Pizza at Lombardi's
New York overwhelms and takes your breath away when it lets you observe it from afar, either from the plant 102 Empire State Building or to the shadow of the Statue of Liberty . I have loved being able to get to know its bars, restaurants and food stalls and enjoy everything they could offer me.
It is a city where the waiters earn their tips by hand and if you go to a restaurant alone you will surely end up making friends with whoever serves you the food. The kindness, good service and attention It is the first thing that surprises, how expensive it is, the second. In any case, eating in New York can be very cheap . There are street stalls with pizza slices starting at 99 cents and several fairly affordable fast food outlets. things get complicated when You drink alcohol (a beer usually costs about seven or eight dollars), you like the good coffee (up to five dollars depending on the area and the type of place) or you want to make your stay in the Big Apple a gastronomic delight. In that case you will have to be willing to pay for it.
I have spent nine days here, in which I have been able to discover many of its corners, those that anyone who comes to this city for the first time has to visit, where you end up eating when you are in a hurry or those small and beautiful bars that your intuition recommends.
The list of everything I've eaten and where you have it here.
ESPRESSO
Where? The king, _(100 Stanton St.) _ Price? $2.5
Rating: *** * * * ***
In Soho, near the apartment where we stayed for the first few days, we ended up by chance and necessity in a cute place with windows facing the street and high tables where we ordered the best coffee we have tasted . A dry, strong, almost solid espresso , with which you had the sensation of running your tongue through a coffee bean. A small and cozy place where you can have a good time talking since they do not have Wi-Fi or table service, but where the music and the product are spectacular.
CHEESEBURGER
Where? ** Burger Joint ** _(119 W 56th St.) _ Price? Two burgers, one beer, fries and water: $37 + tip
Rating: *** * 1/2*
Inside the Hotel Le Parker Meridien there is a small hamburger restaurant that resisted selling its plot when the entire block was bought by the new owners. That is why, to access the establishment, you have to cross a luxurious hall that disconcerts . Behind a black curtain attached to the reception you will have found a destination with walls painted by diners where delicious burgers await you.
Burger Joint, the secret burger
PIZZA WITH MEATBALLS
Where? ** Lombardi's in Little Italy ** _(32 Spring St.) _, the first pizzeria to open in New York in 1909. Price? big pizza (half meatballs, half pepperoni and ricotta), beer, water: $42.
Rating: *** * * ***
Tucked away in shrinking Little Italy, you'll find extraordinary, thin-crust, juicy pizza. **You will not fail asking for the meatballs ** (their specialty). We decided to innovate by betting the other half on pepperoni and ricotta cheese. Bad idea.
THE BEST STEAK IN NEW YORK
Where? ** Peter Luger ** (178 Broadway St, in Brooklyn)
Price? Two individual steaks, a beer and water: $120.75 + tip
Rating: *** * * * ***
We went to Brooklyn across the river on the Williamsburg Bridge and, in addition to the extraordinary gastronomic experience, we were able to pay attention to the unique bedford street , the corner that inspired Malasaña. I wanted to see if her well-deserved fame backed by countless awards was justified. The answer is yes" . Juicy, easy to cut and chew. All that I explain to you is little.
It is served on a slightly tilted plate where the fat accumulates away from the ribeye, but where you can go whenever you want. Danger. I was digesting a whole day.
Pizza at Lombardi's
BREAKFAST
Where? **Whynot Coffee** (175 Orchard Street)
Price? Espresso, decaf with soy milk, croissant, homemade cookie: $14 + tip
Rating: *** * ***
In the same neighborhood where we stayed there is this cafeteria where, despite the name, you can also drink tea and they have different types of drinks (soy, almond, coconut) to accompany it. Beautiful and pleasant with street views, wifi and a DJ table.
Bon Iver was playing when we entered, we were fired by James Blake . If you want to enjoy the quiet atmosphere and spend the afternoon with your computer, this is your place.
Breakfast at Whynot Coffee
BURGER AND FRENCH FRIES
Where? ** Shake Shack ** off 8th & 44th
Price? Two burgers, one hot dog, one beer, fries, and water: $26
Rating: *** ***
This hamburger has a lot of fame and you have to queue a lot to get in. Honestly, I didn't think so much. A McDonald's come to more for a little more money, but a McDonald's after all. In addition to the hamburger, we ordered a hot dog but it was quite dry and too intense in flavor. With how expensive it usually is to eat in New York, you understand the fame that this place has acquired, but to enjoy eating, better other places.
shake shack
CHEESECAKE
Where? ** Junior's (1515 Broadway) ** Price? $7.5
Rating: *** * * ***
Every time you pass by one of these restaurants you come across the giant sign warning that they have the best cheesecake in town and one, who likes challenges, has to go check if it's true.
Juicy, with a thick layer of jam and whole strawberries inside, the cake lives up to its promise, although, as it appears, it is a bit cloying. Better one between two, or even three. Don't ask for the original, because that one comes with nothing; if you want the famous one, ask for the one with strawberry cheese.
PASTRAMI SANDWICH
Where? ** Katz's Delicatessen ** (205 E Houston St)
Price? $19.50
Rating: *** * * 1/2**
In the famous restaurant where Sally faked an orgasm in front of Harry, they offer a spectacular and endless pastrami sandwich, extremely juicy and tender but not even two (two like me, of course; the Americans ate one as an aperitif) finish it. So intense that everything surprising about it immediately becomes saturation.
Even so, it is worth walking around its corridors and seeing the photos of all those who before you decided to do the same (many celebrities with whom their owner poses, proud).
Katz's pastrami is a must
SOUP AND HOT DOG
Where? ** Hale and Hearty ** (8th with 56 and hot dog at a stand in Central Park, southwest entrance of Columbus Circle)
Price? Medium soup $5.90 and hot dog $3.50
Rating: *** * ***
On fine days it is wonderful to walk through Central Park and look for a corner to eat quietly. We took advantage of the good 18 degrees and a perfect sun to grab something to eat and take it there.
You can find few healthy places to eat on the street (especially on the big avenues), but from time to time these oases where to buy soup or salads . I took a risk by ordering one with chicken and vegetables, which was bland, but I also had the opportunity to try the tomato one, which was practically like eating a Bolognese sauce with a spoon. What more could you want.
We bought the puppy at one of the stands at the entrance to the park, but there are all over the center and they all look the same and more or less the same price.
SPAGHETTI WITH MEATBALLS
Where? ** John's of Bleecker Street ** (278 Bleecker Street)
Price? $11
Rating: *** * * 1/2**
In Bleecker Street there are many bars where you can listen to music and drink beer. To eat you can find many cheap ramen restaurants, Mexican food or pizzas. We chose **John’s Pizzeria (which, according to legend, Woody Allen frequents) ** and despite the good looking pizzas, I had to order some spaghetti and meatballs. Two. huge. Endless. Delicious. Lady and the Tramp associated this dish with pleasure and I couldn't resist.
Hot Dog in Central Park: almost a national sport
BREAKFAST: CINNAMON BAGEL AND SOY MILK TEA
Where? ** Sugar ** Price? $3.5
Rating: *** * * ***
Eating breakfast in the United States can be expensive, often about the same as a midday meal. If you like espresso coffee you will have a bad time, but if you prefer the American, you play at home . You can take it from a dollar. If not, a tea costs two.
When you are away from home and every day you eat in a new place, you want to have somewhere to go regularly, where the waiters ask you how you are or when you say goodbye they give you cookies. For me that place was Sugar. It has nothing special except that after going every day we ended up having a very good relationship with those who worked there . As if leaving your footprints remain somewhere.
HUMMUS WRAP AND VEGAN QUINOA BURGER
Where? ** Health ** (107, Thompson st.)
Price? 8.5 wrap and 9.5 the hamburger
Rating: *** * ***
The Soho neighborhood is full of charming little places where you can eat something different (at least different from what is understood as “American food”). After a few days surrendered to meat, the body appreciates a little green and less animal protein.
This is how places like Health , where a Mexican decoration and eighties music welcome you between juices and vegetable wraps that will help you feel that you are doing something for your arteries.
A little green in Health
BBQ RIBS
Where? **Mighty Quinn's** (103, 2nd Avenue)
Price? One serving of ribs, one serving of grilled sausage, one serving of white beans, and tap water: $26.
Rating: *** * * ***
after seeing so much House of Cards one gets cravings for ribs, what can we do.
We were on 6th and 2nd visiting Toy Tokio (a figure and merchandising store that no freak should miss) and we looked around the neighborhood for a place to satisfy my desire. We ended up at Mighty Quinn's. The ribs were juicy and tasty, as was the sausage, all served on a throwaway tray where the waiters serve you, as in almost every establishment we have been to, with good humor and sympathy . The place has exposed brick walls, a metal bar and large windows facing the street, it's very nice.
CANNOLI
Where? **Ferrara Patisserie at Little Italy** (195 Grand St.)
Price? $7 each
Rating: *** * ***
If your imagination is full of stills from series and movies, you'll want to know what they taste like those desserts that Tony Soprano gobbled up with such passion . Called cannoli And indeed, they are delicious.
Cannoli emulating Tony Soprano in Little Italy
BURGER
Where? **Steak 'n Shake** (1695 Broadway St.)
Price? Two burgers with fries and tap water $12
Rating: *
Next to the theater where the Late Show by Stephen Colbert was this burger joint we ended up at by chance rather than out of curiosity.
Little or nothing I liked these hamburgers that are characterized by having an "incredible and special" flavor. they seemed to me too intense , with a flavor, indeed, special, but not good. Luckily Colbert shook my hand during his show hours later and my disgust passed.
MORE BURGERS
Where? ** Minetta Tavern ** (113 MacDougal St.)
Price? Special burger and fries: $34.
Rating: *** * * * ***
Remember when I told you about the best steak in New York? That juicy steak with a masterful flavor? As well, this incredible burger seems to be made with the same raw material . The waiters, handsome, polite and attentive, recommend you not to add any sauce and enjoy it without any condiment other than its bread and just a few strips of caramelized onion. I did well to pay attention to them. In this bistro with dim lights and full to the brim, with waits of more than two hours for dinner (better to reserve), they don't let you take photos (which I checked by taking one, obviously) and there is a doorman at the entrance who opens the door for you. door to a black curtain behind which the local appears.
Crammed tables, jazz playing, elegant and well-dressed people, $10 beers and spectacular meat. That is, neither more nor less, what Minetta Tavern offers.
Steak 'n Shake
SUSHI AND SOUP WITH TOFU
Where? **Sushi Bento** (685 3rd Ave) Price? Two trays of assorted sushi and a miso soup with tofu: $27
Rating: *
There are times that the rush leads you to get into the first place you see. With so much on offer it's rare to find a bad one, but hey, sometimes it happens. The blandest soup I've ever tasted along with some makis with avocado hard as a rock. At least we took it in our apartment with a view, rested and happy. Everything counts.
I have left many places to visit, recommendations to follow and hiding places to discover. It's hard to do everything the first time and I know I've missed a lot, but it doesn't matter, I already have an excuse to go back.
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