First Round: Savory 16
You can’t spend all day at the office checking college basketball scores, so why not spend some of it voting for your favorite foods? We at the Official Guide to NYC have put together a no-holds-barred bracket of 16 top New York City dishes, and your votes will decide who moves on and who has to wait till next year. Check out the first-round matchups below, and don’t forget to to come back next week for the quarterfinals.
(Left) Photo: Adam Kuban • (Right) Photo: Dominique Ansel
1. Classic New York Slice, Joe's Pizza
16. Cronut, Dominique Ansel Bakery
Folks still line up for the Cronut, a doughnut-croissant hybrid, but it faces a tough task against NYC’s signature snack. Joe’s slice comes in battle tested after fending off Joe & Pat’s, Arturo’s and L&B in the Pizza Conference Tournament.*
(Left) Photo: Julienne Schaer • (Right) Photo: Daniel Turtel
8. Bistro Burger, Corner Bistro
9. Porterhouse Steak, Peter Luger
Meritorious meats meet in an evenly matched 8-versus-9 tilt. Your preference may come down to how fancy you’re feeling tonight. (Cows hope both somehow lose.)
5. Roast Chicken for Two, The NoMad
12. Cannoli, Madonia Brothers Bakery
As always, watch the 5-versus-12 game closely. The foie-gras-stuffed whole chicken is the most famous dish at one of the City’s heralded fine-dining establishments; the cannoli is emblematic of Arthur Avenue, the Bronx’s Little Italy.
(Left) Photo: Kate Glicksberg • (Right) Photo: Bruce Buck
4. Har Gow, Pacificana
13. Red Snapper, King Cole Bar
Delicate shrimp dumplings, stars of authentic dim sum in Brooklyn’s Sunset Park, go up against the Manhattan bloody mary that spawned legions of imitators.
(Left) Photo: Julienne Schaer • (Right) Photo: Julienne Schaer
6. Hot Dog, Nathan’s
11. Egg Cream, Gem Spa
Nathan Handwerker’s handiwork has the brand name and, thanks to the hot-dog eating contest, plenty of TV exposure—but your correspondent has to admit he’s pulling for the fizzy favorite from days gone by.
(Left) Photo: Tagger Yancey IV • (Right) Photo: Gabriele Stabile
3. Bagel and Cream Cheese with Lox, Russ & Daughters
14. Pork Buns, Momofuku Noodle Bar
It’s morning versus evening and kosher versus traif in this matchup. We like to think of it as Pete Carril’s Princeton offense against Paul Westhead’s high-octane Loyola Marymount attack. But which team is which?
(Left) Photo: Alan Rosen • (Right) Courtesy, Mamoun's.
7. Original Cheesecake, Junior’s
10. Falafel Sandwich, Mamoun’s
The most famous representative of New York cheesecake goes against vegetarians’ favorite inexpensive late-night snack.
(Left) Photo: Julienne Schaer • (Right) Photo: Marley White
2. Pastrami Sandwich, Second Avenue Deli
15. Soft Pretzel, NYC Street Carts
Meat and street collide. Pastrami on rye is a New York institution—likewise, the Second Avenue Deli—but don’t sleep on the omnipresent street pretzel as it aims to become this tournament’s Florida Gulf Coast. Dunk City into mustard? Stranger things have happened.
All right, sports fans. Round one voting continues through Monday, March 20, at 9am ET. Come back next week to see who’s moving on, and to vote in the quarterfinals. After all, college basketball is exciting, but even Dick Vitale himself has to admit you can't eat it.