August 2016 - Eat it Charlotte

New York, NY New York City... no other place in the country has more to offer in terms of food, art, and energy. A city that is so much fun that no one can truly afford to live there and keep their sanity. To me, Charlotte and New York are a complete mirror image of each other. Where Charlotte has mainly friendly people, affordable living, and pleasant winters; New York has high prices, terrible winters, and (at times) overly rude people who insist upon themselves. And yet, visiting New York is a stark reminder of how much Charlotte is lacking in quality dining culture. If you have never been to the city, you must understand that the food is an adventure by itself. The variety and quality that is offered can be overwhelming at times, with so many choices one doesn't even know where to start. That said, let me warn you, for the ill-prepared you can get ripped-off while wasting precious stomach real estate. Worse than that, you could end up in an Olive Garden or Ruby Tuesdays, which to me should be a mandatory prison sentence (see also the 'shame' scene from Game of Thrones). While, there is no way for me to critique every restaurant in New York that I hit, because I ate more than a small village consumes in a month (the 'shame' scene again..). I will discuss my highlights and give recommendations as to what you should try if you ever find yourself with some spare time in the big city.. The Good: The sheer variety of food in New York is mind boggling. I grew up on Long Island, so I was able to visit Manhattan on a semi- regular basis, and it continuously exceeds expectations for all my favorite items. My primary mission (initially) was a pizza hunt, I was determined to find some of the best slices in the city. There is a myth that all New York pizza is great, in reality when coming to New York you should do your research to avoid places which do not have high standards (crust, cheese, sauce ratio). I actually know a guy who had lunch at a Sbarros in Manhattan (no we are not friends..anymore). On a side note, if you walked into a Sbarros anywhere (you are obviously caught in a personal struggle), but especially in the city with the greatest pizza in the world, you need to reevaluate your life. I digress, after two acceptable, but somewhat underwhelming slices, I found my way to Pizza Suprema outside of Madison Square Garden. I can't say that this is the best slice in the city, because I haven't tried them all, but it really could be...The crust is the foundation of a pizza and theirs was perfect. The sauce to crust, to cheese ratio was everything I was looking for in a slice. The most logical thing to do after eating two slices (and shopping for a new shirt because yours in covered in sauce) is to eat lunch. We made reservations for lunch at Babbo Ristorante Enoteca, a Mario Batali restaurant. I have to say this was among one of the best meals I have ever eaten..ever. I started with the shrimp appetizer, which was exceptional, my only complaint was that there wasn't enough of it... For my entrée I had the Black Spaghetti with fennel, which was so good I would fight you for it in an alley of your choice. Pictured below, the flavors were mind boggling, buttery, smooth, just a perfect pasta dish. I was able to try my wife's scallops; they were also amazing, incredible texture, expertly executed sear.. I can go on and on about the food and atmosphere, but I am sure you have others things to do in your day. Moving on, it started to sink in that I really only had one and a half solid days in Manhattan, so I needed make the most out of it... Walking the street, we went countless bars, to get as much in as possible. The best was Death Ave, just a great scene with a beautiful décor and an amazing grilled seafood dish chock full of calamari, shrimp and octopus. The ease of getting a good meal in New York is one of the main things that separates a city like Charlotte from world class food cities. We were able to hit two food markets, Gotham West Market and Chelsea Market, both of these were fantastic, with plenty of options and solid happy hour specials; although, I found Chelsea to be almost overwhelmingly crowded (due to the better food options). If you do find your way into Chelsea Market, stop by Los Tacos No.1, which maybe the best street food style taco outside of Mexico (or someone's grandma's house). The above is in no way all encompassing to the great food I encountered, but I should move on, as it wasn't all roses and ponies. The Bad: People always ask why I live in Charlotte, rather than NYC if I find the food scene to be so subpar. One need only to look at my T-REX arms to understand the answer to that question. New York is expensive, at times cripplingly so...I can understand why so many people are always in a bad mood there, I would be too if I needed three jobs just to pay the rent, park and occasionally eat. While it is true you can find great food at a low price, drinks run about 50% higher than here (although,we are catching up).. Charlotte is "Tidy Town" to me, while this city is so clean it seemingly lacks any character, New York goes too far the other way. In some places it is just plain dirty, with smells that could be used in combat. In addition, the noise pollution is out of control, it feels like there is constantly construction. Combine this with the obnoxious horn blowing it can damper a meal on the street. Finally, let me address the many tourists that come to the city and only experience Times Square when that area has some of the worst food in New York. Times Square is like a mall, covered in expensive chains geared towards the unknowing. If it is your first time in New York, grab a taxi go West Village, the East Village, or even walk to Gotham West Market, try not to find yourself in a TGI Fridays or Bubba Shrimp, Co. The Ugly: Warning...I am about to disparage a New York legendary eating spot.. Wandering through New York at midnight it occurred to me that I have yet to eat a Hot Dog, so in the distance of a wayward taxi ride I noticed the Papaya King. Being from New York, I surprisingly never tried one of these infamous 'dogs' but they are supposed to be some of the best in the city. Anthony Bourdain actually mentions this place on one of his layover trips, so I figured they must be top-notch. I can honestly say that they were some of the most offensive hot dogs I have ever eaten. The bun was stone cold, the meat tasted like I got it from the quick-e mart (wait, that is offensive to the quick-e mart) and the price was higher than normal. We even ordered a corn dog and that went half-eaten (which, if you know my wife... that was a bad corn dog indeed) I would gladly take a dirty water dog (street hotdog) over the overrated Papaya King anyday of the week. Vic the Chili man makes a dog that is far superior to any thing Papaya King has to offer, it shows the stark difference between a chain and a local that who takes pride is his work. A second non-problem, problem to NY is there may never be enough time to eat everything you want. Katz Deli, Faicco's, Essa Bagel, John's Pizza and the countless dumpling shops with questionable hygiene were all missed.... maybe next time. The Verdict 8.5 out of 10: What else is there to say, NYC is the best food city I have gone to in the United States. I will continue to claim this until I visit a place that dethrones it. Some say New Orleans owns the number one spot, I will find out shortly when I visit and of course share my gluttonous adventure...