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By Brittany Ho, October 26, 2009 11:17 pm

http://www.katzdeli.com

Proprietor/Chef: Alan Dell

Category: American/Delicatessen

Neighborhood: Lower East Side
205 E. Houston St, New York, NY 10002
(212) 254-2246

pastrami sandwich

Tastes Like: Triple/quadruple decker of cured and juicy pastrami with smoky intense flavor…it’s pretty unbeatable.  Trans-fat free, even though I felt ridiculously guilty and there’s no denying it will eat at your arteries for days.  I finished HALF my sandwich and tucked the rest to go.  With the remains, I made a nice pastrami spinach salad with red wine vinaigrette.   If you want your fixings on top, you have to specify.  Else, you get a slab of meat with nothing in it.  My only disappointment was that it was not thinly sliced enough, plus the cheese was NOT melted and the rye bread was not toasted.  Hear me roar…. I will never make the same mistake twice.  For a $15.50 FRIGGIN’ buck sandwich, it’s still debatable if it’s worth this much….. but considering it takes 30 days to cure the damn meat, I’d say at the very least that it’s very rich (fatty and then some) in flavor.

Must Haves: their pastrami is good, if only they had toasted their bread

Ambiance: Est 1888.  Messy disaster.  I’ve never seen so many herds of f*ing people in my entire life.  It’s a historic deli with a homestyle feel. While all the more, it made me want to throw up in my mouth a little bit.  But somehow, things manage to get pacing.

Service: We opted for waiter service. Stupid us, it took over an hour and half.  If you can, avoid coming here on weekends at all costs.

Caveat: You come in with a green ticket.  No matter what you do, (table service or take out) do not lose your green ticket!!!!  You will need it to exit the building.  I kid you not.  Also, if you are opting for table service, only tables lined up by the wall actually service.  The tables running in the middle service are just open seating for take out orders.

Rating: 3 stars

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By Brittany Ho, October 26, 2009 10:24 pm

http://www.yakitoritaisho.com/main/

Proprietors/Chef: Ben & Ken Lau

Category: Japanese (izayaki small tapas)

Neighborhood: St. Marks Place
New York, NY 10003
(212) 228-5086

Tastes Like: Tried and true simplistic, flavorful food. You want a broth dish?  Check.  Noodles? Check.  Carpaccio/Sashimi? Check.  Mentai fries with spicy cod roe dip. Check.  Rice balls???? CHECK. Over 20 kinds of yakitori skewers (my personal faves, chicken meatballs, shiso  & regular peppers) and then some.  You dig?  Enjoy with sake or beer.  Drink & eat responsibly.

Must Haves: grilled rice ball with spicy cod roe, mentai fries & any combo of yakitori skewers (my favorite is the chicken meatball & shisito pepper).  Also new item on the menu is the pork belly.  DELICIOUS.

Stay Away: I don’t think I’ve had anything bad here….no wait, take it back.  That eel dish that was given to us, boiled, plain, disgusting.

Ambiance: Not a hidden gem, but definitely a well known sweet spot.  A complete hole, definitely no more than 6, but great for oddball party groups.  Compact, low, wooden tables and chairs remind me of the outdoor streets of Asia.  Flippin’ fantastic, makes the dining experience much more authentic in my opinion.  Check out it’s sister company Oh!Taisho (although I prefer the original much better, it may be just in my head, but it really does taste better).

Service: The wait to get a table can be up to an hour…but if you’re in a pair, should be able to grab spots at the bar relatively quickly.  Actual service is pretty damn quick… you can tell how fast these servers want to turn their tables.  Open for dinner only.  Great for late night eats (after you get your drink on).

Caveat: $7 minimum per person  but seriously, this shouldn’t be a problem right???

Rating: 5 stars

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By Brittany Ho, October 26, 2009 12:16 am

http://shakeshacknyc.com/

Proprietor: Danny Meyer

Category: American/Burger

Neighborhood: Flatiron Madison Sq. Park
E 23rd St & Madison Ave, New York, NY 10010
(212) 889-6600

shroom burger w/ fries

shake shack stack (no cheese)

Tastes Like: Truly gourmet heaven meets fast food.  If Shake Shack had an antagonist, it would be Johnny Rockets, lagging way the hell behind in taste & quality.  The burgers are about 4 oz, with your usual fixings on a potato bun.  I get my usual “veggie” option, the infamous shroom burger, portabello mushroom, fried and battered with muenster and cheddar cheese oozing in the center.  To successfully top it all off, the secret “Shake” sauce that adds to the burger’s overall flare.  It’s so bad for you, but so purely a crunchy bliss in your mouth.  The cheese fries are good (not anything special), but the milk shakes (my choice of chocolate) are hard to miss.  Thick & frothy, it’s a must have to complete the meal.  While I like their regular burgers, I don’t find it anything special.  It’s just a burger.  I once got the Shake Shack Stack… shroom burger topped with a plain meat patty topped.  Delicious, if you’re overzealous and in the mood.  It’s a lot of food plus the fries & shake.  Overall, some will say that the burgers are very comparable to the West Coast version of Inn & Out, but many (including myself) will contest that it is shameful to even make such a comparison.  Inn & Out is purely FAST FOOD … while Shake Shack is very much gourmet.  The one thing they both have in common?  Damn tasty burgers.  Get a complete satisfying meal: burger, fries & shake.

Must Haves: the SHROOM burger is simply amazing! a meal that will melt in your mouth.  give it half the chance it deserves.

Stay Away: Who the hell gets a hot dog here?

Ambiance: A little outdoor shack in the middle of Madison Square Park.  The line is extremely LONG, but it’s fast food, so it’ll move, but be prepared to wait at least 45 minutes on a peak day.  There are tables and benches, so grab a table to eat within the park.  It does the job.

Service: In and then you’re out…

Caveat: There is actually two lines here.  One if you’re ordering burgers, and the other line is express if you are only ordering milk shakes, ice cream or drinks.  Kind of odd–why would you ever come here to get anything else but a burger?  And do you ever wonder how this place stays open in the winter time, considering Shake Shack is outside in the Madison Square Park?!

Rating: 5 stars

Abstraction: Pop-a-licious

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By Brittany Ho, October 25, 2009 11:12 pm

Proprietor: Edward Taylor

Category: Seafood

Neighborhood: West Village
280Bleecker St
New York, NY 10014
(212) 272-2879

Tastes Like: A steal of a deal.  Daily red, white, blue special for $8: half dozen your choice of Blue point oysters, or clams, and a glass or red or white, or PBT beer.  I’d stick to the oysters, the clams tasted way too fishy.  The wine is so-so, I didn’t expect it to be refined.  $19 all you can blue crabs from 12pm-3pm, seven days a week.  I don’t know how long this crab deal will last…but it’s one hell of a deal.  It’s sub par quality, but one you simply can’t refuse.

Ambiance: Like an indoor fish market on the street.  Great for groups no larger than 4… Happy hour or catching up with a good friend.

Service: HECTIC, hence the slow turtleness. That’s what happens during happy hour peak times.

Rating: 2.5 stars

Caveat: none, this place is straight shop my friend.  Although, I think their blue crab specials are actually listed until 4pm, but it’s really an hour earlier than stated

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By Brittany Ho, October 21, 2009 5:27 am

www.lukeslobster.com

Proprietor(s)/Chef: Jeff & Luke Holden

Category: Seafood

Neighborhood: East Village
93 E 7th St (between 1st Ave & Avenue A)
New York, NY 10009
(212) 387-8487

Salivate

Tastes Like: Fresh, Maine, lobster chunky morsels.  If there was ever a time for gluttony, it would be for lobster.  Fortunately, Luke’s is reasonably priced.  Your choice of seasoning, butter, mayo… or my style, plain no excess shit.  Just the way I like it. You get what you asked for, so make sure to just ask.  I’m not really feeling the hot dog bun, but for a large $14 (small=$8). Certainly not upscale, but you get what you pay for!  The empress claws were the best part of the meal.  Sweet & juicy gems.  Nick me a dozen, I swear to you I can finish them all.  For under $16, you can grab a roll (your choices of lobster, shrimp, crab) chips, a pickle and a soda.  Take it & beat it!

Must Haves: unadulterated lobster rolls pn a hot dog bun & empress crab claws … oh so juicy.

Ambiance: Opened recently this past fall, it still has a new & youthful vibe.  Very New England-esque.  Feels like a cross between a seafood market meets grocery deli.  It’s extremely small with a handful of tables. If the weather permits, go knock yourself out and buy it to go and enjoy it while walking through E. Village.  Or do what we did, cabbed it back to the apt, only to stuff our faces silly.  Either way, you can do no wrong.

Service: Hustle & bustle.  Ivan is THE man.

Caveat: Hours of operation is suppose to open into the wee hours of 1am…. which is not always the case. On off peak nights, I think they close a lot earlier, so make sure to call before trying to stumble in after midnight.

Rating: 3.5 stars