Two great places to get a sandwitch

This week was all about sandwiches. I found two amazing sandwich places: Tal Bagels and

University Deli.

Tal Bagels (5) Located on 58th and 1st, this deli has a delicious assortment of bagels, sandwiches, salads and desserts. I ordered turkey and cheese on a roll. They use boars head, which is always a plus for me. The meat and cheese is always sliced fresh from the machine. I hate when lunch meat is pre-slicked, it really doesn't have the same type of flavor. I cannot really pinpoint what exactly makes a sandwich from Tals so delicious, everything is perfect: the meat, lettuce and tomatoes are fresh and the rolls are incredible. I recommend this place for a good sandwich, but be prepared to pay at least 6 dollars. Tals gets a 5.

University Deli (5)

Located on 16th and 5th, University has excellent sandwitches and wraps. I ordered the Russian Wrap which is a green vegetable wrap consistent of avocados, muenster cheese, tomatoes and Russian dressing. It doesn't sound like much, but the wrap was amazing. I have never had a combination of avocados with muenster cheese and Russian dressing, but they all complement each other very well. I highly recommend this wrap, but like Tals, expect to pay at least 6 dollars. I give University a 5.

Desserts

This week, I wanted to find a good dessert. I went to Magnolia Bakery and Mrs. Fields.

Magnolia (5) Located on Bleeker and 11th, Magnolia Bakery is the place to go to if you want a good cupcake. The cupcakes are absolutely incredible and they are decently sized (eating one will fill you up). However, if you go on a weekend at night, like I did, be prepared to wait in line! I waited 45 minutes, but it was so worth it. Theres nothing else like it, if you have not already tried a Magnolia cupcake, I recommend that you do. This place gets a well deserved 5.

Mrs. Fields (1) I was extremely disappointed with Mrs. Fields. I went to the one located on 34th and 6th. I have always been happy with the cookies at Mrs. Fields, so I thought I would try something different. I tried a peanut butter bar, and it was terrible. The bar had a cookie bottom which had no flavor. The peanut butter was stale, and had a chalky consistency. The chocolate on top was the only eatable thing about the bar. Honestly, I've had better desserts at Burger King. When going to Mrs. Fields, I recommend to stick with getting a cookie. I give a 1.

Smoothies

This week, I wanted to find a good smoothie. I went to Jamba Juice and GNC.







Jamba Juice (5)
I went to the location on 64th and 3rd. I have been to Jamba Juice numerous times before, and have never walked out disappointed. This week I decided to order the Acai Super-Antioxidant. It consists of acai juice, strawberries, blueberries, soy milk, raspberry sherbet, and an antioxidant power boost. It is extremely refreshing. I dont like sweet smoothies, so this one was perfect. The flavors that come through the most are the raspberries and blueberries. After drinking it, I felt refreshed and energized. I like how the ingredients and calories of the smoothies are listed in the menu very clearly. Plus, the service is always fast and friendly. I give Jamba Juice a 5.







GNC (3)
The GNC on 32nd and 6th has a smoothie bar, so I decided to give it a try. I ordered the peaches and scream. I like that when you order a smoothie, you are given a card and every time you order 5 smoothies, you get a free one. Like Jamba Juice, the ingredients and calories were clearly listed on the menu. The peaches and scream consists of peaches, pineapples and yogurt. It was very sweet, so I could only drink a quarter of it. It was really good, and I recommend it if you like sweet smoothies. It was just a little too sweet for me. I give GNC a 3.

Two great Italian restaurants on 2nd Ave

I went to Angelo's Pizza and Zucchero e Pomodori, both amazing and both located on 2nd Ave, relatively close to school.







Angelo's Pizza (5) Located on the corner of 54th, and 2nd, the place is called Angelo's Pizza, but offers a wide variety of dishes, not limited to just pizza. They offer appetizers, soups, salads, and pasta dishes as well as pizza. I ordered the fried calamari as an appetizer and the penne alla vodka for an entree. The waiter was very nice and immediately gave us bread, which was still warm from being in the oven. The calamari appetizer was excellent, (9.95). Not greasy or over done. It is the perfect appetizer to share with a group of people. My entree was amazing. (13.95). The sauce was perfect and the pasta was aldente. The portion size was huge, so I ended up taking half of it home, which was great! This place gets a 5. Undeniably one of the best penne alla vodka dishes I have ever had.







Zucchero e Pomodori (5) Located on 74th and 2nd,
This place offers in door as well as outdoor seating. I went on a Saturday night at 8pm, and did not even have to wait for a table. The indoor tables are a little cramped and there is not much privacy to a table, but the food compensated for the seating arrangements. The complementary bread was very good, it was one small loaf of white bread, and about 4 pieces of foccaia bread. I ordered the Linguine Alla Vongole (15.00). You can choose between red or white clam sauce, I chose white, which was amazing. The pasta was cooked perfectly and the clams were fresh and had a lot of flavor. I ordered a conoli for desert which was incredible. You are also given complimentary biscotti after your meal. It was cinnamon flavored and very good. I recommend this place, most definitely. I give it 5.

The Chicken Cesar Wrap

This week was all about the chicken cesar wrap. I went to America's Burgers & Wraps, and Wrap N Run.


Wrap N Run (2) Located on 62nd and Lexington, the place was not very crowded when I went in on a Monday at 4pm. The service was decent, it only took about 5 minutes to wait for my wrap. However, while I was waiting I noticed there were a lot of flies behind the counter which threw my perception of the place off entirely. I didn't want to leave since I already ordered my food, so I decided to stay. I ordered a Cesar wrap and only paid 4.75, which is pretty good for a wrap in the city. The seating area was pretty spacious, there were about 12-15 tables available. But when I sat down to eat, the chicken tasted like it had been reheated after sitting out a while, and it was difficult to eat since it had a kind of rubbery texture. The dressing, lettuce and tortilla were all excellent though, which is why the place gets a 2. The flies and leftover chicken did not sit very well with me. Honestly, I do not recommend this place at all.




America's Burgers & Wraps (4) Located on 68th and 3rd, this place is conviently close to school and great to eat at if you have an hour or so to kill between classes. It was pretty crowded when I went on a Thursday at 1:00. The line moves quickly though, and the cooks are very fast. There is not much room to eat inside, but there is an outdoor seating area that is huge, and very nice. The outdoor area is also connected to Brick Oven Pizza. My chicken cesar wrap was decent. Including a water I paid 8 dollars. The chicken was good, but it lacked a little in flavor. The dressing was great and the totilla was great as well. There were also crutons on the wrap that added to the wrap's flavor. Overall, I give the place a 4.

Vegetarian Places

Since last was all about burgers, I decided to change it up a little and do vegetarian places. I went to Maoz and Zen Palate, both located in Union Square.



Zen Palate (4): The decor if this restaurant is cool. It has a spiritual essence about it with neutral earth tones and plants. In order to get to the bathroom, you have to walk across a bridge that overlooks the restaurant, which was interesting. The food was a little expensive for my taste. Any entree is at at least 15 dollars. There are interesting drinks to choose from like carrot juice and wheat grass shots, but no alcohol. I ordered the "Wheel of Dharma" which was very good. It was fried shitaki mushrooms with mashed sweet potatoes under a sweet and sour onion sauce. I know it doesn't sound too appealing, but it was actually very good. The mushrooms had a lot of flavor, and were complemented well by the sweet potatoes. The sauce was good, it has chopped pieces of onions and herbs and went well with the mushrooms because without it, the mushrooms were very dry. I wouldn't say it was worth 15 dollars, and dont recommend this place if you are trying to save money. Overall, I give it a 4.




Maoz (4)
Maoz is a tiny place known mainly for its falafels. The service is very fast, and the falafels are very good. They are reasonably priced as well. Including a water, I only paid 7 dollars. I ordered a Maoz with hummus, which is basically a falafel with hummus. There is a self service bar in which you can choose from different vegetables to put on the falafel. I chose a number of different vegetables like cucumbers, peppers and tomatoes, and all of them were fresh and very good. The falafel comes in a small box that you can conveniently carry and eat out of without making a mess. The one thing I hate about falafels is how messy they tend to be, but these weren't so bad. There is no space to eat, only a small table in the back with seating for 3 people. But you can always eat in union square park which is right across the street. This place was delicious, fast and not expensive, so I give it a 5.

2 great places to go for a burger

This week I went to PJ Clarke's and Corner Bistro












PJ Clarkes (5) Located on 55th and 3rd, the atmosphere was cozy and old-fashioned. The service was fast and freindly. We only waited about 10 minutes for a table. I ordered a cheeseburger, cooked medium rare, and it was cooked great, not too rare, not too over cooked. The portion size was pretty big and the fries were very good. I paid 8.50 for the burger which included the fries. It was crowded, but overall, it is a great restaraunt, the food is amazing. I give it a 5.


Corner Bistro (5) Located on west 4th and 8th, the atmosphere was decent, not as good as PJ Clarkes, but tolerable. I waited in line for a table for about 20 minuties, but the line was right next to the bar, so it was easy to order drinks while waiting. The eating room is very small, only about 8 tables, but the tables were secluded by walls, which was pretty cool. The service was very fast once we sat down. I ordered a cheesebuger which was only 6 dollars. This cheeseburger was by far the best cheesebuger I have ever had in my entire life, I still cant beleive I only paid 6 dollars for it. I would even go so far as to say that it was better than PJ Clarkes. It was juicy and cooked perfectly. The fries were not as good PJ Clarkes, they tasted a little worse than McDonalds. I also orederd a long island ice tea that was only 6 dollars, and a beer that was only 2.50! I recommend you go to this place if you are looking for a good burger and some cheap drinks, just be prepared to wait if you go on the weekend. This place gets a well deserved 5.