In last week's episode of The Layover, Anthony Bourdain showed us what to do in New York City with only 24 hours in the Big Apple (read our recap here). We wanted to do something similar, but with a twist.
We landed in New York yesterday with only three hours in the city, which is really what most layovers consist of.
Tony Bourdain starts his journey on the Upper East Side. We head for the East Side too...the Lower East Side. As the clock starts, We've got doughnuts on our minds.
Doughnut Plant is one of the
few places in the world you should eat a doughnut from. Lines form
pre-dawn, as eager people wait for the doors to fly open at 6:30 a.m.
Doughnuts are made with no eggs and no trans-fats and come in season
flavors. The pumpkin glazed cake doughnut is a favorite, as are the
cranberry and chestnut varieties. Get there early, because favorites
sell out by noon. Doughnut Plant, 379 Grand Street, New York
Making our way back uptown with only two-and-a-half hours to go, we make a stop at
Eataly.
This Ikea of Italian food is a mega-complex on 23rd Street and Fifth
Avenue. Co-owned by Oscar Farinetti, Mario Batali, and Lidia Bastianich,
it's always crowded with a wait of over an hour to get through the
doors on weekends. Once inside, you'll find different restaurants and
markets. The rooftop Bierreria where Bourdain likes to go is jammed, so
we opt for a Prosecco and Caprese salad made from mozzarella made fresh
daily on premises. Eataly, 200 Fifth Avenue, New York
It's touristy, it's crowded, but if it's Christmastime
in New York, a trip to see the tree at Rockefeller Center is mandatory.
Once there, peruse the tree, the spectators, and go into St. Patrick's
Cathedral for a bit of majesty, but not before getting a bag of hot
chestnuts from a guy on the street. Where else can you literally eat
Christmas? The chestnuts are warm, soft, and taste like a dense, smokey
baked potato. We're totally sure Bourdain eats street
chestnuts.
With one hour to go, we have to visit some pubs. Tony Bourdain loves
dive bars and so do we. We grab a quick beer at Smith's, a dive bar
institution in Hell's Kitchen. On the border of the Theatre District and
close to the Port Authority, this bar serves both as a watering hole for
blue collar workers on their way home from the graveyard shift and an
after-show pub for Broadway chorus girls and boys. Not so surprisingly,
it's also a good place to hear up and coming jazz bands practice their
sets. Seedy, cheap, and a good place to knock one back before heading
home to the boroughs. Smith's 701 8th Avenue, New York
If you're into Broadway, you might think of Sardi's as the place to dine
with celebrities. It is if someone else is paying. However, if you want
to actually sit at the bar next to the likes of a Matthew Broderick or a
Mel Brooks, Angus MacIndoe is
the place to go. Featuring Irish/American pub food, Anguslies directly in
the Theatre District (in fact, the stage door of the St. James Theatre
leads directly into the restaurant). We grab a wine and some Scotch eggs
before heading out (and running into John Ratzenberger on the corner). Angus MacIndoe, 258 W. 44th Street, New York
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Before heading to the train, we pick up a to-go treat. The TSA, Bourdain, and I can all agree on one thing as our time in New York runs
out -- leave the gun, take the cannoli.
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