Today, The Guardian goes through NY Mag’s “Best of” issue’s food sections and re-selects a top ten. Below, I’ve reselected their reselections.
Waverly Restaurant.
1. Best fried chicken
They say: Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar and Grill (308 W 58th St, + 212-397-0404).
We say: Egg (135 N 5th St, Brooklyn, + 718-302-5151). As Peter Meehan, the New York Times restaurant critic rightly noted, “A good fried chicken is hard to find. Especially in New York City. But the fried chicken at Egg in Williamsburg, Brooklyn: it’s good.” Not only good. It’s great. Meehan is right because the fried chicken is made at Egg by Stephen Tanner, a man from Georgia whose mind is fried in the best way possible. Tanner was the genius behind the now-closed Pies n’ Thighs, a fried chicken cult favourite.
Me say: Kennedy Fried Chicken. Blue Ribbon rules. But if go there and eat fried chicken you’re wasting your money. Who besides Blue Ribbon offers bone marrow and escargot at 3am? (Try the raw bar at Blue Ribbon Soho’s non-sushi location. Eat the crawfish.) Egg is in Williamsburg. Eating fried chicken in Wiliamsburg is the munching equivilant of a mustache—aka way too ironic. Go to any Kennedy’s location with a bullet-proofed kitchen.
2. Best Wine Bar
They say: Gottino (52 Greenwich Ave, + 212-633-2590).
We say: Peasant Wine Bar (194 Elizabeth St, + 212-965-9511). Gottino is new and nice and has a marble bar. It oozes spanking new rusticity. Peasant Wine Bar, a converted cellar in NoLiTa, makes Gottino seem like a Disney ride. Peasant is cozy in an unforced way, has a solid menu (courtesy of Peasant, the upstairs restaurant), and a small but expertly chosen wine list.
Me say: Wine bars are for yuppies trying to act sophisticated and impress girls with their credit cards. Still, the Guardian is on to something in recommending Peasant. Almost. Peasant’s owners recenterly opened Bacaro on Division St at Canal St in Chinatown. Roughly translated, Bacaro is Italian for wine bar. Roughly located on the fringes of downtown gentrification, Bacaro’s basement is a grunge-y maze. It’s staffed by a crew who used to work at uber gay bars the Hole and the Cock. Where better to drink wine than amongst this art fart, drug dealer/doer crowd?
3. Best pizza
They say: Actually, NY mag has cleverly skirted the issue here by picking one for each borough. In Manhattan, they tap Una Pizza Napoletana (349 12th Street, + 212-477-9950).
We say: Agreed, Una Pizza Napoletana is good. But, if you must sample only one, check out Park Slope’s Franny’s (295 Flatbush Avenue, Park Slope, Brooklyn, + 718-230-0221). Whereas UPN offers the most ascetic of menus, at Franny’s, you can choose from a large and shifting selection of toppings. Also, without qualification, the crust on Franny’s Neopolitan pies is something approaching the ideal form of pizza crust.
Me say: John’s Pizza by the W 4th stop in the West Village is the slicer’s delight. But Pizza Gruppo on Ave B and 11th offers NY’s most unique pie—uber thin crust with strange, perfect cheese. Plus, Gruppo’s staff includes not only a competition eater (Eater X—world champion jalepino eater) but also the most relaxed mann on earth, Evan Mann, who handles day shifts, when you can score two slices and drink for $4.
The best pizza, however, is cooked by Gianni at Lil Frankie’s. When Fat Man Batali was opening his low-rent Babbo, Otto, he came in to Lil Frankie’s with notepads and a three-man team and literally stole Gianni’s recipe.
4. Best steak (not in a steak house)
They say: Park Avenue Winter (100 East 63rd Street at Park Avenue, + 212-644-1900), which must be a joke. Not that the steak there is “bad”, but…
We say: To call PAW the best when Momofuku Ssam Bar (207 2nd Ave, + 212-254-3500) is serving it’s rib eye only 40 blocks south defies logic and righteousness. The steak is hung for 28 days and feeds four hungry diners. OK, it costs $200 and must be ordered a day in advance, but it’s a compact mountain of flavourful meat, a communal experience, a primal bonding ceremony, a bloody success.
Me say: This category cancels itself out. Really, who wants to know best place to get a steak that’s not steakhouse? Like positing: Best Place to Pick Up a Turkey Haired Stripe Wearing Indie Chick On The Upper West Side…
5. Best dive bar
They say: Mars Bar (25 E 1st St, +212-473-9842).
We say: Sophie’s (507 E 5th St, + 212-228-5680). I mean a dive bar is a dive bar is a dive bar. The appeal is the same: cheap booze, no pretension, hopefully a toilet seat with a lid. Sophie’s has all three plus, it has picaresque East Village characters who seem to have walked out of the pages of Henry Roth’s Call It Sleep; a truly wonderful jukebox (everything
(everything from The Pogues to Gang of Four); and a wickedly competitive pool table.
Me say: It’s tough to beat Mars Bar—good call NY Mag. There’s been multiple abortions in Mars’ bathroom, and you can still score heroin and coke there during Junky Happy Hour, Sunday to Sunday from 1am-4:15am. Sophie’s is decent, but selling its jukebox as “everything from the Pogues,” Irish/London folk-punk, “to Gang of Four,” London post-punk, in a London newspaper is lame. Those are the two most jukeboxed bands in New York. Since both these dives are in the East Village, I’ll offer a few additional choices without literary references.
Best Dive Bar to Get Your Ass Kicked In: Manitoba’s. A hardcore punk bar on B and 7th, Doc Marten Skins (DMS) still hang there and will gladly steal your women and drugs after pummeling you. Just yell “Ezec’s a pussy!!!!” or “Freddy Madball can suck my ass!!!” or “Agnostic Front sucks!!!”
Best Soundtracked Dive: Music Box, on 13th and B. It’s got a high/low rock n roll vibe, and the bartenders iPod a great selection.
Best Overage/Underage Dive: Blarney Cove, on 14th btwn B and C. With an 8am first call and 4am last call, and combined with no ID checker, this is the only bar where the under-21 set and Medicaid crowd compete for a gray haired bartender’s attention.
6. Best karaoke:
They say: Izakaya Izu (9 E 13th St, + 646-486-7313).
We say: By far the best karaoke in the city is Winnie’s (04 Bayard St, + 212-732-2384), an old Chinese hangout behind the courthouse in Chinatown. The only problem? It’s where all the NY magazine editors hang out. Understandably, they didn’t want to blow up their spot. But the world deserves to know about Winnie’s $1 songs, $4 Tsingtao and the dreadlocked black guy wearing all-white and singing in perfect Cantonese.
Me say: White people may only study the ancient art of karaoke in Asia, preferably on a remote Filipino island with trannies, hookers, and Chinese/Malay business men. PS: If I ever hear a Billburg Madonna duet ever agin my head shall explodeth…
7. Best hamburger
They say: Resto (111 E 29th St, + 212-685-5585).
We say: Royale (57 Avenue C, New York (+ 212-254-6600). Old school cheeseburgers served with a perfect mass of fries, which are exemplary.
Me Say: Nice call Guardian. Royale is “examplary,” especially med-rare with the drippy, tempura-style onion rings. But…the jukebox’s Foo Fightery/Springstenian vibe is too loud. So eat out back if you can; rare is the the downtown bar with a solid garden scene.
Still, there is a better burger at Joe’s Restaurant on 6th Ave and 12th. The perfect diner, Joe’s grilled bloody meat outdoes both Corner Bistro (commonly cited as NY’s burge par excellance) and Royale in flavor and tenderness. Order the deluxe, as the fries are serendipitous (I have no idea what that word means).
8. Best 24-hour coffee shop
They say: Veselka (144 Second Ave, + 212-228-9682).
We say: Tick Tock Diner (481 8th Ave, + 212-268-8444). Veselka is in the East Village and serves mediocre diner food. Tick Tock Diner is behind Pennsylvania Station and also serves mediocre diner food. But 24-hour coffee shops were never about the kitchen. It’s about who’s tucked into that booth at 4.30am, drinking a vanilla milkshake and eating a steak and nothing beats the sad parade of commuters and stranded souls at Tick Tock, eating away an eternal wait, one fry at a time.
Me say: As a semi-pro Cheese Fry Sampler, 24-hour diners are a category I know well. Both the Guardian and New York both miss their targets here.
It’s 5am. You’re craving cheese covered chicken fingers; meatloaf; clam strips; a bacon, egg and cheese on a crossiant; key lime pie; another beer; a milkshake; and fresh-squeezed carbonated lemonade. There’s only one place to go: The Waverly Restaurant, on 6th Ave at Waverly Place. (Fuck the Waverly Inn!) For service, decor, and food, no diner in New York touches this Greenwhich Village landmark. The Waverly Diner takes the only-in-NY vibe Katz’s strives for, de-touristifies it, and hires professional waiters. And the menu has a staggering 4389 selections.
9. Best deli
They say: 2nd Avenue Deli (162 E 33rd St, nr Third Ave, + 212-677-0606).
We say: Katz’s (205 E Houston St, + 212-254-2246 ) 2nd Avenue deli recently moved to 3rd avenue. (Don’t ask.) Katz’s is hands down the best deli in New York. It’s still there on the corner of Ludlow and Houston. Their pastrami sandwich, as compared to its 2nd Avenue competition, shows the latter to be ungenerous, unfulfilling and well, 2nd rate.
Me Says: Really this is the Best Jewish Deli category. With $15 dollar sandwiches, both Katz’s and 2nd Ave could be the Best Rip Offs in New York. But if you’re craving an authentic shalom-worthy meal—latkes and all—try either. 2nd Ave wins on quality (the brisket is exceptional). Katz’s on ambience and American Apparel store closeness.
10. Best barbeque
(This one is not in the magazine’s Classics section - but we’ve included it because everyone enjoys a good bbq)
They say: Hill Country 30 W 26th St, nr Broadway (+212-255-4544).
We say: It’s still Daisy May’s BBQ (604 W 46th St, + 212 977-1500 ). Once again, Hill Country is good. Fingerlickin’ good. But Daisy May’s, Adam Perry Lang’s temple to all things ‘que on the far west side, is slightly better. It wins, essentially, on points. Perry Lang’s pork ribs shed their bone with a bit more ease and his mashed potatoes come with perhaps the best red-eye gravy this side of the Mason-Dixon line.
Me say: Big Bone Lick BBQ, Greenwhich St and 7th Ave. Named after Big Bone Lick State Park in Beaverlick, KY, (and yes, I’ve been there—don’t ask) BBL has top-notch BBQ cooked in one of Manhattan’s best smoke stoves. If that’s what you call the giant smoke machine in the kitchen. Bone Lick is owned by the Chelsea gay dudes behind Viceroy on 18th St and 8th Ave (right next to the gayest store in NY—Chelsea Coop— Viceroy is the second place all-time gay brunch champions, after that place on 8th Ave corner of 15th St). Try Bone Lick’s Carolina pulled pork, extra BBQ sauce, cheese added. I know pulled pork traditionalists will say its dish best served sans queso, but this is NY not SC.
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