The folks from Da Toscano in NYC recently opened a sandwich shop in Charleston.
When I was down there for New Year’s Eve, I tried a bunch of their sandwiches.
Of all these, the classic was probably the best. But the item that stole the show? The potato wedges that are cooked in the meat drippings. INSANE!
PORCHETTA SHOP
109 President St.
Charleston, SC 29403
I stopped in this little joint as I was riding around Sunset Park, and I have to say I was impressed!
I ordered a margarita slice and a grandma slice, and I had the guy warm them slightly and slice for me, so I could shovel them down my throat faster without getting shit in my beard.
I think I liked the grandma slice SLIGHTLY better, but both were awesome. Nice sauce, not too sweet, great crisp on the crust without being dry. I’d go back.
GRAVESEND PIZZA
181 34th St.
Brooklyn, NY 11232
First, check out my Ride & Review video HERE:
This was easily one of the best Szechaun means I’ve ever had. I think my favorites were the thrice cooked bacon, lamb ribs, beef cheek, wings and the dry pot pastrami, but the mapo tofu was one for the ages. Wait… was that everything? I can’t wait to go back!
MISSION CHINESE
43 Mott St
New York, NY 10013
First, check out my Ride & Review video HERE:
That pretty much says it all. This is a classic NYC Chinese-owned Mexican joint, but with better quality food than the old ones we know and love. The tacos are gringo style, with shredded lettuce, shredded cheese and diced tomato. They taste familiar and they’re filling, for cheap.
TACO RECIPES
23 Essex St.
New York, NY 10002
First, watch my Ride & Review HERE:
I’ve been meaning to try the tacos at Tacos Ramirez for a while, but when I heard they just opened up a carnitas joint here in the LES, I jumped at the opportunity. At the same time, I knew there was a Dominican/Puerto Rican/Cuban spot around the corner, so I let myself get super hungry so I could hit them both one after the other, bang-bang style!
The tacos were incredible. I had cabeza (head), ear, and mixed. All were excellent, but I think mixed had to be my favorite. WHen I go back, I want to try tongue and snout. They were a little small, but at $5ea they are worth every penny.
El Rinconcito is a hispanic food joint on Avenue C and 5th Street that I’ve passed by a bunch of times and never stopped in. It’s a small joint, very nicely appointed and with super friendly staff. I tried the chicharrones and the cubano, and both were the best renditions of the dishes that I’ve had in the area. The cuban sandwich was packed with juicy meat, it had great cheese melt, layers of tasty pickles and ham, and it was topped with crunchy, crackling pork skin. Perfect… and huge for just $10.
The chicharrones were juicy and also had lots of crispy skin bits all over. Also a steal at $15.
I can’t wait to go back and try more shit!
CARNITAS RAMIREZ
210 E 3rd Street
New York, NY 10009
EL RINCONCITO
75 Avenue C
New York, NY 10009
First, check out my Ride & Review, HERE:
This pop up from Michelin starred chef Hideo offers a range of delicious sushi in omakase or a la carte format ranging from $130-$250pp, and it is 100% worth it.
My favorite bites were the ocean trout, giant clam, uni, and Montauk shrimp.
I can’t wait to go back and try more. The pop up is around until November, but it may renew every six months afterward.
USHIWAKAMARU
177 Ludlow St.
New York, NY 10002
First, check out my Ride & Review show HERE:
My wife and I made a last minute reservation to Omakase Sushi by No Name yesterday, and I am so glad we did. This is easily one of my favorites in the city. We did their “tare” omakase, which consists of 17 courses for $129, prepared with upgraded higher end ingredients than what they offer in the 13 course omakase (that one is just $89).
The chef and waiter were both awesome, very knowledgeable and friendly. It’s really hard to choose favorite pieces among so many really nicely prepared courses, but I’ll try.
Everything with uni was great. There were three pieces: The raw oyster was beautifully dressed and topped with Hokkaido uni and ikura.
The uni by itself on top of a fried shiso leaf was absolutely awesome. I love shiso, and the combination was wild!
Lastly, the uni atop raw scallop with caviaar was delicious.
Some other favorites: hamachi, three layer chutoro (medium fatty), and smoked sea trout (first time trying a sea trout, as opposed to fresh water).
Probably my favorite of the night was the torched wagyu topped with the chef’s secret ingredient, powdered wagyu fat! It tasted dry-aged too. It was amazing!
As you can tell, there were lots of unique items that I have never seen before. Some others were the sea ell (as opposed to fresh water). It had a really sticky fat texture and tons of favor – way better than traditional barbecued style fresh eel. There was also a fried oyster topped with squid ink foam!
There was even a tasty coconut matcha flan/custard for dessert.
The best part, after 17 courses I was stuffed! I wanted to add a Dungeness crab and uni piece, but the crab wasn’t in season, and so it wasn’t available. But usually after omakase, I am still hungry! Not this time! I will definitely be back for sure.
I will definitely be back here again – I am 100% certain of that!
OMAKASE SUSHI BY NO NAME
114 Eldridge St.
New York, NY 10002
First, check out my Ride & Review video HERE:
My wife found this place, Zensushi Omakase, which offers a 14-course omakase for just $89. Excellent deal, and excellent quality pieces!
Jeff, our chef, was an incredible host, and he was funny, informative and super nice. Ask for him!
My favorite pieces were probably the chutoro with caviar, which we added on extra at the end, and the wagyu strip with uni and caviar. I was shocked that one was included!
I highly recommend this pplace. We will definitely be back for more!
ZENSUSHI OMAKASE
235 Eldridge St.
New York, NY 10002
First, check out my Ride & Review HERE:
Sun Hing Lung is a little hole in the wall rice roll and dumpling spot on Henry Street in Chinatown. I walked by here once and made a mental note that I wanted to try it, but I was never able to find it again on all my walks and rides in the area. Fast Forward to last weekend, when my friend Peter suggested it as a spot to try for rice rolls. BOOM! It’s the spot I have been trying to re-find for almost two years!
After a skate park session, I rode over to pick some up. I took them home and devoured them all. Chinese sausage with mixed veggies, curry fish ball, and pork. All great. Hard to choose a favorite.
SUN HING LUNG
58 Henry St.
New York, NY 10002
My wife and I just realized that a yakitori joint opened up by us late last year. we went this past weekend to try it out.
Check out the Ride & Review HERE first, then read below.
First, great beer selection! Hitachino Nest beer is one of my favorites.
On Sundays, edamame is just a buck.
We tried a bunch of skewers, obviously. I think the yuzu thighs and chicken skins were my favorite, but we also had some gizzards, cartilage, tenderloin, mushrooms, and shrimp.
This raw octopus dish with wasabi was really nice too.
The fried squid legs were our least favorite, but they were still great. I really liked that they came with a pair of scissors!
Not only will we be back here soon, but we will be regulars. I’m so happy this is in our neighborhood!
TORIYA
178 Stanton St.
New York, NY 10002
