Thursday, February 19, 2004
Take-out food - Third Avenue's East Side
LOOKING AHEAD by Wally Dobelis
Take-out is the busy parents' friend, and the shut-in's best friend.Clip and save these lists.
Interesting takeout food may be a great delight and even adventure, but food safety should be one of our major concerns. Take-out food, if prepared well in advance of service, should be kept safe. Look at the server’s premises from that point of view. Food services with large volume of traffic and quick turnover may be your best bet, to assure freshness and prevention of contamination. All those modest Chinese open kitchen takeout services give you an opportunity to observe the preparation process – use it.
To avoid contamination, protect your takeouts, as well as your “doggie bags.” Don’t hesitate, refrigerate. Two hours out in the open should be the maximum open air exposure for meat, fish, pasta…One food bacterium, doubling in 20 minutes, will grow to 64 in two hours, to two million in seven. Botulism is not the only danger, there are other exposures, of which we may not be aware. It takes ½ hour to two weeks to get sick from contaminated food. A short-term “flu” might actually have been a food problem.
If the take-out quantities are substantial, divide saved food into servings before refrigerating. Reheat saved food thoroughly before use. Microwaving is great, but utilize the packing carton only if so instructed. The plastic may be designed for cold storage, and could emit chemicals if heated. Temperatures over 140 degrees are needed to kill food bacteria – but use the shortest microwave time, to avoid the dangers of fire.
THIRD AVENUE , East Side
Walking uptown from 14th Street, Joe Jr. Restaurant at 167 Third (212) 473-5150 is a traditional Greek –style coffee shop with four pages of omelets, cold salads, broiled and freed meats and fish. Look for their spinach pie. Free delivery.
Okura Japanese Restaurant at 173 Third Ave (212) 533-2303 features all you can eat sushi at $20.95, delivery by moped.
J.East, a modest Chinese takeout, at 175 Third Ave (212) 529-8818 has three-course combination dinners for $6.25. Delivered.
Paquito’s Mexican Food, same address (212) 477-5797 offers large burritos, both vegetarian and meat, ensaladas and all other South of the Border goods, delivered.
Mumbles, by now an institution at 179 Third and 17th (212) 477-6066, delivers not only their chicken Parmigiana, home-style meatloaf, salmon and crab cakes, but also salads, burgers and small pizzas.
At 20th, Tang Sichuan Taste, 243 Third Ave (212) 477-0460 has a large range of Chinese dishes, roast duck at $15.50. Free delivery, open late.
Adriana Pizzeria at 253 Third Ave (212) 677-6070, a favorite from 9/11 days of feeding the Ground Zero workers, has also pastas, calzones, heros (that’s the spelling) and salads, delivered free.
To correct an omission of last week, Lamarca Café and Take Out at 161 East 22 Street, NW corner Third Ave, (212) 673-7920, has soups by the pint, salads and pastas, and cheese, and vino. Close 6:30 PM.
Rolf’s Restaurant (aka German-American), a venerable old New York venue at 281 Third Ave and 22nd (212) 477-4750, has a takeout menu of chacroute Alsacienne, Jaeger Schnitzel, Hungarian goulash and similar delicacies. Not delivered. Expect to part with a double sawbuck per (that’s an old New York term for a twenty).
Lyric Diner, 283 Third Ave (212) 213-2222, long known for its 24-hour service, has an eight-page diner menu, with Greek and Italian emphasis. Free delivery.
Taco & Tortilla King, 285 Third Ave (212) 679-8882, Tex-Mexican specialties, combination plates, coupons. Free delivery.
Molly’s Pub – Restaurant Shebeen (don’t blame me, I only copy ), at 287 Third Ave (212) 889-3361. Long known as Molly Malone’s, a survivor of an era Irish Pubs, it offers shepherd’s pie, 16 oz sirloin and other pub favorites. Pick up yer own and have a brew while waitin’.
Parenthetically, the current crop of pubs in the high teens and twenties along the Ave are mostly BMG (figure that out), drinking and pool-playing establishments. Tavaru, Barfly, Proof (once the site of the nabe’s only Indian restaurant, sorely missed), Paddy Maguire’s, Black Bear’s Lodge (also associated with Bull’s Head, and Kings Head on 14th Street), and Copper Door Tavern are the names, and certain of them supply menus and take-out dinners from some major restaurants (there’s a delivery service).
Pick A Bagel on Third, 297 Third Ave near 23rd Street (212) 686-1414, has big fluffy bagels, each a meal and a half, plus smoked fish, pastrami, Israeli salads and espresso. Free delivery, 14 you-know-whats to the dozen.
To break the suspense: BMG standas for boy-meet-girl.
Take-out is the busy parents' friend, and the shut-in's best friend.Clip and save these lists.
Interesting takeout food may be a great delight and even adventure, but food safety should be one of our major concerns. Take-out food, if prepared well in advance of service, should be kept safe. Look at the server’s premises from that point of view. Food services with large volume of traffic and quick turnover may be your best bet, to assure freshness and prevention of contamination. All those modest Chinese open kitchen takeout services give you an opportunity to observe the preparation process – use it.
To avoid contamination, protect your takeouts, as well as your “doggie bags.” Don’t hesitate, refrigerate. Two hours out in the open should be the maximum open air exposure for meat, fish, pasta…One food bacterium, doubling in 20 minutes, will grow to 64 in two hours, to two million in seven. Botulism is not the only danger, there are other exposures, of which we may not be aware. It takes ½ hour to two weeks to get sick from contaminated food. A short-term “flu” might actually have been a food problem.
If the take-out quantities are substantial, divide saved food into servings before refrigerating. Reheat saved food thoroughly before use. Microwaving is great, but utilize the packing carton only if so instructed. The plastic may be designed for cold storage, and could emit chemicals if heated. Temperatures over 140 degrees are needed to kill food bacteria – but use the shortest microwave time, to avoid the dangers of fire.
THIRD AVENUE , East Side
Walking uptown from 14th Street, Joe Jr. Restaurant at 167 Third (212) 473-5150 is a traditional Greek –style coffee shop with four pages of omelets, cold salads, broiled and freed meats and fish. Look for their spinach pie. Free delivery.
Okura Japanese Restaurant at 173 Third Ave (212) 533-2303 features all you can eat sushi at $20.95, delivery by moped.
J.East, a modest Chinese takeout, at 175 Third Ave (212) 529-8818 has three-course combination dinners for $6.25. Delivered.
Paquito’s Mexican Food, same address (212) 477-5797 offers large burritos, both vegetarian and meat, ensaladas and all other South of the Border goods, delivered.
Mumbles, by now an institution at 179 Third and 17th (212) 477-6066, delivers not only their chicken Parmigiana, home-style meatloaf, salmon and crab cakes, but also salads, burgers and small pizzas.
At 20th, Tang Sichuan Taste, 243 Third Ave (212) 477-0460 has a large range of Chinese dishes, roast duck at $15.50. Free delivery, open late.
Adriana Pizzeria at 253 Third Ave (212) 677-6070, a favorite from 9/11 days of feeding the Ground Zero workers, has also pastas, calzones, heros (that’s the spelling) and salads, delivered free.
To correct an omission of last week, Lamarca Café and Take Out at 161 East 22 Street, NW corner Third Ave, (212) 673-7920, has soups by the pint, salads and pastas, and cheese, and vino. Close 6:30 PM.
Rolf’s Restaurant (aka German-American), a venerable old New York venue at 281 Third Ave and 22nd (212) 477-4750, has a takeout menu of chacroute Alsacienne, Jaeger Schnitzel, Hungarian goulash and similar delicacies. Not delivered. Expect to part with a double sawbuck per (that’s an old New York term for a twenty).
Lyric Diner, 283 Third Ave (212) 213-2222, long known for its 24-hour service, has an eight-page diner menu, with Greek and Italian emphasis. Free delivery.
Taco & Tortilla King, 285 Third Ave (212) 679-8882, Tex-Mexican specialties, combination plates, coupons. Free delivery.
Molly’s Pub – Restaurant Shebeen (don’t blame me, I only copy ), at 287 Third Ave (212) 889-3361. Long known as Molly Malone’s, a survivor of an era Irish Pubs, it offers shepherd’s pie, 16 oz sirloin and other pub favorites. Pick up yer own and have a brew while waitin’.
Parenthetically, the current crop of pubs in the high teens and twenties along the Ave are mostly BMG (figure that out), drinking and pool-playing establishments. Tavaru, Barfly, Proof (once the site of the nabe’s only Indian restaurant, sorely missed), Paddy Maguire’s, Black Bear’s Lodge (also associated with Bull’s Head, and Kings Head on 14th Street), and Copper Door Tavern are the names, and certain of them supply menus and take-out dinners from some major restaurants (there’s a delivery service).
Pick A Bagel on Third, 297 Third Ave near 23rd Street (212) 686-1414, has big fluffy bagels, each a meal and a half, plus smoked fish, pastrami, Israeli salads and espresso. Free delivery, 14 you-know-whats to the dozen.
To break the suspense: BMG standas for boy-meet-girl.
# posted by Wally Dobelis @ 6:57 PM 
