The Vitals: the spot: Kingfish 337 Chartres St. New Orleans LA 70125 the eats: Chicken and Andouille Gumbo, Jambalaya Risotto, Shrimp n Grits, Ribeye steak(special) the bucks: $9, $12, $22 and market price respectively(around $30-$35) the full nelson: one of the few restaurants in New Orleans I have gone to more than once New Orleans is my favorite food city in America. I love Chicago, San Francisco, New York, Austin and Los Angeles but Nola is just the gem that ...

The Vitals: the spot: P.J. Clarke’s 915 Third Ave NY NY 10022 the eats: The Clarke Burger the bucks: $19.95 the full nelson: An age old NYC burger classic priced like 21st century NYC real estate  P.J. Clarke’s has got history. Surrounded by skyscrapers in Midtown Manhattan, P.J. Clarke’s has been open for business since 1884. If you have ever seen the movie Gangs of New York, you might remember the ending when the camera widens out from the gravestones ...

The Vitals: the spot: Republic Diner ATX 1401 E. 7th St. Austin TX 78702 (behind Kammok Gear Shop) the eats: Slammer the bucks: $6.75 the full nelson:  a deceptive simple smashed burger that slips in umami and a 4oz patty for under $7

The Vitals: recipe: Chicken Báhn Mì (Vietnamese style sandwich) difficulty: easy health rating: healthy – but watch the calorie count on the bread you use.  time: 30 minutes + 4 hour marinade time(can marinate up to 24 hours) I literally made this last night two nights ago and it was so good(and easy) I just had to sit right down and share the recipe. All you really need to do is get the chicken in the marinade and make sure ...

The Vitals: the spot: Pietro’s 232 E. 43rd St. New York NY 10017 the eats: Shells a la Nat, New York Strip Steak for two, Caesar salad with bacon the bucks: $26, $106, and $16 respectively, plan on $100 a head with a stiff drink in the mix the full nelson: historic NYC steakhouse that twists the traditional line up with pastas, parms and a bacon laced Caesar salad. Pietro’s has been on my radar since 2007, when I came ...

The Vitals: the spot: Otherside Deli 1104 W. 34th St Austin TX  78705 the eats: The Roddy the bucks: $11 the full nelson: The first pastrami sandwich that has made me miss LA a little less In the weeks leading up to my imminent departure from Los Angeles in the summer of 2015, I made sure to eat at as many of my favorite haunts as I could. Knowing that I couldn’t get to them all, I made a special ...

There is a movement happening in Texas to declare tacos the official state food. I see a good case for that, although brisket is a strong contender as well. In California, I think making the taco the official state food would be nothing short of a slam dunk. Sure, Southern California is the birthplace of the fast food burger and up in San Francisco, a whole style of burrito awaits you. Still, North or South, big city or quiet surf ...

The Vitals: recipe: Al Pastor tacos difficulty: medium health rating:healthy time: 1 hour + marinade time <scroll down for ingredients and instructions> As much as I love scouring the country for Cheap Eats, I love grilling at home just as much. My preference is to cook over a “live fire”, which for me is hardwood charcoal. These days I have a backyard, so lighting up a grill is pretty easy but back when I lived in a loft, I had to ...

The Vitals: the spot: Little Big Burger 1630 East 6th St. Austin TX 78702 the eats: Little Big Burger with double patty, cheddar and bacon the bucks: $7.50, $4.50 respectively the full nelson: a burger chain that’s pretty keen on Bang for your Burger Buck One of my first jobs out of college would occasionally take the staff out for lunch. I naturally liked to steer the ship on where would we go, and fought relentlessly from dining at a chain. ...

The Vitals: the spot: Tsubaki Szechuan 1117 NW 25th St. Oklahoma City, OK 73106 the eats: Xiao Long Bao(soup dumplings), fried beef with cumin, pork wonton in chili oil  the bucks: $8.95, $13.95, $5.95 respectively the full nelson: dumplings as good as I’ve had in NYC, San Francisco or LA Growing up in the Midwest and being a 1st generation Bengali American, I know that even the “fly over states” have more diversity than what some might give them credit for. ...