Last week, I spent over a week in New York City. At 1 am, after my transcontinental flight, I was starving. The front desk recommended a local restaurant "The Meatball Shop." I thought the place would be nearly dead considering it was the middle of the week, I forgot I was in New York. The restaurant was teaming with a lively crowd providing hours of entertainment. I sat at the bar and was blown away by the MENU, you could order 1, 2, or 3 meatballs, any style, any meat Overwhelmed by my options, the bartender ordered for me. She was spot on. The spicy meatball sauce, mozzarella smash on a brioche was by far, the best meatball sandwich I had ever tried. I can't wait to come back for another bite.
This quaint little restaurant serves an incredible brunch. Influenced by Tunisian and Moroccan quisine, the spice and flavor in every dish will leave your tongue never feeling the same. Being my second time here, I've picked my two favorite dishes this place offers. The lamburger, the sandwich in the top left corner of the image on the right, is stuffed in herbed goat cheese, caramelized onions, an aioli sauce to die for, and served with an arugula, kalamata olive and tomato salad. The second dish, my brother-in-law always gets is the Shakshouka. The spicy Moroccan tomato cazuela is filled with swiss chard and two poached eggs. This place has never failed to impress and the waitstaff is very friendly.
It was a beautiful thursday afternoon, when my dad and I stumbled on this french style bistro. Not a seat in sight, we squeezed in at the bar with our charming bartendress. The happy hour menu, chalked up on a black board read Naked Cowboy Oysters. We ordered 24 of them with a side of mignonette sauce. My father, being the Frenchman that he is, ordered a bottle of Sancerre to complement the indulgence. These 3 inch long oysters, harvested from the Long Island Sound were briny and firm, maturing over 3 years before they entered my mouth. This pre-dinner amuse bouche, definitely hit the spot. Enjoy oysters in the sun? Check out the Mermaid Inn this summer.
Shang 187 Orchard StAfter being spoiled fresh fish in Seattle, it can be difficult to find sushi that tastes as good (Mediterranean and Asian Pacific aside). At Shang, a sushi restaurant located in the Thompson hotel, the sushi was delicious but what was even a bigger hit were all the other side dishes: eggplant with sprouts, skirt steak, sauteed green beans, baby bok choy and the cabbage salad. My favorite of all the side dishes was the Singapore Slaw, cabbage salad. Our two orders arrived as heaping mounds containing 19 ingredients, a salted plum dressing and peanuts. Every bite was crispy and full of flavor.
Katz's Deli 205 E Houston St
A trip to New York city is never complete without a visit to Kat'z Deli. Last time I came to New York, my sister recommended it to me. The most unreal deli you've ever walked into. Counter space for miles, frosted windows filled with the most delicious cured meats and an excited crowd at any time of the day. Because we were a lot of people, we decided to pick up the meats, bread, pickles and spreads. We sacked 6 lbs of pastrami, corned beef, salami, and turkey. At home, I prepared 4 open faced sandwiches, each with a separate red meat and the last a goulash of the three. The simplicity of the sandwich and the amount of salty hot beef you can load on one sandwich makes this the best classic style New York Deli.
The Mermaid Inn is only of my favorite secret spots in NYC...I'm glad you found it. The oyster happy hour is incredible!
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