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