Review: Cheap-Ass Food of New York

Street food in the city that never sleeps

So, I am a cheap ass.  I love cheap food.  From the second we stepped off the bus onto the streets of Manhattan, my senses were assaulted by the allure of budget treats in every direction.  In this post, I will do a quick description of each one I ate and rate it.

PIZZA

We rushed from the bus stop to our hotel.  Unpacked and ran to the nearest pizzeria.  I am a huge fan of the stuff and have heard that NYC pies are second to none.  I couldn’t wait to try some.

The place we went to was a really simple hole-in-the-wall type joint.  Walk up, order pizza, pay some dude behind a metal grate and chow down.  It was 1.75 per slice for cheese, but the Hawaiian looked so amazing I just had to indulge.  For 2.50 I got a hefty slice of pizza slathered with rich bacon bits and tangy pineapple.  It was divine to say the least.  My mouth waters just thinking about the stuff.

As you can see from the pics, the sign just said ‘Pizza 202-840-3767′ on the outside.  We never got a card, but it was right near our hotel, the Americana Inn on 38th and 6th.

NYC Pizza TBD Rating: The slice was perfect.  Perfectly done, perfectly crunchy, and perfectly executed toppings.  I don’t expect to taste such pizza for many years.

Hot Nutz (Not a strip-club review)

I sure worked up a hunger in the hustle and bustle of NYC.  Between shopping, site-seeing, and general loitering one requires a little snack from time to time.  Enter Nuts 4 Nuts.

Nuts 4 Nuts is a chain of street snack carts spread out over Manhattan.  For $1.50-$3.00 the wandering tourist can select a tasty treat of candied nuts.  They offer cashews, macadamias, almonds, peanuts, and mixed.

The morsels are crunchy and sweet.  They spare no sugary goodness when preparing the nuts and they often come out hot.  We had a lot of these things and LOVED them.

TBD Nuts 4 Nuts Rating: For the price, you get a really tasty little pick-me-up and the product is fresh and crunchy.

The Beloved Chinese Food

One of my main goals for NYC was the reputed Chinese food.  People always talk about it (in Chinese take-out conessour groups at least).  So, needless to say, when we were in Chinatown and in for a quick break, my gaze was drawn directly to a big sign that said: “$4.50 Dine In”

It was like a beacon to every Chinese food-loving-cheap-asses everywhere.  I convinced Linds to hazard a try and we went in.  It was packed. We paid, got a tray, and proceeded over to the buffet where you point to foods you want and the servers behind the sneeze guard shovel up massive amounts of MSG-ridden sugary Americanized Chinese food.  It was just okay.  You really get what you pay for. For $4.50, we got a plate loaded with slightly good food and a bowl of terrible soup.

TBD NYC Chinese Food Rating: For 4.50, we got exactly what we paid for, but the quantity made it slightly above average.

Cheap Ass Breakfast

NYC is cold in the winter time.  Very cold.  Littered about the city in the morning hours are little breakfast carts with (scalding) hot coffee and pastries.  Wait for it… FOR ONLY $1.75!!!   At that price, the food was slightly above average, but the service was great. They put sugar and cream in for you; but beware, the sugar hand can be a little heavy for me (and I like sugary coffee).  You can always ask for more sugar.   Best ask for one scoop at first then see how you like it.

TBD NYC Breakfast Stand Rating:   Rock solid value, service with a smile, and wide variety of pastries makes this breakfast stop a GREAT budget option for travelers looking to save some pennies for the other NYC delights.

Where’s the Beef?: Carnegie Deli

Okay, okay!  I know Carnegie Deli is not anywhere NEAR a budget option, but we went there and I figured I would throw it in to this review.  This is an iconic NYC experience that many have high hopes for.

The line is huge, prepare yourself accordingly.  I think we waited in line almost an hour.  When we finally got in (or were rushed in to our tiny table), we ordered the iconic dish, the big-ass pastrami sandwich, and about 5 minutes later it was hulking before our very eyes.  Tip: Unless you’re a food eating champ, share the Hot Pastrami sandwich with someone.  It is huge.

After the sandwich we had the famous cheesecake- easily the best we’ve ever had.

TBD Carnegie Deli Total Experience Rating: Lines, rushed dining experience, sub par / fatty meat, crumbly bread, and almost $50.00, do the iconic Carnegie Deli experience to say you did it; but don’t expect to be super-impressed with the cuisine.

TBD Carnegie Cheesecake Rating: Simply the best cheesecake we’ve ever had and expect to have.  Crunch fresh strawberries and syrup adorned the savory behemoth cheesecake that lingered before us.  It was truly awesome and worth the marginal previous experience.  Again, the single ordered slice was more than enough for my wife and I.

So, I hope these musings on the budget dining (and Carnegie Deli) of NYC prove to be helpful.  Let me know if you agree, think I’m way out of line, have more suggestions, or have any questions!

Tags: Budget travel, food reviews, new york reviews

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 13th, 2010 at 8:23 pm and is filed under Blakesjourney. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.