and it has a killer selection of scotches, like Ardbeg Uigeadail – a super smoky and peat-infused islay whisky.

DSC09610

The bar is a beautiful black quartz topped stretch that is clean and chic, with gorgeous high tops and seating nearby.

DSC09607

Definitely a cool place to hang out, especially with cocktail napkins like these – haha!

DSC09609

Specials and Other Meats:7
There were no specials just yet, as the joint is pretty much brand new! The only other selection aside from beef was veal – the rest is seafood. I don’t mind that one bit – it’s just one spot where I need to deduct some points.

Apps, Sides & Desserts: 8
We tried some oysters and the beef carpaccio for starters. Both were incredible. The oysters were west coasters that were meaty, clean and crisp:

DSC09613

The carpaccio was filet that was sliced thin and topped with some watercress greens, meyer lemon, crispy fried artichokes and shaved cheese. Great way to prime up for more meat.

DSC09616

For sides, we went with creamed spinach, whipped potatoes and roasted king oyster mushrooms. Let’s start with the best – the mushrooms.

DSC09622

I typically pass on mushroom sides at steakhouses because they generally seem to be a huge waste of money. They’re usually some crappy-ass button mushrooms that are overly buttery and mixed with onions. They may taste fine, but I can do that at home for $3. Here, the king oyster mushrooms, first off, are expensive and more rare. Second, they’re meaty and earthy, a great compliment to a piece of steak. They roast them with garlic here and they come out absolutely perfect. Third/last, at just $12 I find this to be a great buy. I’ve seen these ‘shrooms go for $24-$32/lb in some grocery stores. They also offer these “unsliced” and with a few other sides as a main, vegan option entree. Great idea.

The creamed spinach was a bit lacking for me, but my wife and I both agreed that we enjoyed the texture, which was broken up here and there with some crispness.

DSC09624

The mashed potatoes, which I didn’t photograph, were creamy and smooth, but they were nothing to necessarily write home about. When I visit again, I’ll stick with the mushrooms and maybe try the french fries instead.

For dessert we shared a key lime pie that was more like a layer cake than pie. My wife and I really enjoyed the change-up for this dish. The cake had an almost nutty quality, with the texture of carrot cake. It came with a scoop of coconut sorbet that was really icy and mild – not too sweet.

DSC09632

The manager, Carlos, was a real gentleman. He sent over a complimentary glass of after dinner dessert port for each of us, as well as a follow up reception at the bar with glasses of champagne and a cheese platter! We were blown away.

DSC09644

DSC09649

DSC09646

DSC09647

If you lack a sweet tooth, like I sometimes do, then this cheese plate is the way to go. The blue cheese on there is incredible! Especially when you mix bites alongside the fig cake.

Seafood Selection: 10
There’s a shitload of awesome, fresh fish on the menu. Salmon, branzino, sea bass, tuna and lobster all grace the menu in entree format. The apps are chock full of shellfish offerings (as mentioned above), and the plateau selections looked amazing.

Service: 10
I already mentioned Carlos’ amazing hospitality above, but I have to say that everyone here is great. All the way from owner to management, from front to back and the bar in between. Our waiter, Johnny, was a real gent (nice name too). And everyone was dressed really nice and sharp – waiters had nice suits with bow ties, and the table service was highly attentive without being in-your-face all the time. Well done guys!

DSC09611

DSC09612

The bread was warm and fresh – olive stick or white dinner roll – and the butter was soft and easily spreadable.

Ambiance: 9
Amir has curated an absolutely incredible renovation from what was once a Chinese food restaurant and an office space into a really elegant and inviting two-floor steak joint. The downstairs is perfect for hanging out and sipping cocktails. Up a half a floor is a nice small dining area with a fireplace and high ceilings, with impressive wine shelving all over the walls.

DSC09617

Then up another half level is a long stretch of beautiful dining space that overlooks a huge full-front-of-the-building window and nicely painted exposed brick walls. There’s even a small private dining room that can probably seat about 20 for events.

DSC09652

GREAT new spot. Check it out and tell them I sent  you.

BLU ON PARK
116 E. 60th St.
New York, NY 10022

Columbus Salame Secchi

I just posted another salami review where I noted that Trader Joe’s always hits the mark, it seems, in providing high quality for low cost. This Columbus brand “Salame Secchi” is no exception:

DSC09581

This was mild and lean, hard and dry.

DSC09585

It sliced easy and had a great, slightly sweet flavor to it.

DSC09589

I initially went to Trader Joe’s to try their truffle salami, but they were all out. I picked this up, along with the Volpi sopressata, just because I was craving hard meat (commence jokes).

DSC09591

I was definitely happy with the purchase. This style ran me $8 for 9oz. That’s not bad at all.