Good Eats in The Big Apple

It's a good thing that my mother-in-law has been to NYC a number of times.  Not only does she know how to get around, but she also knows where to go for good food.  We were certainly well fed while in the city.  Although we ate at a number of interesting places (including numerous visits to street vendors)- there were three that really stood out to me.  The first was the Carnegie Deli.  This restaurant was lined with photos of all the famous people who had eaten there.  The food was good, and the portions were massive.  I couldn't even come close to finishing my meal.  The Carnegie Deli is the home to the most fantastic cheesecake that I have ever tasted, and for this reason, it makes my memorable meal list.

The second restaurant on my list of memorable restaurants is Sylvia's.  I'm glad that Melanie knew about this place because I would have never found it on my own.  Sylvia's is a soul food restaurant in Harlem.  It is located about a block from the Apollo Theater and a short walk from Bill Clinton's New York office.  The waitress said that Clinton and other politicians eat there frequently.  The president has even gone there twice.  Anyway, the food was good southern cooking and was delicious.  Brian says they have the best hot sauce that he has ever tasted, and we ended up buying three bottles to take home with us.  An interesting thing happened while at Sylvia's.  Melanie went to freshen up and came back with a lady that she had met in the restroom.  The lady had family in South Georgia and we soon discovered that her Aunt had been my fourth grade science teacher.  Who would have thought that we would have made this kind of connection in Harlem?

The last memorable restaurant was Bubba Gump's in Times Square.  The food was the same as any other Bubba Gump's, but it was the location that set this one apart.  Our table was beside a large window that looked out on Times Square.  We were able to see all of the activity taking place.  At one point I saw the creepy Elmo on the corner in front of Toys R Us.  I looked across the street was another guy in an Elmo costume.  That's right- two Elmos across the road from each other competing for tips.  In my mind I imagined an Elmo turf war, but it never happened.  The Elmos stayed on their respective corners.  Anyway, all of the food in New York was good and the dining experiences were overall positive.