Hell’s Kitchen has enough going for it (while not falling into the EV trap of too much) that it deserves a thread of its own. Apart from the discussion last year of whether it contains a new Chinatown there does not appear to be a recent (or any?) thread devoted to the food delights of this nbd and its broad edges.
How broad should these edges be? I suggest that on the east they be bounded by the east side of 8th Ave (on the west you’re in Times Square, or whatever, and out of luck), on the north by 60th (stretching a bit, I know), on the west by the Hudson (stretching again – but where do you stop? 10th? 11th?), and on the South by 32nd (but I am a man of the people, and can be bought; I can go all the way down to Chelsea Market if you pay me enough). My boundaries envelope that amorphous, growing baby-disease called Hudson Yards, but that’s to the good. The sooner it’s smothered, the better.
OK, to food. Off the top of my head, these:
Esposito Meat Market, SE corner of 38th and 9th. (A decade ago, for a Les Miserables party I was throwing, I needed/wanted to make boeuf bourguignon. They brought out an entire half-cow from the refrigerator, heaved it onto a big stainless-steel table, and talked to me at length about how to put together 15 lbs of the best cuts for my stew. Where else can you get that?) It’s not clear how long old-school shops like this will survive. Enjoy them while you can.
Sea Breeze Fish Market, NW corner of 40th and 9th. A little uneven in quality, and eerily reminiscent of New Deal Fish Market in Cambridge, but their great strength is that at any given time they can cut you steaks of several types of fish: blue snapper, kingfish, occasionally halibut, and so forth. I’m much more a steak man than a filet and I appreciate this. I’ve had good shrimp (several sizes) and suchlike from them as well. As of Esposito, stores such as this are not long for our new world. Fish there while that’s still possible.
There’s more to say about this nbd, including a recent find or two, but let me get the ball rolling down 9th with these.
Saar. No one link to give, so you’ll have to work for your kebabs by hunting around HO, but all the chicken ones here are excellent. And, all the work behind the hunting will have given you an appetite. The best chicken kebabs I’ve had outside India. The flat breads (naan, roti, and suchlike) are also good, and those + kebabs make a terrific meal. Other dishes here are meh-to-miserable, but I usually balance the kebab meat with either okra or the dal tadka (not the overly rich makhani – unless you like wallowing in creaminess) or the baingan/eggplant. A word or twenty on their desserts: their gulab jamun is more kala jamunish, but that’s to the good, and they are one of the few places that offers shahi tukra.
I’m moving in stages, so I’ll stop here with this.
Moving along, over the last two weeks I’ve walked up 8th Ave twice to Columbus Circle., both times on the edge of Hell’s Kitchen. There was little of note, except one, new, spectacular place (next post). Places come and go, and increasingly the newer places represent chains. Within the Time-Warner Center things were largely unchanged, except that the excellent Bouchon Bakery on the third floor is now replaced by Tartinery. I got a so-so roast beef sandwich, low on meat, heavy on arugula (but also very low on price – $9) and a very good apple-cider mini-bundt, with a crunchy exterior. Would that not kill me, I’d eat it again and again and again.
Prior to that visit was a wander around the Turnstyle Market underneathish. It’s much reduced from what it was (and never spectacular even then). There’s a place with dumplings, one with baked empanadas, one with bubble tea. I can’t see myself diving back down any time soon.
My main stop was at Bāng, back to the 3rd floor of the TW Center. Still excellent. My spicy-pork one was perhaps a little overly sauced but very, very tasty nevertheless. It’s $12 now, but still as substantial as ever.
My big find on 8th was the new (opened in May) Spitfire Cheese & Sundry on the SW corner of 55th and 8th. I stumbled upon them last week and they show considerable promise. Here’s their cheese case from left to right:
Much of what they carry are standard cheeses (of the blues above: one Roquefort, a Gorgonzola, a Bayley Hazen, and 2–3 others). You’re not going to get multiple Roqueforts to compare (at one glorious point at Formaggio Kitchen, Cambridge (MA), they had a tasting of 7 Roqueforts from 7 different caves), or anything really unusual. But it’s a fantastic start, and I wish them every success. Their cases are set up to have room to grow. I urge those of you who consider yourselves cheesy to shop here for a bit and boost them. (Go there away from the lunch rush, though. Only the two principals were working there on my two visits and they were too harried and occupied at lunchtime to talk cheese.)
The rest of the store is given to what’s now expected in “high end” food stores: tinned fish, nice oils, potato chips, a few jams, etc. They seem to particularly like inserting Asian touches throughout: their pasta shelf has both Italian pasta and Chinese noodles, their hot sauces are intermingled with chili crisp (LGM, not any fancier brand), etc. All to the good in a neighborhood that’s otherwise riddled with chain stores.
Thanks for opening this one. Still, one of my favorite food neighborhoods even though I dont spend nearly as much time as I used to. Many good places like Gazala (The only Druze restaurant in the city), and Ñaño Ecuadorian Kitchen didnt survive the pandemic. Gotham West Market lost all its original tenants, but still going strong, especially with dell’anima (underrated Italian).
Some of the best places closed due to fires, but reopened, kinda. Danji finally reopening soon. They had a Michelin star for like 5 minutes. My favorite Tofu dish in town. Taboon reopened as Frena after the fire. Now owned by the chef.
Still, the place to go for Thai food. Pure Thai Cookhouse is an institution. One of the friendliest owners you’ll ever meet. Lum Lum is great. I’ll try to have more later.
I was hoping you’d chime in. I was a big fan (silently) of your explorations of this nbd in the earlier days. At Danji I was always partial to their scallion&shrimp pancake.
Don Antonio (50th, betw. 8th and 9th) has, of course, terrific pizza, and also really good appetizers and decent salads. You’d alerted me years ago to slices at Sacco (819 9th), and they’re still good. I also like their gaucho pie.
Right next to Sea Breeze Fish, there’s International Grocery with its barrels of lentils, beans, rice, etc., vats of olives, and an impressive range of spices. Another old-school place that’s not going to be around for long.
Speaking of spices, there’s that temple of spices, La Boîte, at 11th and 51st. In the the pre- days I’d go there just for the thrill of pressing a buzzer on an unmarked door, to be let into a cloud of spices being freshly ground. As far as I can tell, although they still operate, the walk-in is not yet open again.
I was astounded and gratified that Poseidon was still operating on my last visit - some of their stuff has incredibly interesting spicing compared to many modern greek bakeries - several pastries with clove and I think gum arabic - but it seemed like mostly a trickle of tourists patronizing instead of the vibrant community that was previously in that area.
I would think the spices would be mastic and mahlepi /mahleb, in addition to clove.
Mastic is a type of gum arabic, and Greek Mastic is only grown commercially on the island of Chios, as far as I’m aware. Mastic is traditionally used in most Greek Easter breads (Tsoureki, now available year-round, with chocolate dipped varieties also available), along with the mahlepi (stone of the St Lucy cherry), usually.
Some regional variations omit mastic or mahlepi, or add cinnamon or cardamom.
Some kourabiedes are made with a little mastic or mahlepi, as well.
I haven’t noticed them being used in baklava.
Clove is used in my family’s baklava, in the syrup, but also with one clove studded into each diamond shaped piece to help keep the filo attached on top.
Possibly Rosewater in some lokum.
My handle is the word Phoenikia because I was a little obsessed with finikia/ melomakarona when I created a foodblog and a handle in 2006.
When I lived in Midtown 30 years ago, Poseidon seemed to be the only traditional Greek bakery on Manhattan.
I tried the upscale /modern Greek coffee shop / bakery /casual lunch place in SoHo twice, on trips in 2018 and 2019, and I was not impressed by their filo pies, baking or savoury dishes. The flavours were okay but the preparations were weak.
yes I failed to mention that mahlep is in their mix in some items, which I particularly like - it has such a terrific almond-ish flavor from the ground cherry kernels.
My bad. thanks for theadded detail. I m no expert, but I liked their melakaroma.
Also, butter is important, many of the greek bakeries and middle easter bakeries in NY seem to cutting corners on that.
Cutting corners on butter is also common in Toronto.
When I buy prepared frozen burek or filo pies from Greek bakeries or regular grocery stores, I brush them lightly with melted butter before baking. A lot of people have gotten used to filo pastries that have not been brushed with enough butter or oil in their prep. A lot of bakeries serve filo pastries and pies that are underbuttered.
A lot of commercial Greek kourabiedes are made with a shortening or margarine, with a taste I dislike, instead of butter, or in addition to butter.
