Black Oak Nights – New York

Burgers! How can you not love them? They are the common man’s food alternative to steak and filet mignon, and sometimes, they’re even better than the real thing. Besides, unless you work for AIG, who can afford to cough up $35+ for a decent steak in Manhattan these days?

I didn’t think so.

So to help you out, here are some of New York’s best, and cheapest, burgers:

M2M – 2935 Broadway, New York, NY 10025
Yes, that’s right! Travel on up to the Upper West Side to get one of the best burgers in Manhattan. Columbia students already know about this diamond in the rough, but allow me to share it with New York City’s masses. I don’t know what they do, or how they do it, but somehow these seemingly amateur short-order cooks serve up one of the best burgers I have ever had in New York City. In a place where they’re selling Tropicana fruit punch and sushi, you can still go to the order station, ask for a cheeseburger deluxe, and be blown out of your mind as to just how tender and flavorful the burgers they make are. Not to mention, any deluxe burger order comes with fries, which just happen to be some of the most addicting fries I’ve ever had, despite the fact that I’m pretty sure they come straight out of wholesale bag. I usually go for the ultimate death nail of a burger, a double-patty with cheese and bacon. Sure, it doesn’t do much for my heart, but my stomach never complains.

Blue 9 – 92 3rd Avenue, New York, NY
Blue 9 doesn’t have the biggest burgers or the most tender burgers either. But what they do have is a piece of meat that is so full of flavor, oils and is prepared with a careful touch right up until they stuff it in the greasy bag they give it to you in. Their burgers are placed in a nice little bun, served with tomato and onions, and you have the option to turn it into a heat-producing firecracker or you can simply get the “Blue 9” burger, a double cheeseburger with more taste in a single bite than just about any other burger in Manhattan.

Shake Shack – Multiple Manhattan Locations
I wasn’t sold on the merits of the Shake Shack burger at first—that is until, of course, I tried it! With several Shake Shack locations now in Manhattan, you really have no excuse not to have tried this L.A.-style burger. Loaded with everything from lettuce, tomato, shake sauce and Portobello mushrooms, the Shake Stack burger is my favorite. Like Blue 9, they aren’t the biggest burgers in the world, but the Shake Stack burger is a double-stuffed. The fries here make the burger, and if you’re feeling extra risqué, you have the option of adding cheese to those fried potatoes. So the next time you see that giant line oozing out of the Shake Shack venue during lunch time, don’t question those patrons’ merits. Just grab a spot in line next to them!

What goes up but never comes down?

You said it, my friend!

Pizza prices!

And that very thought is something that patrons of Di Fara Pizza will have to reconcile with, because according to “Slice” (the New York City pizza blog), their favorite pizza slice is going up a whopping 25%, from $4 to $5, and it’s not going down—ever!

So what kind of pizza is worth $4, nevermind $5! Well, according to patrons of Brooklyn’s Di Fara Pizza, located at 1424 Avenue J, Brooklyn, NY, this slice of pizza is made with such Italian authenticity that it is well worth the price…and the wait!

Some people wait upwards of an hour to get a slice of pizza from Di Fara. Combine the long wait with the price increase, and one would think that that business at Di Fara was doomed to slow down. But after a recent visit to this popular pizza haven, it didn’t appear that Di Fara was experiencing any kind of a let down. In my experience, you wouldn’t be hardpressed to find someone shelling out $50 or more on a couple of pizza pies from Di Fara, where a whole pie with nothing but cheese cost $25! Twenty-five bucks for pizza, and you have to wait? You would think this is a 5-star restaurant.

But that it isn’t. Di Fara is in a shabby hole in the wall right next to a 99-cent store. Not to say that it takes away from the quality of its product, but one can safely assume that the high price of pizza here doesn’t have anything to do with excessive overheard.

Perhaps the high price does have something to do with the fact that every pizza made at Di Fara is made by one guy: Domenico DeMarco. Domenico is not your average short-order cook, but instead he is an Italian immigrant chef, who believes in using nothing but the finest of ingredients. But according to Slice, Domenico’s recent splurge on toppings may have something to do with his “overuse” of ingredients. According to the New York Times, “[Domenico] has been more generous with them, part of what [his daughter] called his new heavy hand.” Of course, it doesn’t help that patrons are allowed to choose their own individual toppings for each slice.

What’s really amazing though, is that with the new 25% increase in price, there will be a 16% drop in service. Di Fara will now be closed 2 days a week (Mondays and Tuesday) to help ease the stress of their sole and aging pizza-maker, Domenico.

Despite the price, long lines, and unattractive storefront, don’t count Di Fara out on the account of exterior details. You should venture to Di Fara Pizza and make your own determination, because surely if anyone went by facts, common sense and reviews alone, there’s just about no way anyone would justify buying a $5 slice of pizza. So try it yourself, and then you be the judge.

During these difficult times, it can be hard to justify spending more money on a plate of food than you spend on your monthly subway fare, but often, high-price dining is just yet another costly byproduct of living in New York City.

So what can you do?

Stop throwing away your money! Instead, use it to buy some food that doesn’t cost you an arm and a leg and still taste good! Here are a few options to consider next time you find yourself wanting something good to eat without the usual New York City surcharge.

Blue 9
Home of the Blue 9 burger, this burger joint keeps the food fresh and the prices down. Blue 9 hails from Indiana, but with this being their only location, they have adopted a Greenwich Village flair that is second-to-none. Offering fresh smoothies and some of the best fries on Earth, Blue 9 finishes you off with the Blue 9 burger, a double-patty, double cheese, fresh ground beef piece of heaven. It’s greasy. It’s juicy. It’s tender. And you can experience the Blue 9 burger for less than $5. That’s hard to beat considering just how popular of a place this is. Located only steps from numerous NYU dorms, Blue 9 hasn’t jacked its prices up to take advantage of its superb location—not yet anyway. So enjoy it while it last!

Koronet’s
Well, I picked a spot near NYU, now I’m bringing you up by Columbia University. Koronet’s is a staple of the CU community. Freshmen unofficially have to be broken into the student body with a giant slice of Koronet’s pizza. The slices are so big and so enormous, that even some of the hungriest of eaters often share their slice with a friend or two. And when I say big, I don’t mean Pizza Hut or Papa John’s XL pizza slice big. I’m talking about slices so big, that most Columbia students don’t have dorm rooms that measure up. You can get them with toppings, but most people just opt for the plain cheese slice, which is promptly transferred from platter to plate in 10 seconds, always piping hot, and always with the option of adding your favorite spices and cheeses to your slice before you walk away. As for the price, no need to pull out your credit card. In fact, you can be a student for the night and pay in nickels and dimes. It won’t take you long to count your pennies, because a slice of Koronet’s pizza will only run you $2.75. If I had a calculation of the price per square inch of Koronet’s pizza, rest assure, it would be the best deal in town.

Tortilleria Nixtamal – 104-05 47th Avenue, Queens, New York, NY
Okay, so there aren’t a lot of you who will find yourself wondering about Queens at 3am in the morning, but maybe you should be. Tortilleria Nixtamal (TN) is definitely worth the subway fare and your time. Honestly, unless you are Mexican or have been to Mexico personally, you have never had a tortilla this good. Their tortillas are made fresh from dried corn (nixtamal) and are ground into mesa (corn dough). So what do they put on their cooked-to-order, steamy, corn-flavorful tortillas? Well you have a range of options, including fish, which is a favorite of regulars at TN. But you also can choose from beef, steak and pork. TN also serves up some mean tamales, which come filled with chicken, rajas or pork. And don’t forget about your more creative tortilla-filling options, such as peppers, Italian sausage and mozzarella. I mean seriously, what’s better than Mexican and Italian food all wrapped up in one tasty tortilla? That’s right! Nothing!

Every New Yorker knows the feeling. You’ve been trapped inside of an overcrowded, rambunctious, loud, messy, bar and/or night club for the last 3-4 hours of your Saturday night, and now you just want the right piece of food to settle your nerves, absorb your alcohol, and send you to sleep for the rest of the night. Only problem is, most of your favorite places are closed at 3am in the morning.

Well, in the city that never sleeps, there still are plenty of tasty options, even at a time of night when even you don’t think you should be up!

So, in honor of those who do it up every weekend, here are a few of the most popular late-late-late-night food choices in Manhattan. Warning: be weary of long, long lines.

Rosario Pizza – 173 Orchard Street, New York, NY
Here’s a Lower East Side favorite that I haven’t quite bought the hype on yet. Don’t get me wrong, the pizza at Rosario’s is great, as it is freshly baked, made of fine ingredients, and the crust has just the right amount of oil. However, the line that runs outside the door isn’t worth the wait—at least not to me. Personally, unless we’re talking about gourmet pizza, rarely do I see the need to wait longer than the time it takes to make a pizza to get my slice. That being said, most New Yorkers would kill for a piece of this stuff on a Saturday Night, and as a result, you will have to do your share of waiting if you want to eat Rosario Pizza after midnight. I guess it works out well though, considering it’s located in the Lower East Side, which probably means you’re leaving your typical LES dive bar and you probably need a little time to sober up so can you locate your wallet.

Tick Tock Diner – 481 8th Avenue, New York, NY
Yes, there is a God! We suburban transfers here in New York are used to being able to hit up our local IHOP for a decent pancake after midnight. However, when you’re in Manhattan, you have to choose from your typical diner, only very few of them open that late have the quality of breakfast food you’re looking for at 2am in the morning. So since anybody living south of 42nd Street would be reluctant to hit up Manhattan’s only IHOP on 135th Street, there is an even better late-night, breakfast diner option on the corner of 34th and 8th. Tick Tock Diner is renowned across the city for its fabulous food and the incredible wait you have to put in to get it. But it’s even more popular for its unbelievably good pancakes, which even put the International House to shame. Of course, they have your typical diner options—you know, all the way from chicken wings to broiled sea scallops. However, I’d stick close to their choices of omelettes and pancakes—safe choices, but well worth the wellbeing.

The Mecca – Southeast and Southwest corners of 53rd and 6th
There really is no official name for these guys, other than the Halal Guys, so my peeps just call them “The Mecca.” And indeed, they are The Mecca of chicken and rice, because night crawlers of all walks of life line up at the feet of these pushcart food-stops just to get a taste of their of chicken and lamb Halal platters. I must tell you, I didn’t buy the hype at first. When I initially happened across these guys, I saw a line down 53rd Street that was about 50 yards long, and I thought it was ridiculous that street-meat from a cart vendor could be worth that kind of time. But my friend persuaded me to wait, and sure enough, the chicken and rice platter has had me coming back for more for over 2 years now. The funny thing about this place is that it’s not just twenty-somethings exiting the club coming to this place, but its graveyard shifters, doctors, tourists, parents, actors and night-owls of all fashions lining up at this place at 2 in the morning, and it’s all for a platter of chicken and rice! I tell you, it’s something else, but the food is definitely worth the wait. Word to the wise though, the line tends to get very big on the West side of 6th Avenue, but what many people fail to recognize is that the same guys have a 2nd cart on the East side of the street as well. Some people will tell you the East cart isn’t as good as the West cart, but I’ve had both plenty of times, and they are the exact same things. Trust me!

Okay, so the places I’m about to suggest aren’t exactly the cheapest things out there, so when you think of cheap, think more like “Restaurant Week” cheap. Do you know what I mean? These options may not help your contributions to your IRA, but they will allow you to taste the subtle delicacies of a master chef’s creation for prices you couldn’t dare find at your average 4 or 5-start restaurant in New York City.

Brooklyn Star – 33 Havemeyer Street, Brooklyn, New York, NY 11211
Our first location brings us to Brooklyn, where the food is just as interesting as the culture. That’s why Brooklyn Star fits right in, because it isn’t your typical mom and pop American diner, nor is it some overly crowded venue in the middle of nowhere. Instead, Brooklyn Star is the creation of a chef with more in mind than just serving up delicacies and French cuisine. Instead, Chef Joaquin Baca opens your stomach to the idea of eating southern-inflected dishes, such as Dr. Pepper Ribs, fried pig-tails and country fried steak. To top it off, they serve you warm and fluffy biscuits with honey butter, just in case the Sweet Tea Chicken Wings don’t give you the itus—or better yet, a heart attack! But based on the few times I’ve been here, I’d say the food is worth the risk.

Porchetta – 110 E. 7^th Street, New York, NY
Yes! That’s right! An entire restaurant dedicated to the delivery of pork to the masses—or at least to residents and visitors of the East Village! Either way, Porchetta brings the love of pork and mastery of wood-burning ovens back from the depths of Italy’s finest kitchens to give Manhattanites a taste of Tuscany’s greatest creation. And if you’re a fan of pork (we’re a dying breed, I know), then you certainly won’t want to miss out on what Porchetta is cooking up. With nothing more than 8 pork-influenced items on the menu, Porchetta serves up one of the tastiest, finger-licking pieces of swine you will have ever tasted. Porchetta, technically a gutted, boned-out, heavily seasoned and restuffed whole pig, hails from street festivals in Rome and Florence—it’s like the hot dog of Italy! And if you can remember just how much that first Coney Island Dog changed your life, then can you even imagine what this delectable, spicy, moist, organic, tender pig loin with melting bacon bits and garlic potatoes could do to your entire perception of the pig? Yeah, it’s that good!

Piola – 48 E. 12^th Street, New York, NY
Located in Greenwich Village, just below Union Square, Piola is truly a welcomed addition to the plethora of Italian offerings in New York City. Of course, why stop at Italian? Why not add the flavors of Brazil to the menu? Well, that’s exactly what they did at Piola, combining to make one of the best thin crust pizzas in the world—and I mean that literally, as they have locations all across the globe! First of all, you must try “Lucky Gnocchi Day” on the 29^th of every month, when you can get various kinds of gnocchi served to you in churrascaria fashion! And the other 29 days of the month are just as interesting, with an assortment of heavily-topped pizza’s to choose from, including the Mantova (carpaccio, brie, arugola and mozzarella) and the Sau Pauloa (Brazilian cheese and tomato sauce). People who love pizza swear by this place. So for those of you who don’t think you can find a good piece of pizza in Greenwich Village, think again!

Let’s admit it, more times than not, eating in New York City is more about the ambiance than the food itself. And whenever you eat outside, or “al fresco,” Manhattan’s best outdoor dining spots are sure to put a premium on their food. Well, here are a few of the places in New York where the atmosphere actually comes close to meeting the expectations of prices they serve. So if you’re looking for a place with good food and a better ambiance, you’ll definitely become a repeat customer at any of the following venues.

The Grocery – 288 Smith Street, Brooklyn, New York
Located in Carroll Gardens, The Grocery is one of Brooklyn’s, and New York’s, best al fresco restaurants in the city. Before we even get to the atmosphere, you must know that I have never heard a single person complain about the food at this place. From the chocolate fig cake to the duck and the goat cheese ravioli, this place gets rave reviews for its eclectic and decadent menu. I will personally recommend the duck breast with Kasha—trust me, you won’t be disappointed. And as you drown yourself in great wine selections and palatable food choices, take in the beautiful garden you’re eating in. There you will find a bar wrapped around a tree, lush plant life and tremendous landscaping that adds as much serenity and peacefulness to a meal as any other place in the city.

PJ Clarkes On the Hudson – 4 World Financial Center, New York, NY
If you don’t work in the Financial District, you’re probably not that familiar with the World Financial Center (WFC), which is just on the other side of West Side Highway from the World Trade Center buildings. Full of exquisite restaurants, one of the WFC’s afterwork favorites is PJ Clarkes, which during the summer months, offers some of the best al fresco dining there is in New York City. You can grab a nice little table right off the Hudson River, as the outdoor wait staff brings you some of the best finger foods and entrees there are at WFC. A favorite of many is the ice-cold oyster platter. Personally, I’m a big fan of their of their mini-burgers, and if you’re down for a big meal, The Cadillac Burger is sure to have you coming back again and again. PJ Clarkes also boast some tremendous seafood, and their Raw Bar Sampler can satisfy every semi-pescetarian’s desire. They also have a very popular weekend brunch without the long wait, and what’s better than brunch on the water?

The Frying Pan – Pier 66, at W. 26^th Street, New York, NY
This is not the classiest of the outdoor dining places in New York City, but it still remains one of the best. Legend has it that this outdoor barge turned bar was salvaged from the bottom of the Chesapeake Bay and brought to Chelsea Piers to serve dive-bar-goers for all eternity! The indoor part of The Frying Pan offers lounging and music, often with live performances. Nevertheless, outside on the water is where all of the fun goes down. Their burgers, which belong in my “Burger Hall of Fame,” get dealt out like club flyers, and there’s not a bite of beef that doesn’t get chased by some form of liquor. For ambiance, The Frying Pan has a 16-foot observation deck that makes this place not only a great place to find someone “interesting,” but also it’s a great place to charm the heck out of them. With the views of the Hudson, other waterfront venues, and the outlandish characters that make this place so lively and entertaining, it’s hard not to succumb to the all around comfort and charm of The Frying Pan.

I know those old Pace Think & Chuncky commercials have altered your thoughts on this, but it is very possible to find good barbecue in New York City.

Here are just a few of the Big Apple’s best barbecue options:

Texas Rotisserie & Grill – 2581 Broadway, New York, NY (2 other locations)
A favorite of Columbia University students, Texas Rotisserie & Grill, or Texas Grill for short, is one of the more eclectic barbecue options in New York City. With a menu that serves barbecue for meat lovers and vegetarians alike, Texas Grill is friendly to any diet. They offer a great lunch menu that has a ton of affordable options with decent size portions. Their BBQ Pulled Pork Wrap is a favorite during lunch hours, as is the ¼ chicken platter that cost a mere $5.95. Their dinner options get even better with carver platters, barbecue ribs, brisket and an array of seafood options. Of course, Texas Grill offers plenty of non-barbecue options as well, and I personally love starting my meals there with a few Buffalo wings before every meal!

Dallas BBQ – 241 W. 42nd Street, New York, NY (6 other locations)
With several locations throughout the five boroughs, Dallas BBQ remains one of New York’s favorite barbecue destinations. A little more commercial than your classic barbecue venue, Dallas BBQ has basically mastered coupling a few tiers of barbecue choices alongside some great sides and appetizers. So while their steak isn’t the best, and their rotisserie chicken could be better, their barbecue-basted chicken roast, along with their brisket, fried shrimp and spare ribs, are all very palatable. When your pair those things up with some great “Texas size” chicken wings, frozen drinks, and cornbread, it makes for a very good time and a very, very satisfying meal.

Virgil’s – 152 W. 44th Street, New York, NY
One can only imagine what kind of hype would surround Virgil’s if it weren’t semi-hiding from the public along some “back-alley” to New York City’s Time Square. Nevertheless, Virgil’s has managed to build quite the reputation despite its location, as it is probably the go-to spot whenever a New Yorker wants the best barbecue in town. And Virgil’s really does have the best barbecue, or “Virgil’s Real Barbecue” as it is known. With heaping helpings of Sliced Texas Brisket, Owensboro Lamb, Pulled Carolina Pork, Smoked Maryland Ham, and Texas Links, this place is God’s gift to food and a heart attack away from heaven. But maybe the slight decrease in life expectancy is worth it, because the food really is second to none when it comes to barbecue in New York City. Not only are the barbecue options that I mentioned top-notch, but the rest of their menu is power packed with barbecue items and recipes from all over the country, and their sides, such as their magnificent macaroni and cheese, are well above-par.

If you’re like me, you love buffalo wings. There’s nothing wrong with it. Yeah, it’s fried chicken, dipped in sauce, only to be baked again, but don’t let your health concerns deprive of you of this delectable, edible creation. Otherwise, you would miss some of the best “recession-proof” deals there are in New York City. Gas can go up all it wants to, but the cost of wings remains steady in Manhattan.

Barrow Street Ale House - 15 Barrow St, New York, NY
Barrow Street is truly a place for sitting back and relaxing, and what can be more relaxing than $0.40 wings and $3 pints of Sam Adams? With pool games, darts and video games to take part in, you can really work up an appetite at Barrow Street, so they’re taking care of all patrons every Monday night with their 40-cent wing special. Because it’s located in the West Village, you better get here right around 7pm when the 40-cent wing special begins, otherwise you might find yourself waiting quite a while.

1849 - 183 Bleecker St, New York, NY
There’s nothing like plopping down in a seat several feet away from a 40-inch plasma television with the big game on and ordering dozens of wings, knowing that they will only cost you a couple of bucks! That’s what you can do at 1849 on Sunday, Monday and Wednesday nights. You can also come in on any day before 5p.m. and get the same deal—and what a deal it is. For just $0.20 per wing, you can order all of the buffalo, barbeque or fried chicken wings you want, and believe me, you will want a lot. I typically go for a platter a wings, a side of fries and a couple of $3 well drinks. Then I sit back and enjoy the conversational vibe that 1849 delivers unlike any other spot in Manhattan.

Croxley Ales - 28 Avenue B, New York, NY
In these economic times, it can be hard to justify paying a penny more than you have to for just about anything. That’s why Croxley Ales steps there game up big time, by offering 10-cent wings, which is half the price of some of the best deals in Manhattan. And quite frankly, they aren’t skimming out on anything by lowering the cost. In fact, Croxley Ales has bigger, more robust, more flavorful, and hotter wings than just about anybody else in New York City. Located on Avenue B between 1st and 2nd street, Croxley Ales is a local favorite for all of the young, Lower East Siders still trying to find their way in New York City. That’s why this place is packed on Mondays and Wednesdays, when the 10-cent deal runs from 5pm to close. Of course, you will want to wash those wings down, so you they’ve got $4 brews (of which they have hundreds to choose from) going all night long.