foodie finds :: lucky's famous burgers

lucky's famous burgers

370 w 52nd street

new york, ny 10019

be sure to bring your sunglasses - this place is bright! it's like orange and yellow blew up in there - and not in a good way. perhaps this was the tactic used to divert your attention away from the less than par burgers and freezer-burned fries. now - as for price - it's super cheap - but consider what you are paying for. dry burgers with sauces that you can't quite make out for flavors. i get mine with jalapeos to kill off anything that may be questionable.

visit this place when you are down to your last buck and staggering out of a bar and in need of a quick fix that is not pizza. then and only then you'll feel lucky to have these burgers.

foodie finds :: koi

koi

11 n dean st.

englewood, nj 07631

it's cute - it's trendy - the staff is sassy and fun. reasonable prices for lunchtime sushi. food's not that bad either. the rolls and sushi were quality and fresh and the edamame was a salty dream! it's more trendy and casual than the traditional daruma down the street. try it out if you are hankering for sushi in englewood!

foodie finds :: blossom

blossom vegan restaurant
187 9th ave
new york, ny 10011

hmm - i have an issue with pretension disguised as a restaurant - that's what i felt this place was all about. granted - the food wasn't bad at all. i'm not a vegetarian but do like to explore all cuisines and i was impressed with the food. it was extremely overpriced tofu however.

the staff - we could have been invisible for the first half of the meal. the decor was just uninviting and cold. ethan hawke must love the place - he was there at the table next to us and i noticed he's been spotted by fellow yelpers in other posts about this place.

i don't know - doubt i'd go back - maybe i was just in a bad mood - i've had better for less in the city with a welcoming staff and feeling throughout.

foodie finds :: natsumi

natsumi
226 w 50th street
new york, ny 10019

wow - blown away - thought the prices were only high because of location but worth the quick pop in on the way to the theatre. very cool decor - many varieties to chose from: saki and fish. give it a try.

foodie finds :: basera indian bistro

basera indian bistro
745 9th avenue
new york, ny 10019

this is the newest location of this restaurant. i noticed it was opening a few weeks ago and decided to try it out. it was well worth it. i had the lamb-stuffed naan, mango chutney, and chicken saag with a large taj mahal beer. all were excellent. it's just around the block and they deliver - it's for sure going to be one of my staples from now on.

foodie finds :: yum yum bangkok

yum yum bangkok
650 9th avenue
new york, ny 10036

had lunch here today - have to say - not bad. i had their summer roll - very fresh - very light - perfect appetizer - the fried dumplings (not my choice but still very good) - and for the main course - their pho - very tasty - especially when i added the hot sauce. it's in my area - so i'm sure if i ever have a hankering - i'll pop on over and bathe in the pho goodness!

foodie finds :: empanada mama

empanada mama
763 9th avenue
new york, ny 10019

i just love hot pockets of goodness. empanada mama is exactly that - goodness in a deep-fried whole wheat package. um um good! you can't go wrong with these little guys - i've not had one i didn't like. they remind me of the little empanada stand that used to be outside of my apartment in buenos aires - but i digress. these little meat-filled pastries do pack a great punch for the buck - you can eat like a champ and not even break your wallet. they have dessert ones too - omg - elvis would have died for these - wait - he may have - they do have the peanut butter banana one! even better - they'll bring it to you so you don't even have to move (far - you have to answer the door) to have them any time!

thanksgiving with the boys :: season 4 :: buenos aires

man oh man alive - it's been a couple of unexpected days - well not so unexpected in the daytime but my god - the nights - well they have been spectacular. well - not every night - spectacular yes - but last night - let me tell you - i can sum it up in two words - foam party. that's right you heard me.

we all went to a spectacular steak dinner. i've never had a steak so tender and so good - and i never eat red meat - it melted in my mouth. we had two fantastic bottles of wine to boot. after - we went to search. walked in - typical night - drag show - ho-hum hum-drum. i honestly didn't think we'd last through the show it was that bad. when the show ended - it turned into a typical night of dancing. and we did.

the gogo boys mounted their boxes and all seemed right with the world and then someone handed them aerosol cans filled with some kind of foam. they sprayed themselves - they sprayed passers-by. innocent fun right? well - not so much. these cans began to appear in the hands of the patrons. suddenly - foam fights - people spraying people left and right. out of the blue and with no warning - the dance floor exploded in foam. evidently the event of the night was indeed a foam party.

normally a foam party would irritate the hell out of me - this however - was more fun than i could imagine. we drank - danced - and loved the night away covered in foam. it was great. what was a hum-drum night turned out to be a fantastic surprise had by all.

tonight was just a simple dinner and a few drinks. early morning tomorrow - going to colonia (uruguay) for the day then back to ba for thanksgiving dinner.

happy thanksgiving everyone!

ps - still no hot water - ugh!

thanksgiving with the boys :: season 4 :: buenos aires

yesterday turned out to be way much more fun than we thought. after everyone was showered and ready - we headed over to the plaza de mayo for the pride celebration. it was just like a typical small-town pride (only in spanish - we imagined the festival was like any border town pride in the u.s.). bandstand in the middle of the plaza with performers and people making announcements - booths with information and things that you could buy to support various local charities - food and beer carts - and the parade trucks parked over to one side that would eventually be in the parade later that evening. evidently it's tradition for everyone to meet and party in the plaza and then at 6pm the real party starts. this is when the parade takes off down the avenue and suddenly you are in a sea of thousands of people walking with and in the parade. it was fantastic. of course we walked next to the woman selling canned beers to keep us sufficiently hydrated for our long long walk down the parade route.

we met a 16-year old girl who's parents live in wisconsin. she's always lived in ba and refuses to move to the u.s. as a sign of rebellion to her parents. she's a fashion designer and wants to live in japan and become a harajuku girl. we also met a group of 4 older men who were from san francisco but had retired down in palm springs. they are here in ba to study spanish for a month. oh to be retired - lol. we saw trannies - hotties - freaks - and everything in between. typical pride really when you boil it down to the basics.

after we had walked the length of the parade route - we pulled off to the side for some port-a-potty action and put together a game plan for the rest of the evening. since we didn't think we were going to take as much time walking the route as we did - we had little time to get a dinner plan together. we chose to go back to mott because the food is good and we were certain they could house a party of 8. everyone went home to freshen-up and assemble back in an hour for dinner. i was able to sneak in a power-nap so i was good to go.

turned out that shawn stayed home to rest and catch up on sleep as did joshua. so our party of 8 is now only 6. anthony, michael, ben, billy, aaron (newest addition from d.c. who arrived yesterday), and myself. dinner was great - as always. anthony and i took aaron to sitges to get him acclimated to ba nightlife. we had a few drinks there then went dancing at glam. at 5am we decided to call it an early night and left - aaron decided to stay - hopefully he made it home in one piece.

i think today we are going to head to san telmo for some flea market shopping and a tango class. yes - this year i may actually dance instead of observing from the side-line. ooh - and the sinus infection seems to be on it's very last legs - fantastic. too fun!

thanksgiving with the boys :: season 4 :: buenos aires

well what can i say - when you find a good thing - keep it. last year we had such a fantastic time in buenos aires we decided to return this year for an encore performance. anthony is back for a 4th season of 'thanksgiving with the boys' - returning are shawn (amsterdam - season 1 and canary islands - season 2) and michael (canary islands - season 2). surprise guest stars are 2 friends from d.c. (joshua and ben) and their friend from nyc (billy). they just happened to be on the plane sitting next to shawn. joshua is an old friend from the d.c. days. they are staying across town but have been excellent additions to the cast.

we booked an 'amazing' place for our stay - beautiful - new - jacuzzi - and - no hot water - water pressure - heat control - oh - and the jacuzzi isn't working. we've been here for 48 hours and we are waiting for the plumber to work his magic so we can take an actual shower for a change. hopefully we can have the 'jacuzzi laundry party' after this is all done. the jacuzzi knocked out the power to the house for a good half day until they came to fix it. more concerning is the hot water situation - you know me - i do enjoy a hot shower!

we have returned to some of our favorite haunts already. dining at bar 6, olsen, and mott so far - and an unfortunate decision to have lunch at hooters at puerto madero. if you ever get the idea to eat hooters in argentina - don't - bad bad decision - not for the aftermath that usually happens with hooters - no no - this was just inedible freezer-burned chicken (pollo - pronounced here in buenos aires - pol'jzso) with no flavor, texture, or pop.

we've also entertained ourselves at some familiar nighttime haunts - sitges, glam, and titanic (now called something else but the name escapes me). as always - sitges had horrible drag shows and friendly people - glam was - well - glam - and titanic hardly fit it's new name since the murals from the movie are still painted on the walls.

so far we are off to a great start - well - assuming we get the plumbing issues taken care of. wish us luck!

wtf :: fruity cheerios

um - maybe i'm missing something - but don't we already have this product? isn't it called froot loops? the only claim to fame for this new product from general mills is that it's made with whole grain. ok ok - so fruity cheerios has less calories (20 less to be exact) and less sugar (9g so says the nutritional information) - but come on - this is a ridiculous attempt to capture the tastes of american kids. maybe the parents should take the initiative and just give them healthier products in general. yeah - statistics on the box makes fruity cheerios out to be healthier - but is it really? buy responsibly.

foodie finds :: mee noodle shop at 9th avenue

mee noodle shop at 9th avenue
795 9th avenue
new york, ny 10019

i'm always on the never-ending search for good dirty chinese food. since i've moved into my new apartment in hell's kitchen - i have to admit - i've been cooking a lot more in my very nice new kitchen. however - the other day - i had a hankering for dirty chinese (a typical meal for me when i lived in brooklyn). i called up mees for some delivery.

since it was a new experience i stuck to the basics - general tso's chicken, steamed vegetable dumplings, hot and sour soup, and sesame wantons. in about 10 minutes - the doorbell rang and there it was - all this food in all it's glory (and cheap too - less than $25 for all that - and it served two of us).

i may have ordered things that weren't their specialty but what i had was pretty good and passable for good dirty chinese food. i was impressed with the sesame wantons which had a slight kick to them.

it'll definitely become one of my hell's kitchen stand-bys for when i don't have the urge to cook. a man is never alone when a dirty chinese delivery man is just a phone call away. um um goodness!

foodie finds :: le figaro cafe

le figaro cafe
186 bleecker st
new york, ny 10012

after i ran away from caffe del mare (see my review i wrote on that poop palace for the reason why one should run away) screaming for someone to feed me - i found myself across the street at this fine location. at this point of my morning - i was just dying to eat anything and had a very short amount of time. i ordered the eggs benedict and a bloody mary. the bloody was passable - not the best - not the worst - but packed a punch so it made me happy. the eggs benedict - nothing to write home to mom about but pretty average and edible nonetheless. i was concerned that they were unable to do any substitutions for egg whites or french fries - god help you if you want to go just a little on the healthier side. in all - it was average and not very memorable. the staff was at least present and seemed to care on serving you. doubt i'll ever go back - definitely wouldn't recommend it - but in a pinch - i guess it'll do.

foodie finds :: caffe del mare

caffe del mare
89 macdougal st
new york, ny 10012

run run run away - run so fast and never look back. this place was so bad i never even made it to the food. picture it - sunday brunch - peak time for guests - maybe 45 tables in the place - 10 of which are occupied - 20 of which are piled high with dirty dishes - of the 10 tables occupied - only 2 have food on the table. you look to the back - every order just sitting on the bar begging to be taken to their rightful place. hungry sad patrons patiently wait for what - who knows - no one was working! i think the entire staff up and left in the middle of their brunch shift and just said the hell with everyone else. i counted exactly 3 employees in the place. before i had wasted too much more time - i high tailed it out of there for somewhere more promising.

foodie finds :: georgio's country grill

georgio's country grill
801 9th avenue
new york, ny 10019

you know - i'm not one for diners - this is kinda what this place is - but different. it's not a typical new york diner - something a little more personable with this place. i had a bison burger with onion rings. um um - it hit the spot. it's definitely a place i'll revisit.

foodie finds :: brgr

brgr
287 7th avenue
new york, ny 10001

i didn't hate it - didn't love it either. i decided to go the healthy route and got a turkey burger. i just felt it had little flavor really. it was paired with goat cheese and bacon (i mean how can you go wrong with both of those) but on the whole - nothing sang to me. i'll go back for sure - it wasn't bad - just wasn't over the top either.

foodie finds :: maroons

maroons
244 w 16th st.
new york, ny 10011

oh where to begin really? all around - this place is consistently a great spot for the not-so-healthy but definitely filling and satisfying heaping hunk of comfort food. well - comfort food for me - grits, collard greens, fried chicken - i mean - what can be bad about that?

southern soul food and caribbean food at it's best. i particularly am fond of the fried green tomatoes as an appetizer. the stuffed porkchop is to die for but it's enough food for 12 armies. the staff is always nice. the drinks are always fantastic. and the cornbread - oh my god the cornbread.

it's a jem - it's amazing - a slice of 'goodness' right in chelsea.

foodie finds :: hell's kitchen

hell's kitchen
679 9th avenue
new york, ny 1003

i'm torn. based on last night and last night alone - 4 stars is a stretch. it should be getting 3 in my opinion but i'll give it 4 by reputation. i'll break it down:

1. service: this is a key thing for a great dining experience. we arrive - hostess says 45 minutes for a table. my friend said 'totally worth the wait' - so we did - and popped over to another place for a drink while we waited it out. when we arrive back on the scene - hostess informs us that we are indeed the next to be seated and that they were cleaning off the table (as she points to it) and we'd be sitting shortly. we cried an internal 'yay!' at this news - and then - the hostess sat other people at that table - um, what? her response: 'oops, i'm sorry. you are totally next.' we grab seats a the bar - order drinks (as the bartender spills an entire pint glass of ice on me - i get another 'oops, sorry' from him - thank god it was just ice - that could have been messy) - 15 minutes later (on top of the hour we've already been waiting) - we finally sit. mind you - i would have left an hour and 15 minutes ago but my friend insisted we stick it out.

then - our waiter came. to call him a dumb-ass would be nice. this guy's head was anywhere but in the game on this night. slow - inattentive - forgetful - not good qualities to have in this job (or in any job really). my friend - still sticking to his guns - insists 'it's all worth it.'

2. food: i love's me some mexican food - so internally i was very excited. externally i was still a little miffed by the wait and the experience thus-far.

appetizers included duck confit empanadas with pineapple mole sauce, chorizo sopas, and seared tuna medallions with a chunky mango salsa. everything had heat, sweet, texture, and great flavor combinations and compliments. my personal favorite was the tuna but the empanadas were a close second - but all of them i could eat again.

for mains we sampled the halibut with yucca cakes, sweet plantain mash, and salsa verde; sea bass (it escapes my mind what it was covered with - let's just call it 'goodness') so that's sea bass covered in goodness; and a chicken quesadilla. again - very impressed with the flavor profiles and interesting combinations of sweet, savory, and heat. the sea bass was cooked perfectly while the 2 of us that got halibut had issues that it was overcooked and a bit dry (but the yucca cakes and sweet mash with the salsa - so good). the quesadilla was declared 'the best i've ever eaten' by my other friend - it was indeed tasty.

we passed on dessert as it was rounding 11:00. keep in mind - we started this dinner experience around 8:00. yes - that's right - 3 hours later we are paying. it took nearly 20 minutes to do that. evidently the hostess's birthday was going to require the entire staff to ignore the diners and serve cake and sing and all the things you'd expect for a birthday. while sweet for her - every single table in the place was left unattended to for another 15-20 minutes so they could have their party. my feelings is that it was so close to quitting time - the staff could have waited until after they had closed to do this. several tables were trying to flag down anyone to refill drinks - or in our case - just pay our check and go! the entire process to pay took just under a half an hour - um - is it hard to press print - i mean we were sitting right next to the computer?

maybe it was an off night. like i said - i would give them 3 stars (or less) from the service which spoiled my entire experience overall. but - the food did make up for a good deal of it (excluding the overcooked halibut). i live in the area so i'm sure i'll go back. maybe next time will be an 'on' night - and all will be right with the world.

foodie finds :: frank restaurant

frank restaurant
88 2nd avenue
new york city, ny 10079

fantastic food - reasonable prices - cash only so go to the atm before you get there. they say they aren't related to max over on avenue b but the similarities are uncanny. you be the judge. small and loud - yet cozy and intimate. pleasant staff and great wine.

chinese fortune cookie

from tonight's batch of dirty chinese food - here are the fortunes:

1. be brave at heart. take that chance it's been there all the time.
2. your problem just got bigger. think, what have you done?
3. perhaps you've been focusing too much on spending.
4. it's over your head now. time to get some professional help.

is it just me or was this some kind of twisted therapy the chinese place was trying to push on us?