Fairway Market

542 Second Ave
New York, NY 10016


Secretly wish you were a Food Network Star?
Think you can be a better Iron Chef?
You call yourself a Foodie?
This underground MEGA supermarket will definitely challenge you in more ways than one!

If you have never been to a Fairway Supermarket, then you are in for an eye opening experience. Eye opening because this place has almost EVERY food stuff imaginable from the local New York apple to the exotic French black truffle. Eye opening because you won't believe some of these luxury prices. Eye opening because you have to watch where you are going otherwise you will run over one of the many staff running about restocking or moving items, the gaggle of yuppies that frequent this place, or the myriad of baby strollers being pushed by nannies and Au pairs.

This supermarket definitely blows Whole Foods out of the water when it comes to variety but Trader Joe's has still has better prices. I must admit though that the fresh produce here is quite reasonable but don't go looking for a sales circular. They don't do that. Aside from eye opening, this place will tantalize (or assault) your olfactory senses with fresh coffee beans from around the world that you can grind yourself to the vats of cured olives to the exotic cheese section (want to know where it is? Just follow your nose).

The meats are VERY expensive IMHO as well as the Dairy and Juice Departments (but hey, they have to pay the high rent somehow) but you will find a lovely assortment of fresh made pastas (lobster ravioli and pumpkin ravioli being my favorites), dried aged steaks, and whole prosciutto.

Need black truffles to shave on your wild mushroom risotto? Got it!
Need a Black Forest Cake for dessert? You'll find it in their bakery.
Don't know how to cook but want to fool others to think that you can? They have a prepared foods counter here too!
Single and looking for a wealthy date? You just might find one here!

They also carry a huge line or Bob's Red Mill products for the home baker as well as a candy, dried fruits, and snacks area where everything is dispensed in bulk.

Don't believe me that his branch is awesome? Just wait until you take the LONG escalator trip down underground. The bird's eye view is enough to make your jaw drop!

BBQue's Smoke Shack

668 6th Ave
New York, NY 10010
(212) 929-4227

Stopped by here for late lunch yesterday with friends after we found it on the AAdvantage Dining Program. The place was packed! I didn't read any iDine or Yelp reviews before I came here so I wasn't swayed in my own personal review.

First, the place is quaint and small decorated with wooden walls and metal signs to give it a "rustic shack" feel. You approach the counter where you can see their menu up behind them on the wall. A variety of barbeque sauces are listed. I chose the puled pork sandwich ($7.95) and added the waffles fries and drink (additional $3.95). After you pay, you are given a white card with a number and you then proceed to fill your cup from the soda machine or iced tea machine (feeling that I should stick with the Southern theme, I chose to go with iced tea).

Now find yourself a table. Park your seat and admire the decor and signs that adorn the walls as you wait. I thought the cashier people were going to call your number when your order was up but was pleasantly surprised when they came over with my order on what looks like a mini baking tray. They did the same for my friends' orders as well! The wait was not very long IMHO about as long as it takes to walk to the drink dispenser and back to your table twice (YES! Free refills!)
There is a large flat screen TV for people to watch the game.

The pulled pork was warm and moist. The Tennessee Whiskey Sauce I chose to have it tossed in was tasty with depth of flavor and the bun that it was tucked into was soft and sweet. The pickle slices were a pleasant surprise as a flavor foil against the sweet and smoky. Reminiscent of a Cuban sandwich. My waffle cut fries were hot, crispy, and well seasoned. Two bottles of extra sauces are available alongside the bottle of ketchup on your table: Honey BBQ and Mexican Spicy.

My friend ordered collard greens as a side which I sampled. Nothing extraordinary. Tasted like it might have come from a large can (especially since the collards were cut SO uniformly). As a foodie and someone who also cooks, you have to be REALLY obsessive compulsive to get each piece exactly 1/4" square. Bread pudding is also offered here which I will have to try the next time.

Overall, a pleasant and satifying experience.

 

Ben's Kosher Delicatessen Restaurants & Caterers

209 W 38th St
New York, NY 10018
(212) 398-2367

I've passed by this place so many times when I'm fabric shopping that it was high time that I checked them out. They also participate in the AAdvantage Dining Program and that was also a motivation (plus that fact that I was starving since breakfast was just a cup of coffee). Was intimidated at first upon entering as it appears a large place but I didn't have time to sit down for a long drawn out lunch and opted to grab something to go from the take out/ sandwich counter on the left.

Place is more cozier than Katz's Delicatessen downtown and the counter guy was very nice and patient (and cute!). I opted to try their kasha knish with a Dr. Brown's Cherry Soda. The knish is as big as a baby's head and seemed to weigh as much! VERY filling and the yellow deli mustard that was packed with it added the right zing. Everything in a traditional Jewish Deli seems big. The sandwiches are large enough to qualify as lunch AND dinner! Going back next time for hot pastrami on rye.
There's a $10 minimum for credit cards.

Old Jewish Delis are a part of New York's history and definitely worth checking out as they are slowly vanishing due to rising rent and the muscling in of chain franchises and luxury condominiums.

Update 4/24/13:

The Hot Pastrami on Rye wasn't bad but it wasn't the mile high abundance that you would get at Katz's Delicatessen or Stage. The sandwich was of average size but for the price of $12.95, you'd expect double the amount of meat. Had the sandwich to go and here's what you get with it: a container of deli mustard, a container of thousand island dressing, and two pickles: one kosher dill and one sour.

Lucky's Famous Burgers

370 W 52nd St
New York, NY 10019
(212) 247-6717


Stopped into this one for lunch after finding it on the AAdvantage Dining Program listing. It seems a bit out of the way as you walk by several night clubs and store fronts heading further into Hell's Kitchen but once you walk through the door, you find yourself in a cheery little burger shop all in red and yellow. The counter people were very nice and chatted with me as I waited for my cheese burger to be made on the other side of the wall (everything seems to pass through a small window opening from the kitchen). $10 for the Lucky's Cheddar Burger Meal that includes crinkle cut fries and a 24 oz. drink. Aside from the packets of ketchup that are tossed in, you also get two small containers of chipotle aioli. I chose to use the aioli on my burger and to dip the fries and I can tell you that it was heaven! I opted for everything on my burger (tomato, lettuce, onion, pickle) so I could feel like I was eating healthy. LOL!
The burger was quite good! Juicy and hand formed and not thin and gray like major burger chains.

Going to go back and try their onion rings.

 

Famous Amadeus Pizza

856 8th Ave
New York, NY 10019
(212) 489-6187



The pizza is what stands out here from all the dishes that I have sampled. Crust is crisp and good with a nice chew. The sauce is also good. The mozzarella is a bit oily though. Tried their Calzone which has a nice crust but the ricotta cheese seemed to have lacked salt. Perhaps it's the perfect foil for the fillings that you can have added to them but the blanched spinach seemed bland and in need of seasoning. Garlic knots have become my favorite as there is a NICE amount of garlic used and the marinara sauce that accompanies them is perfect! Their eggplant Parmesan needs a bit more seasoning in my humble opinion but that have a pretty decent lamb gyro sandwich as well. The prices are average for a NY pizzeria. Service is good and the guys cordial. Clean looking too with the red and white tiles.

 

Steak 'n Shake Signature

1695 Broadway
New York, NY 10019
(212) 247-6584

Stopped here for lunch out of recommendations from friends.
I was walking back and forth looking for the place until I found it right next door to the David Letterman Show (wonder if he ever stops in?).

Tried the Double 'n Cheese burger with fries for $3.99.
The burgers are made from ground beef and you can see it, just like if you were making a burger at home and not that frozen, processed, dense hockey puck like at McDonald's or Burger King. The french fries were tasty. Crispy, thin cut, and nicely seasoned. It's said that fat is flavor and I suppose that is why everything here was so tasty! I noticed that my fingers were greasy after my second bite into the hamburger and the paper cup that held the fries had tell tale signs of oil spots, absorbing the oil from the fries.
I had the works on my burger ( tomato, lettuce, pickles, ketchup, mayo) so the vegetables made me feel like I was eating a bit healthier.

Staff is cordial and cutely dressed in their red, black, and white uniforms. Decor is nice too.
Going to go back and try their "hand dipped" milk shakes next time.

The Grotta Azurra

177 Mulberry Street
New York, NY 10013
(212) 925-8775
http://bluegrotta.com/
http://www.grottaazzurrany.com/

I first visited this place about 20 years ago when it was originally owned by the Davino family and the entrance was steps down from the sidewalk, blue tiles along the wall leading you down to a door that seemed to hold a secret behind it: the blue grotto.
Once a favorite hangout of Enrico Caruso, Frank Sinatra, and the "Rat Pack", this restaurant which was closed for several years, reopened under the new ownership of a family cousin who kept the name and now has become a tourist trap. A 20% gratuity is added to ALL tables.

The old Italian waiters that used to welcome you into the restaurant with open arms, a smile, and a "Buona Sera" have been replaced by quiet, young, Mexican waitstaff that look at you with blank expressions and avoid you like you are the INS.

My dining partner and I walked into the new entrance located above ground and stood by the bar waiting for someone to approach us to be seated. A quick visual survey of the room showed nothing Italian about the place (apparently upstairs is the French restaurant Patois). None of the staff gave us a look over or asked if we could be helped so we wandered farther in and it was only then that an elderly gentleman asked if we were a table of two.

We were sat at a small table in the middle of the room which they called the "Patois private dining room" and the fellow diners around us were all French, German, and American tourists. Not a single Italian in this famous place in the heart of Little Italy.
The tables and chairs are so close together that you wind up getting bumped and jostled by other diners and staff, you feel like you're in a pinball machine.

There were 5 other tables besides ours and the 2 waiters in our room seemed like they could not handle anything. Several customers from other tables were trying to get the waitstaff's attention for water refills, questions about the menu, and drinks but they seemed to have disappeared from the floor, knowing that no matter how poor of the service they give, you will still pay the 20% gratuity that is in the final bill.

One waiter (Perez) finally approached us and we decided to choose the lunch pre-fixe ($9.95) of a pasta dish and entree. My dining companion asked for a diet coke and I a sparkling water with twist of lemon. We waited for 5 minutes before he reappeared with just a glass of coke (no lemon garnish) and filled our streaky water glasses (proof that they didn't change the water in the dishwasher). I had to remind him of my sparkling water and then he brought over a glass of club soda with a splash of bottled lemon juice. I guess they couldn't afford fresh lemons in this place.

My first course finally arrived. It was a small plate of Rigatoni alla Vodka which the waiter then proceeded to toss spoons of grated Parmesan cheese on top without first asking me. The pasta was al dente, but the sauce a bit dry (as if the plate was sitting too long under the warmer waiting for it to be brought to me) and lacking the bite of vodka. I doubt that they even put vodka in the sauce as I have had better. The garnish of paprika and chopped parsley around the edge of the plates screamed amateur. My companion's Spaghetti Bolognese was nothing spectacular either. Although it was lunch, portion sizes in Italian restaurants are normally larger. They state a $4 fee if you are sharing a plate. Sharing a plate??? These portion sizes that came out would make a Nonna shake her head and bite her tongue instead of saying, "Abbondanza!"

Shortly after we finished the first course, the main plate came out. My companion's Chicken Parmesan was small as was my Chicken Marsala, it looked like they used just the chicken tender instead of the whole chicken breast. I was surprised that the chicken was the same size and width of my fork! Both dishes came out with a roasted red potato cut in half and several large broccoli florets that were so gently blanched, they were practically still raw. Again, the plates were decorated with paprika and chopped parsley.

The inattentive waiter finally came over to bus the plates as my companion stood up to go to the bathroom (what, you thought we were going to dine and run?) and asked if we wanted anything else. I quickly asked for the bill and whipped out my credit card. Not even a thank you and a smile from the waiter as he swooped in to take the check after I signed and closed the checkbook.

I had returned to this infamous place hoping that the new incarnation would still have the old charm but sadly, no. I will not be returning here. I want to remember the good old Grotta Azurra, not this pale shadow. Even my Italian dining companion said that the food was diner quality and not worthy of the name Grotta Azura.
I wonder what Frank Sinatra would say of the place if he were still around. Yes, that's Sinatra playing on the website's music player. He'd probably turn over in his grave if he knew how bad his favorite haunt has turned into.
There ARE some dishes still on the menu from the original days.
You can view the lunch/dinner menu here.


The original subterranean entrance to The Grotta Azurra. It is now gated and padlocked.


The new street level entrance which is also the French restaurant, Patois.


The other entrance which still bears the name, Patois. Grotta Azurra's other original entrance is below to the right and is also gated and padlocked.






My first course of Rigatoni Alla Vodka. Waiter douses grated Parmesan cheese all over it before asking.


I asked for lemon with my sparkling water and I get a splash of reconstituted lemon juice instead.


My second course of Chicken Marsala. Notice the same plate decoration of paprika and chopped parsley along with the waiter's smudged thumbprint.


The ubiquitous garnish of paprika and chopped parsley. I didn't order dessert but I wouldn't be surprised if the plate was also garnished like this.


Seems like the prep staff forgot to cut the broccoli florets human "bite-sized".


The chicken used in the dishes seem more like a tender rather than a breast. It's smaller than my fork.