Le Grainne is a super casual French bistro in Chelsea that specializes in quiches, crepes and my favorite thing to order, a toasted French baguette with butter and jam. Simple but delicious.

The prices are very reasonable for the area but it can get crowded after a certain time. Not as crowded as some of the West Village brunch spots, but definitely inconvenience if you’re in a hurry.

I’ve been three times for brunch, never for dinner but judging from the reviews, I bet it would be equally impressive.

Le Grainne has that shabby chic vibe that gives the aura of an actual French bistro. Not one of those forced cafe’s with faux finish and adorned with pristine Eiffel Tower photos.

183 9th Ave
New York, NY 10011
b/t 21st St & 22nd St
Chelsea
(646) 486-3000
legrainnecafe.com

Baguette with butter and jam

Quiche Lorraine

Ham and Cheese Crepe

In case your Instragram account has recently been hacked, you might not know that Momofuku’s David Chang has just opened up a little cafe that only sells Fried Chicken Sandwiches!

And fries, one salad and some cocktails.

But who cares, you’re here for the sandwich.

Let’s discuss.

After you wait in a very long line outside (and it’s summer, so you’ll be sticky and sort of hate life by the time by the time you order) you’ll come up to a host at an Ipad stand who will ask you what you want.

There’s only one thing to order, so this part should be easy.

BTW, don’t bring any cash, cuz they only accept credit cards. Perhaps they don’t trust the staff, perhaps the Momofuku empire is so wealthy that credit card fees are merely a meaningless expense.

The first thing you’ll notice is the chicken to bun ratio is hilariously off balance. Just consider the bun a receptacle for getting this amazing chicken into your face hole and call it a day. You’re here for the chicken, not the pasty Wonder bread bun.

The chicken is thigh meat. The breading is on the thicker side and very nicely seasoned. Just a touch on the spicy side, but not too much. There are mini bottles of David’s famous Ssam sauce nearby for you to use as needed. You don’t need much since the delicious, juicy chicken totally works on it’s own.

I added $1 for the daikon slaw which was pleasant but not vinegary enough for me to opt for next time. The pickles were obligatory but didn’t really add much to the performance.

For the size of the sandwich, $8 bucks is totally fair. If you have a normal appetite, you won’t need the fries or salad. Even if you’re feeling piggish, you still won’t. The cocktail situation seems random and out of place. It’s not the kind of joint you would hang out and drown your sorrows. Maybe drown them in chicken fat!

163 First Ave
New York, NY 10003
East Village
www.momofuku.com

At 11:15 am on a Friday, the line took about 30 minutes to get through. Which means I had to stand behind that gross, sweaty back for 30 Minutes.

They accept credit cards only. No cash! Whatever cash is.

Fried Chicken Sandwich with Daikon Slaw – $8

I think I’ve been to PJ Clarke’s more than any other establishment in NYC (besides the DMV. Don’t ask).

It’s an institution, to say the least. The NY Times calls PJ’s (opened in 1884) “The Vatican of saloons”.

Located on 55th and 3rd Avenue, in prime happy hour location, PJ’s is more than just a place for a bunch of suits to drown their mid-week sorrows.

It’s a place to feed their sorrows, too!

Just head to the back, through the sea of only slightly douchey businessmen, and you’ll find a fairly large dining room at your disposal.

Besides the (slightly overpriced) burger they’re known for, they also serve a delicious tower of tater tots! And a pretty decent Manhattan. All solid reasons to come here. Booze and Tots. Look no further.

The burger was on the larger side during this most recent visit. Perhaps they heeded the words of the bitter Yelpers about how small and outrageously priced it formerly was?

The bartenders are friendly but aren’t going to sit and chat with you all day (they’ve got drinks to make, buddy) but the waitresses (at least our most recent one) was a hoot! And very patient with my friend who I might start dubbing the “Queen of Substitutions”. BTW, I say that with the greatest affection.

If you had to pick a place to make your local watering hole, you could do worse than picking PJ’s. And if you don’t like the neighborhood, there are three other locations in NY (and one in DC, two in Brazil) you picky, sonofabitch.

915 3rd Ave
New York, NY 10022
b/t 56th St & 55th St
Midtown East
(212) 317-1616
pjclarkes.com

BE WARNED, THE PICTURES GET INCREASINGLY BLURRY AND AWFUL AS YOU SCROLL DOWN

Sweet Potato Fries – $6.55

Iceberg Wedge
Bacon, Tomato, Buttermilk Bleu Cheese
$10.15

Naked Lobster Roll

Crisp Parmesan Tater Tots – $11.10

Hamburger Au Poivre
Cracked Pepper Sauce, Cabot Cheddar, Jimmy Peppers & Onions – $14.50

pollo
al
forno:
jw*
chicken
&
salsa
verde
19

Barbuto’s claim to fame is chef Jonathan Waxman’s delicious roast chicken.

Normally, the idea of racing anywhere to consume chicken that is not fried would be a foreign concept to me.

What’s the point? I can roast a chicken at home, but I just can’t bring myself to fry one. I feel like consuming fried foods is one of the lesser sins. A sin I gladly indulge in on many occasions but not one I dare commit at home. Its as if frying things in my home would desecrate it somehow. Like my gross, tiny kitchen is some kind of temple.

Ok, where was I? I had Barbuto on my restaurant list for an entire year before I decided to finally check it out. Once I had tried all the fried foods NYC had to offer. Ok, NOW I can move on to the boring, roasted foods. Yawn.

What was I thinking?? This chicken is divine! I sat by the kitchen and watched the chef pouring his alchemy all over a dozen carcasses.

According to Food and Wine’s website on the “Best Chicken Dishes in the US” the chefs at Barbuto “baste the hell out of it”.

The chicken is also rubbed with a ton of herbs, that really add a nice freshness to the dish.

On top of the fantastic poultry, Barbuto has a incredible location in the West Village/Meatpacking border, perfect for people watching in the summer. It’s open and spacious, and the walls open up to the outside.

The prices are on the steeper side, so if you’re drinking, be prepared to spend about $100 a person.

But it will be a $100 well spent. Or maybe just don’t drink so much, ya drunk.

775 Washington St
New York, NY 10014
b/t Jane St & 12th St
West Village
(212) 924-9700
barbutonyc.com

Sangria

Mezcal Old Fashioned

insalata burrata: burrata, cucumber, sugar snap, hazelnut & fresno chili
16

pollo
al
forno:
jw*
chicken
&
salsa
verde
19

manzo
ai
ferri:
hanger
steak,
maitake, scallion & fennel escabeche
27

I can’t really say I understand the fuss about this dumpy diner with the supposed amazing burger.

The burger was fine. The famous chicken dinner was bland and needed salt.

Service was ok.

Nothing about this place stood out. The burgers look really tasty, they just aren’t going to blow you away.

In fact, no need to even waste any more words on this review!

167 3rd Ave
New York, NY 10003
b/t 17th St & 16th St
Gramercy
(212) 473-5150

Chicken Rice Soup (comes with chicken entrée)

Spinach Omelette with avocado and Canadian bacon

Bacon Cheeseburger

Roast Chicken and Mashed Potatoes

Fried Chicken, buttermilk biscuit, coleslaw, gravy

Fried. Chicken. Sandwich

Let’s face it, that’s why you’re coming here. You’ve drooled over the pic on Instagram and now you (read: me) need to have one.

You need to have one now.

Judging from Yelp, no one is ordering any of the other tasty sounding sandwiches.

Poor, neglected things. Poor unfortunate souls. I wonder if The Little Mermaid will ever show up on Netflix?

Coming to Cheeky is all about this expertly crafted sandwich. Oversized, perfectly seasoned and crispy chicken patty, just the right amount of vinegary purple cabbage slaw, and a nice serving (although, I would have liked more) country gravy on a really nice, flakey biscuit.

For dessert, grab a $1 bag of 3 perfect little beignets and all will be right with the world.

35 Orchard St
New York, NY 10002
b/t Canal St & Hester St
Lower East Side, Chinatown
Phone number (646) 504-8132
cheeky-sandwiches.com

ALL PHOTOS TAKEN WITH AN iPHONE

Fried Chicken, buttermilk biscuit, coleslaw, gravy

Beignets – 3 for $1

Beignets – Noir

Frozen Margarita – Avocado & Cilantro 14.

Much again, the haters on Yelp seem to forget that we’re in New York City.

Whenever a beloved cuisine (originating from another part of the country) comes to the big city, people freak the eff out.

“It’s not authentic! It’s way overpriced! My waiter has attitude!”

Not matter what kind of restaurant opens up in NYC; no matter what kind of normally inexpensive cuisine they’re serving, it’s not ever going to be cheap.

Just accept that.

All food here is going to cost too much. Stop going to restaurants and expecting not to be robbed a little so they can pay their crazy high rent. Stick with your $1 slices of pizza and shut up.

Sorry, I meant shut up please.

Sure, Javelina isn’t cheap. And sure, the heat level could be higher. But the food is really good!

I think there were some hiccups when they first opened with portion sizes and attitudes, but it appears the kinks have all been worked out before I showed up.

Our server was beyond friendly. She was, like, crazy friendly. Even when she dropped the bowl of queso, and it smashed everywhere and then also dropped the bowl of refried beans, she couldn’t have been more friendly.

The hunk of refried beans sat in a unfortunate, dog-poop looking pile for quite some time. I worried that passersby would think that we did it.

“No”, I would tell them with my eyes, “the waitress did that. Yes, she took a poo right there. So rude”

Soon enough, someone rushed out to clean it up.

The queso’s were all nice but the Bob Armstrong was the star of the show. Super flavorful and thick. The yellow queso was a bit too thin.

The quesadilla was delicious because that’s my favorite type of quesadilla. just a thin layer of yellow cheese. The kind of microwave quesa-dilla your drunk ass makes at home. Nothing fancy in there. No meat, no veggies.

Huge piles of guacamole and sour cream to dip your quesadilla into. And compared to the other items on the menu, a total steal at only $6.

The puffy tacos were very tasty, loved the shredded pork. The shell was a bit doughy, wished it was more light and airy. But it was still very flavorful and worth shoving in your face.

The Lamb Stacked Enchiladas were definitely the entrée to get. It actually had a nice kick to it (that means, it was spicy) and a nice large portion if you’re still hungry.

I enjoyed both my margaritas, but preferred the subtle Avocado and Cilantro frozen marg. Super creamy with just enough booze and a very scant amount of cilantro (if any).

The space doesn’t have the best ambiance. Unless you want dark and loud. But if you’re craving for tasty Tex-Mex is bad enough, you’ll happily eat it anywhere. Unless it’s Times Square.

BTW, I still have a ton of queso sitting in my fridge (our waitress replaced the last few bites she dropped with a full portion) so please feel free to come over and have some! Just bring a bag of chips cuz I’m getting a little tired of spooning the stuff directly into my mouth.

119 E 18th St
New York, NY 10003
b/t S Park Ave & Irving Pl
Gramercy, Flatiron
(212) 539-0202
javelinatexmex.com

ALL PHOTOS TAKEN WITH AN iPHONE

Jalapeno Margarita – Rocks – $13

QUESO SAMPLER 14.
traditional queso, white queso & Bob Armstrong Queso (with beef, avocado & sour cream)

QUESADILLA 6.
house made flour tortillas filled with cheese & jalapeño
chili served with guacamole, pico de gallo & sour cream

SAN ANTONIO PUFFY TACO 16. • FAMOUS FAVORITES •
fried corn tortillas, spicy marinated pork shoulder
avocado, cotija cheese, pickled red onions & lettuce

WEST TEXAS STACKED ENCHILADAS 20 – LAMB
two corn tortillas stacked
with layers of lamb cooked
barbacoa style with
red chile sauce cheese
& onions

Jambon Cru – Steamed Eggs with Prosciutto and shaved parmesan on toast.

I think Buvette has got to be the cutest French café not in France.

Ideal location for a guy’s night out? Probably not. Looking for trivia night or beer pong? Keep walking.

But if you want to see what steamed eggs taste like in a quaint as hell setting, Buvette is the place for you.

The interiors feature a ton of nooks and crannies for your eyes to explore, in case your dining guest(s) turn out to be supremely dull.

The dish that everyone Yelps and Instragrams about is the Prosciutto and Eggs over toast. It’s simple, elegant and flavorful. And just enough food for a normal human.

Do not order this dish if you’re hungover. Get the Croque Monsieur. Nearly just as tasty, but much more substantial if your brain wishes to dine like a Parisian but your stomach is screaming “Buffet!!”

Buvette is a little cramped (I didn’t want to use “quaint” again) so it’s not really ideal for parties of more than 4. Even better, if you’re a party of two and are feeling all romantical. It’s almost too cute to waste it taking some dumb old friend.

42 Grove St
New York, NY 10014
Bedford St & Bleecker St
West Village
(212) 255-3590
ilovebuvette.com

Cappucino

Pimms Cup

Beeteraves – Roasted Beets, Almonds & Crème Fraiche

Jambon Cru – Steamed Eggs with Prosciutto and shaved parmesan on toast.

Croque Monsieur – Grilled Ham and Gruyere

Croque Monsieur – Grilled Ham and Gruyere