Tag Archives: grand central station

UrbanSpace Vanderbilt: A new awesome food market near Grand Central Station

30 Sep

I have been a big fan of Chelsea Market for quite some time, especially because it’s a great collection of delicious things. Then when Gotham West Market came along, I was excited, because it took that to the next level by allowing a group to all get delicious things from different places and then meet in the middle to eat together.  We also took a quick walk through Hudson Market downtown, which seemed great. So when I saw that a new food market was opening near Grand Central Station (where I commute through every day) I was thrilled.

Welcome to my life, UrbanSpace Vanderbilt. (These are the same operators as the pop-up food spaces around town, such as Mad. Sq. Eats and Broadway Bites, which I blogged about before. AND they are going to be doing the new Anthony Bourdain Market which has to be the most anticipated opening of the next few years)

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Urbanspace has the communal tables (though far fewer than Gotham West… so I have a feeling this could get VERY crowded if you want to stay) as well as bars at a few of the stands around the space.

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There are so many great food selections to choose from, some of which are very familiar and some I had never heard of.

Dough:

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Redhook Lobster Pound:

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Toby’s Estate (coffee, including coffee milk shakes which were outstanding):

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AsiaDog (which also had awesome sounding juices):

 

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Maiden Lane:

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Bar Suzette (with crepes):

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Sips & Bites:

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Mimi’s Hummus:

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Hong Kong Street Cart:

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Delaney Chicken (from the famous Delaney Brisket world):

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Bangkok Bar:

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Roberta’s:

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No. 7 Veggie (from the No. 7 Subs guys):

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Sigmund’s Pretzels:

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Ovenly:

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And a few other places that looked great for picking up a bowl of deliciousness:

 

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We got some delicious items from Mayhem & Stout as well as Red Hook Lobster Pound:

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The short rib sandwich Mike got from Mayhem & Stout was very good.

Honestly, I wanted my lobster roll to be better.IMG_7921

I was disappointed that the entire bottom was lettuce with just a few pieces of so-so lobster on top. (Though I really think I should be banned from judging lobster in any way since I am completely convinced that lobster loses flavor when it crosses over the Maine state border)

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I also tried a truffle pretzel from Sigmund’s (no pictures because we ate it on the way to the theatre) and that coffee shake from Toby’s. Both were outstanding.

I’m very glad to have this place so close to my commuting hub and can’t wait to try more in the very near future.

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Tenpenny- A surprisingly great meal near Broadway

23 Apr

We live near Broadway, so we go out in the area more than most.  The Broadway/Times Square area is not known for having great food. There are some gems, but almost the entire area is over priced, over crowded, and underwhelming.

We were looking for another hidden gem so I pulled open my Immaculate Infatuation app and found their recommendation for Tenpenny. They had a reservation at the right time (and wound up being pretty empty at the early, pre-theater hour we visited) so we went for it.  It is also within walking distance of Grand Central station, so it’s located near a lot of places where I am frequently asked to find restaurants.

Tenpenny is located in the Gotham Hotel on 46th Street. The restaurant has a great feel and you certainly wouldn’t believe you’re right in the middle of all the city action here.

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There is a skylight in the back that offers a lovely NY high rise view and lots of sun light on a nice day like when we went.

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Immaculate Infatuation also had mentioned crispy artichokes (which are one of my favorite foods ever), however, they were not on the menu this time. ::sad face::

The bread was a really nice crispy crust and fluffy inside. And I really enjoyed the garlic and rosemary sliced into the olive oil. (The other was red pepper flakes, so I had to stay away).

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We tried the OPP or “Other People’s Pinot.” It was a Pinot Noir and we really enjoyed it.

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It was from a winery called Mouton Noir and I really enjoyed the cap.

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We decided to start with the crostini and we tried the smoked salmon & dill creme fraiche crostini and the crispy pork belly, spiced yogurt & fuji apple crostini.  The smoked salmon and dill one was okay (though I’m not a huge fan of salmon) but I really enjoyed the crispy pork belly.

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The bread on both was fantastic and I really enjoyed the pork and apple combination on the second one.

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Mike went with the Lamb Porterhouse which was cast iron seared Colorado lamb with house butter. It had a great lamby flavor that we both really enjoyed.

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I chose the Heritage Pork Rach which was house brined, pan seared, and served with bourbon pork jus.

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There was a really nice sear on the chop and it was surprisingly juicy and tender all throughout. The bourbon jus was also a really great compliment.

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It also came with a small onion tartlet that I really enjoyed. The onions were perfectly caramelized and the pastry itself had great flavor.

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Tenpenny serves their entrees as mostly just the meat, so you do need to get a side on its own (which definitely puts the meal further into the pricey category). We chose the brussels sprouts. They were delicious and the way we like them (with pork) but weren’t as crispy as we like. We are quite particular about our brussels, however!

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We then decided to try some dessert, and we started with 2 glasses of after dinner drinks. I chose a dessert wine and Mike got a port.

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Mike chose the pecan pie with cinnamon gelato and caramel sauce. This was quite good.  The pecans were nicely cooked without being over sweet, and the  pastry was a nice compliment to the sweetness.

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I went with the chocolate caramel mousse with espresso anglaise and toasted hazelnuts.

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The mousse was the perfect texture with the crisp chocolate on top and cookie-like crust on the bottom.  Really nice dessert and looked beautiful.

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Overall, Tenpenny was a great find. A bit expensive (especially since the entrees don’t really come with any sides), but the quality is there to make it a worthwhile place to eat and worth the midtown price tag. It’s hard to get away from a costly meal in that area of town, but with the others being much lower quality, I think Tenpenny is a great place to go.  All our food had great flavor and was cooked and presented with obvious care. It’s also just a nice place to spend an evening. We sat and leisurely enjoyed our meal and drinks.

Total Nom Points: 7.5 out of 10

Total Nom Points: 7.5 out of 10

 

Joe- The Art of Coffee (and Dirty Chai)

18 Dec

Just a quickie for today.  While in Grand Central Station, we went down the wrong hall looking for a Starbucks and stumbled upon Joe- The Art of Coffee.  I have recently become incredibly addicted to Dirty Chai (A chai tea latte with a shot of espresso. Also called a Red Eye Chai. And two shots is called a Filthy Chai.) I asked them to make this for me and the barista behind the registered commended me on my drink selection.  They also offered great, friendly, prompt customer service that felt much more like New England than Grand Central Station Manhattan.  The final touch of awesomeness was the beautiful job they did on the traditional leaf pattern with the steamed milk/foam.

Best of all? It was probably the best one I’ve ever had!