Ryan, the manager that took me to Morimoto last year, invited me to Artisanal last week to celebrate the end of a project we were both on (the project ended a long time ago but our schedules didn’t match until recently). We chose Artisanal because I’d never visited but heard good things from a coworker and Ryan agreed to go because he’s had their cheesecake and thought it would be a good choice for lunch. We started off with a little bread:

It was just the two of us but we wanted to try a lot of things on the menu, so we decided to order the macaroni and cheese as an appetizer (in addition to the cheese sampler we ordered). The macaroni and cheese came with a side salad:

The macaroni and cheese had a nice baked crust and large chunks of prosciutto. The combination of cheeses was really sinful and delicious - we finished about half of it and were already stuffed! Too bad we ordered two sandwiches AND a cheese sampler:

We ordered three different types of cheese, my favorite being the Coupole. I almost bought some to take home, but I stopped myself because I’m trying to be more healthy (AFTER this lunch).

For our main courses, we ordered two different sandwiches. Ryan ordered a grilled cheese sandwich with English Cheddar, Smoked Bacon & Apple:

The only thing the sandwich was missing was a nice bowl of tomato soup! It was a great grilled cheese sandwich (it should be at $15.50!).

I ordered a Berkshire pork sandwich with pickled cabbage and muenster cheese because I’m a sucker for Berkshire pork and I happen to love muenster cheese:

Berkshire pork/pulled pork sandwiches can be really great if they’re done correctly (see The Spotted Pig). Artisanal’s sandwich, however, was really terrible. Like, absolutely disgusting; the pork was really dry and the pickled cabbage just tasted sour. It kind of ruined my Artisanal experience, actually.

On the way out, we stopped by the fromagerie:

We also ordered a cheesecake to go (so we could share with people in the office AND because we couldn’t eat another bite) and the cheesecake was absolutely amazing. It comes with caramel sauce, a pecan-shortbread crust, and pecan praline crunch that was so f-ing delicious. You can order them online here. On our walk back, Ryan and I were trying to decide whether Artisanal was 3.5 Grace Face’s or 4 Grace Face’s. We decided it was 3.5 because my sandwich was pretty gross. If I go back, I’m going for another slice of their amazing cheesecake!

How to get to Artisanal Fromagerie and Bistro:

Artisanal Fromagerie and Bistro
2 Park Ave
New York, NY 10016
212-532-4033

Unlike Chinese food and Korean food, Japanese food can’t be found in a small neighborhood or street in Manhattan; it’s found on little side streets in midtown, inside grocery stores, or if you’re in the mood for disappointing small eats, in Astor place. Ennju, a small eatery near union square, serves Japanese food in a cafeteria style setting for nearby office worker bees and NYU students. I’m a fan of the place and have been going to ennju since I moved to New York. They offer cooked items (beef curry, pork cutlets, soups, etc) as well as sushi, salads, edamame, and other Japanese treats. I always end up ordering the same thing - curry with a pork cutlet:

The good thing about Ennju is that their curry already has beef inside (well, not good for vegetarians, but good for meat eaters like myself). The bad thing about having beef included: I ALWAYS forget there’s already meat in the curry so I end up ordering a pork cutlet on the side (which means double meat!!). Ennju is fast, convenient (especially after a Saturday filled with reading books at the Union Square Barnes and Noble), and they give you salads with your curry order. Another perk: half-off sushi an hour before closing!

How to get to Ennju:

Ennju
20 E 17th Street between 5th Ave & Broadway
New York, NY 10003
646-336-7004

On a Friday after work, I stopped by the Starwich in the Citigroup Center for a quick bite to eat. Starwich has locations all over Manhattan and offers a healthy alternative for upscale food on the go. Since the Citigroup Center location mostly caters to people in Midtown and people leave work by 6PM on Fridays, they stock their kitchen accordingly. When I arrived at 6:30 (they’re open pretty late), Starwich was almost out of ALL of their menu options (no joke). I originally wanted the filet mignon sandwich (herb-crusted filet mignon, caramelized onion compote, roasted garlic and horseradish aioli, tuscan log) but since they were sold out of the tuscan log, I had to substitute the log with sourdough bread:

The bread was really dry and the meat wasn’t tender at all - it was really overcooked and tough. I wasn’t really a fan of the sandwich. The sourdough and the onions didn’t mix well together and I couldn’t even finish the thing.

Chris ordered the spinach salad with chicken strips:

The salad was dressed well but the chicken was dry and the only topping it came with was corn. I blame the crappiness of our meal to the fact that they don’t plan the logistics of Starwich correctly; shouldn’t they only keep Starwich open at 6:30 on a Friday night if they have business? I read that Starwich is really busy during lunch hours, so maybe during the rush they have more options.

Starwich is an interesting concept of a restaurant/cafe because they offer wi-fi and phone chargers along with comfy couches:

They also offer delivery throughout Manhattan (ANYWHERE), which I think is pretty convenient. The guy that was working was really friendly and I wish I had a better experience at Starwich, but I really disliked the food and the fact that they didn’t have anything from their menu.

How to get to Starwich:

Starwich
153 E. 53rd Street between 3rd and Lexington
New York, NY 10022
212-371-7772

Have you ever walked by a Mandler’s? They have these obnoxious signs that say “OURS IS 9″ INCHES LONG!” They serve bratwursts and other unhealthy foods with a large variety of mustards. I headed there one Sunday afternoon for a quick bite to eat and didn’t know what to order, so I went with Mandler’s sausage on wheat, the most traditional option (well, that’s what the cashier told me):

The actual bratwurst was very salty and I’m sure I had my fair share of sodium for the day and there was too much bread considering the sausage was so small. Well, not really small, but they use so much bread that the sausage LOOKS small AND you don’t feel like you’re eating a lot of meat because you’re stuffing so much bread into your mouth. The only redeeming quality of Mandler’s is their mustard bar:

They have five or six options of different mustards and explanations of each. If you’re into mustard, you should check it out. Maybe bring the sandwich/hotdog/food you want mustard with to the restaurant so you don’t have to actually order/eat one of their sausages since they’re not that great. There’s no value in a $6 bratwurst that tasted like a Central Park Hotdog - go to Dogmatic instead!

How to get to Mandler’s:

Mandler’s
26 E. 17th Street
New York, NY 10003
212-255-8999

Dogmatic, a vendor in the west village, is a gourmet hot dog stand that Chris’ landlord told him about when he first moved to New York. They serve $5 hot dogs (expensive, I know!) that are served inside baguettes instead of your usual hot dog buns. The vendor isn’t around during the summertime (weird, considering it’s in a park with tons of little kids and their parents) but we were lucky enough to catch him when he was opening one afternoon. Dogmatic setting up:

There are three options for the sauce you can order, but jalapeño cheddar is the most popular, so I ordered a beef hotdog with jalapeño cheddar. The packaging:

While Dogmatic (I forgot his name) is getting the actual hot dog, a baguette is toasted on a metal stick that is a little larger than the hot dog (you can see it in the background of the first picture) After it’s been toasted, he dips the cooked hot dog in the sauce of your choice and sticks it into the toasted baguette. The final product:

I know it looks a little gross, but this hot dog is definitely the best hot dog I’ve ever eaten; the jalapeño cheddar oozes out of the perfectly toasted baguette and the hot dog tastes more like real meat than what the other vendors peddle in Central Park. It’s gourmet! Dogmatic is the perfect treat to eat in the early fall when you’re checking out the farmer’s market nearby.

How to get to Dogmatic:

Dogmatic
Hudson St & W 11th St
New York, NY 10079
917-279-1886