"Start spreading the news....I'm leaving today"....you know the rest!
I love NY!
Not because I'm a huge Yankee's fan, history fan, food fan.....OK, it is all because of those things. The few days the misses and I spent there a few years back were unforgettable. The weather was a little rainy when we were there but it didn't bother us at all as it kept it cool and the crowds away. After walking Utah blocks in SLC all of my life which are about a quarter mile square the little blocks in Manhattan were no problem to navigate on foot. We didn't even try the subway as we didn't want to miss any of the sites or smells. Again it was cool so the smells were not that bad.
A couple of my neighbors are heading to the the Big Apple this weekend for business & pleasure so I thought I would jump in with a couple of local joints. The main focus for me was NY style pizza. My director at work is from NY and is always raving about the pizza and no matter where we get "NY style pizza" west of the Mississippi he always comments how it's not the same. So I was eager to try it. I also remembered the scene in Iron Man where Jeff Bridges brings a NY pizza with him and Robert Downey Jr. is so happy with him. So without further adue:
Roxy's Deli: http://nymag.com/listings/restaurant/roxy-delicatessen/
Everyone makes it to Times Square and this place was recommended by everyone I knew that had been there. We really tried to make it there for lunch or dinner but by the time we made it there it was about 9 so we just had a slice of cheesecake. All 4 of us all got a different kind and they all melted in your mouth but can I just put a shout out for the Heath cheesecake. First off I love toffee but to make it work so well in a cheesecake and make it so smooth and flavorable was beyond me. I can't wait to try one of their huge sandwiches on my next visit as the insane amounts of meat made my muscles spasm just thinking about it.
Carmine's Italian: http://www.carminesnyc.com/
First off there are a lot of choices near Times Square for great dinning. After spending the day making our way from lower Manhattan to Times Square and asking people along the way what was good eats this was the first place that reached 3 recommendations which I felt fell in line with my rules of the road mentioned in my first blog. Can I just say it must be the sauce that makes people remember it. When you have a sauce you can dip anything in and just blows you away with it's flavor you know you have a keeper. I think I used my sock to sop up the rest of the sauce...A little descriptive I know! I went with the Rigatoni w/sausage and broccoli but make sure you go with the marinara sauce as opposed to the cream sauce as my sister-in-law made the mistake and wished she hadn't. The Calamari as an appetizer was fantastic dipped in the marinara. The Chocolate Cannoli is a great way to finish but I'm glad we all shared it as we knew we were heading to Roxy's later that night. They have a few locations so I imagine they are all great!
Lazzara's Pizza Cafe: http://lazzaraspizza.com/html/home.php
This jewel located right next to Rockefeller plaza was excellent. The pizza was so foldable and flavorable which is always what you want in a NY pizza. My director was right, you cannot duplicate it out west here and again it's due to the dryness of the air. The dough back east is so moist and bakes perfectly in a thin pizza crust. The other place we ate at near the financial district was just as good but I cannot remember the name. Bottom line is get a recommendation from whatever section of Manhattan you are in and go as you will not be disappointed. Just remember to order quick during the lunch hour as like the Soup Nazi in Seinfeld they get perturbed if you lallygag.
You also need to have a hot dog from a street vendor when your out and about as they are just as good as the Chicago dogs. After visiting NY I began to appreciate the difference in food between them and Chicago. Thank goodness for originality in this great country of ours as most metro cities have their own unique touches on the standard eats.
Viva la New York!
Friday, July 29, 2011
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Philadelphia, PA.
I love summer!
Even though it can get hot and steamy there is nothing like eating out doors. The smell of BBQ's sizzling all around the neighborhood is intoxicating. Meat on a grill just tastes better no matter what type it is. With the summer comes vacations. My wife's brother just came out from Philly with the family for a few weeks stay here in Utah and it got me reminiscing about the trip the wife and I took to visit him back east a few years ago.
The first thing you have to do when planning a trip that would include New York, Philly, Wilmington, Baltimore and DC is to plan where you are going to eat. There are certain types of food in every city that must be eaten.
Our first few days out there were spent in Philly near Independence Square and that vicinity so of course the first thing I had to eat when I was there was a philly cheesesteak sandwich. I have watched the Food Network enough to know about Pat and Gino's and the debate of Provolone versus Cheese Wiz. I however didn't hit either location on that trip as I didn't want to take time to hit the touristy locations. I wanted to see where the locals eat and head there. Now I had eaten a lot of cheesesteaks from around the country but never in Philly so I really wanted to see if there was a difference. I'm glad to report there was. After asking a few locals where to get a good cheesesteak we received some great recommendations and one place won out more than the others.
Sonny's: http://www.yelp.com/biz/sonnys-famous-steaks-philadelphia
The difference between cheesesteaks in Philly and other lo-cals is the bread. The bread has to be moist, soft and chewy so the sandwich works together. Bread out west is too dry. In the south the high humidity can make the bread too soft or stale quickly. Being an original cheesesteak virgin I told the guy behind the counter to make mine the way he likes his. This has it's risks but I do it a lot when I'm eating something or somewhere for the first time. It consisted of sauteed onions and mushroom with the cheese wiz. I must say I was hoping he would say the Provolone as I had never had the cheese wiz variety. They had both options there but I was really surprised how well the cheese wiz worked on it. I really needed this big sandwich as we walked a lot that day and it made for a killer lunch.
Reading Terminal Market: http://www.readingterminalmarket.org/
I really wanted to eat at a couple of other places but we ended up eating here for lunch and dinner. This is the coolest place. It's like have 10 farmers markets all rolled into one. The food choices were from all over the map and authentic as the people that were working at the different eating establishments were from those countries....as far as I could tell. For lunch we hit the Amish area where I got to have a huge pickle in a barrel and a killer fresh chicken sandwich for lunch. The cheese on the sandwich was goat cheese and a little strong but worked well. For dinner we hit the Greek stand called Olympic Gyro and my Gyro was built for an Olympian. Warning: it is sensory overload and you will sample a lot of desserts, cheeses, meats as everyone is willing to offer you a taste of their specialties. Once again I'm glad we walked a lot all over Philly those two days.
I was really impressed with the city and it's layout. Everything was easy to navigate and the people we encountered were really friendly and helpful. We had a chance to do a ghost walking tour the evening we were there and do not miss that opportunity.
I will give you some recommendations in the other cities we visited and please let me know what you like.
CHEEEEESESTEAKS RULE!
Even though it can get hot and steamy there is nothing like eating out doors. The smell of BBQ's sizzling all around the neighborhood is intoxicating. Meat on a grill just tastes better no matter what type it is. With the summer comes vacations. My wife's brother just came out from Philly with the family for a few weeks stay here in Utah and it got me reminiscing about the trip the wife and I took to visit him back east a few years ago.
The first thing you have to do when planning a trip that would include New York, Philly, Wilmington, Baltimore and DC is to plan where you are going to eat. There are certain types of food in every city that must be eaten.
Our first few days out there were spent in Philly near Independence Square and that vicinity so of course the first thing I had to eat when I was there was a philly cheesesteak sandwich. I have watched the Food Network enough to know about Pat and Gino's and the debate of Provolone versus Cheese Wiz. I however didn't hit either location on that trip as I didn't want to take time to hit the touristy locations. I wanted to see where the locals eat and head there. Now I had eaten a lot of cheesesteaks from around the country but never in Philly so I really wanted to see if there was a difference. I'm glad to report there was. After asking a few locals where to get a good cheesesteak we received some great recommendations and one place won out more than the others.
Sonny's: http://www.yelp.com/biz/sonnys-famous-steaks-philadelphia
The difference between cheesesteaks in Philly and other lo-cals is the bread. The bread has to be moist, soft and chewy so the sandwich works together. Bread out west is too dry. In the south the high humidity can make the bread too soft or stale quickly. Being an original cheesesteak virgin I told the guy behind the counter to make mine the way he likes his. This has it's risks but I do it a lot when I'm eating something or somewhere for the first time. It consisted of sauteed onions and mushroom with the cheese wiz. I must say I was hoping he would say the Provolone as I had never had the cheese wiz variety. They had both options there but I was really surprised how well the cheese wiz worked on it. I really needed this big sandwich as we walked a lot that day and it made for a killer lunch.
Reading Terminal Market: http://www.readingterminalmarket.org/
I really wanted to eat at a couple of other places but we ended up eating here for lunch and dinner. This is the coolest place. It's like have 10 farmers markets all rolled into one. The food choices were from all over the map and authentic as the people that were working at the different eating establishments were from those countries....as far as I could tell. For lunch we hit the Amish area where I got to have a huge pickle in a barrel and a killer fresh chicken sandwich for lunch. The cheese on the sandwich was goat cheese and a little strong but worked well. For dinner we hit the Greek stand called Olympic Gyro and my Gyro was built for an Olympian. Warning: it is sensory overload and you will sample a lot of desserts, cheeses, meats as everyone is willing to offer you a taste of their specialties. Once again I'm glad we walked a lot all over Philly those two days.
I was really impressed with the city and it's layout. Everything was easy to navigate and the people we encountered were really friendly and helpful. We had a chance to do a ghost walking tour the evening we were there and do not miss that opportunity.
I will give you some recommendations in the other cities we visited and please let me know what you like.
CHEEEEESESTEAKS RULE!
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