Pop Burger-NYC

Pop Burger
14 E 58th St
New York, NY 10022

As seen on
-Hamburger Paradise

If you like your hamburgers hip and ready to party, check out Pop Burger in New York City. It's the ultimate place to grab a bite when the munchies take over at 2 a.m. This place is super trendy and and covered in pop art.  Each 3-inch patty is grilled to perfection, then topped with lettuce, tomato, cheese and a secret dressing, and served on a brioche bun. Ive heard this is the closet thing you can find to a real crabby paddy. You get 2 mini burgers per order which is perfect for sharing with a date. This place was really cool to look at but the burger didn't do anything for me. Low on my list for food high on my list for decor.

Tuck Shop-NYC

Tuck Shop
115 St Marks Pl
New York, NY 10009


As seen on
-Pie Paradise

Ive walked by the Tuck Shop on St Marks maybe 10 times and always wanted to stop in but was always way to full from eating else where. Finally stopped in to get some Australian meat pies. Boy am I glad I did. Ive had meat pies at other UK/Australian places and they were no where near as good. They have tons of options. Guinness steak, pulled pork, ground beef, mac and cheese, veggie, pork, curry, chili and even more all wrapped in a crusty buttery crust with cheese.  I was really really impressed. Averaging around $5 -6 each they are well worth it. I will be sure to come back. No one ever thinks of savory when it comes to pies but it works so good. Ill let the pictures do the talking.

Luke's Lobster-NYC

Luke's Lobster
93 E 7th St
New York, NY 10009

As seen on
-Food Feuds


I think eating  at Luke's Lobster is a bit like paying for sex.

$15 for 3 minutes of ocean-sweet salty, briny, buttery, tender-meat, and some crispy buns. And then when you've finished, you will feel totally unsatisfied, weep a little, scrape together another $15 and do it again.

The shop is small and cramped and your culinary fornication is bound to be witnessed by others since you gotta do it right next to them. I hear you can shack up with the cheaper, still-mighty-tasty-dames called Crab and Shrimp Rolls but who has time for them when you need your fix of Lobster?

The warm bun is light and fluffy, toasted up in salted butter, and sturdy enough to firmly cradle that bounty of fresh sweet lobster meat. There is just the tiniest bit of mayo in there cus we all know a lil' bit of grease makes everything go down smooth, and a sprinkle of identifiable seasoning that I couldn't figure out but was refreshing. I have a love hate relationship with lobster rolls. They are delicious, expensive, and small. They fill me about the same as a hotdog and I can easily eat three of those. Three lobster rolls is not financially doable at $15 a pop. This was the closet thing to going to Maine I have seen in NY. So if you need your Maine fix and aren't going to be going up there anytime soon this is the next best thing.

Tal Bagels-NYC

Tal Bagels
979 1st Ave
New York, NY 10022

As seen on
-The Best Thing I Ever Ate

When you talk about NYC bagels, everybody has their favorite. Ess-A bagel, Murray's, H&H, Tal. It's a dispute that is a 100 yrs old. Its kinda all up to personal preference. Tal was picked on the Food Network show The Best Thing I Ever Ate "at a deli" episode. I scooped up my favorite go to, an  everything bagel with scallion cream cheese. It was crunchy and gooey on the inside just like a NY bagel should be. It wasn't the crustyiest or the gooest, and it didn't have the most flavor I've ever had. It was kinda like the dictionary version in your head of what it should be but not excelling in any one criteria lol. The key is getting a bagel while its still warm. After it cools it totally changes the consistency of the inside.  My only complaint would be there wasn't enough flavor on the everything bagel. I'm a sucker for huge gooey undercooked bagels so I'm still partial to Sunrise in Kingston. But a true NY bagel enthusiast would think Sunrise bagels are no good because they aren't crusty on the outside and they are too big. Tal will continue to be in the top 3NYC bagel discussions for years to come.

 

SeaPlane Diner-RI

SeaPlane Diner
307 Allens Ave
Providence, RI 02905

As seen on
-$40 a Day

Located on the water in Providence, the Sea Plane Diner is one of those old fashioned run down classic dive dinners. Not really in the nice part of the city  and don't expect anything fancy. I dont know why everyone brags about this place. This was one of the worst diners I think I've ever been too. So Rachel Ray can shove it. My lobster BLT was clearly out of a can. The best thing was the pasta salad and coleslaw. Maybe we are just spoiled in NY and NJ. If you are in Providence I would stay away. Unless you want an endless cup of coffee and plan on wasting a few hrs and only have $2 and need a place to hang out. You can get better food anywhere.

First Prize Mike's-NY

First Prize Mike's
1135 Erie Blvd
Schenectady, NY 12305


As seen on
-No shows

Getting a tip from a local friend, I hurried over to Mike's to continue my Capital area hotdog exploration. Serving up doggies for over 50 years Mike's wreaks of nostalgia. Mike's has the longest counter of any hotdog stand I've been to. Super old and unchanged by time, Mike's prices are cheap to. Dogs were some of the better I have had and the fries were obviously fresh cut and fried well. Sausage burger wasn't as good as Gus's but solid sandwich for $2.25. The deeper I get into the NY hotdog scene the more I can see that upstate NY stands apart from the rest of the country. Every town from Manhattan to north of Albany has its own little hotdog stand that hasn't changed in 50yrs. No where else in the country does this exist. We take it for granted. Every place has its own sauce that is alittle different then the next. It seems what we prefer is what we grew up on. Everyone thinks their towns sauce is the best. Ive been to almost every hotdog place around and I prefer Dallas in Kingston. The only explanation I can think of is it's because that's what I grew up on and I'm used to. The hodogs we ate as a child are what a hot dog is suppose to taste like.

Wrights's Chicken Farm-RI

Wright's Chicken Farm
84 Inman Rd
Harrisville, RI 02830

As seen on
-Unique Eats


An apparent Rhode Island staple, Wright's has been roasting chicken the same way for 40years. I'm pretty sure, that this place is big enough to house the entire state of Rhode Island for dinner. But before you go here for a meal there are a few things you need to understand. It's ten bucks a head, they can seat  24,000 people, it has a gift shop the size of a toys r us, 4 bars, a casino, and a parking lot the size of an entire walmart. Driving thru the middle of nowhere Rhode Island and coming across this place just doesn't make any sense. Some how thousands of people show up everyday, its simply not believable until you go. Table for 50? Not a problem. I've been told if you show up during dinner time to expect a 2hr wait. geesh


Wright's only serves one thing and there is no menu. Family style chicken dinner.So the only thing you come here for the chicken. You come with a big group and prepare to have chicken, pasta, salad, fries, rolls, and ice cream all tossed at you for as long as you can consume them. They bring everything to your table in big bowls and platters and if your table needs more they bring it. It's nothing fancy and the food is all pretty basic. Its good solid food and nothing more. The chicken is very moist and tender. They must be doing something right. The fries and rolls are good too. Anyone who has been here will tell you to go at least once. It's definitely worth checking out. I never would have thought something like this could even exist but my wife's family has been going for years. Wright's is about an hr south of Boston and 3hrs from Kingston NY.

It was definitely a winner winner chicken dinner

Pasticceria Bruno-NYC

Pasticceria Bruno
506 Laguardia Pl
New York, NY 10012

As seen on
-Throwdown

Bruno where have you been all of my life? Apparently right here! The quintessential Italian cafe is located right in SOHO, near Bleecker Street. Bruno's has multiple locations and the original main spot is in Staten Island. I may have found my new favorite cannoli but I definitely found my new favorite french macaroons.This place beat Bobby on Throwdown and I can see why. The cannoli was easily as good as Stuffed or La Bella Ferrara. The filling was lighter then I was used to and the shell seemed more delicate.With macaroons the size of your hand and gelato that looks as good as any Bruno's is a sure win. Located only a few blocks south of Washington Square Park this is the closest place you're going to find a real deal canolli without going to Little Italy. I know I will be coming back.