Vinny Vincenz

Vinny Vincenz (231 First Avenue, East Village)is another solid neighborhood pizzeria. It's sort of in between a slice place and a sit down restaurant, cute but very casual. I really like their pizza bianca, and consider it one of the best in the style. Although Vinny Vincenz is partly in the shadow of nearby Artichoke, prices here are low for the quality pizza they serve.

Lombardi's

I have seen the top of the pizza mountain, and it is Lombardi's (32 Spring Street, Nolita)! Oh my god. It's not the cheapest, but this old-school place is the perfect venue for out of town guests to experience how good pizza can be. Old-school? Yeah. It's the oldest pizza joint in America. For me, the clam pie is the treat here, lots of fresh clams and garlic, over their signature brick-oven crust? It's like a fine seafood meal, on a pizza.

Rosario's

When I just want to grab a few slices and am feeling broke, you know where I end up? Rosario's (173 Orchard Street, Lower East Side). Again and again. This place lacks frills, does a limited number of pies, but does them really well. I personally enjoy the eggplant and the cheeseburger slices. Cheap slices, quick in and out, and quality ingredients. Yeah, this is the go-to place in the neighborhood.

Posto Pizza

Posto (310 Second Avenue, Gramercy) makes delicious pies. Their signature is the ultra-thin crust, which has been described by critics as matzoh-like. The thing about such a thin crust is that the toppings have to be dead on right, there's no dough to mask the flavor. And Posto does well. What this place isn't a grab and go slice-ready pizzeria. What it is, however, is a cute old school restaurant with a cool bar that serves good thin crust pies. It's a place to linger, more suited for a date than a quick meal.

Two Boots

I like to go around to as many restaurants of the same kind as possible in a few weeks, sort of like a long-term tasting event. New York's obviously the best place on earth for that. The recent event is the eastside pizza olympics, which is exactly what it sounds like.

One week in, I'm liking Two Boots (42 Ave A, East Village). I know why a lot of pizza purists will disagree, but the innovative, even quirky pizzas they come up with are fresh and lovely.

Skeptical? Try The Bird.

Wah Fung #1 Fast Food

Oh yeah. Wah Fung #1 Fast Food (79 Chrystie St, Lower East Side/Chinatown). With a perpetual line out the door and sweaty man with cleaver hacking up meat on a wooden stump, this is why Chinatown is a magical place. I don't mean that some kind of Epcot Center cultural diversity kind of way. I mean that its restaurateurs can make good food that costs much less than the ingredients would in a grocery store. Case in point: pork over large rice, more food than a person can eat in a day, $3.75. And delicious.

Sultana

First of all, let me just say that Sultana (128 E 4th St, East Village) is an adorable space. It's cozy, appointed with Middle Eastern décor, and hookahs. It really is an ideal place for a quiet meeting or date. The proprietor, an genuinely welcoming Iraqi man named Ali, is exceptionally gracious, offering guests lovely mint tea and personable service. The menu is extensive, and the food is very fresh. Sultana is a perfect oasis of dining relaxation in the middle of the East Village's chaos.

East Village Pizza and Kebab

East Village Pizza and Kebab (145 East First Ave, East Village) is surprisingly good. Places that try to serve such a large range of foods, and primarily cater to people out partying, tend to disappoint. Not this one. The pizzas feature an interesting range of toppings, and the Middle Eastern fare is actually very well prepared. Considering the low prices on everything, East Village Pizza and Kebab stands out as one of the best budget restaurants in the area.

Artichoke Pizza

I finally tried Artichoke(328 E 14th Street, East Village). I've noticed the lines going into this little pizza place for years. $4 is well above the standard price for a slice, so I've put it off. However, the thought has often crossed my mind that any establishment that's so perpetually busy must be doing something special. Artichoke is, no doubt about it. These are something different than average slices, and well worth the higher than average price. Don't believe me? Two words: crab slice.

Uncovering The Real Gangs of New York

The Discovery Channel produced a pretty good documentary about one of the most interesting topics in New York history, the gangs of the Five Points.

It goes into some of the history behind the movie The Gangs of New York. I really like it, it gives a good sense of what the area looked like in the 1850s.

Gena's Grill

Yup. Double post. I went back to Gena's Grill (210 First Avenue, East Village). Got the garlic shrimp over yellow rice and beans. Oh my god good, and oh my god huge. Plus they fed me a basket of fresh from the oven garlic bread while I waited.

And I saw on their menu that they have marisco (seafood) soup only on Fridays. Tomorrow's Friday. Is it okay to go to the same place three days in a row?

Seriously, let me plead my defense by directing readers to their amazing menu.

Gena's Grill

Sometimes all a restaurant needs to sell itself is the way it smells when you walk past. Gena's Grill (210 First Ave, East Village) has that rare quality. This tiny, nondescript place serves up amazing 'Spanish' food, favorites from the Cuban, Dominican, and Puerto Rican countrysides.

The stewed goat with rice and beans I got was seriously high quality. The $7 small is enough food for the day. I'm definitely going to be frequenting this place, and look forward to trying its many shrimp dishes. Garlic shrimp over spicy rice and beans? Yeah, that's next. I might even go back tomorrow.

Russ & Daughters

I just took a walking tour with Andrea Coyle of the Lower East Side History Project and learned something interesting.

Russ & Daughters (179 East Houston, Lower East Side) was the first business in the country to use the term "and daughters". Kind of a cool fact about this vestigially elegant gourmet shop.

New Malaysia Restaurant

I've walked past New Malaysia (46-48 Bowery, Chinatown) dozens of times, and taken notice. Mostly I've paid attention to this place because of its historically significant address. This was the site of a tavern where George Washington used to drink, and later the theater where blackface was invented.

But the restaurant itself is an amazing find, the kind of hole in the wall gem you hope to discover when roaming Chinatown. The Malaysian curried beef brisket I had, $6, was one of the best things I've eaten in a while. I can't stop thinking about how good. And their extensive menu promises more culinary delights. Yeah, I need to go back and try the seafood, the clam and crab dishes look like they might cause a full-blown obsession with this hidden little place.

Downtown Bakery

Yeah, Puebla (47 1st Avenue, East Village) is just about as stiff as competition can be for quality mole sauce. But Downtown Bakery (69 1st Avenue, East Village) is damn good. Definitely worth trying, impossible to avoid comparing with the powerhouse down the street, and maybe it even holds its own.

Proof? Look at this menu...

Kebab Garden

Sometimes a place sneaks up on me. Like, I go there, think it's nothing serious, then keep thinking about it and get back any chance I can. Kebab Garden (128 1st Ave, East Village) serves a rotating selection of Turkish dishes, buffet style, by the pound. $6.99 a pound to be specific. When they have stuffed grape leaves I get as many as I can, since $6.99 for a freaking pound of stuffed grape leaves makes me feel like a con man, and hide them under some hummus so I don't get caught cheating the system.

Taverna Kyclades

The lines at this place are daunting. Also promising. Why do so many people want to pack this place? Because it's great. Simply prepared, generous portions of Greek seafood at a price that's almost reasonable? Who doesn't want that? Taverna Kyclades [33-07 Ditmars BLVD, Astoria] offers a chance to taste flavors from seafood you don't often find. Try the grilled clams, the grilled octopus, broiled scallops, and the shark. Lovely, seafood like you can't often find. Seriously, look at these scallops.