Mitsuwa Madness

Two months ago, a friend of mine called me and told me about the yearly Mitsuwa bluefin tuna cutting performance. When I heard that it was a performance, I thought, oh, it'll be a performance where people dressed up as samurai will hack a tuna in half. Although that was half true, about the hacking, it was indeed an interesting experience to behold.

For those of you who do not know Mitsuwa, Mitusuwa is a small chain of Japanese supermarkets with locations around the country. I happen to live near the store in Edgewater, New Jersey so we chose to go to that one. Apparently, this bluefin cutting extravaganza happens at nearly the same time during the year in all of their stores around the country.

We arrived at the store early on a Saturday. My friend assured me that it was the better time to go because of the smaller crowds but boy were we mistaken. When I saw the crowd, I had the feeling that a McDonald's-sized advertising budget was dropped on Northern New Jersey and half of the Asian population showed up. Not only did they show up, but they were enthusiastic AND hungry!

We arrived long after the tuna's head and tail were cut off, there wasn't much of a performance to be had. The workers were just filleting the tuna while we were there so we just partook in the tasting.

The most affordable part of the bluefin cutting was the offering of bluefin sushi, at $9.99 a pop. For that price, you would get 4 pieces of bluefin tuna plus 2 pieces of toro. For the life of me, I cannot tell the difference between otoro, chutoro or regular toro, but I knew we got at least two pieces of toro because of its lighter color. It was scrumptious!

For the more extravagant visitors, blocks of tuna, which were packaged in foam containers, were sold for as much as $60 per pack. From the appearances, it seemed as if you would get nearly a pound of tuna for that price. I had the pleasure of seeing a fairly long line of people lined up at the in-store ATM only 10 feet away from the tuna cutting action. There was nothing to separate the people from their tuna, even an economy that is close to collapse. What a country...

All in all, I was very pleased with my visit. However, I can say that I was at first apprehensive because I thought this event would be a great opportunity for animal rights activists to make their point and I didn't want to be in the middle of some riot. That would have really spoiled the fun.

Grateful For New York

Having been away from New York has been a bit of a struggle for a New Yorker who is used to the convenience of cheap but good food. As I may have mentioned in a previous post, when there isn't the population density to support that many restaurants, restaurant choice, convenience, and value tends to suffer. You could not imagine my happiness when my bus pulled into Manhattan going down Lexington Avenue from Harlem all the way down through the East Side and finally toward Fashion Avenue. It was visual confirmation of all that is right about the New York food scene, namely its diversity of restaurants, population and vitality. There were plenty of places that were open at 11 p.m. and diners in nearly every one of them. I could not imagine a better place for a fan of food in the U.S.

My hope for the future of New York restaurants is the continued availability of restaurants that recognize the needs of recession-battered customers. I have read that in many parts of New York, restauranteurs are doing just that and are adjusting their menus, offering daily specials, and reduced priced dinners, thus continuing my appreciation of our restaurant scene. Let's keep it going!

Impressions of Boston

I have been here over a month in Boston on a work assignment. It seems like eons ago since my last blog entry. So without any hesitation, I want to share my thoughts about my stay in Boston, some related to food and some not. Please read and keep in mind that the writer sees most things from a New York perspective!

After having tried several Boston-area restaurants, I've come to the conclusion that places with decent ethnic food tend to reflect heavy immigration, which is truly the case in New York City. There are pockets of immigrant populations around the country where one group is well-represented, but there is nowhere in the United States where immigration is so diverse and from all corners of the globe as it is in New York City. This translates into "authentic" food. In my view, authenticity can mean anything. Food is not static and trends in ethnic food tends to reflect the size and age of a population and tradition, including local tradition. This fact weighs heavily on the Boston food scene.

From my observations, Boston's population is diverse. Picking out restaurants to reflect this tends to be difficult due to the fact that this diversity is spread out and immigrant populations do not dominate whole neighborhoods as they do in New York. Therefore, you really would need to be a real Bostonian to know where to go to find these gems. I can say for sure that you can find almost every type of cuisine in Boston, but you need a good guide or find restaurants online on your own. Here are a few generalizations and observations I can make about Boston:

1. Boston is a walking city, but you need to walk farther between restaurants.
2. Some Boston restaurants do not have obvious storefronts, since many are located in older buildings. You may have to step down into a building or go up a flight of stairs to get to a restaurant.
3. Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts do not all have restrooms and when they do, you can count on finding the homeless inside freshening up.
4. Boston's downtown and the waterfront are very quiet on the weekends: nary a soul to be found, nor an open restaurant.
5. Boston's cuisine reflects immigration their contribution to the evolution of their cuisine. For example, Boston's Italian neighborhoods, reflect the fact that immigration has really slowed down from Italy and their restaurants follow the traditional Italian-American style of cuisine handed down for four generations. Not much has changed, whereas in Chinatown, the moderate Chinese immigration has yet to change the 1980's to 1990's style of Chinese cuisine in Boston's Chinatown. New York, in comparison, has made great leaps forward in terms of Chinese regional cuisine and the evolution of Cantonese cuisine, helped in large measure by heavy Chinese immigration into New York. In a side note, I've read that the total Chinese-American population in Massachusetts is about 100,000, whereas in New York City alone, the population is about 350,000. This explains the difference in cuisine.
6. Bostonians resent tourist trap restaurants.
7. There are many transients in Boston, most notably students. I've never been in a city with so many colleges and universities concentrated in one area.
8. Having so many students hasn't translated into tons of student-budgeted restaurants. I admit that I haven't visited Cambridge yet, so I may be wrong.
9. Boston food is not cheap due to lack of competition.
10. Boston's mass transit is a-ok.
11. There are tons of aggressive panhandlers in Boston. In New York, the homeless are just mingling amongst themselves or splayed on the sidewalk.
12. Something about New England make people there very quiet and reserved. The only animation and joie de vivre were in the college kids.
13. Hostility towards the Yankees is real! I can attest to that!
14. You must accept that while in Boston, your lunch will cost $9 and above.
15. You can get twin lobsters for $15.75! Yay!
16. In New York's Chinatown, the waiters are bi-lingual. In Boston's Chinatown, most aren't.
17. To live here, you must get used to not being in a crowd.
18. In Boston, they do the eye-contact avoiding thing, just as well as we do here in New York.
19. Bostonians who use the T are not as nimble as New Yorkers in making room for others. They also have the same bad habit as New Yorkers in not moving to the center of the car and blocking exits.
20. Bostonians do not want Johnny Damon back on their team.

So there you have it, my short but sweet stay in Boston. I will be returning to the Big Apple tomorrow. I want to thank Boston for welcoming me with open arms and providing me with many memories. So long for now!

Keyspan Park Goodies

Last night, my wife and I visited Keyspan Park for the first time after having read that the chance to visit was coming to a close this summer - the last game is on September 6. We had been to Coney Island earlier this summer but never made it to a game. To sum things up, the Brooklyn Cyclones make sure their fans have a good time, as every trick in the book was thrown in - and sometimes literally - to the fans. They presented, not necessarily in this order, a hot dog race, free t-shirts, free thunder sticks, free childrens' books, free scorecard and program, cheerleaders, and a whole host of other local characters who constantly stirred up the crowd. To top things off, there was a fireworks display after the game, including a performance by the "world's fastest golfer." How's that for your entertainment buck?

What was most appealing were the ticket prices, $9 to $16, and there is not a bad seat in the house. The most dramatic aspect of the park is the parachute jump in right field. What a backdrop! We were really lucky to get free tickets last night unexpectedly. I was waiting on line at the ticket booth and we were approached by an older couple who asked if we were interested in some tickets. I thought they were trying to sell them, so I declined. They said they were giving it away so we agreed! We followed the couple and when we got to our seats, were were literally sitting right over the opposing team's dugout and had a clear view between third base and home. I almost got hit by a foul ball too! That's the last time I check my Blackberry!

So how was the food you may ask? As with the ticket prices, concessions were all reasonably priced with most prices under $5. You could buy a $3 box of popcorn and a $2 soda. Try doing that at Yankee Stadium! I noticed they offered foot-long hotdogs, regular hot dogs, kid-sized hot dogs, pretzels, peanuts, etc. Other foods were sold on carts such as sausages and "Brooklyn-made" (Asian) dumplings etc. Everything looked fresh and unhealthful. ;-)

In the final analysis, this is a really fun place to go and totally family-friendly. I even found out that the well-known major league pitcher, Scott Kazmir played for the Cyclones. Even the game was fun, "how about that?"

Vanessa's Dumplings

Today's review is based upon a single menu item, the Sesame Pancake Sandwich at Vanessa's Dumplings on 220 East 14th Street. Vanessa's Dumplings is located on 14th Street, close to Third Avenue and not far from all the student hustle and bustle at Union Square. I happened upon this place many times in the past, dismissing it as an overpriced Chinese Restaurant that migrated from Chinatown. I remember when they opened a couple of years ago, there was a prominent sign in front of the restaurant telling passersby of their inexpensive dumplings. As I passed by this weekend, I decided to give this restaurant a try.

I ordered the Sesame Pancake Sandwich with Vegetables as this was an item I've never tried before. The sandwich was made of a sesame pancake larger than an English muffin. It is pan-fried to a crispy brown texture, with sesame seeds embedded on both sides. The filling was made of carrots, cucumbers, lettuce and other vegetables I couldn't identify. These crispy veggies were mixed with a sweet gingery, light fish sauce based dressing. The sandwich was served hot, with the cold vegetables taking on the heat of the pancake. It was delicious, although I was a bit concerned about the sugar and salt content. The pancakes crispy outside was nicely balanced with a chewy inside.

Vanessa's is definitely a Pan-Asian restaurant aimed at students in the area. Most dishes are within a student's budget, with the vast majority of menu items going for under $5.99. The sesame pancake sanwiches range from $1.29 for just the pancake, to $2.99 for the Chicken Teriyaki sandwich. Based upon this one item, I can say that the quality of this item is good and that the other items may be worth trying. And besides, who isn't on a student's budget these days?

Search For Live Octopus In New York City

As I was surfing YouTube last night, I came across dozens of videos showing people who ate live octopus. Almost all the videos were recorded in Korea, so I'm assuming this is a common Korean meal.

Universally, the newbies said that pieces of octopus stuck to their tongues or to other parts of their mouths. In some of these videos, entire octopuses were consumed and in others, chopped up pieces of octopuses were eaten with a dipping sauce.

This really piqued my curiosity and was wondering if anyone knows of a restaurant that serves live octopus in New York City.

My Atlanta Experience

My wife and I decided to go down to Atlanta this past weekend to take in the sights and sounds of Atlanta along with some of my relatives who already live there. Although, this post is not related to New York cheap eats, I definitely had my share of degustation down in Dixie and want to share these delights with y'all.

On my first day, I was driven down to an area somewhere in Northeast Atlanta, I think on a road called Buford Highway. Although I couldn't remember the name of the restaurant that I went to, it was a fairly large Vietnamese restaurant known for Pho served in small, medium and large bowls. I ordered the $6.50 medium and it was delicious and as good as any had in New York. I was also told that Banh Mi was available is many places along the highway. Apparently, in this area of Atlanta, most of the Asian food markets and Spanish/South American cuisine were concentrated in this area. I counted two large clusters of Asian shops, one "Chinatown" complete with the typical arch and one large Spanish specialty mall.

Further along on our weekend, on a nonfood-related note, we took in the World of Coca-Cola, and the CNN Center in Atlanta. Both tours were excellent, reasonably priced ($15) and entertaining. World of Coca-Cola was fascinating in the sense of Coke's history and the enduring popularity of the beverage. There was no mention of any of the ingredients in Coca-Cola, not even the suspected cocaine. What we did learn was that the inventor of Coke, Mr. Pemberton, did invent many other drinks that weren't quite as popular. The museum included two movie theaters, including an eye-popping, 4D theater, a theater showing commercials, and exhibits showing vending and advertising paraphernalia through the years. The best part of the tour was the space right before the gift show. This area contained stations of Coke beverages divided by continental regions, which gave tourists a taste of drinks available around the world. I determined that if I were to live overseas, based solely on fizzy beverages, Asia would be the place for me. Asian beverages were consistently sweet, but not sweeter than the other regions, and stayed truer to their labels. I found that the African beverages tasted as if there were some artificial sweetener thrown in. The South American beverages all had a anise or cardomon bitterness. The European beverages didn't really have an identity and were all over the map. The one consistent good thing about all the continents was that no matter which continent, we were on, the ice tea beverages were all drinkable. The most notable was a Chinese ice tea which had a strong aroma of jasmine tea.

As for the CNN Center, for $15, we enjoyed another excellent, and this time, a fully-guided tour. We were able to see a couple of anchors, including Tony Harris and a lady from CNN Espanol, who waved at all the tourists behind the glass separating us from the anchor. Unfortunately, pictures were not allowed, but I think we all got the sense that CNN was a fully functioning news gathering organization, although I was a bit surprised that it wasn't bigger. Since I'm a huge fan of CNN and all its channels, it was truly an exciting experience. But now, back to food...

The focus of our weekend was a pig roast. My brother-in-law roasted a pig for his neighbor's annual garden party and since I am a New Yorker and a million miles from being a do-it-yourselfer, it was quite impressive to see the cooking process firsthand. Before I arrived, I was spared the details on the dispatching of the pig and its cleaning. From what I've seen on tv, there is a well-worn process of cleaning and gutting the animal. I saw the end result of that cleaning and having viewed the carcass, has given me a greater appreciation as to the sacrifices animals make for humanity. Lifting and carrying an entire pig is much different that carrying a few slices of pork chops home from your butcher. The separation of our collective experience with food from its sources is vast indeed.

The pig was prepared with needle injections comprising of a secret wet mix. The outside was later seasoned by adobo and cajun seasoning. I had the pleasure of helping to butterfly the pig and mount it on a metal cooking rack. The entire pig was placed in a roasting box, which was then covered by another large piece of metal. Charcoal was spread on top of the roasting box and ignited. I was surprised that putting heat above the pig was enough to cook the meat. I was told that the radiant heat generated above, moved down and then up which creates an effect similar to an oven. As the pig cooked, we only needed to turn the pig over once and when the cover came off after 4 hours of roasting, the pig revealed a glamorous golden color and scrumptious aroma. The skin or cracklins were heavenly, and when he was brought to the garden party, it was unmercilously set upon by the guests. The meat was moist, roasted and tasty, and proved that any good meal is dependent on taking one's time in preparation. I'm sure that if this pig roast took place in New York, we would have surely had it catered.... to save time.

Finally, to round out our protein-filled extravaganza of a weekend, we were delighted that our hosts decided to bring us to two Southern culinary institutions, Mary Mac's Tea Room and Chik-fil-A.

Mary Mac's Tea Room is known for it's delicious traditional Southern Fried Chicken. We decided to have the 4 piece half chicken which consisted of a leg, thigh, wing and breast. For $11.95, you were also given a choice of 2 sides, which we all decided to choose different ones, so as to try as many as possible. The fried chicken was indeed impressive, as the chicken had a tasty, lightly spiced batter. The chicken was not greasy and held it's moisture well. As for the side dishes, I had the macaroni and cheese and vegetable medley. I was a bit disappointed with the macaroni and cheese mainly because it didn't have the thick creamy base that I usually like. It actually tasted like as if an egg batter had been mixed into the recipe. The other sides were excellent, especially the vegetable soup, collard greens with cracklin' cornbread, the fried green tomatoes, broccoli souffle, and sweet potato souffle. Finally, the sweet tea was excellent.

Chik-fil-A was the next stop before catching the plane back to New York. Luckily for us, the original Chik-fil-A was located just 3 miles from Hartsfield Airport, so we were able to linger at the restaurant. We were seated at a counter that had a classic 1950's style look to it. What made the restaurant modern were the video menus mounted above counters. We were told that Chik-fil-A was institution in the South that was still privately owned and is always closed on Sundays. I was also told that the white meat chicken filets were cooked in a pressure cooker. As such, when we were served our classic Chik-fil-A Chicken Sandwich, we were pleased with the divine moistness of the white meat. The filet was nearly three-quarters of an inch thick. The deluxe came with freshly-cut waffle fries with lettuce, tomato, and a pile of sliced pickles. The meal was easily satisfying and the breading on the filet was unobtrusive. The filet was really the center of attention in this meal. I'm starting to become a fan of pressure cooking! Has anyone tried pressure cooked rice? The beverage of choice at Chik-fil-A is the real hand-squeezed lemonade and it did taste like hand-squeezed lemonade! Finally, to end our meal, we enjoyed the fried apple pie, a la mode with Ice Dream. The fried apple pie was alright, but what knocked us over was the Ice Dream. It is by far, the best soft serve ice cream I've ever had. It had the right richness, sweetness and tasted like real milk. It had excellent texture. I was tempted to get another cup on the way out, but my wife stopped me cold!

In a final note, I want warn cost-conscious travelers to avoid LaGuardia Airport's Terminal D for food. The food costs were outrageous as I found $3 bagels, $10 set meals at every fast food joint. I would assume that this is true for all of the other terminals at LaGuardia, but I have never see the prices so high, even at JFK.

So there, was my weekend, filled with food and catching up with friends and relatives. What made the weekend more remarkable was the depth of appreciation of good food from those whom I dined with. It was a pleasure and surely there is more, much more to enjoy in Atlanta!

Doyers Vietnamese Restaurant

Chinatown has always had its share of good Vietnamese Restaurants. From the stretch of Vietnamese restaurants on Baxter Street from Bayard to Canal, to Nha Trang on Centre Street, Vietnamese food never disappointed me on taste or on price. Doyers Vietnamese Restaurant on 11 Doyers Street, was our new discovery two weekends ago. I always knew about this restaurant but however this weekend we finally decided to take the plunge. Maybe it was that one had to descend a flight of sketchy stairs to enter the restaurant or the gaudy chasing lights that turned me away but we finally went for it and boy were we glad we went in.

Upon entering the restaurant we were pleasantly surprised by the sizable dining room, despite the fact that the restaurant is inside a tenement building. The waitstaff is a group of 50 something men, who are attentive in filling your water glass and taking your order.

We tried three dishes, the Grilled Pork on Thin Rice Noodle, the Stewed Beef Noodle Soup and the Grilled Chicken Noodle Soup. The Grilled Pork on Thin Rice Noodle is a dish of a bed of thin rice noodles that are pan-fried and flattened. It is then topped with a thinly sliced, marinated pork chop with a hint of lemongrass. The noodles are not crispy but just noticeably fried. It came with a side of onions, lettuce, presumably to be used as a wrapper and a light orange Vietnamese sauce. This was utterly delicious and we agreed this was our favorite dish.

The Stewed Beef Noodle Soup was our second favorite. What set this dish apart from my other favorite Vietnamese restaurants was that the soup had the color of a deep-rich brownish translucent beef broth. When broth looks that way, you know they've thrown a ton of beef bones into the stockpot. The soup, as I expected, was delicious. To make matters better, the noodles were the round, white, gummy and translucent, somehow a cross between glass noodles and rice noodles. Once again it was utterly delicious. This was one dish where we wanted to finish both the noodles AND the broth!

Finally, the Grilled Chicken Noodle Soup was another yummy treat. This time, we were dealing with presumably, a pork bone-based soup. The broth was clearer, not as rich, but still tasty. The noodles were thin rice noodles, but what made this dish great was the grilled chicken. The grilled chicken was marinated dark meat, similar in taste to the grilled pork chop I had before.

When considering the quality of the food, I would easily pay $2 to $3 more for each dish, but this is what we actually paid for the meal:

Grilled Pork on Thin Rice Noodle $7.50
Stewed Beef Noodle Soup $4.50
Grilled Chicken Noodle Soup $4.95

After having this meal, I decided that this is probably the best Vietnamese Restaurant in Chinatown, based on the quality of the food. Other places are comparable in terms of price but when you consider quality AND price, this place is truly a bargain restaurant hunters dream and worthy of the Cheap Food Blog!!

L&L Hawaiian Barbecue Plate Lunches

Before reviewing L&L Hawaiian Barbecue, I did a little research about L&L and found that it's a Hawaiian-based franchise with stores located mainly in Hawaii and the West Coast. The lone New York store is located 64 Fulton Street, in the Financial District. of Manhattan. It's only two blocks from the South Street Seaport and about 3 blocks from Broadway.

L&L takes the multicultural nature of Hawaiian cuisine and simplifies it for mass consumption. You'll find Hawaiian food, side by side with Japanese (ramen, sushi, soba, udon and bento boxes), Chinese (bbq roast meats) and American (i.e. hamburgers). What they've done at this franchise, and the only one west of Texas, is to create a menu that attempts to appeal to everyone, even those who haven't been to Hawaii.

I took a look at L&L's online menu and saw that sushi wasn't available on their menu. I was thinking that their New York franchisee decided to add sushi to widen their appeal. Perhaps this is because many New Yorkers haven't been to Hawaii, as New Yorkers tend to view the Caribbean as their island paradise. So, in a store that is ostensibly selling Hawaiian cuisine, we have a store where the first thing one sees is a sushi counter and a sushi refrigerator. Hmm, is this really Hawaiian?

As for the food, I have tried L&L a couple of times and have ordered their Hawaiian BBQ Chicken, Chicken Katsu and Curry Chicken Katsu as these were in the Hawaiian "Plate Lunch" section of their menu. The plate lunches consists of rice, the meat, a green salad and a scoop of macaroni salad. The Hawaiian BBQ Chicken is an excellent dish, with a sweet tasting sauce that is very similar to teriyaki. The chicken (3 cutlets) is served over a bed of long grain white rice which is a tad stickier than regular rice. There is no sauce drizzled on the chicken, but the chicken is marinated well and goes well with the rice without sauce. As for the green salad, it comes with a creamy ginger sauce and which is quite average tasting. The macaroni salad however, is just like the kind you get in Hawaii, not too creamy, but with just enough mayo to glaze the macaroni and not sour. As for the Katsu dishes, each comes with sauces on the side, either traditional Katsu sauce or curry sauce. The chicken katsu itself, is well breaded and a regular order comes with two full and large cutlets. These are simply moist and fried to the perfect crispiness.

All plate lunches come in small and regular sizes. The regular size is what I described above and comes with multiple cutlets. It is a lot of food at $7.99. I have yet to try the small size, but I would assume that it would be a tad smaller, maybe one less cutlet. Overall, the experience was very satisfying, however, the only taste of Hawaii I experienced in the lunch was the macaroni salad. When I go again, I will try the Laulau, Kahlua Pork or the Spam Musubi. Hopefully they are as good as the plate lunches. At $7.99, a lunch at L&L Hawaiian Barbecue isn't cheap, but unique in terms of getting a taste of Hawaii in New York without the tiki cocktail glasses!

Excellent Pork Chop House

I'm always wary about restaurants that provide a self-critique in their names, so I tried the Excellent Pork Chop House (5 Doyers St.) with some trepidation. Upon entering the restaurant, you will find a dining room just a bit better than Spartan, though not much better. The dining room had approximately 8 tables and were not set uncomfortably close together. The one notable decoration in the dining room was a shelf full of dolls. As I recall, they weren't Asian-themed nor pork chop related, so it still baffles me.

I was told that this place makes a decent fried chicken leg and fried pork chop, so I decided to give it a try. I was in a party of three and we all ordered noodle soups, in addition to one pork chop and one chicken leg on the side. We decided to try the sides of the chicken and pork chop first. The fried chicken leg was nice and juicy and as I can fathom, was fried. It was skinless and fried to a barely crispy texture without breading. As I bit into the leg, the aromatics hit me and I knew that this place uses five spice powder as their secret ingredient. Overall, the leg was pleasant, salted just right and moist. As for the fried pork chop, I had high expectations because of the restaurant's moniker. I was not disappointed. The pork chop was a bone-in pork chop which usually retains plenty of moisture and richness. I noticed that there was barely a crispy texture again as with the fried chicken leg. I examined what I was eating and found from the way the meat was done, that the meat was probably boiled, then quickly deep-fried. This was very unique to me, so if you come here, don't expect your pork chop to have a deep brown crispiness. Because of their cooking technique, this was a unique experience and it didn't compromise on the flavor at all. I could also detect a hint of the five spice powder on the pork chop.

Now for the noodle soups... I ordered the wonton soup and my friends ordered chicken leg noodle soup and shrimp noodle soup. The soup noodles were thin and white, not vermicelli-like and had a nice rubbery bounce to them in the mouth. They tasted like they were freshly made. As for the toppings, since this noodle shop is not Southern Chinese, but northern, there was a healthy dollop of preserved vegetables in the bowl and other types of crispy vegetables. The stock was fine and tasted pork-based.

All in all, my experience wasn't bad at all. The service was attentive and fast. The food was pretty good, I guess a 7 out of 10. As for the cheapness factor, I would give this place a B+. The pork chops and chicken legs were $2.50 each and the noodle soup bowls were about $5.25. My only complaint is that the pork chop were not thick and the chicken legs were medium-sized. $2.50 is a bit steep when compared to what you could get at Asian food courts. If you could make it out to Manhattan's Chinatown, definitely give this place a try. I think you'll like it!

Danny Ng's Place

This is my first true restaurant review on the Manhattan Cheap Food Blog and I hope you all enjoy it! I decided to review, in my opinion, the best Cantonese-style Chinese restaurant in Chinatown, Danny Ng's Place, on 52 Bowery. Danny Ng's Place is located on the ground level of Golden Bridge Restaurant, which is a dim sum restaurant. When looking for Danny Ng's, there may be some confusion because both restaurants share the same address and entrance. To get to Danny Ng's, you would need just to walk straight through the entrance, directly to the back of the ground level floor. What you'll see is a smallish 12 table dining room in a clean modern setting.

Now for the food. Why is this restaurant so good when there are so many other Chinese restaurants in the neighborhood? There are two main reasons why I love this place:

#1 reason is the care that they put into making their dishes.
#2 reason is the service.

What does it mean when I say "care" into making dishes? Let's take a look at why many people like Chinese food, especially Cantonese-style cuisine. The restaurants that serve "Chinese" food all around Manhattan and the outer boroughs tend to serve traditional "American Chinese cuisine." Generic items from this type of cuisine are: egg rolls, lo mein, fried rice, General Tso's chicken, etc. American Chinese cuisine has its roots in Southern Chinese (Cantonese) cooking as all these dishes contain elements from this style. Cantonese cuisine reveres the straightforward natural tastes of foods and encourages steaming, quick stir-frying and simple sauces that do not overwhelm the underlying taste of the food.

What's so good about the cooking you'll get at Danny Ng's is the conscienciousness of the chefs in not falling into the trap of making "American Chinese" food. I am not against American Chinese food, but only want to point out a different way to view and taste Chinese food out of the usual paradigm. For those of you who have travelled to China, you will find less of a reliance on frying that requires heavy breading, heavily salted foods, heavily oiled foods, and finally less processing and over-marinating. At Danny Ng's the chefs have really thought about how to make all your favorite American Chinese dishes into something that is cooked in a more traditional and healthy way. Let me explain. My signature dish here is, da-dum,... General Tso's chicken. We all know and love this dish which has a long history in American Chinese restaurants. They take this dish, marinate the white-meat chicken, make it moist and fry this dish with the thinnest of batters. In fact, it is very hard to notice a crust. Then they make the sweet sauce that is not thick, but thin, yet clings on the cubes of chicken. It is all presented on a bed of broccoli. The truly amazing part here is that it is like no other General Tso's chicken you've ever had. It's easier to describe what it is not. It is does not have a thick breading. It does not have an overly thick and overly sweet sauce. It is not oily. It seems that there are three principles working here in their kitchen:

1. Lower the salt content
2. Lower the oil
3. Insert plenty of vegetables in each dish
   

This philosophy in creating their food is perpetuated throughout their menu. I have been to this restaurant 5 times already and I have never been disappointed. Some of my recommendations are the oxtail stew, the fish maw soup, anything with a bean curd wrap (great for vegetarians and in my opinion, the best mock duck in the world), fried pork chop with pepper salt, any of their casseroles and fried frog legs. The only item that I would avoid are any of the sizzling platters. I've tried a couple and the volume of food and combinations of vegetables and meat weren't adequate in taste or excitement.

Now, since this is the cheap food blog, you may be asking, "How are the prices?" I would say that they are competitive in the mid-range. Most dishes are in the $12 to $15 range, with many tasty dishes in the $9 to $11 range. I've even tried their fried rice dishes and noodles, which are cheaper and they are all excellent. Also remember that if you do not order soup, the house will serve the house soup free of charge and will also give free orange slices and dessert soup at the end of your meal. Given all of their affordable menu choices, I would say this qualified to be on Manhattan's Cheap Food Blog.

Cream Cakes at Quickly

After a satisfying meal at Joe's Ginger last night in Manhattan's Chinatown, I made a delicious new discovery on my way home. As my wife and I were walking down Pell Street, we noticed that a new eatery had opened up to the right of Joe's Shanghai. We took a look from the outside and noticed there was a little window where a man was making small oval-shaped cakes using a 21st century contraption. The contraption consisted of a conveyor belt made of metal cake shapes, which were constantly being filled by two tubes that hung over the conveyor. I took a quick look and saw a sign that said $2 for 8 pieces and $5 for 20 pieces.

Since my wife and I wanted some dessert, we ordered 8 and were really delighted. The yellow cakes were shaped like a lady finger with a texture that was denser than spongecake. Cream was injected inside while it was cooked. Unfortunately, the cakes we had were pre-made and were only slightly warm, but they were still delicious. My wife told me how good they would be if they were just taken off of the conveyor! For those of you who have been to Mitsuwa, a Japanese supermarket in Edgewater New Jersey, this cake is very similar to the round cream-filled cakes in their food court. I liked this one better because of the slightly sweeter taste and the more bite-sized portion.

To finish this story, I took a look at the sign above and saw that the store was named Quickly, a Taiwanese bubble tea chain. I took a quick step inside and confirmed that this was a bubble tea store with limited seating. They also have a limited hot food menu. So if you're in Chinatown, try these instead of the street cart "Hong Kong cakes". In my book, they're moister and tastier!

The Right Time to Shop at Sidewalk Vendors

I made a discovery this weekend as I was food shopping in Manhattan's Chinatown. As I was walking around Mulberry Street, below Canal, I noticed that all the fruit and vegetable sidewalk vendors were closing for the evening. I took a look at some of their last items before they packed up. The vendor saw that I was interested in some blueberries and cherries and they became insistent that I take them off of their hands. They said $4 for 4 pints! I couldn't believe it, so I ended up buying the lot. So my advice for today is that if you want some deals and can time your visit, go to Chinatown to pick up some bargains between the hours of 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. You never know what they'll have available!

Cherry Season

Late June is my favorite month for fruit, particularly for red cherries and blueberries. To me, this is "high season" mainly because during this time of year, their sweetness levels are at its highest. I love diving into a pound or two of cherries. I like the ones that look conjoined, because they resemble something funny! Can you guess? :) But I digress... To get the best prices for these two treats, go to Chinatown and get off at the Canal Street Station. All the fruit stands are to be found on Canal Street between Baxter and Mulberry Streets. If you walk south on Mulberry Street toward Columbus Park, you will find more stands at the intersection of Mulberry and Bayard Street. My wife made a discovery yesterday. Some fruit stands were selling 2 pounds of cherries for $5 and some offered the same cherries for $3. It definitely pays to shop around as some locations justify their higher prices by being at a prime sidewalk spot. I can't wait till July as the yellow cherry season begins. I found some in Midtown, but they're not ripe just yet. In a few weeks they should be just fine!

Pluck U

Here's yet another post on my favorite topic, chicken wings! Pluck U, in my opinion makes the best buffalo wings, bar none. I was first introduced to Pluck U back in the late 80's when they had a location near NYU. Throughout the 90's there were several locations all around Manhattan and all equally good. For some reason, during the 2000's almost all the locations closed for some unknown reason. One closed in the Financial District, another the East Village, another in Murray Hill and then another in Hell's Kitchen.

About 3 weeks ago, after walking around the Hell's Kitchen area on Memorial Day, I stumbled upon a new Pluck U (47th Street and 10th Avenue)!! I couldn't believe my eyes because as far as I knew, the last remaining store was located on Thompson Street in Greenwich Village. I was so happy, ... salvation! I finally got to try the wings and true to form, the same great taste remains! Pluck U is known for their exceptional sauces. I am partial to "Gold" which is the non-hot sauce and mildly sweet. Others like BBQ, Mild, Medium, Hot and Death live up to their name. What's great about this chain is their consistency. A final note about their wings is that they are fried perfectly and never to the point of gristly skin.

For about $10 you can get 10 wings a drink and a fry. There are plenty of side dishes to be had and they're all good. I do not recommend the boneless wings because the bone give the wings better flavor. In the end, Pluck U are not necessarily the cheapest wings you can get, but they taste the best. A final note, the two remaining Pluck U's in Manhattan have very limited seating, so the best way to enjoy them is to take out!

Frozen Yogurt

My, have we come a long way from the days when Colombo soft frozen yogurt was king of the New York deli. In a category that was once sweet and filled with many flavor choices, we have now changed to "kinder and gentler" yogurt, less sweet and more healthy. There are now three major frozen yogurt chains that predominate in Manhattan, Tasti D lite, Red Mango and Pinkberry. I've tried all three and each have their pluses and minuses.

Of the three, the one that compares most closely to Colombo, is Tasti D lite. It contains the same high sweetness level, has plenty of flavors and offers similar traditional toppings for their yogurt as with ice cream. However, I can't get over the "plasticky foam" taste of their yogurt. After eating one, it just seems to occupy a space in your stomach without the leaving you with the feeling of heft and satifaction. It is a physically hollow feeling.

Red Mango and Pinkberry has some heft behind it, although you could say they are in a category of their own. This category of yogurt gives a textural feeling of millions of tiny ice crystals in your mouth. After the initial bite, both yogurts are tangy and sweet, perhaps half the sweetness of ice cream. The main difference between Red Mango and Pinkberry is that Red Mango is a tiny bit sweeter than Pinkberry. All the toppings offered for both products are the same, from fresh fruit to Captain Crunch to little mochi rice balls. Both are fairly expensive. Expect to pay about $5 for a small and up to $8.50 for a large.

Today, I actually stumbled upon a new place called Yogurt Yogurt located at Lexington and 23rd. I asked the guy working inside if there were other branches and he said there were some in Brooklyn and Queens. About the yogurt, this place sells the same type of yogurt as Red Mango and Pinkberry. It is as sweet as Red Mango, but the difference is the texture. Their yogurt actually has nearly 90% of the texture of real ice cream. Very different and I liked it! I like their price even more. A small goes for $2.70!!!

That is what I love about this new frozen yogurt trend. There are so many different kinds and I know I've left out a couple, so if anyone would like to add more and about their qualities, I'd love to hear it!

Hong Kong Supermarket

I took a trip to Chinatown yesterday and took a look at the remains of the oldest Hong Kong Supermarket in New York City. Hong Kong Supermarket is an Asian supermarket chain which has several stores located on the East Coast. As I recall, Hong Kong Supermarket on Pike Street and East Broadway, opened in Manhattan's Chinatown during the late 1980's. This, I believe, was the first Hong Kong Supermarket in the Tri-State region and started when the original landlord in the location had originally intended to open an Asian-type mall, with sectioned off stalls. Somehow, that never happened and the owners of HK Supermarket leased the entire lot. It was there for so many years until a huge fire, several weeks ago, destroyed the supermarket, in addition to an adjacent building.

Hong Kong Supermarket was always a landmark to me because it was the first time a bonafide supermarket selling Asian items was opened, other than the conventional mom and pop type stores in Chinatown. As the Asian community grew, branches were opened in Brooklyn, Queens and in New Jersey. Other Asian supermarkets followed and now the "Asian supermarket" is seen as institutions in their neighborhoods and communities. It always amused me how the Fire Department always flashed their lights and double-parked their firetrucks in front of HK Supermarket while making their food runs. Somehow, the fire department saw HK Supermarket to be on par with Pathmark, the local giant in the surrounding neighborhood.

As of now, the status of HK Supermarket is unknown. I'm sure those of us who are fans of Asian supermarkets and their low prices, are eager to see it return, hopefully bigger and better. The original was always tight and it would be nice to see a two or even a three-story supermarket take its place. For the record, my last ever purchase at this HK Supermarket was frozen green onion pie, the kind that is savory and speckled with scallions and onions. I hope I can shop there again!

Strange Taste Cuisine

A couple of months ago, I saw this Chinese restaurant called Strange Taste Cuisine located on Henry Street, between Catherine and Market Streets in Chinatown. The name was so good I had to take a picture. So what is so strange about the cuisine? Since I haven't eaten at this place, I found through research that this is a Fujianiese dumpling and noodle restaurant. That doesn't seem so strange...

Bagels - Austin's Cafe

What makes a good bagel? To me, a good bagel should be shiny and crusty on the outside, to ensure that it is baked through. It should be doughy, yeasty and and chewy and should spring back when touched. A good bagel should also be tasty both hot or at room temperature! A bagel should not look like bread and should not have rough texture crust. In all my years, the worst bagels I had are the ones that resemble or taste like a kaiser roll or a round roll, shaped into a bagel. They're just awful, and when presented with one, I just close my eyes and imagine it to be something else, usually when I'm out of town.

It was a sad time last year when, in my opinion, the best bagel shop in Manhattan closed, David's Bagels on 1st Avenue and 14th Street. Their bagels epitomized the best in bagel-making. Now that a year has passed, I'd like to share with you Austin's Cafe, which is located on the corner of Park Avenue and 34th Street. This is not a bagel shop but a deli, selling sandwiches, coffee, salads, danishes and such, but it currently has the best bagels, nearly as good as Davids. I looked around Austin's and didn't see anybody making bagels, so I assume that they get their bagels delivered from somewhere. Anyhow, if you want a bagel that is truly heavenly, try theirs. They are not overdone and everything about it is just in the right amounts. I'd give it a 9 out of 10, with the long gone David's being the perfect standard.

There is another bagel place nearby with a great reputation and where these guys actually make the bagels on the premises which is Daniel's on 37th and 3rd. However, I find their bagels to have a "floury" taste. It tastes as though they are made with a different kind of flour or perhaps yeast that gives their bagels a different taste and aroma. It's not bad, just different.

If you try either, you'll taste the difference. So what is your favorite New York bagel shop? I'd love to know!

Beard Papa Cream Puffs

Woe is me.... the Beard Papa located near Grand Central (on 41st and Madison) is now history as I discovered this past Sunday. It was actually located in a place called Cafe Zaiya and has been there for years. I loved to stop by every once in a while to pick up a regular or a green tea cream puff, or even one of their eclairs. Now I'll have to take the subway to one of their other locations in the city and there aren't many of them.

For those of you who don't know Beard Papa, it's a Japanese cream puff chain. It's logo is recognizable to us as it resembles the Gorton's Fisherman. What made Beard Papa one of my favorites was the they way the cream was made. Generally, Asian bakeries tend to dial down the sweetness level in their cakes and creams and Beard Papa is the perfect example. The cream has a lighter consistency than a regular Italian cream puff. It isn't as sweet and tastes milkier. The other tasty aspect of their cream puffs was the pastry shell. They bake it in the store and it had a thin and flaky yet firm consistency. Italian cream puffs tend to be chewier and more eggy. The best part is that the cream is injected when you make your order, which ensures the life of the pastry shell. All of this deliciousness could be had for $1.75 to $2 depending on the filling.

For now, I guess I'll have to settle for the store-bought cream puffs at some local Japanese supermarkets. They are surprisingly good, but not as good as Beard Papa.

Shake Shack

About a month ago, I finally had the chance to walk over to the famous Shake Shack, which is located in Madison Square Park. New York had a fairly cold spring so the line outside the shack was really short. I found the prices to be standard in the $7 to $8 range which is not outrageous in New York. If memory serves me correctly, I think the fries were about $4. In any case, I finally discovered what the fuss was all about. The burger, although small, probably 3 inches across, was probably made with sirloin. There wasn't much fat content but surprisingly it was tender. The bun tasted as if it was freshly baked and the fries were freshly cut and did not have the odor of frozenness. I only waited 10 minutes for my order and I would say I would go again, but only during a low period when the wait isn't so long. Next, I must try the frozen custard, which I have no idea what that is!

Wharf Bar

Okay, so here's my first blog about my favorite places for food in New York. I'll start with the place where I've been going to most, and in these recessionary days, a good bar with cheap bar food is definitely high on my list. Wharf Bar is located on 3rd Avenue between 38th and 39th Streets. It appears to be an after work watering hole, with office workers streaming in after 5. But the real reason to come here is for the cheap food, and my own personal favorite, chicken wings. Where oh where can you get 20 wings for $8 in New York City? I'm thinking you may be able to find something similar in its price range, but as for taste and value, this place is the place to go. The 3 flavors are teriyaki, barbeque and the regular buffalo wing sauce. Any of these hits the spot and for $8 bucks, you can't lose. By the way, if you want fries with those, get the waffle fries, not the shoestring. That'll set you back another $3. Great place for the recession!

Welcome to the Blog World

I'm finally blogging yeah, like 10 years after blogs first appeared! I had actually had one blog before this one and probably posted twice, but this time I guess I'll give it a go for real. I will write about the restaurants and my general experiences around New York City, mainly about eating. So now I can say goodbye to Yahoo 360 and hello Blogger.com!