I’m going to come right out and say this. I have long since thought that New York food is overrated. First though, let’s take a step back and start from the beginning. I made Kaiser Rolls, the 16th bread in the Bread Baker’s Apprentice Challenge, recently.
They were a nice change from my usual whole grain sandwich bread, but what I enjoyed most about eating them was realizing that the big, crusty, sesame-seed encrusted rolls seemed so New York.
I might have bittersweet feelings towards my city, but I suppose that New York food is not all overrated.
The Big Apple, is, after all, home to some of the best restaurants in the world.
The problem is, most of those great restaurants are tucked away in Soho, hiding in the West Village, so that visitors often miss them in lieu of places like bustling pizza and pasta joints like Carmine’s or the famous that is the Second Avenue Deli.
It’s not that any of these places are bad, but when I’m in a new city, I like to wander off the beaten path and look for hidden gems that I haven’t read about in the guidebooks.
Places that the locals know and love.
Though I do love pizza in New York, I like the artisanal gourmet Mario Batali type pizza, not the pizzas of street cart fame. I love a good bagel, but I’m not that much into deli food or piling rye bread high with pastrami at Carnegie Deli.
Instead, I like to make these types things at home.
Like these Kaiser rolls.
Since we aren’t sharing all of the BBA Challenge recipes on our blogs, I’ll instead show you a few sandwiches that I would love to pile onto a homemade Kaiser roll.
Chicken Club on a Pretzel Bun from Bewitchin’ Kitchen
Turkey Apple and Brie Sandwich from The Garlic Diaries
Chicken Cordon Bleu Sandwich from Grilled Cheese Social
Hummus Avocado Turkey Club from My Sequined Life
11 Comments
Julia @ Mélanger
November 1, 2009 at 10:03 pmGreat list of places. Will have to keep this for future reference.
Katz Deli is my favourite everyday food place in NYC.
http://www.katzdeli.com/
Nutmeg Nanny
October 30, 2009 at 6:48 pmMmmm great list and yummy looking rolls. I have always been a big fan of P.J. Clarke’s. There is just something about a restaurant where I can get a raw bar sampler, burger, fries and pitcher of beer that I cannot help but love 🙂
Paula
October 30, 2009 at 8:33 amHaving never been to New York I can’t comment, but that bread looks amazing.
elra
October 29, 2009 at 4:28 pmVery pretty looking roll.
beyond
October 29, 2009 at 1:44 pmi think you have a nice list there
here is a small selection of where i take ‘my’ tourists to:
mogador (brunch)
corner bistro (burger dive)
prune (exceptional everything)
city bakery (pretzel croissant!)
angelica (delectable health food)
balthazar (if you can get a table)
balthazar bakery (if you cannot)
zarela (best upscale mexican, best frozen margarita)
and my favorite: the williamsburg diner walk back to manhattan over the williamsburg bridge after dinner.
Joanna
October 29, 2009 at 1:06 pmHm, not sure I can agree with the statement that New York food is overrated – the touristy places definitely tend to be more about atmosphere than about food, but the diversity and quality that you can find here is kind of insane. Here are my off-the-beaten-path favorites:
– Sripraphai in Queens for Thai food, they have a huge menu and everything I’ve tried is spectacular (and cheap)
– Pizzeria Zero Otto Nove on Arthur Avenue in the Bronx, one of the best reasonably-priced Italian places in the city
– Kossar’s Bialys on the Lower East Side for good old-fashioned bialys
– Joe the Art of Coffee in the West Village for amazing coffee
– Ippudo Ramen in the East Village, kind of trendy and crowded but worth the wait
And your rolls look delicious!
heather
October 29, 2009 at 11:10 ami need to get to NY soon! there are so many tasty places there! i’ll definitely check out the ones you mentioned – and the kaiser rolls look yummy!
mandy
October 29, 2009 at 10:48 amI will definitely make note of these and tuck that list away for a visit to the city. I love Pittsburgh and one reason if for their food places that are completely unique to them.
Antonietta
October 29, 2009 at 9:45 amHi Maris,
I lived in NYC for five years ( and I miss it so much!) I have a list of favorite places!
1) For bread and focaccia- Sullivan Street Bakery- in SoHo
2) For a Cappuccino- Cafe Reggio ( in Greenwhich Village- on McDugal I believe)
3) For Dessert: Cafe Lalo- on 81st and Amsterdam
4) for a huge splurge: Bar Masa in the Time Warner Center- the sushi is to die for!
Daryl Callahan
October 29, 2009 at 7:05 amThis is a really great post and should be printed out for reference for all those either living in or planning to visit NYC
Erin
October 29, 2009 at 5:57 amWe totally share the same philosophy! And I’m happy to say I’ve been to two of the places on your list, and one of them was with you! 😀 I’m always there to recommend places to people who are visiting Nashville, because there are so many GREAT restaurants the tourists know NOTHING about. For instance, in the small “hipster” area, there is a touristy breakfast place, Pancake Pantry. If you drive by on a Saturday or Sunday THERE WILL BE A LINE. Without fail, rain or shine, freezing or hot. And the pancakes aren’t even “all that”. I always want to shout out “GO TO FIDO OR PROVENCE” which are a couple storefronts down, and across the street, respectively.
Shoot me an an email and we can talk Chicago eats! 😉