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Tags: NYC BBQ / Restaurants / Food Travel / BBQ / Lower East Side / → All Tags

Texas Meets the Lower East Side

New York's dizzying pace of restaurant openings has slowed down a little in the past few months, but the one thing that hasn't stopped coming is all these BBQ places. Seriously, it seems like New York has gone from one BBQ joint to 40 in the past five years. Not that we're complaining.

The latest to hit the scene is Marfa, named for a small town in southwest Texas. Unlike many of the foodie-approved NYC BBQ joints that try to class-up the BBQ scene, Marfa is more concerned with reeling in as many as drunken LES hipsters as possible, and it does just that with Lone Star beer, "Marfaritas" (spicy thai chili + pink grapefruit + tequila), and "Marfa bites," small plates of fried fare like mini-corn dogs and macaroni and cheese spoons.

But despite the scene-iness, BBQ purists have plenty to get excited about here as well, from dry rub baby back ribs to "shells on" BBQ shrimp. Marfa might not feel like a genuine Texas eatery, but it tastes pretty damn close.

Related Stories:
· Marfa [Yelp!]
· Only New York Does BBQ Like This [Jaunted]
· Hipsters Need BBQ Too [Jaunted]

[Photo: Wade From Oklahoma]

Tags: Dunkin' Donuts Alternatives / Donuts / Dessert / Lower East Side / → All Tags

A Doughnut That Will Change the Way You Think About Doughnuts

The tiny Doughnut Plant storefront is hidden on one of the few still-old-school stretches of Manhattan's Lower East Side, set among housing projects, Jewish delis and Chinese groceries, rather than shiny new condos and frolicking hipsters. So you'd be forgiven if you expected this hole-in-the-wall bakery to be the kind of old-school place that only serves simple cake doughnuts, rather than the futuristic wonderland it really is.

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Tags: Chinatown Garbage Tour / Lower East Side / Taxidermy / → All Tags

Dumpster Dive in the Urban Jungle of Manhattan

Taxidermy may be a lost art, particularly in this urban jungle. But one man, Brooklyn artist Nate Hill, is looking to bring America's back woods to the Manhattan masses. On Thursday night--rain or shine--he'll show hipsters and homebodies how to dumpster dive through Chinatown's world famous (and often unidentifiable) trash and turn shark carcass, frog legs, and those cute, tiny turtles into high art. Hill advises first timers to wear close-toed shoes and long sleeved shirts (he'll provide hand sanitizer and rubber gloves). But we suggest full-body protective gear for this down and dirty event.

Where to stay:
Book a room at the Washington Square Hotel. It's just a block away from some of the city's most fascinating wildlife in the Village's famous Washington Square Park. There may not be any stuffed critters frolicking in these cozy rooms, but after an evening like this one we expect you'll have taxidermy dreams all your own.

Where to drink:
Admire the work of the animal-stuffing masters while sipping PBR form a can at Home Sweet Home. The old Lower East Side sign shop turned watering hole proudly displays disembodied horse-head hitching posts and fluffy white rabbits created by the pros.

Where to eat:
Get your drink on and then head to Freemans Alley. Despite the name, you'll find no dumpsters here. Sample the delicious artichoke dip and wild-boar terrine under the watchful doe-eyed deer heads and eagle wings, which are expertly mounted to the old-school American eatery's walls.

Related Stories:
· New York City Travel [Jaunted]
· Hotels in New York City [HotelChatter]