If You’re Going To Rockaway Beach

The Playland Motel feels like Williamsburg transported itself to Queens, but the hipster vibe lives on! They’re cool, laid back, and the breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus are fabulous for Instagram photos! Portions here are huge, making it the perfect spot to go after hitting the waves all day. The menu features beach favorites such as lobster rolls, beer steamed mussels, and vegetarian gumbo. Not to mention, with a cocktail named the Painkiller, you know you’re in good hands!

Are You Visiting Brighton Beach?

If so, you’ll have to stop by Randazzo’s Clam Bar. Opened in 1932, this fourth generation family restaurant serves up some classic beach favorites.  Whether you order their fried calamari or famous red or white chowder, the food draws people in and keeps them coming back. The vibe is super casual, making it the perfect spot to wind down a sandy and salty day on Brighton Beach.

Headed to Fire Island?

Surf’s Out is noted as Fire Island’s best restaurant for lunch and dinner. With live music, Taco Tuesdays, and Shipwrecked Sundays (i.e. a bottomless brunch with a live DJ blasting all your favorite summertime songs for $40!), it’s easy to see why it’s such a hit. Menu standouts are grilled brie cheese (yes please!), classic mahi mahi, and their “trimmed beach grass”, known as “salad” for New Yorkers. If you’re looking to hold an event with a beachy feel, Surf’s Out offers catering options, too!

Drift Into Orchard Beach

Original Crab Shanty is located in City Island, Bronx, and is a local favorite to stop by after a long day on the hot sand. Serving the best Italian seafood in the Bronx since 1977 (just look at their website!), this laid back beachy spot has every kind of seafood and pasta you could imagine!

Stay Local in Coney Island

Nathan’s Famous may be a bit of a cliche, but just like how you can’t go to Times Square without going to Junior’s for a slice of the best cheesecake ever (at least I can’t!), you kinda can’t go to Coney without going to Nathan’s. The fare here is super basic, franks and french fries and all the fixings, but it’s really the perfect spot to grab some food and stroll down the boardwalk before hitting up The Cyclone.

Where’s your favorite beachside restaurant in NYC?  Connect with us on Twitter and Facebook and let us know!

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The South Street Seaport neighborhood has slowly but steadily been transforming itself these past five years or so–much of it post-Sandy–from a tourists-only theme park/mall with terrible food and obnoxious bars into an area that the ever-increasing residential community can actually use, and appreciate. Smorgasburg continues to serve first-rate snacks in those pods along Fulton Street's pedestrian plaza, nearby Stone Street is busier and more varied than ever before, and Watermark Bar and Industry Kitchen offer ok food in pretty settings on the East River Esplanade, a park that itself a huge win for the neighborhood. And now add another solid, fun eating option to the South Street Seaport mix, the funky "Tacos vs. Burritos" joint El Luchador.

El Luchador: Tacos vs Burritos

If you've passed by El Luchador, you've noticed it. A silver vintage airstream trailer with a billboard-ish neon sign faces South Street; a small open courtyard, strung with festive white lights, faces John Street; the kitchen and counter-service interior sits inside at modest brick structure painted with Mexican wrestling imagery, mostly the masks that sets the sport apart from its counterparts in other countries and turns its participants into something more like superheroes. The outdoor tables are an exceptionally pleasant place at which to eat, and the inside of the airstream is cool-looking, if a bit stuffy. There are also a few stools and narrow counters near where you order ideal for quick wolfing of your tacos, burritos, and/or quesadillas. The whole feels like it was magically transported from some industrial side street in Bushwick to this, formerly one of the tackiest tourist meccas in town.

Sweet, Spicy Selctions At The South Street Seaport

As for the food,  I tried two tacos, a Pollo Asado and Carne Asada, and both really hit the spot, the heavily-seasoned meat fresh, juicy, and piled high, the salsas and, in the case of the beef version, the cotija cheese, making for worthy toppings. I hear that the fish taco, made from "beer-battered cod", is good as well. The El Luchador burrito was less convincing, weirdly doughy from the flour tortilla which seems to be folded up on itself in a way that makes some parts of the thing feel like you're eating soggy bread. The meat in the burrito I tried was shredded pork, Carnitas on the menu, and when you could taste it, it tasted good, but too many bites were mostly bland rice and crema. The Cajeta Flan, on the other hand, was excellent, creamy and sweet and with just the right amount of burnt caramel bite.

For Menu and More Information on El Luchador

El Luchador is located at 87 South Street on the corner of John Street, and is open daily from 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. 

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You know it will happen again, and maybe soon: you splurge on Broadway tickets for you and the kids, or you and your sweetheart; or someone gives you a pair as a gift; or you're in charge of out of town visitors who just HAVE to see [insert latest show with movie stars]. Which is all great, I have nothing against Broadway spectacles, they're just a bit out of my price range for a frequent entertainment option. Anyway, sometimes the most difficult part of seeing a Broadway show–not including wading through Times Square–is figuring out where to grab a quick dinner before the curtain. You want someplace close, but it can't be terrible (everything on Restaurant Row), or crazy pricey (Esca), or a full-on tourist mob scene (Shake Shack). Enter the latest upscale food court, City Kitchen, which, though tiny when compared to, say, Hudson Eats or Gotham West, has several first-rate vendors and is conveniently located on Eighth Avenue and on 44th Street. And if you work in the area, your lunch options just got a whole better.

Welcome To City Kitchen in Times Square

I popped into City Kitchen pretty late (for me) last Friday night after a day of art fairs, and was relieved that, although plenty busy–it's attached to a hotel, Row NYC, with its steady stream of guests/eaters–there weren't really lines at any of the vendors. Basically: it didn't feel desolate, a definite danger considering it's above street level, but I could get a seat, and my food, right away. Apparently City Kitchen is somehow connected to the folks at Urban Space, who do, among other things, the big holiday markets and Mad Sq. Eats, so the line up here is both familiar and welcome. Among the first-rate food options: Luke's Lobster, with their always-a-pleasure lobster rolls; Dough's donut crowd-pleasers; interesting Middle Eastern fare from ilili Box (next time I'm trying their Duck Shawarma); flavored shaved snow–with crazy toppings like Pocky Sticks and Fruity Pebbles–from Wooly's; and, maybe most exciting, the Kuro Obi ramen stand, which is an offshoot of the great Ippudo.  

What To Eat at City Kitchen

All of the above is pretty much can't-miss for satisfying all sorts of tastes and moods–this is why these food courts are good for a crowd, especially if a member or two of the crew are picky eaters–but on this night I headed straight for the Whitman's booth, whose down-home burger spot in the East Village has long been a favorite. And although I did NOT get the PB&B Burger (with peanut butter and bacon) because of a missed communication, my straight-up Upstate Burger was excellent, cooked medium rare as requested, the plentiful toppings fresh and lively. I also tried the Al Pastor taco–that's the roasted pork with pineapple one that Alex Stupak (among many others) do so well–from Gabriela's but, as feared (and even though the crew assured me it would not be the case) the pre-shredded meat was terribly dry from sitting under the heat lamp for however many hours. Oh well. Good thing there are plenty of other options at City Kitchen from which to choose!

For More Information on City Kitchen

City Kitchen is located at 700 Eighth Avenue, just north of 44th Street, and is open from 6:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. every day. For more info and complete menus from each of the vendors, see here.

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Do you like eating lobsters? I sure do. Especially one of those whole steamed beauties, where you pull out the sweet meat, dip it in butter… man, what a treat. How about eating burgers, do you like to do that? Me too! Big juicy burgers with bacon and cheese and pickles, maybe some kind of special sauce… YES! Great idea for dinner. Ok, so if you're like me, here's where you have to go before it gets too crazy crowded: the brand-new Burger & Lobster, a short walk from any of our Midtown West Apartments. The huge, designed-for-a-party restaurant that only has two items on its menu–you can probably guess what they are–for the set price of $20 each. Fun, right? And the best news is this: on the night I went last week, both dishes were great, prepared with skill and attention, wholly satisfying.

There's Burgers. There's Lobsters. Then There's Burger & Lobster

Burger & Lobster is an amazingly simple concept ("surf and turf" reduced to its essence, plus fries) that has proven to be a massive hit in London, where all six locations apparently and routinely have lines out the door. The Flatiron Burger & Lobster–which, by the way, is equally close if not closer to Union Square–is the first outpost in America, and they are really going for broke with their choice of space. Seriously, this place is just ridiculously large, with tables for 340 gorging guests, two levels, a long bar area upstairs and a smaller one below, lobster tanks and traps everywhere you look, soaring ceiling, expansive open kitchen in the back. If they can pack them in here (it was thankfully empty when I went early on a Tuesday), it will be LOUD, especially when the after-work crowd gets a few drinks into the evening. It also seems tailor-made for office birthday parties and celebrations and such, with its crowd-pleasing menu and boozy ambiance. Plan accordingly. But if you're in the mood for a lively night out (it is open for lunch, too, but you will then likely need a nap), Burger & Lobster is well worth a visit.

The Working Man's Surf & Turf: Big Burger & Lobster Rolls

My steamed lobster–you can also get it grilled–was excellent, nice and fat and juicy, big chunks of knuckle meat and hefty claws, fresh and sweet. You have to work a bit (they split the tail, but you need to crack the claws), but whatever, that's part of experience as far as I'm concerned. A real bargain for $20. Less of a bargain: the smallish-looking lobster roll, which they also serve and seems beside the point. My burger was also really good, a ten-ounce monster, Pat LaFrieda-blend patty, cooked perfectly to my requested medium-rare, crisp bacon and gooey cheese no extra charge, pickles adding some bite, and wasabi mayo as the stealth-winner ingredient. The seeded roll couldn't quite keep up with all of juiciness–this may have actually been the messier of my two meals–and it's not quite as much of a deal as the lobster, but still, this is a big, tasty meal. Both items come with plenty of decent, salty fries and a small balsamic-dressed salad. If you think you'd like Burger & Lobster, you probably will actually like it here.

For More Information on Burger & Lobster

Burger & Lobster is located on West 19th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues, and is open Sunday through Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., and on Friday and Saturday until 12:00 midnight. For more info on B&L, check out their website and follow them on Facebook and Twitter. 

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Midtown East does some things very well, the indispensable Grand Central and Bryant Park among them, but the neighborhood around these two landmarks definitely isn't known as a great place to grab a bite to eat. Lots of unappealing sandwich-and-salad chains, mediocre burger bars, the odd fro-yo joint. If you work in the immediate vicinity, you know how uninspiring lunchtime can be, which is why last month's UrbanSpace Garment District food market was such a hit. Suddenly, though, all of that blahness seems to have changed, with a pair of crucial new additions: Alidoro, one of the city's best sandwich shops, and Blue Bottle, ditto, but for coffee, both joining another vital baked-goods newcomer, the incomparable Maison Kayser And all just in time for ice skating season!

Alidoro: The Spiritual Sandwich Experience Comes to Midtown

First, the new Midtown version of Soho's legendary sandwich shop, Alidoro, which, when it opened this week on 39th Street near 5th Avenue, was immediately greeted by hour-long lines at peak lunch. Fortunately for me, by the time I arrived in the late afternoon everyone had cleared out, and so I got to devour the restaurant's namesake sandwich in relative peace. And let me tell, this is a thing of beauty: it's huge-*, for one thing, easily split-able at lunch; all of the ingredients–thinly-sliced prosciutto, hot and sweet peppers, abundant arugula, crunchy fennel, rich mushroom paste, fiery "hot spread"–were bright and fresh and piled high; the bread (I opted for a semolina loaf) held its own; and the notoriously grumpy Alidoro staff actually lets you do add-ons at the Midtown branch, so I eagerly requested some of their fresh mozzarella, which was amazing. A great, great sandwich.

If you're playing hooky to go skating in Bryant Park this season (or sending your out-of-town visitors to do the same), this is your pre- or post-ice-time fuel. And next spring and summer, for picnics in the park? Oh man, this is perfect. Alidoro does egg sandwiches in the morning, too. And though right now Alidiro is strictly a weekday, 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. operation, they told me that dinner and weekend sandwiches are possibly coming soon, if and when they can secure their beer and wine license. For more info and daily updates make sure to follow Alidoro on twitter, too! 

Sweet Treats from Blue Bottle Coffee and Maison Kayser

Speaking of perfect (and also new this week), the great West Coast import Blue Bottle Coffee just opened its seventh NYC outpost right across from Bryant Park on the other side of 40th Street, offering all sorts of excellent ways to bring you caffeine and warmth. And, not incidentally, quality pastries as well. I usually get the Blue Bottle pour-over, which is always strong, complex, and invigorating, but the fancier drinks–espressos, lattes, and a high-powered cold-brew–are also on tap. But if it's truly top-of-the-line baked goodies you're looking for, step a few doors down to Maison Kayser which, among other things, makes some of my absolute favorite cookies in town. We've raved plenty about Eric Kayser's baking prowess before, and this Midtown edition is no exception. For more information about Blue Bottle, see here. For Maison Kayser hours and offerings, go here.

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* For scale, this is my sandwich, and my iPhone 5. 

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Chef Alex Stupak has been making me very good food for a bunch of years now. I had the great pleasure of dining at the seminal wd-50 when Stupak was the pastry chef there. When he went rogue and starting opening up Mexican restaurants (which seemed strange at the time; less so now), Stupak served me some excellent mariscos and even better tacos at Empellon Tacqueria in the West Village; then mounds of the best guacamole available anywhere in the city, as well as plenty of awesome tacos, at Empellon Concina in the East Village; and now, at his brand new and predictably packed Empellon Al Pastor on St. Marks, Stupak is turning out some amazing, you guessed it, TACOS, including a truly remarkable version of the joint’s namesake creation. I’ve eaten their twice during Al Pastor’s opening week, and am heading back for more as soon as possible.

Alex Stupak’s East Village Mexican Masterpice

Stupak’s Al Pastor has all the ingredients you’d expect: spit-roasted pork and pineapple, a bit of raw onion, a few sprigs of cilantro, all piled upon one–and only one–of the chef’s new corn tortillas (he makes flour tortillas at his other spots). So why is it so great? For one thing, the pork is perfect: sweet, juicy, chewy, fatty, charred, deep, rich, bit of smoke. And it’s complemented beautifully by the acid funk of the roasted fruit, and even more beautifully by Stupak’s signature salsas, squiggled on top. This is a masterpiece.

Emplellon Al Pastor: More Than Just Tacos

And everything else here is nearly as good! My second favorite taco was the earthy Mushroom with pasilla chiles which, like the Al Pastor, offered both breadth and depth of flavors. This is exciting food. More tacos: the Chicken Chipotle and the Steak with Caramelized Onions were less thrilling, the meat a little dry on both, but given Stupak’s supreme skills, and the love he puts into his ventures, I’m going to chalk that up to getting slammed opening week, and try these two again soon. Plus another Al Pastor taco. Or two. #obsessed

More Beer, Guac and Tequilla Please..

There are also several sides to be had; the two I’ve tried were good–the guacamole and the greens with chorizo–but the tacos are the real stars here. The vibe at Al Pastor, as befits its location in Alphabet City, is total dive bar. You order at a counter, grab a seat wherever you can find one, and place your numbered flag on your table so the server knows where to plop down your paper plates of food. There are graffiti-ish tags and murals all over the walls and ceiling, the “jukebox” plays rock and roll, the booze tends toward margaritas (there are a number of standards and a few curveballs on the menu), cerveza (bottles, cans, and draft), and micheladas, which are beers “enhanced” with things like yuzu, or habanero, or beef broth, or um, gin. In other words, this place is pretty much guaranteed to be a smash success.

Menu and More Information on Empellon Al Pastor

Al Pastor is located on the corner of St. Marks Place and Avenue A, and is open daily from noon until midnight, except for Friday and Saturday, when it’s open until 2:00 a.m. For more information on Empellon al Pastor check out the complete food, beer, margarita, and michelada menus.

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For more than five years now, Chef Amanda Cohen has been doing magical things with vegetables in her tiny East Village restaurant, Dirt Candy. With across-the-board critical acclaim (including two stars from the Times) and a devoted following packing the place nightly, Cohen's Dirt Candy, which is more than ready for an expansion. "Dirt Candy 2.0" or as she calls it, "Big Candy" will open its spacious new digs on Allen Street in November. 

What is Dirt Candy? 

Much of the Dirt Candy menu changes with the season, and because we caught the tail end of Cohen's winter offerings when we went last week, your meal might be considerably different. One thing's for certain, though: you must order the sweet-n-spicy Jalapeno Hush Puppies, which Cohen serves year round and comes with a crock of maple butter so transcendent that you won't be ashamed to spoon directly into your mouth. Our other starter was the Spinach! (exclamation point Cohen's), which is structured like a mille-feuille with layers of the green leafy vegetable whipped into varying degrees of intensity, complemented by ricotta and smoked pistahios. Phenomenal.

Welcome to Vegetrian Heaven 

There are only four entrees on the Dirt Candy menu, but we still had a hard time narrowing it down to two. In the end, Corn! and Beets! prevailed, which we liked pretty much equally, which is to say: a lot. The Corn! was in the form of grits, topped with a "tempura-fried egg" and pickled shiitake mushrooms. The Beets! were roasted, exploding with flavor, and paired with fiery Thai green curry and gingery whipped galangal coconut cream. For dessert, the choice for us was obvious: Popcorn Pudding, which is rich, smooth, and butterscotchy and comes with a side of caramel corn. What a great meal. And though the space is cramped, the atmosphere is so pleasant and convivial that you won't mind chatting with your neighbors, or with Chef Cohen, who tends to make the rounds.

Menu & More Info on Dirt Candy

Dirt Candy is located in the East Village, on 9th Street between First Avenue and Avenue A, and is open at 5:30 on Tuesday through Saturday, with a last seating at 10:00 on Tuesday and Wednesday, and at 10:30 on Thursday to Saturday. Closed Sunday and Monday. And again, reservations are almost certainly required. For more info, check out the great blog and complete menu at Dirt Candy.

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Andrew Carmellini, Luke Ostrom, and Josh Pickard have a long string of mega-hit restaurants already in their pocket, restaurants that have successfully made the journey from 'hyped and trendy' to 'NYC institution.' Locanda Verde, The Dutch, and, most recently, Lafayette are not only packed with lively foodies every night, but there also packed with a lot of love and skill in the kitchen. The trio have recently opened their brand new restaurant – the pretty, pasta-centric spot Bar Primi, takes the place of their popular but abruptly shuttered Peels on Bowery. We recently went downtown, and wined and dined with great satisfaction. (Quick tip: go now, during the relatively quiet summer months, before it becomes impossible to get a table.) 

Bold Flavors at Bar Primi

Bar Primi's menu features a dozen different pasta dishes, with enough variety that you'll want to order a bunch for the table and share. The portions are medium-sized; two serve as a satisfying supper, though you'll probably throw a few piccolini and antipasti into the mix as well. There's also a daily special, plus what they call The Sandwich, which sounds pretty solid: roast beef, provolone, Italian peppers, arugula, on a softish bun. Next time.

Incredible Italian Cuisine and the Power of Pasta

Every pasta at Bar Primi is good – most are great. The two that I ate, for example, were both among the best I've had this year: the eminently Instagrammable Fiore di Carciofi, which is one long artichoke-stuffed noodle spiraled onto your plate and topped with a creamy sauce, sweet caramelized onions, smoked bacon, and sharp, salty pecorino; and wonderfully toothsome Calamarata, the chunky, chewy pasta generously tossed with octopus, gaeta olives, and "wild" oregano, all in a hearty tomato-based sauce. I would order either or both again, except I want to try at least a few of the others before hitting repeat. 

For more Information on Bar Primi

Bar Primi is located on the corner of Bowery and Joey Ramone Place, aka East 2nd Street, and is open for dinner from 5:30 until 11:00 on Monday through Wednesday, and until 12:00 on Thursday through Saturday. Closed Sunday "for now". There are two levels at Bar Primi: downstairs has a bar, window seats, and a communal table; upstairs is a more traditional dining room. Both are attractive and plenty festive. For more info check out the complete Bar Primi menu.     

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No question, Restaurant i in NYC has what it takes to get your attention, design-wise, even in the increasingly hyped-up Flatiron District. Yes, that's a giant rhino head made from rubber tires in Restaurant i's "foyer", complete with artist catalog on nearby pedestal. Yes, the complicated ceiling slowly changes colors, bathing the grass window boxes between tables (and everything else) in violet-ish light, then blue-ish, then orange. And, yes, that is a cello, standing up there on the ledge, apropos of nothing. Designed by Studio Salt and part of the soon-to-be-opened boutique Hotel Gramerci, it's all very cool here inside Restaurant i, a stylish spot to sip a cocktail or three. 

Other dishes at Restaurant i NYC were good as well. The Roasted Cauliflower starter, all browned and vinegary with capers, artichoke and yuzu butter, was hearty and balanced. The Golden and Red Beet salad wasn't revolutionary–goat cheese, frisee, etc.–but we did find the caraway vinaigrette to be a nice touch. And though the Free Range Chicken was a bit overdone (as breasts so often are), and the accompanying cranberry bread torchon a bit gummy, the kicky beer jus puddled on the plate managed to salvage things. We also appreciated the bowl of crispy and addictive fried rice noodles that arrived as soon as sat down each time. Nice touch.  

Restaurant i Details 

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