99 Cent Express Pizza, Midtown Manhattan, NYC

So this was supper - again, not too far of a walk from where I was. We had passed by the shop (301 W 43rd St, NY 10036, tel : +212 315 5257) at 43rd and 8th a couple of days back and I suppose this was as NY an experience as it gets. Being in proximity of the hotel and opening late definitely helped.

I'm not going to say that this was in any way awesome or kick-ass because it wasn't. While the pizza wasn't outright impressive, it was edible and did the job for the craving. That's the mushroom and one with extra cheese. I supposed I would have been more impressed if they had made the extra cheese toasty and nicely browned with crispy edges. But for a frills free budget joint that does by the slice, I couldn't complain.

Xi'an Famous Foods, Midtown Manhattan, NYC

I came across the mention of Xi'an Famous Foods (24 W 45th St., NY 10036, tel : +212 786 2068) a few years back and was intrigued. They originally started out at Flushing in Queens and have since expanded to a number of outlets. Family run I heard. I found one of their outlets a short walk from where I was staying down at 45th. What luck!

One of those things they were known for was their biang biang mian. Noodles are apparently hand pulled to order. Here's the one with lamb. Doesn't look like very much but I thought they were pretty good. Spicy, salty and full of those cumin-y flavours that kept me going. From the textures, I'm pretty sure the noodles weren't made too long ago. I wish they would open one of these back home.

A company lunch event at Morton's

So Morton's (136 Washington St., NY 10006, tel  : + 212 608 0171) in NYC down at the World Trade Centre. This was a catered event so nothing was ordered.

That Morton's salad looked a little sad. It tasted okay though and some green vegetables were certainly what I needed.

This was possibly the smallest steak I've had at Morton's. Most haphazardly plated one too. A 6oz filet mignon without sufficient char to give credit to the restaurant's namesake. But they were cooking for a lot of people so I suppose standards slip. It wasn't bad by any stretch - just a little smaller than what would have been satisfying. Mashed potatoes were nice.

Smaller steak also meant that I had some room to spare for their cheesecake. Not bad. Rich, creamy and a little too much sweetness than I would like to deal with. But no complains here.

The Spotted Pig, West Village, NYC

We managed to get our table at The Spotted Pig (314 W 11th St, NY 10014, tel : +212 620 0393) after more than a half hour wait in the cold.

I was definitely looking forward to their burger with Rocquefort cheese. The very one that has a patty from a custom brisket, short loin and chuck blend by Pat LaFrieda. Done medium rare. It was satisfying to say the least and surprisingly, the blue cheese didn't fully overwhelm the meat. Speaking of meat, the aroma was nice but mellow for something that was aged. I'm with the position that the cheese introduced a complementary complexity to the meat in some ways and on the same hand, also masked some of the natural flavours of the beef. At $26 USD, it wasn't cheap though.

I only had one gripe with the food. That was their heavy hand with the salt which was evident in their asparagus soup and those thin shoestring fries that came with the burger.  

Red Lobster, Times Square, NYC

A group dinner brought us to Red Lobster. While it didn't appear to be very promising, Red Lobster (5 Times Square, NY 10036, tel : +212 730 6706) turned out to be a little better than I had imagined despite the TGIF appearances.

Granted that aside from the boring Caesar salad that came with the entree, I didn't really eat much else except the 1 1/4 pound steamed lobster that I ordered, enhanced with some drawn butter. Very decent if not outstanding and noticeably cheaper than what I would have paid for back home. I even enjoyed the sides of beans and buttery sweet potato mash.

The other thing that was pretty good were those free flow of cheddar biscuits that they served at the start. Not the best biscuits I've had but they were light, fluffy on the inside even and were piping hot. Tasted freshly made!

Keens Steakhouse, Midtown Manhattan, NYC

We had heard about Keens Steakhouse (72 W 36th St, NY 10018, tel : +212 947 3636) and made it a destination for this trip. The place was initially part of a theatre and literary group from London and eventually broke off into a gentleman's club and eventually, a restaurant in 1885. The ceilings of the restaurant is lined by the pipes that had belonged to the members from the older era. Pipes of owners that are probably long gone.

As can be seen from their packets of sugar, the steakhouse likes to remind people that they've been around for quite a long while.

We were served warmed loaves with butter while waiting for our orders.

I decided that it would be an appropriate time to also nurse a glass of Brooklyn Lager, nice brew by the way, while waiting.

This was possibly the first proper vegetable item we had after arriving in NYC. A nicely done Caesar salad. Just so that we could balance the meat heavy meal.

The one item that I had been intensely curious about after hearing of was their mutton chop. About 26 oz from what I gather - cut from the loin of a Colorado sheep about a year old. The meat was a masculine red, tender and had a light blanket of that lovely gaminess (more on the fattier parts). Good stuff there. Came with a serving of lemon-y escarole to balance out all that delicious meat. 

If I might say so, Keens also did a very competent prime rib. Tender and flavourful and personally, as enjoyable as the mutton chop.

For the consideration of an even more balanced diet, some nicely done creamed spinach. These were delicious.

And because the food was good, we were encouraged to get a dessert. That's their key lime pie. Lightest I've had and possibly in my limited experience, also the best I've had. There was bit of fresh flavours from those bits of zest and just a few small notches from what one could consider ethereal. Best of all, it wasn't excessively sweet.

If you didn't know, Keens also has a little piece of dinosaur sirloin that's been aging on their walls for over 75 million years. Imagine that!