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a bite of the big apple
By Guy Wilkinson.
Published in the January-March 2012 issue.
From Queens to the Bronx and many boroughs in between, dining out on a budget in New York City is easier than you think.
New York City: more than eight million people, around 19,000 restaurants, dozens of the world’s top chefs, one heaving metropolis. When it comes to eating out in the Big Apple, travellers are spoilt for choice. There’s just one problem: the expense. While the city is undoubtedly a food Mecca, its reputation is more for fine dining than bargain fare. But if you know where to look, there are ways to eat well while stretching your dollar further.
Teaming up with New York chef-in-training Kurt Applegate and his group of self-proclaimed “food nerd” friends, we explore the city’s five boroughs over one gluttonous weekend. Our mission: to find great-value food and sample an eclectic mix of cuisine, from Asian to Jamaican and all things in between. Here’s what we find.
Manhattan
There was a time when dining at food trucks was reserved for those stumbling out of a club at 3 a.m. with bloodshot eyes and a gutful of tequila. Times have changed. Today, there is a burgeoning food-truck scene in Manhattan; carts are found on every other corner, selling anything from tacos to handmade dumplings, gourmet ice-cream to kim chi. These are not the greasy kebab vans of old – there’s some genuine innovation taking place here.
At Union Square, we make a beeline for the mobile Bistro Truck, serving up Moroccan-Mediterranean favourites including lamb Marrakech – braised, then roasted lamb served with couscous – and merguez, a fiendish concoction of homemade lamb sausage, seasoned and grilled, served in a bun with caramelised onion, charmoula, cheese and fries. Both dishes are filling, tasty and authentic; each could easily feed two people. Not bad for US$12.
Just across the street in Union Square, a farmers’ market is held every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Saturdays are busiest and during peak seasons, the flagship Union Square Greenmarket typically serves more than 250,000 customers a week. Stallholders here sell everything from craft beer to fresh fruit and vegetables – Manhattan chefs are known to buy their produce here – as well as goat’s cheese and hot pear cider.
After perusing the stalls, we make our way to Panna II, a hole-in-the-wall Indian eatery in the East Village. The décor here couldn’t have been more kitsch if Bette Midler had handled the interior design – think thousands of chilli-pepper-shaped fairy lights draped from the ceiling and shiny chatskis lining the walls. The food’s unlikely to win any Michelin stars but the atmosphere is fun, dining here is easy on the wallet and you can even bring your own drinks – a money-saving rarity in NYC.
Our final stop is Crif Dogs, a late-night institution on the trendy Lower East Side. When the neighbourhood bars close, it’s common to see lengthy queues forming outside the Dogs’ door as tipsy patrons come to feast on an extensive hot dog menu that’s quintessentially New York. I opt for the Spicy Redneck (US$4.75), an evil mix of deep-fried wiener wrapped in bacon, topped with chilli, coleslaw and jalapeños. It’s the ultimate late-night snack.
For those looking to push on for a nightcap, enter the retro phone booth inside the restaurant to gain access to PDT (Please Don’t Tell), the adjacent speakeasy bar. It’s a good idea to make reservations, as the place is the size of a cramped bedsit.
Staten Island
Dubbed “the forgotten borough,” Staten Island is something of a ginger cousin when it comes to gastronomy. In truth, most travellers ride the free ferry from Manhattan to the island to enjoy views of the city skyline and the Statue of Liberty before hopping on the next ride back. But for budget-conscious foodies, this would be a mistake.
A short bus ride or uphill walk from the ferry terminal, New Asha is a family-run Sri Lankan restaurant in the Tompkinsville neighbourhood. On our arrival, owner Viji Devadas offers us the sample platter. Starters include vegetable and fish roti, kottu roti (a fry-up of bread, egg, meat and vegetables), handmade noodles with coconut sambal, and a delightfully soft, spicy chicken bun.
“We don’t try and do anything too fancy or pretentious here,” Devadas explains. “We’re not about showing off; we try to create authentic, family-cooked food just as you would experience in Sri Lanka.”
Main dishes come in at under US$10 and include the chicken biryani and vegetable rice plate. But to my mind, the black eggplant curry steals the show – it’s a rich, earthy dish even hardened carnivores will love.
Brooklyn
In recent times, Brooklyn has been vying with Manhattan for New York’s culinary crown. An increasing number of experienced chefs from Manhattan are now establishing themselves here – rent is cheaper; fresh ingredients are abundant and there seems to be more room for
creativity, too.
Feeling at home in his native Bushwick district, Applegate leads us to Tortilleria Mexicana Los Hermanos, a tortilla-factory-cum-restaurant serving seriously good Mexican fare. Having enjoyed a few pre-dinner drinks at Pearl’s Social & Billy Club, a mellow little joint around the corner, we’re keen to begin ordering: chorizo piccata (sliced sausage topped with a buttery lemon sauce studded with capers); chicken, pork and beef on soft tortillas (a steal at US$2 each) and enchiladas with a variety of fillings all make the cut. Forget about nachos with plastic cheese or Tex Mex nonsense – this is real Mexican food and the industrial setting makes for an unusual dining experience. Expect crowds though, as the Los Hermanos word is out.
Our next stop is Nha Toi, in the happening Williamsburg district. Inside, the walls are cluttered with unusual paintings, while the furnishings are stripped back and basic giving the dining room an effortlessly cool vibe. We begin with “The Classic,” a roll filled with two types of Vietnamese ham and house-made chicken pâté, and quickly realise why this is a local favourite. The beef pho (rice-noodle soup) is a steaming work of perfection and the goi cuon (fresh spring rolls) are light and packed with flavour. This is inexpensive, hearty Vietnamese cooking, executed with genuine panache.
To round off our night, we head to nearby Alligator Bar, a blue-collar joint with a unique selling point: every drink purchased between 6 p.m. and 2 a.m. comes with a free pizza. Though the pie is hardly gourmet, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better-value deal in town.
Queens
We begin our second day of eating in the Queens neighbourhood of Flushing, widely regarded as the real Chinatown of New York. Some 46 percent of the borough’s 2.3-million residents were born outside the U.S., making it the most ethnically diverse district in the world proportionate to its size, a fact that’s more than evident in Queens’ food culture.
Sunday dim sum is serious business at Asian Jewels Seafood restaurant. Crabs that belong in a 1950s sci-fi movie languish in turquoise tanks while patrons pack dozens of tables serviced by waiters wheeling rickety trolleys piled high with plates and steamers. The golden rule here is pace yourself – it’s all too easy to binge and fill up too quickly. We order the siu mai (pork-and-shrimp dumplings), chee cheong fun (steamed noodles), char siu bao (barbeque-pork filled bun), cheema gao (steamed buns filled with lotus-seed paste) and more. In no time, our table is packed with tasty baskets of steaming goodness.
Just a few blocks east is Golden Mall, a great place to sample the flavours of Asia. Beneath the mall, we find a labyrinth of food counters serving everything from dumplings to noodle soup and shredded lamb burgers. Upstairs at Youzilaoyafensitang (doesn’t that just roll off the tongue?), the xiaolongobao (pork soup dumplings) are a must-try. Clamping the dumpling with my chopsticks, I nibble the edge and drink the soup – piping hot, salty and filled with herbs. The duck soup is another winner. Containing duck gizzards, liver and leg, the broth is tempered with chilli oil, bok choy and a generous handful of cilantro. It’s a fabulous combination and has a clean flavour that’s far less heavy than its ingredients would suggest. Both dishes are only US$12 and easily feed two people.
The Bronx
Unless they’re visiting the Bronx Zoo, few travellers make the trek to New York’s northernmost borough. If you do make the pilgrimage, you’ll be rewarded with some surprisingly good places to eat. Like Queens, the Bronx is ethnically diverse, home to the city’s largest group of Irish as well as Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, Jamaicans, African Americans and growing numbers of Eastern Europeans and Vietnamese.
In the predominantly Caribbean Unionport neighbourhood, we visit a popular eatery known as Brisas del Caribe.
Inside, customers hunch over a long, thin counter, watching freshly chopped pork being prepared on silver trays under the glow of gloriously tacky murals depicting sunny Caribbean scenes. The fare is hearty and cheap; we begin with classics such as the green bananas with pink onions, fried yuka (cassava), roasted pork and a standout arroz con pollo y frijoles negros (chicken with rice and black beans). Including dessert, we spend just US$42 for four people. It’s hard to argue with that. •
Photography by Guy Wilkinson and courtesy of Tourism NYC.
TRAVEL FACTS
getting there
Korean Airlines flies from Sydney and Melbourne to New York’s JFK airport via Seoul. 61-2/9262-6000; koreanair.com
United Airlines operates daily services from both Sydney and Melbourne to New York via Los Angeles and San Francisco. 131-777; unitedairlines.com.au
Delta Air Lines flies from Sydney to New York via Los Angeles. delta.com
getting around
Alamo Car Rental offers a wide range of cars for hire.
alamo.com
Freestyle Holidays can help organise tours around the U.S. 1300-880-268; freestyleholidays.com.au
when to go
Spring and autumn, when temperatures are less extreme, are ideal times to visit New York. Temperatures can soar at the peak of summer (June and July) and plummet well below freezing in winter (December through February).
where to stay
On the Upper West Side, the Hotel Beacon NYC is popular for its large rooms overlooking the Hudson River. 1-212/787-1100; beaconhotel.com
The new W New York – Downtown offers hip lodgings in the Financial District. 1-646/826-8600; starwoodhotels.com
where to eat
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Alligator Bar. 600 Metropolitan Ave., Brooklyn;
1-718/599-4440.
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Asian Jewels Seafood. 133-30 39th Ave., Flushing, Queens; 1-718/359-7766; tunseng.com
•
Bistro Truck. bistrotruck.com
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Brisas del Caribe. 1207 Castle Hill Ave., the Bronx;
1-718/794-9710.
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Crif Dogs. 113 St Marks Place, Manhattan; 1-212/614-2728; crifdogs.com
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Golden Mall. 41-28 Main St., Flushing, Queens.
•
New Asha Sri Lankan Restaurant. 322 Victory Blvd., Staten Island; 1-718/420-0649.
•
Nha Toi. 160 Havemeyer, Williamsburg, Brooklyn; 1-718/599-1820; nhatoi-nyc.com
•
Panna II Garden Indian Restaurant. 93 1st Ave., Manhattan; 1-212/598-4610.
•
Pearl’s Social & Billy Club. 40 St Nicholas Ave., Brooklyn; 1-347/627-9985; pearlssocial.com
•
Tortilleria Mexicana Los Hermanos. 271 Starr St., Brooklyn; 1-718/456-3422.
•
Union Square Greenmarket. Market Square, Broadway and East 17th Street, Manhattan; 1-212/788-7900; grownyc.org
further information
For details on New York, contact Tourism NYC. 1-212/484-1200; nygo.com
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