Flash Deals, Harlem, Ramen, Upper East Side

Yasha Ramen

September 28, 2014 Johnny Prime 2 Comments

My wife and I grabbed a sweet group on deal for this place: $15 gets you $25 worth of food.

Since it was up on 106th/107th, a good hike for us, we made a little trip out of it. There were a few spots around that corner of Central Park that I always wanted to see, as well as the home of Harry Houdini.

Anyway – back to the point… we were able to try three different bowls of ramen. I had the tonkotsu, pork broth with half a seasoned egg and some cha-shu pork. Very tasty:

My wife had the signature ramen, but the spicy version. This is a chicken broth. I liked the kick of the spice, but the chicken based broth over at Totto edges this out a little.

Last was the curry ramen. This bowl came with wavy noodles (the other two were al dente straight noodles, likely alkaline as opposed to egg noodles), as well as a stew-like broth that even had potato and carrot mixed in. Very flavorful and different.

The establishment was spacious, which I liked. Lots of times at these ramen shops I feel like I am bumping elbows with nearby diners. Annoying. And it also gets way too hot in those cramped little shit boxes. This place had high ceilings, a nice big clean bathroom, and enough eating space to feel comfortable, even when fully packed out for lunch crowds, which it was…

Here’s a look at the dude slinging the goods:

YASHA
940 Amsterdam Ave
New York, NY 10025

Burgers, Deli, Long Island, Restaurant Reviews

TJ’s Hero Shop

September 26, 2014 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

This little place makes some really great sang-witches. One day my wife and I went over there and picked up five different selections and brought them over to my parents so we could all try.

We tried the Louisiana Lightning (grilled cajun chicken with lettuce, tomato, onion and spicy stealth sauce), the Reuben (my favorite of them all), the Stealth (roast pork with lettuce tomato onion and stealth sauce), the Philly Cheesesteak, and the Big Steer (essentially a cheeseburger sandwich). All were excellent, but the Reuben really stole the show, with the Big Steer and Louisiana Lightning coming in close behind. Perhaps the Super Steak would have been the better choice than the regular Philly, as it comes on toasted garlic bread!

Louisiana Lightning:

Philly Cheesesteak:

Reuben:

Big Steer:

Stealth:

TJ’S HERO SHOP
524 Mastic Rd.
Mastic Beach, NY 11951

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

Thai Son

September 25, 2014 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

This was our old standby for Vietnamese food in the old neighborhood. It’s not the best around, but on average it was better for the things we ordered every time. Certain other places had items that we loved that were not on the menu here (like the avocado shake), but this place was cheap and consistent, so we frequented it pretty regularly. Some of the highlights: summer rolls, spring rolls, pho, banh cuon, and that wacky shredded ice drink with all the sweet beans, carrots and jelly thingies in it.

THAI SON
89 Baxter St.
New York, NY 10013

Brooklyn, Latin/Mexican & Caribbean, Restaurant Reviews

Habana Outpost

September 25, 2014 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

I was really hoping for a great burrito here, something to rival my pure love for Charly’s, but I was disappointed. I came here for a quick dinner before a concert at the Barclay’s Ccenter. All signs pointed to this being a great meal, but ultimately it was just average. The burrito I had was actually crappy. Dry, no cheese, and light on flavor. I guess it was healthy for all the asshole smelly hippies over in Brooklyn these days. The cuban sandwich, on the other hand, was delightful. I’d eat that again, but I am fairly certain I can find an as-good cuban sammy if I were drunk and blind in Hell’s Kitchen. You can skip this place, but I do admit that the outdoor drinking is pretty fun, especially for a concert pre-game.

HABANA OUTPOST
757 Fulton St.
Brooklyn, NY 11217

Banh Mi, Midtown West, Pho, Restaurant Reviews, Vietnamese

Cha Pas

September 25, 2014 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

Cha Pas is a pretty good little mostly-Vietnamese restaurant in Hell’s Kitchen. They serve up some pretty good food here, but the prices reflect a place that is not like the downtown joints. This is more expensive. For some dishes, it’s worth it, but for others, not so much. That said, everything I’ve had here is very good. I’ve tried the banh mi, the pho, the Vietnamese chicken wings, the clay pot pork belly, and the chicken curry. No real disappointments to speak of, and the Vietnamese coffee is very good. They also have some more difficult to find Southeast Asian beers as well, and a really cool painted, exposed brick wall on the inside.

CHA PAS
314 W. 52nd St.
New York, NY 10019

Indian, Midtown West, Restaurant Reviews

Baluchi’s

September 25, 2014 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

UPDATE: THIS PLACE IS NOW CLOSED

My wife and I have alway sheen big fans of Baluchi’s because of their consistency with the dishes that we like, and their amazing lunch specials and dinner combo meals. At lunch time, nearly everything is half off, and that includes weekends. At dinner, they have combo meals for something like $16 that come with naan, rice, a main dish, and an appetizer. You really can’t beat the price. We were happy to find a new location near our apartment, which is being run by a gentleman who is trying to bring the recipes back to a more authentic Indian cuisine as opposed to the Americanized versions at the other locations. I’m always a big fan of the saagwala chicken here – it always delivers exactly what I want.

BALUCHI’S
493 9th Ave.
New York, NY 10018

American, Burgers, Midtown West, Restaurant Reviews

Thalia’s Dollar Oyster Special

September 25, 2014 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

NOTE: THIS JOINT IS NOW CLOSED!

Thalia over on 8th Avenue has an amazing oyster deal. EVERY DAY from 7:00pm through 1:00am they have dollar oysters, and they are GOOD. The times I have gone, they were all nice quality, clean Bluepoints. What a steal! And with a great drink menu, this place is the perfect spot for grabbing a quick bite and buzz.

On a second trip for oysters, we had a full meal here. I had the burger. It was essentially my LGBT sandwich with a burger patty in the mix. While it was really nicely cooked, it needed just a bit more seasoning, as did the fries.

The fries had a great texture and flavor – just lacked a little salt.

My wife had pasta made from zucchini, which was nice and light, and topped with beans, mushrooms, and cheese.

For dessert we shared a velvet chocolate mousse. It had some cake on the bottom which I didn’t like as much as the mousse portion, but it was nice.

Check out this great drink I had too – really refreshing and tasty:

On another trip I had the spaghetti. Really simple but well executed. I found the sauce to be a bit too sweet, so I slapped some globs of the kalamata olive spread into it (the spread comes with the table breads). That made it perfect.

*DOLLAR OYSTERS NO LONGER AVAILABLE*

THALIA
828 8th Ave.
New York, NY 10019

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

Iron Bar’s Pig Wings

September 25, 2014 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

“Pig Wings” are making a big showing now on bar and restaurant menus. WTF are they, you ask? They are small portions of bone-in pork that have been trimmed down to look like little drumsticks of sorts, with a hunk of meat surrounding the bone. I figured I would mention these fuckers since they are pretty good at Iron Bar over on 8th Avenue and 45th Street. They were crisp and juicy, with a really great dipping sauce to boot. I’m hoping to see more of them at other spots in the future.

I came back to this joint when I picked up an Amazon Local deal for $20 that scored me $40 worth of food and drink. Pretty sweet deal. I tried their Iron Burger, which had gorgonzola, grilled onions, and crispy prosciutto. Fucking sweet. Cooked perfectly, lots of funky flavor from the cheese, and good juiciness without going overboard. The fries were excellent too – nice battered style, really crispy, nice and soft inside.

My buddy picked up the Juicy Lucy burger, which is a patty stuffed with cheddar cheese. He gave it the thumbs up and said it was a great burger. Looks beautiful, right?

IRON BAR
713 8th Ave.
New York, NY 10036

BBQ, East Village, Press Reviews

Mighty Quinn’s

September 25, 2014 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

This recent addition to the BBQ scene sits on Second Avenue and draws a pretty big line at mea time. The set up is basically like any old fast food joint, where you stand in line, place your order, and tun wait to carry it away on a tray. The food is fucking delicious; everything from the sides to the mains. My buddy and I tried some sausage, some brisket, some ribs and a pair of delicious sides. Check the food porn – the cool part is you can eat street side:

UPDATE 2/26/17

Amazing beef rib. For $28 this is better than going to a steakhouse.

Pastrami sandwich – limited time only – was so freaking good.

And burnt ends sandwich was killer.

Standard brisket sandwich:

Spicy chicken sandwich:

Hot links:

S’mores bread pudding!

MIGHTY QUINN’S
103 2nd Ave
New York, NY 10003

German, Midtown West, Parms, Pub Food, Restaurant Reviews

Reichenbach Hall

September 24, 2014 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

This place is a massive German / Bavarian beer hall in midtown that serves up massive brews in massive mugs (and boots).

I came here soon after it opened with a lot of excitement in my heart, because I absolutely LOVE German beer halls. There’s just something about the fun group atmosphere that makes it unique.

Anyway, it was here that I discovered a really amazing grapefruit beer (Schoffenhofer). After drinking it, I was on the hunt, and even found some at a local distributor on Long Island. Needless to say, the fridge remained stocked with them until we moved back to the city.