My trip to New York City was a blast. So much so that my husband and I decided to stay an extra day, which meant forking over a bit more money to pay for a new hotel room and a flight adjustment.
We did eat quite a bit, and I'm going to share with y'all nine spots we visited in hopes that you try out some of these places if you visit New York City.
Now, we did eat McDonald's, Raising Canes, and hot dogs and pretzels from a stand in Times Square, but I won't focus on those because you could find those anywhere. Here are some dishes I had while in New York City.
I'm also changing how often On the Menu will be published. Instead of biweekly, the column will be published monthly.
Is there a place
you think I should try? Send a suggestion to john.oliva@caller.com.
Joe's Pizza
150 E. 14th St. in New York City
My husband and I arrived in New York City on Sept. 11.
A friend of ours moved to the Big Apple earlier this year, so we waited for her to get out of work so she could take us to a popular pizza joint — Joe's Pizza.
My husband had a list of places he wanted to try and Joe's was one of them, and the pizza shop did not disappoint. The slices were huge and reasonably priced. My cheese slice was $4.50 and his pepperoni was $1 more. We also bought two water bottles and our total was $14. We tipped $2.80.
The pizza was warm and cheesy as we ate outside. It helped satisfy our hunger for the time being, but my husband was dead set on trying the McDonald's in Times Square — spoiler, he said the chicken nuggets tasted flavorless.
Breads Bakery
20 Furman St. in New York City
My husband was mainly in charge of the itinerary as it was his first time in New York City (I visited back in 2018 for a college journalism conference). One main thing he had planned was for us to walk the Brooklyn Bridge at sunrise, explore the borough and take dozens of pictures.
While we walked around DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass) on Sept. 12, we came across Breads Bakery, an outdoor spot. I ordered a scrambled egg sandwich on a sesame roll and we each got bottled waters. Our total was $17.91.
The sandwich was delicious and had a great surprise — chives. I love chives and onions so it made my morning.
The Standard Grill
848 Washington St. in New York City
About halfway through that same day, my feet were definitely killing me. I was also hungry from all the steps we put in and calories we burnt.
While walking around the Meatpacking District, we came across The Standard Grill and thought the menu was appealing enough for us to enjoy lunch.
I opted for the brunch BLT sandwich, and my husband went for the brunch Standard Burger.
About 20 minutes or so after we ordered, our food came out. I was imagining a small BLT sandwich like I'm used to in Corpus, but my plate came with two huge sandwiches and a large amount of fries. I was not complaining, though, as the last time I had eaten was about five hours prior.
The sandwich was so crispy and satisfying. The egg inside really brought everything together. I did not think I would finish everything, but I gladly did.
Our total came out to be $62.06 and we tipped $11.40.
Luckin Coffee
901 Eighth Ave. in New York City
On Sept. 13, our friend met up with us again after we finished watching a matinee show of "Chicago" at the Ambassador Theatre. My birthday is on Sept. 14, so she wanted to treat me to an early birthday treat — a coffee.
We met her in Hell's Kitchen and she told me to order whatever I wanted from Luckin Coffee. I was thinking of going for a sweet coffee drink but then came across the Pink Sunrise Refresher. It came with coconut milk and mango purée, topped with strawberry-flavored cold foam.
The drink was so sweet and refreshing that I wish I had gone for a larger size. By the time we made our way to Central Park, my drink was empty while my friend's was half full.
A to Z Rooftop
16 E. 39th St. in New York City
After parting ways with our friend that evening, my husband and I made our way to the 22nd floor at A to Z Rooftop for an early birthday dinner.
We knew we wanted to dine on a rooftop for the views, and we had the perfect view of the Empire State Building.
I knew I wanted pasta, and I decided to order the Paccheri al Ragù Bolognese, which was wide tube-shaped pasta in meat sauce. My husband went for another hamburger.
Shortly afterward, our food was delivered and it smelled just as good as it looked. I picked up my fork, and once again, it was delicious. The sauce was so flavorful and I made sure to savor each bite I took.
As we waited for our check, our server surprised me with a slice of cheesecake and sang me "Happy Birthday." I'm assuming he overheard my husband and me talking about my birthday, and it made my evening feel even more special.
Our total ended up being $77.30 and we tipped $15.
Ellen's Stardust Diner
1650 Broadway in New York City
As we made our way out on Sept. 14 (my birthday), we decided to grab some lunch before we did any heavy traveling. My husband saw Ellen's Stardust Diner in Times Square and suggested we try it out.
As we made our way in, a host told us to head up the stairs and a server would seat us. We sat at a bar top that overlooked the center of the restaurant, so we were a bit confused as to why our view was of other diners eating. Little did we know, we were in for a big surprise.
Ellen's isn't just a diner; it's a diner where the servers perform song after song while walking around the entire restaurant.
Our server took our order and I went for the Mamma Mia Meatloaf plate, while my husband went for the Love Me Tenders. After about four performances, our food was delivered.
I was super excited to see there were onions on my meatloaf, but the meatloaf looked a bit processed. However, it tasted really good and was very filling.
My husband and I tried to finish our food as quickly as we could to avoid having a performer shove a microphone in our face. Our total was $72.03 and we tipped $13.03.
Heritage Grand Bakery Restaurant & Pizza Bar
8 W. 40th St. in New York City
After having a blast at Summit One Vanderbilt that same day, our hunger returned and we decided to grab some pizza as an easy pick. We found a place near Bryant Park — Heritage Grand Bakery Restaurant & Pizza Bar.
We decided to each order a Neapolitan pepperoni pizza. The pizzas were brought out shortly after we ordered, and they looked so tasty. The pizza was warm and gooey, and the crust had a perfect crunch. We gladly finished both pies before cashing out. Our total was $58.25 and we tipped $10.70.
Amorino
721 Eighth Ave. in New York City
Now, it was my birthday still, so we couldn't head home until I got myself a sweet treat. Near our hotel was Amorino, a gelato shop.
My husband ordered a cup of banana sorbet. I decided to go for a cone and was told it would be best to order four different flavors as they create a blossoming gelato cone. I went for three: organic lemon sorbet, lime and basil sherbet and mango sorbet.
That cone of gelato was the perfect way to end my birthday. It was so pretty that I didn't want to eat it, but I did anyway and enjoyed every bite.
Our total was $18.62 and we tipped $3.72.
7th Street Burger
171 W. 23rd St. in New York City
As I mentioned at the beginning, we decided to stay an extra day. We were supposed to leave Sept. 15 but decided to extend our trip to enjoy last-minute visits.
After checking out several museums, we decided to visit a burger place my husband had on his list — 7th Street Burger.
We visited the one in Chelsea and each ordered a cheeseburger. We shared a side of fries and bought waters. Our total was $27.27.
The burger looked like a smashburger and had just the amount of greasiness I need in my burger. It was kind of small, so I wish I had gone for the double, but it was a nice meal to end our day with.
We're looking forward to our next trip to New York City, and to try more new places and dishes.
John Oliva covers entertainment and community news in South Texas. Have a story idea? Contact him at john.oliva@caller.com.
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This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Nine restaurants visited in New York City | On the Menu
