Tag Archives: midtown

Vive La Crepe

March 18, 2015 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

UPDATE – THIS JOINT IS NOW CLOSED!

This little crepe spot just opened around the corner from my place, on 7th Avenue at 58th Street. They serve both sweet and savory crepes, with stuff that’s suitable for everything from breakfast to lunch to dessert.

My wife and I came for the dessert varietals. I got a butter and sugar crepe with bananas, and my wife got dolce de leche with strawberries and raspberries.

Pretty great! Light batter, airy and crisp. I have to come back and try the savory offerings.

VIVE LA CREPE
912 7th Ave.
New York, NY 10019

Japanese, Midtown West, Ramen, Restaurant Reviews

Nippori

February 24, 2015 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

This little Japanese joint opened up in April of 2014. My ramen-master buddy found it while perusing a Yelp search for ramen in midtown west. He has tried nearly everything else in the city, so this was a new spot for him.

It was a pretty nice little place. Inside, there’s lots of space – not your typical jammed-up ramen joint with a line out the door and no space to lift your fucking elbow from the table. The bar and table seating is spacious, and there’s a second bar in the back for sushi.

When we walked in, I saw an awesome looking grilled squid dish. I wanted it badly, but I mistakenly ordered the sautéed squid item just above it on the menu. It was okay (slightly chewy for my liking), but it had a good spicy flavor from the jalapeños:

We also tried the fried chicken thighs (karage). These were good. Juicy and crispy. Gotta love the thigh meat.

For ramen, I tried the tonkotsu that came with miso flavored pork belly. it was okay. The broth was a little light and the pork was a little chewy (I like the belly to be fall-apart soft in ramen). Also, I expected the belly to be a thick cut, as opposed to thin bacon style. The noodles were good: thin, straight, firm … like Quagmire’s erect cock (that’s a pure guess – I’ve never seen it).

My buddy has been to nearly every ramen place in the 5 boroughs. He said this bowl of tan tan men was good and recommended; I believe a possible 3.5 out of 5 on his very difficult scale. I though thought the broth was robust and flavorful, just the right amount of spicy. Perhaps I would get it with straight noodles, knowing now that it is served with wavy egg noodles.

All that said, this is a rare spot that serves up a full Japanese food menu in addition to some decent ramen. It’s not just a ramen shop by any means.

On a second trip I tried some other items. First, the grilled squid. This was pretty good, nicely cooked, etc.

My wife ordered the salmon saddle, which was really flavorful and perfectly fried. The fat from within the layers of fish flakes was really delicious.

I tried the signature Nippori ramen, which was coconut milk-based with chicken, cilantro and red onion. I liked it a lot but I think the similar style at Tabata was a little bit more to my liking. The wavy egg noodles were nicely cooked, the egg was soft and delicious, but I think this bowl would benefit from some sliced jalapeños.

My wife ordered a soba dish but we got this skillet fried ramen dish instead. The pork in the dish was similar to the kind in my first bowl of ramen, up top. It was a good dish, but totally not what we expected from an order of soba.

For dessert we tried two items. First was the espresso and chocolate coffee gelato. This was really tasty, and I would definitely recommend it.

The key lime cheesecake was okay. I wasn’t blown away by it. It did the job, but that ice cream / gelato was way better.

NIPPORI
245 W. 51st St.
New York, NY 10019

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, Midtown East, Pub Food, Restaurant Reviews

Nelly Spillane’s

January 25, 2015 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

I snatched a Groupon for this joint. For about $20 we dug in on an app to share, two sandwiches/burgers, and a pitcher of beer. Pretty sweet deal, and the place has some good deals anyway for the daily specials. We started with a pitcher of Yuengling.

Here’s the app we shared – some standard wings. Nothing really bad or good to say about them. They were average.

The burger was ehh.

I feel like the meat may have been overworked. When mixing that chopped meat, one has to be careful not to over mix that shit, otherwise the resulting patty will be uniform in texture and sometimes can be tough. It wouldn’t surprise me if this joint uses frozen patties.

Fries were good and crisp, but not seasoned enough.

My wife’s grilled chicken sliders were excellent. Though a bit dry, they were generous in portion size and adequately cheesed up. The downside here was the salad that came with her trio of sliders. It was just sub par, at best.

To sum up: not bad if you’re in a bind and if you have that Groupon. If not, hop across to the west side of 33rd and hit Smashburger if you need that burger fix.

NELLY SPILLANE’S
18 E. 33rd St.
New York, NY 10016

Midtown East, Pizza

99¢ Fresh Pizza (5th Ave b/w 32nd & 33rd)

January 25, 2015 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

Here’s another category 3 joint for yo’ ass. Not a bad slice, but also not the top of the heap for this style. Cheese, sauce and crust all above average but a solid slice at a category 2 joint is still worth the upcharge.

Burgers, Midtown West

Smash Burger

January 25, 2015 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

This fast casual joint is on 33rd just west of 5th Avenue, and it packs a wallop of flavor for a burger and fry combo of under $9.

I got the Classic Smash, the 5oz patty (I was on my way to lunch, so I didn’t want to fill up too much). For $1 more you can upgrade to a 7oz patty. Not bad!

That’s an egg bun you see there. Very supple, strong and soft at the same time. This is a quality burger. The only down was that they put a bit too much mustard and ketchup on the fucker, so it got a little messy. The Smash Sauce alone would have been fine.

The fries are incredible. They’re shoestring fuckers, but they are slightly thinner than your typical Mickey D’s girth. This makes for a nice crisp texture without going overboard like them shits at Spotted Pig (which are, essentially, Potato Stix).

SMASH BURGER
10 W 33rd St
New York, NY 10001

Burgers, Midtown West, Pub Food, Restaurant Reviews

Stagecoach Tavern

January 10, 2015 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

I’ve walked by this joint a million times and never thought twice about entering.

But a buddy and me decided to stroll in and try the burger. I thought it was going to be a fucking tourist trap shithole, but I was wrong. The inside is spacious, and actually nice.

The burger here is incredible.

Better than Rosie O’Grady’s nearby, better than P.J. Carney’s as well. In fact, I’d say it is one of the best burgers in midtown. The patty had a great crunchy crust on the outside edges. it was cooked properly to my “medium” specification. It was thick but not too thick that you can’t add toppings, and the cheese ratio was just right. Bun was strong and pliable as well. The only thing I didn’t like was the lettuce (garden mix as opposed to iceberg). I also swapped out cheddar for American cheese.

My buddy got a “chicken burger,” which was essentially some chicken breast pounded flat and breaded/fried, then topped with ham and swiss, and smeared with some thousand island dressing.

The fries were also excellent here as well. Crispy, natural cut, golden-brown twigs of awesome.

STAGECOACH TAVERN
834 7th Ave.
New York, NY 10019

Burgers, Diner, Flash Deals, Midtown East

Johnny Rocket’s

January 3, 2015 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

My first encounter with a Johnny Rocket’s was back in about 2000 in Hoboken, NJ. I liked the concept of a throwback, old school, all-American diner/burger and shake joint. Now that burgers and this restaurant concept is high on NYC foodie radar, I felt like it was time to give respect to a company that was ahead of its time.

My wife and I popped into the Third Avenue & 56th Street location with a special deal that my wife nabbed for $10 or something crazy. Basically we got to choose any two burgers, any two types of fries or onion rings, and any two shakes.

The place was booming with feel-good music from the 50s and early 60s. The decor was classic chrome and vinyl. As a fan of this era (cars, music, attire, etc), I was in a happy place.

I know this place is a chain, and it’s not Jean le Roquet or some French burger bistro. But let’s be honest here. If something tastes good, what the fuck does it matter?

Check out how delicious my classic double American cheeseburger looks, with jalapeños, shredded lettuce, sliced tomato and chopped onion looks. This place is so far the ONLY burger joint in NYC that knew to put a smear of mayonnaise on the bottom bun to prevent burger juice destruction. I was impressed.

The patties were just a shade overcooked for my liking, at medium-well instead of medium, but then again I was never even asked how I’d like my burger cooked. You may have noticed, I went with the onion rings. They had a nice crispy batter on them, they were well seasoned, not too big, and not mushy inside. Perfect for me.

My wife got the “12” burger, which I believe came with sliced onion and cheddar. She also opted for cheese fries, which were pretty nice as well.

Shakes are presented in the classic 50s/60s style, in old style Coke glasses with the metal glass holder, and a stainless mixer cup that contains some overflow extra shake. These were filling! But delicious. I went with a vanilla-chocolate mix, and my wife went with a chocolate-strawberry mix.

Overall I will just say this: the prices are extremely reasonable for NYC food, and if you’re a food elitist then you may be missing out on good food. They do a good job here so don’t walk on by just because the name is synonymous with the food court in the mall, ESPECIALLY if you score a sweet deal like my wife did.

JOHNNY ROCKET’S
930 3rd Ave
New York, NY 10022

Italian, Midtown West, Rib Eye, Steakhouse Reviews

Nino’s Tuscany

December 20, 2014 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

Nino’s Tuscany overall score: 68

EDIT: This place is now CLOSED!

This place grabbed my attention when I saw the meat in their window as I walked by.

The “Italian Steakhouse” concept has been picking up momentum lately, with places like Costata, Quality Italian and Il Mulino Prime developing lots of buzz. I had to try it. Plus is it just down the street from our apartment.

Flavor: 5
My steak was a little bit on the bland side unfortunately. It was cooked perfectly, and my compliments to the chef for a wonderful sear, but I think it was under-seasoned and just didn’t have some of the oomph that some other places nearby have. It was served on a hot plate that smelled deliciously of butter.

Choice of Cuts & Quality Available: 6
The cuts in the window looked fantastic, so I will have to be kind in this section, despite my steak being a bit gristled and fatty. I love a good rib eye that has soft, jelly-like fat, but my cut was laced with some of the more tough to eat ribbons of fat. A shame too, because it was indeed cooked so beautifully. They do offer all the basic steak cuts though: porterhouse, strip, filet and rib eye.

Portion Size & Plating: 8
Portions here are just right. Not too much, not too little. You’ll go home full, and the plating is simple and basic, clean, neat, and without pretense.

Price: 5
I felt that the price was a bit high given the fact that my steak was not up to snuff. At $52 I expect near perfection. My wife’s chicken dish was fairly priced, however, as were the rest of the items we ordered. We stayed away from the appetizers though, as they seemed a little steep as well.

Bar: 7
This joint has a very cool bar area. With brick arches and columns to split it away from the main dining areas, you feel like you are in a cozy neighborhood spot. There’s also live music near the main entrance and bar area too, so it makes for a nice place to have a drink.

Specials and Other Meats: 8
There were no specials read to us, but as far as other meats go, they did offer an ossobuco dish, and various veal, chicken and lamb preparations: a solid showing. My wife had Cornish Hen, which was really nice. Crispy skin, juicy meat all over (even the tits), and a nice rosemary wine flavor pairing. The only down side to her dish was that the broccoli rabe it was served with was not seasoned (needed salt).

Apps, Sides & Desserts: 6
We started with just a single slice of Canadian bacon (aka ham). It was nice, just maybe needed a sauce to pair with it.

We also did a side of sautéed spinach. This was really nice. Smelled really fresh, tasted of garlic and oil, and was generous in size.

For dessert we tried the tiramisu. This was okay. It wasn’t boozy, and it was nice and soft in texture, but the top was covered in what tasted like frozen cool ship cake frosting. That was a little off-putting but otherwise it was enjoyed.

Seafood Selection: 9
There’s lots to choose from here for seafood. They have a ton of nice shellfish on the app menu, along with smoked salmon (which was very tempting). For entrees they offer fresh lobster, lobster tails, salmon, sea bass, tuna, shrimp and even a whole roasted fish of the day. Nice! I can’t, in good conscience, give full points though since I didn’t get a chance to try any of it.

Service: 8
I thought our service was a bit on the slow side for a party of two. To Ninos’ defense, though, the place was really busy, so I can’t fault them for that. I’m happy to see businesses keeping busy and having a full house. Also the manager Benny was really friendly, well-dressed, and had a great table side manner. Everyone was pleasant and nice, and even the table bread was pretty good, served with a bowl of olive oil and olives.

Ambiance: 6
This place has a nice cozy, warm feel to it. A winter’s night was the perfect time for us to come, I think. The musician was playing a mix of Christmas music and Sinatra style favorites, and a few couples had even gotten up to dance for a song or two. Very nice.

NINO’S TUSCANY
117 W. 58th St.
New York, NY 10019

Burgers, Midtown West

Black Iron Burger

October 10, 2014 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

Chalk another burger joint off the list, assholes!

My wife had a work dinner, so my buddy and I came here to see if this place truly lives up to their motto: nobody beats their meat. Verdict? I can beat my own meat better than they can beat their meat. That’s not to say the burger was bad – just that it could use some improvement.

So this time I am happy to report that my buddy strapped on a pair of balls and decided to actually get a burger instead of salad or a chicken sandwich. He almost went with a turkey burger but decided it wouldn’t be worth it, given the lashing he’d get on this review for doing so. Either way, he gets some shit for it. But he did make up for his vaginal tendencies with three manly beers that came in at high ABV content.

On to the beef. I had the black iron burger, the house signature burger. It has two 4oz burgers, two thick slices of horseradish cheddar, horseradish sauce, and caramelized onions. Solid. I added lettuce, tomato, pickle and jalapeño on top of that little slut to make it taste like warm molasses titty milk. I don’t know what that even means – I just had to publish it.

The bread was a little bit lacking. The top of the bun was a little too hard, and the bun itself seemed to crumble a bit as I got further along into the gorging. The meat itself was fine – good quality shit, and good cheese ratio as well. All in all it was a decent meal, despite having to wait a fuck-ass of a long time for a seat because it was more crowded than a whore house near a military base.

So here’s the pr0n:

It was too dark for photos, so I had to use the fucking flash, which I hate. Also, we did try some fries and onion rings. Both were okay, but you may be better off grabbing some McDonalds fries from around the corner – same style at about half the price, though this joint does offer some french fry variations like garlic herb and other nonsense (they smelled fantastic at neighboring tables).

BLACK IRON BURGER
245 W 38th St
New York, NY 10018

SHARE THIS SHIT HERE:

SHARE THIS SHIT HERE:

SHARE THIS SHIT HERE:

SHARE THIS SHIT HERE:

SHARE THIS SHIT HERE:

SHARE THIS SHIT HERE:

SHARE THIS SHIT HERE:

SHARE THIS SHIT HERE:

Nino’s Tuscany overall score: 68

SHARE THIS SHIT HERE:

SHARE THIS SHIT HERE:

carnivore connoisseur