Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
708-7460.
www.normasnyc.com. Reservations accepted. Main courses $8-$23
(most $13-$18). AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Mon-Fri 6:30am-3pm; Sat-Sun 7am-3pm.
Subway: B, N, Q, R, W to 57th St.
Virgil's Real BBQ
BARBECUE/SOUTHERN In the
heart of the theme-restaurant wasteland known as Times Square is a
theme restaurant that actually has good food. The “theme” is South-
ern barbecue and the restaurant, sprawling over two levels, is made
to look and feel like a Southern roadhouse with good-ol'-boy deco-
rations on the walls and blues on the soundtrack. Virgil's does an
admirable job in re-creating that authentic flavor so hard to find
north of the Mason-Dixon Line. The spice-rubbed ribs are slow-
cooked and meaty, but it's the Owensboro lamb (smoked slices of
lamb) and the Texas beef brisket that are the standouts. Both are
melt-in-your-mouth tender; the lamb is sprinkled with a flavorful
mustard sauce, while the brisket is perfect with a few dabs of Virgil's
homemade spicy barbecue sauce. For starters, the corn dogs with
poblano mustard are something New Yorkers rarely have the pleas-
ure of experiencing, while the BBQ nachos—tortilla chips slathered
with melted cheese and barbecued pulled pork—are a meal in them-
selves. Desserts are what you would expect from a restaurant emu-
lating a Southern theme: big and sweet. Try the homemade
ice-cream sandwich made with the cookie of the day. Virgil's is a
great place to bring the kids; if they're noisy, no one will notice.
At Le Parker Meridien Hotel, 118 W. 57th St. (btwn Sixth and Seventh aves.).
&
212/
708-7460.
www.normasnyc.com. Reservations accepted. Main courses $8-$23
(most $13-$18). AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Mon-Fri 6:30am-3pm; Sat-Sun 7am-3pm.
Subway: B, N, Q, R, W to 57th St.
INEXPENSIVE
If you're looking for the quintessential New York deli, you have a
choice between the
Stage Deli,
834 Seventh Ave., between 53rd and
54th streets (
&
212/245-7850
), known for its huge celebrity-
named sandwiches, and the
Carnegie Deli,
854 Seventh Ave., at
55th Street (
&
800/334-5606
), the place to go for the best pas-
trami, corned beef, and cheesecake in town. For more, see the side-
bar “The New York Deli News,” on p. 96.
There's a
John's Pizzeria
in Times Square, 260 W. 44th St.,
between Broadway and Eighth Avenue (
&
212/391-7560;
subway:
1, 2, 3, 7, A, B, C, E, N, R, W, Q, S to 42nd Street/Times Square;
see the box “Pizza, New York-Style,” on p. 94). Also consider the
Burger Joint
, in the lobby of Le Parker Meridien Hotel, 118 W.
57th St. (
&
212/708-7460
), for cheap yet excellent burgers.
Kids
