Blackburn Burger

A ninth Ave. burger spot is enticing especially when the lunch special here is $7.95 for a main and side or salad. I went with the Blackburn burger- a 100% lean beef burger on a seeded bun with romaine lettuce, tomato, pickles and cheddar. A pretty stellar burger albeith cooked medium well and not the medium requested. A side of grilled fingerling potatoes with a dab of pesto was yummy. On my second visit, I had the spicy corn and shrimp soup served with freshly baked bread. Repeat on the potatoes for a nice light lunch. Service is charming and friendly.
Go!

Qathra

Qathra is a new coffee house/cafe on the ever burgeoning Cortelyou Road scene. It orders it's bread from Balthazar and serves it's food with a Middleeastern twist. On a pretty fall day- it is crowded and the lovely garden beckons. I had a creative lunch sandwich of hummus, avocado and sprouts on an everything focaccia(pictured). The sandwich was under $10 and enjoyed the outdoor garden. The service is decidedly more friendly than the other folks on the road. Brownies which are baked in house(also pictured) looked delish. Other baked goods come from Balthazar and the busy cafe is definitely embraced by the hood. Cortelyou Road area.
GO!

Ta Cocina

$6.95 lunch special make this one of the best deals on the Avenue. Fresh chips and salsa are plentiful. Not too crowded and a comfortable spot for lunchtime grub. Lots of the usual suspects for lunch like the steak burrito pictured with fresh meat, choice of beans, rice, and pungent pico de gallo. Also tried the veggie chimichanga which was lightly fried and served with a side of black beans and cheese.
GO!
http://www.tacocina.com

Peter Luger's Steakhouse

The grand dame of steakhouses in New York is in Williamsburg Brooklyn where it has been for over 100 years. Cash, debit or Peter Luger's cards only here. You must be a carnivore here as the meat is the star of the show. My friend and I ordered jumbo shrimp, and a thick slab of bacon to start. The shrimp were jumbo and juicy served with homememade cocktail sauce which tasted like Luger sauce with horseradish. The rolls here are super fresh and tasty. Now for the main event- we ordered the Porterhouse medium rare and it was a beautiful sight. Perfectly cooked, super tender, a great American steak. American steaks are a little underseasoned to my palate sometimes and this steak features the flavor of the meat, without alot of salt or seasoning like some South American style steaks. The onion rings to accompany were delish. For dessert we went with the hot fudge sundaes. When I asked the waiter(friendly by Luger standards) where the ice-cream was made he said Haagen Daz. Luger's has a formula and doesn't deviate which is suprising with all the great homemade ice-cream around. Still quite satisfying even with Haagen Daz.
If you are craving some great American beef and have the bucks to shell out, this is the place.
GO!

Artichoke Basil/Westiside

Artichoke moves west to the Meatpacking District with a restaurant and slice shop. The slice shop features the usual suspects of square, magherita and the artichoke signature slice. Pizza is a little pricier than the east side with two pieces topping out at $9. On the plus side the small shop is not as crowded and pies are fresher and not as charred. Head over to the Highline while weather permits to chow down on some great pizza.
GO!

Hill Country Chicken

The new outpost of chicken opened by the very successful Hill Country Barbecue people is a mixed bag of chicken. Kitschy, cute retro decor and value priced, alacarte eating make it a fun destination. The food is another story. Having eaten there twice- 2nd time on a gift certificate, I am not a fan of the skin on chicken. Looking dark and tasty- it is seasonless and crunchless. It tastes almost baked. The skinless chicken has somewhat more crunch. The sides are another matter- cheesy mashed is spyicy, cheesey comfort food deliciousness. The blistered corn is decent. The pies are small and delish- tried the banana cream and double cherry.
You could eat a meal plus dessert for under $20, which isn't over the hill.
SLOW GO! Broadway at 25th. Street

The Double Windsor

The former Royal Video store on this key corner has morphed into a lovely local bar with thoughtful ingredients and a wide variety of drafts. If I still lived in this pretty hamlet this would be my neighborhood go-to spot. There is a weird system of ordering food in a little window near the kitchen and then ordering your drinks at the bar. Nevertheless, the grub and drink are worth it. $11 bought a slow roasted Heritage pork sandwich with a side salad or fries. The spicy, sweet, tangy pork pieces were delish as were the crispy fries. The Troegs Dreamweaver wheat was a perfect compliment. Happy hour takes $2 off the brew making this draft $4. On the nice day we were there with breezes from the park, I grew nostalgic for Brooklyn living. Corner of 16th St, and Prospect Park West.
GO!

Westside Steakhouse

Westside gets a new great value priced steakhouse. Where steakhouses are normally the realm of just big lifetime celebrations, this restaurant brings high end steak to the people of the Westside and beyond. Menu items reflect traditional steakhouse fare, at a fraction of the cost. Warmed olive bread with butter arrived pronto at the table. For lunch, I ordered sliced beefsteak tomatoes with sweet Georgia onions a steakhouse classic for $6.50 with steak sauce. The sweetness of the tomatoes and the crunch of the onions makes for a great start. Next up, I ordered a center-cut porkchop which arrived glistening with steakhouse fries for $13. Perfectly cooked and oh so satisfying with the tasty large fries, I can't wait to return for dinner and order the porterhouse or ribeye. The dining room is pretty and faces the burgeoning scene on 10th Ave. Traditional sides like creamed spinach and baked potato are also available. Liquor license is in the works. Personalized service makes for a unique steakhouse experience.
MUST GO!

Eataly

Molto mangiamo in the new Batali/Bastianich mega store in the Toy Building. Euro styled gourment market is the real deal with authentic imported Itlaian foods, Italian foods made on premises and very fine local foods. This is surely the largest local purveyor of imported Italian foods.
..Bountiful and beautiful breads baked on premises
..Coffee counter with real deal espresso and cappucino
..Cobb Cobb rotisserie chicken- we took home a good sized one for $12- juicy and tasty
..Italian home goods
..Cheeses and slumi
..Imported chocolates
..Grandissimo selection of imported Italian foods- making other Italian food stores obscure
..Pizza Napolitana
..Gelato
MUST GO!

M Wells

A restored diner in Long Island City kinda sitting in the middle of nowwhere though down the block from the Hunter's Point #7 station. This spot rocks. Some treasured booths at the window and very friendly service, this spot is only open for breakfast and lunch during the week for now. The owners who hail from Quebec have created a delectable menu and food to boot. Reasonable prices for the tone of the food- I loved it. I had the Crab, egg and potato hash with creamed corn and hollandaise which was $12. I watched the chef sprinkle some cracked pepper on my dish before serving and this was absolutely perfect. A wild strawberry shake created with frozen custard from Timmy O's in Corona and wild strawberries for $6 was super. I took a homemade chocolate chip cookie with walnuts for $1 to go and this cookie was firstrate. For my second foray to M Wells I had the tortilla espanola with smoked ham and green beans for $7. Cooked to perfection with a little olive oil and toasted baguette. In four trips to Spain, I have not tasted a more flavorfull tortilla Espanola. My chocolate, strawberry and banana shake(made to order) was bliss. A hot dog with sweet bacon chili and slaw is a bargain at $5 and the Quebec style buckwheat crepes at $4 sound super duper.
MUST GO!

Brooklyn Bowl

Brooklyn Bowl features food by the Blue Ribbon restaurant people and it is a draw to visit thes Billyburg bowling/performance space. Huge, and arty, with an uber cool vibe, we started with dinner in the smallish eating area sitting at a communal counter with stools. We started with the cornbread with local peach butter- crunchy, seasoned cornbread sticks with delish peach butter. Smoked barbecued wings were also super tasty. The much touted fried chicken plate for $17 stocked some dissappointing chicken. Not particularly seasoned or with substantial crunch the bird was boring. The sides of smoky collards with mashed potatoes with gravy were the better of what was on the plate. Service ranged from lacksadasical to plain snotty. Bowling for two plus a beer, egg cream and shoes was $59.98. Lanes are cool looking, but short in length.
Slow go!

Holland America Cruise

Holland America cruise to Bermuda leaves from Manhattan's Westside directly to Bermuda. My first cruise, food was at the top of my list of priorities and I was not dissappointed. The ship- "the Veendam" hosts a culinary center with free and pay for demos. I started the cruise with a tour of the huge kitchen. Huge and busy, with lots of pictures of the dishes served. A free demo of strudel making was also quite fun. The food was non-stop with four meals a day;
Breakfast- everything plus the kitchen sink including pancake of the day
Lunch- buffet, plus ice-cream sundaes that you make yourself
Tea- homemade scones plus chocolate breads was lovely
Dinner- classic continental with prime ribs as one of our faves
Desserts- Chef Armando the pastry chef made us very happy with chocolate souffle, strudels, baked alaska, and fantastic cheesecakes- chocolate/ strawberry was a fave.

Go if you can!