The Best Food in New York City

Now take this title with a grain of salt, I have not even been to a fraction of the places to eat in New York City, but these is a roundup of my favorites.  According to a recent poll there are more than 3,500 restaurants in Manhattan alone, and as the largest and most diverse of the boroughs the type of cuisine runs the gamete.  However, I feel as if I am not alone when I say there are places I go to get my favorite item and as many people have recently asked me where to eat when they visit New York City i have decided to answer all of you with a very long post.

MAC and CHEESE.  Beecher’s Handmade Cheese. 900 Broadway. * 
          Mac and cheese as the first thing on the list? Yes, you better believe it. Delicious. Mind blowing.  This puts Kraft to shame, and even my beloved Annie’s has to stay on the shelf.  You walk into the store and you will see why it is my happy place.  They make their killer mac and cheese with two types of cheeses they make on the premises with a background hint of garlic powder and chipotle pepper. This stuff is absolutely magical and worth the $6.50 they charge for a cup.  And if you are still hungry, add of cup of their terrific tomato soup!  If you are like me, and could eat Mac and Cheese as your meal check out the 21+ celllar in the basement and take it up a notch by choose the m+c with crab, old bay aioli, bread crumbs, yum!

CHOCOLATE. Max Brenner. 841 Broadway. 
          This place already got it’s own post but I could not leave it off the list, it is amazing.  Max Brenner is an Israeli chocolate retail store chain that has it’s own location just South of Union Square in Manhattan and you really can not go wrong with anything made of chocolate there.  Sit down and have a full meal, just order desert, or pick up something at the gift shop.  It will not disappoint and if you want a full meal, I recommend the burger.

FROZEN MARGARITAS. Southern Hospitality BBQ. 200 5th Avenue. 
          They are delicious.  Perfect for the summer heat wave and they come from a magnificent alcoholic frozen slushy machine.  To make it better, Monday through Friday from noon to 7pm they are on $6!  Yes, to all of you in small towns and the middle of the country, that may seem pricey, but in NYC that is a good deal! For how strong they are, one is enough and two might leave you teetering on out of there. If you need something to soak up the alcohol I highly recommend the pulled pork slider.  Oh, and as if you needed another reason to go, this is JT’s restaurant!

CEVICHE. Cuba, 222 Thompson Street. 
          Until last year this was a dish I had never tasted, not at Cuba but at any restaurant.  The foreign name put me off and I had a preconceived notion that it was very spicy.  Boy was I wrong! It is a delicious raw fish dish seasoned with citrus and it is amazing to me that a food I never thought I would try could make it on to my best of NYC list.  The ceviche del dia at Cuba is authentic, delicious, and it is a surprise every time you go what it is going to be. If the daily special does not tickle your fancy I recommend the ceviche mixto, the seafood mixed appetizer drenched in lime sauce. And if cigars are your thing, the guy in the corner rolling them, apparently, is makes a good quality product.

BRUNCH. Friend Of A Farmer. 77 Irving Place. 

          If you are coming to visit New York City, you are going to need to brunch.  NYC girls really like to brunch (we treat it as a verb) and I do not think people in any other city brunch the way we do. Maybe in the city that never sleeps it is that breakfast is just too early of a meal for Saturday or Sunday or that we simply use any excuse for good company and a good meal.  Whatever the reason Friend of a Farmer is where I brunch. Not only is the food here incredible but the fireplaces and unique decorations create an inviting homey atmosphere.
          When you look at the menu your first question is most likely going to be sweet or savory and let me tell you, you can not go wrong with either. My favorite brunch items are their  Taylor’s Tasty Toast, Healthy Farmers Omelette, and of course, the Egg’s Benedict.  And as someone who grew up in New England I must point out that with any dish that needs it you will get a mini-sized jar of REAL maple syrup. It makes all the difference. They do not take reservations (they do not have to) and you will not be seated until your party is complete, but brunch on anyway!

BARTENDERS. The Gael Pub. 1465 3rd Avenue. 
          Earlier this week I received an email from a reader about how much she liked my Pinterest board titled “Attractive Men”.  Yes, that is very true and the bartenders at this Irish establishment are some of the closest I have come to in real life.  My lovely interactions with Rory and Ronan have been great on multiple occasions and there are other specimens I have yet to meet, but I am willing to share.  And, I am sure my girl Whitney would approve of this, it is not a secret if it is known to three.

SANDWICH SHOP.  ‘Wichcraft, Many Locations. My favorite?  11 West 40th Street. 
        The summer seasonal BLT sandwich is amazing at ‘Wichcraft but my favorite is their goat cheese.  It is filled with avocado, celery, walnut pesto, and watercress on multigrain bread, and is just yum!  I thought this ingredients strange for a sandwich but they proved me wrong and I have never heard anyone get something they have not liked.  You must make sure to complement your sandwich, though, with one of their cream’wiches, homemade cookies with ice cream in-between.  If you need help picking they sell 55,000 of their peanut-butter ones each year. Even if you are stuffed, do not leave without one.  After ten years they have 15 locations in Manhattan but my favorite is the one in Bryant Park. And no, this is not a typo, this place is actually called ‘Wichcraft, no “t”.

ITALIAN.  Eataly. 200 5th Avenue.  
          Pizza, pasta, wine, prosciutto de parma, mozzarella, gelato, and more? Yes!  Again, this establishment already got it’s own post but I could not leave it off the list.  At Eataly you can shop gourmet Italian groceries, eat at one of the nine restaurants open under this one roof, pop by one of two cafes, or even take a cooking class!  Go and prepared to be amazed.

SUSHI.  Iron Sushi. 440 3rd Avenue. 
          I am a huge, huge sushi fan and after searching high and low I have come across my favorite.  Sushi is one thing I really do not like to skimp on because it is raw fish and you want high quality to avoid getting sick.  To my astonishment Iron Sushi has managed to get amazingly fresh fish at low prices – my favorite item they have is the five dollar Salmon Avocado Roll closely followed by the seaweed salad and the Sushi Deluxe Entree.  My roommates love the Spicy Tuna Roll and I am super impressed that this is one place you can get delivered and it is still as good as if you are in the restaurant!

So there you have it, nine of my favorite bites in New York City.  I know they are specific but I will gladly go into detail if you have questions. Please let me know if you have been to one of them and what you thought of if there are any you would like to try out!

* All of these addresses are in New York City! (Manhattan to be specific)