The City
New York City has a reputation for alot of different things. We have approximately 8 million (8,000,000) residents with more than 50 nationalities represented. Variety is truly the spice of life her in the city. Of course with such a strong mix and high population, we have a strong reputation for ethnic foods. One of the most notable ethnicities, Italian, has in fact given New York a staple food of world class caliber.
Pizza.
Now sure there are those who say the Greeks invented pizza, there are those who say Mexicans make the best pizza, and those that will argue that Chicago deep dish is a meal fit for a king. They all may be right… they may all be wrong… but what no one can deny that pizza in New York is overwhelmingly Italian and meant for everybody. One of the unique things about New York pizza is that although the style remains the same… we are still a city of diversity and it also shows in our pizza… for ever restaurant’s pizza is not equal.
Famous Famiglia is located on the soutwest corner of East 97th Street and Madison Avenue. They have some of the best, and in my opinion underrated, pizza in the city. While it isn’t somewhere we’d go everyday, it is a weekly necessity to enjoy the classic meal for every man on the move. So yesterday, my partner and I decided to go and eat at Famiglia’s for their awesome slices and garlic knots.
So this is their specialty slice that I normally get. It has pepperoni, sausage, green peppers, extra sauce, mushrooms, onions, and the softest underdough I’ve ever had in a pizza that was NOT a deep dish. I am all about this slice of life, I assure you. The cost? Its only three dollars. Sure I could grab a plain dollar slice down the street at some hole in the wall… but for what they put onto it, at three dollars it is a steal, I assure you. Unless of course… well… something happens that wasn’t quite planned.
See the thing with Famous Famiglia is that it is in a busy and congested area. Usually we’re in and out, but yesterday we needed to actually sit down and eat like human beings for a change. The constant eating and moving gets to you after awhile, and every now and then you need a break. So that’s what my partner and I did… we sat and ate while out truck was parked outside. Unfortunately… we didn’t really pay much attention to the fact that we were parked in a NO STANDING zone from 5:00pm-7:00pm. Needless to say, we only got there at 4:50pm… and left at 5:10pm to find an orange envelope on the windshield. Yep. Those damn Traffic agents gave us a ticket! What’s worse? After they had given us the ticket at 5:02pm, they came into Famiglia‘s and sat behind us!
So… with two slices of pizza costing $6.00 + $115.00 ticket means that yesterday, I ate a slice of pizza worth $60.50.
But it was just too damn good.
Awhile ago I went to see the venerable Kevin Smith with my friends KC and Feathah. On that fateful day we met in mid-town and departed from where KC says he works (it was a running joke that no one knows what he does within the music industry… but now I’m really beginning to wonder). Prior to him “getting off” he had me go to the Time Warner Center for something called a Strawberry Nirvana from a place known as Jamba Juice that was in the basement and under the stairs.
Little did I know the deliciousness that would envelope me when I ordered one of the same. Basically it is an all-natural fruit smoothie type of drink. The ingredients go into one of numerous blenders, gets blended up, and then because of its thickness it literally gets slapped out of the mixer into a cup. They offer it in six different sizes, and also serve them with optional herbal “boosts”. It. Was. Good.
In fact, it was so good that I wanted more. What stopped me was the fact that the Time Warner Center isn’t really where I normally am… and parking over there is a real big bitch (as compared to being “just a bitch” parking in the rest of the city) so it didn’t seem likely. One day I had this novel idea… let me look it up on the internetz and see if they have any other locations. Holy guacamole! There are over 30! Happy day!!! So I went to the one downtown… and they even had a map of all their locations in the city! How awesome is that!
Thus began my Jamba Juice addiction. While Strawberry Nirvana was divine, and the Chocolate Moo’d was damn good, I am all about the Peach Pleasure. Its fruit, its filling, so it HAS to be good for you, right? I mean, the damn thing costs $7 a Power Size (their version of large… fucking yuppies can’t just call it large… so they deserve me holding it up with both hands and screaming, “I have the Power!” before exiting the store, k.) so there’s got to be some sort of secret to it, right?
560 calories. That’s the secret. One Power Size is a whopping 560 calories of fruit, ice, and milk. This is what I discovered yesterday while I was at the W. 85 Street and Broadway one waiting for the blend to finish before they slapped it out of the container into my cup. Considering that most days when I’m in a Jamba mood I have at least 2… and on bad late days (like yesterday) I would normally hit them 3 times… its no wonder I have not seen a decrease in my size although I’m all about the healthiness when I go there. Needless to say, I was shocked that this has MORE calories than a friggn’ Big Mac (540 calories dontcha know?), which also explains why it costs about $2 more.
So I have decided to cut back on my Jamba Juice. I know that its 560 calories of fruit vs. 540 calories of processed beef… but it still doesn’t seem right in my mind. No one said my mind was wrapped right.
So I sat here yesterday for a good three hours trying to tell you all something. First I was going to write about how great The Transformers movie was. Then I was going to write about the capture of the Yellow Mustard Belt by Joey Chestnut at Nathan’s and how it is the first time in this century (21st Century) that the belt champion is from the United States. Then I was going to write about how much trouble I was having getting the writing started… but no matter what I couldn’t quite get it done yesterday… even though it still is kinda yesterday since I haven’t gone to bed yet. The truth is… I have my moments.
There are bad moments.
Last night I went with The Steff, The Donkey, and The Terrorist to go watch the fireworks over the East River. There were actually alot more people there that I knew, and some I didn’t, but that’s all besides the point. First we went to dinner right there at the Waterfront Crabhouse. It was raining, but not badly. It was more of a drizzle. Everything was going okay… I had a few moments where I found myself staring over at some kids playing and eating… wondering… but I was okay. Dinner was great… but then as I was eating… someone said something… and I found myself no longer hungry… in fact I felt nauseous… and… I felt anger.
I had to get up and go have a cigarette. Then I had another. Normally I should have pounded the table, lashed out, and finished my meal. I just couldn’t. While I know they had no intention of saying what they said to hurt me, in fact it wasn’t even at me, it still got me boiling… because I look around and see people mostly carefree and nonchalant, and taking advantage of having something that they really have no idea how precious it is… so half of me wants to smack them and scream at them to wake-up… and the other half just wants to curl up into a ball.
There are good moments.
After dinner we stood in the middle of the street to watch the fireworks. Of course, at 9:00pm which was 15 minutes before the start of the show, it started to downpour. Since we had already given up the table there was little cover we could find except for a few people who had the foresight to bring umbrellas… and of course The Donkey and his orange poncho that his sister gave him for his birthday that was on Tuesday. It may not have always been what he wanted, but it was something he obviously needed.
This is the one time of year I use the Fireworks setting on my camera. Since this is actually a new camera, it was my first time using it. To be honest… I wasn’t too impressed. I ended up needing a tripod… which I just happened to have 
… but still… the pics came out kinda blurred. Then for some reason I couldn’t find the Night Portrait setting, only to realize when I got home it was on the dial and not the menu. Duh. The show was pretty good though, and luckily the rain had stopped long enough for it to go off without us having to duck for cover.
So yeah… I have my moments. Sometimes they are singular events. Sometimes they are clumped together hours at a time. Sometimes other people set them off. Sometimes I do it to myself. 1,440 moments in a day… I can at the best hope for half of them to be good ones.
I know I normally don’t do this… but in case I forget… I want to write about the e-mail I got tonight… so NOTE TO SELF- Write about the e-mail from the site.
So there’s been this meme going around about the Top 5 places you would go to eat locally. Soda just did her Top 5 Places she likes to eat and she specifically is looking for some New York City recommendations. So I figured since she left the tagging open, I would just do this one myself.
Here is my list in countdown (reverse) style:
- 5) Nathan’s Famous Hot Dogs- I seriously think everyone once in their life needs to get to the Original Brooklyn Nathan’s in Coney Island. I’ve had Nathan’s everywhere around the city, and outside of it but it NEVER compares to the original. Honestly, I don’t know why. Best time of year? Winter, when the sides are shuttered and tourists are nowhere to be seen for the delectable cheese dogs with chili cheese fries. Yum!
- 4) Caridad Restaurant- There are a number of Caridad Restaurants in the Bronx, but the one I prefer is the one at 135 West Kingsbridge Road. The main reason is my Spanish is REALLY bad… and the girls at that Caridad don’t get snotty about not being able to order in Spanish like in the other Caridads. When I order my “chicken with yellow rice and beans”… that’s how I say it and that’s what I get. Bottom line is… its goooooood.
- 3) London Lennie’s- Like seafood? Lennie’s is THE place to go for it and not just in Queens, but for the ENTIRE city. Sure, City Island has some tempting places and there’s always Randazzo’s Clam Bar in Brooklyn, but Lennie’s to me is how seafood should be served… fresh, the way you want it, and with some CLASS people! I actually get spiffy when I go there… imagine that!
- 2)
Jeckyll and Hyde Club- I would be remiss if I did not mention my most favorite haunt in the entire city. Granted, since the “Eerie Pubs” were sold they have lost a lot of their uniqueness and have in fact become more of a tourist trap in the middle of Disney’s newest theme park called Manhattan. There are no more yard glasses of Cider Jack, no more Supreme Monster Nachos, and no more freakscool people working on the staff (or so it seems). Perhaps I have to mention it from the bond I feel while it was at its peak and my arm had been freshly inked with their logo… and from the many revelations I had drunken in a corner of the Grand Salon… but most likely its because I find the floor show entertaining STILL after all these years. Amazing how hard you can laugh from a little fake gargoyle named Fang and his constant taunting. - 1) The Waterfront Crabhouse- I
this Queens restaurant SO much. First of all, if you don’t know its there… you’ll never guess it was there. It sits on the waterfront (duh) with a fantastic view of the New York Skyline. Inside, it’s memorabilia assaults your senses the way the ORIGINAL TGIFridays used to. While your waiting for a table… there is a bathtub of peanuts for you to snack on. Menu is a great mix of steaks and seafood… including a double serving of 2 1/2 pound lobster tails (when in season). My average meal there with wine is usually around $50. Sounds pricey? Not really compared to other places where it would probably be double.
So yeah… those are the Top 5 Places Where I Eat In New York. There are a bunch of other places too… but to me those are the most special.
So if anyone wants to do this, feel free to. Here’s a quick copy of the “rules” of this meme:
Here are the rules of the game:
1) Link the post who tagged you.
2) List your top five favorite places to eat, and why.
3) Tag five others.
