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Delis

Delis, Hell's Kitchen, Small Shops
Sopes and More at Tehuitzingo – NYC
05.05.11 | Permalink | 4 Comments

Viva el Cinco de Mayo! You don’t need an excuse to eat Mexican food, but May 5th is a good day as any to eat it. Near work, I’m partial to Tehuitzingo. The food is tasty and cheap, the condiments — as long as you serve yourself — are free for the taking (unlike the deli next door that charges an extra $1 for salsa), and the menu is extensive. Extensive meaning they have your typical items like chicken tacos, but they also have tacos filled with barbacoa (goat), tripa (pork intestine), and oreja (beef ear). And if you prefer sopes over tacos, like I do, they have that as well. My personal favorite is the sope con tripa (sope with intestine). MORE »
Curry Hill, Delis, Specialty Markets
Cheapish Lunch at Kalustyan’s – NYC
01.10.11 | Permalink | 4 Comments

Kalustyan’s is one of those special places in New York I love visiting. It’s a treasure trove for any spice imaginable. Need peppercorns? They have black peppercorns from Ecuador, Brazil, Kerala, Lampong, Malabar, Sarawak, and Thalassery (Tellicherry). (They also carry Szechuan pepper, but Chinatown is cheaper.) Besides spices, they also carry a lot of sweets. Usually when I’m in the area, I stop in for some Lebanese halva for my BF. He loves the stuff. But last week, I discovered Kalustyan’s is good for more than just sweets and spices. If you’re looking for quick bite, a tasty sandwich awaits you upstairs. MORE »
Delis, LES
Pastrami and Chopped Liver at Katz’s Deli – NYC
09.15.10 | Permalink | 16 Comments

Some people have been dogging Katz’s these days. I’m not sure why. I love Katz’s. They say the sandwiches have gone downhill. Maybe the sandwiches were better in 1888 (the year Katz’s was founded), but as far as I know, Katz’s has been going strong since the last decade. MORE »
Alphabet City, Delis, East Village
Sweet & Semi-Scary at Johnny Air Mart – NYC
07.30.10 | Permalink | 7 Comments

[NOTE: Semi-scary photo after the jump. Proceed with caution.]

Last weekend it was crazy hot, ninety-eight mother-f*cking degrees hot. So hot that when the power went out in my apartment and the building manager questioned why I had two air conditioners, I went berserk. It wasn’t a meltdown, it was a complete blaze-up. I don’t even know how I managed. I was weak from barely eating for three days (I was sick, not dieting god-forbid), but somehow all of a sudden I was ready to open a can of whoop-ass. Thinking back, I realize I need to take a minute or two before reacting sometimes. The poor guy was just trying to figure out what happened, but the only thing running through my head at that moment was, ‘This is America, I can have two air conditioners if I want!”

In any case, it won’t be as hot as heck this weekend, but a cool icy Halo-Halo ($4.50) from Johnny Air Mart will still hit the spot. The halo-halo at Johnny Air Mart is a milky concoction — more like a very icy frappé than shaved ice — full of soft beans (garbanzo and red mung beans), young coconut strips, caramelized diced plantains, chewy sugar palm fruit (kaong), and jelly-like nata de coco. It’s a gamut of textures. However, for me, the best part was the smooth square of flan swimming on top. I love Taiwanese and Korean shaved ice, but given the choice, why not have shaved ice with flan?! It just seems silly without it. Flan, where have you been my entire shaved icy life? MORE »
Alphabet City, Delis, East Village
Lechón Reminder & Fried Squid at Johnny Air Mart – NYC
06.26.10 | Permalink | 5 Comments

Just a reminder, lechón is happening today at Johnny Air Mart. It usually starts at 11:10am, but I was told yesterday sometimes the lechón is late. So get there around 11:10am to 12pm for lip-smacking porcine goodness, they run out within a few hours.

And while you’re there, check out the Fried Dried Squid ($4.50 for a small aluminum container) they sell at the counter. (People who “like” Bionic Bites on Facebook already got a heads-up on this one.) If you like dried seafood, you’ll love this. It tastes like charcoal grilled squid in chip form. Salty, slightly bitter, and hella’ crunchy, it’s great with beer. However, one caveat: It stinks. Not a good pre-date snack. Eat it alone or with other like-minded folks. Also, if you don’t finish it, it’s a good idea to transfer it to an air-tight container. I ate half and left it out in the same container it came in and for days my boyfriend complained about a strange odor emanating from the apartment. I had my mom take it back to Jersey when she came to visit just to appease him. MORE »

« Previous Entries

Category

Delis

Delis, Hell's Kitchen, Small Shops

Sopes and More at Tehuitzingo – NYC

Curry Hill, Delis, Specialty Markets

Cheapish Lunch at Kalustyan’s – NYC

Delis, LES

Pastrami and Chopped Liver at Katz’s Deli – NYC

Alphabet City, Delis, East Village

Sweet & Semi-Scary at Johnny Air Mart – NYC

Alphabet City, Delis, East Village

Lechón Reminder & Fried Squid at Johnny Air Mart – NYC

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