Tuesday Tramp

I just took a double dose of expired Nyquil, so we'll see how long I stay alive  to write this. I sound like an 80-year-old man or Kathleen Turner. Not sexy.

Anyway, the week before last, I took a Tuesday Tramp down to Hell's Kitchen, which I've decided is a perfect Manhattan neighborhood for me: lots of good food and decidedly unhip. Also the setting of West Side Story! 

I went to Azuri Cafe, which is a hole-in-the-wall falafel place on 51st and 10th. There are maybe four tables inside, and they're either up against the wall or up against the counter where everyone lines up to order, so it's tight quarters. On a weekday around lunchtime, I shared a table with some lunch-break business-suit types. There was a French dude, a hipster in flannel, and an annoying guy and girl talking about their annoying boyfriends/ex-boyfriends/psuedo-boyfriends. Is any of this important? No, I'm just setting the scene.

The man that owns Azuri is grumpy. In fact, he's been compared to the Soup Nazi, and that's why I have no pictures. But his falafel is delicious and costs $5.55, so I guess he's not too worried about business. Also, he seemed to like me a lot more after I cleaned my plate. I don't mess around when it comes to falafel.

Anyway, this baby came with a million toppings, which were actually more like fillings layered in the pita with the falafel and topped with baby pickles. I love baby pickles! And the pita was homemade and fresh, which I think makes all the difference. Is Azuri Cafe the best falafel in the city? I don't deal in such superlatives, but it was warm, gooey, and simply satsifying.

So then I walked down to Amy's Bread on 9th Ave between 46th and 47th. I've heard good things about their cupcakes, but I wasn't about to sample one without my trusty sidekick. So I went for a piece of monkey cake, which I hoped might be something similar to Monkey Bread.  

It wasn't anything like monkey bread. It was more like a hummingbird cake with bananas, pineapples, and pecans, and a cream cheese frosting, which was decidedly not a problem for me. One of the best cakes I've had in the city, definitely beating Buttercup's apple cake, which was my previous favorite. The cream cheese frosting was less sweet than most. I wouldn't mind more sugar, but that's pretty much my response to everything I eat, so take it with a grain of...um...salt.

I'm telling you, Hell's Kitchen is full of surprises.

So I walked back along Riverside Park, which is one of my favorite places to walk. Every time I'm there I end up taking dozens of pictures of the same things. Trees. Water. Sun.