Tasty and Fast Takeout in Midtown NYC!

My husband was working late last night and, rather than waste time to ferret out where to order from once the place around the corner was out of the meal he wanted, he called me.

And, I had a very good option for him at the ready: Pomodoro Restaurant. Although I've never actually been to their storefront - located on 9th Avenue between 38th & 39th - this was my go-to delivery place for years when I was working in midtown and wanted to work through lunch or dinner.

Great selection of sandwiches (not to mention salads and pasta.) which were reasonable by NYC pricing standards and delivery time was often LESS than what they quoted you over the phone - how often does that happen?!

My favorite sandwich was the #14: Fresh Mozzarella, Tomato, Basil & Arugula while the #15 was a close second: Grilled Chicken with Avocado, Herbal Mayo, Lettuce & Tomato.

Pomodoro Restaurant accepts credit cards and, should you, too, wish to take advantage of the delivery option - just keep in mind there is a $10 minimum.

Enjoy. And, be sure to let us know if you try 'em!

A sign of the times: New NJ restaurant has a 'pay what you can' option

Times are tough. And very few - if anyone - has been insulated from this recession. It may be a slowdown in your business - clients putting things on hold in this volatile economy, resulting in less income for you and for your company. It may be job loss - if not you, then someone you know. Or, it may translate to spending less discretionary income - skipping the tropical vacation this year or seeing if you can get another few thousand miles out of the 10+year old car.

I think we've all felt the pinch in one way or another. It's one thing, however, to feel a pinch - no matter how big; quite another to be wondering where your next meal is coming from, literally down to your last dollar.

This is where "A Better World Cafe" comes in: the recently-opened restaurant has implemented a policy of 'pay what you can' with suggested prices appearing next to items on the menu. And, the cafe features a "complimentary community entree" for those who can't pay anything in addition to offering these folks the opportunity to earn more food by volunteering their time & talent to the cafe.

The article points out that those who are not in dire financial straits are welcome to pay above the recommended prices as a way to help those less fortunate.

"A Better World Cafe" is located in Highland Park, NJ - stop in if you're in the area. You can read more info on this "giving back" option in dining here

Restaurant Week on Long Island: Sunday 11/1 - Sunday 11/8

Calling all Long Islanders: there's still time to squeeze in a great meal at a lower cost - Restaurant Week runs through this Sunday 11/8!!

My hometown is Huntington and one of my old favorites is participating - The Clubhouse Restaurant is an excellent steakhouse located on Jericho Turnpike. It's a comfortable outpost with great service and a divine mousse for dessert (which, alas, is not part of the Restaurant Week menu). And, of course, the steak is great!! Here's a link to their menu for this promotion, get there if you can.
Downtown Huntington is home to many wonderful restaurants such as Jonathan's, Red, Abel Conklin's, Honu Kitchen & Cocktails, Black and Blue Seafood Chophouse - and many more. You could fill your Restaurant Week dance card just staying in Huntington alone!

Another good one to try if you're dining in Suffolk County is Ruvo in Greenlawn - a warm, welcoming Italian restaurant with rustic decor. They now have a second location in Port Jefferson.

And, for those of you in Nassau County or out on the East End - your options are endless with many great restaurants to choose from!

***Note: The three-course prix fixe special is $24.95/person and is offered each night. The one exception is Saturday - you can only take advantage of the special until 7pm.

If anyone is able to go - enjoy! And, be sure to let all of us know where you went and how you liked it.

If you like Porter's Picks for movies/books/TV...

then you'll love "Dining Out: Westchester, NYC, CT & Beyond!"

(Editor's Note: A title can only be so long so 'beyond' will encompass Long Island, NJ, Cape Cod, and potentially other areas in the Northeast. I may also do the occasional shout-out to restaurants in other cities/areas of the country - let's see how this unfolds...)

Welcome to Porter's Picks readers and any new ones!!

I toyed with simply adding restaurant recommendations to my existing blog until I realized this could be a blog on its own as I'm happy to share some of my favorite restaurants...ones I'd like to try...maybe even a few nuggets on the areas where these culinary hot spots are located!

A little about me: as a child, I was a picky eater. When I say picky, I mean really picky - a nursery school teacher told my mom that on a field trip to the local McDonald's, I had fries. Yep, that's it. Growing up, we had the typical Irish-American fare: meat, potatoes and a veggie were the gold standard accompanied by a glass of milk (does a body good!) and maybe ice cream for dessert. Fridays were the exception: pizza & soda.

Going away to college, I began to leave my comfort zone and try a few new things but it was really as an adult working in NYC and living in Hoboken that I branched out...discovering the wonders of brunch with friends, girls' night dinners, etc. This once picky eater now counts Chilean sea bass and salmon (prepared any way!) among her favorites, enjoys sushi now & again, and is something of a macaroni & cheese connoisseur (and I'm not talkin' Kraft - sorry!).

Although I've come a long way and enjoy many kinds of food now, I'm not a true gourmand so this blog may not appeal to readers of the recently defunct "Gourmet". What this blog will be - a layperson approach to good eats, ambiance and, of course, cost - I'll try to give you an idea of what your bill may do to your wallet...which is very important in these economic times. Just because we're in the worst economy in 25+ years does not mean you have to completely give up eating out...you just need to be smarter about it: look for deals, coupons and events like "Restaurant Week" which are now featured well beyond just Manhattan; in fact, I think it's Restaurant Week THIS WEEK on Long Island!! (I will post details about this later today/tonight so you can check out for yourself.)

Finally, many of these posts might be short & sweet...little acorns to store away for future use. I'm often the one who offers to scout out where we should meet for brunch or dinner and it's because I really enjoy doing the 'restaurant research'. So, I'll be sure to do many mini-posts of places I'd like to eventually get to and why.

Happy Dining Out!

Laura