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The "Eating In Upstate Manhattan" Topic


picaman

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Inspired, or perhaps shamed, by my pathetic post on eating in my neighborhood of Inwood in the Cuban sandwich thread, I'm looking for accumulated food knowledge for upper Manhattan. I've done some preliminary eGullet searches...

eGullet search for "upper Manhattan"

eGullet search for "Inwood"

eGullet search for "Washington Heights"

and found some info, but it's somewhat limited and occasionally outdated. So, here's the idea. As I eat in various places around this area, I'll post my findings in this thread. If you live here, work here, used to live or work here, or have any area food experiences or knowledge to share, post here!

And, if anyone has a definition of what area this physically encompasses, I'll listen! I'm thinking 175th/GW Bridge-ish and up, but I'm flexible.

I know there are several posters who live up here...any ideas for what this thread should/could entail?

Thanks in advance for your help!

:smile:

Jamie

See! Antony, that revels long o' nights,

Is notwithstanding up.

Julius Caesar, Act II, Scene ii

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There was a time (during my childhood) when the boundaries of Washington Heights were 155th St and Dyckman Street, with Inwood north to Spuyten Duyvil. That made some geographic sense, as a steep uphill starts around 155th (maybe lower) and the northern edges of Fort George Hill end at Dyckman. I haven't lived there since 1981, so any restaurant knowledge I had is out of date. When I was a kid there were soda fountain/ice cream parlours every so often along Broadway. But we never ate out or even had take out when I was growing up. And there was nowhere worth eating in the heights in my late 20's (1977-81).

So this post serves no value to the topic execpt maybe geographical. Perhaps as people list current restaurantsites, I can tell you what used to be there.

--mark

--mark

Everybody has Problems, but Chemists have Solutions.

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So this post serves no value to the topic execpt maybe geographical.  Perhaps as people list current restaurantsites, I can tell you what used to be there.

--mark

Not at all! I was rather selfishly thinking of the boundaries in terms of how far I wanted to schlep after a long day at work :rolleyes: It makes more sense to define them in terms of geography and tradition. So, north of 155th St. sounds good to me!

:smile:

Jamie

See! Antony, that revels long o' nights,

Is notwithstanding up.

Julius Caesar, Act II, Scene ii

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A little research also came up with New Leaf Cafe, on W. 190th street; A "New American", it seems that all proceeds from the business go into the restoration and upkeep of Fort Tryon Park!!

Edited by menton1 (log)
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A place up there that I understand to be highly touted is "DR. K" , on 114 Dyckman Street.  Have you been there?  Anyone else know about it?

I know about it and referenced it in my post on the Cuban sandwich thread--it used to be "Republi-k." But I haven't been there, mainly because I've thought I could get comparable food elsewhere in the area more cheaply. This may be an unfair way to look at it, though, and I've had good reports on the food from friends. I'd love an informed opinion from an eGulleter who's been there!

Arthur Avenue in the Bronx is a short bus ride away from the area, of course, but it's pretty well documented on the board.

:smile:

Jamie

See! Antony, that revels long o' nights,

Is notwithstanding up.

Julius Caesar, Act II, Scene ii

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I can recommend "El Malecon" on 175th st. and Broadway. This 24-hour Dominican restaurant has outstanding rotisserie chicken, and is extremely popular with the locals. I haven't tried anything else there, but the menu is pretty extensive.

New Leaf cafe has been pretty good, although i haven't been there since last Spring. The free range chicken should be very fresh, given the abundance of "wild" chickens roaming the park :biggrin:

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New Leaf cafe has been pretty good, although i haven't been there since last Spring.  The free range chicken should be very fresh, given the abundance of "wild" chickens roaming the park :biggrin:

:laugh::laugh::laugh:

Will Bette Midler catch it for me personally?

:laugh:

Jamie

See! Antony, that revels long o' nights,

Is notwithstanding up.

Julius Caesar, Act II, Scene ii

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I can recommend "El Malecon" on 175th st. and Broadway.  This 24-hour Dominican restaurant has outstanding rotisserie chicken, and is extremely popular with the locals.

Seconded. Their other branch, which I've gone to much more frequently, is on Amsterdam Av. between 97 and 98 Sts., but the 175 St. branch is bigger and feels like the Headquarters. I've had both the excellent pollo a la brasa and other things at both branches. You can get any of the daily specials (there are always several) or order a la carte. The specials are good; get whatever strikes your fancy. If you like freshly-squeezed juice, they do a good job. Get a large glass of it. I go for orange juice "natural sin nada" (freshly-squeezed without milk or sugar added). Informal and somewhat celebratory atmosphere (partly because of the Dominican dance music on the stereo), friendly service. Some decent restaurant Spanish helps.

Michael aka "Pan"

 

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Thanks for the heads-up on El Malecon! We had a late lunch at the 175th and Broadway location today--got there around 2:45 thinking we might miss the crowd but boy were we wrong. The place was packed and we had to wait ~15 minutes for a table. Service was hit and miss (one entree arrived about 10 minutes after the rest of the food) but we weren't in a hurry anyway, and that's the last outright negative thing you'll read in this post.

I had "Pechuga de Pollo & Chorizo Salteado"--grilled chicken breast and chorizo with green peppers, onions, spanish olives and capers, $9.00. It was marvelous--the smokiness of the chorizo mixed well with the slight citrus taste (mojo?) of the chicken. Not at all greasy, either, as peppers and onions dishes sometimes tend to be. The dinners all come with your choice of rice and beans (red, black, or pigeon peas), mixed rice and beans, fried green (tostones) or yellow (maduros) plantains, fries, cassava, boiled green banana (guineo), or salad. I had the mixed beans and rice, which had a nice smoky flavor.

We also split a side order of tostones ($2.00), which were hot and delicious without being greasy-tasting. Ideally there would have been a bit more salt added immediately after frying, but it's a minor complaint.

Kirk had "Carne Ripiada" ($8.00) from the Sunday specials menu (shredded beef with peppers and onions in a tomato-based sauce) which I liked even better than my entree. The meat had the texture of perfectly cooked pot roast-type meat that was falling apart and could be cut with a fork, and the nicely spiced sauce was a perfect complement.

With a generously-sized 1/2 pitcher of sangria ($10.00), the total bill was $29. An absolutely amazing deal, considering the quality and flavor of the food, along with the quantity of food. We took home more food than we actually ate while at the restaurant. It is no exaggeration to say that two people can easily split one entree and be satisfied. Kirk had most of what would be a nice sized pot roast on his plate, and I had at least an entire large chicken breast and two or three large sausages mixed in with the peppers and onions. And keep in mind that each person's side dishes (the mixed beans and rice that came with the dinners, along with the side of tostones we ordered) fill normal-sized plates.

Judging from the plates that came to nearby tables, the "Pollo a la Brasa" is far and away the most popular dish. A whole roasted chicken with your choice of sides is $8.00, or you can get a half-chicken for $6.00. Again, enormous quantities of food and this dish looked and smelled amazing. There's also an extensive seafood menu with conch being the item that really caught my eye. In addition to the standard menu, there are numerous regular specials that change daily.

We'll be back here soon--next up for me is the roasted chicken. My only regret is that I live outside the 15-block radius delivery area, but that just means that I can joyously stuff myself with awesome food on location, enjoy a nice longish-but-needed walk home, and relive the entire experience with the leftovers.

:smile:

Jamie

Edited by picaman (log)

See! Antony, that revels long o' nights,

Is notwithstanding up.

Julius Caesar, Act II, Scene ii

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Thanks for the heads-up on El Malecon!  We had a late lunch at the 175th and Broadway location today

I knew you started this thread, Jamie.

Oddly enough, herbacidal and I went to the 97th street location last night. I had a cubano (my first) $3.00, and he had....fried pork chops? Whatever porky thing they were, they were delicious.

I was really looking forward to riding my bike to the 175th location, but time didn't allow it. Glad to hear there's a giant hill I avoided!

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Try the New Leaf Café, in scenic Fort Tryon Park, where I recently had a surprisingly fine lunch. The chef is said to be ex-Gramercy, 21, and (are you around, Matt?) Bid.

"To Serve Man"

-- Favorite Twilight Zone cookbook

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Oddly enough, herbacidal and I went to the 97th street location last night.  I had a cubano (my first) $3.00, and he had....fried pork chops?  Whatever porky thing they were, they were delicious.

I was really looking forward to riding my bike to the 175th location, but time didn't allow it.  Glad to hear there's a giant hill I avoided!

Let me know if you ever ride up to 175 and I'll walk down.

On the walk home we passed several places on Broadway that had cubanos. This might be my next mini-quest.

:smile:

Jamie

See! Antony, that revels long o' nights,

Is notwithstanding up.

Julius Caesar, Act II, Scene ii

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Let me know if you ever ride up to 175 and I'll walk down.

On the walk home we passed several places on Broadway that had cubanos.  This might be my next mini-quest.

:smile:

Jamie

Give me a heads up as well. I live on 177th and Fort Washington.

Has anyone been to Hispaniola (181st and Cabrini) recently? It showed some promise in my one visit ~1 year ago.

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  • 8 months later...

I am another Inwood resident and urge folks to try out "A New Leaf" in Fort Tryon Park. It is a lovely setting; I was taken there for my birthday and had a swell time.

On 187th Street in Washington Heights I like Bleu Evolution (nice garden in the rear) and the more casual 107 West, which also delivers. 107 West features some organic fowl and salmon; portions are generous, it's filling, healthy food and it has a relaxing atmosphere.

A decent little Mexican restaurant on 207th just off Broadway is Hoppin' Jalapenos - nothing special, but somewhere to go other than the Piper's Kilt when another burger is out of the question. I like the Kilt, but for a year after I moved up here it seemed to be the only place in the neighborhood. I've done a lot more cooking since I moved up here. :huh:

Edited by bluecabochon (log)
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