Hop Devil Grill - Adios Huevos!

Hop Devil Grill is home to two of my favorite things in the world - "Taco Tuesdays" and a rotating craft beer selection.  It should come as no surprise that I was thrilled to find out that they had added a third favorite of mine - bottomless drinks at brunch.  They even outdid themselves, this endless brunch did not include only bloody mary's or mimosa's, but it included endless craft beer - "Beerunch" as they call it.  Sadly, my positive anticipation ended abruptly upon forking my first bite of huevos rancheros into my mouth.  Before I begin my headfirst dive into negativity, let me start off with some of the positive.  Hop Devil does in fact have a great beer selection, which rotates quite often.  They also have a pretty good happy hour, half off drinks until 8 p.m. 

Finally, you may have noticed that on Tuesdays there is a little gallop in my gait, a waltz in my walk, and a salsa in my step.  Why you may ask?  Simple - Taco Tuesdays.  Now, I don't know what favors I ever did for you Mexico, but I thank Mexico for creating these crunchy pieces of heaven stuffed to perfection.  Mostly, I thank Hop Devil for serving these super shells for $1.00 each.  The first time I went to dollar taco night, I went a bit overboard.  I ordered 6 vegetarian tacos - 3 soft and 3 hard.  The waitress looked at me in disgust and informed me I could always order more at a later point in my meal if I wanted more.  Ashamed, I retracted my initial order and instead ordered 5 vegetarian tacos.  I definitely could have ate 6.  Anyway, after having been back several times, I much prefer the hard tacos to the soft.  The soft are by no means bad, I just prefer the hard.  My co-diner on several occasions has tried the chicken and beef tacos and much prefers the beef.  Again, the chicken are not bad - the beef is apparently just better.  The only catch to this deal, which isn't really a catch, more of a bonus in my opinion, is that you have to order a drink to get the deal.
In addition to their Taco Tuesday night, Hop Devil offers various other specials and deals throughout the week.  This includes, dollar tostadas (not as good as the tacos), $10.00 pitchers of sangria, and half price burgers.  I have tried their vegetarian burger before and was very impressed.  My co-diner has tried their regular burger before and also was impressed.
After having such great experiences at Hop Devil, I should have left well enough alone.  I can never leave well enough alone.  I had a sneaking or rather screaming suspicion that Hop Devil may not serve the greatest breakfast, but I let curiosity get the best of me.  As the saying goes, curiosity killed the cat.  Lucky for Hop Devil - this little kitty has a million lives.
Prior to dining at Hop Devil for beerunch, I inspected their food choices.  I wasn't thrilled about the menu, but they did have one of my favorite breakfast staples (probably former favorite breakfast staples now) - huevos rancheros.  No one has ever wronged me with huevos rancheros - that is, until May 14, 2011.  
On this date, I was joined by three co-diners at Hop Devil for this beerunch.  Disastrously, three of the four of us ordered huevos rancheros.  Our waitress was extremely nice, but the food did take quite a while to come out after we ordered it.  In retrospect, I wish the food never came out at all.  The huevos was served with a side of yellow rice and a little tortilla bowl filled with liquid refried beans.  In all fairness, I ate all the rice and the beans, mostly because I was drinking and needed something to eat.

I don't even know how to describe the abomination that was the actual huevos rancheros. Huevos Cocktailos Sauceos is more like it.  Literally, there were two soft tortilla shells, with an egg on each, doused in what was supposed to be salsa.  My first bite of the actual egg part of the dish was disgusting, but I brainwashed myself into thinking maybe it was a fluke bite.  WRONG.  The second bite was just as horrible as the first.  Nothing was good about the dish, not the egg, not the steamy mushy tortilla shell, and especially not the cocktail sauce pretending to be salsa.  Now, I have nothing against cocktail sauce, I love cocktail sauce, I just don't want it on my huevos rancheros, and I definitely don't want it under the guise of salsa.  None of my co-diners who ordered the huevos rancheros ate much of it at all - I don't know who would.  The fourth co-diner ordered blueberry pancakes, which she said were fine, except no one ever brought her syrup.  I think maybe that was a good thing because I suspect that it may have been cocktail sauce pretending to be syrup also.  Seriously, thanks to Hop Devil I don't know that I will ever be able to order huevos rancheros again without doing deep breathing exercises and repeating audibly ten times, "the salsa will not be cocktail sauce, the salsa will not be cocktail sauce, etc." - talk about PTSRTBFED (post traumatic stress related to bad food experiences disorder).
I know that endless brunches are kind of a craze and I take full responsibility as a huge fan of endless brunches for only perpetuating restaurants to feel it a necessity to participate in the craze.  However, restaurants should know their place and establishments such as Hop Devil should not be cooking brunch.  They just shouldn't.  If they want to tag-along on this endless brunch craze, then they should just have an endless lunch and serve their regular lunch food (burgers, tacos, etc.).  I think if Hop Devil were to look at themselves in the mirror after eating an egg dish that they created, especially huevos rancheros, they would smash the mirror into a million little pieces and throw up. 
I end with some advice, to both myself and my old friend Hop Devil - stick to what you know is good.

Warning: Cafe Orlin may cause the developmen​t of a severe love/hate relationsh​ip

The first time I tried Cafe Orlin was for dinner a few years ago.  We waited a good 7 minutes after we sat without menus, but we were finally able to flag down a bus boy who brought us menus.  After looking at the menu, which is reasonably priced for the City, (both in food and drink prices) I ordered the Warm Mozzarella sandwich, which at the time came with fries AND a small salad.  My co-diner ordered the Chicken Cutlet sandwich, which also came with fries and a small salad.  We also ordered one of the special wines at the time, which cost only $20.00 for the bottle.  When we ordered, we requested bread for the table and never received said bread the entire meal.  This was especially frustrating because ALL of the tables around us were getting bread! Note - the bread debacle has happened on a few other occasions as well.  Truly puzzling.  Despite this, the food at Cafe Orlin is consistently great.  I have never had a dinner meal that I did not feel fully satisfied with at Cafe Orlin.  Also, the wine is always good too.  Recently, I also tried their spicy margarita, which was the perfect amount of hot.  Their alcoholic blueberry lemonade is tasty too, not overly sweet.  The waitress also told us they have a non-alcoholic version as well, which I imagine is just as delectable.
I have also dined at Cafe Orlin numerous times for breakfast and brunch.  They have a great selection.  I highly recommend the Malawach if it is listed as a special at the time. Simply superb and different from other brunch items I've had anywhere else.  During the week when breakfast is served they have a really good breakfast special where you get two eggs (any style) served with home fries and toast, plus orange juice and a cappuccino for only...wait for it...wait for it...$6.00 - CRAZYYY. 
So there you have it, the love part of the relationship.  Moving on to the hate...

You know how in interviews sometimes the person interviewing you asks "now tell me one thing you could work on about yourself" or "tell me one flaw you have" - well, I think Cafe Orlin would or should answer, their service.  Cafe Orlin's servers are SO neglectful.  Besides the failure to bring bread to the table consistently, even when asked, I have went an entire meal without getting my drink until my food is brought or after my food is brought.  Once, I didn't even get my drink at all!  I have also had instances where I never see my waitress or waiter again after my order is taken.  They simply vanish, to where is one of the seven wonders of the world.  Now this is really where the hate part of the relationship comes in...the thing is it doesn't last for long because as soon as you are about to complain, the waitress or waiter will come to your table and they are extremely kind and pleasant to deal with and really do not seem to realize that they have been absent for the entire length of your meal.  It is a true conundrum.
Cafe Orlin makes me feel like a middle child must feel, always there, hardly noticed.  Better yet, Cafe Orlin makes me feel as though I have a split personality, one minute I'm happy and smiling and enjoying my meal and the next minute I am frantically searching for my server before I become irreversibly dehydrated.  Overall, the food makes up for the service and I will continue to suffer at the hands of my inattentive waitress or waiter and return to Cafe Orlin for many meals in the future.

Riceton - Don't wok this way.

Riceton, sounds like disgusting...okay, no it doesn't - BUT IT SHOULD.  For the past twelve (12) months, I have struggled to find a consistently delicious chinese food restaurant in the East Village.  I temporarily found one - Yummy House - but then Yummy House mysteriously closed down due to a "plumbing issue" and re-opened as a not so fresh and not so delicious joint venture with Plump Dumpling and so my search continued. 
A few weeks ago, I ordered from Riceton and it was good, nothing spectacular, but what I ordered tasted fresh.  On that night, I had the "Mixed Vegetables with Garlic Sauce" dinner special combination.  The delivery was fast and the portions were generous.  My co-diner had the "Sesame Chicken" dinner special combination and had a similar reaction - good food that tasted fresh. 
Fast forward to last night where it was decided that chinese food would be the meal of the evening.  Having had a good experience with Riceton, I decided that is where I would order from again.  I called Riceton and placed an order - Vegetable Lo Mein and Vegetable Fried Rice.  Since it was nice out, I decided I would go pick it up.  I arrived at Riceton and told them I was there to pick up my order.  The individual behind the counter told me it would be just a few minutes.  Now, if you have been to Riceton then you know there is a salad bar type set up in the establishment.  Well, the man behind the counter started putting random vegetables into a bowl to create my fried rice.  He was putting the most random stuff into the bowl, but he is the wok-master not me, so I let it go.  Also, he was putting only about two pieces of each ingredient - I felt like I was at a Subway.  He then went in the back to wok it up and finished, as promised, a few minutes later.  I left with my fried rice and lo mein (the latter of which was ready when I got there). 
Upon opening the take out boxes, two things struck me: 1) There was barely any lo mein in the box; and 2) The rice looked white because he barely wok'ed it.  Unfortunately, not only was the rice white, but the random assortment of vegetables he put into the mixture were hard and not cooked either.  The green beans were crunchy, but not in a good way. The worst was the HUGE piece of whole fried egg in the rice, extra egg'y and not chopped one bit.  The lo mein was too soft and also cold.  All in all, I was truly bummed out by what seemed like a slightly promising chinese food establishment. Riceton - I was really pulling for you, but all bets are off and I don't think we will cross paths again.

Astor Wines & Spirits - WINNING!

Not only does Astor Wines & Spirits have one of the largest selections of wines and liquors in the City, but they also have sales representatives who are extremely knowledgeable as to the wine and liquor carried.  The store itself is huge, to the point where it can be overwhelming at times due to the vast selection of alcohol.  However, the store is also organized extremely well.  The wines are organized by region.  There are also areas for wines under ten dollars, sparkling wines, etc.  At the end of each aisle you can typically find wines that are on sale at that time.  Towards the back of the store is the liquor section, which is organized by the type of liquor you are looking for (i.e. - vodka, tequila, etc.).  I am not a huge sake person, but they also have a great sake selection from what I have been told.
As I mentioned, the sales representatives are extremely helpful and know what they sell and know it well.  At my most recent trip to Astor Wines & Spirits, I was looking for a red sparkling wine that was dry rather than sweet, and not a Rose.  The sales representative I asked led me to a whole section that was devoted to sparking red wines.  He then proceeded to explain each that was available to me and match me with one he thought suited what I wanted.  He even said to let him know how it was because they would explore additional dry red sparkling wines if it was too sweet!  The wine that he recommended was great and it was exactly what I was looking for that day. 

In past trips, I have been looking for good vodka to match with bloody mary's and they hit the nail on the head with their recommendation (for anyone wondering - Absolut Vodka makes a "Peppar" vodka that helps to make a superb bloody mary).  They have a unique boxed wine section too that has a lot more than your typical boxed wines.  The sales representatives really know the wine and liquor that Astor Wines & Spirits carry and do not hesitate to give a recommendation when asked.  I have yet to be disappointed in any recommendation received - wine or otherwise.
Astor Wines & Spirits also has frequent "free tastings" where you can try the type of wine and/or liquor they are serving that day.  Another bonus, they have a great online database as well (www.astorwines.com).  On the website you can check out their "wine of the month clubs" or view their upcoming events and scheduled tastings.  On the website, you can also search their inventory by a bunch of different factors, including: color, grape variety, price range, vintage year, region - to name just a few.
In addition to Trader Joe's Wine Shop located near Union Square, Astor Wines & Spirits is my go to alcohol store when I am looking for reasonable prices, a unique selection, and helpful recommendations.

The Stadium formerly known as Shea

What is long, skinny, padded by buns, and one of America's favorite past-times?  A hot dog at a baseball game of course.  Now, in the past, a hot dog at a baseball game did not cost $6.00.  Said hot dog was also reliably delicious and for some reason tasted better at the Stadium than anywhere else.  My how things have changed.  If you have been to Citi Field then you are aware of the excessive amount of Nathan's concession stands.  Our mistake was choosing convenience over waiting in extremely long lines.  This mistake resulted in an order from Nathan's consisting of one regular hot dog, one vegetarian hot dog, and an order of french fries.  Having not ate the hot dog, I asked for a description.  I was told that it was "okay" and "just a hot dog" - what a depressing day for baseball stadiums across America to have any hot dog described this way, Nathan's or not.  Now my "vegetarian hot dog" I would describe as a sort of "mystery non-meat" - which, when loaded with toppings disguised both the strange taste and smell wafting from the hot diggity non-dog.  Even the fries could use some work!  They were crinkle fries, typically delicious when actually crisped to perfection.  Unfortunately, these particular crinkle fries were soggy and room temperature.  In the past, I have tried other concession stands and enjoyed what I ordered a lot more.  One that comes to mind is the french fries at Box Frites, along with their cool variety of dipping sauces.  In retrospect, rather than order from Nathan's, I should have waited on a different concession stand line the extra ten or so minutes to eat something a bit more...edible.

The good news - Citi Field has some great beer selections.  Virtually every concession stand has beer and many of them have different types of beers.  This is putting aside the drink selections in the various "clubs" at Citi Field.  There is a "Beers of the World" stand as well, which has a bunch of different bottled beers.  The price of beer is what you would expect at any Stadium, definitely overpriced, but not a surprise.  Typically, I enjoy trying different types of beers and did do that, but also had a few Bud Lights from a neat stand that fills your beer from the bottom up.  Basically, you have a cup that has an opening on the bottom of it and the cup is then placed on a button which fills the cup from the bottom up.  Once filled, the cup is then sealed with some type of magnetic disc.  This type of pour decreases foam and increases flavor.  I know Bud Light is Bud Light, but these Bud Lights I have to say were especially delicious.  Thumbs-up to Citi Field for investing in this type of genius.

Putting aside the food and the drinks, Citi Field is a great stadium with tons of super food and drink options to choose from.  Also, having sat in a variety of seats at a bunch of games, there do not seem to be too many "bad" seats in the Stadium.  Overall, my biggest gripe with the Stadium would be the dirty feeling that comes over me each time I write, say, or think of the new Stadium name that came along as a sort of package deal with the new Stadium.

THE Coffee Cart - 35th street and 5th avenue

There is only one solution for those days where I'm feeling down and out, feeling extra sorry for myself, walking with a cloud that seems to be raining only over my head, tripping over my own two feet, have not a friend in the world, my frown cannot be turned upside down, my smile is in denial, etc.  That solution is the coffee cart located on the corner of 35th street and 5th avenue and the always pleasant man behind the cart.  Seriously though, this guy drives home the point that customer service is still alive and well. 
He operates a cart where people take his coffee, his bagels, his donuts, his muffins, and his cups and napkins for what must be a minimal profit.  An aside on those napkins, he gives you PLENTY, unlike other establishments that serve more expensive and more messy food. Moving on...what's more, the food and drinks he serves from this tiny little cart are good.  An always hot 16oz coffee is only $1.00 and he has it ready for me every morning before I say a word.  The bagels, donuts, and muffins are also extremely underpriced and good as well.  What this cart lacks in variety and flavor-bursts, it makes up for in the welcoming personality of the "man behind the cart" and the neighborhoody feeling that bounces off this cart like a ray of light. 
Further, it is beyond me how this guy remembers every single regulars order each morning, I've witnessed it, that's talent (I can barely remember to look both ways before I cross the street).  The only depressing part of the whole experience is when I occasionally pay with a $20.00 bill and he exclaims, like clockwork, "you're rich today, my friend" - a little piece of my heart breaks and the other little piece relates to Natalie Portman's character in "New York, I Love You" - mmhmm, don't judge me.  Now, I know that you may think to yourself that you would never go out of your way just for a coffee cart, I mean come on, they are all the same and there is one on practically every single street corner, right?  Wrong.  There might be a coffee cart on practically every single street corner, but not THE coffee cart.  Disclaimer: I acknowledge that this review was a little dramatic at times - to put it simply - this guy has a smile on his face every day, is more than courteous to his customers, and works hard daily to provide good coffee and food to go along with it for extremely low prices.  He deserves your business.


Some loyal customers on line



Cherin Sushi a/k/a heaven in a hand roll

This is hands-down the best sushi for your money in the City. The rolls are delicious, fresh, and cheap! Be forewarned the rolls are a bit on the small side, but how can you beat it for the price! In addition, Cherin is BYOB and even if you forget to BYO - the actual alcohol there is also CHEAP. I have tried a bunch of their rolls and highly recommend the "William" roll, the spicy scallop with cucumber roll, the vegetarian roll, the crunchy roll, and the dragon roll.  Another bonus - they have great early bird specials (which actually go until 8 p.m.). The servers while not overly talkative, are extremely friendly and attentive. The atmosphere is good for a group of friends or a date. I cannot rave enough about this place. Go - you won't regret it!