The Roadfood Rumshpringa Invades New York City!!

Re:The Roadfood Rumshpringa Invades New York City!! (buffetbuster)

Tue, 24 May 2011 11:09:33 GMT

cecif

Billyboy...
I cannot believe that you:
* had never met Buffetbuster...!!!!!!!!

I'm shy!

Re:The Roadfood Rumshpringa Invades New York City!! (billyboy)

Tue, 24 May 2011 10:40:37 GMT

cecif, I was always a bit of a seafood frowner as a kid and clams were high on that list so unless someone else ordered them I would never try them. I had eaten the fried clam strips from Howard Johnson's but I don't really count that. As for Orthodox Jews in NYC, I realize that I may not have phrased that correctly in my original post. I have seen what I believe are Orthodox Jews over my almost 8 years in NYC but until my Peter Luger's Burger Run last year I had never seen this particular style of dress. Long black coats, white shirts and LARGE hats that resembled lampshades covered in thick dark fur. Probably would have helped if I had elaborated before! ;0 As to BB, the timing had never worked out before. We were going to meet up in New Haven one time but BB had to cancel and then I was considering the Rochester/Buffalo tour but I couldn't make it. The planets are back in line now! Glad you enjoyed the trip.
MD, if you ever need some recs or a tour guide, just let me know.

Re:The Roadfood Rumshpringa Invades New York City!! (MiamiDon)

Tue, 24 May 2011 09:31:55 GMT

WOW billyboy, great report! Every single one of the restaurants you went to is on my list of NYC must-eats, but the only one I've made it to is Coney Island Nathan's. Well, I had a beer in P.J. Clark's about 35 years ago, but that doesn't count. If you had gone to Harold's, I think I would have had to go lay down and try to control my breathing.

You live in NYC and you've never seen full-dress, ultra-orthodox jews?

Re:The Roadfood Rumshpringa Invades New York City!! (cecif)

Tue, 24 May 2011 08:08:07 GMT

Billyboy...

I cannot believe that you:
* lived in Boston but have never had fried clams! OMG!
* live in NYC but never see orthodox Jews around...?!
* had never met Buffetbuster...!!!!!!!!

Thanks for great report and pics etc... hungry now. :)

Re:The Roadfood Rumshpringa Invades New York City!! (billyboy)

Mon, 16 May 2011 22:27:39 GMT

Chris, I think it was a combination of Devil's Playground and a Dateline-type special I had seen around the time I started writing this report. I thought of RFers in the big city going on a Rumshpringa-esque type of weekend of food hedonism!
Dawn, glad you loved them! Baked beans are definitely in my all-time top 5 side dishes!

Re:The Roadfood Rumshpringa Invades New York City!! (Ahi Mpls.)

Mon, 16 May 2011 18:58:39 GMT

Oh my, Of all the amazing photos of yours that I have used for my screensaver dealie, That BOAT O' BEANS may be my very very favorite! Why? I don't know! I just don't know.

Re:The Roadfood Rumshpringa Invades New York City!! (ayersian)

Mon, 16 May 2011 17:46:18 GMT

Billy, love all of this, of course -- but I totally forgot to ask you: why did you title it "RF Rumshpringa"? None of us is Amish, as far as I know. However, if you were thinking about the fabulous documentary Devil's Playground... Chris

Re:The Roadfood Rumshpringa Invades New York City!! (CajunKing)

Mon, 16 May 2011 17:39:12 GMT

Billyboy and Others

What an experience you all shared.

It is truly a wonderful time to share a meal with Buffetbuster, TTM and Ayersian.

I have had the honor of sharing varying meals/desserts with a combination of them. Some day I look forward to sharing a meal with you too.

Thanks for the report and the wonderful photos!!!!

Re:The Roadfood Rumshpringa Invades New York City!! (mealot)

Mon, 16 May 2011 17:15:02 GMT

There's a PJ Clarke's in DC now (corner of K and 16th). I haven't been yet but wondering if anyone has and how it compares to the NYC establishment.

Re:The Roadfood Rumshpringa Invades New York City!! (billyboy)

Mon, 16 May 2011 16:41:32 GMT

Lee, sorry for the late reply. I'm not sure if the one's at the original Nathan's are fresh cut but I've always maintained that there is a rate of turnover at that location that just doesn't exist at the others I have been to in the past. It's always busy and crazy busy in the summer and on game nights for the Brooklyn Cyclones. Going to a Nathan's on 14th Street in the East Village, at the South Street Seaport or at a random mall isn't a destination for most people and there are other food options so I think that product sits around moreso than at Surf & Stillwell. Plus, like most Roadfood, you just can't replicate atmosphere. Sitting outside in Coney Island watching the people go by is a unique experience.
ScreamingChicken, I honestly am not sure but I seem to remember that there are a few dogs that are griddled. I have a feeling that the ones draped in bacon or Taylor Ham (yegads, that sounds insanely good!) are probably deep-fried. I checked out their menu online and it doesn't really say which ones are fried. Sorry I couldn't be of more help. perhaps I'll have to go back soon in the name of research...

Re:The Roadfood Rumshpringa Invades New York City!! (ScreamingChicken)

Mon, 16 May 2011 10:38:04 GMT

Billy, are all Crif's dogs deep-fried or are they available some other way?

A place with PBR neon can't be all bad...

Brad

Re:The Roadfood Rumshpringa Invades New York City!! (billyboy)

Sun, 15 May 2011 12:41:12 GMT

I walked down the the neighborhood of Chelsea to see if I could finally score the three new flavors at the Doughnut Plant on 23rd Street!

Luck was on my side and my first bite was of this chocolate chip cookie doughnut. A cake doughnut rolled in chocolate chip cookie crumbs this was really good though I wish the chocolate chip flavor had been more pronounced. The crumbs to me tasted like the best Chips Ahoy ever.

Next up was the Salty Peanut Butter cake doughnut. A nice peanut butter glaze and lots of crunchy, salty peanuts this was another winner.

And finally, the Oatmeal cake doughnut. This one blew me away. It had the flavor of a really good bowl of oatmeal crossed with an oatmeal cookie and a nutty texture that just spoke to me. I think there may have been walnuts inside but I'm not sure. I almost bought another one but four doughnuts in one sitting would have been pushing it.

While I sat by the window enjoying my goodies, I spotted this handsome boy on the street and of course had to go out and say "hello" to him. He was very sweet and loved the attention!

I had so much fun, so many laughs and quite a few great meals with everyone over the weekend. It was wonderful to meet new people (Beth, Ben & Kate) and to finally share a meal or six with Buffetbuster! Steve, Alix, Chris, Amy, it's always a pleasure to spend time with you and and I look forward to our next adventure!

Re:The Roadfood Rumshpringa Invades New York City!! (billyboy)

Sat, 14 May 2011 23:50:55 GMT

Alright, time to put this trip report to bed! Sunday April 10th - The Travelin' Man had to work today and I had a 10K run in the morning so Buffetbuster and the Ayersians ate their way through Manhattan and I met up with them at Pommes Frites in the East Village in the afternoon. One of my favorite places to eat and to bring out of town guests.

The four of us split a regular order of frites and it was just enough but not too much for us to tackle.

And for an extra charge we included three different dipping sauces: Sweet Mango Chutney mayo, War Sauce (frite sauce (mayo), peanut satay sauce and raw onion) and Curry Ketchup Especial (frite sauce, curry ketchup and raw onion). I was really digging the war sauce and the Curry but the Sweet Mango Chutney has long been my go-to dip. BB really enjoyed it too and jokingly suggested he might fight me for it! The quarters are very tight and many people get it to go but we managed to shoehorn ourselves into a tiny table in the back. One thing that has always impressed me about this place is that they make many of their own dips. I came in one time and saw them making fresh pesto for their pesto mayo. The flavor payoff definitely shows.

Chris and Amy had to head back to New England so BB and I made our way through the East Village and planned to go down to the Lower East Side to check out Economy Candy, Doughnut Plant, etc... I can't even tell you how cool it was for me to be able to escort the esteemed Buffetbuster through my adopted city and show him some of my favorite places!
Our next stop found us on St. Mark's Place near Tompkins Square Park outside of CRIF DOGS.

If you're not sure where it is, just keep an eye out for this unique sign!

Knuckle sandwiches are free.

Chris & Amy, if you look at the menu, two of the last three dogs listed on the menu, the Garden State and the Jersey's Finest feature Taylor ham! Not often found in NYC.

We opted to go halfsies and I ordered the Crif Dog (deep fried dog, chili, mustard and onions) and BB had the Tsunami Dog (deep fried dog, bacon wrapped with teriyaki, pineapple and onions). Cliff was unsure about ordering a Tsunami dog so closely after the disaster in Japan, however a portion of the sales were being put towards a relief fund so any doubts were put to rest. We really liked both of these dogs, the crunch of the fried tubesteaks as well as the combination of flavors in the toppings. Having a variety of East Village types dining around us only added to the atmosphere.

I love the baked beans here. I have a feeling they are from a can but it was exactly what I was looking for.

Two of my favorite arcade games growing up.. I spent countless quarters and hours playing these!

We made our way to Avenue A and headed south, stopping at a small farmers' market to pick up some cold apple cider from Red Jacket Orchards. As we walked along, I received a call from TTM saying he was done with work so we changed our plans and took the subway to 34th Street and walked west to meet near the Javits Center. Steve and Cliff extended and invite to join them at Harold's Deli in Edison, NJ but I had to tap out at that point as I was fairly full and Harold's just would have been too much. We said our goodbyes and looked forward to meeting up an breaking bread again in the near future. Besides, I made room for one last minor stop on the way home...
No, I didn't pick up any nuts but I just had to take a picture when I passed by this cart. Love the presentation!

Having some technical difficulties uploading pictures. Stay tuned...!

Re:The Roadfood Rumshpringa Invades New York City!! (billyboy)

Sat, 14 May 2011 21:56:27 GMT

BB, love the photos of Beth and that that burger at Peter Luger's. Cliff and I were talking after he had just eaten the burger above and I asked him what he thought. He said that it was his #2 burger behind the green chile cheeseburger at Bobcat Bite in Santa Fe, NM. For those of you who know Cliff, that is some mighty high praise!

Re:The Roadfood Rumshpringa Invades New York City!! (agnesrob)

Sat, 07 May 2011 07:40:29 GMT

Wonderful report! I always enjoy reading your reports Billyboy!

Re:The Roadfood Rumshpringa Invades New York City!! (buffetbuster)

Thu, 05 May 2011 14:07:02 GMT

The burger

I got from Peter Luger was simply sensational. They obviously use top of the line meat. I ordered it medium and it was cooked perfectly. Incredibly juicy, it's flavor was the very essence of beef. This is the best thing I have had to eat all year.

As a bonus photo, here is PhillyBeth

enjoying her schlag laden libation!

Re:The Roadfood Rumshpringa Invades New York City!! (leethebard)

Sun, 01 May 2011 20:14:53 GMT

What a fantastic report...can't wait for more...hey...what made those fries at Nathan's different from the franchise places??? Fresh cut??

Re:The Roadfood Rumshpringa Invades New York City!! (Nancypalooza)

Sun, 01 May 2011 15:09:02 GMT

Okay, that or the pizza at L&B's. That sweet onion sauce looks very enticing. And great picture face in every one of those above! I love tagging along on your reports Billy!

Re:The Roadfood Rumshpringa Invades New York City!! (mar52)

Sun, 01 May 2011 12:12:12 GMT

Great report! Waving to Chris and Amy.

Of all the things you ate I'd love to have a hot dog at the "Original" Nathans.

Re:The Roadfood Rumshpringa Invades New York City!! (billyboy)

Sun, 01 May 2011 11:42:41 GMT

Naturally, we all made our way across the hall, through the Whispering Corridor, for dessert at Junior's. Unfortunately, Lexi couldn't stay as she had to catch a train home.

I started out with a chocolate egg cream. This was a big one and perfectly mixed so that each sip was creamy, chocolatey and fizzy. And at $3.50, a good deal.

We all split a piece of Carrot Cake cheesecake

Red Velvet cake

and a classic cheesecake. All of these were excellent. Apologies for this shot but while I was busy snapping pics of the two slices above a few eager eaters had the nerve to dig in before I could aim and shoot!

We all parted ways and headed to our respective dwellings for some rest for the day of eating ahead.

When we return: a day ate the races, meeting up with ayersian and BB in the East Village, seeing TTM and BB off to NJ and a follow-up trip to the Chelsea Doughnut Plant.

Re:The Roadfood Rumshpringa Invades New York City!! (billyboy)

Sun, 01 May 2011 11:01:24 GMT

After Nathan's we thought about swinging by Totonno's which was just down the street and splitting a pizza and/or going through Red Hook, Brooklyn and getting some Key Lime Pie from Steve's Authentic. As it turned out we ran out of time as we had a reservation at the Grand Central Oyster Bar, so Chris & Amy headed to Queens to check in to their hotel. I hitched a ride to Manhattan with Steve, Cliff, Lexi and Ben. That ride was a blast and I spent much of it laughing hysterically in what seemed to be a challenge to see who could make the other laugh the hardest! I've passed by this place countless times but this would be my first time eating here.

Love that U-shaped seating!

A very extensive and fresh menu.

Who's a pretty princess? Apologies for the blurry photo.

I managed to get in a group shot before the food carnage began!

Buffetbuster started with an appetizer of fried whole Ipswich clams of which he was kind enough to let me try one. I was a bit skittish as my only experience with fried clams up to this point had been the clam strips at Howard Johnson's many, many moons ago. It had an assertive clam taste and the whole belly texture was very good. I'm now anxious to head to New England and try some this summer! Thanks, BB.

Many of the others ordered platters of raw oysters and while I love the presentation I was happier to watch rather than consume.

My shrimp pan roast. I think most everyone order a pan roast of some type. Very rich and filed with lots of plump shrimp, cream paprika, sherry and a thick piece of toast to soak up some of that tasty cream. I would have liked some more toast to drop in that bowl but nonetheless this an excellent dish.

Some steamed Yukon Gold potatoes that I added to my dish.

And the group shot (with the remaining pizza from DiFara's in Lexi's hand).

If any of the group wants to chime in on our experience here or at any of the other stops, please feel free to add pics and comments on this thread!

Re:The Roadfood Rumshpringa Invades New York City!! (billyboy)

Sun, 01 May 2011 02:18:57 GMT

If you find yourself at the intersection of Surf & Stillwell in Coney Island, NY, it can only mean one thing...

Hot dogs and fries at Nathan's Famous!!

A dog with that sweet onion sauce

Chris and I split one with onion sauce and mustard. As good as it gets. We all grabbed a table outside and had a blast guessing the titles to songs playing on the loudspeaker while we noticed a random guy poorly breakdancing to an invisible audience. The seats were sparsely populated but this place is seriously hoppin' in the middle of the summer and especially on Brooklyn Cyclones game nights!

Love those fries. I have eaten at other Nathan's locations in the city as well as one on casinos and mall food courts. The dogs and fries don't even come close to what is served here at the original location.

Coming up next: pretty princesses, pan-roasts and my first ever whole-belly fried clam and the Grand Central Oyster Bar plus cheesecake and a fantastic egg cream across the hall at Junior's. Stay tuned!

Re:The Roadfood Rumshpringa Invades New York City!! (billyboy)

Sun, 01 May 2011 01:46:31 GMT

Chris, Amy and I had planned to meet with the rest of the gang outside of Peter Luger's around the time they had finished lunch but traffic was moving at a glacial pace on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (BQE) so we arrived much later than planned. After catching up for a few minutes, we decided to take the local roads to L & B Spumoni Gardens in the Gravesend section of Brooklyn.

If we had only come from 10 blocks away, we still would have traveled the farthest! This place is definitely a local hangout. If you come here in the summer, you can see the families here with their kids and the guys showing off their cars to the ladies!

I've never tried anything except the Sicilian and...

..the spumoni.

Love the condiments placement!

So many boxes!

And this guy looks like he has had lots of experience carrying these.

I always get two slices and always a corner slice and a side slice with some of that great edge crust.

Mmmm... Just fantastic. Crunchy and crispy at the edge, chewy in the middle with great stringy mozzarella under the sauce and a sprinkling of parmesan on top.

No wonder that crust comes out so well. I wonder how long these pans have been seasoned?

And the perfect end to perfect pizza? Spumoni. Too sweet for some, this was just what I wanted.

A semi-serious group shot taken by Lexi's son, Ben. Front row: Lexi, Amy, Chris, Billy. Standing: Steve and Cliff. L & B offers full Italian meals as well as pizza but this is definitely a must stop for the pizza alone.

Re:The Roadfood Rumshpringa Invades New York City!! (Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle)

Tue, 26 Apr 2011 23:00:53 GMT

I don't know if the story's apocryphal, but I've heard that Dom finishes his work day with a particular $100+ bottle of wine - just him and that bottle - each and every day. Why are the pies so expensive? Someone's got to pay for that wine.

Re:The Roadfood Rumshpringa Invades New York City!! (ayersian)

Tue, 26 Apr 2011 22:16:34 GMT

sk bob

that pizza at Di Faras looks great BUT, $28.00 for a Pizza????
$5 for a slice??????
I don't care how good it is thats a lot of cash

Sk Bob, it was indeed expensive, but every so often I'm willing to pay that much for greatness. DiFara's is one of the country's great pizzerias, and I felt really good just being in the same room as the old man. You should've seen the folks with fancy cameras taking photos of him snipping the basil, cutting the pies, etc. -- I mean $1,000+ rigs with fancy zoom lenses and such. This guy's a true celeb! But honestly, the pies lived up to the hype. We ordered a couple of Sicilian squares to munch on while waiting for our round pie to bake. Both pies were amazing, really fresh tomato sauce, GREAT cheese, perfectly chewy/crunchy crust, the pepperonis that curl up like little cups in the oven -- all enjoyed on site with one of our favorite RFers. If the pies weren't worthy, I'd say so in this forum...but man, I can't wait to get back there! Chris

Re:The Roadfood Rumshpringa Invades New York City!! (leethebard)

Tue, 26 Apr 2011 17:33:47 GMT

Wow as great as that pizza may be,I'd try a slice and then go and get a great $15.00 pie herei n south Jersey!!!

Re:The Roadfood Rumshpringa Invades New York City!! (Nancypalooza)

Tue, 26 Apr 2011 16:08:57 GMT

"like a pair of gleeful papparazzi on a starlet fresh out of rehab!" Raoul, you are getting to be quite the Ralph Melton with a turn of phrase. Very nice.

Welcome PhillyBeth!

Re:The Roadfood Rumshpringa Invades New York City!! (chewingthefat)

Tue, 26 Apr 2011 11:46:30 GMT

Great report, great pics...Good Lord that pizza looked fantastic, ditto the burgers!
Welcome Philly Beth!

Re:The Roadfood Rumshpringa Invades New York City!! (billyboy)

Tue, 26 Apr 2011 11:36:41 GMT

Ed, thanks so much! I truly do love finding new (or new to me) pleaces to eat as well as rediscovering old classics/standbys that wow me every time.
Joe, no cougar pics, man. I was too busy dodging her moves to even think about the camera. You take a picture of them in the wild and you get taken down while futzing around with the zoom lens! I am still bowled over by that pizza.
BB, I was just thinking how cool it was to be a part of a tour that you were on. I said it when I first met Bruce and Sue for the first time a couple of months ago and the same applies to you. Meeting you was like that Christmas commerical where the M&Ms and Santa Clause meet and exclaim, "He DOES exist/They DO exist!" Was beginning to think you might be an urban RF legend! Thanks for the vote! Hello all, I'm the GoodBill Ambassador of Food! Step right this way!
skbob, I thought the same thing when I first saw the wall menu in DiFara's but that pizza really moved me.

Re:The Roadfood Rumshpringa Invades New York City!! (Ralph Melton)

Mon, 25 Apr 2011 20:53:47 GMT

Those P. J. Clarke photos look really tasty.