Papaya Dog - Hot Dogs - $

There are so many different names and versions of the Gray's Papaya / Papaya Dog / Papaya King, whatever, hot dog chains. They serve cheap hot dogs and amazingly delicious fresh fruit juices that are maybe even better than the hot dogs themselves. Not that I want to sound like an old-timer who refers to the way things were back in the day... but I remember when I was in college, the year after 9/11, they were advertising "Recession Specials" with 2 hot dogs and a drink being sold for about $2.25. As a broke college kid, we relied on this place to survive.



These hot dogs are the kind that are so crispy on the outside that when you take a bite, the hot dog snaps and there's an explosion in your mouth.



It's a great fix after a long night of boozing.

And hey, you can even order them in Arabic.

$1.50 per hot dog.

Harissa - Middle Eastern - $ (Astoria)

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Wow, another treasure in Astoria. Harissa is such an underrated gem and I can't believe that I had to find out about it from my Jersey City-residing friend! Harissa cafe is an Algerian restaurant with a small menu that has a big impact. North African food is one of my favorite foods, simply because they mix spices that we as Americans consider to be reserved for sweet dishes, in their savory dishes. It's such a contradiction of flavors that we are typically not accustomed to, and for some it's hit or miss. But you can't help but identify the difference with every bite.

I read the reviews on yelp before we went there and everyone on there gushed about the restaurant. It's a very small space with few tables, but they do deliver. They serve bread and pastries from Balthazar and their own dishes are so perfectly spiced.

- Burek
This appetizer is finger-sized cigars of filo-dough stuffed with cinnamon-spiced beef, and then deep fried.

- Lamb Tajine
A whole lamb shank served with peas and artichoke hearts. The meat is perfectly falling off the bone, and in fact, the joint just dissolved itself and the bones completely separated from each other. It's soooo good!!



- Chicken Couscous
You can choose 3 different kinds of couscous, with the meat or veggies served on top of the bowl of couscous. Another delicious dish and a very generous portion.




We spent $18 each. Insanity. And there were leftovers.

Luke's Lobster - Seafood - $

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Who doesn't love lobster rolls? And Luke's doesn't skimp on lobster and replaces it with mayonnaise instead. It's straight up fresh lobster on a buttery, toasted roll.

Some days when work sucks, I need to go over and indulge. It really does make everything better.

- Lobster Roll




Expect to pay about $20 for 1 roll, but it's worth it.

Mundo - Turkish/Argentinian - $$ (Astoria)

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I was introduced to Mundo by a friend and found it to be an interesting restaurant option for Astoria. It's a small place off of Broadway that integrates the owners' Argentinian and Turkish backgrounds and inspires a healthy, natural menu with really interesting and unique flavor combinations.

The service was mediocre but all the patrons were raving about the food as they passed us on their way out. My friend who's a vegetarian was really happy with the plethora of options for him, however we really depended on our waiter to help explain and sell the menu. He kind of sucked at that.

So we went with:

- Red Sonja
This is so different than anything I've had and not at all how I was expecting it. It's lentils and bulgar pureed and served as a dumpling on pieces of lettuce. You basically take the lettuce leaf and eat the dumpling wrapped in it. This is pretty delicious and light, and fresh-tasting.






- Peruvian Causa
This is nicely presented as layers of all the ingredients. The flavors are all delicious, but each layer was served at a different temperature-- room temp, refrigerator temp... the inconsistency was a turn off. I personally think it would have been better if it was served warm.



- Manti
Then we ordered their signature dish. They're tiny little dumplings stuffed with beef, steamed, and then served with Turkish yogurt and spices over it. This dish was a zero for me. I hated the mushy textures, I hated the sour yogurt. I almost never leave food behind on a plate, but this was the exception. I think our waiter was shocked that I didn't devour this dish. Oh well!




Each, we spent $35.

Carmine's - Italian - $$

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Carmine's is a staple as far as NYC restaurants are concerned. Loved by both locals and tourists, you can always count on Carmine's to be a great place for a large, group dinner.

I finally went for the first time with my coworkers and everything was great- even their house wine.


I was really surprised at how relatively inexpensive this restaurant is. Sure the portions are enormous, but they're meant to be shared. So by the time you divvy it up, it's one of the more affordable places to eat in NYC (as long as you're in a group).

We went for the basic dishes:

- Garlic Bread



- Spaghetti and Meatballs



- Chicken Parm



- Tiramisu

Freeman's - American - $$$

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I can honestly say that this place was so worth the wait! I had been wanting to try this restaurant for months and months and months. A girlfriend had asked to join me on my foodie adventures around the city, so I thought that this would be both, the perfect opportunity to try this restaurant, and the perfect place to ease her into food baby-ology.

So walking towards the restaurant down Freeman's Alley is so cute and romantic, and really sets up the restaurant well. It's decorated with animal heads, and flannel, and admission for men apparently seems to be an abundance of facial hair. The crowd is young and pretty. The cocktails are fabulous, the food is fresh and so so delicious. This place is officially, my favorite date place.

Since this was our first experience together, we kind-of just rolled up our sleeves and ordered everything that sounded delicious.

- Saw Mill Cocktail
It's made with Rye... get it?... and pear liquer, it is so smooth, I think I ordered 3...

- Devils on Horseback
Aaaaamazing. Prunes stuffed with blue cheese, wrapped in bacon, and fried. You pop this into your mouth and there's this warm explosion of melting cheese, sweetness, saltiness, it is just AMAZING.



- Artichoke Dip
Garlicy, cheesey, and huge chunks or artichokes throughout. It's SO good.



- Cheese Toasts
These were so perfectly crisp and had so much delicious cheese on them, we didn't even leave crumbs. Even the watercress salad it is served with was gobbled right up.



- Venison Cutlets
My friend ordered this and loved it. It's breaded and fried, and is an interesting alternative to the veal or chicken cutlet.



- Hunter's Stew
I ordered this one, and unfortunately was disappointed. It just wasn't for me. The others around me who had ordered this dish ate every last spoonful. But instead, I was devouring the creamed kale side that I ordered with it.





We did order a LOT for 2 people, and spent around $80 each. You certainly don't have to be such a high roller, but man... it is so worth it!

Veselka - Ukranian - $

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Veselka is a staple to the East Village. It's been there forever, and it always surprises me how busy it maintains to be.

I went back for brunch recently, after only having been for dessert previously. Now, I know that I probably should have taken the opportunity to sample the borscht, or pierogies... but i was in the mood for brunch brunch. And since I was nursing a heavy hangover, I went big time.

I ordered a monte cristo. Something I'd never had before, and something I'll never order again. Granted, I should have known what I was getting myself into: french toast made with challah, then sandwiching turkey and some krakovska- a polish sausage which is pretty good. But the sandwich came out totally soggy and mushy. And the sweet potato fries were your typical, frozen-fried fries. Not fresh, not good.



I'll never order that again. I'd say, stick with the Eastern European treats. There's a reason why Veselka is still famous, and there's practically no other place to get potato pancakes or pierogies, so go basic.

La Mar - Peruvian - $$$$

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my friend's boss designed the space at la mar and was partially treating us to a meal there. i admit, it was never on my radar, and still having been, i don't know that i would return or recommend it to anyone. it's one of those annoying, we're trying so hard to be a sexy nyc restaurant, type places. strange high end decor (sorry boss) and expensive dishes with tiny portions. i think a lot of the ppl there were not new yorkers... just not my type of place.

we ordered everything the boss had told us to. the first few dishes were really delicious, but we were too full for our entrees and they weren't good enough for 2nd bites either. the truth is, i can't even remember the names of some of the dishes, so i'll just post pictures instead.







bill ended up being 2.5x what our budget was. i can certainly, officially say that it was SO NOT worth that amount and i'll never spend that much again!

Casa La Femme - Egyptian - $$$$

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To give you an idea of how fulfilled I felt by finally coming here, I have to let you know that I made reservations at this restaurant about 6 times in the last 5 years. Each time, I would get into some argument beforehand with whatever boyfriend I had at the time, and I would cancel the reservation instead of going. I didn't want anything to lessen the experience of Casa La Femme.

My father used to talk about this restaurant when I was younger, and often took family friends, out-of-towners, or clients there for dinner. It was as much about the food as the experience, so from an early age, I had to go. Judging by the pictures of the new location they opened downtown, still approximately 2 years before this reservation, I determined that whenever it is that I do ever get married, this would be the venue for my engagement party. The decor is very sexy. The next time they want to build a restaurant, I want to build it. Every last detail was given tremendous thought. The bar, the bathrooms, the dining room. Wow.

So you have to understand the magnitude of shock I felt, when I learned that a friend of mine who I went to college with, told me that her uncle actually owns the place. Jaw to the floor.




So I finallyyyy decided, screw it, it doesn't have to be a special occasion, I'm going to organize a dinner with a group of coworkers who know nothing about Egyptian culture or food (I, being half Egyptian, wanted to provide the experience)and make a night of it.

Since we were a large group of 8, we were given a tented table with a prix fixe menu. Great idea for groups because they brought out the mezzes for everyone to share- which you almost need to do when guests have no idea what Egyptian food is. Through the course of the evening, we sat in our tents enjoying both the Egyptian music playing in the background, as well as the gorgeous belly dancer who captured everyone's attention. Even the hookah was delicious. It was a great time for all.

Here's what we ate:

- Hummus, Babaghanoush, Foul
All the mezze dips were to share. Foul by the way, is like a staple of Egyptian breakfast food, along with tamaya (falafel). It's mashed up fava beans with spices and sometimes white cheese. This was a big hit at the table. And the fresh pita bread it was served with was soft and delicious. Below is a picture of the tamaya.



- Mahshi (or Stuffed Peppers)
This dish seriously brought me to another place. It was so spot-on and made me feel so incredibly nostalgic for my family back in Egypt that I took about 20 minutes to eat these tiny little things, just to prolong the experience. It is so flavorful and spicy and I only wish I could have had more.



- Moussaka
I was a little disappointed in this one. I was expecting it to come with a heafty layering of bechemel sauce, which Egyptians love oh-so-much, myself included. This was a leaner version, with cheese sprinkled on top, and unfortunately, while it was still very delicious, it did not bring me to the same place that the Mahshi did.

Most of my friends had ordered the fish couscous and were ooh-ing and ahh-ing over each bite. And one thing I should mention is that when the kitchen realized that they fell short of one of the couscous dishes, they brought out a whole grilled fish to hold the person down until their couscous arrived. That is excellent service. It was resolved before we even knew it was an issue, and it was done in excellent taste.

We easily spent about $85 pp with drinks. So worth it.

Please Don't Tell... - Bar - $$

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Ahh, Please Don't Tell. The infamous, not-so-secret bar anymore.

In order to go to PDT, you have to know that it even exists. And when you know that it exists, you have to call to make a reservation to get in. And when you want to get in, you have to enter through Crif Dogs, and find the secret door inside the phone booth. You enter the phone booth, pick up the phone, tell them your name, and viola, the secret door opens to the secret bar!

The drink menu keeps with the speakeasy theme. You know- back in the day, the bathtub gin tasted so bad, they would invent "fancy" cocktails to help mask the taste. And thus, you are presented with an impressive list of concoctions.

Even their food menu is impressive. We shared an overloaded crif dog, as well as the uber delicious tater tots. Perfect snacks.






Everyone has to come here at some point. It's worth it.