All Entries in the "Western" Category

New York: Tick Tock Diner and Grill

This was my last meal in New York City. Looking back, it had been a really eventful vacation for me, especially so, when I had not really finished planning for this until I was on the plane. If there is one thing I gained most from my job, it’s the experience in traveling.

So, for this last lunch before I head off to the Newark Airport, it was nothing fancy. I just chose a diner close to the Penn Station where I am due to catch a airport shuttle bus. One last thing, I wanted to try … it’s that illusive Egg Cream … this time with chocolate syrup.

The place I went to is the Tick Tock Diner and Grille.

I had Egg Cream in Katz but it was with vanilla syrup. I later read that the real deal with Egg Cream is with chocolate syrup. I like it a lot but I do also think that this is very very fattening. It’s a fizzy drink. Despite its name, there is no eggs nor cream … it is made milk. carbonated soda water and of course, chocolate syrup.

The Tick Tock Diner seems like just any diner you find. It’s located in a very very busy section of midtown. I like the service. As a matter of fact, I find that the generally table service in Manhattan was really good … very fast, accommodating, and friendly. I was a bit early into midtown and as such had about an hour and a half to burn here.

The menu was nothing special. I just got an item from the Tuesday Specials. It started with a cup of onion soup.

The main dish is the Broiled Filet Flounder. You know what flounders are, right? It’s one of those weird flat fish where they have both eyes on one side of their head. The fish was alright … although a bit tasteless. The mashed potato was alright … and tasteless. And the vegetables … well, they are alright … and tasteless.

$11.95 for this and the cup of soup. It was alright … and … oh never mind.

Popularity: 17% [?]

New York: Lindy’s World Famous Cheesecake

This is one place I know Suanne would absolutely love if she is with me in NYC. Being a cheesecake addict, I bet she will want to visit this place more than once.

There are many types of cheesecakes in the world. However, when people think about cheesecakes, they invariably think of the New York-style cheesecake. In New York, that would either mean Lindy’s or Junior’s. Each of them have a rather similar tagline. For Lindy’s, it is the “world famous cheesecake” … while, Junior’s is the “most fabulous cheesecake”. I thought I won’t go wrong with the World’s Most Famous Cheesecakes.

Lindy’s is a deli/restaurant located in Time Square. I heard they have a few other outlets too in Manhattan.

When does one normally have cheesecakes anyway? I guess it’s supposed to be dessert for dinner and maybe lunch. I had it for breakfast. That kind of work for me.

According to my guidebook, the NY-style cheesecake is actually made famous by both Lindy’s and Junior’s. This style of cheesecake is sometimes referred to as the Jewish-style cheesecake.

After that somewhat disappointing experience with the fancy pizza in Lombardi’s, this time I ordered the safest item and the 1st item list listed on the menu … the Lindy’s Famous Original NY Cheesecake with Strawberry. $8.29 per slice below. There are other flavours like Cherry, Blueberry, Pineapple and Brownie and of course, the plain cheesecake. Strawberry is good … brownie, I am not sure.

I am not particularly fond of cheesecakes but I had never seen a more sinfully delicious looking cheesecake than this. This looked so nice that I hesitated a while to contemplate how I should attack this. Start at the edge? How to equally apply the glaze and whipped cream in perfect proportion to fork-chunk of cheesecake? LOL!

What I like the best about this is two things. One, it is tall for a cheesecake. It is about 1.5 inch tall. and the best part is that there is no crusty graham biscuit at the bottom — it is 100% complete cheesecake.

It was not as rich as it seems but really perfectly balance of sweetness and richness. You really got to taste it to know how consistently smooth this actually is.

I am going to measure all cheesecakes against this one I had in Lindy’s. Absolutely marvelous!

I wanted to buy some back at least on the last day of my trip and bring a box home for Suanne. A box costs $45. I don’t mind carrying it but while they had the foam boxes that day, they could not make the ice that will keep it cold to last about 12 hours from Lindy’s in NY to home in Richmond. Guess I gotta take Suanne here someday …

Popularity: 20% [?]

New York: Katz’s Delicatessen

Katz’s Delicatessen had always been high on my list as a place I must visit.  Katz’s Deli has always been considered NYC’s best’est deli.  It is a Jewish kosher style deli and lies smack in the middle of the Lower East Side (which had been considered as the center of the Jewish culture in NYC).  It’s amazing knowing Katz’s had been here for the last 120 years!

Katz’s Deli has a really strange way of operating their deli.  Everyone who goes into Katz’s are given this small stub of paper.  Be warned … don’t lose it or they will charge you something like $50 or something like that if you leave without one!

You see they mark what you have purchased on this stub and then you pay with this stub when you leave the deli.

It took me a while to get used to the system.  First, you have a choice of waited on the table or you line up to get your sandwich from the cutter.  Only the table by the wall are waited on while the rest of the tables are self served … weird.  I can’t figure why the difference.

The entire deli is so busy and unbelievably noisy.

When you think of Katz’s Deli, many of you will probably remember the Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan movie called “When Harry Met Sally”.  It is one of the most funniest movies of all time.  It is in Katz’s that they have the infamous scene where Meg Ryan faked “it”.  Check this youtube out:

Right in the middle of the dining area is that sign that shows the table where Harry and Sally sat.  That is the most popular table in Katz’s without a doubt.  Now you know what the sign means what it says “Hope You Had What She Had”.

Everyone gets a plate full of pickles.  There are two types.  I love the “normal” cold crunchy ones but the other one is way too sour for me.  I finished off the “normal” ones but left the sour ones half eaten.  Nice … very nice.

I am not sure what Sally had but I ordered what I think is the best that Katz’s Deli has.  Almost every table has at least one of these … Katz’s Pastrami.

Look at that … it’s wickedly delicious, don’t you think?  I had never had such great juicy pastrami sandwich.  It was hand carved and served hot.  Oh … be warned … there are signs that warn you NEVER to ask for mayo.  I dared not find out … I did not ask.

I guess it’s because their sandwiches was great just as it was … no condiments needed.  It came with really thin slices of bread.  It certainly was messy eating this as the meat pieces keeps falling out all over the place.  I had a great time and my hands were all greasy that I had to wash them in soap in the washroom.

Oh … it’s not cheap for a sandwich … $14.45.  It was worth every penny though.

For the drinks, I ordered a very New York beverage … the Egg Cream.  I had absolutely no idea what Egg Creams are except that I read about it.  Apparently there are two choices … chocolate or vanilla.  I chosed vanilla.

Egg Cream is made of milk and sletzer (soda).  Despite the name, it has no eggs nor cream.  I am not sure why they called it egg cream though.  I can’t quite make out the taste … it is creamy and fizzy … and I love it.

There is one and only one Katz’s Deli.  It’s an experience eating there.  When you are in NYC and if there is only one place you want to visit for a meal, I totally recommend Katz’s Deli.

Popularity: 8% [?]

New York: Breakfast at the Empire Diner

Just a couple of days left in my trip. If there is a theme to the day, it would perhaps be “water” — have planned for a cruise around Manhattan and then a walk over the Brooklyn Bridge. This will be a welcome change of pace for me because there will be less walking!

As usual, I started off the day early. Breakfast is at the Empire Diner which, again, was featured in my guidebook as a great place for breakfast. This place is opened 24 hrs and is located in 210 10th Ave. This location works great too as it is just blocks away from the place where I am going to that cruise.

This place is unique in that it is an art deco beauty faithfully refurbished as a classic 1920s American Diner. They have won several awards, including Best Diner in 2006.

I guess it must have been way too early for people to be here. There are only two other tables taken up — both are tourists. I think that this is very much a touristy place since it is featured in travel books and that there are not many offices around the area.

Started off with coffee. It was great. They provided frothed and hot milk on a separate metal mug — never seen people doing that before. I think it is a great idea.

They also gave me a small cup of marmalade (I think). I have no idea why because I did not order a toast.

I made up my order and went for a bit of what is not very common in a breakfast platter and a bit of what I like most (eggs over easy).

I like the English muffins which is toasted and buttered. I think I figured out why such muffins looks and tastes better than, say, sliced bread. It’s the uneven texture. I really think that bread which has an uneven texture (i.e. broken up, not sliced) holds the spread better. If they had perfectly sliced the muffin cleanly across with a knife, it would not have been as appealing. LOL!

The cottage fries was crispy but the sausage was simply too much for me. I guess I am not a big breakfast eater.

The total came up to $13, tips included.

Popularity: 3% [?]

New York: Silvia’s in Harlem

My guidebook so recommend Silvia’s that they actually have two pictures of Silvia’s in the book. The guidebook said that Silvia’s is a very well known soul food restaurant and is perhaps the best there is in New York. Among their customers include Bill Clinton, Nelson Mandela and Magic Johnson … so this place gotta to be good.

The only problem to me is that it is located in Harlem. I have always heard that a visitor to New York should not venture to Harlem especially at night. But being a risk taker that I am, I went anyway … at night, for dinner. OK, New Yorkers … tell me … was I foolhardy to go to Harlem at night or is it all in my mind.

Getting off the 125th Street subway station, I could immediately see that I am in a part of NYC that is so different from Manhattan. Here I am a very visible Asian guy right smack in the middle of the black community. I sure stuck out like a sire thumb. :-)

I knew already where I was going. Silvia’s is just 1 block north of the subway station. I got to the street level, got my bearings and just walk as fast as I can. Finding Silvia’s is easy because they are the brightest along quite a dark stretch of street. In case you want to know the address, it is on 328 Lenox Ave.

Going into the restaurant, it was no different. I am the only non-black in the restaurant. But the service was excellent and very very courteous. I am beginning to enjoy myself in this unique place. I remembered that the place was noisy … loud talking, laughing and very very loud music … basically, people here are all having a great time.

I asked for some real authentic beer of theirs … some really New Yorky type. They recommended the Sugar Hill Brown Ale and is brewed by the Harlem Brewing Company. Well, I figure that for a beer named after a neighborhood in Harlem (Sugar Hill), I can’t get more authentic than that. I like the slight balanced sweetness and aroma.

They have a small menu — very simple choices. I was not particularly impressed with the type-written menu but then who really cares right? It’s the food that matters. There are so many I wanted to order.

I started off with bread … corn bread, I think. It was served warm and soft … and crumbly. Made a mess of my table with all the pieces of crumbs. It was really great with soft corn oil and whipped spread.

They asked me if I wanted more … how could one resist? I had more.

I ordered their famous BBQ Ribs. The pork ribs are huge and are BBQ’d in a rich, sweetened sauce. The four ribs are all BBQ’d to crisp … very nice. Wished they offered me second helpings!

This came with a choice of two sides. I thought, what is soul food without collard green? Not that I love collard green, it’s just that it’s so … soulish.

The second sides I had was the okra and tomato gumbo. It’s such a small bowl of it … wished there were more.

There was on the table Silvia’s very own Hot and Sassy Sauce. This one I had was their hottest … called the Triple Strength. It was OK … not really hot coming from where I came from.

I really enjoyed myself despite my fear of Harlem. I scooted off to the Subway once I got out of the restaurant. Tell me again … is it just me or is Harlem really that dangerous a place at night.

Popularity: 9% [?]

New York: Oyster Bar Takeout in Grand Central Terminal

I did comment that most of the subway stations in New York leaves much to be desired and that they kind of smell in some places. Yucks! However, there is one that is the prettiest of all … it is the Grand Central Terminal.

The Grand Central Terminal is located in midtown Manhattan somewhere on 42nd Street. This was the main train terminal in New York City and was built in 1913. During that era, train transportation is at its peak. Even today it is known as the largest rail station in the world in terms of number of platforms.

The station is well maintained but really there is nothing much to see or do. Like the hordes of other tourists, I just took pictures of the main hall and walk around a bit. I would not be surprised if this is the most photographed train station in the world.

One thing I noticed too … there are fully armed soldiers in the building. They try to be inconspicuous but you won’t miss them … standing at corners with their automatic rifles. Should I feel safe or should I not? I guess I should.

A reader of chowtimes (Marie Franco) recommended that I go try Oyster Bar. I did a bit of research before I went and indeed, I found that the Oyster Bar in the station is world famous for their seafood and interior decor. This restaurant is as old as the Grand Central Terminal having opened the same time.

It was easy to find. I went and checked their menu at the entrance of the restaurant. It was expensive to say the least … their catch of the day starts at $25. It’s my first day in NY and I was a bit careful about my spending. I decided it was too much to spend. Instead, I went to their sandwich take out counter.

Sandwiches are much more cheaper. The guy that manned the counter was a spectacle. It was a one man show and I had never seen someone worked that fast before. You got to see for yourself to know what I mean.

The take-out bag looked nice, don’t you think? People would had thought I had bought something from 5th Ave or something. I went to the food court downstairs and had my lunch there.

I had ordered the Manhattan Clam Chowder. I had never had Manhattan Clam Chowder before but heard that it is supposed to be red and has tomatoes. But this one looked like the normal New England Clam Chowder. Maybe the chap by the window got my order wrong. It was excellent nevertheless … yummily creamy and served hot.

I bought the Fried Oyster Po’ Boy Sandwich. The hard crusted bread with airy center was some of the best I had ever tasted. It was tough though … and a lot of work chewing it through.

I had never had fried oyster sandwich before but … oh boy … they are simply the most delicious tasting sandwich I had ever had. There were quite a lot of big soft fresh and succulent oysters. A bite through the hard crusted bread squishes the juiciness of oysters out … it was marvelous.

So, that Clam Chowder and the sandwich costs $15. It was a lot of food … just what I wanted. I am not going to have dinner until I get back to the hotel late that night.

Blogging about it now, I am kicking myself for not going in for a full seafood lunch. I’ll bring Suanne and go for their sit down dinner if and when we get the chance to vacation in NYC next time.

Popularity: 6% [?]