Two adventurous Code Trippers embark on a scavenger hunt throughout Manhattan, with Host Christopher as their guide, on this Best of Sports edition of Code Trip.  With their street smarts at the ready and the Codester fueled up, Keith and Jill look for clues throughout 10013, 10014 and 10022, which take them to their final destination and a special sporting surprise in Shelton, CT. Batter up!

Canal Plastics Center
345 Canal Street, 10013
www.canalplasticscenter.com

Enfleurage
321 Bleecker Street, 10014
www.enfleurage.com

Jimbo’s Hamburgers
991 1st Avenue, 10022
www.jimboshamburgerplace.com

The Wiffle Ball, Inc.
275 Bridgeport Avenue, 06484
www.wiffle.com

What’s your favorite sport to play in NYC?

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CiNYC Host Christopher picks up our latest Code Tripper in Long Island City – 11101 to be exact. Our dynamic duo cruises the city in our Pontiac Codester to explore some viewer suggestions on what’s cool in their zips. We grab a delicious dosa in Washington Square Park, play some stickball with Mets great Ron Darling in 10019, and take a tour with Tony Muia – Brooklyn’s resident pizza authority. You won’t go hungry on this Code Trip!

Grimaldi’s Pizzeria
19 Old Fulton Street, 11201
www.grimaldis.com

Slice of Brooklyn Pizza Tour
www.bknypizza.com

What is your favorite street game?

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In this premiere Code Trip, CiNYC Host Shirley gets the keys to a brand new Pontiac Codester in New Rochelle, 10801, and then cruises downtown with our Code Tripper Kevin to check out 10007 and 10013, otherwise known as Tribeca!  This fun-filled day is jam packed with exploring, shopping and a few tasty bites for you to fuel up on.  Think you know Tribeca?  Have another look through our rearview mirror.

Balloon Saloon
133 West Broadway, 10013
www.balloonsaloon.com

Boomerang Toys
173 West Broadway, 10013
www.boomerangtoys.com

Bazzini
339 Greenwich Street, 10013
www.bazzininuts.com

Roc Restaurant
190 Duane Street, 10013
www.rocrestaurant.com

What’s your favorite spot in Tribeca?

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Sept 19, 9pm / $20 (pre-sale tickets)
Blender Theater @ Gramercy / 127 E 23rd St. / 10010
www.irvingplaza.com

Sept. 17, 8pm / $42
Hammerstein Ballroom / 311 W 34th St. / 10001
Click Here for More Info!

Take one step into Greenwich Village staple Aphrodisia Herb Shoppe and the exotic sights and smells will instantly transport you to an ancient market place in India, Morocco or China. Serving the 10014 community since 1969, this intimate apothecary offers everything from medicinal herbs, teas, vitamins and spices to essential oils, jewelry and unique accessories. These days the crowds flock for owner Joann Pelletiere’s tea blends – specially mixed and measured to relieve colds, strengthen the immune system or even cleanse your liver. Another fragrant fan favorite is the essential oil blends, and if you get lucky Joann will personally mix you a one-of-a-kind signature scent. Very soon Aphrodisia hopes to add a “tea spot” where herbivores can come and have their tea brewed and enjoy it at the store. CiNYC Host Shirley takes a whiff and talks shop in this aromatic adventure.

Aphrodisia Herb Shoppe
264 Bleecker Street, 10014
www.aphrodisiaherbshoppe.com

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What Home Remedy Do You Swear By?

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They say the third time’s a charm, and nothing could be truer for the Lower East Side steakhouse Sammy’s Roumanian – the third Roumanian-Jewish restaurant to occupy the same address. Fate dealt New York a lucky hand when Stan Zimmerman won this modern-day institution in a poker game from Sammy himself in 1975.In this bi-level space that never fails to make you feel at home, you’ll be entertained by live music and serenaded by your waiters. Try the chopped liver or the signature Roumanian tenderloin, skirt steak from the diaphragm. Surrounded by the history-adorned walls, you’ll witness how kitsch meets karnatzlack – the latter an elongated sausage patty made of beef and veal, with a generous dose of garlic. Owner David Zimmerman likens the food here to that of Grandmother’s cooking, a major ingredient of which is schmaltz – 100% chicken fat. This is such a staple you’ll find a bottle at each table. You might even be fortunate enough to receive an egg cream made by David himself, who virtually grew up here and is now the self-proclaimed “Doctor of Schmaltzology.” If it’s family-style fun you’re looking for, go to the place where you have an experience, not just a meal. As their t-shirts suggest, “Schmaltz it up at Sammy’s”!

Check out more Cool Eats here.

Where Do You Go To Feel At Home?
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In New York City, the stomach rules. Day or night, you can find culinary delights from every corner of the world and in every price range. Thankfully, the NYC Food Guy can help you savor every bite. Lawrence is a native New Yorker whose goal is to let people know where to find delicious and affordable food throughout the city. His Code Words column does just that with reviews, tips and tricks that will keep you sated.

Daisy May’s Big Pig Gig: Smoked Whole Pig for 12 People

Wow. Just wow. It’s hard to feel any other emotion when a 35-45 pound pig smoked for 7-8 hours is placed directly in front of you with one purpose: Feeding twelve hungry carnivores. For $480 plus tax, Daisy May’s BBQ USA, on 11th Avenue and 46th Street, will provide you and eleven others with a smoked whole pig, cole slaw, buttered and grilled Texas Toast, 2 Fixins’, watermelon, and an experience you’ll never forget. Vegetarians beware.

It all started when Danny at Food In Mouth.com posted his Daisy May’s Half Pig Gig. King of Ketchup and I were amazed. Never had we seen so much delicious, glistening pork in one place. That was the only motivation KoK needed. He rounded up 11 friends and family members and before I knew it I was face to face with a smoked whole pig.

Daisy May’s Carolina sauce was provided for the pork. A sauce of their creation mixed with honey, it’s what Daisy May’s pulled pork is typically drenched in. Sweet with a hint of vinegar, I didn’t love it, but it definitely enhanced the pork.

In addition to cole slaw, Daisy May’s website offers 2 Large Fixins’. If you request to get smaller servings of the fixins’, you can get three different ones. Before the pig came, I loaded up on sides. This was going to be a feast for the ages. Clockwise from left to right: Texas Toast, cole slaw, Cajun dirty rice and beans, baked beans with burnt ends, and mashed sweet potatoes with brown sugar.

* The airy, buttered and grilled Texas Toast came in handy when I had some over-sauced bites of pork.
* The cole slaw was tasty, striking a balance between sweet and tart. The Cajun dirty rice and beans, flavored with Cajun spices, pepper, onion, garlic and bacon were mediocre
* The baked beans with beef rib burnt ends were great.
* It was the sweet potatoes, however, which stole the show: Mashed sweet potato with brown sugar, banana, and some heavy cream. By far the best sweet potatoes I’ve ever had. They could be eaten on their own as dessert. Unreal. I’ll be picking some of these up to bring home for Thanksgiving.

But everything paled in comparison to the pig. After being sliced down the middle, the skin was sectioned and peeled back revealing the glory you see below:

Junior, the manager, broke down which part of the pig was which.

* The shoulder, aka the pork butt, is where pulled pork comes from.
* The ribs are in the middle, underneath the loin.
* The fatty meat on the sides of the pig is what eventually becomes bacon.

There’s only one way to get at all the goodness: Use your hands. Rubber gloves are provided but they don’t protect you from the burning hot pork, which was around 190 degrees when placed on the table. I went to grab a piece of skin but it was too leathery to eat.

I cleared some space on my plate and went right for the shoulder meat. It was hot, moist and tender. Unlike most barbecued pork, I didn’t really taste the smoke. Instead, you taste a hint of smoke and a lot of pork. It was an overwhelmingly meaty flavor. A little bit of sauce went a long way towards counteracting this, so be careful not to over sauce.

Once we cleared most of the pork from the easily accessible areas, we had the waiter slice the cheeks so we could get a taste of the moist, fatty pork inside. This wasn’t my favorite section of the pig so I moved onto the legs which were surprisingly as tender and flavorful as the shoulder.

I personally enjoyed the pork most when I mixed it with some sauce, a bite of the Texas Toast and then a little bit of the sweet potato; the confluence of sweet and savory was the best part of the meal. Most BBQ pork is smoked twice as long as Daisy May’s whole pig, so don’t go in expecting it to taste like BBQ you’ve had before. The best pork I’ve ever had came from Big Bob Gibson’s stand at the Big Apple BBQ Block Party. It was handed to me freshly pulled, 2 minutes out of the smoker, so I’m a little biased but you’ll see a difference in flavor between Daisy May’s whole pig and their standard pulled pork as well. The Big Pig Gig wins as far as experience but if you’re going for straight flavor and deliciousness, consider the $150+ tax Whole Pork Butt for up to 6 people.

In the end Daisy May’s Big Pig Gig was a delicious experience that I will never forget and I heartily recommend it to anyone who considers themselves a carnivore or a BBQ lover.

Special thanks to King of Ketchup and family for providing NYC Food Guy with a meal that can only be described as “awesome”.

Daisy May’s BBQ
623 11th Avenue @ 46th Street
10036
www.daisymaysbbq.com

For more of NYC Food Guy’s delicious reviews click here.

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Where do you go for the ultimate BBQ experience?

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“It’s the audience that makes you a star.” Well, since 1934 audiences have delighted in the acting talents of Brooklyn-born Fyvush Finkel, who goes Back on the Block with CiNYC Host Hank through Manhattan’s Lower East Side. This artisan of the stage and screen was born Philip Finkel in 1922, adopting the stage name of Fyvush (Yiddish for Philip) when he started his almost 35-year career acting in New York’s Yiddish Theater. Mr. Finkel made the move to Broadway in 1964 in the original production of Fiddler on the Roof, eventually landing the lead role of Tevye the milkman during his 12-year run with the show. He was nominated for 2 Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe in the early ‘90s for his role as lawyer Douglas Wambaugh on the television show Picket Fences, winning the Emmy in 1994. Most recently the former furrier appeared in the television series Boston Public and returned to the stage in David Ives’ Off-Broadway play New Jerusalem with the Classic Stage Company. In this special segment of Back on the Block, Hank and Fyvush visit East Village landmarks John’s and The Orpheum Theater, to talk about a life well lived…and still going strong.

John’s
302 East 12th Street, 10003

Orpheum Theater
126 Second Avenue, 10003

www.orpheum-theater.com

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Where do you go to see great theater?

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In New York City, the stomach rules. Day or night, you can find culinary delights from every corner of the world and in every price range. Thankfully, the NYC Food Guy can help you savor every bite. Lawrence is a native New Yorker whose goal is to let people know where to find delicious and affordable food throughout the city. His Code Words column does just that with reviews, tips and tricks that will keep you sated.

Shorty’s Cheese Steaks: Creating Philly Perfection Even by Delivery

New Yorkers rejoice, Shorty’s has answered your cheese steak prayers. Midtown’s version of “wiz wit”, a cheese steak with cheese whiz and fried onions, is the truest version of the Philadelphia classic NYC Food Guy has encountered thus far. I’m yet to try 99 miles to philly or Wogie’s, but until then I’m ready to hand Shorty’s the crown for the best cheese steak and some of the crispiest fries I’ve had in this city.

I’m confident in that statement because I’ve never even eaten Shorty’s in-store, I’ve only had it delivered from their 9th Avenue and 42nd St. location to my office on 6th Avenue and 51st St.. With at least 30 separate orders to my office over the past few months, the three avenue, 9 block trek hasn’t yielded one unsatisfied eater. If that’s not a true barometer for success, what is? Read on to find out why Shorty’s is so delicious.

I’ve only had two Shorty’s sandwiches: The Classic Cheese Steak ($7.99), “wiz wit” style, and the Roast Pork Special ($9.50). The cheese steak (below) was awesome. An abundance of moist, thinly sliced sirloin mixed with sweet, flavorful fried onion, swimming in a perfectly portioned schmear of cheese whiz. The bread was the only weak point, slightly crisp, but nowhere near the point of cracking.

Shorty’s used to be a franchise of the Philly legend Tony Luke’s, but franchise fees are fruitless once you have a following, and that’s how Shorty’s was born. Unfortunately, this may have led to the death of their heralded Roast Pork Special (thinly sliced, seasoned pork in a spicy au jus, Broccoli rabe, and sharp provolone) which was a flavorless grease bomb. I strongly recommend you avoid it.

My co-workers have had everything from the Pizza Steak ($8.50) with pepperoni (+$1.50) to the Buffalo Chicken Steak ($7.99) and the Chicken Steak Club ($8.99, below).

Everyone’s been overly pleased with their order and a debt of that gratitude goes to the fries. Somehow these fries ($3.00) continuously survive the delivery and reach us crisp and piping hot. I’ve honestly never encountered such consistently amazing delivery fries. Forget the Italian fries ($4.00, below), mixed with Italian seasoning and Romano cheese and the Mozzarella triangles ($4.99, below), the latter of which are the only thing that failed the delivery.

Whether you’re a cheese steak lover or a novice, you can feel comfortable knowing that Shorty’s will provide you with the genuine article.

For more of NYC Food Guy’s delicious reviews click here.

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Where do you go to get a taste of home? Post a comment below!