Fight the Power: NY MAG Cheap Eats

I have a goddamn beef with NYMag Cheap Eats.  First of all, they should rename it Everything Below 59th Street Mag, because all the ink stained NYU wretches who intern and write most of the articles haven’t ever ventured to the bright light of the UES and UWS. Last time I checked, there are a couple of million people who living above Columbus circle who would like some articles mildly pertinent to their daily existence.

So yes, I have beef with NYMag because their Cheap Eats “researcher” can’t get off their lazy duff to offer some decent options in other parts of NEW YORK. This is the grand total of New  York establishments in their “Cheap Eats 2008″ section that were located in the Upper East Side: ZERO.  That’s right. About 70% were south of Midtown and the other 30% were in Queens and Brooklyn.  About 15% were repeats from last year. 

Sorry to rant, but this is exactly the kind of sloppy PAID work that makes me believe that NYMag is a subpar, poorly copywritten magazine.  Yeah, this blog needs a good copywriter too, but I don’t get paid! And it’s a hobby, not my damn job!

All right now.  I declare a rebellion against NYMAG

Grow Your Own Food in New York: the Red Hook Farm across from Ikea

 

Locavores' Heaven across the Ikea

Last week, I finally took the Ikea ferry to Red Hook.  After being thoroughly annoyed by the huge crowds and long lines, I took the Ikea bus back to the Borough Hall stop.  

 

One thing that stuck out immediately was the Red Hook Added Value Community Farm that’s right across the street from Ikea.  When you walk out to take the bus, it’s right in front of you.

The Red Hook Community Farm has a farmer’s market on the weekends, and I hope that if you’re out at Ikea, you’ll stop by and support them and pick up some great local veggies. They employ local youth to grow the vegetables, teaching them basic farming techniques and giving them a sense of connectedness to the earth and to what they eat.  It’s the only local farm that uses underprivileged youth.

The farmer’s market is open on Saturdays(9-3) at The Red Hook Farm, Columbia and Beard Street and Thursdays (11-3) at 6 Wolcott (Intersection of Wolcott and Dwight.

Eat Cheap! Eat Local!

All Hail Restaurant Week!!!

My favorite week of the year is here.  You have to understand, I’m the kind of person who would rather run over sharp glass than buy a $100+ pair of jeans, but I’ve put down several times that for dinner.  Too many times. However, in the spirit of frugality that has whipped across Manhattan, I try to pull back.  (I also have a secret love for Grey’s Papaya and low brow food but I live in the UES where cheap good food is limited).  So restaurant week, here I come!

As soon as the announcement went out, I whipped open my laptop and was scouring the pages of Open Table like they were baseball stats.  The pickings are not as good as last year, I have to say.  Nobu is no where to be seen.  Many great spots are only offering lunch.  Hey, I thought restauranteurs were suffering too!  

I’ve decided to be a good person and stick with Donatella and Burke (for the food)  and Centovini (not for the food, just for a good place to munch before running amok). Limit. my. excessive. appetite.

There’s still some pickins to be had so check it out: NYC Restaurant Week

$5 a meal recipe for today

Yummy chili dinner

Chili con carne with skillet cornbread (serves 2 at this meal. There’s enough chili for 4, so the rest should be made into chili breakfast burritos tomorrow)

Chili:

1 bag of red pinto beans ($.99)

1 onion (0.00)

1 can of chopped tomatoes ($1.19)

3/4lb ground chuck ($3.99/lb at Agata & Valentina)

Spices: Salt, pepper, cumin, paprika, a variety of red pepper preferably from Mexico

—

1. Chop onion, sautee with ground beef.  Once browned, throw in a can of diced tomatoes.  Sprinkle salt, pepper, throw in about a teaspoon or two of cumin, paprika and simmer till corn bread is done.  Just check it every 15 min or so, make sure there as much liquid as you want.  If too watery, throw in a bit of tomato paste if you have any.  I also like to throw in some italian seasoning (oregano, basil, etc.)  In the meantime, make the cornbread

 

2. Cornbread: 

1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
1 cups stone-ground yellow cornmeal
3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoons salt
2 large eggs
1 cups well-shaken buttermilk

Preheat oven to 425° F. Melt butter and cool. Into a bowl sift together cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Heat a dry well-seasoned 10-inch cast-iron skillet in middle of oven 10 minutes. Put a bit of butter and heat 5 minutes. Swirl skillet to coat. While skillet is heating, make batter: Beat eggs into butter and buttermilk. Stir flour mixture into egg mixture gently but thoroughly. Pour batter into hot skillet and, working quickly, spread evenly. Bake corn bread in middle of oven until a tester comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. 

To store the rest, because cornbread will be about 4 servings, wrap it up and refrigerate. Microwave before serving.  Good served warm with jam for a snack or for lunch with an apple.

Today’s tip for making some extra dough in NYC: Rent out your apt to a film crew

Ok, this only works if you have an apt with rooms and bathrooms that fit a small film crew plus the actors (3 people minimum).  This of course rules out most apartments in Manhattan.  But hey, you never know, they may want to remake Sex and the City or Friends with real New York apartments.

NYT

Tip #45 to surviving in NYC: Get a free new iPhone with your old iPhone

 

I love you iPhone

Squeeze a penny today: if you have an old iPhone that’s banged up but still works, you can sell it for $200-$300 depending on which reseller you contact (or contacts you) so you can upgrade to the 3G iPhone for free.

 

The NYT has a cranky article on the practice, which bemoans the fact that most of these phones may not be ‘recycled’ as the resellers claimed initially.  They’re resold in other countries where iPhones aren’t available.  As I suspected, every section outside of National and Local politics in the NYT is directed towards NOT saving money.  I mean–who cares? Get your spanking new hundred bills here: 

freeiPhoneswap.com

Tip #26 to living frugally in Manhattan

Don’t eat. Just stop eating. It’s just you and the fruit stand guy.

Gypsies in Manhattan

This past weekend, I swear I saw a gypsy beggar in the subway.  The 4-5 uptown express.  I didn’t get a picture of her, but she looked a little bit like this picture of a gypsy beggar in Turkey.  Has anyone seen her before?  She has a pretty professional looking laminated photo of her holding a child claiming that the child is disabled and that she needs money.  From what I can tell, she doesn’t speak English.  You’ll notice her pretty quickly because her begging style is quite distinctive–silent, forthright and insistent.  I’m the last person who would be up in arms about begging–hey, if you can’t make it, you have a right to ask, though other people have a right to say no. I was just surprised to see a gypsy in Manhattan. Are they coming over?

Tip #86 to surviving in NYC: Fresh direct promotion code

Get free delivery for the next couple of months with Fresh Direct for the next month or so

Just enter the code: SIXYEARS at checkout each time you shop from now through August 31.* 

Good times, good times.

Food kitchens in NYC

A friend of mine volunteered at a food kitchen at St. Xavier’s in Union Square a couple of Sundays ago.  She was there for four hours.  Service ran for the day and they fed over a thousand people.

How many people need a meal in this city? When you hear things like this, you’re in the awkward position of hoping that some people shamelessly got in line for a free meal.