A Full Belly

dash dogs does sliders

Dash Dogs on Rivington (between Norfolk and Essex) is one of my favorite cheap eats in the city, $5 for two hotdogs with your choice of toppings and a drink, plus the guys who run it are really nice. They recently added sliders to their menu, so I asked the proprietors why and they said it was basically because, after a year in business, none of them could eat hotdogs anymore. Ha!

$6 buys you three little hamburgers with any toppings (the same fancy things that go on their hotdogs; try the cilantro salsa and garlic aoili or the avocado salsa, cheese and bacon) and a drink. Pretty good deal, and the sliders are fairly tasty, although my current favorites are still the ones at Burke in the Box. Read about those and more in A Hamburger Today's tiny hamburgers archives.

Oh, Clinton Street Bakery

Dear Clinton Street Bakery,

Shame on me for ordering something to go off your sidewalk sandwich board while I was out walking my dog without first checking the price, but extra double shame on you for charging fifteen fucking dollars for a vanilla buttermilk waffle. Granted, it came with delicious fresh fruit and was a good waffle, but even if it had been the best waffle to ever grace the taste buds of a human being it still wouldn't have been worth fifteen fucking dollars. Goddamn! I know—believe me, I know—New York is expensive but c'mon, by anyone's standards fifteen fucking dollars for a waffle is ridiculous.

Boo,
Lia

NYC LES Greenmarket

The Greenmarket is now in the Lower East Side, on Orchard Street between Delancey and Broome. Market hours are Sundays, 10am - 5pm. Anyone make it down there this weekend?

Handy map of all Greenmarket locations and hours (pdf).

afternoon snack, lower east side-style

Buy a pork banh mi sandwich on Mulberry and a taro slush bubble tea on Grand, then enjoy your delicious treats while watching a futbol match on Chrystie. I love New York.

egg rolls & egg creams

NYC This Sunday, June 5 from 12 to 4 p.m. check out the free Egg Rolls & Egg Creams Block Party being thrown by the Eldridge Street Synagogue: "Celebrate the two cultures, Chinese-American and East European Jewish, that make our Lower East Side block so dynamic. Experience the traditions of the Synagogue's founders, as well as the customs and crafts of the Chinese immigrants who are our neighbors. This family-friendly event features storytelling, craft demonstrations, hands-on art activities, great music and, of course, kosher egg rolls and egg creams!" It's events like this that really make you appreciate living in such a melting pot of a city.

Kuma Inn

Among New York City foodies, it is no secret that there are no secrets. A good thing, too --- a kept secret is more likely to become a closed restaurant or vanished food cart. However there are some hard to find spots, places that you are less likely to stumble across by accident. Kuma Inn is just such a place.

Events at Suba

"In New York, it is not unusual to eat below street level. But Suba is something else. The descent to the dining room is a plunge into the netherworld, a series of twists and turns along a staircase made from industrial grating that delivers you, eventually, to a weirdly lighted windowless brick room. The platformlike dining area is surrounded by a moat of rushing water, illuminated to give off a fitful, flickering light."

Suba is hosting two series of events, suitable to its unique dining environment. First, The Diner in the Dark Chef Series to benefit the City Harvest charity. Waiters wearing night-vision goggles lead diners into the blackened dining room at Suba. Without being able to see their food, diners must rely on their other senses. A different guest chef will prepare a five-course dinner each week for four consecutive weeks. For reservations, call 212-982-5714, ext. 3. Schedule as follows:

October 27 - Alex Urena (Marseille)
November 3 - Chris Santos (Mojo)
November 10 - Alex Garcia (Calle Ocho)
November 17 - Anita Lo (Annisa)

Ed. Note: This particular event would be a great way to experience the Suba environs without the risk of submitting yourself to Chef Stephane Buchholzer's bizarre food pairings.

Pushcart NYC

NYC Eats is going to have to venture into Lockhart Steele's 'hood to visit Pushcart NYC ( corner of Ludlow and Stanton Sts, 11 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays) for a kim chi hot dog. The NY Daily Sun recently paid a visit to Pushcart:

. . . Whether or not that’s an accurate description, kim chi is a surprisingly perfect hot dog topping: The combination of juicy grilled frank and cool, crisp, fiery cabbage is a sublime exercise in contrasting flavors and textures, especially if you add a sprinkling of nutty, crackly salted fish. (Regular hot dogs are $1.50; Korean condiments bring the price up to $2.)

. . . Perhaps less American but still equally tasty is Mr. Talbot’s rendition of bulgogi — grilled, marinated, thinsliced beef wrapped in a romaine lettuce leaf with sushi rice and all his Korean condiments. (One hefty roll is $4, which includes a free cup of apple cider or homemade lemonade.) And let’s not forget the Carolina-style barbecued chicken, available in either wing or sandwich form, whose sweetand-sourness masks a spicy heat that builds in the back of your throat.

[Via Gawker.com]

Schiller's Liquor Bar

Lockharte Steele reviews Schiller's Liquor Bar (131 Rivington St at Norfolk St):

We're sorry for irresponsibly spreading the "German-Jewish" rumors, cuz this joint is a bistro—straight up, kids, if you don't count the once-a-week weiner schnitzel special—with good food done at a nice price. Though you may want to travel to check it out (best reason to visit from afar: the tilework), it's really a gift to the neighborhood, a place that will be at its best 3pm on a winter Saturday.

See also: Felix Salmon's review.

Other reviews: Digital City, NYTimes

Official website, including menus

Teany website

Moby's Teany (90 Rivington St. at Orchard St.) now has its own website, including menu and tea list.
(Via Absolutely Vile)

Reviews: Citysearch, Digital City, NYMetro, NYTimes

Dinner at WD-50

Friday night and a birthday combined for the perfect excuse to enjoy our first meal at WD~50. We started off with the ruby red shrimp and squid linguine -- both were outstanding and the squid linguine particularly memorable. For our main course, I had the monkfish and he had the Flatiron beef. The monkfish was the one disappoint of the evening -- too subtle to be compelling and ultimately bland, except for the accompanying medallion of monkfish liver. In contrast, the flatiron beef was melt-in-your mouth good and the accompanying bone marrow tart was perfectly delightful on the tongue. We finished it all off with tomato-mango ravioli and Gianduja parfait. The tomato-mango ravioli was an unusal and pleasing flavor combination, and served with a rich yogurt sorbet; the Gianduja parfait was simply perfect. We look forward to exploring the menu further on our next visit.

Our meal:
Appetizers:
Ruby red shrimp, onion-clove compote, red pepper
Squid linguine, canteloupe melon, serrano ham, sweet paprika
Mains:
Monkfish, snow peas, oyster mushrooms, bonito broth, mint oil
Flatiron beef, chinese broccoli, shallots, smoked paprika/bone marrow tart
Desserts:
Gianduja parfait, chocolate cream, kumquat coulis
Tomato-mango ravioli, yogurt sorbet, crunchy honey

Reviews: Citysearch, NYMetro, NYPost, NYTimes

WD~50
50 Clinton Street
Phone: 212.477.2900

MTV VMA Awards $8.28

LowerEastSideNY.com is running a promotion through tomorrow to celebrate MTV VMA Awards this Thursday, 8/28 -- participating restaurants are offering $8.28 dinner entrees. Participating restaurants include: Aka Cafe, Azul Bistro, Basso Eat, Cafe Chabon, Crudo, Essex, 1492, Katz's, Lansky Lounge, Monterone, Oliva, Paladar, Petrosino, Pink Pony, Punch & Judy, and Verlaine.

Link via Gothamist