A Gem of a New York City Restaurant

I was taken out to dinner a few weeks ago by some of the sales staff of my former employer as they felt that I helped them with some sales leads, (I'm a Search Engine Specialist) and I was asked to choose the restaurant. Now I always remembered watching the old "Odd Couple" TV show with Jack Klugman and Tony Randall and it seemed that every time Oscar went into a restaurant in that show, it looked similar to Smith & Wollensky on 3rd Avenue in Manhattan. So I chose this as the place to eat.

We met on a Friday evening in the summer, so I knew we wouldn't all get their till 7 or 8pm. I arrived at 6:30pm and the maître d'told me to have a seat at the bar and have a drink and not to worry about my reservation, as most of the reservations made would be late. I thanked him and sauntered over to the bar.

I ordered my standard Vodka and Cranberry. Now, I believe I can drink with the best of them. In fact, I believe I can trace my lineage back to the earliest drunken sailors on Roman galleys. I digress. Have you ever went to a bar in New York, ordered and consumed your drink and the cranberry juice tasted like something other than cranberry juice and the vodka was hiding in another glass or another bar? This drink prepared was perfectly made; the desired effect I was seeking was achieved.

I normally have three or four drinks, especially with dinner but I had only one for the entire night! We were seated comfortably on the second floor and the waiter came and asked us what we wanted to start with and we all ordered water and he brought out some fresh and warm bread. We all decided that we would have the seafood appetizer (there were four of us) as a starter, tomato and mozzarella salad in a vinaigrette seasoned sauce.

The main fare for me was the well done "Hulk Hogan" prime rib (I added in the Hulk Hogan moniker for effect) with seared asparagus. The other members of my party ordered a T-bone steak dish for two or was it three. The final member of the party ordered a fish dinner; something filleted.

I like a restaurant, whose wait staff seems genuinely interested in your comfort and the enjoyment of your meal. Not the wait staff who will say anything to appear groveling to get the end-of-meal tip. Our waiter gave us our space, made suggestions and really made sure our dining experience at Smith & Wollensky was going to be something to fondly remember. I recommend Smith & Wollensky strongly as they provide a value for the money spent, for the comfortable seating and for satisfying the ancestral drunken sailor in me.

They are conveniently located at 49th Street and 3rd Avenue, with transportation nearby (6 train at 51st and Lexington and the E, V and 6 train at 53rd and 3rd Avenue). It is minutes from Penn and Grand Central Stations. Visit their website at: smithandwollensky. I took some photos to show try and capture some of our dining experience.




The outside of Smith & Wollensky






The stairway to the upper level. Notice the photos of previous patrons, showing that Smith & Wollensky has a rich history in New York.





This was the Appetizer (Note the Shrimps on Steroids)










This is the steak I had. I was watching my weight, so I washed down my meal with a small diet coke.









This was the two-person T-Bone steak


Overall, the experience was pleasant and the staff warm and friendly. There is good value and you will not leave Smith & Wollensky expecting to have a midnight snack at home.

Saturday In Flushing Queens New York - Chartered Territory

One of the most overlooked boroughs in the city of New York, next to Staten Island, has to be the Borough of Queens. There is much that Queens has to offer including a great quality of life, bedroom communities and a sense of neighbors and neighborhoods.

The focus of this post is my short weekend travel to Flushing Queens and its bustling community, including it's own Chinatown. Yes, Chinatown, which rivals the Chinatown we all know as being in Manhattan at the foot of the Manhattan Bridge. That community and neighborhood is for another day.

I took the 7 train to the last stop, Main Street and just did a little footwork and walked down to Northern Boulevard and walked back to Roosevelt Avenue and Main Street. Along the way, I took some photos of the neighborhood, to show the Chinese flavor of the neighborhood, with its jewelry stores, banks, restaurants and trading stores. This was old stomping grounds as we used to play touch football in a league across from Flushing High School on 149th Street and 25th Avenue.


Pedestrian Traffic on Main Street


I dined at the La Coral Cafe - It was very good Chinese cuisine. I had Duck Wonton Soup.


Just another restaurant showing the diversity of the cuisine in Flushing Chinatown.




A view from Main Street of a Trading Store



Long Island Rail Road Flushing - Main Street Station


A fresh fish, vegetable and fruit stand on Kissena Boulevard

My mission for the day was not to go and take pictures of Chinatown-Flushing. My mission was to go and purchase a mountain bike. When we used to play football in Queens, we won the semi-finals for our league and came within a game of winning the league championship. Of course, we won a substantial amount of money, so we went to a Mets game (this was in April), froze and before going home, we asked around the Flushing neighborhood, where a bicycle shop could be found.

We were directed to Kissena Boulevard and we walked about 6 blocks and found the bike shop of our dreams. Cannondale, Schwinn, Mongoose, Raleigh - this store had it all and the prices were not Manhattan-esque. The prices are reasonable, the service is fantastic and we have been going to this bike shop for the past 10 years.


Its called the Kissena Bicycle Center located at 45-70 Kissena Boulevard, 718-358-0986


My Bicycle - Mongoose 27- Speed Mountain Bike

Tomorrows post will be about my visit to Shea Stadium and the new Shea Stadium in the rain

And Yet another New York City Restaurant Review

So my birth month started on March 5th, so I'm being wined and dined because of this and we decided to go to a chinese restaurant, where I just love the food. The restaurant is called Kam Chueh, located at 40 Bowery, at the foot of the Manhattan Bridge and accessible via the IRT 6 and BMT M, N, R trains from the Canal Street station. They have fresh everything, including crab, lobster, shrimp, bass and eel. As soon as you enter the restaurant, there are fresh water tanks filled with crabs, lobster, shrimp, sea bass and eel. See the photo:



and the outside of the chinese restaurant:



And now the food. I give the food 5 stars for the freshness and 5 stars for the serv ice. I have even been allowed in the back to visit with the chefs (they have 6) and the food comes out quickly. If you ever want to experience real deal chinese food, visit Kam Chueh or call them at (212) 791-6868. Ask for Oliver.

Food pictures:

Jumbo Shrimp, Spare Ribs


Shrimp Fried Rice:




Shrimp Fried Rice, Ribs, Jumbo Shrimp, Braised Chicken Wings



Beef with Scallions



Braised Chicken Wings




Shrimp Fried Rice



Lobster Tank