Petey's Burger

Petey's Burger on 30th Ave in Astoria offers a great "retro" burger comparable to the In n Out furgers of California. This is fast food done fresh and made to order with tons of flavor. I enjoyed watching the burger boys make the burgers on the flattop, add some sercret spices and "viola"- burger magic. This is a very cheap dining experience considering the quality with a Burger, fries and a drink costing $7.29 add American cheese and that brings you up to $7.79. The burger is killer with a juicy patty, crisp romaine lettuce, a nice tomato, raw onion with thousand island dressing on a fresh, soft roll. The fries were quite tasty with some skin on remnants and well fried. I hear the chocolate/strawberry shake($3.99) is quite good for the next visit. 30-17 30th Ave. N train to 30th. Ave- right there.
MUST GO!

La Fonda

The front for real Mexican cooking in the heart of El Barrio on the corner of 103rd Street and Lex. on the #6 line. This corner spot serves up a wide selection of Mexican foods cooked to order. A friendly waitress started me off with a small portion of tortilla chips and tasty salsa. The flor de calabaza burrito served on a homemade corn tortilla with the requisite radish, lettuce and tomato was absolutely delish and not often seen on alot of Mexican menus. The dishes on the menu are mainly under $10 and La Fonda is a nice sunny, comfy spot to chow down.
GO!

Johnny's Famous Reef Restaurant

At the tip of the Puerto Rican Riviera on the Long Island Sound sits Johnnys Famous Reef Restaurant. If you are from the Bronx, Johnnys is famous and I was introduced to the spot by a Puerto Rican girl from the Bronx and fell in love ever since. This is an old school style joint where the food is served cafeteria style(serve yourself). No fuss, take your food outside and enjoy the amazing view. Lots of food here is fried with a tried and true recipe and it rocks. The fried clams are a New England classic and absolutely the tast of summer. Raw clams, fried shrimp, corn are all great. My only gripes with Johnny's are the canned beers(not good enough for the chow) and the bathrooms outside are a little gritty. Otherwise, this spot is one of a kind and the kind of place where patrons would not want it to spruce up or change a thing. Also, prices are reasonable- you could feast for two for about $40.
Must Go!

L.A. Burdick

It is hard to find very high quality chocolate at reasonable prices. L.A. Burdick offers just that. Without the fanciness or pretentiousness of some high end shops this one aims to please and the friendly shop clerk gladly offered up some samples to help me decide. I bought two gift boxes for Father's Day and a small bag of leftover chocolate pieces for $8. The bag of chocolates was a variety of whole pieces and absolutely divine. Can't wait to restock those delectable bits.
Must Go!

No. 28 Pizzeria Romana

Located at 196 Spring Street near 6th. Ave. in Soho this newish Pizzeria by the slice provides more options for quality slices. Offering varieties like mushroom, procuitto cotto, a standard slice, artichoke slice etc. for $4-$5, it is a welcome addition. The pizza itself is made from high quality dough and many of the slices are perfectly darkly baked, though others a somewhat dissapointing. We tried three- the mushroom, artichoke and standard slice. The mushroom was the best of the three with rich mushroomy flavor and the great crust. The artichoke contained cold, canned artichoke which underwhelmed the lovely crust. The standard slice(not pictured) was less well baked and offered flavorless not fresh mozzerella. The top pictured slice is with fresh tomatoes, fresh mozzeralla, and basil- looks like a better option. Customer-centered offerings of bottles of olive oils and flavored olive oils as well as a ultra-modern seating space make this place very user-friendly.
SLOW-GO!

Riveria Cafe

The venerable Rivera Cafe on the corner of West 4th and Bleeker Street has history and good food. The corner, windowed space make any table a virtual Village view. The food here is a cut above many diners in flavor, and value. The chowder pictured is so good, lighter, less creamy than most, though very tasty. At $5 it is a good deal. Also, great is the pulled chicken sandwich on a brioche roll served with their fantastic potato wedges, and purple slaw, costing $10.95. Friendly service and a very relaxed diner atmosphere.
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Lucy's Cantina

This Cantina on the corner of 34th. Street and 8th Ave. serves the Long Island commuters wanting to drink and maybe eat a little bit as well as be served by waitresses wearing island dresses year-round. The food has slightly declined since opening as there were some tasty Tex-Mex dishes particularly the corn with stringy cheese now sans the stringy cheese is just ok. The chile was fair and the steak burrito with Lucys name seared in was tasty. Not many options on this corner, and their is a roof on a nice day with a few beers, you may not notice the food.
SLOW GO!

PopBar

Popbar is a fun concept where you choose(operative word here) a flavor of gelato, yogurt or sherbert on a stick and then choose(that word again) a dip like dark, milk or white chocolate and then proceed to have it rolled in the nuts or topping of your choice for $5. My banana gelato, dipped in dark chocolate and pistachios was a delish mix of flavors and textures. Gianduja is my next choice of flavors. There are fruity gelatos as well and an accomodating staff. On the corner of Carmine and Bleeker near Grom, Cones and L'Arte de Gelato. Choose, dip, roll and enjoy.
MUST GO!

Kinski Cafe

This charming cafe on Rivington creates authentic Austrian delicacies as well as cafe faves in it's charming, comfortable space. I popped in the try the bread knodel or semmelknodel which are bread dumplings in a mushroom sauce with a side salad for $8. This is more of a cold weather dish though none less delish as these dumplings were terrific and well paired with the hearty mushroom sauce. The greens were all perfectly coated with a lemony dressing and were the perfect compliment to the dumplings. Can't wait to try the sweet dumplings.
GO!

South Brooklyn Pizza

The pizza wagon has brought a new player to the slice wars. Only a few blocks from the acclaimed Artichoke Basil, South Brooklyn Pizza offers fresh, high quality thinner, crispier pizzas than Arichoke. The big draw is the add-on bar with roasted garlic, hot cherry peppers and grated parmiganno all at no extra cost. Slices are $4 and are super tasty, with fresh basil to boot. I was also offered freshly made garlic knots(gratis) with some red pepper flakes that gave it an extra kick. Very friendly service.
GO!

Wechslers Currywurst and Bratwurst

Teeny, skinny, bar cum restaurant, the food here is great and cheap. Lots of brews to accompany the made to order wursts and fabulous fries. This stretch of 1st Avenue is fast becoming quite a CHEAP FOODcentric destination with Little Piggy, Weschslers, and South Brooklyn Pizza all within blocks of each other. A brat and fries is $8 which is pretty cheap for the fresh made quality. My brat was fresh made served with a soft roll and lots of winey mustard. The fries here are perfectly darkly fried, thinly sliced and well salted. Absolute mad flavor and served with mayo or ketchup.
Must Go!

Rosa Mexicano

A healthy and organic Mexican cooking demo at this famed Mexican eatery. Chefs David Suarez and James Cawley guided through doable dishes with a healthy spin.
Starting with organic housemade juices with fruit and agave as well as excellent coffee.
The menu:
Roasted tomato salsa
Fava bean and mint soup
Wild Grouper steamed in banana leaf
Grapefruit gratin with fresh fruit sorbet
Mexican granola

The dishes were light, flavorful and some just a little spiced- all delicious.
The recipes were included and I gained a new respect for the culinary traditions of the region and the chefs wonderful interpretations of them.
GO!