Gazala Place

34. Gazala Place
709 9th Ave between 48th and 49th



Baklava is a Middle Eastern dessert made with layers of phyllo dough, chopped nuts and honey that is often pretty messy to eat, given the flakiness of the dough and the fact that the honey tends to stick to your hands. The pistachio and walnut baklavas made at Gazala Place didn’t taste like the mass-produced baklava that I’m used to, as they weren’t intensely sweet or sticky with honey. Both are fairly tall with countless layers of phyllo dough, though they didn’t hold together well, were slightly burnt and I found myself eating the pistachios and layers of dough separately. At $5 for the pistachio and $6 for the walnut balkavas, they aren’t cheap and for a dessert pasty I’d probably pass this up for something from Amy’s Bread.

Piece of Chicken

Piece of Chicken
45th Street between 8th and 9th

Trying to find a cheap dinner in Midtown is a fairly daunting task. Becco offers all you can eat pasta feast for $25. The $10 burger and nachos deal at Joshua Tree with the restaurant.com gift certificate wound up being a steal, but is there a way to do even better? What about two pieces of fried chicken and a pile of chicken livers for $3.25?

Piece of Chicken is a small take-out only space whose menu prices look like they don’t belong anywhere near NYC. Any piece of chicken is only $1.00 (breast, thigh, drumstick or 2 wings). Sides and specialties like chicken and waffles or jerk chicken range from $1.00-$3.00. I was pretty impressed with how many fried chicken livers they offered for a buck, and while not particularly crispy, a single order is my new favorite $1 snack in NYC.

I’m not sure if it was just the particular piece of chicken breast that I got, but it paled in comparison to the juicy and tender drumstick (nothing that a little hot sauce can’t fix). Despite the fact that the breast meat was pretty dry, the fried batter that they use has a slight vinegary flavor which adds a nice kick. It’s not the best fried chicken I’ve ever had, but for a dollar per piece, it’s certainly good value and an upgrade over anything from KFC.

The catch? There’s nowhere to sit and you’re basically standing in the kitchen while waiting for the order to be ready so you have to have a place in mind for where to go and sit (might I suggest the tables and chairs that are in Times Square?). If you don’t mind the lack of atmosphere or having to eating out of a styrofoam container then Piece of Chicken offers one of the best bargains in the city.

Park Avenue Winter

33. Park Avenue Winter
100 E 63rd between Park and Lexington

Park Avenue Winter will only be around for another few weeks, as the restaurant’s name, menu and décor change seasonally in an effort to offer only seasonal food items in an environment that reflects the associated time of year. I had read about TONY’s affinity for the apple pie from Park Avenue when they awarded the Pie in a Box top prize in their New York’s best apple pie bake-off back in November of 2008.

This dessert certainly doesn’t look like a traditional apple pie, as the filling is encased by a hard outer-shell made from white chocolate that keeps everything looking pristine. Fork in hand, I pierced through its protective casing to reveal carefully constructed layers of whipped mascarpone, diced apples, and thin pie crust atop a sponge cake base. Sweet, tangy, creamy, with a little bit of crunch; I was ready to eat the entire serving myself (servings are meant to be shared). What really worked for me was the fact that the pie itself wasn’t too sweet so when combined with the white chocolate shell there was a contrast between the tart flavor of the apple, and the sugar from the chocolate.

Even without the casing it’s up there as a top restaurant dessert, though it doesn’t come without a slight bit of sticker shock at $24.00, though if you do some cost analysis within the context of a nice restaurant where desserts typically cost $12 each and recognize that the pie in a box is meant for two, then it’s really on par with any other dessert course, and considerably tastier than most. Next time the dessert options at dinner look uninteresting, the pie in a box from Park Avenue Winter is worth checking out.

Shake Shack

Shake Shack
Madison Square Park

The mere fact that the website has a live camera so you can see how long the wait is should give you enough of an indication as to how good Shake Shack really is. Mentioned on anyone’s list of top burgers in the city and covered extensively on the web, Shake Shack serves tender, juicey 4 oz. Pat LaFrieda hamburger patties (rare, medium or well done) on soft buttery hamburger buns ($3.75) which make any line worth the wait. Make sure not to miss out on an order of french fries ($2.75) which look ordinary but are deceptively crispy yet soft on the inside (certainly up for consideration for best fries from a burger joint). Top off the meal with a black & white milk shake ($5.25) and prepare for a top tier burger feast. Shake Shack also offers a shack burger which is topped with cheese and Shack sauce ($4.75), a ‘shroom burger which is a fried Portobello stuffed with cheddar cheese ($6.50), and a shack stack ($9.50) which challenges you to eat a creation with two cheeseburgers topped with a ‘shroom burger. Ice cream, beer and a selection of hot dogs round out the menu.

Since Shake Shack is outside in the middle of Madison Square Park, it’s best to make the trip on a warmer occasion, and canine companions are welcome (they even sell a dog treat for $3.75!). Whether you order the Shack Burger or a hot dog and fries, Shake Shack has always delivered one of the best, if not the best, hamburgers and fries in the city.

Joshua Tree

Joshua Tree
46th Street between 8th and 9th Aves

I know what you’re thinking. Joshua Tree is a bar. In Times Square. On restaurant row, a stretch of rip-off dining destinations meant for tourist suckers. $12 burgers, $16 pastas and $6 beers. Of all the places in the city to eat, why did I go to Joshua Tree? Simple. Restaurant.com I was looking for a quick, affordable place near my friend’s apartment on 45th and saw Joshua Tree as an opportunity for an absolute bargain. After paying $2 for a $25 gift certificate, my friend and I were ready to grab a table at the bar.

Since there is a $35 minimum order, we started off with some chicken nachos ($12). Though the chips themselves were pretty average, the sour cream was on the side instead of on top, and there weren’t any jalapeños, the cheese was layered nicely and I was willing to forgive a lot given that I was pretty impressed with the portion size and I was getting a good deal. If I came back I would probably try some other appetizer like chicken wings or fried calamari, though the nachos are sizeable enough to split with a larger group. I’d skip the chicken next time which didn’t really have any flavor and wasn’t mixed properly with the rest of the nachos.



For my entrée I ordered the Hell’s Kitchen burger which is topped with cheddar cheese, onion strings and ranch dressing. I appreciated that the ranch was on the side instead of being smothered on top and I must say that I was pretty impressed with the burger. Juicy, cooked properly and at least a half-pound of meat, though the one drawback was that it didn’t have any heat to it. Ranch dressing just begs for spicy food; nothing that a little hot sauce couldn’t solve. After rectifying the problem I was able to enjoy a pretty good burger. My dining companion ordered the buffalo chicken sandwich ($11), which was also a pretty generous size and was covered in Frank’s red hot. Two sandwiches and an order of nachos for $10 per person including tax and tip. Definitely a steal. I don’t think I’d come here and pay full price, but as long as they keep accepting the gift certificate it’s certainly worth checking out for a solid value in one of the most expensive areas in the city.

PDT

30-32. PDT
113 St. Marks Place between 1st and A



Crif Dogs is a small hot dog and burger shop that offers a unique assortment of deep-fried hot dogs topped with anything from bacon to guacamole to cream cheese. Though the food is enough of an appeal, what is offered inside of a telephone booth in the restaurant brings an entirely different clientele. Pushing open the telephone booth door there is a telephone receiver and a buzzer. After giving the buzzer a ring, the back wall of the telephone booth opens up, we are greeted by a hostess, and having made a reservation we were taken to our table. Welcome to PDT (Please Don’t Tell).

The name is a misnomer by now, as the sheer difficulty of obtaining a reservation is indication enough that people know about PDT. Reservations are taken on a same-day basis only starting at 3pm and after receiving a busy signal from 3:00-3:05 I finally got through only to be notified that I could get a table at 8:00pm (but not 8:30 or 9:00).

The four of us sat down at one of the four leather booths available. Reservations are taken for the tables, but walk-ins are welcome to sit at the bar with about 15 seats. If there are no seats, no one is allowed in, though the hostess will be happy to take down your cell phone and call you when a table opens up. The fact that everyone has a seat and there aren’t too many people means that it’s not noisy, private conversation is encouraged and one can just relax and have a couple drinks without being bumped into or yelling over music. We were presented with the cocktail and food menu which lists a number of specialty cocktails. The full order for four of us came to the Diamondback, a Dirty Martini, the LES Globetrotter, a Captain Lawrence Liquid Gold beer, a Wylie hot dog, a Chang hot dog and tater tots. First, the drinks.

The TONY list recommended the Diamondback (no longer listed as a special but the bartender had the necessary ingredients to make it) and a Dirty Martini. The Diamondback is made with whiskey, apple brandy and chartreuse. Though the alcohol certainly had a strong bite and it was certainly an enjoyable cocktail, it’s probably not something I would order again given the number of other cocktail choices available. PDT certainly makes a nice dirty vodka martini. There was still a vodka taste but it was smooth, went down easy, and the olive taste wasn’t overwhelming. The LES Globetrotter, recommended by our waitress and made with whiskey and orange peel may have been my favorite drink of the night. The drinks are strong, unique, and for $13, pretty comparable in price to cocktails at most other nice bars and lounges. There is an extensive list of specialty cocktails including one with bacon-infused vodka which I may have to come back to try. Captain Lawrence is a brewery in Westchester County, NY and the Liquid Gold pilsner is a safe bet. For $5, the beers are much less expensive than the cocktails, but the glass is only a ½ pint.

PDT is the only place on the TONY list to be blessed with three items. After the Diamondback and the martini, we moved on to the hot dogs ($5 each). The Wylie dog, designed by molecular gastronomist and chef/owner of WD-50 Wylie Dufresne, is made with a deep-fried hot dog, a stick of deep-fried mayonnaise, tomato molasses, and topped with shredded lettuce. I’m not a fan of mayonnaise and was fairly skeptical about this creation, but after the first bite I was hooked. The hot dog and tomato provide the flavor, the mayo gives it some creaminess and the lettuce adds the crunch. What’s not to like? After splitting the first one, we had to order another. The Chang dog, designed by David Chang, chef/owner of the Momofuku empire, is a deep-fried hot dog, wrapped with bacon and topped with kimchi. I’m not sure how well kimchi works on a hot dog, but the bacon-wrapped deep-fried hot dog part was evidence enough that I should return to Crif Dogs to order one with bacon more often. The tater tots for $4 were probably the biggest steal of the night and I would certainly recommend it to all groups at PDT who want something to snack on. The generous portion was crispy, hot and left us wondering if they were homemade.

Four drinks, three dogs, and one order of tots for $77 including tip doesn’t make PDT part of anyone’s cheap list, but to be able to have a table waiting, hang out with some friends (or a date) over a couple of specialty cocktails and try a new hotdog creation, it’s certainly worth calling at 3pm and trying to get a reservation.

Burger Joint

Burger Joint
119 W 56th Street in Le Parker Meridien Hotel

Hidden in a corner of the lobby of Le Parker Meridian hotel sits Burger Joint, a small bustling eatery that serves made to order burgers and fries to long lines of patient customers. I say that it is hidden only because if you didn’t know it was there, you would never find it. The entrance is down a narrow hallway in the hotel lobby, obscured by the reception desk and only marked by a neon hamburger sign and an arrow pointing to the doorway. The contrast between the upscale hotel lobby and the hardwood coffee shop tables and stools with marker on the walls couldn’t be more refreshing.

The lobby of Le Parker Meridian:


Narrow hallway with the hamburger sign:


Welcome to Burger Joint:


The limited number of tables means that the earlier you get there, the better. Arriving at around 11:50, we were left to sit at a table with stools rather than in a booth, but were far luckier than the dozen or so others who were left standing and waiting for tables. I ordered their cheeseburger ($7.50), medium-rare, with the works (lettuce, tomato, onion, sliced pickles, mustard, ketchup and mayo), and after about five minutes was able to pick my order up from the small open-window kitchen. The burger was cooked perfectly, juicy and pink in the center, but firm enough to keep its shape. I don’t think it can be emphasized enough how much of a treat it is to be able to get burgers to order from a quick service restaurant. For $7.50 the price is in-line with other burger juggernauts like Shake Shack and Corner Bistro, and the size of the burger is comparable. I would probably ignore the fries, which, for $3.50 are enough to share, but taste like McDonald’s fries without the salt.

I can certainly attest to the fact that this is a top-10 burger, if not top-5 but I have a hard time saying that this, or any other burger, is the best burger in the city. Let me explain. I am an avid baseball fan and love to play in fantasy baseball leagues. One of the draft strategies that I use is to divide players at each position into tiers. If there are three really good outfielders, I’m not too concerned about the order that I rank those three, just that I recognize that they are in a different tier than the next three outfielders. So it is with burgers. Is Burger Joint better than Shake Shack? Corner Bistro? Tough to say, and I have a hard time being comfortable saying that any of them is shoulders above the others because none of them are. But what I can say is that in the realm of burgers they are in the highest tier and I would be comfortable having any of them on my team.

A Cheeseburger Close-Up:


With fries on the side: