Battle of the Dogs

New Yorkers are pretty passionate about their hot dogs.

Nathan's Hot Dogs. Grey Papaya. Papaya King. Shake Shack. (I'll get to that one in a later post).

I'm an okaay hot dog fan. (Say Whaat?) I mean they are good but I don't think they fill me up as much as hamburgers and honestly not worth the caloric intake. However, a couple of months ago when Mr. Broad and I got tickets to see an off Broadway show (Fuerza Bruta) we decided to do something on the cheaper side. Because the half price ticket booth we waited in line for was half price of uh, a lot. So Mr. Broad suggested a hot dog. I finally agreed. Okay, I really didn't want to go but the whole eat for cheap/trying to save money guilt did me in.

Crif Dogs
113 St. Marks Place nr. Ave A

We walk in to a typical East Village/St. Mark's place.

Hipster. Cheap beer or BYOB. Decals on the walls. Old school video games. White guy behind the counter in dreads.

The menu was a bit different than your average hot dog place. Actually come to think of it, I don't know what your average hot dog place is??

After studying the hipness of the menu the even hipper guy behind the cash register sensed our hesitation and offered his favorites.
Okay.
May I bring you:

Chihuahua
A bacon wrapped dog covered with avocados and sour cream


Spicy Redneck:
A house dog, bacon wrapped, with chili, coleslaw, and jalapenos


Yes! Crif dogs! We are soo cool, eating amongst the East Village crowd. And they have RC Cola!
Mr. Broad: I mean, you have to order RC Cola if they have it.
Obvi.

Out comes the two dogs. On one paper plate. Right, Right we said.
Mr. Broad: It's part of their thing here. It's cause it's so cool and cheap.
Obvi.

Review:
Okay, here come the flames. The hot dogs were good but not amazing. I think a lot had to do with the buns. Maybe they were sitting out all day. Maybe we were too sober. But either way, the bread was a bit on the stale side. Unfortunately this hurt the overall taste of the hot dogs. An innovative menu but really just not as good as all the hype. Actually I am sure Crif Dogs have been featured in the gluttonous website- This is why you're fat.

Mr. Broad still enjoyed it but as I expected as we finished our dogs Mr. Broad wanted another one. It is a very cool menu but definitely leaves you unsatisfying. Lucky for us, we left Crif Dogs while still having a cheap dinner for two.
Rating 6 (Mr. Broad said it was a 5. Although is up for regrading it again after a late night out).

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Learning How to Coexist: A Walk Through Jackson Heights

Welcome to Jackson Heights. Where streets are littered with food carts comprised of tacos, quesadillas, grilled corn, arepas, and fruits. And the stores range from discount clothing, Quinceanera party stores, to the most insane tzchakees I've ever seen. Several blocks down the food switches along with the people. Indian grocery stores, curry, curry and more curry.

I've never seen anything like this. It wasn't so much the vendors or even the store fronts. It was the people. Yeah, I know it's New York and all but I was enamored by the diversity. A Jewish center down the street, after more google work I found that one of my favorite comedians Don Rickles is from Jackson Heights!! Okay, okay lots of history in this area... and according to my research, Jackson Heights is over 50% immigrants. So obviously the food is going to be authentic.

Jackson Heights is one of those places that foodies relish in, walking the streets to try some good ol' street meats- vendor food. Even while typing up this article, a new blog post showed in my reader of a guy doing a vendor tour through Jackson Heights. Hell, one guy even created a google map on it. With map in hand we went.

First up:
Elotes
It's roasted corn on a stick with lots of seasoning, butter, and possibly mayonnaise. Sounds gross? It was awesome. Mr. Broad has even made a variation of this before (Ah-mazing!!). Ya know how when you go to theme parks people get those huge turkey legs? I guess this is Mexico's version. I've never had the turkey leg but I'll stick to the corn...




Quesadillas
Cause what's a stop to Mexico without a tortilla with cheese and chicken.

Tacos
I went with the chicken version and probably one of the best I've ever had...

Tortes
Mr. Broad went for the sandwich version of a taco. With some more spices on it. Cause bigger is better...
I don't remember what this was but it was similar to an empanada... Filled with chicken, potatoes, and seasoning....

We stopped in a Mexican grocery store to get some cheaper spices and I stumbled upon the Goya aisle. Uh, what's up target market?


Overall a walk through Jackson Heights is very impressive. Affordable yet quality food combined with authentic eats. Unfortunately we were both too stuffed to enjoy any of the South Asian treats, but of course we managed to go to the largest Indian grocery store in the western hemisphere. For those looking for a cheap meal but not lacking in quality? May I suggest a venture down the 7 train and a warm welcome to street meat. Foreign language lessons not included.

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A Policeman's Snack: Doughnuts and Coffee

Just another Saturday trodding around the city and helping out the economy when Mr. Broad and I were looking for a good coffee place. But we got sidetracked. OH don't we always.

The Doughnut Plant
379 Grand Street

If you have watched Bobby Flay's Throwdown challenges on the Food Network you may have caught the doughnut challenge a year or so ago. While I can't remember the winner, the reaction of the competitor- Marc Israel, was priceless. If you are going to be challenged by Bobby Flay wouldn't you consider it, oh I don't know flattering?? Marc Israel on the other hand was not in the best mood. It was severly entertaingly awesome.

(If you are able to find the video online of Israel's reaction- please send!!)

But the doughnuts.
(Sidebar: is it donut or doughnut? I'm going doughnuts.)

There were so many different flavors of doughnuts Mr. Broad and I didn't know where to begin. Cake vs. Yeast. Peanut Butter Glaze? Tres Leches?! Black Out chocolate?

In a panic I chose a Meyer Lemon donught.

I blew up the picture so you can see the lemon bits on the glaze.

Mr. Broad went with a glazed Strawberry jam filled.

Where's the jam? Ooh, it's around the hole!

Ah.some. There was a line out the door when we arrived so we knew they were going to be good. We just didn't realize HOW good. You could tell the strawberry jam was actually real homemade jam and not that sweet, sugary kind. My meyer lemon had bits of lemon pieces around the glaze and yet wasn't the pucker-up kind. The negative of c0urse is the price- at $2.50 or so a doughnut it is a bit pricy considering, but they are plenty large and obviously a nice treat. And so worth it.

Also, I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that the specialty doughnuts shops are going to pop up soon similar to cupcakes. And if not they should. Cause we'd be there. We've been told this is one of the NYC's must go-to places. Check!

The Roasting Plant

81 Orchard Street (also at 75 Greenwich St.)

And a short walk from the doughnut plant is yet another plant. Not your normal, hang out, sit down and read a newspaper coffeeshop; this one actually revolves around the (gasp!) coffee! Numerous flavors to chose from, it's a small shop with friendly staff. Plus you can buy your own coffee similar to getting M&Ms at the M&M store. An overpriced scam I've fallen for-- Note: M&Ms ALL taste the same no matter the color. Just because you put pink, purple, blue and orange in the same bag- they all tastes the same. You're just out $8. The coffee here, however, is pretty reasonable yet your per pound may cost a bit more than your M&Ms. And Mr. Broad couldn't stop exclaiming, "Wow, this coffee kicks the crap out of Starbucks!"

Their picture is much better here. But you get the point. It's good coffee and does something with technology to make the coffee fresh. Every now and then you'll see beans flying through the pipes. It's cool. Oh yeah, and tastes good.

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