The Vitals: the spot: Ippudo 65 4th Ave New York NY 10003 the eats: Ramen the bucks: $16  the full nelson: a ramen that comes with a ton of hype and some seriously good pork belly buns How much should you pay for a bowl of ramen? That answer has changed dramatically over the last 20 years, in the US at least. In college, I never touched the stuff. And by “the stuff” I mean the ramen packets my pals ...

The Vitals: the spot: Tompkins Square Bagels 184 2nd Ave or 165 Ave A NY NY  the eats: Bagel with Lox Deluxe the bucks: $13 the full nelson: an East Village Bagel Breakfast fix

The Vitals: the spot: Cafe China 13 E. 37th St. NY, NY 10016 the eats: Spicy Chengdu Wonton, Scallion pancake, Double Cooked Pork, Baby Cucumber, Shredded Tripe in chili oil, Ma Po Tofu,  the bucks: plan on spending $25-30 a person to feast comfortably  the full nelson: legit Szechuan that comes with a renowned food producer’s stamp of approval I have been to New York City many times over the years and yet every time I go I feel like ...

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: 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: Haat Bazaar 3711 73rd st suite 73 Jackson Heights Queens NY the eats: Biriyani, beef curry, dal, dimmer chop(fried egg), bhaji – basically get everything you can but fair warning: the fish has a million bones!! the bucks: $10 a person the full nelson: legendary Bengali grocer serving authentic home cooked Bengali food in the heart of Jackson Heights Queens Beyond Chicken Tikka Masala and Naan lies a complex world of regional Indian cuisines, like Bengali cuisine ...

The Vitals: the spot: Harry and Ida’s 189 Avenue A New York NY 10009 the eats: “The Pops” 1/2lb Pastrami Sandwich the bucks: $17.50(!) the full nelson: New School Pastrami joint aiming to be a contender for best in NYC Founded in 2015, I suppose one could call Harry and Ida’s a new school pastrami joint, though their methods are very much connected to the days of old. Pastrami makes up only one of their sandwich offerings, and with items like ...

The Vitals: the spot: J.G. Melon 89 MacDougal st. NY NY 10012  other locations in upper east side(original) and upper westside the eats:Cheeseburger the bucks: $12.50 the full nelson: one of NYC’s most celebrated burgers is worth a visit The J.G. Melon burger has been on my radar for years now as it consistently makes the best of NYC burger annual round ups. Another classic example of the NYC pub style burger, much like Corner Bistro and PJ Clark’s, expect to ...

The Vitals: the spot: Joe Junior 167 3rd Ave New York NY 10003 the eats: Cheeseburger the bucks: $5.85 the full nelson: can a burger with the appeal of a picky 5 year old indeed be the best burger in NYC? Joe Junior has been on my burger radar for quite some time, in no small part due to the adoration of Nick Solares, host of Meat Life, The Meat Show, writer for Eater NY and Serious Eats, and author of ...

Brooklyn. The largest borough of the NYC. Simply iconic. And for a long while an oasis of Cheap Eats along with cheap rent. But then Brooklyn blew up and decided to take on big brother Manhattan as the “it spot” in NYC. Suddenly the idea of Cheap Eats became a challenge. Well yours truly is always up for a Cheap Eats challenge almost as often as I am up for a trip to the city that never sleeps, so get ...