Another NYC Report

Hi all,

The recent posts from Ellen and BT have made me realize that it was time for me to do the same. Ellen went into the city on Superbowl Sunday, I went on Tuesday to see the victory parade. It seems like an unimaginable amount of people called in sick that day.
I wish that I could show photos of the parade, but by the time I got there, the police had long closed Broadway and all side streets. I watched the parade from a block away, but was able to slightly discern what was happening on the Jumbo-Tron at the end of the block.
If you look at your thumbnail, that is how big the screen looked.


Some of the many people who saw as little as I did. The parade ended around noon, and I headed back towards Canal St. and Chinatown. I went to my favorite spot, The Excellent Dumpling Shop. It's true.


Their window is plastered with glowing reviews from all sorts of newspapers and magazines.
The joint was jumping with folks who were at the parade. Besides regular tables, there are larger ones where it is not uncommon to find yourself eating in a communal style. I sat between two couples on both sides with another lady across from me.
They have incredibly fast service with food coming out almost as soon as you order it. I think I waited five minutes this time.
I ordered the Wontons in Spicy Garlic sauce. This was quite good as it was served with a slight amount of broth that had a nice undertone of peanuts.


This is the Spicy Calamari as a lunch portion.

I went further down Canal St. and came across this bakery, I liked what I saw but I did not see how I could buy anything without having it destroyed before I got home.

I had another goal...


Roast Duck. There are many places with these babies hanging in such an enticing manner. I like this place and come into the city with a backpack just to stock up with what they sell. I bought a duck, BBQ pork, baked and steamed pork buns along with sausage rolls.

A couple of steps down is an open fish market. They had live chick lobsters almost walking onto the pavement. The prices are incredible for many items. As much as I wanted to buy something, I considered what the stuff would eventually smell like on my return trip on a crowded Metro train. The prawns in the second photo were -very- large, 4 to 1's in my opinion.



I hit the subway to go north to Astor Place. Right as I exited, was the Mudd truck. I think they have been mentioned before. My goal now was to head two blocks down to 2nd Ave.


As I went to my destination, I found Bamm the newest version of the old Automat.


The food is pricey for what I saw. Most of the slots were empty, though it was mid-day. This burger is $2.00 and not much bigger than your average slider. The other items did not impress me visually either. I was not going to take this one for the team as right around the block were my main destinations.
First off, The Fritte Shoppe. The fries and toppings are great. The whole store with seating is not much bigger than many kitchens at home.


I was going to take a close up photo of the fries, and a gal next to me asked if I wanted to be in the photo. Here I am...


This is my favorite block. I have a appreciation and collect unique toys. Right next to The Fritte Shoppe are two stores that are side by side. The first place had a window full of western stuff that made me think that even Michael Stern would have a cowboy toygasm.


My favorite store is Toy Tokyo. This place is incredible and not cheap. Here is about $1000. worth of Godzillas!!!


There was one final destination: Criff's Hot Dogs. The recent review and the menu made this a must 'see and eat' for me.
Here is their Urban Beautification program, such as it is.


The insides are truly retro kitcsh with Mrs Pac Man and Galaga video games at the front door. The bathroom is a sliding panel of wood that has to be activated by the pesron at the counter ala 'Get Smart'. Here is the specials board with a few other coin operated goodies.



I had the Redneck Dog. It was wrapped in bacon with chili, coleslaw and jalapenos. It was pretty good, and even better with a red colored birch beer.


You can't leave N.Y. without a souvenir. Here's my dog Frisco with the latest in Criffwear...


Well, that's about it. From there I hit the subway to 42nd St. I saw Spanky's BBQ, where Ellen ate two days prior to this post.
Hey Ellen, there was some guy who wanted to sell me a used Verizon phone......

mark

doggydaddy-
Really good report and photos. Thanks for sharing and congrats on you team winning the Super Bowl. Oh, and any report that includes a photo of their dog automatically receives an A+++ from me.

Looking forward to future reports.....

Excellent and interesting report.Good looking food, too!

I would love the Frite shop, I would have trouble deciding which sauce. Probably go for the garlic first!

Very cool!

Man ... I don''t do justice to my NYC excursions ... Usually just one meal and back on the train. I gotta get with the program.

Doggydaddy - Ever try NY Noodletown? If not, I strongly recommend the place. Great dog! Thanks for the report and great pictures. Hey, I thought they called the place The Belgium Frite Shoppe...Maybe not.

Do you remember the old Horn and Hardart's? Great vanilla bean ice cream, harvard beets, the best baked beans, Huckleberry pie, etc.

What a GREAT report!!!!!!!!!1

quote:

Originally posted by Baah Ben

Doggydaddy - Ever try NY Noodletown? If not, I strongly recommend the place. Great dog! Thanks for the report and great pictures. Hey, I thought they called the place The Belgium Frite Shoppe...Maybe not.

Do you remember the old Horn and Hardart's? Great vanilla bean ice cream, harvard beets, the best baked beans, Huckleberry pie, etc.

Where would Noodletown be found? I brought my GPS just to see what would pop up and it would overload and stop giving suggestions within a half mile for most food groups. There are so many great places within a short distance.
When I was among the bigger skyscrapers, it would lose satellite reception.
One problem I had was that I could not access Roadfood points of interest. It would not list any places in New York, but at least I knew that Pepe's was about 56 miles from Manhattan....

The place is called 'Frite Shoppe'. The menu board lists it as Pomme Frites, though they do emphasize that they are Belgium fries. There are so many sauces. I had the curry ketchup, but the Irish curry sample was very good too.

And yes, I do remember Horn and Hardart, especially the one on 42nd St. across from Grand Central. I can still taste their baked beans in my memory. I recently saw the recipe for those beans somewhere.
I think that someone posted a link as to where to find it.

mark

Another vote for NY Noodletown! Been there twice...awesome Chinese and cheap! Lotsa fun. The full name of the place is "Great New York Noodetown" I think. I believe its on the corner of Bowery and Mott St in Chinatown. Thanks for the excellent report about my hometown.

quote:

Originally posted by kland01s

I would love the Frite shop, I would have trouble deciding which sauce. Probably go for the garlic first!

I can never decide either, so I usually get about 3 or 4 sauces.
(I'm a big dipper!).. and I love garlicy sauces, too..

Hey, Mark, great trip report! I love all the variety you put into it, from dumplings to hot dogs , to your own puppy dog! (that was so thoughtful that you brought him a new outfit from Crif's) (hope he likes it!)
I've had those type of belgium fries, and I love them. You AND your fries both look good !!!

I posted a pic of me and that Bamn automart place in my summer NYC trip report.
It was in the east village , as I remember. I love the bright pink colors, but never ended up trying anything out of the machines.

I got a good chuckle in your trip report, regarding "hey, anyone want to buy a used Verizon phone!! (my mind is certainly curious as to just what became of my phone)

I'm sure it was a sea of "blue" (hats , jerseys, etc) ... crained necks trying to watch that parade. So shaking the hands of the players was not a reality! (of course, when we all saw it on the news, they make it seem like the players are so accessible)
Reminds me of when I went to see Bill Clinton get sworned in for his first term in Wash. DC. I was so far back that I certainly could not see anything at all. All I could hear was "I , William Jefferson Clinton do solemly swear", etc.. on the loud microphone.

You definitely squeezed a lot into your NYC day trip!
Glad you hear that BT, me, and of course Billyboy, gave you that extra push!

It's espescially fun on the days that we happened to go, cause the weather was nice... (as opposed to going to NYC on real cold, gray dreary days)

p.s. I also remember that Playland that you mentioned on my NYC trip report. I believe it was on 7th ave around 45th st. A huge place, with an upstairs level , too. I remember lots of those little photo booths.(the PG rated kind,where you would pay $1.00 or so to get those 4 little pics) Playland was gritty, but yet felt safe and fun. And there were always people hanging out on the sidewalk in front. I drifted in there during my high school days in particular. Even the slightly rougher looking kids seemed pale in comparison to today's bunch that one sees wandering around the malls, etc..
Playland was just about across the wide street from that Nathan's, right? I used to love going in that Nathan's . It had so much character! It really felt like NYC!

p.p.s A few years or so ago, I went to the Museum of Sex, located on 5th ave at 27th st. There was an exhibition, "NYC sex", that showed a lot of mostly black & white pics of the gritty Times Square area of the 1970's and 80's, with all the xxx movie theatres , etc..
I actually felt a sense of melancholy looking at all these pics...!
here was this scene that was so much a part of our youth, but NOW it was referred to as more of a footnote. The reality is that it's now just considered part of "NYC history"! (and high school and college kids today will never know it like we did!)

Dogdaddy - I had that recipe for H&H Baked beans for many years...I think I now have lost it. I'll check. I tried to make it several times. The taste was exactly as I had remembered them but there was a problem I could never overcome...It calls for the use of dried navy beans and I could never get the beans to soften up properly. I tried every way possible, but just couldn't get them right.

Glad some others have seconded NY Noodletown, too. You will absolutely love it. And, try Big Wong's, too.

Well it seems that I need to check out Noodletown. Many of the places that were shown, were due to recommendations and reviews posted here. If it gets mentioned, I will check it out.
For instance, next week I plan on checking out Zuppardi's pizza in West Haven due to Michael Hoffman's comments and a pizza blog by Ed Levine's pizza site.

Ellen you mention being at Bamn, and I am sure that this is exactly why I went there. I went to Criff's due to the report and review from billyboy.
As for my dog, Frisco, he has the temperment to wear whatever I put on him, but that shirt is for me.

===Reminds me of when I went to see Bill Clinton get sworned in for his first term in Wash. DC. I was so far back that I certainly could not see anything at all. All I could hear was "I , William Jefferson Clinton do solemly swear", etc.. on the loud microphone.===

If you look at the crossing sign on the very first picture, that was about how big the Jumbo-Tron appeared.
Not that I voted for him, but I saw Bush at the minor league ballpark in Nola. Hey, I figured that no matter what, it was important to see a president.

As for Horn & Hardart, here is their recipe:

Horn and Hardart Baked Beans
Recipe from: The Automat
by MARIANNE HARDART,LORRAINE DIEHL
Cookbook Heaven at Recipelink.com

Serves 8 to 10

1 pound dried navy beans, rinsed

1 large yellow onion, chopped (about 1 cup)

4 slices bacon, diced

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon dry mustard

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2/3 cup molasses

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 1/2 cups tomato juice

Salt to taste

Place the beans in a large saucepot and cover with cold water. Let stand overnight at room temperature.

Drain, place in an 8-quart saucepot, add fresh water to cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until the beans are almost tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.

Return the beans with the other ingredients and the 1 cup reserved cooking liquid to the pot; mix to combine. Pour into a 9x13x2-inch baking pan or a Dutch oven.

Bake, uncovered, until very tender, approximately 4 hours. Check the beans occasionally while baking and add water if necessary to prevent the mixture from drying out. Season with salt and let cool 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

mark

DD,

Thanks for the shout-out! Love the pics from Pommes Frites and Crif Dogs. I had that Spicy Redneck dog around 2 am not long ago and it was exactly what I needed! I think I should invest in one of those t-shirts. Do they all come with an adorable dog included? I hit the frites about once a year as I can't do the fried stuff as much as I used to. I had been to BAMN! a couple of times and was somewhat underwhelmed, especially for the price. Neat conecpt though and I'm sure it's a big hit with the late-night, just-got-out-of-the- bars crowd.

Wow...an automat like Horn & Hardart's. Can anyone report on the quality. Might be fun to take the kids there next time we're in New York and give them a history lesson! Can a New York roadfooder try this out

My GF's dad used to eat at Horn and Hardart's when he was a kid and he said this really is nothing like that. From what he told me, H&H was like a cafeteria where you could get a tray, buy the items you wanted and sit down to eat them. BAMN! isn't really like that at all. More like "inspired by" if anything. A couple of tall boy tables to stand at, it's really more of a take-out place for people to eat while walking. It might be fun for kids to put the change in the doors and get their own food out. I think the food is just okay. Lower end versions of grub such as: mozzarella sticks, chicken wings, pigs in a blanket, sliders, fried mac and cheese. The photo in the post gives the basic idea of the kind of food. Did you ever eat at an H&H? Can you describe the experience?

Very nice report and pics Mark, thanks. Neat pic of the puppy. Use to eat in a H&H on East Tremont Avenue over 50 years ago, where has the time gone???

Thanks for all the kind words from everyone. New York is truly the center of the world and I wanted to show just a micro-fraction of it. The city is at its best on weekends, but a Tuesday with it loaded with crazed Giant fans works pretty good too.
My only regret was that I did bring my GPS loaded with Roadfood points of interest and due to tech difficulties I was not able to realize how close I was to many listed and reviewed spots.

leethebard === Can a New York roadfooder try this out?===

I could have done it, but I was saving room for the frites and Criff dog. The burger was small, but it did come with lettuce,tomato and onion. I had visions of the recently discussed 'Burger in a Can' thread.

billyboy ===Did you ever eat at an H&H? Can you describe the experience?===

It was more of a sit down cafeteria, where you actually would get food from a similar glassed in opening. The difference was that they used real plates, silverware and glass for service. The food would reappear from behind as if by magic to my young eyes. The baked beans hold a real memory for me as they were great tasting and served in a brown crock.

Here is the Wikipedia entry on the place. What is funny is that they also show a picture of Bamn in the bottom corner. Another article elsewhere says that they are still in existence as coffee shops, but reviving the concept with the name Dine-O-Mat.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automat

=== I should invest in one of those t-shirts. Do they all come with an adorable dog included?===

No, you need to go to a shelter for one of those. They are still a great bargain for what you get. People ask what his breed? My response is that he is a Bridgeport Pound Puppy... Someday I will get the other dog in a photo, but she won't allow me to put anything on her.

John A ===Use to eat in a H&H on East Tremont Avenue over 50 years ago, where has the time gone??? ===

When I turned 50, my claim was that I was halfway through life. Now at 51, I say that I am on the downhill slide...

mark

Hi,
When I was a kid growing up in Jersey City,in the 50's, my mom would take me often to New York City. We ate at many of my favorite places(remember Nedicks,anyone) including one of the Horn & Hardarts> I loved it. You could pick soups,sandwiches,sides, salads and delicious desserts . Put the correct coins in the slot, open the glass and take the plate of food out. I loved the apple pie. My mom still remembers the great coffee.
You took your food to a table, sat and ate. As quickly as you took out a plate,it was replaced by the workers behind the counter

During my undergrad years at Cornell, I took a course (Agriculutral Economics 347 I think). Aside from a term paper due the the end of the semester, the main thrust of the course (entitled Marketing Instutions)was prepration for a 6 day field trip in and around NY City during the Spring (1965!) vacation. We covered all sorts of places from the NY Stock Exchange to a slaughterhouse in New Jeresy (no not one run by the mafia!). Among our stops was the H&H Comissary somewehere on the west side of Midtown. That was quite a place. All of the soups, baked goods, mac and cheese, breads and rolls, puddings etc were prepared at this location for delivery to the H&H automats and cafeterias. Seems to me that H&H also ran private cafeteria operations for various large firms as well

I had been in NYC before and have been there quite a few times in the ensuing 40+ years since, but that trip remains as probably the best of all of them

The course instructor was Ben Dominick (who died quite suddenly in 1968); he was assisted on the trip by another Cornell prof, Howard Tyler Jr I think. No idea if he is still alive.

Wally
Cornell '67

Doggy

Excellent report!
Those photos of Chinatown bring back memories...

Heading to Wohops "for breakfast" after the bars on the upper east side closed back in the day of my youth- the late 1980's!

What a great report and you were there for a good reason too!