Eating in New York is dangerous. There are tourist traps everywhere — good food that is really expensive, pretty food that is no good, or food that is just plain bad. My latest trip to New York (pics) was foodgasmic.
We went to Katz, 2nd Ave Deli, Blue Smoke, La Famigilia, and some awesome restaurant — all places I would recommend trying. Employees Only was fantastic for drinks* (that was the December trip).
I feel like a NY sandwich could eat me. When we went to Katz, I ordered a turkey sandwich since I figured it would be lighter than the red meat ones. It was two slices of bread with a mound of giant chunks of real turkey pieces. No lettuce, tomato, onions, sprouts, arugula or anything I would expect in a California sandwich. Just meat and bread. The sandwich was decent, but I liked Dennis’ Ruben much better. I’d never had a Ruben before so I don’t have anything to compare it with, but it tasted really good. There is absolutely no way a person could/should eat an entire sandwich in one sitting from this deli.
Blue Smoke was mouth watering bbq goodness. Authentic bbq was also a first (what we Californians do in our backyards & parks is what bbq snobs call ‘grilling’). The ribs were tangy, sweet, saucy, and tender. I also experienced the best mac & cheese ever.
With so much animal consumed, I needed meat decompression when I returned. I can’t imagine eating meat every day.
Thoughts on vegetarianism & ginger smash drink recipe
“Are you vegetarian?” A question my friends often ask me. I’m not vegetarian anymore, but I rarely eat meat. I didn’t want to miss opportunities for new experiences so most of my meat consumption happens in restaurants. I tried vegetarianism on a whim a few years ago. I was only going to do it for a month. The experience was so interesting and educational, I did it for about 2 years. Then I went back to meat for a few months. Then I went back to no-meat for a few months. I went back and forth for a while, which explains why it’s a common question.
I found that cutting animals out of my diet made me hyper-conscious of what I consumed. I learned about hydrogenated oils, and HFCS. I obsessively read books on health, nutrition, and sustainability. My rommie was veg too so we had nerdy conversations about B vitamins, soy products and the like.
I’m a much healthier and more conscientious eater after having scrutinized my diet and habits, though I’m still working on moderation with Kettle salt & vinegar chips and desserts. Anyway, try vegetarianism, try new things, and try Blue Smoke.
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*Recipe for the deeelish drink I had at EO.
GINGER SMASH
The Chef
Jason Kosmas and Dushan Zaric of Employees Only
Servings
One Drink
Ingredients
12 whole cranberries
2 thin slices of ginger root
1 teaspoon of sugar
1/2 oz. fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 oz. wet gin
1 1/2 oz. Berentzen apple liqueur
Instructions
Muddle cranberries, ginger and sugar together. Add the remaining ingredients. Shake with ice. Pour into an old-fashioned glass.
That drink sounds awesome! I have cut back the amount of meat I consume as well. I went to LA last year with a vegitarian and being around him for a while made me think about how bad all that meat could be for me. When out I try and get items without meat. Most of the time it’s not the meat that I really enjoy anyways. For me it’s all about the spices!
The New York Times was all about hating on meat yesterday. Krugman wrote about how it takes 700 calories of grain to produce 100 calories of meat. The Freakonomics Blog covered a study that said violent crime is higher in towns that host a slaughter house and men who work the kill floor are showing signs of PTSD from all that killing.
Yuk!
JUST MEAT?! those sandwiches are heaven on earth. i smell a pilgrimage
@Bradydale There are a lot of issues with sustainability and the current meat industry. However, there are many local farms that treat their animals humanely but it costs more, so it’s only an option for the wealthy. You can’t map calories 1-1 -grain does not have the same protein & nutrition as chicken. A middle or poor income family who eats ‘inhumane meat’ has a more balanced diet than one that only eats grain. A healthy diet for a vegetarian child is difficult to maintain. It takes research and effort to ensure that the child gets all the nutrition he needs to compensate for the lack of meat – time that a poor family cannot afford since they are just trying to earn their daily bread.
Too bad, you were almost part of the cool club. =)
Who knew you would turn out to be such a geek? I imagined politician, non-profit work, activism, maybe even public defender.
When I came across this blog post, I knew the photo was from Katz’s deli in NYC before I even read the post! I have not been to NYC for about four years, but the last few times I have been there have all included the requisite stop at Katz’s for a moment of deli deliciousness.
To me there is nothing like a Pastrami sandwich from Katz. the genious of it is its simplicity; meat and bread only.
Here in norcal, there is nothing like katz’s.