This is part 2 of my eats from this NYC trip, I picked up the eating pace towards the end.
1) Mama’s Too. Cacio e pepe slice is so damn tasty, I wish I could have this fresh. Only qualm is the reheat making the corners too toasty and the dough a little dried out. Funghi slice was nice too, with the thick cut caramelized onions.
2) Sal & Carmine’s. This is like Joe’s but 10% better IMO, just quintessential NY slice. Call me crazy but it’s my favourite cheese slice this trip, over Scarr’s and John’s of Bleecker
3) Altro Paradiso. Corporate dinner, it was decent to good given I didn’t pay, I definitely wouldn’t pay up to come again. Pomodoro and appetizers were highlights, cacio e pepe is interesting but not my fave. The secondi was very underwhelming.
4) NY Pizza Suprema. I wish Toronto had food this good beside our major arenas… I fell in love with this place. It may not be the most consistent or new age cold ferment dough magic but the variety, ingredient quality, excellent sauce and people make it. Came here twice and tried 6 slices actually, a fresh upside down is my fav probably.
5) KJUN. Korean-Cajun is a cool concept but it’s better on paper than its executed IMO. Okra kimchi was fun, goguma pecan pie as well, everything else was tasty but not memorable. Still glad I went though.
6) Oscar Wilde. I imagine locals will call this a tourist trap/overhyped but it’s honestly just a good time and drinks aren’t bad. DJ unfortunately sucked, I hear it’s usually better.
7) Shake Shack at Madison Square Park. First time and it’s a very good burger. Fries are solid too. To be honest I just can’t imagine many occasions I would go for it, In N Out or 5 Guys is far cheaper and very satisfying for fast food and if I’m gonna spend up on a burger I’ll dine in and pay $10 more than Shake Shack. Just me.
8) Wonderen. Hard to find fresh stroopwafels in North America and this stall at Bryant Park winter village does them quite well.
9) Chez Jacob. One of many Harlem Senegalese options it seems, we chose on a whim because it was near a jazz show we were attending. Really enjoyed everything, from poisson grillè to dibi to the soursop drink to the complementary bread basket.
10) Qanoon. Excellent Palestinian brunch, very generous portions. The musakhan is fantastic, chicken is roasted very well and the sumac + olive oil quality makes it sing.
11) Fabrique Bakery. Last treat, the cardamom bun was def our fav between it and the cinnamon bun. Along with the matcha latte it was a fantastic end to our trip!
Always fun chatting it up in this sub, thanks for all the recommendations over the past couple years. In case you want to see which ~40 spots I hit in 2022, it’s on my profile somewhere and in my story highlights on IG At @seed.eat.repeat
by iamacheezit
16 Comments
2. If you want to pick up some NYC lingo, we call it a plain slice or a regular slice for the most part, though we do understand cheese slice. You’ll find there’s a “regular” for many items in the NYC food sphere. I also was never a fan of Joe’s either.
4. There are some decent options outside Scotiabank in the Union concourses, but Rogers (I mean, Skydome) basically has the street meat guy, and that’s it.
When you come back to Toronto, there’s only one place I get pizza from here, and that’s North of Brooklyn.
> Call me crazy but it’s my favourite cheese slice this trip, over Scarr’s
You’re not crazy. Scarr’s is dogshit.
Okra kimchi sounds interesting. I love okra.
So glad you went to Sal & Carmines. Such an underrated slice but the best!
Nice big beard hair stuck in the mayo of that Shake Shack burger. 🧔♂️
This post is giving me heartburn
I find it weird that I’d never heard of Oscar Wilde before this year, and now I’m seeing a bunch of people mention it (mainly as “the bar that Christmas threw up on”), but hey $17 for a cocktail and a show by Madison Sq Park? Not bad (fuck, sub $20 for a cocktail is a deal these days, fml).
Shake Shack is, legit, my favorite fast food burger. I’ve never had In n Out (I’m never in CA), and I can’t stand Five Guys (I legit think they’re about on par w/ McDs). Here in NYC Shake Shack is actually CHEAPER than 5 guys ($10 vs $11 for a double cheese burger), and I think shake shack does a far better job on the burger itself.
The best bang for your buck now is 7th street ($9.50 for a double, loaded w/ onions and ‘special’ sauce), but the lack of anywhere to eat it sorta kills it for me. I also think it’s just not quite as good as Shake Shack.
That said, $10 for a fast food cheeseburger is pretty fucking hard to swallow no matter what, but that’s just the shitty world situation really. I might just have to try Hamburger America (also $11 for a double) at this point.
And 100% on Pizza Suprema. It’s basically the way I remember pizza from my childhood (meaning it’s probably far better).
Those stroopwaffles are trash.
Yes, we kill the smash burgers and pizza game for sure.
was anyone else like “YO WHERE THAT BURGER FROM” and then was like “oh ok”
1. Always freeze in a freezer bag as soon as possible to keep from drying out.
Good job
damn Chez Jacob looks bomb. Great find!
I wouldn’t want to be your toilet right now
This post makes me salivate
Great job! And kudos to all the commenters for their detailed and helpful additions. Most importantly, THANK YOU for spending your time and money in the food capital of the world (sorry, Paris). My son will be graduating from culinary school in the spring, returning home to start his career. My fervent wish is that we could clone you X 10,000. Our flawed but still amazing city would benefit immensely. Dude — you rock!