Pier 9

"J" and I tried the newly opened Pier 9 restaurant located in NYC's Hell's Kitchen at 802 Ninth Avenue.

We started with the lobster macaroni and cheese ($12) which was not what we expected. It was 6 rings of pasta covered with "cheese fondue" and topped a small nugget of lobster.

"J" had the lobster roll ($24) and I had the Chicago style lobster hot dog ($17) which was a lobster and shrimp "hot dog" topped with lobster (salad) mayo with peppers, lettuce and tomato. Both were served with limp fries.

For dessert we had the S'mores donut ($8) which was a full size donut covered with marshmallow fluff and topped with chocolate ice cream.

The food was just okay, but the setting made you feel like you were by the water - clean and white with sail cloth room dividers.

Tagine

This Moroccan restaurant is located in NYC's Hell's Kitchen at 537 Ninth Avenue.

My table had semolina bred with red lentil puree with saffron, potato croquettes, vegetable and lamb phyllo turnovers, chicken tagine, vegetable couscous and chocolate covered dates.

Holey Cream

...is located in NYC's Hell's Kitchen at 796 Ninth Avenue. They have created the ultimate in caloric desserts - an ice cream sandwich made with a donut...dipped in chocolate...with toppings!

First they start with a plain donut sliced in half. Then you select your ice cream flavor (I chose moose tracks). Then they dip the top half of the donut in chocolate. Then you select your choice of toppings (I chose peanut butter chips)....all this for $5.25 + tax!

What a decadent invention. The ice cream was actually good, but the donut put it over the top!

Pietrasanta

is located in NYC's Hell's Kitchen/Theatre District at 683 Ninth Avenue. It is a good spot for pre-theatre dining. It's one of my favorite standbys in the area.

Even though our waitress was Hungarian the food is your standard Italian fare. We were given a basket of bread and roasted pepper tapenade and sweet creamy butter.

"J" and I shared the (fried) Calamari Romana appetizer ($9).

"J" had the Spaghettini Pomodo ($13) and I had the Trenette Scampi - black pasta with shrimp, asparagus and whole cherry tomatoes ($17).

Then we shared 3 mini cannolis for dessert ($9).

As always, the food was good and dependable.

Hell's Kitchen Flea Market

located in NYC at 39th Street and 9th Avenue had a parade of food trucks yesterday. By noon the lines were outrageously long, especially for the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck. So I settled for the shortest line which was for the Cinnamon Snail - the Hoboken, NJ based Vegan Organic food.

I tried the Toasted Coconut and Apple Cider donuts (each $2). They were actually quite good and did not have the greasy taste of regular donuts.

Baklava

I have been anxious to try Poseidon Bakery because I enjoy baklava. Located on Ninth Avenue in NYC's Hell's Kitchen at 629 Ninth Avenue this bakery offers many traditional Greek pastries. The inside decor is not fancy, but the offerings looked marvelous.

I tried the baklava ($3/pc) and it was rich with honey and predominantly nuts. I prefer a little more phyllo dough in my baklava though. I would like to return to try their other treats.

Xie Xie Again

I revisited this Asian Sandwich Shop in NYC's Hell's Kitchen to try their Vietnamese BBQ Beef sandwich. This comprised of flavorful chunks of beef with basic, mayo and carrot kimchi on a soft sesame seed bun.

They have expanded their beverage offerings, are now selling POP chips and have a combo gift/frequent diner card. If you buy 10 sandwiches your 11th is free!

Hey, Hey! Xie Xie

I have been eagerly awaiting the opening of this Hell's Kitchen area restaurant - which features an asian fusion interpretation of the Vietnamese banh mi sandwich. They offered a lobster roll version made with Kewpie mayo (you may have seen this sold in Asian grocery stores - it has the cute little kewpie character on the bottle), tarragon and fried shallots for $14.00. It had a little too much mayo for my taste and the bun was neither toasted/grilled or buttered (the bun, in my book, makes or breaks the lobster roll).

I ended my meal with the "1000 Year Old" Ice Cream Sandwich which had oozing black caramel in the center for $4.00.

Xie Xie

645A 9th Avenue

NY, NY 10036