New York Hits and Misses

19/11/2015

So I FINALLY made it to New York! It might have been for just three days but it was long enough to whet my appetite for the Big Apple and start dreaming of future trips.

The massive portion sizes meant I couldn't manage to fit in as many meals in a day as I would have liked, so I'm afraid I came away with a lot more misses (as in missed opportunities) then hits. But given the tight time frame, all the sights to see (NYC is a BIG city!) and one complete washout of a day (eerily on the third year anniversary of Superstorm Sandy) I think I managed to score a few gems.

Here they are in no particular order:

THE HITS
Artichoke Basille's Pizza - West Village

I had heard much about NYC pizza - that their buttery goodness was something all pizzas aspire to. So I was happy to discover that these weren't falsely promoted goods. The "pie" that cemented this opinion was a creamy artichoke pizza served by the generous slice in a no-frills, stools-only pizzeria in the heart of American Bohemia in the West Village - just a stone's throw away from the legendary Cafe Wha? and the erstwhile Gaslight Cafe. With a pillowy base and rich sauce studded with plump pieces of artichoke, this pizza definitely hit the spot on a rainy afternoon in Greenwich Village. The pizzeria has 6 other locations in New York and a long list of devoted followers. I can definitely see why!

Bantam Bagels

You can't go to New York and not eat a bagel - or so I was repeatedly told . But I was trying my best to not fit my entire day's worth of food into one meal - which is hard when the quintessential New York meal is a big doughy bagel stuffed full of tasty goodies. Enter Bantam Bagels - chewy little bagel balls stuffed with all sorts of deliciousness, including pesto cream cheese, onion scallion butter, bacon cheddar cream cheese... the list goes on.
These little bagel balls made their way onto Oprah's 2014 list of "Favourite Things" and as we all know, Oprah has good taste! (I may have eaten a few too many of these... but hey, when in New York...)

Ellen's Stardust Diner

I got directed to this Broadway must-visit by a local Noo Yorker, and it definitely was a good choice to grab a drink in this neon-lit part of town. The retro 50's-style American diner is the place young Broadway hopefuls keen to land their big break belt out popular tunes while waiting tables. And as many past "Stardusters' (as the singing waiters are popular known) have had their dreams of landing up on the big stage come true, who knows? you could just be served up by Broadway's next darling.

AND THE MISSES
Katz's Delicatessen

I drove past this legendary New York pastrami place and thought I'd get the chance to head back for a taste of one of their famous whoppers stuffed full of juicy meat cured for up to 30 days, but sadly that was not the case on this trip. So the must-eat pastrami and corned beef sandwich has sadly been relegated to some unknown day in my future. When that day comes I will arrive hungry!

Maysville

I was told to taste the hay-roasted oysters at Maysville and it was the New York dish I was most excited to try but this was another restaurant I didn't manage to tick off my list. The briny oysters are roasted on hay sprinkled with bourbon and seemed like the quintessential New York indulgence. I am definitely hunting them down the next time I am in town.

Sylvia's

Known as the "Queen of Soul Food", the late Sylvia Woods started this iconic soul food restaurant in 1962 and quickly established it as the place to get a taste of authentic Southern American-style fried chicken, collard greens, corn bread and chitlins in the heart of Harlem. The burlesque lights on the sign board were definitely flashing a warm welcome but an altogether too heavy lunch earlier that day meant I could not consider filling up on the comfort food this famous restaurant is best known for. Guess I will just have to go back to Harlem to do it justice :)

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