adventures of mascarah.

After more than a couple reader emails, I’ve decided to take on NYC food neighborhood by neighborhood and share my favorites. Starting with my current stomping grounds, the Lower East Side.

Fancy Schmancy:

• Wd50: gastro-insanity at this place. Not cheap but a place I think everyone should experience at least once. The science behind the food is quite mind blowing.
• Allen & Delancey: not quite the same as it was when it opened but still a cozy (and super romantic) spot with solid food. A great date or celebration spot. About as scene-y in vibe as the LES gets.
• Stanton Social: I wasn’t sure about including this. It is so played out (thanks Sex and the City!) but remains a solid spot for posh drinks and decent eats with friends. Skip downstairs and eat upstairs. I like having a stiff drink and an order of French Onion Soup Dumplings (the best!) at the bar. A great nightcap.

Awesome + won’t break the piggy bank:

• Frankie’s Sputino: solid little cozy joint, be prepared to wait Thurs-Sat, but overall a great little neighborhood gem. Fav items: pastas, crostinis, and meatball sandwich (to die for!) Bonus – they deliver!
• Little Giant: Part of that whole organic/sustainable slow food world. Delicious, reasonably priced, well edited wine list. Cash only and the 3 closest ATMs are always broken, so be prepared. Also one of my favorite brunch spots on one of the best blocks in the LES.
• Café Katja: In that same awesome Orchard LES area as Little Giant, a fantastic authentic Austrian restaurant that turns into a bit of a bar at night with a lot of rowdy, loud excited (and often hot!) Austrian guys. Favs – Austrian Mac & Cheese (it’s divine) and of course, schnitzel.
•  ‘inoteca: On everyone’s LES list this place is a solid standby. Stand outs include all paninis and tea sandwiches, the octopus appetizer, seasonal fish entree, solid wine list (with reasonable margins). I prefer this joint Sunday-Tuesday. The weekend waits are ridiculous and not worth it. Bonus: can sit outside in warmer weather and marvel at the interesting LES characters (they are characters).
• Apizz: casual Italian in a warm, romantic environment. My favorite date place in the LES. Affordable food, outstanding (and infamous) meatballs.
• Schiller’s: Part of the McNally empire and by far one of the best interior designed (you’ll recognize it from like 52 million movies and tv shows). Has garage door style open air in the warmer weather which makes it even better. Stand outs include: Croque Madame, Burger, Mac & Cheese & their wine which is categorized by price (go cheap!) and super affordable. Downside: crowd can get a bit lame on weekends, with an ungodly amount of Euro-hipsters. Bonus: great late night eats.
• 1492:  Hidden little tapas place on Clinton St (the best st for food in the LES) that serves up delicious Spanish tapas and wine at super affordable prices. Rarely crowded, completely unpretentious and very cozy. One of my favorite random date places.
• Bacaro: great Italian-inspired small plates (and some larger dishes) at a super cool and well designed location that is a bit more Chinatown than LES, but we’ll include it. There’s almost always a wait, but the wait is definitely worth it.
• Azul: little Argentinean spot that has an amazing two-for steak deal ($36) that includes fries Provencal and a salad. Super affordable and yummy. One of my favorite places to grab a meaty dinner with friends.
•  Zucco: Le French Diner: Best dang lamb for the price in the area. Cozy, solid French food at affordable prices. Popular with the local French crowd so be prepared for that vibe.

Best Brunch:

• Alias: From the outside this place just looks bizarre, but that is part of it’s charm. Solid southern-inspired food including a fab chicken & waffles, cheesy grits, breakfast burrito, and county style breakfast of your favorite pork/egg combos. One of my favorite brunches in the city. Never too crowded, not an ounce of pretense, solid, affordable food.
• Brown café: This place can have lines a mile long but if you can make it on an off day or early, it delivers on the price. Fabulous breakfast and lunch sandwiches, great presentation, super fresh and organic offerings. Yummy! Bonus: a bit off the beaten path and deep into Chinatown, nice to be away from all the loud LES mayhem.
•  Clinton St Baking Company: what can I tell you that hundreds haven’t already written on Yelp? Come for the French toast, pancakes, or eggs with awesome tomato sauce and delicious biscuits. On the weekends this place is a joke with crowds literally filling the sidewalk. Better to do their (slightly more limited) breakfast menu during the week unless you don’t mind waiting for 1 hour plus.
• Spitzer’s Corner: For a bar, Spitzer’s has the best brunch in the LES by far. Favorites include: lamb sandwich, their take on egg’s benedict. Clean bar (no left over beer smell from last night), nice communal tables, great for a brunch with your friends. Rarely have to wait and take all forms of payment (a rarity in the LES). Bonus: Steps from Dolce Vita for post eat shoe shopping.
• Freeman’s: I go back and forth between loving and disliking Freeman’s food, but no one can argue that the space (garnished with taxidermy and a warm cottage feel) is amazing. Stand outs include: spin/artichoke dip, mac & cheese, pork sandwich, and the traditional stuff like Devils on a Horseback. Nice staff, fun crowd (quite a mix, a lot of people aren’t local LES-ers), and one of those places everyone should experience at least once.
• Bondi Road and Essex House: Tied for the booziest brunch in the LES. Not my favorite food-wise, either of them…but both are guaranteed to give you affordable food and get you hammered on a random, lazy weekend afternoon (or morning, I’m not judging!)

Cheapo-Yumm Yumm:

•  Nicky’s Vietnamese Sandwiches: Cheap, slightly greasy, amazing. Favorites include: Double pork chop and signature sandwich (get it spicy). A go to STAPLE for eats to pick up on your way home if you are in /live in the area. Also great for a cheap eat to take to Thompkin’s Square Park on a sunny afternoon.
• Shopsin’s: greasiest institution of a sandwich (and solid bfast) joint in the neighborhood. Great for counter takeaway.
• Fat Hippo: This place doesn’t offer one thing that is OUTSTANDING but all their food is solid and super cheap. A weird mix of food ranging from meatloaf to beer can chicken to hamburger sliders to tacos, Fat Hippo seems to have an on-going identity crisis but  it is super cheap (everything is under $15 and most thing are under $10) and the portions are sizable. If you’re ever with a group in the LES and can’t get in anywhere, come here. You’ll get in.
• San Marzano: This place used to be BYOB and isn’t anymore, but does have $2 PBR more often than not and GREAT pizzas at $10-$15 a pop that can feed 2 people. A great cheap date place that also delivers locally a solid pizza. My favorite: the traditional margherita or the buffalo chicken. Also of note: calzones are freaking HUGE and delicious.
•  Los Feliz: Solid tacos, overpriced margaritas, cool coke-denish dark vibe. Super hip interior (to the point of trying too hard almost…) but some of the most solid tacos in the neighborhood. Much better than Paladar.  Cheapest tacos (and best bang for the buck) however, goes to San Loco – my go to for delivery, drunken eats, and random Guacoloco adventures (try one, delicious!)
• Cube 63: BYOB + Sushi ($6 avg price for rolls) = dangerous but delicious combo. No need to say more.
• Georgia’s Eastside BBQ: Southern-style bbq with amazing chicken, ribs, sauces and prices. One of my favorite neighborhood guilty places. You really can’t go wrong. (It’s not like actually being in the south but it’s a distant second and definitely hits the spot).
• Katz’s Deli: I wouldn’t say the sandwiches (for a sandwich) are cheap, but they are HUGE and the place is iconic. Eat: hand cut meats (my fav is corned beef), avoid: burgers. Bonus: open late and you can watch annoying tourists reenact the Meg Ryan orgasm scene and oogle at the Sopranos, Mayors, and C list celeb photos adorning the walls.

Other notable neighborhood joints of mention:

• Café Pedlar and Cocoa Bar: both amazing coffee joints.
•  Barrio Chino: a super fun (and always packed) standby - guaranteed to make for a good (although not outstanding in any way food/drink wise) night
• Dessert truck turned resident on Clinton St: Solid, affordable dessert offerings.
• Sugar Sweet Sunshine: Best damn cupcakes in the city.
• Pink Pony: I think their staff are all a-holes but a solid place to grab a random bite.
• il laboratorio: heavenly gelato
• Organic Avenue: the best fresh juice smoothie (home of the Gwyneth Platrow-famed LOVE cleanse).

What do you think? What did I miss? I welcome all feedback in the comments and will write a follow up post to include them later on. Next up on my list? The West Village…next Tuesday.