ITJS wishes you Happy Holidays!
Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009
(0 out of 5 hot dogs)
Loading ...Well, the holidays are here, and ITJS is officially taking a winter break! I’m off to go global in Israel, cashing in on my birthright, a free trip for anyone under the age of 26 who is Jewish, has a Jewish ancestors, or just a larger than average nose. I’ll be back on January 17th with a detailed account of Israel’s most special meal deals, and also continuing reviews on the best and the cheapest that NYC has to offer. So whatever holiday you are celebrating this winter, may it be filled with bounteous bites and glorious gulps! See you in 2010!
This past weekend, my friends and I took a little trip to Atlantic City, a quaint (read: gaudy) town from which the Monopoly board is based on. I decided to take on the Codename: Thimble, because it’s adorable, and fits right on your little pinky finger. Luckily, I didn’t end up needing a ‘Get out of Jail Free’ card. We took the Greyhound, which was $35 round trip. Apparently attached to the bus ticket was a Bonus ticket, where we would have gotten reimbursed for the trip in casino tokens, but we didn’t realize that until afterwards. Oops! Anyway, we got all spiffied up in our Sunday best, and definitely stood out against masses of extra-large t-shirts and fanny packs.
The next morning, our bellies were as emptied as our bank accounts. But apart from casinos, the Atlantic City only seemed to have ‘Cash for Gold’ stores, and the occasional sketchy deli complete bullet holes in the window. We reluctantly ate at Sbarros located within the Taj Mahal. For $3.95 I had a small cup of pasta salad, the only item that didn’t appear to be doused in grease. I had a dandy time in Atlantic City, but next time I will definitely bring my own food, and maybe I’ll switch to Codename: Top Hat, in hopes that I’ll come out on top.
At the stroke of midnight, Cinderella’s carriage turned back into a pumpkin. This is kind of like that, except your dollar bill turns into a delicious falafel sandwich, and it can happen any time your heart desires. For your buck, you get two good-sized falafel inside a half pita with lettuce, tomatoes, onions and sauce. It’s a deal right out of a fairy tale, and a slightly healthier alternative to Two Bros $1 pizza around the corner. They also have a full menu of under $5 Middle Eastern goodies, such as baklava, spinach pie and baba ghanouj. So wipe that soot off your apron, and head on down, you might even meet your Prince Charming. Or falafel sandwich the size of a football. Take your pick.
The Border Café is in Harvard Square (right by to the University), so you can eat Mexican food and simultaneously feel very studious and academic. Upon being seated, you are brought chips and salsa. They are freshly-made and warm and amazing. I may even say that they were the best tortilla chips I’ve ever had (although that is a bold statement, and I’m not sure if I’m ready to make that kind of commitment). Anyway, I ate so many of them that I wasn’t hungry by the time my main course came. The order of guacamole was $3.95, and the margaritas were $5.50 each, and I marveled that the prices here were half or even a third what you would pay in NYC. For my main course, I got fish tacos for $7.50, which came rice and beans and pico de gallo. The fish part of the tacos were fried nuggets, more of a Tex-Mex/ Cajun style than authentic Mexican food, but still good. All that, and I still haven’t told you about my favorite part of the meal. I’m a big water drinker, and usually need my glass refilled seven or eight times during a meal, especially if it’s spicy. Border Café must have known that I was coming and gave us huge plastic cups of water, the size of pitchers, so I didn’t need to have it refilled at all! This place is border-line paradise!
The Sam Adams Brewery is in Jamaica Plains, which is like the Brooklyn of Boston (cute and neighborhood-y but slightly ghetto), and they give free tours six days a week. We took the 11:45 AM Monday tour, and our guide didn’t hide the fact that she had already put a few beers away for breakfast. Her eyes were glazed over a little, but she didn’t slur or spill beer on anyone, which was classy. After about 25 minutes of walking through the brewery and learning how beer was made (blah blah blah), we got to go in the tasting room and sample the beer. Everyone was given a 7 oz. Sam Adams’ tasting glass, which we were able to take home. And we tasted four beers: Boston lager, winter lager, blueberry witbier and brick red (which is never bottled and only served at select bars in Boston!) Technically we were only supposed to have three glasses, but pitchers were being passed around freely, and I was able to have five or six glasses, which kept me feeling toasty in the bitter Boston weather.
With six locations, unlimited drinks, unlimited chips and salsa, all for the same price as a movie ticket, this is my go-to drunch in NYC (drunk + brunch = drunch). The adorable little stuffed monkey decorations throughout the restaurant somehow makes it okay that you are getting sloshed on Sunday and it’s not even noon. Good news: Blockheads also has a lunch special during the week (Chips, Soda, and entrée for $9). Better news: $3 frozen margaritas ALL DAY EVERY DAY. They don’t take reservations, but despite the amazing-ness of this special, I have never had to wait for a table. The waiters here are really nice too; they even came up with a nickname for my table, “los borrachos.” I’m not sure what it means, but I like the way they roll the ‘R’s!’ The weekend is approaching, I suggest you hop on Google Maps and figure out the Blockheads that is closest to your apartment (or the apartment of your co-worker who is pretty hot, but really annoying, but you’ll probably hook up with anyway after the Holiday Party).
I was walking home, and had a flash-craving for Japanese food, so I popped into Bamboo, the nearest sushi bar, and picked up a Bento Box to go. I’m a fan of bento boxes, because they come with so much different stuff in them that you can never get bored. CELEB ALERET! CELEB ALERT! After exiting the restaurant, who should I pass on the street but the Fabric Heiress herself, Ally Zarin of Real Housewives of NYC fame. It didn’t appear that she was going to Bamboo, but I couldn’t tell. Maybe Jill and Bobby put her on a budget, and she is forced to live on meager lunch specials before being shipped off to Martha’s Vineyard to “detox.” Anyway, I got tofu teriyaki, and it came with all that stuff pictured to the left. It tasted good and I felt great, but it may have just been the post-celeb-sighting-afterglow.