Katz's Deli

If you can believe it, it has been 26 years since the last time I have visited Katz's Deli in New York City.  I've been back to NYC prior to this visit but ended up going to Carnegie's (before it closed) instead.  Sure, these types of places could be considered tourist traps, but for me, Katz's is still delicious despite that fact.  Hence, this time around, we made the decision to get into that long lineup to get in.  Don't let that intimidate you though as the lineup moves.  We were all the way back near CVS, but made it into the place within 20 minutes.  However, that only gets you into another line.  You are handed a ticket and you can lineup at at one of the 8 cutters who will prepare your sandwich order.  They will mark off your ticket and that will be what you present to the cashier before you leave.  You will end up paying for the amount of food on your ticket.  Don't lose this ticket as it will cost you $50!  There are 2 other lines where you can pick up your sides or a grill order.  One final line is at the back of the restaurant where you can get table service.  We opted for this one as it was a madhouse around the self-service lines.  We waited about another 15 minutes for a table.

Of course we had to get the famed Pastrami Sandwich.  Sure, it is $29.00, but it is packed with hand-sliced meat.  Despite the other options within Manhattan, I still think that Katz's pastrami is one of the best.  I've had some around the touristy areas and yah, I didn't even feel the need to blog about them.  This one was buttery tender and if you choose "juicy", there is enough fat for some melt-in-your-mouth meat.  I'm not a fan of the rye bread as it crumbles after you take a few bites.  By itself, the bread is great, but it does not stand up to the amount of meat.  As for the meat, it is well-seasoned with some pepperiness and smokiness. Really full-flavored and intensely meaty.  For me, I douse the thing with mustard.

We complimented this sandwich with another favorite of mine, the Tongue Sandwich.  This is a cold sandwich with thinly sliced tongue.  Ensuring that this would be the best experience, they only use the back to mid portion of the tongue where it is the fattiest and most tender.  That it was as it also melted-in-my-mouth.  Due to the amount of fat, it was full of umami and meatiness.   Seasoning was mild as it wasn't salty.  We only got a half order of this as we paired it with a soup.

That soup was the Matzo Ball Soup and it was decent.  The big matzo ball was fluffy and light, yet at the same time retaining slight density.  It was so large, we had some left even after we finished the broth.  We found the broth to be mildly flavorful with a bit of satliness.  It was full-flavored, but maybe lacking a bit of depth, but we still happily downed it.

For me, I really wanted a side of Fries and yah, it came as a really large portion.  These steak fries were crispy with a wealth of soft potato goodness inside.  The people beside us ordered one plate of fries each!  Yah, they didn't finish...  Also at the table was their usual complimentary plate of Kosher Pickles with full sour and half-sour.  I like the half-sours because they are fermented less, hence the natural cucumber appearance.  Also, they are only lightly sour with a much crunchier texture.

Lastly, we added an all-beef Frankfurter.  This was nicely grilled having a seared exterior.  There was an appealing snap with the casing while the inside was juicy and bouncy.  I protested against putting ketchup into this, but Viv did it anyways.  Even though it has been 26 years between visits, something felt very familiar with Katz's and despite what others have said about it not being the same or it is merely a tourist trap, we enjoyed our meal.  Was it expensive?  Yes, but that is subjective because if someone enjoys whatever they paid for, then it would be worth it.  I would actually come back the next time I'm back in NYC.

The Good:

- Still buttery tender pastrami

- The whole experience, despite the wait and such

- Touristy yes, but still good

The Bad:

- Lining up for multiple orders, such as sandwiches, sides/soups and grilled items as well as trying to find a table makes for frustrating experience for some

- Pricey

The Handpulled Noodle

Sometimes, we just need to eat something closeby and convenient, even if it means sacrificing something awesome.  That doesn't mean we would merely grab a hot dog from a random food cart and call it a day (however, some hot dogs rule!).  Instead, we walked a few blocks to a quick-service spot called The Handpulled Noodle.  This would serve us well, since it was a fast meal just before watching a play nearby.

Ordering can be by 2 methods here - either by the self-service ordering screen or at the front counter.  However, they were so busy, there was really no one at the counter.  We ended up getting the Hot & Tangy Shrimp Wontons to start.  These looked plenty hot, but in reality, they were more tangy, sweet and a bit smoky.  Sure, there was spice, but it wasn't tongue-burning.  The wontons featured a semi-thick, yet delicate dumpling wrapper.  Inside, the shrimp filling had a nice rebound texture.

For our first noodle dish, we had the Herbal Beef Soup Noodles served with thick noodles.  We found the broth to be flavorful, yet lacking a bit of depth.  I didn't get a whole lot of meatiness to go with the mild spice.  As for the noodles, they were chewy in a good way and remained as such to the end.  The slices of beef shank were tender with a natural meatiness.

Of course we were going to get the Beijing Bolo (aka Zhajiang Mien) with the # 2 noodles (aka Biang Biang noodles).  This dish was all about the wide noodles with its robust and chewy texture.  I thought the meat sauce wasn't as savoury as I would've expected.  It was actually more sweet and almost nutty.  This wasn't spicy, so great for those who wanted something mild

Since we always struggle to get enough veggies when we were out-of-town, we got the Broccoli with garlic as a side.  This was fine as the broccoli was a little overdone, but definitely had lots of garlic.  Maybe a little lacking in the wok hei, but did the job nonetheless.  In fact, this meal did feed us and we were okay with it.  Nothing amazing and really, we don't think it was trying to be either.  They do need to have another ordering kiosk as the only one there doesn't do the job when there is a lineup.

The Good:

- Inexpensive

- Fresh handmade noodles have a good texture

The Bad:

- Food is only okay

- Ordering Kiosk is overwhelmed when there is a lineup   

Le Veau D'or

Here we were at an oldie but goodie in Le Veau D'or in NYC.  Established in 1937, it has been dishing up traditional French cuisine until its 5-year hiatus starting in 2019.  Thankfully, after the pandemic and other things, the place reopened in 2024 under the direction of chefs Lee Hanson and Riad Nasr.  We stopped by for their lunch menu which included 2 courses for $85.00.

Yah, I'm not normally talking about complimentary Bread these days, but this has to be pointed out because many places charge for bread now.  They kept refilling our bread tray as we were progressing through the meal.  It was some pretty standard stuff, but it did come plenty of butter and went well with my appie.

Now about that appie, I predictably went for the Tripes à la Mode.  Honestly, this looked more like a main than a starter.  It was chock full of tender strips of honeycomb tripe.  There was a tinge of gaminess, which was delicious to me.  However, the tripe had soak up all of the delicious braising jus.  There was rich sweetness from the carrots and onions while some earthiness came through as well.

Viv ended up with something much lighter than what I had in the Mackerel au Vin Blanc.  This was so colorful and beautifully-plated that it was a shame to eat it.  Well, we didn't just look at it, we ate it!  This was tasty and appetizing with bright acidity and herbaecousness.  Such a refreshing combination of crunchy cucumbers, tangy pickled onions and of course, meaty and intensely taste of the sea.

She followed that light appetizer with the Steak Frites with beurre maître d'hôtel.  The uniformly seared steak had a slightly crispy crust on the outside.  It was well-seasoned and also aided by the butter.  We requested medium-rare and it came out perfect.  Being well-rested, the meat was juicy and hence naturally meaty. 

Loved that they served the Frites on the side as it came in a large portion and stayed crispy until the end.  As you can see in the picture above, they were rather uniform which meant there was consistency with the texture and cook on them.  Crispy as mentioned with plenty of fluffy potato in the middle.  This was, of course, served with some aioli.

I went off the menu and had their daily feature in the Skate Wing.  This was pan-fried until there was a crispy sear on both sides.  This had all things great about skate wing where the meat was tender, slightly gelatinous with a chew, yet still plenty silky.  This was prepared with a brown butter sauce with capers that had a passing resemblance to piccata.  This was further exemplified by the balancing acidity.

Despite being really full from the dishes we had, we couldn't pass up dessert.  We decided on the Mousse au Chocolat since it was the "lightest" option.  Of course, the mousse was still pretty rich and creamy.  It had measured sweetness, hence, the chocolate did come through impactfully.  For textural contrast, we found a crunchy tuile on top.  Overall, we enjoyed our meal at Le Veau D'or.  It offered up a traditional French bistro experience with generous portions.  Definitely reminded me of some places we visited in Paris.

The Good:

- Delicious

- Large portions

- Classic, non-fussy experience

The Bad:

- A touch expensive compared to other similar restaurants

Dim Sum Palace

After watching Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, we wanted to grab some late dinner.  That wouldn't be a problem in the Theater District as there are plenty of places open late.  We ended up heading to Dim Sum Palace, only a couple of blocks from our hotel.  As its name suggests, they serve Dim Sum and in fact, it is all day!  Unlike some other all-day Dim Sum spots we've been to, this one maintains the same price all day.  It was quite busy and we were lucky to snag a table.  The service is rather efficient, with our water glasses never being empty.

To get a sense of the menu, we went for the Palace Dim Sum Platter consisting of 8 different dumplings.  These included Shrimp, Shrimp & Chive, Roast Duck, Pea Shoot, Veggie, Chicken, Pork & Chive and Shrimp with mayo.  The best of the bunch was the duck dumpling as the translucent wrapper was full of glutinous rice texture that was chewy in a good way.  Loved the duck too, tender and meaty.

 

Since the dumpling combo didn't include the Shrimp & Pork Siu Mai, we just had to get an order of it.  Although I would've preferred that the tobiko be placed on the siu mai after steaming, the dumplings ate well.  There was a buttery bounce texture to the pork and a snap to the shrimp.  A bit of brininess from the shrimp and tobiko added another layer of flavor to the pork filling.

 

Just by looking at the picture above, you will notice the ribbons of thin sheets of rice noodle.  Hence, the Shrimp Rice Noodle Roll was on point.  The rice noodle was silky and delicate while still having a rebounding elasticity.  Inside, the large shrimp were the proper texture being meaty but having a rebound texture.  They were sweet and had a natural brininess. 

 

Looking abnormally plump, the Steamed Chicken Feet were a bit hit and miss.  I thought the outside layer of skin was not fried enough, and hence was too soft and almost flabby.  However, the totality of the chicken foot was texturally-pleasing.  The fat and cartilage underneath were tender while not melting away.  As mentioned, these were plump, which meant there was more to eat off the bone.  Flavor was quite good being sweet and savoury with just the slightest of spice.

 

Portion size-wise, the Steamed Honeycomb Tripe was pretty meager.  There should have been half more on the plate.  In terms of texture, these were on the chewier side and could've used a bit more time on the braise (prior to steaming).  Nice flavor for the dish as the tripe had been cleaned properly and hence, it wasn't gamy.  Good balance of sweet and savoury.

Despite looking rather pale, the Steamed Steamed Pork Spareribs with black olive sauce were on point.  Almost all of the pieces were meaty with very little fat and cartilage.  Texturally, there was the desired bounce to the meat while still being meaty and not over-tenderized.  The "sauce" was quite fatty (as in completely made of oil), but the spareribs did have enough seasoning in terms of saltiness.

 

Since we wanted some leftovers, we got the always filling BBQ Pork Buns.  As evidenced in the picture above, there was a good filling to bun ratio where we had more than enough meat.  The slices of BBQ pork were fairly lean with only a few fatty bits.  Filling was saucy, but that made for a more moist texture combined with the fluffy bun.  Naturally, it tasted sweet, but it was still balanced off by saltiness too.

 

I really should have taken a picture with the Roast Duck Spring Rolls cut, but I wanted to eat them hot and not mess around too much.  I enjoyed these as the filling was not the usual pork nor shrimp.  Rather, the shredded duck add plenty of body and texture while it tasty unmistakably "ducky".  These were wound somewhat tight, hence they stayed intact even after our first bites.  The outer wheat wrapper was crunchy and not too greasy.

 

Ending off our late night Dim Sum adventure, we went for the Coconut Pudding.  It was served in a plastic container rather than in squares.  So we ended up eating this with a spoon and it was pretty silky and smooth.  I thought it was lightly sweet and plenty aromatic.  With all things considered, we felt Dim Sum Palace offered up decent eats at reasonable prices.  Loved that they serve it all day, including late night.  Perfect for a bite after a show nearby.

The Good:

- Decent eats

- Okay pricing

- Open late

The Bad:

- Obviously better Dim Sum could be had in Flushing, but we have to consider the location

Le Bernardin

When making reservations for restaurants I was planning to visit in NYC, I debated over whether to do lunch or dinner at Le Bernardin.   We ultimately decided on lunch as our schedule was rather packed.   For $137.00, it includes 3 courses plus amuse bouche, bread and mignardise.  If you don't already know, Le Bernardin is one of the best restaurants in NYC with a 3-Michelin Star designation.  Headed by Executive Chef Eric Ripert, it is well-known for it's seafood-focused menu.

We began with an Amuse Bouche consisting of 3 bits including Raw Fluke with cucumber and green apple, Hamachi Tart with watermelon radish and Lobster Capuccino. The green apple and diced cucumber "sauce" was almost like a gazpacho.  The raw fluke was delicate and sweet with the crunch of the cucumber being a nice contrast. The hamachi was buttery soft and had the sweetness of the sea.  My favorite of the trio was the lobster cappuccino.  The combination of lobster essence and truffle exuded luxury.  Some texture was provided by bits of lobster.

Moving onto some Bread, we had a choice of 4 different ones including brioche, mini-baguette, raisin walnut and focaccia.  We were able to try all of them, and the best of the bunch was definitely the focaccia.  With a prominent rosemary essence, the focaccia was flavorful and aromatic.  Texturally, it was fluffy with a chew.  We found the brioche to be pretty solid as well with layered butteriness to go with the crispy exterior.  The mini-baguette was a bit too hard for our liking despite the interior being soft and chewy.

For Viv's first course, she had the Black Cod Nobu San, which was an ode to Nobu.  Prepared in a similar fashion, the buttery black cod was full-flavored due to the miso marinade.  On the outside, there was caramelization to heighten the sweet saltiness.  In addition to this, we found baby turnip with yuzu kosho which added crunch and acidity.  That was further enhanced by the citrus olive oil dressing.

For myself, I went for the Scallops with Sea Urchin.  If there was anything to truly represent the seafood being served at Le Bernardin, this was it.  The precision and clarity within this dish was obvious with each component.  The sliced scallops were buttery and soft while just slightly touched by heat.  They were sweet and had the brightness of the sea.  Natural flavors and textures were highlighted, but then accented by the buttery sauce.  It provided the fattiness and silkiness that helped the creamy and sweet uni meld with the rest of the dish.

For her main, Viv selected the Pan-Roasted Merluza with stuffed baby sweet peppers and a lobster gumbo sauce.  Gently-prepared, the fish was so buttery and delicate.  This exemplified the high level of cookery we were enjoying.  That lobster gumbo sauce was so rich and concentrated.  Briny, sweet, aromatic and just a touch of spice.  Super delicious.

Seeing how the whole menu was seafood except for 2 dishes, I went for the Filet Mignon.  It was prepared medium-rare as requested and properly-rested.  Despite being properly-seasoned, the steak was also blessed with a red wine shallot sauce.  It added some tangy brightness.  On the side, we had celeriac "bone marrow" which featured it as a pavé.  Adding the silky richness of bone marrow, this was actually not as heavy as I thought.  Rather, by using celeriac, it was lighter and softer than using potato.  Loved the crispy top and edges.

Onto dessert, Viv ordered the Spiced Coffee which was a spiced date-coffee cake.  It was slightly dense due to the date, which also made it sweet.  However, the coffee and spice helped balance things out with slight bitterness and earthiness.  The crunch from the tuile helped add texture while the cold coffee ice cream provided creaminess and temperature contrast.

I went for the iconic warm Peruvian Chocolate Tart beautifully-plated with 3 different chocolate tuiles with a lattice design.  Beyond the crispy chocolate treats, we found creamy Tahitian vanilla ice cream atop the aforementioned tart.  It was so chocolaty and rich with bitter dark chocolate.  Contrasting this was the firm tart shell that was only slightly sweet with another dose of chocolate.

Our final bites included Apple Butter Financier, Dark Chocolate Passionfruit and Salted Caramel Macaron.  Loved the buttery and sweet financier while the passionfruit really came through with a tangy sweetness to go with the silky and bitter dark chocolate.  Wasn't a fan of the macaron as it was a bit dense, yet it tasted good.  Overall, our visit to Le Bernardin was a bit hit and miss.  The food was generally fantastic, but the service was not representative of a Michelin 3-star establishment.  Having to ask for something twice and only getting it right on the 3rd try is unacceptable.

The Good:

- Intricate execution

- Lovely dining room

- Generally on point service

The Bad:

- For Michelin 3-star, one shouldn't need to ask 3 times for something

Joe's Pizza

Walking back to our hotel after exiting the Times Square station, we were looking for some food to bring back to our room.  Lo and behold, a long lineup (for the slices) appeared in front of us on Broadway.  The place was Joe's Pizza, which to some, is a NYC favourite.  Is it a tourist trap?  We lined up to see for ourselves.  Of note, be sure to line up for the slices, not the "Pies Only" storefront (unless you wanted a whole pie).

We decided on 5 slices and really, there was only around 7 choices anyways.  Naturally, we got the baseline in the Fresh Mozzarella.  It featured a tangy tomato sauce that wasn't too acidic.  There was a smattering of mozzarella to give it some body.  However, it was the crust that was the best part of it.  In addition to be properly salted, the crust had a nuttiness to it and it was uniformly crispy on the crust and bottom.  It had a classic chewiness that had a good mouth-feel.  We also had the Pepperoni and it ate quite differently as it had a denser cheese and of course had some meaty and pepper slices of pepperoni.

Our favorite of the bunch was the Supreme sporting tomatoes, sausage and red onion.  This was the most robust slice as the combination of cheese and sausage provided heft in terms of each bite.  Lots of saltiness was from the different ingredients.  The addition of tomatoes provided some moisture while the onions afforded some sharpness and bite.

Something much less heavy and devoid of meat was their Caprese Pizza.  As the name suggests, it consisted of fresh tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil.  The combination of ingredients meant things were light and a bit wet.  However, the crust was up to the challenge and held up, staying chewy and dry.

The last slice was the White with Fresh Spinach & Garlic.  With the absence of tomato sauce, we got much more the nuttiness from the crust.  Furthermore, the taste of the spinach and garlic was devoid of competing flavors.  Really simple, but delicious and uncluttered.  All-in-all, we found Joe's Pizza quite solid and definitely quenched our NYC thin-crust pizza cravings.  I'm sure we will find even better on our future NYC travels, but Joe's is a good choice despite its touristy location.

The Good:

- Crispy and chewy crust

- Not too many choices, which makes it easy to order

- Not a crazy amount of sauce, so the crust doesn't get soggy

The Bad:

- Um, the lineup, but it moves

Penny NYC

Fresh off an overly hot visit to SoCal, we were on our way to NYC to enjoy cooler temperatures.  The main reason we were here was to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on Broadway.  Seeing how this was written as a play with a book that was just the script, it didn't seem like it would ever be made into a movie (also especially with the controversy surrounding JK Rowling).  Therefore, we made the trip out to NYC for the first time in 10 years.  We flew into Newark this time and trained it into Manhattan.  After dropping off our luggage, we made our way to Penny NYC.  This higher-end seafood spot in the East Village is run by the same team at Claud and features bar seating that also welcomes walk-ins.  We had made a reservation, so that ensured we had a seat upon arrival.

After perusing the menu, we decided to start with their Sesame Brioche with butter.  Okay, this brioche was fantastic being super fluffy and buttery with an aromatic crust.  It had milk bread vibes with its texture.  Combined with the creamy whipped butter with flaked salt, this was definitely one of the highlights.  

However, we were here for more than the bread, so we also had the Tuna Carpaccio with ciopolini onions, olives and olive oil.  Super simple, but that only helped highlight the buttery tuna that was fresh and sweet with an essence of the sea.  With a little EVOO for added silkiness and aroma as well as onions for a bit of a bright bite, these did not take away from the fresh tuna. 

Of course, no visit to Penny would be complete without one of their Ice Boxes.  We ended up with their $45.00 Ice Box consisting of Oysters, Countnecks, Shrimp, Mussels and Scallop Crudo.  Given the quality of the components, we thought the price point was reasonable.  The oysters were sweet with definite brininess.  Lots of natural flavor there.  Those countneck clams were super plump and sweet.  Loved the delicate texture as they were super easy to eat.   Mussels were equally plump and also tender.  Of course there was the usual brininess present.  Since they used Argentine shrimp, the flavor was much more pronounced.  They super sweet had aromatic lobster vibes with a softer texture.  Last item in the box was the buttery sweet scallop crudo. 

It didn't look like much, but the Seafood Broken Rice (with Maine Uni +$23.00) was super delicious.  Acting like a quasi-risotto, the rice was creamy and flavorful.  Lots of seafood notes from the fish, squid and shrimp as well as the textures.  This was also seasoned to the point where it could've been salty, but it wasn't.  The addition of Maine Uni afforded another layer of sweetness while adding a custardy texture to the rice.

Pretty unassuming and served in their shells, the Baked Razor Clams were pretty tasty.  The buttery pieces of razor clam were bathed in a béchamel, pickled piquillo peppers, and topped with a fried potato crumble.  Once again, a nice balance of textures from the clams to the creamy béchamel and crispy crumble on top.  Wedge of lemon provided the necessary acidity. 

One of the larger dishes we had was the Rainbow Trout with a beurre rouge.  The trout itself was prepared masterfully with crispy, well-seasoned skin while the fish itself was still a bit rare and buttery.  Instead of a beurre blanc, we found a beurre rouge that was silky, slightly tangy and featured dark fruit notes.  This was more robust than a white sauce and really complimented the chanterelles (and their earthiness).

For dessert, we had their Ice Cream Sandwich featuring the same sesame brioche.  Hence, the soft bread shaped itself to the malted ice cream.  Loved the crunch from the broken meringue pieces.  Although we weren't stuffed after the dishes we had, we were still quite satisfied.  The point of the place is for good drinks and some delicious bites on the side.  Would come back when in NYC.

The Good:

- Nice vibe

- Solid seafood plates

- Reasonable pricing with all things considered

The Bad:

- Only bar seating, if that is not your thing