Due to Hurricane Sandy, Justin and I were really worried about going to New York City for the Barclay's Classic. We were originally going to make it a fun Veteran's Day weekend in Brooklyn and Manhattan since Justin has never been. Instead, we opted to make it an overnight trip, to spare us from the gas shortages and additional expenses, especially since we had just returned from Europe last weekend (I promise my Europe trips posts will be up soon enough!).
So we left on Friday morning to head up to our hotel in Park Slope, Brooklyn and while we were waiting for our hotel room to be ready, the concierge suggested we walk a couple blocks to 5th Avenue and explore the shops and restaurants on that street. As soon as we got there I saw the Chip Shop of Travel Channel's Deep Fried Paradise fame! That made our decision for lunch easy! Although we were just in London just a few weeks ago, I couldn't resist the opportunity for some deep fried goodness! Below is a picture of the fish and chips that I had. For dessert, we had the deep friend Snickers, which was delicious.
With our hotel room ready, we barely had a few hours to get ready for the dinner reservation that lay ahead--Peter Luger Steak House! Yes, we would be eating again, which would be a common theme of this trip. Now this place needs no introduction, as it has been featured on several TV shows and is a Top Zagat's pick for several years running.
We started off with the thick-cut bacon slices, which were perfectly crisp, providing the right balance of meat and fat! Yum!
Our steak came out a perfect medium (as requested) and it was like "buddah"! The steak literally melted in your mouth, no joke! I don't know how they do it, but it was incredible! The pic below is the "Steak for Two" (with some pieces missing since I forgot to take the picture at first).
Although we were stuffed from the Chip Shop (a few hours earlier) and the huge steak, as I always say, "There's always room for dessert!" At the suggestion of our wonderful waiter, we indulged in their creamy cheesecake, complete with Peter Luger gold coins!
After our hefty meal at Peter Luger's, we caught a cab to the new Barclay's Center for the UK-Maryland Basketball game. Because we had some time before tip-off, we decided to head over to the bar within the arena for a couple of pregame beers. Low and behold, we run into Papa John himself, decked out in UK blue. Justin immediately called for my camera to grab the photo op. Papa John was happy to oblige, even though I was decked out in my Maryland red.
The game was closer than either me or Justin had predicted. In the end, the Wildcats edged out my beloved Terps in the last minute, but the effort they put forth made for some optimism for this year's basketball season. Justin spent most of the game "not so happy" with his team's rebounding; however, he was happy to take the win. Here are a few shots of the game, including a shot of Digger Phelps and company during the halftime show:
At the suggestion of many who knew we were rolling up to Brooklyn/NY for the game, we found a nearby pizza joint to pick up some pizza slices. After walking over 2 miles from the arena, these slices of pizza were a great idea. We were just surprised that we were hungry, especially with all the food we ate earlier in the day, and the number of beers we drank during the game. Starting clockwise, there is a white pizza slice, a "barbecue chicken" slice, a "lasagna" slice, and a pepperoni slice. The "barbecue chicken" slice was more of a "General Tso's Chicken" slice; however, the slice was still pretty tasty. The "lasagna" slice actually tasted like lasagna, but my favorites were the more traditional pizza slices we picked (i.e. the white pizza slice, and the pepperoni pizza slice.)
Unfortunately, our trip to Brooklyn/NY was only for the night. Before we drove back to DC, we decided to indulge in one more notable food item of the area. After searching Yelp for a nearby deli, we stumbled upon David's Brisket House. What trip to the area would not be complete without a NY-style pastrami sandwich? I opted for the "regular" pastrami sandwich, which was a beast of a sandwich. The meat was great, being tender, moist, and full of flavor. Justin got a brisket and pastrami sandwich, which towered over my own. I don't know why Justin is squinting, but it may be the fact that he's overjoyed to finally have a real NY-style deli sandwich.
