Category Archives: Pub Food

1 2 3 Burger Shot Beer

April 22, 2015 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

I’ve walked by this joint on many occasions. Today I finally had the time to go in and see what it’s all about.

The name comes from the daily specials offered: $1 burgers (sliders), $2 shots and $3 beers – ANY beer on tap, other than the ciders. Not fuckin’ bad!

The joint is set up like a college style sports bar. Lots of TVs throughout, with seating at the bar and along the opposite wall.

They even have some drinking games like the wheel of death pictured below, along with beer pong, and there is an outside drinking area in the back as well.

So I came with a coworker and we noticed outside that if you bring a friend you can get their daily lunch special in a two-for-one deal. The daily lunch special is three sliders, fries, and a beer for $7. Normally that will cost you $10 if you order the items separately, on their own. With the “bring a friend” special we got six sliders, two beers and two fries for $7. AWESOME!

The beers are probably only 10oz, but they don’t restrict you on the draft options, which is nice. I got a Hoegaarden and my buddy got a Rebel IPA.

The sliders are nice and tasty. They come topped with American cheese and grilled onions, nicely jammed between a mini potato bun. Deeeeelicious. I can easily put away a dozen without even blinking.

The fries needed salt. They were decent, but seasoned with a salt substitute sort of thing. Perhaps paprika and some other herbs. The portion size is a bit small if you were ordering separately at the full $4 price tag.

Since I’m a fat fuck, I also needed to try some other items. First was this Philly cheese steak. It comes with finely sliced steak, ooey-gooey cheese and onions on a hot dog style bun for $5. I ate the fuck out of this thing. It was way tastier than the sliders, for sure. But maybe you can get a better one at a larger size for just a few bucks more down at Shorty’s, nearby on 9th Avenue in the 40s.

Wednesday is double wing day. When you order wings, they double it for free. I recommend that Wednesday is the ONLY day to try the wings here, as they are small (which I actually like, but most people do not) and don’t come with many per order (four or five), at a price tag of $7. Since we came on a Wednesday, our order was $7 for nine or ten wings. They’re breaded and fried crisp before they are tossed in the Hell’s Kitchen wing sauce, which is a standard mild to medium spice level. If you get these on a non-Wednesday, you’ll probably feel like you got ripped off.

Overall this is a great place to grab some grub and suds, especially on a nice day, since the place has an open and airy feel. Go with a friend during lunch to get the most bang for your buck. That two-for-one special on the $7 lunch deal is amazing. Just add some more sliders to the order to get a real filling meal out of it.

1 2 3 BURGER SHOT BEER
738 10th Ave
New York, NY 10019

American, Burgers, Carcass Club/Beast Feast, Nolita/Soho, Non-Steakhouse Steaks, Other Cuts, Pub Food, Restaurant Reviews

Burger & Barrel

April 20, 2015 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

This place easily comes in as one of my favorite burgers in the city. I tried the bash burger (bacon and onion jam), and the classic (lettuce and tomato). Both came with American cheese as the standard, and both were fucking amazing: great bun, and astounding meat flavor. The fries were perfectly cooked and seasoned as well, and the batter on the onion rings was so crisp and delicious.. I’ll definitely be dining here again, especially for the prime rib dinner.

The bash burger was so good that you didn’t miss the crunch from the lettuce or the coolness of the tomato:

The classic was firing on all cylinders. Every aspect of this thing worked. Tomato was sliced a little thicker than I normally like, but it was not unwieldy because the other stuff was all the right thickness.

It’s no wonder this place, which is run by the same folks at Bowery Meat Company, is running away with all sorts of burger awards.

UPDATE 4/20/15

I went back yesterday with my wife and my parents to celebrate me and my wife’s 6th wedding anniversary.

We did the prime rib dinner for four, which you will need to reserve in advance because they need lots of time to prep the roast (I think it cooks for 8 hours). Check out the menu:

We started with a few brews since we were walking around a lot that afternoon and needed some refreshments:

The family style apps were pretty delicious. First were these little chicken lollipops. Super crispy skin, some Korean style BBQ sauce drizzled over with sesame seeds and some greens. These are addicting. I only wish there were eight instead of six in the order, that way we each could have eaten two. They’re a little too good to stop at just one, despite the massive amount of food yet to come.

The tuna tartare was nice, light and refreshing. It was topped with an avocado spread and served with waffle-cut potato chips. Everything was just right on this dish.

Next up were the individually ordered salads. Since there were three to choose from, we had one of each and then an extra that was doubled. So we ordered two of the beet salads. The beets were perfectly roasted, and the toasted walnuts gave good texture and crunch to the salad. The goat cheese was so soft and velvety, and the orange segments added a citrus pop that really made this salad stand out as the best of the three.

The kale salad had butternut squash, faro and cranberries. This was dressed nicely with a honey mustard vinaigrette.

The last of the salads was apple and arugula with shaved fennel, pine nuts and parmigiano, lightly dressed with a light apple vinegar.

The star of the show is this Creekstone Farms roasted prime rib.

This is a LOT of beef for just four people. The waiter said that it comes out to about 14oz per person, but that is a serious understatement. I think my cut alone, which wasn’t as big as my dad’s, was about 24oz.

So thick and juicy. The seasoning got way down into the meat, and the crust of spices along the outside edges was incredible. The fat was pretty much all edible meat jello – so tasty. Not one bite became monotonous or boring, as is the case many times with prime rib. This had a ton of character. I can’t even describe to you how amazing the restaurant smelled when they carried this bad boy out to us. They also served it with two sauces: bordelaise and peppercorn poivre sauce. Both were great but I tended to hit the peppercorn sauce a little more often.

Even the sides were amazing here. First, I’ve never tasted a tater tot so good in my life. They were perfectly crisp, and herbed up nice with rosemary flavor.

The brussels sprouts were crispy and light, but packed a ton of flavor. I could eat this like a snack while watching TV.

The spinach was perfectly seasoned and sautéed in garlic and oil – no heavy cream to weigh down the meal.

And the potatoes were so unique. They seemed like they were ripped up, baked and fried fingerlings with caramelized onions. They had a really dynamic texture of crisp and soft mixed throughout.

Finally, for dessert we had apple fritters with chocolate truffles, topped with ice cream and caramel sauce. These were like little doughnuts made from apple. Nice and crisp on the outside, with a perfectly cooked apple on the inside. I’m usually not a huge fan of chocolate but that truffle was excellent!

The staff was really great here, and they brought us out a complimentary pair of mini bottles of rose champagne when they overheard us talking about the fact that we were celebrating an anniversary. Really nice touch, and the champagne was tasty!

Overall this is one of my favorite places to eat in the city right now.

The bar has a great, fun atmosphere, and every item I’ve tried here is pretty much an example of the best I’ve had. This doesn’t come as much of a shocker though, because all of the restaurants in their group as just as amazing. If you haven’t been here yet, get your ass down here ASAP and try some of the items pictured above. I promise, you will not be disappointed.

UPDATE 3/26/18

Subsequent return trips to B&B for the prime rib:

BURGER & BARREL
25 W. Houston St.
New York, NY 10012

Burgers, Midtown West, Pub Food, Restaurant Reviews

Judge Roy Bean Public House

March 27, 2015 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

I heard the burger was good here, and I had been in for drinks in the past… so I went in for some food with a buddy of mine. The place has a cool namesake, after a crazy old judge from way back in US history who used to do some outlandish shit in his courtroom. You can read it on their website or Wikipedia. I ain’t going into it here.

With no happy hour specials for drinks, I stuck to the cheap shit ($4).

I ordered the burger with American, but they didn’t have American, so I picked pepper jack. They offer this puppy for $10 during lunch hours (with fries AND a beer included), so I was a little bummed that there wasn’t at least a happy hour deal for drinks. This is $14:

It wasn’t bad. It wasn’t great either. It was mediocre pub food. The meat was cooked nicely, but the bun was a little weak:

Fries were decent. Crispy and well seasoned.

I mocked my friend for getting another chicken sandwich. This is the same guy that I routinely blast for ordering turkey burgers and grilled chicken sandwiches at bars. There are few things that standard bars can do well (outside of the gastro-pubs): they are burgers, wings and a variety of fried appetizer shit. I wasn’t surprised that his sandwich was way under par. It had a small smear of guacamole on it (instead of sliced avocados), a small, thin chicken breast, and the single slice of bacon was cold and limp, contrary to his asking for it well done and crispy. Oh well. Lesson learned – stop ordering bitch food at manly bars.

JUDGE ROY BEAN PUBLIC HOUSE
38 W. 56th St.
New York, NY 10019

Burgers, Pub Food, Union Square/Flatiron

Nevada Smith’s

March 15, 2015 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

This is a bar on 3rd Avenue near 13th Street. I grabbed a quick burger here and figured I’d yap about it. Everything was great except for the bun. That shit was crumbling and falling apart once I got halfway through. But the meat, cheese and toppings were all legit. Good flavor. Hit the spot.

NEVADA SMITH’S
100 3rd Ave
New York, NY 10003

Other, Pub Food, Restaurant Reviews, Tribeca

Smith & Mills

March 2, 2015 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

Smith & Mills is a tiny little joint in Tribeca that’s known for serving up great cocktails. They use herbs, fire, egg whites, spices, the whole nine. But what is less known is that they serve up some really great food as well. My wife and I came here and we sampled some of the stuff.

Mussels. Packed with flavor, delicious broth for dipping the bread too. Sop that shit up.

Burrata. Absolutely perfect. Soft, savory, sweet, tomatoes were juicy and flavorful, and the bread was again fantastic.

Plus, if you can get one of their pull-back toy cars to ride across the entire length of the bar, you get a free drink! Beware of the Corvette though. Getting it to generate enough speed is difficult, and it likes to pull to the right.

SMITH & MILLS
71 N. Moore St.
New York, NY 10013

Burgers, Midtown West, Pub Food, Restaurant Reviews

House of Brews

February 26, 2015 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

This place has a huge selection of beer, including one of my favorites: a 15%ABV Goose Island Bourbon County stout that will fuck you up in no time. Tonight, however, my buddy and I sampled some stuff from this brewer, who was offering free pints to patrons that were interested in their shit (the Imperial Stout was legit):

The main reason for our visit was burgers. Of course my puss-bag friend went with a turkey burger because he’s watching his girlish figure, but I took down the Brew Burger with American cheese and jalapeños.

It stacked up nice: not too tall, and easy to wrap your mouth around. Kinda like Peter North, for all you ladies out there.

It was cooked to a perfect medium, and the bun held up under strict scrutiny. No soggy bottom, and, despite the toasted under-portion of the top bun, there was no flaking or crumbling.

Fries were pretty solid too. Nice and crispy. I’ve had better at several places, but for a $12 base burger (served WITH fries) this is a steal.

Wednesday night happy hour has 2-for-1 Bluepoints and $5 select drafts to boot. Not too shabby.

HOUSE OF BREWS
302 W. 51st St.
New York, NY 10019

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

Concrete

February 20, 2015 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

I scooped up a Groupon deal for this place because I wanted to try the burger, and it was pretty close by work. I came by on a Sunday once and it was closed (Penn Station/Garment District area is a dead zone on weekends), but the weekday happy hour was a great deal: $3 domestics and $4 drafts from 5pm-8pm.

The menu is actually pretty decent here. The burger was good! Potato bun, good healthy amount of cheese (and by healthy I mean a lot), and good crisp on a fat burger. Just pushing the limits on the thickness that I like in a burger.

I got about nine french fries with my burger, which was a little lame, but at least they tasted good.

My vaginal buddy first ordered a chicken sandwich, but that was doused with mayo, which he doesn’t like, so he sent it back and asked for the chicken fingers instead, since he was in a rush. Service was a bit slow up until then, so it wasn’t a problem to swap the order. The fingers were unique; breaded with cornflakes and fried to a golden crisp. The meat was tender too. I think maybe they just needed a dusting of salt.

This next thing we got as a sort-of dessert. Fried peanut butter and jelly balls. They were tasty! But they took a very long time to come out. Good things come to those who wait, I guess. One/two thing(s) that would make them even better: a chocolate dipping sauce and/or a dusting of cinnamon.

I never expected good food to come out of this joint. They have a C rating on the window, and the place is a small dumpy little shit hole in a shit hole neighborhood. But I’d definitely go back for this tasty and unique grub. I recommend you give these items a try! They also have a nice looking spicy lamb burger as well.

Everything pictured here was good, and in the color of light brown. So you can guess what color my shit will be.

CONCRETE
320 W. 37th St.
New York, NY 10018

American, Burgers, Midtown East, Press Reviews, Pub Food, Restaurant Reviews

The Breslin

February 15, 2015 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

My wife and I initially tried going to a dumpy joint near Penn Station to use a Groupon, but the place was closed. So I said, “Fuck it, babe. Let’s go to the fucking Breslin and get some sick grub.”

The place is awesome inside. I was digging the bar area so we skipped on getting a proper table. Plus the light near the windows were better for photos.

I had the house gin and tonic, which was dressed up with all spice and a little lime. It was nice.

I ordered the famous lamb burger. Despite the lack of lettuce, this was easily one of the best burgers I’ve had in Manhattan. Juicy, tons of flavor, not gamey, and distinctly Mediterranean or Greek due to the combination of lamb with feta cheese and red onion. All it needed was romaine and maybe some olives to really make it jump out the gates. The bun was crispy but not too hard to the point where your mouth gets all scratched the fuck up. It was incredible.

It came with thrice fried French fries and a little tub of cumin flavored mayonnaise. The mayo was close to overpowering but not quite. Just enough oomph. The fries were perfect, natural cut golden brownies that were seasoned just right.

My wife tried the seafood sausage. This thing was buttery and bursting with flavor. Made from lobster, shrimp and scallop, you could actually see the chunks of meat in the sausage as you cut into it. So good. Light, too.

The fish and chips were amazing as well – just needed a bit of salt to finish on the batter after frying.

I’ll definitely be back for the English breakfast and a few other items that looked amazing, like the gingerbread carrot cake pancakes. Maaaaan…

Other great things here:

Scotch Egg:

Lamb Chops:

Meat Pies:

Pork Chop:

THE BRESLIN
16 W. 29th St.
New York, NY 10001

Burgers, Midtown West, Pub Food, Restaurant Reviews

The Irish Pub

February 5, 2015 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

Wicked Willy’s

February 1, 2015 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

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.

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.

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.

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

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: