To my family and friends,
You have touched my life in many ways and I am truly blessed and thankful…
Many miles may separate us, but you will always be close in my heart.
Happy tryptophan-induced and sugar-laden Spooning and Forking…
Though hidden on the second floor of a Japanese restaurant, Angel’s Share is far from being a “secret”. Well known to many Manhattanites and vistors alike, what keeps everyone coming back to this gem of a bar is its perceived exclusivity, its air of secrecy, its elegance, coziness and little bits of intrigue and romance all mixed in. It’s these elements that make Angel’s Share all the more special.
It’s a great place to hang out with a small group of friends to enjoy a couple of cocktails and the view of the street from a wall of windows, while a mural of angelic figures stare at you from above the bar. It’s even a greater place to take that special someone you truly want to impress. It’ll seal the deal, so to speak.
Going with someone that speaks Japanese is also a major plus as the servers and bartenders (at least the ones that were there that night) speak very little English.
This is the view from the street. There’s no signage on the building to indicate the existence of a bar upstairs.
First, find this awning. It sits between the Around the Clock coffee shop and a Japanese grocery store.
Go through the glass doors and up the stairs. Once you’re at the top of the stairs, you will find yourself in a Japanese restaurant that serves izakaya (Japanese bar food).
Look to your left and you should see this door.
Read the rules that are posted on the wall next to the door as they are highly enforced.
(No more than 4 people. No standing. No screaming. No shouting.)
Above the bar you will find this cool, though somewhat disturbing, mural of angels
(with horns…I told you that it was somewhat disturbing…).
(Forgive the “night vision goggles” picture, but we were asked to turn off the flash on our cameras…)
One of the drinks that I ordered was my usual chilled Southern Comfort with lime juice. Talk about lost in translation… This is what I got. This was a shot of lime juice (freshly squeezed – not the sweetened kind that you find in a bottle) and no Southern Comfort.
With the help of our Japanese speaking dinner guest that introduced us to this wonderful bar, I was able to get this instead – a shot of lime juice with a splash of Southern Comfort. I was expecting my drink in a lowball glass, but got a shot instead… Close… but not quite. I gave up the fight, enjoyed my shot of lime juice with a hint of SoCo and anticipated the arrival of my specialty cocktail.
These are the cocktails that we ordered from their specialty drinks section. All were special in their own right. Can’t say that I can choose which one I liked better over the others as they were all quite delectable …
Angel’s Share was probably one of the many highlights of my entire trip. It was such an unexpected surprise. And definitely a place that I will surely stop by to visit on my next trip to New York City.
Cheers…. and
Happy Spooning and Forking….
***** Angel’s Share (Inside Village Yokocho) 8 Styvesant St., 2nd Floor (at 9th Street)
This was the scene we encountered on our way back to our hotel from Roxy Delicatessen. (That’s our hotel to the right of the line.) Surely with a line that reached the end of the block, the food from this tiny food cart had to be good and I definitely needed to find out for myself. I figured, what’s the worse that could happen from eating from a street cart – unwelcomed stomach turns, possibly nausea or worse, mystery street meat… but what the hell… there was a 24-Hour Duane Reade pharmacy down the block where I could pick up some Tums or Immodium, if I had to. So I made it a mission to try the cart out at least once during my trip.
The next day, after a morning spent touring uptown Manhattan, bits and pieces of Harlem and some shopping at Macy’s at Herald Square, on the way back to our hotel, we stopped by the Halal cart across the street from our hotel. (Halal food is like Kosher food. Except Halal food refers to Arabic/Muslim food and Kosher refers to Hebrew/Jewish food.) The cart has a fairly simple menu – chicken over rice, chicken over salad, lamb over rice, lamb over salad, or combination – over rice or over salad. I think they also had lamb or chicken gyros, but I wasn’t really paying that much attention.
What I couldn’t get over though, was the fact that there was no line, like there was the night before.
So I decided on the combination lamb and chicken over rice and when we got back to the hotel room, and opened up that little round foil container, this is what greeted me…
Half of the bottom of the plate was filled with a salad of sorts (mainly lettuce), the other half was filled with rice. On top of the rice was the lamb (bottom left of the plate) and the chicken (bottom right of the plate). They also give you 3 pita quarters, that were a bit dry, but decent enough to eat, since it was coated with the sauce. The entire plate was then doused with a generous portion of white sauce. The guy asked me if I also wanted hot sauce on the plate, but not being sure how hot it would be, I opted to have the hot sauce on the side.
I was pleasantly surprised. The lamb had a texture that was more like a ground lamb and was lightly seasoned with a bunch of spices that I could not quite pinpoint. No gaminess to it at all, which I was afraid of. The chicken was also lightly seasoned, though a bit on the dry side. The rice that the lamb and chicken sat on had a very faint orange color to it – saffron maybe, who knows, it could just be food coloring. But it was the sauce, I think, that held the entire dish together. I wasn’t sure if it was yogurt based or mayonnaise based, as it didn’t really have a distinct flavor that I could pick out. But without the sauce, this plate would have been sub par, edible at best. The hot sauce, unfortunately, had the heat, but lacked any flavor – the worst kind of hot sauce, if you ask me. The entire plate was pretty decent tasting. And no digestive problems arose = ).
That night, on our way back to the hotel after some cocktails on the Lower East Side, again, there was a line at the street cart.
Where was the line earlier this afternoon when we were picking up our late lunch? Could it be that the cart at night was somehow better than the one during the day? Night after night on our way back to our hotel, the lines were always this long or even longer. So finally we had a chance to do a comparison, on our last night in New York City. And let me tell you…. there certainly is a big difference between the cart that is there during the day and the cart that is there at night.
First, here is the line that we stood in. You should too. You will not regret it. Trust me…
The workers (at least 3 to 4 at a time) work at lightning speed, so the line moves pretty quick. By the time you try to figure out what you want, you’re already at the front of the line.
Here are some scenes from the front of the line. Make note of the guys’ YELLOW SHIRT WITH THEIR LOGO. I think it said something like 6th Ave. & 53rd St. Halal Gyro & Chicken. Also make note of the YELLOW BAGS WITH THEIR LOGO. Trust me… this is important.
Again, I decided on the combination lamb and chicken over rice – so that I could make a true comparison. And there was a significant difference. See…
First of all, let’s talk portion. This plate had a lot more than the one that we had a few days before. I could barely get the lid over the mountain of lamb and chicken.
Next, let’s talk visual presentation, texture and flavor. The lamb was browned a bit more and had more flavor than the one that we had a few days before. The chicken was not as dry and also had a bit more flavor. The pita slices were “fresher” and softer, I wish the pieces were a bit bigger though – this pita was good!
Next, let’s talk condiments. Instead of putting the sauce on for you, on the side of the cart are some squeeze bottles of this magical stuff. And the white sauce here was FANTASTICAL! You have the option of putting as much or as little as you want. You’ll want a lot of this stuff… (From the picture above, you can tell that I didn’t get the memo on how good their white sauce was… I wish I had put a lot more on my plate…) They’ve got squeeze bottles of hot sauce too, but be forewarned – this stuff is super hot. A little certainly goes a long way.
Here’s another look at my combination plate. I lifted some of the chicken off of the rice so that you could see the bright orange-ness of the rice. Pretty, ain’t it? I had maybe less than a teaspoon of the hot sauce sparingly sprinkled on the top of the plate and I was already grabbing my drink after almost every single bite. It was HOTTTT! And flavorful, too…
This was good! Like really good! You can’t find anything like this in Las Vegas. It’s the perfect cure for late night, after-bar-hopping munchies. I’ve been craving for this like you cannot even imagine – and it’s a craving that will remain unsatisfied until my trip back. I’m even a fan of theirs on Facebook – I LOVE me some CHICKEN & RICE…53rd and 6th!!!
I know… I’m a GEEK!
When I got back to Vegas, I did a little research on this wonderful cart located on 6th Avenue and 53rd Street, and it’s no question that this cart – the night cart – is famous – like UBER FAMOUS!
It’s got a cult following, which explains the long lines. Apparently, during the day, the cart is run by the “fake” halal guys, who try to pass themselves off as being affiliated with the night time cart. The “fake” guys have the run of the southwest corner of 6th Avenue and 53rd Street from 10-ish in the morning to around 6:30 p.m.
The real deal Halal guys start to set up shop around 7pm every night and the line already starts forming before they even open up. Every night, this corner was crazy busy. I almost expected a late-night rave to break out with the post-club/bar crowd that seemed to gather at this corner, with one weekend night even requiring police assistance to do crowd control. Check out this article that I came across. If you can get stabbed to death just for cutting in line, then the food has to be THAT GOOD.
I hear that the real guys have a cart set up during the day on the southeast corner of 6th Avenue and 53rd Street.
Look for the YELLOW SHIRTS and the YELLOW BAGS WITH THEIR LOGO imprinted on them. These are your only indications that you are at the right cart.
If you do not see the yellow shirts or yellow bags, run…. fast… and eat somewhere else….
Here’s one last look…
<- combination plate from the “fake” cart…
<- combination plate from the “real” cart…
Not too difficult a decision to make huh?!?
So if you’re in the neighborhood of 6th Avenue and 53rd Street anytime between 7pm and 3am, make sure to stop by and grab a chicken, lamb or combination plate from the Halal guys.
You’ll thank me for it…
Happy Spooning and Forking…
***** The (Real) Halal Guys on 6th Avenue (Avenue of the Americas) and 53rd Street Southwest Corner of 6th Avenue and 53rd Street Between 7pm and 3am Southeset Corner of 6th Avenue and 53rd Street During the day (not sure what their actual hours are)If you’re a lover of food (and shopping) as I am, New York City is your Disneyland.
There are a gazillion restaurants (and boutiques and shops) all over the city sure to satisfy almost everyone’s tastes. My travel buddy on this trip had never ever visited New York City, so our main focus on this trip was to play tourist – you know, double decker tour bus, maps, paparazzi camera with back up battery pack and memory card… The whole nine…. My travel buddy is not as obsessed with food as I am, so indulging our palates took second place to our tourist adventures.
So, although we didn’t get a chance to eat at some of the eateries that I had hoped to try (Mario Batali’s Otto Pizzeria and Enoteca, Morimoto, Momofuku Ssam Bar and Shake Shack), we did eat at some decent places – some more memorable than others, some that unexpectedly surprised us and some that probably will never be visited again. We also took in the sights and sounds of a different New York City than the one I encountered as a teenager. We had a great time!
I used this trip to “scout” where I want to stay on my next visit – to maximize dining options and cocktail consumption. I’ve started my list of must-go-to restaurants and bars/lounges and I’m already planning a NYC gastronomic adventure for next year with a few other foodies, where we will be able to indulge to our hearts content. I’m already excited with the idea of planning this foodie adventure….and we’ll probably even take in a parade!
That being said… on to what we ate….
After being on a plane for what seemed like 5 days, checking into our hotel, picking up our tour tickets and whatever goodies they were passing out that day, visiting Miss Liberty and touring most of Midtown, Downtown and a small sliver of Brooklyn, it wasn’t till about 9:00 p.m. that we finally got a decent meal. A real meal that didn’t consist of Starbucks, Craisins or cranberry juice from the Ocean Spray exhibition at Rockefeller Center, but included some type of protein, vegetable and starch.
By this time, we had already been up for about 24 hours, we were both tired and hungry, I was starting to get light-headed and cranky, so we dropped in atthe closest place that seemed to “call our names”…
Roxy Delicatessen right in the heart of Times Square.
This place screams TOURIST TRAP. For one thing, Roxy’s is right smack dab in the middle of Times Square. Secondly, they have a bright neon signs that beckons you from 3 blocks in either direction. Thirdly, it was the last stop for the night tour on our tour bus.
But, without paying attention to all of the warning signs, we dragged our tired and hungry butts in and got bitch-slapped the minute the menu was placed in front of us.
WTF? $23.95 for a sandwich – you’ve got to be out of your mind! That’s a bit much. It better be good! Maybe it’s their way of making sure the rent gets paid, being that they were in a prime location. So, I needed some clarification. When our server arrived, I asked her about portion size. She said that everything on the menu was huge and suggested that we might want to share. Good idea.
So we look over the menu again (and it’s a pretty extended menu) and decide on their Baked Virginia Ham Triple Decker sandwich (Virginia ham, crisp bacon, lettuce & tomato) that was listed on their Triple Sky Rockets section of the menu, and some fries. You’d think that for a $24 sandwich, you’d be able to ‘get fries with that’. But no,,, you have to order it on the side. It was an extra $5.95 for the fries. Plus, another $3.50 because we were sharing our order. Ummm yeah…, the server didn’t mention a charge for sharing when she suggested that we share our meal.
Baked Virginia Ham Triple Decker sandwich
Full Frontal View of the Sandwich
The lady at the table across from us eloquently expressed what I was thinking (except without my expertly placed curse words). In a tone that toed the line between shock and awe, she said, “What IS that?”
OBNOXIOUS is what it is! How did they expect us to eat this as a sandwich, without having to surgically unhinge our jaws and cut slits on the side of our mouths reminiscent of The Joker? The only possible way to eat this was to deconstruct it and eat as part sandwich/part salad. If I wanted a salad, I would have ordered a salad. OBNOXIOUS! F*ING OBNOXIOUS!
This “sandwich” (which you have to partially eat as a salad) is constructed as follows: one slice of toasted regular sized white sandwich bread (as opposed to the bigger slices you’d get from say artisan breads), topped with a pound of Virginia ham, topped with another slice of their tiny bread, topped with about a half a pound of bacon stuffed in a half a head of iceberg lettuce, then topped with a final slice of their tiny bread. All was held together with a barbeque skewer with a thin sliver of orange, for garnish.
See the kosher pickles in the bowl to the left of the OBNOXIOUS sandwich, those were on the house (or partly included in our sandwich price). There had to have been at least 8 pickles in that bowl. The fries were also plentiful, which we didn’t mind. You can never have enough fries. Also on the house was a vat of their cole slaw.
Did we enjoy our meal? We enjoyed it as any tired, weary and hungry traveler would. We were more grateful for having some sort of sustenance and desperately anxious to finish the meal and make it back to the hotel for a nice hot shower and crisp, cold, high thread count sheets. I love the Hilton New York!
Was it good? The sandwich was a sandwich, and a $24 sandwich at that. The bread a bit soggy, though toasted. The ham good, and not too salty as some ham can get. The lettuce crisp. The bacon plentiful and fries perfectly golden and slightly salted. The pickles were an wonderful added touch, but we didn’t need a whole bottle. The slaw, tastless.
Roxy Delicatessen, I hear, is known for their cheesecake. The word “phenomenal” was even used. News to me. I’ve heard of New York cheesecake from Junior’s or Lindy’s, but not from Roxy’s.
Maybe next time, I’ll go in just for cheesecake. Maybe…
***** Roxy Delicatessen 1565 Broadway, New York 10036