New York Food Biathlon – Halway Point

February is a busy birthday month in my family.

My brother and wife’s grandmother both celebrate thier birthdays on the 16^th and my sister-in-law celebrates on the 22^nd.  As you can imagine, this many birthdays involves numerous celebrations. My brother is in Colorado, so the celebration only involves a phone call and maybe a beer in his honor, but the celebration for my sis-in-law and her grandmother involve more lively events.

This years the stars collided in what I am affectionately calling the New York Food Biathlon.

Act 1 – Peter Luger’s Steakhouse

The ‘event’ started yesterday afternoon with a birthday lunch for my sister-in-law at Peter Luger’s Steakhouse in Great Neck, NY.  The group started with the bread and butter on the table which is terrific. We ordered a couple orders of tomatoes and onions as well. All of these appetizers were eaten with Peter Luger’s Steak Sauce. This sauce is phenomenal – a mix between cocktail sauce and a more traditional A1-type steak sauce. Regardless of how you would describe it, the word delicious is an understatement when talking about it.

After the appetizers were eaten, we all partook in a round of burgers (medium rare with cheese and bacon, please). Now Lugers, as its more commonly known, is world famous for its steak.  I have been here many times and have never been disappointed with the steak.  It is always served sizzling in what I can only assume is a butter baste.  But, for lunch, Lugers provides quite a treat.  In addition to its terrific steaks, Lugers is renowned for its hamburgers.  These burgers are made from the same steak that gives Lugers its great reputation.  The half-pound burger comes on a nice, quality bun.  You can order it plain, with cheese, or with cheese and bacon.

And, ohhhhh, the bacon.  This bacon is not your standard thin, crispy, kind of waffy bacon that you get at most restaurants.  When you order bacon at Lugers, you get a nice 1/4″ to 3/8″ thick strip of chewy, salty goodness.  This strip is about 10″ long and is served on your plate.  It is up to the consumer whether they want to cut it in half and place it on their burger (my usual MO) or eat is separate from the burger.  Either way, it is delicious! In addition to the burgers, we ordered french fries and creamed spinach as sides. Everything was terrific! That half-pound burger does not look super imposing when it is brought to the table, but you will be hard-pressed to finish this utterly scrumptious sandwich.

We topped off the afternoon with some shared desserts – a Holy Cow Sundae and some chocolate mousse pie. Both desserts are served with Luger’s homemade Schlag (whipped cream).  The meal was incredibly and amazingly filling. I didn’t eat anything until about 9PM last night – that’s how filling this meal was.

Act 2 – Park Side Restaurant

And today will be no different. Tonight we are trekking out to Corona, Queens to visit one my absolute favorite restaurants in the world. It’s simply called Park Side. If you have spent any time on this blog, you know that I am somewhat skeptical of places that make Italian food. I just think that most places have commercialized the Italian dining experience and Italian food in general. Well, not Park Side. First of all, when you walk into this place, it is like walking into your grandparents’ home. The decor is just very ‘old school’ Italian (for lack of a better word).

When you finally sit down – even with a reservation, there is always a wait – you are greeted with a bread basket. But this bread is not your normal generic bread. Of course, there is your typical Italian bread and cracker type stuff, but what I’m talking about is prosciutto bread! Protein and carbs combined in one delicious combination. I guarantee that your diet is out the window as soon as you taste this incredible concoction. And this is all before you even touch an appetizer!

And the appetizers are incredible. I always enjoy a good plate of calamari and Park Side does not disappoint. Light and flaky with a beautiful hint of lemon. This dish is just incredible. My wife very much enjoys the mussels. There are also great antipastos (hot and cold) as well as some terrific baked clams. You really cannot go wrong with any of the appetizers that are offered. Also, I highly recommend a glass of the house red wine. It is incredible.

Entrées are terrific as well. I am partial to the veal dishes – parmigiana or piccata especially – but have had great success with every other dish I have tried. The serving sizes are huge – my sister-in-law once tried to return her shrimp parmigiana because the butterflied shrimp was so large she thought they had mistakenly given her chicken (had not tasted it) – and the seasoning is just dead on. I really cannot say much more than that. My mouth is literally watering right now just thinking about going tonight.

The NY Food Biathlon will conclude with dessert at Park Side. Tiramisu or cannoli? If that is the hardest decision I have to make tonight, then my life is good!

I hope you all get to try these two places some day. I know I complain a lot about living in New York, but sometimes (just sometimes) I really do enjoy it. And this weekend is definitely one of those times!