- 6/24/2025
The term "The Layover New York" primarily refers to an episode of Anthony Bourdain's travel series The Layover, which features a 24-hour visit to New York City. In this episode, Bourdain, a native New Yorker, explores his hometown by visiting hidden gems and culinary hotspots, including stops at Big Gay Ice Cream, the Bemelmans Bar at The Carlyle Hotel, and various restaurants like Shake Shack, Minetta Tavern, and Eataly.
He also visits bookstores such as Strand and St. Mark's Books, and offers advice on navigating the city, like avoiding fanny packs and not making eye contact on the subway.
The episode, which aired in 2011, was filmed in New York City and showcases Bourdain's unique perspective on his home.
He also visits bookstores such as Strand and St. Mark's Books, and offers advice on navigating the city, like avoiding fanny packs and not making eye contact on the subway.
The episode, which aired in 2011, was filmed in New York City and showcases Bourdain's unique perspective on his home.
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TravelTranscript
00:00Listen, if you're in New York for only 24 hours and you're actually laying over for
00:1024 hours, the first thing you should do is ask yourself, why are we better out of New
00:14York than anybody else?
00:18Except no substitutes.
00:19This is my new favorite restaurant in New York.
00:23Where are we headed?
00:24I need a hot dog.
00:25Okay, I need meat in tube form.
00:27Oh yeah, God totally wants you to eat this.
00:34Tips to travelers, never look anyone in the eye on the New York City subway system.
00:38It's not a safety issue anymore, but it's really, it's polite.
00:52Tourists are easy to spot out.
00:54They're walking and they're always looking up.
00:56They don't know where they're going, they're looking around.
00:59New Yorker pace, you're moving, you're constantly, constantly moving.
01:03Put away your tour guide and what I'd suggest, find a section of the city that attracts you
01:08the most and get lost in it.
01:11New York City, where I call home.
01:16This ain't no layover for me, but considering how much I travel and how often I'm away, maybe
01:35I think I think I'm all about to lose myself again.
01:41As with most of my travels, I tend to eat my way through a city, and New York is no different.
01:47But back up a bit.
01:48First, you've got to get here.
01:50Now, we have three major airports, JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark out in Jersey.
01:58They all pretty much suck, and it's a pain in the ass compared to a lot of other cities
02:03getting to and from them on anything resembling mass transportation.
02:08Smartest way to go, my opinion, especially if you have luggage, look for signs for ground
02:13transportation, get on the taxi line, and take a yellow cab.
02:17Hey, how much from Kennedy to Manhattan flat rate?
02:20Flat rate is $45.
02:22Right, so it's $45 plus tall.
02:24Yeah, you're going to be $50, $30 altogether.
02:26And then you should tip like 15%, 20% on top of that if you're any kind of a good person.
02:30Yeah, exactly.
02:32That's a good deal, believe me, because New York's mass transit system, as far as airports
02:36are concerned, is completely ****, okay?
02:40Even if you don't know where you're going, it looks like you know where you're going.
02:43Do your best not to have your guidebook out and all of that stuff and, you know, the
02:46fanny pack.
02:47The best bet is to act like you know what you're doing.
02:51And someone will help you if you need to, but the bewildered is going to probably get
02:55you in a lot more trouble than you need to be in.
02:58Step one, go to hotel and drop your bags.
03:01Wandering around New York City with even an overnight bag is just, I don't know, it's
03:06not done.
03:07If you're willing to spend some bucks, I love the St. Regis.
03:11They don't make them like this anymore.
03:13But if you're looking to live large, particularly around Christmas season with all the shop
03:17windows on Fifth Avenue done up and stuff, it's pretty cool.
03:21If you're not a big pimp and oligarch and looking for more affordable accommodations, the recently
03:26restored Jane Hotel in the West Village might be more in your zone.
03:30I start my day near my neighborhood, stroller country, the Upper East Side.
03:38Shockingly, for an affluent area, the Upper East Side of Manhattan has a whole hell of a
03:42lot of really crappy restaurants, a lot of spectacularly overpriced ones.
03:47There are a few shining exceptions, however.
03:53I'm fascinated with this place.
03:55Bemelman's Bar, not the sort of place I hang out and probably not the sort of place you
03:59should hang out, but you should go once, at least.
04:02You know, what's interesting about Bemelman's Bar is it's in the Carlisle Hotel, which is
04:06something of a super exclusive, super discreet, I guess you'd call it an enclave.
04:11What's cool about it is you're, I guess if you were planning on having an extramarital
04:14affair or a clandestine meeting, like with a potential new employer, or you were engaged
04:21in insider trading, or some sort of conspiracy of questionable legality or morality, it's
04:28the perfect place to meet because you could be absolutely certain or near absolutely certain
04:33that you will not be bumping anybody you know.
04:37I don't know who goes there.
04:39I don't really care.
04:39I do know that it's one of the great old New York institutions, looks really cool,
04:45and just some place you should go.
05:01Why am I here?
05:02Well, because of these immortal lines.
05:04In an old house in Paris that was covered with vines, lived 12 little girls in two straight
05:08lines.
05:09I must have read that a couple of hundred times by now, as I think any self-respecting
05:14dad would.
05:18Ludwig Bellemans, who wrote the incredibly famous Madeline stories and did the murals in
05:23this bar named after him, the Bellemans Bar, was a very interesting man.
05:27Most people don't know that he also essentially wrote the original, the prototype for Kitchen
05:34Confidential.
05:35Long before I even dreamed of writing anything like it, Bellemans had written a number of
05:39short stories that were collected at various times about his experiences as a busboy, waiter,
05:44matron d'hotel.
05:45And one of the reasons I'm obsessed with this bar is because the murals on the wall here,
05:51and on the lamps, this is the only mural, basically I think it's the only place you can see a public
06:01display of Bellemans artwork anywhere in the world.
06:06So not only is it an incredibly rare thing, but it's also incredibly cool.
06:14Bellemans Bar is not swinging.
06:17It's probably not a good option if you're looking to get laid.
06:21This place, Burreria on the other hand, is the other end of the spectrum, sitting atop
06:25Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich's mammoth Italian superstore and restaurant megaplex, Italy.
06:32It's an insane Italian beer garden and rustic-style eatery in the sky.
06:37The food's great, and most of the beer is handcrafted artisanal stuff from people like
06:42the legendary Dogfish Head dudes.
06:44But Bellemans Bar is even for this jaded old , awesome.
06:48I think classic martini, two martini, is there any other way?
06:54And maybe an extra olive in there.
06:57And a room like this calls for a classic, you know?
07:02Cheers.
07:03To Ludwig.
07:08Wow.
07:09Yeah.
07:10It's like drinking martinis and reading children's stories.
07:14Time for food.
07:15I jump in a cab and head south from the Upper East Side to Midtown for some lunch.
07:20This place, Burger Joint, tucked away in a discreet corner of the Parker Meridian Hotel
07:25in Midtown Manhattan, is one of the city's great incongruities.
07:30You'd never know it was even there.
07:32Oh, nice.
07:33This place is so awesome.
07:35Who would have guessed a good food in a hotel?
07:38It's unbelievable.
07:40Okay, you gotta get your together here.
07:42You gotta figure out.
07:43Do I want a hamburger or a cheeseburger?
07:44How do I want to cook?
07:45And what do I want on it?
07:46Because they dress it with condiments.
07:48So basically, you're gonna get your together or else you go to the end of the line.
07:51By the way, it's cash only.
07:53Hello.
07:54Cheeseburger, medium rare, everything.
07:56Beer.
07:57Fries?
07:58No.
07:5913 foot.
08:00Sweet.
08:03I mean, this sign terrified me.
08:05I was like ready.
08:06Gotta be ready or you get sent to the end of the line.
08:10It's a long line, too.
08:11I picked this place because it was close.
08:13But if you're willing to wait on line or you want the best of the best, there are two
08:17other options.
08:18Shake Shack and Minetta Tavern.
08:21Let's face it, Danny Meyer's Shake Shack chain, especially the one here in Madison Square
08:26Park, is hard to beat for price and for, well, quality.
08:30They're pretty much the benchmark.
08:32Well, we're waiting in line for our Shack burgers.
08:35And we said that, like, you always get one and then you, like, finished with it and you
08:39just finished waiting in line.
08:40And you're like, I probably should have gotten to the double.
08:43Best burger in New York.
08:45I suggest the double cheeseburger with a shake.
08:48You want state of the art, though?
08:50The best, if priciest burger in New York City?
08:54That's probably the famous Black Label burger at the Minetta Tavern.
08:58A special blend made just for them by Meat Master General of New York, Pat LaFrieda.
09:05Now, getting in here, however, can be a challenge.
09:09Try early or late.
09:11And please, people, wherever you get your burger, order it medium rare.
09:17It is, after all, your patriotic duty.
09:20Here's what you need to know about life in general.
09:24Any place that refuses to sell you a burger under medium temperature is basically on the side
09:34of the terrorists.
09:35So, really, if you submit to this kind of evil dictatorship that anyone should be able
09:41to tell you how you want your burger prepared, you need to stand up.
09:46You need to pick up that burger, throw it on the floor, and say, I refuse to be cowed.
09:51It's just that American, that's what I'm saying.
09:54This is good.
09:55Oh, yeah.
09:58So, what are you eating there, vegetarian guy?
10:01They have one thing on the menu, a grilled cheese sandwich.
10:04Your life must be a lonely, barren, and bereft place.
10:09Yes, it is, but not for those reasons.
10:12Come on, bacon, you know you want it.
10:14You eat fish, right?
10:16You eat fish.
10:17So, there's hope for you.
10:18Yeah, in New York City, there's no sushi.
10:20What?
10:21Are you out of your mind?
10:23There's better sushi in New York than there is in Tokyo.
10:26That is, there's no way.
10:29There is.
10:30I just moved here from L.A. two months ago.
10:31No, you were so wrong, my friend.
10:33You'd have to pay a thousand dollars for it.
10:35Yeah.
10:36Okay, in L.A., you can get a great sushi meal for 50 bucks.
10:39I'm sure that's true.
10:43Nizawa.
10:44You can't.
10:45That's only the side here.
10:46Nizawa.
10:47Nizawa.
10:48Listen.
10:49Go to Yasuda.
10:50Yasuda?
10:51Yasuda, or blow it out and go to Masa, and I promise you, you can go to Tokyo and you
11:02really have a hard time.
11:03Is that Yasuda?
11:04Yeah.
11:05That's a pricey, but good.
11:07Okay.
11:08But anyway, you like fish, so just sneak a little pork, you know, fish is even better,
11:13particularly shellfish with a little pork in it.
11:16Similarly, just cook bacon, like, around him.
11:19You'll be back.
11:21I think they should just get ready for some of the craziness, like the case, it's a very,
11:28very fast pace.
11:30If you go to Midtown, just don't stop walking.
11:33Just keep walking.
11:34Protect your wallet.
11:36You are going to get picked.
11:37I mean, if you're not, careful, someone is out there to pick your pocket.
11:41I've never gotten one.
11:42Oh, I have.
11:43You're just always telling me that I'm gonna, but I never have.
11:45I have.
11:46You know what's good?
11:48Books.
11:49I'm not ashamed to say it.
11:50I read, and not only do I read, I kind of collect books on matters to do with food
11:55and cooking.
11:56Big surprise there, right?
11:58Upper East Side of Manhattan.
12:00We happen to have a particularly wonderful bookstore called Kitchen Arts and Letters,
12:05and they have one of the best, if not the best selections of rare and hard to get books
12:10on all things food.
12:12This right here, I own it already, but I want to touch it anyway, because these are some of
12:17the most beautiful, beautiful, beautiful books ever.
12:21This is an absolute timeless classic.
12:25As far as I'm concerned, this is The Walking Buddha right here.
12:29No greater man has ever lived.
12:32This is totally wonderful.
12:37Look, I need this.
12:38This I own, but every sentient human being who claims to love food should read this.
12:46This guy was, like, a thousand years before Kitchen Confidential.
12:50This is a fantastic book, by the way.
12:53For pure, high-test food porn.
12:56This is, this is really one of the great books ever.
13:01About a starving anarchist in Paris, surrounded by the most fantastic food and food preparation
13:07imaginable.
13:08And I, I have a copy already, but I need another one to give away.
13:13Another great New York bookstore is, of course, The Strand.
13:1618 miles of books.
13:18You can get lost in here, happily.
13:20It's a treasure hunt.
13:22Customers come in here looking for gems, looking for things.
13:25And they come here because of our prices.
13:27And our slogan is 18 miles of books, but we have more than that.
13:30And there's this place, St. Mark's Books, for oddball, off-the-wall, hipster obscure.
13:35Books you never thought you needed, but now, suddenly, you kind of do.
13:40Ah, yeah.
13:41Okay, I need the Spanish handbook.
13:43Dude, you should have seen me coming.
13:45Oh, baby.
13:47Honey, I got a book on slicing Spanish ham.
13:50Great.
13:51See you guys.
13:52Let's respond.
14:00I really believe that Subway is the only way to get around New York City.
14:06You know, when you're thinking of a cab and sitting in the comfort of a cab, but then,
14:10you know, you can get killed by a cab.
14:12Subway is the only way to get around New York City.
14:24The New York City subway system.
14:26Best you can say about it is it works.
14:28It runs on a pretty easy-to-navigate grid system, like our streets.
14:31And it's cheap.
14:33$250 will get you just about anywhere in the five boroughs, plus a free transfer included
14:38in the fare.
14:39Is it safe?
14:40Yes.
14:41But like anything else, don't be an idiot.
14:44Stand clear of the closing doors, please.
14:47Tips to travelers.
14:48Never look anyone in the eye on the New York City subway system.
14:51It's not a safety issue anymore, but it's really polite.
14:55Don't do that.
14:57Look at the floor.
15:00This is 59th Street.
15:02Let's roll.
15:04The dive bar, unfortunately, is an endangered species in Manhattan.
15:10By dive bar, I mean a real dive.
15:13Irony-free.
15:14Not hipstery.
15:15No overpriced PBRs from some sock-head mixologist with a goatee.
15:21Subway Inn is one of the city's great anomalies.
15:24A genuine dive, situated incongruously on the Upper East Side on 60th Street, right across
15:30from Bloomingdale's.
15:33A place where a hard-working chef, for instance, can sneak out for mid-afternoon beverage.
15:38Like this guy, Dave Chang, who not too long ago opened Ma Peche, the latest addition to his
15:44Mamafuku empire in a hotel near here.
15:46How are you doing, brother?
15:47Good.
15:48I'm guessing you don't wander around in this neighborhood.
15:51I certainly don't.
15:52No.
15:53If I find myself here, this is a really, this is a...
15:55It's an oasis.
15:56It is an oasis.
15:57It is an oasis, as is Le Vaudor across the street.
16:00Oh, the...
16:01It is a miracle that this place exists in the...
16:04In Midtown.
16:05I don't think people understand.
16:06We opened a restaurant, Ma Peche, in Midtown, and it was a soul-searching enterprise.
16:11Because I swore to myself, I swore to Tin, that we would never, ever go above, like, 14th Street.
16:17Everybody thought it was a really, really bad idea, actually, that you would go to Midtown.
16:21One thing, of course, leads to another, and going back to work, any kind of work,
16:26becomes, with each successive beer, a less and less attractive option.
16:31Better option?
16:32Hot dog.
16:34Where we're going is the East Village.
16:37Kind of a dead zone for subway options.
16:39But know this.
16:404 p.m. is shift change for the great majority of New York cabbies.
16:45This is going to be a nice trick, actually, getting a cab at this hour.
16:48This is sort of a cab hell situation.
16:50Usually, they're all on the way home, and will only, maybe, pick you up if you're going their way.
16:56It can be very, very tough around this time to find a cab.
17:00There's basically no way of .
17:03Hey, beautiful thing.
17:04Today, we got lucky.
17:09I don't even want to talk about what the East Village used to be like, compared to today.
17:13It was like Mad Max, post-apocalyptic.
17:17Now, it looks like a Dave Matthews concert.
17:20But what are you going to do?
17:21Be sentimental about crack getting ripped off by feral junkies?
17:25No.
17:26No.
17:27Now.
17:28Where are we headed?
17:29I need a hot dog, okay?
17:30I mean, meat in tube form should come as a surprise to no one.
17:33If New York has a chance of competing against the great dogs of the world,
17:38I think Crif Tog would probably be, if not the mountain top, the spear point.
17:45Crif Tog is a fun place.
17:49Oh, actually, the John John Daragon is amazing.
17:52Yes, I want that.
17:53Do you guys want any fries or tuts?
17:55You know what?
17:56We'll get some tater tots, small tater tots.
17:59So, what am I having?
18:00John, John Daragon.
18:01It's basically, you like everything bagels?
18:04Yeah.
18:05Basically, an everything bagel with a hot dog.
18:10Molten cheese?
18:11I know you like your fake processed cheese.
18:13It's one of your guilty pleasures.
18:14I do.
18:15And it's really only out of deference to you that I'm not thrusting my penis in there right now.
18:29Oh, that's good.
18:30You know, the cream cheese element is rather subtle.
18:35There's something sacrilegious about it, too.
18:37I mean, there's a whole Jewish court violation there, which actually is kind of a turn-on.
18:46Of all the hot dogs in New York, why would we come here?
18:49Crif Tog is probably one of the first places to offer...
18:52It's a gorilla dog.
18:53Yeah.
18:54What made us want to come here a bit more was usually you're here when you're pissed drunk
19:00or on your way to being pissed drunk, and you go to the bar next door.
19:05Behind the Get Smart type secret door in the phone booth is PDT, or Please Don't Tell.
19:11Swordfish.
19:14A pretty laid-back purveyor of classic and tweaked cocktails.
19:18So, of course, I'm telling.
19:20There's refreshingly a no-standing policy, meaning you get to sit and enjoy a drink if you're lucky enough to get in.
19:28I mean, we should point out that people watching the show, you're probably not getting in here.
19:32You're never going to drink here.
19:34No, you can get in here, but it's...
19:36Yeah, it'll be difficult.
19:39Yeah, prime time hours are difficult.
19:41Generally, like, earlier in the week, bar seats are first-come, first-served.
19:45The parties are two to three.
19:46So it's democratic?
19:47It's democratic, yeah.
19:48I want a classic New York cocktail, but old-school something, you know, pre-Mad Men.
19:55This is your classic Manhattan, served up with brandies and cherries.
19:58Really?
19:59And the rye we use is Rittenhouse, so you get that spicy, bold, assorted flavor.
20:05Mmm.
20:06The cocktails here are really, really good.
20:07You guys take their drinks really, really seriously here.
20:10The cocktails are, of course, awesome.
20:12But you've got to try the hot dogs.
20:14If a hot dog can be curated, they do it here.
20:17Specialty wieners like this one by Dave Chang.
20:20They cook them over at Criff Dog, but they're only available here.
20:23I would like a...
20:24I would like a Momofuku dog.
20:26Oh.
20:27I don't need a Momofuku dog.
20:28Maybe two Wiley dogs.
20:29Okay.
20:30The Momofuku dog is a bacon-wrapped doggy, deep-fried and smothered with spicy kimchi.
20:35It's the mutant Korean food that you like in Korea.
20:38Like, when you go to Korea and you're like, dude, that s*** is f***ed up.
20:41GI number one.
20:42Right.
20:43That's good, man.
20:44It's not bad.
20:45I know it's not disgusting.
20:46That's all I aim for.
20:47No, no, that's good.
20:48But I always order the Wiley dog.
20:50Not because I'm friends with Wiley, but I think it's delicious.
20:52The Wiley dog from WD-50's Wiley Dufresne is another deep-fried dog.
20:56A tube of fried mayo, and it's delicious.
20:59The Wiley dog from WD-50's Wiley Dufresne is another deep-fried dog.
21:03A tube of fried mayo, tomato molasses, and iceberg lettuce.
21:08It's awesome.
21:11Oh.
21:12I just love the fact that people are eating tea-fried mayonnaise.
21:15Dude, you've done good for the world.
21:17I mean, where else is there to go?
21:20No windows, strong cocktails, food supply close at hand, PDT is a dangerous and delicious proposition.
21:33New York's the best place to be a ventriloquist because we can do shows at all sorts of different places.
21:40We can do shows on the subway, in the comedy clubs, and even on Christopher Street.
21:46Personally, if I had only one night in New York these days, I'd probably come here.
22:01Date night at the Bourdain's? Here.
22:04Tekashi on Hudson Street in the West Village is my favorite new restaurant in New York.
22:10I may be sitting here alone and drunk now, but there are people who like me.
22:16And if I were to have a date night, it would be here.
22:19Oh yeah, and I'm telling you, there's nothing more romantic than sitting, you know, over a hot grill,
22:25looking longingly into each other's eyes and grilling little slivers of meat.
22:32Chef owner Takashi Inoue is of Korean descent, but raised in Japan.
22:38Inspired by his grandmother's restaurant in Osaka, he opened this yakinuku-style restaurant with his partner, Saheem Ali.
22:45Yakinuku is a mix of Japanese and Korean barbecue styles that grew up in Japan post-World War II.
22:54Everything's great here.
22:55That the cuts of steak are awesome should surprise no one.
22:58But it's the accent on horomone, literally discarded goods in Japanese, that can really set this place apart.
23:06This is handmade special for you.
23:09Oh, what's that?
23:10It's beef cold noodles with uni.
23:12Oh, you know I like that uni. Thank you.
23:15Chilled beef noodles with uni appetizer.
23:18This is the way all noodles should be, made of beef.
23:24God, that's awesome.
23:26Some beef nuts served escargot style. Test to cargo anyone?
23:31Oh, like snails.
23:33Yeah.
23:35Oh, wow.
23:36I generally don't like beef balls, but lamb balls, good.
23:40These, I never liked before. This is really good.
23:43Very French.
23:45Next, though, my favorite dish in the city right now.
23:49Nikouuni.
23:50It's really, really super high-test seaweed.
23:54Shisa leaf.
23:57Some incredible, grass-fed, jerked off, pampered, super fatty wagyu style, organic, artisanal beef, with a big, fluffy lump of Santa Barbara uni.
24:13That's sea urchin roe on top.
24:16Basically, you try to dimly recall your college years.
24:20Roll that up.
24:24Give it a little bit of a dip.
24:26You know, if you don't like this, we can never be friends.
24:41Now they fire up the infrared grill embedded in the table.
24:44All the meats are lightly marinated in Takashi's take on classic marinade.
24:49Sesame, orange marmalade, sake are simply seasoned with salt, pepper, and garlic.
24:55Shio tongue, one of my favorite things here.
24:57Tongue served with scallion salad.
25:00See, when the edges start to sort of pucker up like an aroused nipple, it's time to turn.
25:06Oh, man.
25:16Surami, beef cheek.
25:18Really, one of the great cuts.
25:20It's so interactive.
25:25Mmm.
25:27Shibiri, sweet breads.
25:29These, marinated in the special sauce.
25:31And wonderfully fatty belly of beef.
25:34Like fat back of steer.
25:36Awesome.
25:38Date night, if you don't go home and have the nastiest, dirtiest sex of your life.
25:42After this, there's really no hope.
25:45Clogged with more meat than...
25:47Okay, let me rephrase that.
25:49Well fed, buzzed on beer and sake, it's time for me to go home and pass out.
26:01It's morning and with less of 12 hours left, I'm headed out of Manhattan.
26:10Manhattanites like myself used to joke about the other boroughs.
26:14Joke's over.
26:15Long over.
26:17Increasingly, Brooklyn and Queens, for instance, are filling up with quirky, great, eccentric,
26:22and delicious places to eat that make the ride across the bridge not just worth it, but essential.
26:28This is, like, way off the grid for me.
26:32As a Manhattanite, this was a real...
26:34It takes a lot to get me out of Manhattan.
26:36But the drumbeat of awesomeness was just, like, relentless.
26:40M Wells.
26:41This place never could have existed in Manhattan.
26:44Rents alone would have smothered them at birth.
26:47In fact, shortly after we filmed this segment, it stopped existing here.
26:51But it is moving to a new address in Long Island City.
26:54And you must, must go.
26:58In a nearly unworkable diner space, they managed to crank out a menu unlike anything anybody else is doing in New York.
27:05Okay, I think definitely the soup with the foie gras.
27:08Absolutely the escargot and bone marrow.
27:10Yeah, I want the blood sausage.
27:12And that should hold me for the moment.
27:14My producer keeps handing me this homemade guidebook filled with fun facts, or what he thinks are fun facts.
27:21He actually stayed up all night writing this thing.
27:23Bound it himself.
27:24If you're looking to drop the kids off at the pool, take advantage of the city's hotels.
27:29Or in a pinch, duck into a local Starbucks.
27:32Hell no.
27:33You go to a bar.
27:34You order a beer.
27:35And while the guys pour in your beer, you go take a leak.
27:38Okay, it costs you five dollars.
27:41But you get a beer.
27:43Oh, there we go.
27:44Oh, yeah.
27:45That's looking good.
27:47A slab of foie gras over bacon-y corn chowder is awful freaking good.
27:53Mmm.
27:54That's good.
27:55If you want something more typical or less, I don't know, lethal, the New York bagel is of course a classic.
28:02A must.
28:03Essa Bagel would be an impeccable choice, either Midtown or Downtown.
28:08Find a better bagel in your town?
28:10Not bloody likely.
28:12And we got diners for the usual eggs over scrambled up all night.
28:16Nothing like utility diner food.
28:18But M Wells, this is, or was, or will be, my kind of diner.
28:24Oh.
28:25We have the Escargot.
28:27That is an evil, evil idea.
28:30But it makes perfect sense.
28:33Oh, look at that.
28:34That is just sinister.
28:38Bone marrow and Escargot.
28:40Brilliant.
28:42Oh, yeah.
28:44God totally wants you to eat this.
28:47Tortilla Española.
28:49After boiling potatoes, they mash them up with olive oil, add egg.
28:53Then they sear some homemade blood sausage and cover with the potato mix.
28:57Bake, add smoked paprika and drizzle with olive oil, and oh, yeah, perfection.
29:02Wow.
29:03Homemade blood sausage, which is so completely awesome and rare.
29:07Look at that nubbin of loveliness.
29:09See?
29:10It squeezes.
29:11Oh, look.
29:12See?
29:13That's the way it should go.
29:14It's meals like this one that make the trek out to Queens worth it.
29:18The street in New York is a stage.
29:30And I think everyone should wear bronzer and lipstick.
29:33And lip gloss and mascara, I think.
29:35If you don't like the way you look, wear makeup.
29:37If you have dark circles, please wear a concealer.
29:40Even if you're doing the laundry, put bronzer and lip gloss.
29:43You might meet the love of your life.
29:47Having eaten my way through M Wells, I jump in a cab and head back to Manhattan.
29:54Sometimes food's political.
29:56Actually, food and the choices we make, what we eat, what we don't or can't eat,
30:00they're always political.
30:02Me, when I want ice cream, I choose gay ice cream.
30:06Specifically, big gay ice cream.
30:09Where is big gay ice cream truck?
30:11Apparently, the kids today, the way they find out about these food truck things,
30:16I don't know, they go on this tweeter or twatter or something.
30:20I check Twitter for the current location of Doug Quint and Brian Petroff's justifiably renowned big gay ice cream truck.
30:28Score.
30:29They're at the northwest corner of Union Square.
30:31I hop across the bridge by cab and switch to the subway.
30:36Union Square at 14th and Broadway is a park, a cutoff point, a DMZ between downtown and the rest of New York.
30:43The scene of a green market on warm weather weekends.
30:46Oh, not so bad.
30:48It's tough choosing between the Bea Arthur and the Salty Pimp.
30:55But I'm big pimping today.
30:58Eventually.
30:59There's always a line.
31:00Doug's a perfectionist.
31:02And the product is worth waiting for.
31:04Oh, I have to have a Salty Pimp.
31:08That's my wife's voice in my head, you know.
31:11The Salty Pimp is a vanilla soft serve ice cream cone drizzled with caramel, sprinkled with salt, and dunked in chocolate.
31:18It is a thing of beauty as always.
31:20Thank you very much.
31:22I should have ordered a gayer cone.
31:27I mean, the Bea Arthur, that's pretty gay.
31:30As I stand on the streets stuffing my face, I contemplate my next move.
31:36I head over to the High Line, an elevated park high above the hustle and noise of the city.
31:41How are you guys?
31:42If I had $15 in New York, what should I get to eat?
31:46$15.
31:47Wow.
31:48Shake Shack.
31:49Shake Shack.
31:50Really?
31:51Yeah, you'll probably get in and out of there for $15.
31:52Or Papaya King on $86.
31:53That's a good hot dog.
31:54Okay.
31:55You're not getting much more for $15.
31:56I know.
31:57It's going to be tough.
31:58All right.
31:59Good luck.
32:00The High Line, as it's called, was a huge public works project of the 1930s that lifted freight train traffic 30 feet in the air.
32:08An elevated commercial pipeline running down the west side into the warehouse, meat packing, and industrial districts.
32:14None of which exist anymore.
32:16No trains have run since the 80s.
32:18The railway was abandoned, becoming over time a bizarrely beautiful urban space in the sky, overgrown with weeds.
32:25It was just there.
32:27The plan was eventually to tear it down.
32:30But a community-based nonprofit group working in partnership with the city of New York turned the structure into something distinctly strange and beautiful.
32:39A park, a promenade, and public space in the sky.
32:43New York City's famous for the shopping.
32:49Everybody says so.
32:50But you know what?
32:51There's a Bloomingdale's or something like it near you, right?
32:54You've got a mall.
32:55Saks Fifth Avenue?
32:56Just log on and buy that , right?
33:00For any shopping in New York, you'd be well advised to outfit your kitchen like the professionals in our restaurant supply district on the Bowery.
33:08Excuse me.
33:09What's up?
33:10Oh, deli slicer?
33:12Not yet.
33:13Hey, that's fun.
33:14If you could have one of these at home, you could really make yourself a sandwich.
33:18Oh.
33:19It's a great device for french fries?
33:21Right.
33:22This is the standard size, standard thickness, even the standard brand, probably, of just about every restaurant.
33:32Price, $18.95.
33:34And these things last, like, forever.
33:36You could beat these things all day long.
33:38Food mill.
33:39Totally awesome device.
33:41This is the way to make mashed potatoes, by the way.
33:44Correctly.
33:45Yeah.
33:46Good set of tongs.
33:47I'll be buying one of those.
33:48Oh.
33:49See, I love this stuff, okay?
33:51Storage bins, clear storage bins with snap on tops.
33:54I don't know.
33:55I'm not enthusiastic about these things.
33:56Also, you'll want them square so that they fit in your refrigerator.
34:00Well, it really brings me back to when I worked for a living.
34:03Oh, perfect.
34:04Let me get two of these.
34:09This is an awesome shaped knife.
34:13Incredibly cheap.
34:14Annoyingly large pepper mill.
34:16Would you like some pepper, really fresh cracked pepper with that, sir?
34:19Imagine the hilarity at the family events.
34:22Now, check this out.
34:24Two very cool knives.
34:25Tongs.
34:26A professional-grade saute pan that you will never need to replace in your life.
34:30And a cutting board, professional cutting board, for under $50.
34:34However, you see some anxious-looking person in Chef's Whites here?
34:37Like, you know, we're gonna flop sweat in the list in front of them.
34:40Please let him go first.
34:42Chances are, he has to get his back to the restaurant.
34:52The tourists are planning to come to New York.
34:54They seem totally unprepared.
34:56They're very badly dressed.
34:58I used to wonder why these people showed up looking like they were gonna clean out the garage.
35:03Bring some nice clothes.
35:05I mean, you may not care what you look like, but we have to look at you.
35:08The Lower East Side, once the great melting pot for the immigrants who built this country.
35:21Then, a drug supermarket.
35:23Then, finally, of course, hipster apocalypse.
35:26And I'll tell you right now, I'm too old for this .
35:30But chances are, you are not.
35:32And if you're young and hungry and need a quick snack, noted raconteur, blogger, author, lawyer, provocateur, hip-hop aficionado, and restaurateur Eddie Wong has two establishments well worth a stop.
35:46This one, his first, Bao House sells Taiwanese-style sandwiches.
35:52What's up, Tony?
35:53How are you, man?
35:54How's it going?
35:55All good.
35:56How's things?
35:57Good to see you, man.
35:58Good, good, good.
35:59So, this is it.
36:00I'm ashamed to say I haven't been here.
36:01You want me to order for you or you want to order?
36:02What should I do?
36:03Pork belly is everyone's favorite.
36:04And then, lately, people like fried chicken.
36:06Okay.
36:07Let me get one.
36:08Yeah.
36:09Pork belly and a fried chicken.
36:10Sounds like a plan.
36:11All right.
36:12Sounds good.
36:13This is the chairman Bao.
36:14Pork belly, house relish, crushed peanuts, Taiwanese red sugar, and cilantro.
36:19Then, this one is the birdhouse Bao.
36:21We brine the chicken for like five or six hours.
36:24A Taiwanese five-spice brine.
36:26And we fry it in sweet potato starch, red pepper powder, cilantro, peanut, and sugar.
36:31So, enjoy.
36:33If you get a lemonade, I think the lemonade is good.
36:35Yeah.
36:36The lemonade is dope.
36:37All right.
36:38Mm.
36:39Delicious.
36:40Yeah.
36:41We braised the pork like three hours.
36:42So, super tender.
36:43Mm-hmm.
36:44A lot of fun.
36:45So, you come down to the LES much anymore?
36:47No.
36:48No?
36:49I never come down here.
36:50The bad rap on the place, of course, is that it's become completely apple-fied.
36:52It's like Disneyland.
36:53But it really hasn't completely.
36:54No.
36:55It hasn't.
36:56I mean, it is gentrified.
36:57I mean, when you have an Asian sandwich shop, you've been gentrified, right?
37:00Really?
37:01Is that the, uh...
37:02I think cupcakes and trendy Asian sandwiches, it's kind of like the nail in the coffin.
37:06But, I mean, we try to keep it real.
37:08You know?
37:09We hire kids from the neighborhood.
37:10We play dope music.
37:11We stay open late.
37:12Everybody can come in and party.
37:13We get arrested all the time.
37:15Really?
37:16Ticket?
37:17What do they do?
37:18Tickets?
37:19Yeah, I gotta go to court in August.
37:20Drunken disorderly?
37:21Yeah.
37:22So, where are we going?
37:23Speaking of liquor, where are we going next?
37:24Tammany Hall on Orchard.
37:25Opened up about, like, six, seven months ago.
37:26Dope little place.
37:27They have, like, a lot of cool shows.
37:28We go get drinks over there a lot.
37:30Like, low-key, easy stuff.
37:31Sounds like a plan.
37:32Yeah.
37:33All right, Tony, what are you drinking?
37:34I'm bartending.
37:35Bartender didn't show up today.
37:36Beer good.
37:37Beer.
37:38You know what's great about New York?
37:39The threshold for citizenship as a New Yorker is actually pretty short.
37:44Yeah.
37:45Like, if you come to New York, and you still like it two years after you arrived here, and
37:49you still think it's great, and you're having a good time, and you haven't been totally
37:52ground down and go limping back to wherever the f*** you came from, then you know what?
37:56You're in.
37:57When people try to compare New York and L.A., I think it's not even a contest.
38:01Because L.A., they will blow hot air up your ass.
38:04Anything.
38:05You have an idea.
38:06If I was like, I just want to sell 20 different types of egg rolls in one spot.
38:09It's the egg roll fusion.
38:10They would tell your friend, oh, that's a great idea.
38:12In New York, they'd be like, kill yourself.
38:14Kill yourself right now.
38:19If you want to see real New York, you got to hit the streets.
38:23You can't go to the tourist place.
38:24You can't go to 42nd Street.
38:26Well, now L.A.S. became a trendy area.
38:29You used to be able to go there and catch some real life, some dope fiends, some stabbings.
38:35Random.
38:36Random stabbings.
38:37Not just regular ones.
38:39I don't know what you would do, man.
38:41What I do every day is I drive around.
38:43I smoke weed.
38:45I look for cheese shops.
38:47I look for all kinds of artisan breads and stuff like that.
38:50This is what I choose to do with my day.
38:52Shortly after I left, there was something of a disturbance out front.
38:55Apparently, Eddie and crew got smart and got out before the police arrived, heading over
39:00to legendary late-night, chef-friendly Chinese restaurant, New York Noodle Town.
39:05Chinatown is in Lower Manhattan.
39:07It's traditionally been a great place to go late and get hammered.
39:10Only to be followed by Koreatown and Midtown.
39:13Whether you're a half-in-the-bag line cook looking for some spicy crab and noodles, some Korean
39:17barbecue, or a businessman looking for a steam and an old-fashioned, maybe these are two
39:22neighborhoods you want to investigate.
39:25Consult your nerdiest food website.
39:27I mean, New York is a miracle.
39:36It's a miracle.
39:37You have 250 different ethnic denominations here in the whole city.
39:42We've gone from pastrami sandwiches to Vietnamese sandwiches, you know, and it's just a reflection
39:46of the different types of people, you know, that have come to live here.
39:50On my way home, my George Jeffersonian abode on the Upper East Side, stroller territory, Daddyville.
40:02How you doing?
40:03Go to 86th and 3rd, please.
40:11Something of a wasteland for food, but there is a shining bright light.
40:17So, this is close to where I live.
40:22And I know what you're thinking, and you're right.
40:25Upper East Side.
40:26Man, you've gone over to the dark side.
40:28And yes.
40:29Yes, I have.
40:30It's the boondocks, let's put it that way.
40:32But there is always a shining light on the hill.
40:35An old reliable, arguably the best hot dog in New York City.
40:42Our best foot forward in the meat in tube form department.
40:46Except no substances.
40:49Let me get two with a mustard sauerkraut and a papaya to stay.
40:57I order the classic.
41:02Two dogs, a sauerkraut, and a papaya drink.
41:06Thanks a lot.
41:07Thanks a lot.
41:08Of course, I could have visited the famous Arepa lady if I was headed out to Queens, located
41:14under the L on Roosevelt Avenue.
41:17Maria Piedad Caño makes sublime, legendary Colombian-style arepas.
41:22Flat cornmeal cakes stuffed or topped with meat or cheese and fried to perfect goodness.
41:28But I'm lazy.
41:29And hell, I'm a traditionalist.
41:31For me, there's nothing better than a papaya king to tamp it all down, send me off into the
41:36arms of Morpheus properly.
41:39It's the gold standard.
41:41Well, I think we've learned something today.
41:44It's about this city.
41:46Don't play free card monkey.
41:47Never eat anything bigger than your head.
41:49Don't look at people in the eyes of the subway.
41:51Sixth Avenue is Sixth Avenue.
41:52It's not Avenue in the Americas.
41:54It's Houston Street.
42:01Do not put ketchup on your hot dog.
42:05Pretty sure God doesn't want you to do that.
42:11New York.
42:12It may not be the best city in the world, though I sure as hell think it is.
42:16It's certainly not the cheapest, though it's far, far from the most expensive.
42:21It may not be the prettiest or even the nicest, though it's getting nicer every day.
42:26Damn it.
42:27But it is mine.
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