Dry-mouthed and Smiling

What’s a perfect end to a concert at Carnegie Hall? A big-ass sandwich at Carnegie Deli! Just take a quick walk around the 7th Avenue corner from the world famous concert hall and you will find the place that gave New York City delis a name. Since it’s opening in 1937, this world class deli has enjoyed the patronage of pre and post concert goers as well as anyone hungry enough to take out a sandwich stacked with six inches of meat.

At first step through the door you get a sense that this is no ordinary corner deli. Signed pictures of celebrities and public figures that have eaten there cover the walls like trophies. Everyone who sits down at the 40-seat restaurant is greeted with a free plate of deli style pickles (which I suspect are home-made due to fact that they did not taste quite ready to come out of the jar).

Looking at the long list of sandwiches on the menu, I know there is only one that I truly came for - hot pastrami($14.95). Everyone from popular New York Times critic, Mimi Sheraton (1979), to Dr. Phil have raved about the pastrami; and the fact that the deli pickles, cures, and smokes it’s own meat, I knew I was in for a unique taste. That’s exactly what I got. The salty, spicy, pink beef was bursting with flavor. The rye bread that failed at holding sandwich together only served as a small side to the meat. After two bites the sandwich fell apart. Giving up on eating with my hands, I covered the mess on my plate with spicy brown mustard, picked up the fork and knife, and dug into the medley of flavors.

I’m glad I chose until after the show to take on the Carnegie challenge. With a stomach full of meat and mustard I was asleep in less than 30 minutes but woke up dry-mouthed and smiling.

Blockheads - A San Francisco Treat

Best bang for your buck thus far- Blockheads! You’ll know it when you see the black and white puppet photos that act as sort of a restaurant mascot. Or look for the tequila bottles that fill every square inch of the bookshelf walls at its Hell’s Kitchen location at 50th Street between 8th and 9th Avenue. Cheap food and cheap booze (at least for NYC) with great taste and quality can be found at anyone of its seven locations in Manhattan.

Their claim to fame is in the cooking and ingredients. The menu offers a variety of “San Francisco style” Mexican dishes with fiber rich vegetables and steamed or grilled meats. It also has a sizable vegetarian section and a few dishes that are dairy-free. I ordered the chicken fajita burrito ($12). White rice, red onions, green peppers, and seasoned grilled chicken were protruding out of an eight to ten inch burrito wrap and weighed about a pound. It came with Spanish rice, refried beans, and sour cream on the side. I also topped it with the salsa from the bottomless chips and salsa that is offered at each table. High quality ingredients that the restaurant has claimed to provide could only achieve the rich flavors.

Come for the food, but stay for the drinks. I highly recommend their specialty drink, “Red Nosed Bull-Dog.” A Margarita-filled plastic cup topped with a shot of sangria and a Coronita bottle buried upside down in the whole mix makes for a happy face. Is the Margarita mix cheap? Yes. Does it do the job? Absolutely.

Blockheads did it! Great food, reasonable prices, and cheap drinks. Lunch, dinner, or after hours – it’s 5 o’clock somewhere.