Category Archives: Midtown West

Luigi’s Gourmet

December 5, 2014 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

My wife and I ordered a pie from here for delivery once and we were happy with it. Not overjoyed, but happy. It was a good, fair price ($12), and the shit was crispy instead of runny and floppy, DESPITE being stuck in a pizza box and stuffed in a padded bag where the shit can get steamier than a night in the jungle with the Penthouse Pets. So I made it a point to come back and try a proper slice from under the glass, reheated.

Here’s the verdict: I liked it very much. The sauce was robust, a little spicy kick to it. The crust was crispy and durable, yet soft to bite down. The cheese was properly layered and just the right amount. I also tried a fresh mozz slice (I am a sucker for these). This one had basil and fresh sliced tomatoes on it as well. However, I thought that this lacked flavor when eaten side-by-side with the regular slice. I found myself wanting to add salt or something. Oh well. At least we know the regular slice is legit.

Oh and check out these garlic knots. They look delicious. Next time I will try:

LUIGI’S GOURMET
936 8th Ave
New York, NY 10019

Midtown West, Pizza

99¢ Fresh Pizza

December 5, 2014 Johnny Prime 2 Comments

This little hole-in-the-wall is on Broadway and 55th Street.

I love the idea of a cheap slice of pizza, so I made it my mission to try a bunch of these places to find the best one. This category-3 pizza shop is actually okay.

They are a little bit shy on the cheese and sauce, but if you’re in a rush and want to save a few bucks on your food, this joint will suffice once in a while.

The crust is usually crispy, though a little dry due to lack of enough sauce. You can always throw on a little hot sauce if you need that wetness:

Sometimes the crust can be softer if you get a more fresh pie. There’s not too much grease fall-off when you fold the slice to eat it, which is good on the waist, and nothing will drip down your face as you go to bit it. Sauce is basic – nothing nuanced or great about it. Cheese is just your basic shredded medley, if not all mozz. Standing room only inside, so get comfortable at a ledge on the side of the shop, or eat while you walk down the streets of midtown.

99¢ FRESH PIZZA
1723 Broadway
New York, NY 10019

Burgers, Midtown West, Pub Food, Restaurant Reviews

P.J. Carney’s

November 22, 2014 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

This little Irish pub is right around the block from my apartment. Allow the pic below of the signage to fuck with your mind a little…

I was shocked to see the prices so low ($12 for a burger and fries), being they are located on 7th Avenue right near Central Park. I figured it for a tourist trap, but the inside is cozy and inviting, with great light from the windows.

I had heard there was a decent burger here, so I had to check it out.

I had the regular burger with american cheese. The cheese was a bit odd – not in a bad way, just different. It was like the shredded kind you see in a bag to sprinkle over nachos. My burger was a bit over cooked and a bit dry, but it was at least still tasty.

My wife had the Gaelic burger, which was topped with swiss cheese, sautéed onions and confit garlic. Her’s was cooked better and was much juicier, but the bun didn’t hold up well – it got a little messy when eating.

The fries were good and golden-crisp, and the place had some cool beer cocktails that are worth trying. We had the Patch & Orchard and Harvey Weissbanger.

To sum up: I’d probably go back for the convenience and atmosphere factors, but maybe I’d be more careful to order my burger medium rare or rare next time, instead of medium.

PJ CARNEY’S
906 7th Ave.
New York, NY 10019

American, Burgers, Midtown West, Restaurant Reviews

Route 66 Cafe

November 13, 2014 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

This place intrigued me after I tasted some of their suppliers meats at the wine and food festival. I figured I would give their burger a shot. It was good – lots of flavor. I’d put it above Bareburger but perhaps not quite as good as Penrose. The bread was durable yet soft, the meat was nicely cooked and well handled. The fries were perfectly golden brown and crispy.

ROUTE 66 CAFE
858 9th Ave.
New York, NY 10019

Midtown West, Other, Restaurant Reviews

The Soup Man

November 4, 2014 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

Put my dick in this joint on the way home from dinner tonight just to see how warm the soup was as it brushed up close to my ball bag.

For real though – I’ve been walking by for months now and just had to try it due to their massive signage and Seinfeld reference:

Advertising success!

I grabbed a large of the crab and corn soup. It was delicious, and it had big chunks of real crabmeat inside. Very tasty.

And you’ve gotta love the random apple and chocolate they put in the bag with your soup. What the?!??

THE SOUP MAN
259 W. 55th St.
New York, NY 10019

Banh Mi, Midtown West, Restaurant Reviews, Vietnamese

Saigon 9 West Vietnamese Cafe

November 4, 2014 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

This little place is on 47th Street just east of 9th Avenue, and is almost never open, despite two signs saying that they are open from 9-9 or 10-10. The people who run the joint also run the dry cleaners next door, which is a very busy place. So, as you may guess, the folks over there don’t always get to open up the food shop. They’re sweet as hell – I just wish their storefront was reliably open.

They have a big menu, and a little space.

The food is pretty decent, although not ideal, yet all I have managed to try so far is the traditional banh mi sandwich.

Good for a needed fix, but the ‘hood is lacking in Viet food to begin with, so take this joint with a grain of salt (if it is open when you go).

THIS PLACE HAS OFFICIALLY CLOSED FOR GOOD

Chinese, Midtown West, Restaurant Reviews

Radiance Tea House & Books

November 2, 2014 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

Me, my wife and her cousin came in here for a quick lunch that ended up being a pretty big, delicious meal. Check out all the shit we ate. I pretty much liked every bit of it, but the least favorites were the chicken rolls, egg custard had the BBQ pork bun.

The ladies had lemongrass mint tea. I smelled the lemongrass, but in the sip I took it was only mint that I tasted, and very light in terms of flavor as well.

This is silky tofu in chili oil. A very nice dish indeed, and good spice to it.

These little fuckers are the pork soup dumplings. These were my favorite of all the dim sum, but you have to get on them quickly otherwise the liquids may leak out. But be careful: have it too soon and you will burn your mouth.

These packets of yum are the chicken with wood ear mushroom dumplings. These were my least favorite of the dim sum, but they were my wife’s favorite.

This was egg custard. The texture was nice, similar to a soft creme brûlée, but it needed just a bit more of the sauce on top to make it perfect.

Crystal shrimp dumplings. These are always good when they’re done the right way. I liked them. Good snap texture, soft, flavorful and briny.

The BBQ pork bun was a little lacking for me. Too much dough, and the meat was more like sloppy Joe mix to me.

This was one of the stars. Pork belly steamed buns with cilantro, onion and tomato. Great flavorful bites, and the pork was nice without too much chew fat. Loved it.

These are the curry chicken rolls. I liked them. The chicken is pounded flat and used as a wrapper to house the veggies inside. Maybe could have used a bit of salt. Otherwise I liked them. My wife wasn’t a fan, however.

Ice cream with green tea drink. Simply and delicious.

Assorted mochi: sesame, peanut, red bean, green tea, mango, and taro. My favorites were the peanut and red bean.

Some of the decor: the place is a cross between a coffee shop, a restaurant and a book store. Neat little place. Glad we came.

RADIANCE TEA HOUSE & BOOKS
158 W. 55th St.
New York, NY 10019

Burgers, Midtown West, Pub Food, Restaurant Reviews

Alfie’s

October 29, 2014 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

I stopped into Alfie’s for a late night bite to get my burger fix in. The meat was not seasoned enough, but it was certainly cooked to the proper temperature. It was good and juicy. I just wish they packed on some salt and pepper before slapping this titty-fuck onto the grill. The rosemary herb fries were nicely cooked too, but they needed seasoning and salt as well:

ALFIE’S
800 9th Ave.
New York, NY 10019

American, Burgers, Midtown West, Pub Food, Restaurant Reviews

Rosie O’Grady’s Saloon

October 28, 2014 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

I popped in here for a quick lunch with a buddy of mine who was in town for a convention. I’d never been here before despite walking by a million times and always being aware of its existence. Perhaps I just assumed it was a standard overpriced midtown tourist trap or something.

So I took down their burger. I had a feeling it was going to be thick, so I didn’t go crazy with toppings: just cheese. I was right. Look at this fat fuck:

It was nice and tasty, well seasoned… and well… done… I ordered medium but it came back pretty much well done.

There’s still a slight bit of pink in there, so maybe medium well.

Anyway, the fries were not my preferred style. I like shoestring but these were steak fries.

The odd thing was that my buddy ordered a chicken sandwich and his came with shoestring fries. Hmm.

Anyway, the burger was still good despite being overcooked, So I may venture back in here for a steak some day, or perhaps the corned beef sandwich.

ROSIE O’GRADY’S
800 7th Ave.
New York, NY 10019

American, Burgers, Flash Deals, Midtown West, Restaurant Reviews

Hudson Eatery

October 28, 2014 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

I grabbed a local Groupon deal for this joint to try out their burger. It turned out to be a pretty good meal. $30 for two drinks, two entrees, and a shared app.

We started off with some drinks, beer & wine:

Next came the apps (we ordered an additional). Bacon and onion mac and cheese, followed by chili duck sauce shrimp. Both were tasty, though I didn’t think the $3 up charge for the bacon and onion in the mac was worth it. Also the shrimp came with a thousand island dipping sauce which didn’t mix well with the asian style sauce that was already on them. Other than that the batter and frying were perfect.

Then the burger came out. I ordered a burger with American cheese, bacon, and jalapeños. My only gripe was that the bun was a little flakey/crusty, but other than that it was well seasoned, they used fresh jalapeños, the bacon was crisp, the cheese was melty and good, and the burger was cooked just right.