I am a massive foodie and many of you are as well, so here is the obligatory first post on food in New York City. I have done a lot of research beforehand because I would say of myself that I suffer from „food fomo“. When I go on holiday, I usually make a plan of where to eat what and I only rarely just get something without having researched the place beforehand. In New York, (luckily or sadly) there are just way too many good food stalls and restaurants, so that I won’t even manage to get through my list in a whole month. But here’s a start.
New York Style Pizza from 2 Bros Pizza
Despite inflation, you can still find $1 slices of pizza at every corner here. Most of them are supposed to be not so great: cheap cheese, very slim slices and burnt dough. 2 Bros Pizza, however, is supposed to be the exception from the rule. Here you’re supposed to get good quality for little money. They advertise with $1 pizza, but when you enter, a sign instantly tells you, that this only applies for the plain cheese slice. Other variations (including one with hot sauce and crispy chicken tenders) can cost up to $7. I went with the classic cheese slice and a slice of their white pizza (white sauce instead of tomato sauce and Ricotta on top for $3).
My verdict: The pizza was ok, but not really great. The dough was quite dry, especially so at the rim. The tomato sauce was a bit too sweet for my liking.
5/10
Tacos from Los Tacos No. 1
Los Tacos No. 1 is an institution in New York, having set up shops at Times Square and Chelsea Food Market. I went to the Chelsea Food Market one and was not surprised to find a queue. But only about 15 minutes later I had my Nopales taco (grilled cactus) and a pork one. I also added Horchata to my order, which I had never heard of before. It is a drink made out of smashed fruit, nuts and seeds.
My verdict: The tacos were actually really good and that’s coming from me, who is not such a big fan of tacos. Haven’t had that many in my life but easily the best ones so far. (Side note: My visiting friend is from LA with Mexican background. Quote: „NY can shove their $11 tacos up its a**.“ The tacos were not $11 but $5 each – still expensive. Will have to visit LA to check out the West Coast’s taco game.) Would come back and also get the Horchata again – extremely refreshing and a good alternative to iced tea/lemonade.
9/10
Cocktails at Katana Kitten
When it comes to cocktails, I like following friends‘ recommendations (special shout out to Yordan from Herrengedeck!) or simply go by the 50 Best Bars list. I first went to Katana Kitten, which is currently ranked No. 9 on the list and is New York City’s second highest entry. Katana Kitten features Japan inspired cocktails and I had meguroni #2 (iichiko saiten shochu, genever, aged umeshu, caffo red bitter and kinome) and the hinoki martini (grey goose, spring 44 mountain gin, fino sherry, junmai daiginjo, hinoki tree essence).
My verdict: Both of them were delicious, although I found the first one – a Negroni variation – a tad too sweet for a Negroni variation (always expecting bitterness from Negroni, even if it is more subtle). Unfortunately, I had to learn that bars in New York fill up quickly and early. I like going when a bar opens because I am always hoping to chat to the bartender a bit. In Katana Kitten (and I guess in every bar in New York City) it was simply too busy to chat, despite me arriving at 4.10 pm and only 10 minutes after they opened. However, we talked a tiny bit and I managed to get some more cocktail recommendations from him.
8/10
More New York Pizza at Pizza Suprema
Pizza Suprema is right around the corner and it was pretty clear to me that this place – should it be as good as people say – would become my pizza go to. It was voted 8th best slice in the world by „Big 7 Travel“ (no idea what that is tbh) and it was recommended by Anthony Bourdain in one of his tv shows. And those are only a few of Pizza Suprema’s accolades.
My verdict: I really hope that the pizza used to be better when Anthony Bourdain was there, because otherwise I’d feel a bit betrayed by him. I found the dough even more dry than 2 Bros Pizza (it crunched when you folded it, as you do with New York pizza) and it was simply not that great overall. Went back with a friend, who was visiting from LA, and he said the same thing. Quote: „Simply forgettable.“ For $7 dollar a slice (with pepperoni, peppers and basil) I was expecting more.
3/10
Oysters and Spicy Pork Salad at Fish Cheeks
Fish Cheeks was on my list because it is a family style Thai restaurant and it offers Oyster happy hour ($9 for half a dozen). Side note: Oyster happy hour is pretty common in New York. There’s only 2 things here, that are cheap(er than in Germany) and that is public transport (a subway ticket is $2.75) and oysters (can easily be found for $1.50 a piece).
My verdict: I was impressed. The spicy pork salad actually was spicy and – although it first confused me – I really liked the chunk of raw cabbage on the plate to counteract on the spiciness. The oysters themselves were a bit plain but the spicy green sauce and the roasted onions made up for that. All in all, really good experience and would come back.
8/10
Hainanese Chicken at Urban Hawker
I love New York because here I can finally try all the dishes that I would constantly see on food documentaries without having to travel the whole world. I am pretty sure New York has them all. So one rainy evening, I made my way uptown to Urban Hawker, a recently opened Singapore style food market and frequently marketed as „the hawker market that Anthony Bourdain always wanted for New York“. Since hawker markets in Singapore offer cheap, affordable food, there is a price cap here as well. As far as I know, no dish can be more than $20 (which sadly results in the fact that most dishes are simply priced at $19). I went for the Hainanese chicken rice – a traditional chicken dish from Singapore consisting of poached chicken, rice, chili sauce and usually accompanied by fresh cucumber. Mine also came with poached spinach and a cabbage soup on the side.
My verdict: The chicken was soft and tender and had a good flavour although it was „only“ poached. The rice was nice and sticky and the chili sauce was a good, surprisingly spicy addition. Would really like to try the „real deal“ in Singapore one day but for now, this will do.
7/10
The Cronut at Dominique Ansel Bakery
New York is famous for New York style pizza, hot dogs and since 2013 also for the cronut. It is a combination of a croissant and a donut and when it was first created by Dominique Ansel, people would queue for up to 4 hours just to get a taste of it. Nowadays, you can find „Cronuts“ (a term also trademarked by Ansel in 2013 only nine days after initially launching his creation) at every Dunkin Donut shop and sometimes even in supermarkets. Although I am neither a big fan of croissants nor of Donuts, I still wanted to try it and I braised myself for a long wait. However: no queue. I guess the cronut hype is over but good for me. No wait.
My verdict: I was truly surprised that I liked it as much. It is way more crunchy and „solid“ than I expected and it was not overpoweringly sweet. Every day, there’s a different flavour and I had cherry and nougat. The cherry filling was slightly tart and the sticky-sweet nougat on top served as a good addition. Might go back and have another one. (If anyone wonders about the price: $8).
9/10
Tsukemen Ramen at TabeTomo Ramen
I follow many YouTube Food Vloggers and one of them is Lukas. When he went to New York, he had TabeTomo Ramen and claimed it was the best bowl of Ramen he had ever had – so I went. I went after I get soaked to the bone by rain, so a steaming hot bowl of Ramen was the perfect choice that day. I opted for the Tsukemen Ramen, which is a type of dipping noodle. So the noodles are served on the side and are not already in the broth.
My verdict: Yep, was worth it. The broth was extremely flavourfull and quite dense. Lots of salt, lots of umami. The Tsukemen noodles were (very) al dente but I liked that. The egg was on point and so was the chashu. Since the noodles are served on the side, they get cold quite quickly, but at TabeTomo Ramen you can ask for a hot stone to solve the problem. The hot stone is then dipped into your broth, thereby reheating the dish.
9/10
Pretzel at Citifield Stadium
Got a pretzel. It sucked. So did the cheese dip. (Price: $10)
0/10
Drinks at the Dead Rabbit
On its website, the Dead Rabbit in the centre of the financial district claims to be „the world’s most awarded pub“. The Dead Rabbit was opened in 2013 by two Irishmen, Sean Muldoon and Jack McGarry. They clearly knew what they were doing because prior to the Dead Rabbit, they had built the cocktail programme at The Merchant Hotel in Belfast, winning the „World’s Best Bar“ title at the 2010 Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards. The Dead Rabbit would later win that title as well – twice. The team’s vision with the Dead Rabbit is to bring the traditional Irish pub into the 21st century. The bar is located on multiple floors of a historic building, each floor serving another purpose. While the ground floor is more classic pub-style, the first floor is home to a more posh cocktail bar. Since the pub was jam-packed, my friend and I opted for the cocktail bar.
My verdict: Can fully understand the hype. The menu was small and curated with drinks being sorted into two categories: Irish and World. The Irish drinks were often (but not exclusively) whiskey based, but also featured ingredients such as oats, birch and celery. The World ones were based on a wide variety of spirits (from shochu over rum to tequila). I had one each, the La Condesa from the world menu (Condesa Gin, Pisco, Lychee, Basil, Orange Wine) and the Idealist from the Irish one (Gin, Apricot, Sauternes, Manzanilla Sherry). Both were fresh and crisp with a hint of sweetness only, basically exactly matching my preferred flavour profile. I also noticed that service was very on point: the barkeepers would try the cocktails constantly while mixing them. Also my friend took his time drinking his first cocktail (served in a coupe), the barkeeper would sneakily bring a fresh, chilled glass and just pour the remaining drink in there.
9/10 (might come back and give it a 10/10 but it’s still early days)
More pizza at Prince Street Pizza
Prince Street Pizza is not so much known for the classic, thin New York style pizza. Instead, it serves thick, square slices.
My verdict: We went there after a few cocktails and were not expecting that much, but the pizza was just phenomenal. Thick, juicy, right amount of sauce and toppings. It is on the greasy side but due to the thick base, this is not so much of a problem. We were actually considering queuing again for a second round. Quote by my friend: „So, the best New York pizza is Detroit style pizza.“
9/10
Bagel at Russ & Daughters
Bagels are as much of a New York icon as pizza is – and I like them way more than pizza. So, on day 6, I decided I would finally have to have one and we made our way to Brooklyn for a Russ & Daughters bagel. Russ & Daughters was featured on Anthony Bourdain shows and on Netflix’s Somebody Feed Phil and is regarded by some to be the best bagel in the city. I went for an Everything Bagel (meaning it has all the seeds on top), lox (brined salmon) and horseradish and dill cream cheese.
My verdict: The bagel (freshly baked on site) was very good but I think I can find a better one – and especially a cheaper one as this set me back about $16. It was a bit on the small side and I prefer them a bit more doughy. The horseradish and dill in the cream cheese was a bit too subtle for my taste. Nevertheless: very solid first bagel
7/10
Couch Potato Chronicles 