Thursday, March 04, 2004
Local take-out - First Avenue
LOOKING AHEAD by Wally Dobelis
Local take-out food – First Avenue
In the interests of providing a most complete takeout food experience for the ST/PCV shopping area, this list of First Avenue restaurants and takeout shops has been expanded South, to 13th Street. You may want to clip this list for reference, it is quite complete. Fourteenth Street, 23rd Street and their outlets to the great avenues will be covered later. For the food lovers who would like to include more of the outlying culinary outposts of local and national prominence, such as the Second Avenue Deli and Veniero’s, and the grand names that make Union Square the “best tasting community,” they too will shine here, in time. Patience and fortitude, to quote the greatest Mayor of NYC, past tense. Now, on with the job, and, please, no quibbling over the language, ethnic food people have their own spelling rules.
FIRST AVENUE, 13th to 23rd Streets
The Original Mee Noodle Shop and Grill, 219 First Ave at 13th Street (212) 995-0333. Praised by Eric Asimov in NYT, 1994, for the delicacy of its noodles, it offers seven kinds, plus other Cantonese classics, intermingled with a number of Szechuan and Hunan specials, including sautéed seafood. Free delivery, accept only AmEx credit cards.
Rancho El Girasol Restaurant and Bar, 221 First Ave (212) 375-0501 offers tortas, enchiladas (rolled tortillas filled with savory stuff, e.g. chile) with beans (frijole) and guacamole, quesadillas (folded tortillas filled with refried beans, cooked meat, cheese), tacos (usually crisp folded tortilla filled with savory etc. etc.) and a long list of entrees. Free delivery.
Ikura Japanese Restaurant 222 First Ave (212) 529-8500. “Sushi half price served seven days a week.” Lunch and dinner specials. Bento (box lunch), don buri (in porcelain bowl). Free delivery.
Blue Velvet Vietnamese Cuisine, 227 First Ave (212) 260-9807. Banh cuon (ravioli), bo bia (summer roll) salads, peanut sauce. Chicken udon (noodle) soup, pork, chicken, salmon, sautéed Buddhist chicken noodle and rice dishes, special menu of over $10 items. Free delivery.
A Halal restaurant, Big Arc Chicken, 233 First Ave (212) 477-0091. Grilled chicken and fish, Middle Eastern specialties, vegetarian platters, baba ganouj & hommas, foul mudammas (fava beans), kebabs and falafel. Free delivery. Halal is the Islamic equal of Kosher. It forbids the eating of pork, carnivorous animals, animals without external ears, blood and its products, use of alcohol and intoxicants, and defines improper slaughter.
Crossing 14th Street, Durbar East, 239 First Ave, (212) 677-0005, one of the few Indian restaurants between the East 6th Street and Lexington Ave high Twenties clusters. Tandoori (clay oven) chicken & shrimp, vegetarian saag paneer, basmati rice, curry. Free delivery.
Far East Chinese and Japanese Restaurant, 259 First Ave, (212) 598-0180. Two separate huge menus, all you desire, small & large portions separately priced. Free delivery.
Johnny’s Pizza, 261 First Ave (212) 254-6649. Also pasta, heros, everything Parmigiana, stromboli & calzones., buckets of Buffalo wings. Free delivery.
No. 1 Chinese Restaurant, 265 First Ave (212) 529-0539. Cantonese noodle soup, eight page menu, priced by pint and quart, chef’s specials. Lunch, free delivery.
The two glatt Kosher restaurants of the entire area live side by side, fleishige and milchige. Murray’s Falafel and Grill, 261 First Ave (212)533-1956 has Israeli TV playing, by satellite, kabobs, Moroccan cigars (spicy beef), shwarma (giro) and Shabbat family take-out.
The other is La Bagel Dairy Restaurant, 263 First Ave (212) 388-9292. Bagels, bialys, rolls, spreads, appetizing, platters, salads – and pizza. Will cater, deliver. .
Coopertown Diner, 339 First Ave at 19th Street (212) 677-7811. Big breakfast, griddle cakes, Belgian waffles. Steaks for dinner, salad platters, diet dishes. Delivered.
The New Ambrosia Diner – Restaurant, 273 First Ave (212) 473-7440. Greek and Mediterranean specialties, waffles, muffins and bagels, 6-oz beefburgers, pasta, Roumanian steaks, stuffed sole. Free delivery.
Adriatic Italian Restaurant, Family Style, 321 First Ave, (212) 260-2797. Mussels marinara, pasta, chicken, veal and fish entrees served with salad or pasta. Twenty pizza specialties, heros, free delivery.
David Bagels, 331 First Ave (2121) 780-2308. Deli, restaurant, appetizer. Walnut cream cheese, maple honey turkey, chopped herring and lox sandwiches, free delivery.
Tony’s House of Pizza, 347 First Ave at 20th Street, (212) 598-4545. Heros, 16 and 18-inch pizzas, appetizer, soups and salads, pasta, calzones. Free delivery
Ess-a-Bagel, 359 First Ave, (212) 260-2252. Nationally acclaimed , hand-rolled, 14 varieties, also rugulach. Salad sandwiches, smoked fish platters. Delivered.
North of this point we are in hospital country. More to come.
Local take-out food – First Avenue
In the interests of providing a most complete takeout food experience for the ST/PCV shopping area, this list of First Avenue restaurants and takeout shops has been expanded South, to 13th Street. You may want to clip this list for reference, it is quite complete. Fourteenth Street, 23rd Street and their outlets to the great avenues will be covered later. For the food lovers who would like to include more of the outlying culinary outposts of local and national prominence, such as the Second Avenue Deli and Veniero’s, and the grand names that make Union Square the “best tasting community,” they too will shine here, in time. Patience and fortitude, to quote the greatest Mayor of NYC, past tense. Now, on with the job, and, please, no quibbling over the language, ethnic food people have their own spelling rules.
FIRST AVENUE, 13th to 23rd Streets
The Original Mee Noodle Shop and Grill, 219 First Ave at 13th Street (212) 995-0333. Praised by Eric Asimov in NYT, 1994, for the delicacy of its noodles, it offers seven kinds, plus other Cantonese classics, intermingled with a number of Szechuan and Hunan specials, including sautéed seafood. Free delivery, accept only AmEx credit cards.
Rancho El Girasol Restaurant and Bar, 221 First Ave (212) 375-0501 offers tortas, enchiladas (rolled tortillas filled with savory stuff, e.g. chile) with beans (frijole) and guacamole, quesadillas (folded tortillas filled with refried beans, cooked meat, cheese), tacos (usually crisp folded tortilla filled with savory etc. etc.) and a long list of entrees. Free delivery.
Ikura Japanese Restaurant 222 First Ave (212) 529-8500. “Sushi half price served seven days a week.” Lunch and dinner specials. Bento (box lunch), don buri (in porcelain bowl). Free delivery.
Blue Velvet Vietnamese Cuisine, 227 First Ave (212) 260-9807. Banh cuon (ravioli), bo bia (summer roll) salads, peanut sauce. Chicken udon (noodle) soup, pork, chicken, salmon, sautéed Buddhist chicken noodle and rice dishes, special menu of over $10 items. Free delivery.
A Halal restaurant, Big Arc Chicken, 233 First Ave (212) 477-0091. Grilled chicken and fish, Middle Eastern specialties, vegetarian platters, baba ganouj & hommas, foul mudammas (fava beans), kebabs and falafel. Free delivery. Halal is the Islamic equal of Kosher. It forbids the eating of pork, carnivorous animals, animals without external ears, blood and its products, use of alcohol and intoxicants, and defines improper slaughter.
Crossing 14th Street, Durbar East, 239 First Ave, (212) 677-0005, one of the few Indian restaurants between the East 6th Street and Lexington Ave high Twenties clusters. Tandoori (clay oven) chicken & shrimp, vegetarian saag paneer, basmati rice, curry. Free delivery.
Far East Chinese and Japanese Restaurant, 259 First Ave, (212) 598-0180. Two separate huge menus, all you desire, small & large portions separately priced. Free delivery.
Johnny’s Pizza, 261 First Ave (212) 254-6649. Also pasta, heros, everything Parmigiana, stromboli & calzones., buckets of Buffalo wings. Free delivery.
No. 1 Chinese Restaurant, 265 First Ave (212) 529-0539. Cantonese noodle soup, eight page menu, priced by pint and quart, chef’s specials. Lunch, free delivery.
The two glatt Kosher restaurants of the entire area live side by side, fleishige and milchige. Murray’s Falafel and Grill, 261 First Ave (212)533-1956 has Israeli TV playing, by satellite, kabobs, Moroccan cigars (spicy beef), shwarma (giro) and Shabbat family take-out.
The other is La Bagel Dairy Restaurant, 263 First Ave (212) 388-9292. Bagels, bialys, rolls, spreads, appetizing, platters, salads – and pizza. Will cater, deliver. .
Coopertown Diner, 339 First Ave at 19th Street (212) 677-7811. Big breakfast, griddle cakes, Belgian waffles. Steaks for dinner, salad platters, diet dishes. Delivered.
The New Ambrosia Diner – Restaurant, 273 First Ave (212) 473-7440. Greek and Mediterranean specialties, waffles, muffins and bagels, 6-oz beefburgers, pasta, Roumanian steaks, stuffed sole. Free delivery.
Adriatic Italian Restaurant, Family Style, 321 First Ave, (212) 260-2797. Mussels marinara, pasta, chicken, veal and fish entrees served with salad or pasta. Twenty pizza specialties, heros, free delivery.
David Bagels, 331 First Ave (2121) 780-2308. Deli, restaurant, appetizer. Walnut cream cheese, maple honey turkey, chopped herring and lox sandwiches, free delivery.
Tony’s House of Pizza, 347 First Ave at 20th Street, (212) 598-4545. Heros, 16 and 18-inch pizzas, appetizer, soups and salads, pasta, calzones. Free delivery
Ess-a-Bagel, 359 First Ave, (212) 260-2252. Nationally acclaimed , hand-rolled, 14 varieties, also rugulach. Salad sandwiches, smoked fish platters. Delivered.
North of this point we are in hospital country. More to come.
# posted by Wally Dobelis @ 7:04 PM 
