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5 Napkin Burger

Location: 150 E 14th Street, New York, NY 10003

Top: Just the exterior!

Bottom Left: Chipotle Chicken Tacos - 3 flour tortillas with guacamole, cream, salsa verde, crispy shallots, lettuce, cilantro & vinegar slaw - $13.50

Bottom Right: Avocado - Ranch Burger - 8 oz. fresh ground beef, pepperjack cheese, guacamole, lettuce, tomato, ranch, sesame brioche roll - $14.95

tFt Rating: 4.2/5

Not our first time at 5 Napkin Burger, and definitely not our last. It's a really nice place to meet up with some friends over some great food. The burgers are the obvious choice, served 10 different ways (although we always make even more adjustments). Being suckers for avocado and ranch, our pick was easy. The tacos were the real surprise, being served with a tangy chipotle spice. The guacamole was the perfect consistency between both selections to split the dishes. We'll definitely be going back to explore more of the menu options.

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Remedy Diner

Location: 245 E Houston Street, New York, NY

Top Left: Spicy Buffalo Chicken Sandwich - crispy coated chicken breast with spicy buffalo sauce, lettuce, tomato and melted cheddar cheese - $10.95

Top Right: Cobb Salad - chicken breast, avocado, bacon, cucumber, corn, bermuda onions and roquefort blue cheese (added hardboiled egg) - $12.95

Bottom: French Onion Soup - $4.95

tFt Rating: 4/5

Nothing terribly new, but the Remedy Diner never disappoints. The cobb salad was fresh and had tons of flavor. There were even leftovers for lunch the next day it was so big!  The buffalo chicken sandwich was crisp and exactly what we expected. Oddly enough, there was not bread in the onion soup... a bit untraditional but not a major complaint. Maybe we just got a dud.  At this point the host and waiters recognize us, welcoming us to pick a seat with a smile. Nothing beats a 24/7 diner, and in the Lower East Side, nothing beats the Remedy Diner. 

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La Churreria

Location: 284 Mulberry Street, New York, NY 10012

Left: ToGo bag with a cool little stamp...we had high hopes. 

Top Right: Churros Rellenos - Churros stuffed with daily chocolate filling including chocolate, chantilly cream, nocilla (hazelnut spread), dulce de leche, or seasonal fruit compote - $3.00 each

Bottom Right: Dulche de leche churros

tFt Rating: 1.7/5

UGH. Catching your attention, the insatiable scent of freshly baked churros lures you into this little hole-in-the-well cafe. La Churreria serves "freshly baked" churros around the clock. We decided to try two - one chantilly cream and one dulce de leche  expecting sweet deliciousness. Unfortunately, the taste fell short of expectations. The churros were pretty bland and lacked much. They were cold and hard, definitely not as soft as "freshly baked" implies. Disappointed, we vowed to never go here again. 

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Los Perros Locos

Location: 201 Allen Street, New York, NY 10002

Top Left: ÑYC Hamburger - Melted mozzarella, crushed chips, salsas: piña ChipZana, rosada, verde - $7.50

Bottom Left: Spicy Spicy Mango - spicy mango mojo, melted mozzarella, crushed hot Doritos - $6.00

Top Right: Populares Locas Ultimas - waffle fries, hot dog, salsa rosada, salsa verde

Bottom Right: All Three

tFt Rating: 3.6/5

After walking by this place countless times, we decided to stop in for a quick bite before going out for the night. Looking for a dog or burger that would hold us over, we got more than expected here. These fully loaded American classics with a creative twist are explosively flavorful. The hot dog sprinkled with Doritos and mango salsa was an unexpected combination that impressed. Los Perros Locos really hit the spot for a cheap meal, and definitely something that surprised our tastebuds. With an array of choices, you're bound to find one to try! It didn't hurt that the interior is modernly decorated with an urban-graffiti twist. 

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Dominique Ansel Bakery

Location: 189 Spring Street, New York, NY 10012

THE CRONUT - Blackberry Flavor, $5.00 each, maximum 2 per customer

tFt Rating: 4.3/5

Yes, we were that couple who waited 3 hours to eat a pastry, and that is not an exaggeration. We arrived at 6:30am, then were served and out the bakery doors at 9:30 am. 3 hours. It didn't help that we are not morning people. Was it worth it? ... What non-tangible item is worth waiting 3 hours for? The MoMA rain room?

Aside from the wait, let's focus on the actual pastry. Dominique Ansel's Cronut is the most unique pastry we've encountered. It is half croissant, half donut, and the flavor changes weekly. The blackberry jam was incredibly fresh and accompanied by a delicious light cream filling. Everything this man bakes is absolutely amazing. So if you don't feel like waking up early one morning to try to the Cronut, stop in any time of the day and pick something else... you can't go wrong!

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Duke's

Location: 99 E. 19th Street, NY, NY (there is one other location)

Top Left: Kansas City Special- sliced BBQ brisket, melted Vermont cheddar cheese, slaw, pickles, jalapeños, and Cajun Mustard - $13.50

Top Right: Chicken fried steak with creamy gravy, herb mashed potatoes, and onion rings (originally served with carrots, we substituted) - $18.50

Bottom Left: Duke's Dip - spinach and artichoke dip with corn tortilla chips - $10

Bottom Right: Exterior of restaurant. 

Total Price: around $40, we also used a FourSquare coupon to get $10 off

tFt rating: 3.6/5

Looking to fill my INTENSE chicken fried steak craving, Duke's was the closest and best sounding around. The atmosphere was fun and relaxed, the walls covered with college flags and texas signage. The screens everywhere were a tiny bit distracting if you are trying to have a conversation, but great if you just want to watch a game and get some grub. From the picture, you can tell the Duke's Dip was awesome!!! We tried so hard not to ruin our entrees by devouring it, but obviously that didn't end up going so well. As for the sandwich, the bread was a iffy, but the rest was good. The CFS was nothing like back home, but still got the job done. It was super crispy and served with a nice thick gravy. We loved the FourSquare checkin discount and the staff was good. 

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Donut Plant

Location: 379 Grand St, New York, NY 10002 (there are many locations though!)

Top Left: Just the lovely graphically designed bag they came in :)

Top Right:  Closest: Coconut Lime Yeast Donut, Back Left: Special Lavender Yeast Donut, Back Right: Vanilla Strawberry-filled Yeast Donut

Bottom Left: Same donuts. Square is the filled one, left is Lavender, and bottom is the Coconut-Lime

Bottom Right: close up of the filled Strawberry-Vanilla one. 

Total Price: $10ish

tFt Rating: 1.9/5

Sometimes playing it safe is a good thing. We decided to branch out and try the featured Lavender, while also going for some of our favorite flavors of coconut and strawberry. The lavender was an extreme disappointment. I guess I'm not sure what I truly expected, but upon finishing my first bite I felt like I just ate bathroom soap. Trying to keep an open mind, we both kept eating it. The flavor just was not something meant for consumption. Next, the coconut-lime. Once again...this tasted like a lotion you would try at Bath & Body works. Actually, it tasted exactly like a lotion I have from there. Bleh. Finally, we got to the filled one. What a relief! This donut was pretty good, but nothing we would be craving all the time. Simple, made from good ingredients, and sweet. So, here's the thing: the Donut Plant is a beautifully designed space with awesome packaging and attention to detail...but the donuts were weird. 

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Panchito's

Location: 105 Macdougal St, New York, NY 10012 

Bottom Left: "Big Burrito" - Giant flour tortilla overstuffed with chicken (or ground beef if you want) covered with melted cheese, Panchito's ranchero sauce and sour cream - $11

Bottom Right:  Chorizo Enchilada, off of the Combinations section, served with rice and beans and covered with melted cheese. Also comes with little sour cream, salsa, and guacamole sides. We also asked to try the tomatillo sauce, the green one pictured - $8

Not Pictured: 1/2 pitcher of red Sangria- $16

tFt Rating: 3.3/5

Wandering around Macdougal on a Sunday can be an entertaining experience, as street marketers try to pull you into a late night comedy show and the bar scene begins for the night while most of the world dreads the impending Monday. We were looking for some Mexican food and Sangria when Panchito's caught our eye...and it didn't hurt that their AC was blastin'. 

Our waiter was great! He knew the menu extremely well and was great at checking in on us. The sangria here was average, and for about the same price for a pitcher at Dos Comino's, we'd choose DC's over this any day. It was nice that they offered 1/2 pitchers though! We love cheese, so having everything covered in it was awesome...but that may not be everyone's cup of tea. The chorizo in the burrito was in sliced sausage form instead of ground form like I was expecting, but still had nice flavor. If you are looking for something HOT, this isn't the place. The hottest thing we could get was the salsa served with chips at the beginning. The portions were solid and we left full and happy that our bill was only $36.    

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Revel

Location: 10 Little West 12th Street, NY, NY 10014

Top: Crispy Shrimp - ginger scallions, extra virgin olive oil - $16

Bottom Left: Filet Mignon, 8 ox - $34

Bottom Right: House Made Gnocchi with house made pesto - $24

Not Pictured: two classes of Malbec - $8 each

tFt Rating: 2.3/5

This was our one month anniversary dinner! It was a bit of a shame it wasn't a 5/5. The restaurant is beautiful with a garden seating area and lovely lighting. Even though we had a reservation, we had to wait at the bar to be seated but the place was practically empty! (It was late on a Sunday night, but you'll see why we gave them little slack...)

Our waiter was terrible, and I am going to go ahead and say that we were age profiled. In comparison to the surrounding tables, our service was extremely subpar. Constantly having to remind our waiter about bread, wine, more water, etc. became an annoying repetitive occurrence. Appetizers came relatively quickly, but it took a while to get our entrees. The bread we were given looked as though it someone had already eaten at it. Bummer.  The steak was good, but not $34 good. It was also served with 3 sauces that resembled McDonalds's BBQ, a thin A1 Steak sauce, and a cilantro-lime (the only one semi-decent). The gnocchi was really, really wonderful and totally worth the money, but clearly overshadowed during the meal.

This place has a ton of potential because of location, appearance, and some of their dishes...but for now we won't be going back anytime soon. At least it was an entertaining critique for tFt!

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The Famous Cozy Soup n' Burger

Location: 739 Broadway, NY, NY

Top Left: Chocolate Milkshake - $4 

Top Right: Swiss, Turkey, and Avocado Omelet - $11

Bottom Left: Triple Decker Turkey Club (bacon, turkey, lettuce, tomato) - $12

Bottom Right: Jumbo Texas Burger Supreme, with toppings - $12 

tFt Rating: 2.9/5

We first stumbled here on our way to the Pride Parade. The waiters are in an big hurry to get you in and out of here! If you like your fries well done, this is the place for you. The omelet had just the right proportions of ingredients, and the triple decker was good in a simple, to the point way. The burger was solid as well, but we found all of these things just a little too pricey for a diner. We were a little bummed the milkshake didn't come with one of those side cups to refill Johnny-Rockets-style, but oh well. Live and learn. 

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Dos Caminos

Location: 675 Hudson Street at 14th Street, New York, NY 10014 (there are many more locations though)

Top Left: Rose Sangria - $35 a pitcher

Top Right: Mar-y-Tierra- grilled marinated skirt steak, tecate battered rock shrimp, sriracha aioli, bacon guacamole, and flour tortillas - $19

Bottom: Trio of Cerviches - $17

Tuna Chino-Latino: soy-lime marinade, sesame, chiles torreados, mint, cilantroacon gua

Lobster Yucateco: habanero-infused coconut and citrus marinade, mango pico de gallo, red chile oil

Red Snapper Veracrus: lime-marinated red snapper, pickled jalapeno, manzanilla olives, tomato, fresh oregano, house made hot sauce

Not Pictured: Chicken Taquitos - pulled chicken and sweet potatoes rolled in crispy corn tortillas, shredded lettuce, crema, queso fresco, tomatillo-avocado salsa - $8

tFt Rating: 3.5/5

We arrived pretty late on a Friday night... around 10:30... and didn't have to wait at all. Aesthetically, this restaurant is well designed with 3 large floors and mood lighting. Our waiter was average, but nothing to be disappointed in at all.  The cerviche wasn't as cold or refreshing as hoped, but the taquitos, tacos, and Sangria were great. A little expensive for smaller portions, but still a good eat. 

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Yaffa Cafe

Location: 97 St Mark's Pl, New York City (Btwen 1st Ave & Ave A)

Top Right: Spaghetti Bolognese 

Bottom Left: Chicken San Simian - from the specials menu - Breaded chicken cutlet with grilled onions, tomato and avocado in a cream sauce

Bottom Right: Starter salad with house dressing

tFt Rating: 1.5/5

We opted to be seated in the garden ... Can you say mosquito? ... Not too crowded on a Tuesday night, but we barely saw the waiter throughout the meal. The chicken dish was very satisfying. The spaghetti bolognese was below par for many reasons. For two entrees - one less than stellar - that came with small salads and a beer, the $35 check before tip will probably keep us from returning this summer. 

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Location: Remedy Diner, 245 East Houston Street, NYC

Top Left: Tuscan Eggs - “Fluffy scrambled egg whites on top of toasted challah bread and Canadian bacon all covered with fresh tomato bruschetta, fresh basil, garlic, olive oil and parmesan”

Top Right / Bottom Left: San Paolo Eggs Benedict - “two poached eggs with sliced tomato and avocado topped with hollandaise sauce on English muffin served with home fries”

tFt Rating: 3.8/5

This place has become one of our favorites! The food was above your average diner, while the place was crowded as expected for a Sunday morning… But good atmospheric energy :) The staff is always excellent as well. The biggest problem here is that the menu is HUGE, and everything looks fantastic.