To all of you who work in or near the World Financial Center and are packing your lunch for tomorrow, or thinking about what to order from the usual catering menu, STOP! Look no further, because tomorrow, the restaurants at the World Financial Center are gathering in the Winter Garden to offer you $1-$5 samples of their signature items, as well as some seasonal selections.
I managed to pick up a menu for the event on the way home, and many of the offerings seem very typical, such as P.J. Clarke’s mini cheeseburgers and pulled pork sliders (2 for $5), Au Mandarin’s pork and shrimp dumplings ($3 and $4 respectively), and Godiva’s chocolate-dipped strawberries, macaroons, and oreos.
However, there were some stand-out seasonal items such as Columbus Bakery’s Corn Chowder with Pomegranate ($4), The Grill Room’s Wild Mushroom Risotto with Parmesan Sauce ($5) and Butternut Squash Soup with Caramelized Apples and Pumpkin Seeds ($4), Southwest NY’s Pumpkin Seed Crusted Salmon with Mango-Jicama Salsa ($5) and Financier Patisserie’s Apple Pumpkin Cake with Vanilla Cream ($3) and Pumpkin Cheesecake ($3).
Here is a list of participating restaurants:
Au Bon Pain
Au Mandarin
Blockheads Burrito
Ciao Bella Gelato
Columbus Bakery
Devon & Blakely
Donald Sacks
Ed’s Lobster Bar
Elixir
Financier Patisserie
Godiva Chocolatier
The Grill Room
Harry’s Italian
P.J. Clarke’s on the Hudson
Quality Burger
Southwest NY
Starbucks Coffee
World Financial Center Greenmarket
Yushi
Governors Island will be transformed into a pork-lover's paradise this Saturday. (Photo: pigisland.com)
Yes, that’s what I said. Pig Island. It’s exactly what it sounds like: every Vegan’s nightmare, and every fatass’ food fest fantasy!
Tomorrow, October 2nd,  from 11:30 AM- 4:30 PM, Governor’s Island will be transformed into a “pork-lover’s paradise.” 20 + chefs will be entertaining your senses and your stomach with both innovative and traditional pork dishes, ranging from bbq and porchetta sandwiches to Vietnamese pork soup and Maple Bacon sticky buns.
Tickets to the main event cost $85, although there is a group rate of $80 for groups of 4 or more people. Although the price seems steep, this ticket gives you unlimited access to the pig feast, as well as Sixpoint Craft Ales and NY State Wines.
For those of you who don’t think an all you can eat and drink pork festival is worth $80, there will be a public area with snacks and drinks available for purchase.
As always, transportation to Governor’s Island is free via ferry, departing from the Battery Maritime building at 10 South Street.
Wall Street bankers rejoice! BlackboardEats is offering a coupon code for 30% off lunch or dinner for a party of 2-4 people at Cipriani Wall Street! The best part of BlackboardEats is that unlike other companies that provide deals in New York City, they offer their coupon codes absolutely free, no strings attached. You can get your personal code sent straight to your cellphone- how convenient is that?
If you want this deal, you must get your passcode before 5:30 AM tomorrow, and use it by October 15. Get it before they run out!
As we’ve been mulling over the restaurant changes in our neighborhood, it got us here at BatteryParkCity.com thinking and talking about how reliant we are on food delivery, more pointedly SeamlessWeb.com.
Unfortunately, there are some really fantastic restaurants you can’t get to through SeamlessWeb. Just like our past movie list — here are our favorite places you can’t get to on Seamless Web.
Battery Park City.com’s Favorite Restaurants You Can’t Order from on Seamless Web (In no particular order! — and feeling kind of British-ish calling “Take Out” “Takeaway”)
1. Inatteso(Thanks Tom!)
Our area is deluged with hundreds of Italian restaurant options. Inatesso seems to be Battery Park City’s best kept secret — although the restaurant is packed nightly, they also have a strong delivery service. Consistent and delicious. One small drawback is that some of us wish they gave us a little more of their delectable bread.
2. Elixir
Sometimes after a Friday night bender, all you want is a healthy hangover helping smoothie. Unfortunately, Elixir (located in the World Financial Center) is not open on the weekends — nor do they offer delivery service. In comparison with other smoothie offering places, sometimes it’s worth waiting for Monday to roll around.
3. Les Halles
The spotlight at Les Halles is often on their Chef-At-Large Anthony Bourdain, but should really be on their Steak Frites. Although they don’t have a delivery service, if you’re craving a quick steak or a hearty bistro brunch, Les Halles offers takeaway.
4. Majestic Pizza
The best pizza is sometimes the most unassuming. When we have our staff pizza meetings, we often agree on pies from this long standing pizza institution. We don’t know if its the well seasoned ovens but we love their traditional New York style slices.
5. Le Pain Quotidien
Yum. Tartines and a semblance of healthy rustic eating. Le Pain Quotidien’s new location in Battery Park City offers quick lunch options with a new to-go case. Including fresh and pre-made sandwiches and take away soups.
6. Tajin
From Tartines to Tajin. Located right off Seamless Web-friendly diner George’s at 85 Greenwich Street. Tajin is one of our favorite Mexican joints in the area. They offer an extensive selection of burritos for delivery, but their sit down menu options are equally impressive, especially their fresh daily specials and enchiladas.
7. Baoguette
Vietnamese sandwiches have taken New York City by storm and we’re big fans of the classic “Baoguette.” Drawing on classic Vietnamese flavors on crusty French breads — it’s nice to see that we have our very own in the neighborhood when our cravings call.
8. Picasso Pizza
If it hasn’t been officially designated, it should be called the first pizzeria in Battery Park City. Where Majestic doesn’t always have the delivery manpower to reach our neighborhood on weekends, Picasso is always there for us. Honorable mention for the fact they have instituted their own delivery system on their website.
9. Ruchi
Our Indian food options are most always in Tribeca. However, Ruchi (which is located amidst the construction and hustle of Ground Zero) offers solid Indian delivery options to our neighborhood. For those who want to venture to the restaurant, they offer a similar 50% off lunch for customers who choose to dine in.
10. Charly’s
Sometimes when 9pm rolls around, delivery options become a barren wasteland in our area. For those with both an empty fridge and empty stomach, Charly’s offers 24 hour delivery to our neighborhood. Sure it’s not lobster and crabcakes — but seriously, sometimes life calls for an emergency burger and fries. Charly’s is the place to get it.
11. Little Pie Company
The pies here are phenomenal and they offer delivery to Battery Park City as long as you meet the minimum delivery requirement and place your order before 4pm.
Did we miss any of your favorite restaurants? Let us know!
Food scene grows in Battery Park City with the opening of our own BLT
Are you looking for a great dinner option tonight, and have gotten tired of the restaurants around you?
You’re in luck because today marks the opening of the long awaited BLT Bar & Grill at the new W Hotel Downtown on Albany Street.
“We are pleased to partner with the W and become a presence in Lower Manhattan,” says Jimmy Haber, owner of the BLT Restaurant Group, “The BLT Bar & Grill concept was tailor-made for the neighborhood, offering a variety of dining options under one roof for friends, businesses and locals.”
The BLT enterprise has been testing our downtown palates with their GO Burger trucks at the South Street Seaport for a while, you can consider that they’ve done their homework on our neighborhood. With the rumored openings of Shake Shack and Blue Smoke in our neighborhood, Battery Park City is set to be a veritable foodie fiefdom.
According to the press release the restaurant bills itselve as “a modern tavern — offering modern American bar food with a wide selection of cocktails, beer and wine” with Executive Chefs Christophe Bellanca and David Craine at the helm of the cuiisine. The restaurant seats 23 at the bar, and has two levels of seating, including a private dining room and an outside patio area.
As BLT is billing itself as “affordable fare for everyday dining, ” that may be considered fighting words for our beloved Gatehouse, which has been the only other restaurant offering everyday pub-ish fare on Albany Street for years.
In terms of the menu, include the following selections:
Breakfast:
Brioche French Toast with cinnamon-caramelized apples
“Downtown” Burrito, cheddar scrambled eggs, peppers and onion tomato salsa.
Lunch:
Eggplant & Taleggio Panini with caper aioli
Cuban Sandwich pressed with pork belly and speck.
Dinner:
Spiced Rotisserie Chicken with cabernet honey and chicken jus
Fish & Chips with zesty tartar sauce
Filet Mignon, Bone-In Ribeye and NY Strip steaks.
There are daily specials being offered and to find out more check out their breakfast, lunch, dinner, and bar menus here.
The restaurant is open daily serving breakfast from 6:30AM -10:30AM, lunch from 11:30AM – 2:30PM and dinner from 5:30PM – 10PM. The bar is open from 11AM-1AM, which includes its own special bar menu. Â Lucky condominium residents and guests of the W Hotel can count on BLT to provide them sustenance at their beck and call for “in residence dining”, including offering food options at Living Room Bar and Terrace location within the hotel.
When I moved to Battery Park City, one place that was recommended for cheap eats was L&L Hawaiian BBQ. I’ve passed by the restaurant a few times, and to be honest, it looked a little run down and dirty, even by New York standards. However, I checked out the prices on seamlessweb.com one night, and everything was super cheap! I figured there was no harm in checking it out.
I ordered the Mixed BBQ Combo Plate ($9.99) which came with a combination of beef, short ribs, and chicken, rice, salad, and macaroni salad. All of the meet was super soft and tender and were flavored with a sauce that could only be described as “Asian”-it wasn’t quite teriyaki, and not quite Korean BBQ, but it had similar sweet garlicky soy flavors.
The macaroni salad was the best I’ve ever had (I normally don’t even like macaroni salad!) and the rice was cooked to perfection! What I really want to know is how they get everything from the rice to the meat so incredibly soft without getting mushy. Every bite was delicious, and the plate was enough for just over three whole meals- definitely the best 10 bucks I’ve ever spent!
Masubi Combo from L&L Hawaiian BBQ
I also got to try the Musubi Combo ($4.49) which included one Spam Musubi, one BBQ Chicken Musubi, and one Chicken Katsu Musubi. They were all covered in the same sweet BBQ sauce, and despite the fact that the seaweed had become soggy, it was still really soft! Usually, warm and soggy seaweed is really hard to chew and bite, but somehow, even though it wasn’t crisp, it was super easy to chew through.
The Chicken Katsu somehow managed to stay crispy- crispier than any Katsu I’ve ever had! My favorite, however, would have to be the Spam Musubi, mostly because I like strange unidentifiable salt ridden processed meats. The Spam and sweet BBQ sauce was a match made in heaven, and I would happily eat this for lunch everyday, blood pressure be damned- just don’t tell my doctor!
Battery Park City's Best Bets for NY Restaurant Week
It’s that time of the summer again, for foodies all over the city to figure out how to spend their $24.07 for lunch (or $35 bucks for dinner) in honor of New York Restaurant week!
There are seemingly hundreds of restaurants to choose from at these prices — a bargain by New York City standards. Â The only problem is “Where should I go?” Fret no more, we’ve got some suggestions. Although Battery Park City is never mentioned in the Official New York Restaurant Week site as an actual location, we rounded up the restaurants that are closest to home. Our list aggregates both Tribeca and Financial District restaurant offerings and their menus. Â It’s nice to be able to give back to the businesses in our neighborhood — because quite frankly if we don’t…who will? Most everyone else thinks Battery Park City is closest to Sibera anyways.
As for some honorable mentions — fans of food television will not be disappointed. Centrico, The Harrison, Nobu and Les Halles count Aaron Sanchez, Amanda Freitag, Masuharu Morimoto and Anthony Bourdain as executive chefs and chef’s at large of these restaurants. Visiting these neighborhood restaurants is tantamount to visiting culinary television amusement parks!
Here’s the round up of restaurants in our area offering a special restaurant week menu, we’ve done our best to include restaurant menu’s as we find them — so check back for new menus being added, all to help you choose where you’ll be placing your reservations this summer!
Bar Artisanal
Bobby Van’s Steakhouse & Grill (Broad Street) Â MENU
For each installment of Race to My Place, we pit two restaurants with similar cuisines, estimated delivery times and prices against each other to see whose delivery reigns supreme! We compare delivery speed, packaging and presentation, quality and taste, and value. For this Thai food race, our contestants were Bennie’s Thai Cafe andMangez Avec Moi.
I don’t know if it’s just me, but I feel like there has been a huge Thai food craze in NYC in the past few years. Either way, I can’t complain, because Thai food is one of my absolute favorite cuisines.  It was the most authentic Thai food I’ve ever had in NYC was at Tong Thai Brasserie in the West Village. As the most authentic and affordable Thai food I’ve had in the city, I was devastated when Spice took over, and have been on a hunt for good Thai food ever since. I almost laughed at the prospect of finding that here in BPC, but I’d heard good things about both Bennie’s Thai Cafe and Mangez Avec Moi, so I was excited to see how their pad thai and red curry with chicken measured up as I pitted them against each other for this series of Race to My Place.
Delivery Speed: Bennie’s Thai Cafe Both restaurants delivered their food in a decent amount of time, but Bennie’s only took 29 minutes opposed to Mangez’s 36 minutes.
Packaging & Presentation: Mangez Avec Moi Although neither restaurant did anything special with their presentation, Bennie’s packaged their chicken curry in a tin tray with a plastic cover- not exactly the best container for a dish with lots of sauce. The curry ended up leaking everywhere, so it was a mess to clean up and there wasn’t enough curry to mix with all the rice! Mangez’s simple plastic container was much more secure and kept all the food where it was supposed to be.
Quality & Taste: Tie I have to be completely honest and say that for the first time since I’ve started these races to my place, I’m looking forward to eating these left overs. This food was absolutely mouth watering- I can’t remember the last time I ate food so rich and flavorful. Although the two restaurants tied in quality and taste, they each had one dish that was better than the other.
Bennie’s pad thai was the best I’ve ever had, hands down. The noodles were cooked perfectly and it was well seasoned with just the right amount of tang. They placed some crushed peanuts on the side which made the whole dish even more rich and buttery. Mangez’s pad thai came in a much smaller portion and the noodles were really hard. It wasn’t as flavorful either, although they provided some sweet and sour sauce on the side so you could control how tangy you wanted the noodles to be.
Bennie’s curry chicken, on the other hand, was a little on the dry side. The curry sauce, however, was sinfully creamy and had a really robust coconut flavor which I found absolutely delectable, and they also delivered some of the softest rice I’ve ever gotten from a restaurant in NYC. While Bennie’s red curry was pretty rich, Mangez’s red curry chicken was out of this world. Their curry was a little spicier and had a noticeable ginger taste to it. What really set them apart though, was their succulent chicken. The meat was fall-apart tender like a perfect pot roast, and it was incredibly juicy and had an intense flavor of its own, which added another layer to the complex flavors of the curry. This was so good I could order this every single day and be perfectly content.
Value: Tie Bennie’s Thai Cafe has some lunch specials that are cheap and give you the most bang for your buck. However, none of their noodle dishes are on the lunch special list, so their pad thai is a little more expensive. Mangez has most of the popular Thai dishes on their lunch specials list, but it’s not as cheap as Bennie’s specials. Here is the breakdown:
Bennie’s Thai Cafe Pad Thai: $9.95
Red Curry Chicken Lunch Special: $5.95
Mangez Avec Moi Pad Thai: $7.95
Red Curry Chicken: $7.95
I was genuinely surprised at how good the food from both of these restaurants were. My ideal meal would be Bennie’s pad thai with Mangez’s red curry chicken, but I’m not sure if that would satisfy the delivery minimums for each restaurant. Either way, I’m extremely relieved that I no longer have to venture far for my Thai food fix!
We’ve all had those days. It’s 7 PM, you’ve just come home from work, exhausted, and the last thing you want to do is cook up some food- especially if you’re feeding more than one mouth. You consider ordering delivery, but you’re starving and don’t want to wait an hour for your food to get there. That’s where we come in.
For each installment of Race to My Place, we pit two restaurants with similar cuisines, estimated delivery times, and prices against each other to see whose delivery reigns supreme! We will compare delivery speed, packaging and presentation, quality and taste, and value. This week, our contestants are Burritoville and Blockheads.
Ever since the advent of the “food blogger” there has been an ongoing debate as to whether LA or NYC has better food. Our lack of decent Mexican food has always been a point of contention for New Yorkers, one that LA-ers never fail to bring up. Today we will test that theory right here in Battery Park City with a Burrito Race!
It’s important to note that Blockheads does have a burrito lunch special that comes with chips, salsa and a drink for $8.95. In order to fairly compare the two restaurants, however, we had to order the exact same items from both places. We ordered Chicken Fajita Burritos, Guacamole and Chips, and two Diet Pepsi’s from each. Continue reading Race to My Place: Burritoville vs. Blockheads→
