The Less-Than-Original Soup Man
Construction crews raise the sign at the reopened Original Soup Man on 55th &8th.
Everybody, it seems, knows about Al Yeganeh and his marvelous, homemade soup, since Seinfeld skewered him (more or less) as a “soup nazi.” I didn’t hear of him until his popularity was soaring, and discovered for myself the delight of his shrimp bisque. Of course, he cashed out, shuttering his flagship on 55th and 8th, licensing his image and brand as “the original soup man,” and spawning a national chain.
I’m not sure what happened to the national chain, but the franchises here in NYC seemed to die a quick death (looking on the website, though, I see there are still 16 locations at least throughout the U.S. & Canada). I was delighted to hear, then, that the original location was going to reopen. Visions of Al serving up his awesome soups danced in my head.
Shrimp and corn bisque from the Original Soup Man.
Alas, it seems the reopened location is just another franchise, perhaps even the last man standing of the chain. I heard that Mr. Yeganeh never gave up the lease on the space, so maybe he just decided to put a franchise in there. Who knows. All I know is that the shrimp and corn bisque was better than I expected, but not anywhere near up to the previous standard. Mr. Yeganeh wasn’t in sight behind the counter, instead there was a coterie of fresh-faced workers wearing uniforms.
All in all, I am not sure it’s any better than Daily Soup or Hale and Hearty. OK – maybe it’s a cut above those two (maybe) – but it’s nowhere near the quality of the original… . Not sure if I’ll go back again, especially for the premium they are charging.
Meh.
The Original SoupMan
55th & 8th New York, NY 10036 www.originalsoupman.comArtie’s Hot Dog Is Wonderful
Artie’s Delicatessen – a (relatively modern) attempt at an old Jewish deli on the Upper West Side, is part of the Alicart family of restaurants. Alicart has a strong roster: Carmine’s, Virgil’s and Gabriela’s (all solid spots, some moreso than others). Artie’s is about to mark its 11th anniversary, so it has managed to endure where many other restaurants in the neighborhood have come and gone.
Being a Jewish delicatessen, Artie’s attempts to plant its flag in traditional favorites: pastrami, corned beef, reubens, pierogies, potato pancakes and so forth. I’ve sampled pretty much all of those items over the years, but I think the clear standout of their menu is the hot dog – it’s excellent.
Look at ’em. Longer than usual, grilling happily away.
Yes, I will have kraut on mine.
This is gonna be good. The Artie’s dog is salty (without being too much so), has a great snap when you bite into it, and is vaguely unwieldly due to it tipping over the sides of the bun and the kraut pretty much causing the bread to dissolve on contact. That may not sound too promising, but trust me, it’s delightful. It makes the eating experience fun.
The onions are sweet (rather than hot), and taste reminiscent of baked beans. On giving the matter further thought, I think the straight dog with mustard and kraut is the way to go.
One of the best thing about getting a dog at Artie’s is you can plop down at a small counter to eat it without going through all the fuss (and potential additional expense) of getting an actual table. The view from the counter is good for people-watching, be it your fellow diners or the pedestrians ambling past with their families.
All in all, it’s delightful, particularly if you just want to pop in for a quick nosh. Two dogs and a soda is a delightful weekend snack, if vaguely decadent.
Artie’s Delicatessen
2290 Broadway New York, NY 10025 (212) 579-5959 www.arties.comMother Burger
Not far from the office in Midtown is Worldwide Plaza. I stopped in there to get the Korean Tacos at Bann Next Door, and noticed the nearby Mother Burger.
Of course, what really caught my eye was the sign announcing $2 beers. Hello! I knew I’d have to stop by to see if the burger was any good – drinking on the job is an obvious no-no, unfortunately. But one can always sample a burger!
The first thing I liked about Mother Burger was the fact that these wonderful peanuts were waiting for you at the table. I love peanuts in the shell, can eat them all day. These are straightforward ballpark peanuts, delightful.
The first warning sign was they didn’t ask me how I wanted the burger done when I ordered it. No surprise: it was frankly meh for an Angus burger – a bit tough, and seemed to be making a run after the Big Mac, flavor-wise. The slab on a potato bun went for $6.95 (with cheese), where they get you is the extra couple of bucks if you want fries. I’m on a diet, so my answer was no.
This special sauce (a mix of Russian dressing and chipotle mayo) really helped resuscitate the sandwich.
Not a bad looking burger, once completely assembled. A vaguely more healthy version of a big mac.
Mother Burger suffers from one huge problem: it is absolutely swarmed with pigeons. I was afraid my meal was going to get its own special sauce from a more avian source. Yikes. A consequence of all those peanuts lying around, is my guess. Also, numerous tables are tucked under trees.
Not sure if I’ll return. It was good, the notion of a $2 beer is appealing (turns out it’s hipster beer in cans: PBR, Rolling Rock, Schlitz, etc…), but nothing spectacular. A nice spot.
Mother Burger
329 West 49th Street New York, NY 10019 (212) 757-8600 www.motherburger.comVictor’s Cafe – Pretty Sweet (Actually, Too Sweet)
My friend wanted to spend his last evening in NYC dining at Victor’s Cafe, a famous Cuban restaurant in Midtown. If I had been there becore it wouldve been 20 years or more ago. I enjoy some Cuban food – I’m talking to you, picadillo – but this is the first time in recent memory I’ve gone for an upscale, sit down Cuban meal.
Mojitos at Victor's Cafe.
We started with the famed mojito. Victor’s is known for them. At the bar, I thought the mojito was very sweet – like jarritos. The slim, sliver of fresh sugar cane was excellent. This may seem like a no-brainer, but for some odd reason, I found the second mojito, served at the table, to be better – more tart. Also the sprig of mint that adorned it was crisper.
Lobster empanadas at Victor's Cafe.
We moved on next to the recommeded lobster empanadas. The crust was great, nice and crunchy, however the lobster inside it was less-than-stellar (then again, I am still adrift in the memory of the delicious Hot Lob). The cheese of the empanada, combined with the lobster, creates a very rich flavor. Overall, the empanada is tilted a bit more towards the cheese than the crustacean.
We also sampled the croquetas, which are widely praised. They are pinky-finger length, crunchy, and delightful, tasting like a blend of sweet rich ham and cheese.
The sangria service was impressive – our waiter managed to balance his tray of four stemmed glasses, tilting the pitcher into each one, without spilling, or toppling the whole thing. It made me a bit nervous just watching him – I certainly couldn’t manage such a feat of coordination. The sangria, much like everything else we had tried, was on the sweet side, with slices of orange and more than a hint of apple flavor.
Ropa Vieja at Victor's Cafe.
The sweet flavor train continued rolling along into the main course, the ropa vieja. This time that sweet note was brought in by the red pepper. I found the mashed plantains sitting underneath the fried tortilla the beef was served in to be particularly tasty.
The flan at Victor's Cafe.
The flan stole the show, with its faint honey coating. The flan itself was thicker than most, as well as richer, heavier. More like a french vanilla flavor, with maple.
The most interesting thing about the meal was what happened afterward. Everyone came out feeling leaden and in desperate need of immediate sleep. I think it must have been a combination of all the hooch, with the main culprit being whatever it is they use to make all the dishes so sweet. It felt like a massive sugar crash.
All in all, tasty, and pleasant, but I’m not sure I’ll be back any time too soon. It’s too heavy, and a bit too sweet.
ME LIKE EAT 