Manhattan Skyline from New Jersey

If ever they chose, for whatever crazy reason, to leave our beautiful island for another state, I have no doubt in my mind that chefs Alan Wong, George Mavrothalassitis, Yves Garnier, and a handful of others would still compete with the best in any city on earth. We may be only 1.3 million-strong and a geographical blip on the screen, but I do believe Hawaii is still a pretty darn great food destination in its own right!

That being said, however, when you visit a truly behemoth city like New York, in all of their worldwide power and influence, you can't help but be left in awe and wonder, and not just at the cuisine! The sheer scope, magnitude, and frenetic, pulsating energy of everything in the Big Apple is just amazing - the culture, diversity, art, history, architecture, fashion - it's got everything! The number and breadth of world-famous attractions, all mostly packed into that single, relatively small burrough called Manhattan, is one big, hyper-exciting, super-addicting rush! I mean, Lady Liberty and Ellis Island will leave you speechless and thankful for the true greatness of our country. Ground Zero will stroke a fire deep within of American pride and strength in the face of terror. The Jewish Museum (and rememberances of the Holocaust) will leave you horrified at the presence of true evil in this world. The mammoth Natural History and Metropolitan Museums will leave you astonished at both nature and man's expressions and accomplishments. Wall Street and the Bull will remind you of all the titanic wealth created and spread all over the world (especially in our 401K's!). Then there's Times Square, Theatre Row, Park Avenue, the Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, Central Park, Guggenheim and all the other great museums - and I'm just getting started!

As much as Kumi and I were left ooh'ing and aaah'ing over all of these attractions and more, we were also very keen on each and every meal we had during our week or so here (along with couple of days in Jersey and several days in Niagara Falls, Canada - gorgeous, too!). With my morning meal consisting of two liquid cocktails of various natural, very healthy products and sometimes fruits, that left us with only 2 more meals to enjoy each day! Our foodie explorations in the Big Apple were pretty much what I'd expected - amazing in diversity, impeccable on quality, huge on substance, and A+ on simply great-tasting, delicious food! Vietnamese, Thai, Indian, Moroccan, Croatian, Italian - I wanted to try everything the city had to offer, but alas, we couldn't get anywhere close to sampling everything we wanted to. We did, however, manage to spread things out as much as possible, not having any single food type more than once except on one or two occasions, when hunger pangs and unplanned circumstances forced us into whatever we could find at the moment, including a Wendy's (in Jersey) - aaarrrgghh!!!

Being an American city, one of the things I wanted to experience was the best of classic, every-day American foods - pizza, burgers, sandwiches, and southern cuisine. Of course, I can't say for sure if we found the absolute best in each category with the confidence of a local, but I will say that I've done quite a bit of research through books, travel guides, and most of all, the internet, both from professional and non-professional, consumer-based reviews, and all of our selected spots have garnered relatively high marks across the board. And so....

With New York being as famous as it is for pizza, what could possibly be better than visiting the first pizzeria in all of America? That's right! Since 1905, Lombardi's has worked wonders off its tiny menu of 4 appetizers, calzone, and a NY-style pie with a couple of handful's worth of different toppings:

True New York-style Pizza!

A bit pricey for such a casual hang-out, but the pizza itself was done with great care and quality in mind. Our thin-crust pie consisted of citterio pancetta and Rosa Grande pepperoni on one side, wild mushrooms and garlic-infused spinach on the other, and different cheeses and a house-made San Marzano tomato sauce on both. You could instantly taste the freshness and house-made qualities inherent, and with this being our only foray into New York-style pizza, it was all I ever needed to realize why this city is so proud of their pies!

Entrance shot

As for burgers, one of the trendiest and yet most affordable burgers in town come from the Shake Shack. Though only begun as part of restaurateur Danny Meyer's group in 2004, it has been so popular they now have locations all over the city and even around the world! Patties are hand-formed and ground fresh-daily with 100 percent Angus beef, and burgers include a special Shack sauce and a soft yet chewy, full-bodied potato bun. Interesting thing is, even in a modern, environmentally conscious, very hip operation like this, don't go looking for hickory-smoked bacon, foie gras, pepperoncini, or gruyere cheese as add-on's - besides a vegetarian portobello burger, the only other options are lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, and American cheese! Simplicity is the key word here, and with burgers costing only $3.50-$4.50 for a single-patty and $5.50-$7 for a double, the gourmet taste and quality will leave you amazed!

Gourmet burger on budget prices!

Super-popular place!

And I gotta be honest with you's - I never, ever thought I'd be walking the streets of Harlem one day! Truth be told, not only has NYC gone from once being ranked as the most dangerous large city in America to the safest large city in America, but Harlem itself now has roughly the same crime rates as the rest of New York city!  Yeah, there were a lot more young males hanging out on street corners than normal, but Kumi and I still felt safe enough to walk about 6 or 7 blocks deep into the neighborhood, finally settling upon our destination, Amy Ruth's, for a sampling of their famous chicken and waffles!

Southern specialty!

I found it simply amazing that waffles, butter, and maple syrup could go so flawlessly well with brown gravy and some of the most tender fried chicken I've ever had! It was absolutely delicious! Throw in the best cornbread in the world, a simple but great bowl of collared greens, and a macaroni and cheese ladled not with fancy cream sauces or truffle oils but melted cheese alone, and we got ourselves a highly enjoyable lesson in real, big-time southern cuisine!

Making our way back downtown, I couldn't resist making tourist with a group of kids on an excursion:

I wanted to take them home with me!

I couldn't possibly leave New York without visiting at least one restaurant associated with an internationally-acclaimed super-chef. We skipped so many spots I would have loved to try - Mario Batali's Babbo, Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill, Marcus Samuelsson's Aquavit, Joel Robuchon's L'Atelier, David Chang's Momofuku, and many, many more - and stuck with everyone's favorite trash-talking superstar chef - Anthony Bourdain!

 
Entrance of Les Halles, of Anthony Bourdain fame!

I should have known, but being the rebel the Tony is, his self-proclaimed "Home base," where he was once Executive Chef for many years, doesn't quite follow the same path as the rest of his celebrity class! Of course, with fancy French dish names like paleran bearnaise, bavette de boeuff, and cassoulet toulousain, it may sound like a high-minded place, but Les Halles is actually about as casual and unpretentious as it gets, coming described as a typical brasserie serving fresh and simple dishes of everyday French cuisine. Instead of pompous exclusivity, fusion foo-foo, and dainty edible garnishes, it's all about Parisian street foods, presented in a straightforward way; almost so straightforward as to be crass. There's no excuses and nooo reservations here regarding an excess of items like red meats piled high, decadent goose livers, fatty pork sausages, lard-laden confit, and thick-cut bacon! I walk in and I can just see Tony sitting at the bar, illegally chomping on a fat Havana and a Jack, hold the Coke. The place is in-your-face. It's manly. It's.... it's... it's Tony!

Nooo reservations! Beef bourguignon piled high!

But no worries, all you tea-sipper's. Here in New York, you can yet hold your pinkies high in the air as you gingerly swill chamomile saffron tea in single-drop increments. Jean Georges Vongerichten is the name, and fancy French is his game. We actually had reservations at his flagship restaurant, Jean-George's, but an airline flight delay cost us the evening and we had to settle for his slightly more casual Nougatine, located right next-door. Both are housed at the Trump International Tower, so you know this guy is high-end!

In fact, since first leaving heralded positions in France and moving to Boston in 1985, then New York City the following year, chef Jean-Georges has won just about every award there is in the culinary world, and has been a trailblazer of sorts for many of the popular chefs we now know today. Though we missed our opportunity at his main restaurant, I've heard a lot of chatter on the net speaking of a cuisine just as great in Nougatine, only with slightly less fancier presentations, a more relaxed setting, and about half to a third of the cost!

Jean-Georges Nougatine's open kitchen

Each dish here was pure perfection. What more can I say? The colors, the textures, the depth, the taste - I'll just let the pictures do the talking!

Sauteed red snapper, spaghetti squash, sesame broth, and chili oil

 
Roasted organic chicken, parsnips, kale and pomegranate vinaigrette

But of all our experiences here in the Big Apple, perhaps our most impressive foodie memory lies in a bustling, order-at-the-counter diner, at the cost of about 12-15 bucks a pop!  The reason I'm singling this place out is mostly because, well... as great as all the other eateries were, when you compare this particular shop to any shop of the same genre in Hawaii, you simply cannot find anything coming even remotely close!

 
Inside shot!

In fact, a sandwich here at legendary Katz's, they of the most famous orgasm scene in history lore, was not just unlike any sandwich I've ever had before, but unlike any food I've ever had before! Yeah, it's a tourist mecca, yeah it's a regular on Food Network and Travel Channel, yeah everyone knows about it. But until you've tried it for yourself, you'll never quite realize what the buzz is all about. One taste of their pastrami and corned beef sandwiches, and you'll wonder what you've been eating all this time previous!

The real deal - a pastrami unlike you've ever had before!

 
Corned beef and other meats also hand-cut before your eyes!

Forget circular saws and thin layers, these meats are hand-cut in thick, Spam-sized pieces so large and so delectable, the rather normal-looking slices of bread almost seem inconsequential, like something more akin to a steak instead of a sandwich! With many pastrami and corned beef products taking only a day-and-a-half to prepare, Katz's Deli refuses to cut any corners. Their process lasts up to a month, and goes all the way back to its pre-refrigeration days when they first opened on the streets of Manhattan in, believe it or not, 1888! Is that crazy or what?!!!

 
Wifey with the Owner of Katz's Deli, a super-humble, super-kind guy!

I can't possibly list all the great eateries we experienced during our stay in one of the truly great food capitals of the world, but just trust me when I say, even without the Statue of Liberty, even without the museums, even without the shopping, and even without all the other world-famous attractions, you can bet the food alone makes a visit to New York City worth your while!

But don't ever forget... Our very own 50th State also delivers, and when I return, we'll be checking out a true trail-blazer and one of the undisputed top dogs in the world of Hawaii cuisine!

Take care, and Aloha till next time!

Stan