Lunch Break: Brother Jimmy's, Schnipper's, Or Cabana
Southern food, quality Times Square dining, or Latin American cuisine, all to make you smile this Friday in today's New York Lunch Break. By Yvo Sin.
Brother Jimmy's
Multiple locations, check website for details
brotherjimmys.com
See Also: NYC's 8 Best Barbecue Restaurants | Gone Country: NYC's Best Southern Style Bars
While some scoff that proper Southern food cannot be found in NYC, Brother Jimmy's makes a valiant effort, and succeeds on many fronts. The menu contains many mainstays of southern cuisine that are difficult to find all over the city with any regularity (minus those items that have enjoyed brief moments in the trend spotlight): hush puppies (served with maple butter), fried green tomatoes (accompanied by spicy aioli), onion straws, jalapeno poppers, and more. The usual suspects also make their mark on the menu, with ribs, ribs, ribs, pulled pork, pulled chicken, brisket, po'boys and even - be still your pounding heart - country fried steak. Saving the best surprise for last, though, the real secret is that Brother Jimmy's is home to the best darn fried pickles in the city.
Schnipper's Quality Kitchen
620 8th Ave
New York, NY 10018
(212) 921-2400
schnippers.com
See Also: NYC's Best French Fries
Due to location, Schnipper's Quality Kitchen often gets overlooked in favor of the Shake Shack that is across the street, which is a shame because Schnipper's produces a very tasty burger in many different incarnations. Ignoring even that, the onion rings are fantastic, the fries are great, and you can get the fries Sloppy Joe style (pictured). Smothered in cheese sauce and sloppy joe mix, the fries somehow manage to stay crispy through most of the dish. You'll want a fork to dig out the last of the fries, but they're worth the extra gym time. Yum!
Cabana
1022 Third Avenue
New York, NY 10021
(212) 980-5678
10710 70th Road
Forest Hills, NY 11375
(718) 263-3600
89 South Street
New York, NY 10038
(212) 406-1155
See Also: NYC's Best Mexican Restaurants
Cabana's multiple locations make their Nuevo Latino cuisine super accessible to anyone in the mood for their unique mixture of Latin cuisines. With a rather reasonably priced lunch menu - items run no more than $12, and include empanadas, crisp shells filled with your choice of beef, shrimp or chicken, or ropa vieja, that classic dish of shredded beef, onion, bell peppers and tomatoes; all lunch dishes come with your choice of soup or salad. There's even "churrasco" on the lunch menu; for $12, you receive a tender skirt steak that has been marinated in garlic and fresh herbs, its own pot of chimichurri to slather on it, and cebollitas (grilled green onions). Be sure to pick up some breath mints though - the garlic in that will be enough to knock anyone out.
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Yvo Sin is the founder and head writer of The Feisty Foodie.
