Noah was in town to begin his book tour for his newest cookbook, “Grill Time!,” and on one of his free days we went out and did a little mini food crawl around New York City. We went to McSorley’s Old Ale House, Monte’s Trattoria, Minetta Tavern, and Torrisi.
But first, Brown Bag Sandwich Co.
I went down with my buddy Tre, and before I met up with Noah, the first place we went to was Brown Bag Sandwich Co. This is the place that’s pretty much responsible for the chopped sub trend and the huge chicken Caesar salad wrap. I’ve tried copycat versions of the chopped subs from plenty of places around upstate New York, and I was excited to go check out the originator.
I ended up ordering their chicken Caesar salad wrap, which, to be honest, was disappointing. As for the flavor of the wrap itself, it was just lacking punch, in my opinion. From what I understand, they premake these — as a busy, viral, trending place in New York City, they need to be able to serve lunches as quickly as possible, so they premake some items, like the chicken Caesar wrap, which I can understand.
For the execution of having a premade chicken Caesar wrap that wasn’t soggy and still had crisp bites of lettuce, I give them an A+. But the overall sandwich lacked flavor. I think what helps it have great execution — not being soggy — hurts its flavor, because it just didn’t have a lot of dressing. A little more pop of flavor would’ve helped — maybe some lemon or something.
McSorley’s Old Ale House
From there, I texted Noah and we met him at McSorley’s Old Ale House. This is a place of legends — a bar that’s been open and operating since 1854, a bar that’s had plenty of notable people walk through its doors over the years, like Abraham Lincoln, Woody Guthrie, and John Lennon. The memorabilia, the history — you can feel the spirit of this place when you walk inside. They have the chair Abraham Lincoln sat in, cast and displayed in the bar. They have old muskets, rifles, and ordnance from wars. It’s truly a magical place.
At McSorley’s, you order one of two beers: dark or light. I ordered the dark and had maybe six or seven rounds. We eventually ordered food, and I started off with the liverwurst sandwich — somewhat thick slices of liverwurst on rye bread with slices of white onion and spicy mustard on the side.
We ordered a hot dog, Feltman’s which is noted as being the first hot dog and quite possibly the best hot dog I’ve ever had — served with sauerkraut on a grilled potato bun. The burst of flavor was incredible: juicy, warm, and just a great snap. They also served us the old-school free lunch: a sleeve of saltine crackers with white cheddar cheese, sliced onions, and mustard.
Monte’s Trattoria
Next, we walked down to Monte’s Trattoria. We walked into an empty restaurant with one customer sitting at the bar — an 84-year-old man in dress pants and a purple dress shirt, sipping a glass of red wine. It turns out he lives right around the corner, still in the apartment he was born in.
He told us he goes out to lunch and dinner seven days a week — the same place for lunch every single day, and for dinner he splits the week between two restaurants, Monte’s being one of them. As we ordered and waited for our food and drinks, he kept us entertained with some of the dirtiest jokes I’ve ever heard, and also answered any questions we had about what his life was like.
Noah went with the martini at just about every restaurant, and I wish I could be a martini man, but I stick to my Negronis. We ordered the clams in red sauce and an order of their fried zucchini blossoms, which were on special. I swear the bread that came with the clams was some of the best bread I’ve ever had — though that could’ve been the many drinks I’d had to that point, and the fact that I was wandering around New York City visiting incredible, legendary restaurants without a care in the world. Life seems to be better on days like these. The air softer, the smells sweeter. The sun brighter.
Minetta Tavern
From there, we walked just down the street to Minetta Tavern. Noah suggested this place for a burger and a martini. I’d read Medium Raw before, but the memory of Anthony Bourdain mentioning this burger from Minetta Tavern didn’t click with me until two weeks after this trip, when I was rereading the book and it dawned on me the significance of the place.
We ordered the Black Label Burger — prime dry-aged beef served with caramelized onions on a sesame-seeded hamburger bun — with a big basket of frites. Noah went with the martini, and Tre and I went with Negronis.
The burger was obviously exceptional: $38 total with the fries, maybe $12 more since it was mentioned in Anthony Bourdain’s Medium Raw. It was cooked medium-rare, which is how I prefer my burgers when I trust the restaurant I’m in — red, bloody, juicy, perfect. I’ll admit I’m not that well-versed in New York City restaurants, but we were able to walk right in at 4 PM and get a seat at the bar without waiting in line.
Torrisi
Next was dinner at Torrisi. This is a Michelin-starred Italian restaurant connected to the Carbone family of restaurants. I’d heard of it more than a few times before, but admittedly I didn’t understand, until Noah suggested it, just how difficult it might be to get in.
Reservations, from what I understand, open up 30 days in advance and are snatched up pretty quickly. You can always wait in line at the door in hopes of an opening, or try for a seat at the bar. I was fortunate enough to simply send an email explaining that we were there to make a video and celebrate Noah’s cookbook release, and the crew were more than accommodating in opening up a table for us.
We ordered quite a bit of food — all in, I don’t remember how many dishes, but it was a lot. The standouts for me were the American Ham and zeppole for the appetizer: luxurious, salty, thin, fatty ham with delicate fried balls of dough and, from what I remember, a pineapple jam or something on the side. The other standout was the cavatelli with Jamaican beef patty ragù — spicy and hearty, a wonderful flavor bomb. Also the Tortellini Pomodoro: delicate and delicious. The service was wonderful — attentive, relaxing, fun, and personable.
I forget what the total bill was, and keep in mind we ordered a lot. I want to say it was $650 for the four of us before tip, and I’m shocked at how reasonable that was. We drank, we ate, we had a great time, and I still feel like I would’ve paid 50% more at many fine-dining restaurants upstate.
The Takeaway
Overall, this was a memorable day — a day filled with experiencing just a small fraction of the spirit of food and drink in New York City.
If you’re so inclined, head out to your local bookstore and grab a copy of “Grill Time!” by Noah. I bought the book the first day it came out, and I’ve enjoyed some of the recipes in it. You can also head over and subscribe to his Substack.
