Big Daddy's Diner; Andre's Hungarian Bakery.

So, it seems like Roomie, Mic, and I end up stuffing ourselves to the max once every week on the weekends.  Since we've moved to the Upper East Side, we've discovered that there are a slew of restaurants that we feel compelled to try out.  Despite that, however, we were craving burgers.  We discovered that there was a Big Daddy's Diner on 2nd Ave., so off we went.  We also wanted to try this Hungarian Bakery we've walked by, so we made a plan to make a trip to Hungary to try some exotic desserts.

One of the signs in the very festive diner.

Roomie got the Turkey Burger (sauce on the side) and Fries.  He wolfed it down.  He was the one that was craving burgers, so he was very happy afterwards.

Mic got the Turkey Burger with Tots.  She equally enjoyed hers, but struggled with the immense amount of food that was on her plate.

I got the Daddy'O Burger with Tots.  It comes with pepper jack cheese and pieces of fried onions on a potato bun, cole slaw, and a pickle.

Close up of my burger.

Mid-action eating shot of my burger.  I asked for medium.  It was nice and pink and juicy.  It was also overwhelmingly filling.  The tater tots were nice and crisp, but they put too much salt on it, and I was unable to finish the tots.

Afterwards, we went to the bakery, but chose to just buy what we wanted and eat them on our own, because we were all way to stuffed to sit down and eat another huge piece of cake.  I chose to get the Sacher Cake.  Here is a picture, from later on in the evening.

Mid-action eating shot.  The cake had layers of apricot jelly inside, while the cake itself was surrounded by a shell of chocolate with some nuts in it.  The jelly was nicely paired with the chocolate flavors, but the cake itself was very dry and made it really difficult to eat, considering it was such a huge slice.

Overall, the diner was good.  It was filling.  The dessert was alright.

Big Daddy's Diner

Price: <3<3<

Taste: <3<3<3<

Atmosphere: <3<3<3<3

Opinion: Recommended

Andre's Hungarian Bakery

Price: <3<3<3

Taste: <3<3<3

Atmosphere: N/A

Opinion: OK to try

The Corner Halal Cart on 25th and Lexington.

I was at a loss as to what to eat before my Model United Nations meeting on Friday, so I succumbed to getting street food.  I was very happy to get my money's worth for the food.

There it is, in all of its meaty and saucy glory.  I like this cart better than the other carts I've tasted because the red sauce has just the right level of hotness, the lamb is minced up nicely, and the give you a huge portion.  I've also never gotten food poisoning after eating from here.

So overall, not bad, if you're short on cash and need fast and filling food.

Price: <3<3<3<3<

Taste: <3<3<3<3

Atmosphere: N/A

Opinion: Recommended if you're short on cash

Applebee's Neighborhood Grill and Bar.

Unfortunately, the buffet that my family and I were supposed to go to today was closed because of a kitchen fire.  It seems like I've got no luck when it comes to getting to try new restaurants.  So, we decided to go to go old reliable Applebee's for lunch.  It was extremely filling.

We got two appetizers.  The first one was mozzarella sticks with marinara sauce for dipping.  It was nice a crispy and I actually enjoyed this one.

Our other appetizer was the Classic Boneless Buffalo Wings.  Nice crunch, good kick.  I can only complain that they were skimpy on the portion here.  The blue cheese dipping sauce was a little salty, too.

For entrees, Pops got the 7 oz. House Sirloin with mixed vegetables and mashed potatoes.  He enjoyed it and said that the vegetables were really fresh and nice, though, he found one raw baby carrot in the mix.

Mom got the Bacon Cheeseburger, ordered medium well, with the side of fries replaced by cole slaw.  What was interesting was that they mixed up our orders.  I ordered the same thing, with fries, but my burger was supposed to be medium.  She got the less cooked one and I got the well one.  Despite receiving the medium burger, she said that it was dry, despite being cooked less.  She said that the cole slaw was, "O.K.".

As stated before, I also got the Bacon Cheeseburger, ordered medium, but received the medium well one.  The burger wasn't too dry, but it was more dry than I usually like my burgers.  The fries, however, were crisp and nicely seasoned, unlike the extremely peppery fries that you usually get at the standard Applebee's.

Bro got the Crispy Shrimp platter.  Seemed like it had a similar breading to the Mozzarella Sticks.  He enjoyed it because he loves shrimp.

For dessert, we got three Dessert Shooters.  It's like eating a pie or pastry out of a shot glass.  Above is the Key Lime Pie Shooter.  You can see the layer of whipped cream, key lime, and graham cracker crust.  It was alright, a little bit tart, but not as good as real key lime pie.

Bro got the Chocolate Mousse Shooter.  Looked extremely sweet and he said that it was just, "Alright."  You can see the layers in the photo!

I got the Strawberry Cheesecake Shooter.  It was actually pretty good.  The cheesecake was cool, creamy, and had the proper consistency of cheesecake.  I liked the fact that there was actual pieces of strawberry in there.  The size was also just right after that huge burger.

Mid-eating action shot of the Strawberry Cheesecake Shooter.

Overall, it was a typical Applebee's outing.  Nothing too crazy to rave about, except maybe the cute waiters staffing the place, including the semi-cute flaming waiter that served us.  He had many bracelets on his wrist (More than I wear!), including a rainbow one, but I could've told you he was a queen even if he didn't have the bracelets.

Price: <3<3<3

Taste: <3<3<3

Atmosphere: <3<3<3

Opinion: Safe and Reliable if you've got nowhere to go to eat

Jing Fong; Egg Custard King Cafe.

On Tuesday, Feb. 17th, 2009, some friends craved an exotic culinary journey for lunch. So, we decided to take them to Chinatown for yum cha, better known as dim sum. We went to Jing Fong, one of the best places to go for yum cha in Chinatown. After filling up on greasy delights and bo lei tea, we walked to Egg Custard King Cafe, which was one block over.

Pictured here are the standard siu mai, a type of dumpling with meat and mushrooms. This one also had some shrimp, as well as some roe on top. Sometimes, instead of roe, they place a kernel of corn on top. These were standard. Nothing out of the ordinary, but good.

These are har kow, shrimp dumplings. Once again, nothing out of the ordinary.

Next (and last of our yum cha pictures because I was too busy devouring) is the chun gurn, a type of fried spring roll that has meat and mushrooms inside. It was very crispy and yummy.

After being satisfied, we headed over to Egg Custard King Cafe for Round 2. H got a bubble tea. Tasted it and found that it was kind of strong for bubble tea, yet still good. Maybe it's because I like extra strong tea.

Roomie got this Black Forest Cherry Chocolate cake. He said that it was too hard and not fluffy enough for cake.

Overall, a satisfying day out. Normal, yet comforting food.

Jing Fong

Price: <3<3<3<3<3

Taste: <3<3<3<3

Atmosphere: <3<3<3<

Opinion: Highly Recommended for yum cha

Egg Custard King Cafe

Price: <3<3<3<3<

Taste: <3<3<3

Atmosphere: <3<3<

Opinion: OK to try

Blockhead's Burritos.

To our chagrin, we were unable to get sushi at Yuka today for lunch (They open up at 5 on weekdays), so we settled for Blockhead's, which was down the block from Yuka.  I've never been to Blockhead's before, but I've always heard about it, so it was an exciting encounter.

The decor was colorful and bright and the staff was very friendly, even offering us a sample of something before we decided on what to order.  The chip bowl was constantly refilled without request before our food arrived.

The complementary chips and salsa.  Salsa was okay.  Very smooth, but not that chunky.  Almost like jar salsa.  Chips seemed fresh.

Close up of the salsa.

Close up of the tortilla chips.

We all got burritos with wheat tortillas.  Roomie got a chicken burrito.  M got a shredded beef burrito.  Mic and I got beef picadillo burritos.  The burritos were okay.  Seemed a little dry and were very filling.  I wish they gave us more lettuce and tomato and put them inside the burrito instead of on the side.  The burritos were also kind of salty.

Overall, okay.  Decor and service was nice.  Food was okay.

Price: <3<3<3<

Taste: <3<3<3

Atmosphere: <3<3<3<

Opinion: Alright to try

Brick Lane Curry House.

On February 12th, 2008, my roommate, friends, and I went downtown to Brick Lane Curry House in the East Village in pursuit of some hot (and in one case, mild) curry to enjoy in a cozy and sexy place.  We were greatly satisfied with what we found at Brick Lane.

The decor found in the restaurant presented some iconic images of the home of the original Brick Lane Curry House: London.  Brick walls gave the place a very modern feel, but some of the architecture in the restaurant also gave it an old, cozy, and homey feel.

Above is M's Chicken Tikka Masala.  Very mild because M can't take spicy foods.  Such a wuss, right?  Unfortunately, M messed up the money-shot of the food here.  That's sad.  M wouldn't be able to make it in the food porn business, because it's a tough one!  He gets points, however, for being funny, flaming, and descriptive about his food.  He enjoyed it, though he kept complaining that he was stuffed.  He eats so little and gets so full so fast!  It was well paired with both the plain and garlic naans.

Next, Mic and I got the same thing: Chicken Bhuna.  It was the perfect amount of spice for the two of us.  The heat did not overpower the other flavors in the dish.  I was able to taste the parsley and tomatoes.  The chicken was nice and tender, and it also absorbed some of the flavors of the sauce, giving it a nice kick.  It hit a good spot for both of us.

Roomie doesn't mess around when it comes to his food.  He always goes for the hottest dishes out there and won't settle for less.  Luckily, he was able to have his bit of fun with a spicy dish of Phaal.  I got a taste of it and it was quite a feisty dish.  The spice totally overpowers the other tastes in the dish.  Roomie finished the dish, but complained of stomach pains after.  Maybe he met his match?  He didn't care.  He had his fun, won the prize that comes with finishing the Phaal, and got a free drink.  Who can complain after having such a hot lunch?

Overall, the place is good.  The curries were well paired with both rice and both types of naans.  It's a bit pricey for the average college student, but the food was enjoyable.  Sometimes, it's worth it to splurge a little bit.

Price: <

Taste: <3<3<3<3

Atmosphere: <3<3<3<

Opinion: Recommended

Amor.

Food can be sexy.  Food can be fun.  Food can be romantic.  Food can be love.

Admire the food that I eat.  I will, to the best of my ability, try to document all that I eat.

Enjoy.

~Kev