6.26.2004
beantown
so i'm out of NJ for the next two weeks - Boston to San Francisco to Chicago to Western MA. But yesterday and the day before, I was in NYC with my brother. A few thoughts...
I had to email a student (i'm tutoring this summer) a test. My hotel would charge $17.95 for net access, so I tried Starbucks. No hotspot. None either at Barnes & Noble. At Kinko's, I hook up at $0.10 per minute. Not bad, I think. But then, I'm having trouble logging on. After a few false starts (their cable connectors were awful), I'm up and running. It took me 50 minutes to NOT send a 53K document. So by now, I'm annoyed, I'm frustrated, and Kinko's has charged me $5 to do nothing. I end up going to Columbia U. the next morning and sending it out in less than 5 minutes. Moral of story: Kinko's sucks.
Two food reviews for you today. Don't take this as me bragging about how expensively I can eat - this is very much a "mom was paying, so let's eat well" type of occasion.
Sushiann
51st St. between Madison and Park.
Excellently fresh sushi, including a waiter who tells you not only the specials of the day but also where the specials of the day were caught. The fresh toro tartare was excellent, as was the fresh salmon roe. It is always a pleasure to taste really fresh sea urchin, and overall, my meal was excellent. Prices are reasonable for Midtown Manhattan sushi, and you certainly get what you pay for. The red bean ice cream is amazing, the capuccino ice cream not so much, and the green tea, while refreshing, tasted a little too woodsy.
Gallagher's Steak House
52nd St. between Broadway and 8th.
"Since 1927". Many of the staff appear to have been working since they opened - even the younger waiters are as crotchety and crabby as the oldest, including an Asian guy doing a turn as an old Italian server; talk about cognitive dissonance. Mom had the filet mignon, which was tender and almost buttery. My brother had the sirloin - tough but flavorful, even though he had it cooked to medium and drowned it in steak sauce. Me? I started with the onion soup (excellent) and went for the porterhouse. I'm only going to be in Gallagher's once in my life - might as well live it up. It was a little too cooked for my taste, but the flavor was fantastic. Rice pudding and apple pie brought the meal to a fitting, if stupefied end.
While i'm on the subject of food, here are some other reviews that might go otherwise go unwritten:
The subway Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki isn't bad, but don't order cheese like my brother did.
The Wendy's new Chicken Filet sandwich is barely acceptable: the lettuce was wilted and dry, and the sauce was pretty heinous. The chicken, to its credit, tasted like chicken.
Wow... It's good to be home.
I had to email a student (i'm tutoring this summer) a test. My hotel would charge $17.95 for net access, so I tried Starbucks. No hotspot. None either at Barnes & Noble. At Kinko's, I hook up at $0.10 per minute. Not bad, I think. But then, I'm having trouble logging on. After a few false starts (their cable connectors were awful), I'm up and running. It took me 50 minutes to NOT send a 53K document. So by now, I'm annoyed, I'm frustrated, and Kinko's has charged me $5 to do nothing. I end up going to Columbia U. the next morning and sending it out in less than 5 minutes. Moral of story: Kinko's sucks.
Two food reviews for you today. Don't take this as me bragging about how expensively I can eat - this is very much a "mom was paying, so let's eat well" type of occasion.
Sushiann
51st St. between Madison and Park.
Excellently fresh sushi, including a waiter who tells you not only the specials of the day but also where the specials of the day were caught. The fresh toro tartare was excellent, as was the fresh salmon roe. It is always a pleasure to taste really fresh sea urchin, and overall, my meal was excellent. Prices are reasonable for Midtown Manhattan sushi, and you certainly get what you pay for. The red bean ice cream is amazing, the capuccino ice cream not so much, and the green tea, while refreshing, tasted a little too woodsy.
Gallagher's Steak House
52nd St. between Broadway and 8th.
"Since 1927". Many of the staff appear to have been working since they opened - even the younger waiters are as crotchety and crabby as the oldest, including an Asian guy doing a turn as an old Italian server; talk about cognitive dissonance. Mom had the filet mignon, which was tender and almost buttery. My brother had the sirloin - tough but flavorful, even though he had it cooked to medium and drowned it in steak sauce. Me? I started with the onion soup (excellent) and went for the porterhouse. I'm only going to be in Gallagher's once in my life - might as well live it up. It was a little too cooked for my taste, but the flavor was fantastic. Rice pudding and apple pie brought the meal to a fitting, if stupefied end.
While i'm on the subject of food, here are some other reviews that might go otherwise go unwritten:
The subway Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki isn't bad, but don't order cheese like my brother did.
The Wendy's new Chicken Filet sandwich is barely acceptable: the lettuce was wilted and dry, and the sauce was pretty heinous. The chicken, to its credit, tasted like chicken.
Wow... It's good to be home.
