Tag: midtown

Categories
asian

Kang Ho Dong Baekjeong NYC for Lunch

I’ve been hearing that this place is packed at night and celebrity chefs like Anthony Bourdain and David Chang eat here. But every time I walk by during lunch, it doesn’t look too crowded. And apparently, this place is a chain restaurant founded by a Korean TV personality …which doesn’t sound like it would be good, but apparently, they use really good ingredients.

It took about five minutes for me to get a table around 1:30pm on a weekday. Around 2pm, there were plenty of empty tables. The menu is the same as the dinner menu, including the prices.

The BBQ is supposedly what you go here for. But since it’s pretty expensive and I’m all by myself, I opted for the $11.99 Beef Brisket Soybean Paste Stew. It came out boiling and pretty tasty once I let it cool down. The Beef in it was just okay though.

My favorite part was the complimentary salad, tofu, pickled radishes and kimchi. That made for a good meal right there. And it came out pretty cheap for me.

There were two small Asian girls next to me that ordered so much food. Three BBQ Meats, a Kimchi Stew, a Lunch Box and I think a few other small things, along with their complimentary banchan. I don’t know how they ate it all. They even asked for more eggs and tofu. I think they must’ve spent around $200 for their meal. And they didn’t even take photos of their food! I don’t understand what was their point if they weren’t going to food blog it. I kept imagining that it was their last meal before they fly off to join ISIS.

Kang Ho Dong Baekjeong – 1 E 32nd St (b/t 5th Ave & Madison Ave) New York, NY 10016

Categories
asian

Lan Sheng’s Braised Fish Filets & Napa Cabbage W Roasted Chili

I stopped in at Lan Sheng Chinese Restaurant in Midtown for lunch. Ordered the Braised Fish Filets & Napa Cabbage W Roasted Chili ($14.95). Lots of fish there. Pretty good dish.

Service is a little awkward though. The waiters seemed distracted by Who Wants to be a Millionaire on TV. But it’s fine, because I really got into Jeopardy afterwards. But why did Alex Trebek tell the Asian girl she was good at math seemingly out of nowhere? Maybe I missed the part where they said she was a mathematician. Anyway, that’s probably the nicest racist thing you can say about someone –that they are good at math.

It did take a while to get my bill, because the staff was eating lunch. I just went up to them and gave them my credit card, because I had to get back to work.

Lan Sheng – 60 W 39th St (btwn 5th & 6th Ave) New York 10018

Categories
lunch

Keen’s Prime Rib Hash

I finally tried the Prime Rib Hash ($18.50) from Keen’s Steakhouse in the Pub/bar area. It was good! I love potatoes and meat all smooshed together and crisped up. However, I expected the Prime Rib to be more rare, like when you usually get Prime Rib …pink looking meat. The meat was cooked all the way brown. I feel like I would like it more if it was more rare. But they do give plenty of meat through it.

Keen’s Steakhouse – 72 W 36th St (between 5th & 6th Ave) New York, NY 10018

Prime Rib Hash - Keen's Steakhouse

Categories
asian

Iroha Japanese Restaurant

Here was a day I assumed I was going to get VIP to an event. I just assumed I would. I’ve been getting VIP all summer. Although I didn’t get it this time. I was dumbfounded and acted like a little brat. I figured I was entitled to VIP.

So I went nearby to said event in Midtown to contemplate if I should even go. I decided on this Japanese restaurant, Iroha. I got some sake. I ordered the Seabass Miso Yuan. It was recommended on the menu. Really tasty even though on the small side. Also got a skewer of grilled garlic and shishitou peppers. Good. Then ordered another sake and California Roll while I decided if I want to go.

I said fuck it and manned up. Why am I so entitled to VIP? Who am I? I’m just like everyone else. So I walked over to Roseland Ballroom and there was a line going around the whole block almost full circle. I went home.

Iroha – 152 W 49th St (btwn 7th & 6th Ave) New York, NY 10019

Categories
asian street

Tuk Tuk Boy Thai Food Cart

I went out to Midtown to buy a ticket for a childhood best friend‘s show at Carnegie Hall. Yeah, weird right? I didn’t know until that day he was performing. And why? I don’t really know. I recently found out he’s a famous author, but I didn’t understand why he was performing at Carnegie Hall.

Anyway, I passed by this Thai food cart (Tuk Tuk Boy) on the way back to work. I got the Chicken Pad Thai $7. I had to ask for the hot chili sauce. And it had some Easy Points scan code sticker on the package. I don’t know what that is.

The Pad Thai came out quick and pretty good. All the ingredients were all separated in the box. Like I had to mix it up. It was good.

Tuk Tuk Boy Thai Food Cart – E. 50th St (between 6th & 7th Ave) New York, NY 10019

So that night I went to see my old friend. I contacted him on Twitter. First time we communicated in over two decades.

The show was crazy. Everyone was thirteen years old, female and I think Swedish. And they went crazy when he and his younger brother said anything. It was like the Beatles were playing. It’s weird. Any time I think of his younger brother, I picture a 5 year old kid and I hear that voice in my mind. But they’re all grown up now and apparently successful. I think I’m a little bit jealous. But I guess I do okay.

Even though I didn’t understand one thing at the show (What was going on? Why are people going crazy? What is this show about?) …I do remember him being really smart and forthgoing. So I would’ve imagined it would end up this way.

Categories
restauranting

Maze Restaurant by Gordon Ramsey

My sisters were in New York a couple of weeks ago. I don’t know why. They said just for fun. I don’t get it. Anyway, they took me out Maze Restaurant by Gordon Ramsey at the London hotel. We had to make dinner quick because we had tickets to Paul Rudd’s play, “Grace.” We got the three-course pre fixe meals and tasted all of it.

We started off with Risotto, Butter Lettuce Salad and Slow-Cooked Organic Hen’s Egg. I was curious about the Risotto, since Gordon Ramsey makes such a big deal about Risotto on Hell’s Kitchen. No one can cook a fucking risotto it seems like from TV. Well, I don’t know much about risotto, but this one was pretty good. The Slow-Cooked Organic Hen’s Egg was interesting. It had some frothy thing going on. Neat to try, but maybe too much to try to eat the whole thing. I kind of liked the Butter Lettuce Salad the best. I didn’t think I would like a salad so much. I don’t know what made it good. It just looked like lettuce with corn and dressing on it. But really good.

Our entrees were the Roasted Cannon of Lamb, Brook Trout and the Berkshire Pork Chop. All pretty good. I liked the Pork Chop the best. It was the biggest meatiest of them all.

The dessert were really good too. I couldn’t stop tasting them. Chocolate Pudding was shaped into a rectangle block. Chocolate Fondant and Pumpkin Cheesecake were good.

Now that I look at the menu prices –Jesus! That’s expensive. Like that small bowl of Risotto is $19! And even though I really liked that salad, it was $16. God, I’m thankful for my sisters treating me. Grace was interesting.

Maze Restaurant – a The London Hotel. 151 W 54th St (btwn 6th & 7th Ave) New York, NY 10019

Categories
street

The Halal Guys at 52nd St & 6th Ave

I was walking around Midtown looking for a late lunch at around 3:30. Dang, that line at 53rd St & 6th Ave is super long even between normal meal times. Then I saw the same Halal Guys cart a short block South on 52nd St. The same umbrellas, the same yellow bags, the same T-shirts advertising 53rd St –but this one had no line.

I got a heavy platter of Chicken and Lamb over Rice ($6). It all looked the same and seemed to taste the same or similar from what I remember and from the Midtownlunch Street Meat Paloozas. Although it was super spicy, because I asked him to add more hot sauce after it looked like he only squirted a little on my food.

Well now that I’ve learned that not all Rafiqi’s are the same, I still can’t imagine that everyone in that long ass 53rd St line has compared them both and decided it was worth the wait. Makes me wonder about businesses that try to expand. The demand is definitely there, but the demand doesn’t want to walk a short block away.

Categories
lunch sandwich

Chicken House’s Banh Mi Sandwich

The Banh Mi Vietnamese sandwich is huge ass at Chicken House. It takes a long time to make though. The guy gave me a menu and told me to call ahead next time.

I got the Pork Roll and Pate sandwich ($5). Those white steamed slices that look like tofu are the Vietnamese pork roll. They also put thick cuts of fatty ham. Not much in terms of pate richness or pickle tangy-ness. But the biggest Banh Mi I’ve ever seen. The bread scratched up the roof of my mouth. Bah Me!

The Chicken House is small and cramped. Everyone seemed to get their fried chicken and fish pretty quickly. The guy hanging in front asked if I was going to put his picture on Facebook.

Chicken House – 270 W 36th St (btwn 7th & 8th Ave) New York 10018
(menu)