Pok Pok Wing

LES - 137 Rivington St Between Suffolk St and Norfolk St    

Thai

Ever look at your order of 20 wings and think, gee… here are the former wings of 10 chickens.  I didn’t think so.  The truth is, wing stops have been scamming us for years.  Order 20 wings, two wings per chicken, each get broken in half and your really only getting 10 wings.  Order twenty get ten?  I’ve been duped. 

That was… until I went to Pok Pok Wing in the Lower East Side.  We can all thank Bruce Willis’ doppelgänger Andy Ricker for bringing New York City authentic Thai flavor while serving genuine chicken wings.  The honest man hails from Portland, Oregon with the James Beard Foundation of Excellence Best Chef Northwest 2011 hardware around his waist; the foodie equivalent to a heavyweight title belt.

Open daily from 4pm to 11pm, Pok Pok may keep awkward hours but Ike’s Wings are guaranteed to make you feel comfortable.   Ike’s Wings come hot or not, and live up to all the hype New York Magazine delivered while naming Ricker’s wing shack “Best Wings 2012.”

Ike’s Wings leave you feeling indebted to Ricker for bringing your taste buds such joy.  So spend an extra $4 and try some Som Drinking Vinegars.  Sounds odd right?  Drinking and vinegars in the same sentence?  Nonetheless, a refreshing final touch.  The vinegars come in several fruit flavors mixed with soda water.  Flavors include tamarind, apple, pomegranate or honey. 

The Papaya Pok Pok salad is a spicy green papaya salad with a Muay Thai jump-kick to the face.  Eyes watering and face swollen upon contact.  Thankfully my side order of sticky rice was able to tame the heat.  The Khao Man Som Tam salad is basically the same with the added bonus of shredded pork cooked in palm sugar and black soy.  If your hungry and feel like Ike’s wings wont be enough, go with the latter.  Just brace yourself for a fight. 

Pok Pok Wing is to die hard for, with vengeance.

Katz's Delicatessen

LES – Corner of E. Houston St. and Ludlow St. 

Deli

Katz’s has been slicing and dicing New York City’s finest slabs of pastrami and corned beef between two pieces of rye bread since 1888.

If there is a line, I can promise you it’s more than worth the wait.  A historic landmark on New York’s Lower East Side, Katz’s runs the old fashion way. No, believe it or not, they don’t have an app that lets you pay seamlessly through your iPhone. Grab a ticket and make sure you hold onto it, or it will cost you $50 on the way out. 

As you approach the counter, remember to stick to the basics, pastrami and brown mustard on rye or a good ol’ Reuben are as good as it gets.  Katz’s goes through about 10,000 lbs of pastrami a week.  Just the tip… can go a long way.  The meat men are known to return the favor with a generous pastrami tasting while you wait to those who “take care of them.” 

Katz’s has served as the site of several Hollywood films. Best known for the filming of When Harry Met Sally as Meg Ryan’s fakes an orgasm to prove a point.  [Insert orgasmic pastrami joke here] I know, I know, that’s a layup... I’ll take the assist on this one; too easy.

Enjoy your mouthwatering pastrami with pickles and a refreshing Dr. Brown root beer or cream soda.  Just don’t forget to send a salami to your boy in the Army.