Came in on the red eye and had to get out to Long Island the next morning for thanksgiving prep but squeezed a lot in.
Sofia Pizza , 54th and First
Breakfast slices
I guess they got a bunch of press for a $38 pizza that is labor intensive with a long dough prep, but the counter guy said they don’t make them anymore. Slices were excellent, light crispy crust, balanced toppings. Aunt said her grandma slice was good.
Russ and Daughters
Picked up lox, gravlax, capers, chopped chicken liver and black and white cookies to bring out to the family for pre thanksgiving breakfast.
Katz’s for lunch
Years ago I lived three blocks from Katz’s but haven’t been back in probably 10 years. Pastrami is still sublime and the bread still sucks.
Ess-a-Bagel
Dozen bagels for the family and everything bagel with nova, capers and red onion for breakfast.
They do such high volume that the bagels are still hot out of the oven.
So we had an ess-a-bagel debate when i took pick-a-bagel bagels out west last week or so. I hate when my everything bagel has (a) almost no everything seasoning on it, and/or (2) no coverage on the bottom. Great bagels, but then I could just get a plain bagel
Ok 36 hours this time. Had a lot going on so didn’t have time to make any reservations and had to play it loose based on where we were.
Luke’s Lobster, Grand Central Terminal- because the Oyster Bar was closed!! And we had time to kill with luggage. Solid rolls, fresh and decent size and the special roll, chips, chowder and fancy soda for $44 is a relative bargain.
Guantanamera
Because we (I!) were in the mood for Cuban walking distance from my aunt’s. Excellent cubano, really tasty garlic/wine shrimp, great sauce to dip plantains and fried calamari, and solid caipirinha.
L’Industrie, Williamsburg
Great slices, thin crispy flavorful crust, well balanced sauce/toppings. Got there shortly after opening so not much wait but long line when we left.
Gage and Tollner, Brooklyn
Strong cocktails, great atmosphere- we got a booth! Clams on the half were so perfect we ate two dozen. Clams casino had a tad too much breading for my taste. She crab soup was rich and delicious. Classic Caesar salad. The mains are heavy on steaks but I don’t really order them in restaurants cause I make a great steak, so we got fried chicken. Cornmeal crust was super crispy and not greasy but a bit thick. I’d skip and get more apps instead, like the chicken liver mousse and sautéed mushrooms. Boozy eggnog for dessert. Really enjoyable meal.
Hamburger America
Specializes in regional US diner burger styles. Quite good, key lime pie and egg creams were decent. They need to change their seating game though, several amusing confrontations while we waited for a counter seat (“It’s called a line, L-I-N-E!! Then why are you waiting over here? CAUSE I’M WAITING FOR A HIP REPLACEMENT AND NEED TO LEAN ON SOMETHING!!)
