89th And Broke I'm a young professional living in Astoria (formerly of Williamsburg, the UES and Murray Hill - I move a lot!). I'm always looking for something fun to do or the best place to grab a drink and dinner at an affordable price around the city.
Have a suggestion? Email me at Laura AT 89thandbroke DOT com.
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By Laura, on May 23, 2013, 10:13 am
A few weeks back, I was invited to try Beet, a new American restaurant on the UES on 2nd between 84th and 85th. As someone who used to live on the UES, this restaurant felt like a grown up restaurant in the neighborhood, different than one of the restaurants that has a huge bar scene at night and is a restaurant from 6-10. The interior was beautiful, and I could totally see it as a date spot, so naturally I went with Caryn, my old co-blogger.
We kicked off the meal with a crispy jicama salad ($14), that had orange segment, squash, tomatoes, pumpkin seeds, mint, and a lemon honey vinaigrette
– and of course, manchego cheese. It was very light and refreshing, and looked like a coleslaw, minus the mayo. We also commented how much we loved the crunch.
I decided to have the scallops with saffron risotto, tomatoes and a baby beat salad ($28). The risotto was delicious, and as someone who isn’t a huge fan  of beets, there was a great ratio of all the ingredients – not overly beety, given that it is the name of the restaurant. The portion was big enough that you felt full after eating it, but wasn’t too big where you overate and could take it home.
While Beet is on the pricier side for that part of the neighborhood, they offer plenty of deals. Tuesday was half-priced bottle of wine night and Wednesday is oyster night ($21 for 12 oysters). Service was great, as our waiter was extremely patient with Caryn – she couldn’t make up her mind and he helped walk her through the menu, offering his opinion on each dish.
I liked Beet, and Caryn and I both agreed we’d go back and try it again. My only concern is that the restaurant was fairly empty and I’m a tad confused about the name – beets were only in four of the dishes (a salad, two entrées and a burger). Note Beet is open for dinner only and brunch.
The Basics
Name: Beet
Location: 1619 2nd Ave between 84th and 85th
Who to Bring: Friends, Date
Price: $$$ Entrees between $20 – $30
Overall: Nice atmosphere for the neighborhood. 4 stars.
By Laura, on May 22, 2013, 7:48 am
 Check out Roti Mediterranean Grill down in FiDi tonight from 6-9pm. Located on 100 Maiden Lane, Roti is offering free dinner to customers who come in from 6-9pm and make a donation to City Harvest. Thanks to Grub Street for the tip and here’s the Facebook post.
By Laura, on May 22, 2013, 7:08 am
 Visit Krispy Kreme with a friend today and check in on Foursquare. Why? BOTH of you get a free doughnut! Choose from a key lime cake doughnut or a key lime cheesecake doughnut. Yum!
By Laura, on May 21, 2013, 7:41 am
Two years ago I gave you three reasons why I love Idle Hands on Ave B between 2nd and 3rd. Here’s a few more!
- Idle Hands is moving from craft beer bottles to craft beer cans. Therefore, through May 26, select bottled 12 oz craft beers will be just $4.
- Can’t make it? Swing by June 5 for $4 craft beer can night – or enjoy all you can drink craft beer from 5-10pm for just $20. Buy tickets here.
Big thanks to The Skint for reminding me that I had this starred in my inbox to tell you guys!
By Laura, on May 21, 2013, 7:31 am
 Courtesy of Serious Eats Earlier this month, we told you that Delta is showcasing a preview of their $1.4 billion renovation of John F. Kennedy International Airport’s Terminal 4 (T4, opening May 24, 2013) at T4X, a unique experiential pop-up space.
This space is opened from 11am – 3pm through Wednesday, May 22 at 376 W. Broadway at Broome St. While you can get a $4 lunch, this week you can pick up free coupons for Shake Shack’s Shackburgers, which can be redeemed at participating locations. Reason for the coupon? There will be a Shake Shack in T4. Note this is while supplies last. Thanks to Serious Eats for the tip!
By Laura, on May 20, 2013, 7:58 am
Last night I checked out Cafetasia on 8th St between University and Greene. I picked this Thai spot simply because you could receive 30% off (up to $50) thanks to a Scoutmob code. For those who don’t know Scoutmob, you flash a code on your phone and get 30% off.
 Courtesy of Yelp While looking over the menu, I noticed this place offered a ton of deals – $8 lunch specials that included a free app, early bird dinner
that included an app, entree and drink (like wine!) for $11 and happy hour. Even though Happy Hour ended at 7, since it was Sunday they extended the prices all night – and still were nice to offer 30% off the food portion of our bill.
Atmosphere was lively – made me think of Sea in Williamsburg. Everyone loved the music that was playing in the background and some tables even sang aloud. There was even a big long table, perfect if you have a large group.
I thought the food was good. I tried the crispy egg noodle pad Thai and it was my first time trying the dish. Portions were a good size
and I struggled to finish mine. I enjoyed the crunch of the dish paired with the peanut flavor and clearly my dish was a winner as someone asked from another table what I ordered.
With so many deals available, I definitely would check out Cafetasia again. I wouldn’t go out of my way to go there considering the number of Thai places in NYC, but would stop by if looking for some place affordable and delicious in the neighborhood.
The Basics
Name: Cafetasia
Location: 8th Between Greene and University
Who to Bring: Friends
Price: Most entrees under $15 but lots of deals here $$
Overall: So many deals, I can’t help but give 4 stars
By Laura, on May 17, 2013, 9:55 am
 Want free tickets to a musical? We’re giving one lucky reader two tickets to see COUGAR THE MUSICAL which follows three fabulous-over-forty females in a mad-cap ride from Cougar bar to nail salon to boudoir and back, as they unleash their ‘inner cougar’ and in the process, learn to say YES to self-love, empowerment and the inner knowing that love is ageless!
The show is playing at St. Luke’s Theatre on 46th Street between 8th and 9th. The show is on Fridays at 8pm and Saturdays at 2pm, and tickets start at $39.50. Huffington Post says this show is “Good Fun!” so looks like it’d be worth checking out.
HOW TO ENTER
Comment below and tell us what you are doing this weekend. Share your comments by Sunday at 11:59pm EST for a chance to win two tickets!
By Laura, on May 16, 2013, 9:37 am
Last week, I went to the Choice Streets event. Choice Streets is the cousin of Choice Eats (yes, the event I refer to as my personal Christmas). Basically, Choice Streets is a ticketed event where you can try samples from 25+ food trucks which are parked on the Intrepid. Samples are unlimited, and you can enjoy unlimited beverages too (like drinks from my friends at Bulldog Gin). This was one of my favorite nights this spring, and you can bet I’ll tell you next year when tickets are on sale.
Now that the weather is getting warmer, I’m sure all of you will be hitting up the food truck scene. Here are my picks for top food trucks to check out:
- Rhong Tiam: This is a fairly new truck, launching just last week. While it’s a Thai truck, their burger was fantastic. We tried “The Basic”, a juicy burger with lettuce and tomato, and my five girlfriends and I kept repeating, “God that’s a good burger.” We also learned Rhong Tiam uses the same meat as Peter Luger’s.
- Souvlaki GR: We tried charcoal grilled chicken, but my key takeaway from this truck was the fries and tzatziki sauce. I normally wouldn’t fill up on something like fries at an event like this, but they were perfectly seasoned and cooked, and the tzatziki sauce could have literally been put on a rock and I would have eaten it.
- Wafels & Dinges: I loved this truck for two reasons – one, they had someone explaining while you were in line what you were about to eat, and two, they were one of the few trucks to not run out of food. We tried something that is normally not on the menu: a Belgian Waffle with candied bacon and a bourbon-infused syrup. I know the bacon trend is kind of old news, but it still is delicious to me. Great sweet and salty combination.
- MacTruck: This had the biggest line of the night, and I’m so glad my friend Alexis allowed me to sample a bite of hers. MacTruck served a BBQ pulled pork mac and cheese. It was a great ratio of pork to mac, more mac with pieces of pork thrown in. The mac and cheese was creamy and was more of a thick sauce, rather than stringy and cheesy. I enjoyed this dish a lot, and wish I got my own to sample.
- Kelvin Natural Slush Co.: I was annoyed in line for this truck. We had someone chatty in front of us, that held up the line for about 5 minutes chatting with the owner and none of us got served. But in the end it was worth it. At Kelvin Natural Slush Co., you choose your base and then your add in – I went with a citrus slushie, with natural strawberry thrown in. It was such a delicious, tart combination and perfect for a warm night. Best of all, it was lighter than a milkshake, so I’d love to follow this truck around all summer!
What’s your favorite food truck? Tell us!
By Laura, on May 15, 2013, 9:48 am
Looking to day drink on Saturday? Join the Upper East Side Bar Charity Tour! Buy a ticket to the tour for $12, and enjoy $2 beers and $4  mixed drinks all day, plus food and shot specials. If you use the code 89TH, you’ll save 25% off tickets. Ticket prices will rise, but if you can’t commit til day off, bring two canned goods to Mad River from 1-6pm to save $5.
Participating bars include Mad River, Bar East, Dylan Murphy’s, East End Bar, Iggy’s, Marty O’Brien’s, Off the Rails, The Bullpen, and many more.
Want to win tickets? Here’s how!
HOW TO ENTER
We’re giving away to two lucky readers FIVE tickets to the crawl. Tell us what your favorite drink is by commenting below. Contest ends at 11:59 pm EST tonight. Please note I have to approve comments if this is your first time commenting on the blog and that might not happen immediately but your entry will be counted.
By Laura, on May 14, 2013, 7:14 am
 Today is FREE Cone Day at Haagen-Dazs! Swing by to get a FREE scoop of your choice from 4-8pm. There are locations on Mott St, East Village, UWS, Penn and more. To find a location near you, click here.
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of beets, there was a great ratio of all the ingredients – not overly beety, given that it is the name of the restaurant. The portion was big enough that you felt full after eating it, but wasn’t too big where you overate and could take it home.
