The Occupy Wall Street (#OWS) movement is now running on its 7th week of mass protests in lower Manhattan. While the crowds are fighting for better wages, jobs, and other economic issues, one of their unintended casualties has been a local Kosher restaurant: Milk Street Cafe, located on Wall Street, and just opened this summer (see my video of the restaurant by clicking here).

Due to the protests, the thriving restaurant is no longer thriving, and just laid off 21 employees from the large restaurant (nearly a quarter of his staff) — which by the way – has THREE separate kosher kitchens, dairy, meat, and pareve (certified by the OU).

The protests + police barricades make it extremely difficult – but not impossible – to reach for pedestrians. Remember, Wall St. is a pedestrian mall, and currently, it is carved up and blocked by many barricades.

Regardless of who is to blame for the restaurant’s layoffs and current financial troubles, we can do something about it – we can eat there.

We can make it our business to go out of our way around the barricades and crowds and eat there. I’m not necessarily endorsing this restaurant over others in the area … or in general. Obviously many Kosher restaurants go out of business … but typically for lack of demand, or because simply, the food / service was bad. This restaurant was in high demand. However, due to unforeseen circumstances they are losing money and may have to close prematurely because of these protests and the NYPD’s response.

Whether you work downtown, or are a #OWS protesters and keep kosher … be sure to stop by Milk Street Cafe on 50 Wall Street. It’s a huge place with lots of options.

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This video is from 3.5 months ago, and the place is thriving! Now, it may go out of business!

Contributed by Rachael Abrams | Last Date of Travel: January 2010

As a native-Texan I’m used to average Kosher restaurants, a small close-knit Jewish community and the passion to travel outside of Dallas to see other cities. New York is probably my favorite city to visit, not just for it’s liveliness nor it’s real winter weather—because of the incredibly diverse array of Kosher food.

I just returned from a very quick visit. Three nights in the Big Apple felt like a week simply because of all the food I ate. I feel like the city consumed me… literally.

My tasty travels began with delicious Chinese food, something my native Dallas lacks. EstiHana is an Asian restaurant situated in a lovely area close to the renown Natural History Museum on the Upper West Side. The atmosphere was very nice with couples on (what looked like) first dates—I was glad I dressed up that evening. I ordered a steamed chicken dish and shared a bowl of udon noodle soup (with beef). There’s sushi on the menu and other delectable entrees to satisfy ones Asian food craving. Although I walked out with a dent in my pocket, the food was well worth the damage. I was able to take a subway close to where the restaurant was located, which is an easy and inexpensive option for travelers.

The next day, after a lot of walking allover the Upper East Side, I landed in Times Square where tourists and gigantic advertisements can be found. Right off of Broadway, I dined at Schnitzel Express for lunch, where I ate a delicious Oriental Schnitzel sandwich. It was so good that right before I left for Dallas, I grabbed one to-go for the plane ride. For fast-food atmosphere, the food is perfect for a quick lunch.

New York impresses me with each visit for it’s incredible kosher food everywhere. If you are Jewish, New York is the place to be. It’s even written on the buildings with names like “Schwartz” and “Greenberg” stamped on the outside of both small and large businesses. After Shabbat, I dined with some friends at Clubhouse Cafe (right off of Times Square), which is a trendy American restaurant where you’ll find soft lighting, sliders, wings and delicious hamburgers. This is the perfect New York restaurant if you are willing to spend a few bucks.

My experience in New York was quite flavorful with incredible restaurants for my picky palette. Just in case you visit in the winter—bring walking shoes, gloves, and a hat. If you forget, you can purchase some warm weather gear at a stand…just about anywhere.

You can read about my posts on YeahThatsKosher here: http://yeahthatskosher.com/author/Rabrams

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Editor’s Note (from Dani Klein): for more info on New York, check out our post on NYC by clicking here.

Recommendation: for New Yorkers and tourists visiting NYC, we highly recommend using the Not For Tourists guidebooks and web resources: www.notfortourists.com/NewYork.aspx

Jews the world over are traveling around to friends, family, or to new locations this Passover. While it is typically impossible to find kosher restaurants or eateries open for Passover, here are a few that I’ve found that will be open this year on Chol Hamoed (intermediary days of Passover):

Manhattan

Abigael’s
1407 Broadway New York, NY 10018
Between 38th and 39th Street
(212) 576-1407

Caffé Mocias
711 Amsterdam Avenue New York, NY 10025
Between 94th and 95th Street
(347) 533-2800

Clubhouse Café
155 West 46th Street New York, NY 10036
Between 6th and 7th Avenue
(212) 354-3838

Darna
600 Columbus Avenue New York, NY 10024
Between 89th and 90th Street
(212) 721-9123

La Carne Grill
340 Lexington Avenue New York, NY 10016
Between 39th and 40th Street
(212) 490-7172

Le Marais
150 West 46th Street New York, NY 10036
Between 6th and 7th Avenue
(212) 869-0900

Mendy’s Kosher Deli
61 East 34th Street New York, NY 10016
Between Madison and Park Avenue
(212) 576-1010

My Most Favorite Food
120 West 45th Street New York, NY 10036
Between Broadway and 6th Avenue
(212) 997-5130

Prime Grill
60 East 49th Street New York, NY 10017
Between Madison and Park Avenue
212) 692-9292

Talia’s Steakhouse
668 Amsterdam Avenue New York, NY 10025
Between 92nd and 93rd Street
(212) 580-3770

Turquoise
240 East 81st Street New York, NY 10028
Between 2nd and 3rd Avenue
(212) 988-8222

Village Crown To-Go
216 East 49th Street, 2nd Floor New York, NY 10017
Between 2nd and 3rd Avenue
(212) 207-3888

Brooklyn

T Fusion Steakhouse (Teafor2 meat restaurant)
3223 Quentin Rd., Brooklyn, NY 11234
(718) 627-8325

Crawford’s Cafe
1209 Kings Highway, Brooklyn, NY 11229
(718) 3802 0474

Queens

Cho-Sen Garden
6443 108th St., Flushing, NY 11375
(718) 275-1300

Colbeh
6834 Main St, Flushing, NY
(718) 268-8181

Long Island

Cho-Sen Island (5 Towns)
367 Central Avenue, Cedarhurst, NY 11516
(516) 374-1199

Cho-Sen Village (Great Neck)
505 Middle Neck Rd
Harbor Hills, NY 11023
(516) 504-1199

Colbeh (Great Neck)
75 N Station Plz
Great Neck, NY 11021
(516) 466-8181

Colbeh (Roslyn)
1 Intervale Avenue
Roslyn, NY 11577
(516) 621-2200

What was once impossible to find, Sushi has become so popular in the Jewish community over the past 15 years, every restaurant wants to get in on the action.

Delis, pizzerias, non-Japanese Asian eateries such as Chinese and Thai restaurants, have all jumped on the Sushi bandwagon. When I first tried Sushi over ten years ago, I absolutely hated it, but now I can’t get enough of this delicious finger food. (That’s right! The traditional way to eat Sushi is with your hands, not with chopsticks!)

So here are a few places I recommend in NYC. If you have some favorites of your own, please add them by commenting to this post.

• Mr. Broadway - Broadway, Midtown Manhattan – A great deli with Sushi bar up front. Some of the best tasting Sushi I have had.  Try the “Atlantic Roll” with Tuna, Avocado, and fresh Mango. Awesome!
• Jerusalem 2 Pizza (J2) - Broadway, Midtown Manhattan -Famous for its pizza (although it’s not too great anymore), J2 has expanded it’s menu and has a Sushi bar behind the sandwich area. You can pick up a pre-made roll or request a chef’s special roll. The rolls are surprisingly large, tasty, and inexpensive.
• Estihana - W 79th st., Upper West Side – Expensive but good Sushi. Popular date place. Also has a restaurant on Ave. J in Brooklyn.
• Fujihana - Ave. U, Brooklyn – Fujihana introduced me to Sushi. They are well known for their wide Japanese and Asian menu.
• Sushi Metsuyan - Central Ave., Cedarhurst – The Sushi is good, the atmosphere is amazing. The wall has a built in fish tank with exotic fish and other sea creatures. Great date place! They have 3 additional Sushi restaurants around the NY metro area including Teaneck, Queens, and Monsey.

Contributed by: Dani Klein | Last Date Visited: [Author lives in New York]

Kosher Info: Since Orthodox Jews make up such a large percentage of New York’s population, NYC is probably the easiest city in the world outside of Jerusalem to find Kosher food.

Buying Kosher food anywhere in New York is fairly easy. Kosher markets exist on the Upper West Side, Upper East Side, Washington Heights, and the Lower East Side. However, almost every supermarket: Key Food, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Gristedes, Fairway, and others carry a wide array of Kosher products frequented by the Jewish NYers.

With so many places to eat in Manhattan, I will focus on a few areas that travelers to New York can visit for a quick bite to eat, or for a fancy sit down experience. (There are so many restaurants and general kosher eateries, there is no doubt many will not be on this list. This is a general list for the traveler to NY)

Midtown:

• Jerusalem 2 Pizza (aka “J2″)- the largest Kosher pizza shop in the world; they carry pizza, pasta, sandwiches, and sushi.
• Mr. Broadway – a large no-frills deli frequented by both businessmen and pedestrians; they carry a full menu of deli, BBQ, Chinese, and sushi. Recommend Sushi and Pastrami Burgers.
• Le Marais – famous steakhouse by Times Square; even better post-Broadway show.
• Mendy’s – the only kosher place inside Grand Central Station
• Other places to grab a quick bite: Circa, Milk & Honey, Kosher Delight, Kosher Deluxe, Vegetable Garden (moved to W38th st between 7th & 8th Ave)…

Upper West Side (UWS)

• Pizza Cave (W. 72nd st.)
• Nargila Grill (W. 72nd st.) – huge portions of great tasting Middle Eastern cuisine
• Talia’s Steakhouse (Amsterdam Ave. & W. 93rd st.) – nice atmosphere, great steak and potatoes
• Deli Kasbah (W. 85th st.) – one of the affordable Fleishig (meat) places in the city
• Estihana (W. 79th st.) – great sushi and other Japanese dishes
• Gan Asia (Amsterdam Ave. & W. 94th st.) – take out Asian
• H&H Bagels (W.80th st.) – 24 hour kosher bagels – yummmm
• Cafe Nana – (W. 115th st. – 2nd floor of the Columbia Univ. Hillel)

Downtown

• Subway (yes, there’s a Kosher one on Water st.)
• Essex on Coney Downtown
• Broadway Kosher Cafe

Tourist Info: Being a NYer myself, I relish living in the greatest city on Earth. There are always new places to explore and people to meet. I will list certain must-sees and must-dos while in the city, some traditional, some personal favorites.

• Empire State Building – observatory tower, landmark
• 5th Ave. – (window) shopping, walk into Trump Tower & FAO Schwartz
• Rockefeller Center – “Top of the Rock”, NBC Studios, ice skating
• Times Square – Broadway Shows, comedy clubs, bright lights – use “TKTS” for cheaper Broadway tickets day of show
• Central Park – walking, sports, picnics, free concerts, relaxing,
• Lower Manhattan – Battery Park, Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Wall Street, WTC site / Ground Zero – future home of the Freedom Tower
• Chinatown
• Brooklyn Bridge – walk across on a nice day, great views
• South Street Seaport – boats, shopping, and the occasional show or exhibit
• Greenwich Village – nightlife, shopping, and interesting people
• Upper West & Upper East Sides – gorgeous apartment buildings, crazy rents, wealthy tenants, great neighborhood
• Madison Square Garden – see the Knicks or Rangers play, or one of many other sporting events hosted in the worlds most celebrated arena
• NY Public Library – like no other library
• Grand Central Station – they dont make train stations like this anymore, worth stopping by, avoid rush hour

Technically not in Manhattan (The Bronx):

• Yankee Stadium – catch a home game of the greatest sports team on Earth; sit in the Bleachers – the cheapest and by far the most fun section of the ballpark
• Bronx Zoo – much bigger than the Central Park Zoo

Parks:

• Central Park – without a doubt! Man-made, but oh so awesome!
• Fort Tryon Park – in Washington Heights (take the A train to 191st st.); great views of the Hudson River, George Washington Bridge, and visit the Cloisters
• Bryant Park – surrounded by office buildings and the NYPL, it is home to many professionals eating their lunch seeking refuge from their offices; hosts free ice skating in the winter, “movies in the park” in the summer.
• Union Square – small park; often hosts fresh food markets, performers, and the weekly protests; great shopping all around the area. Check out Max Brenner’s Chocolate Shop (from Israel) on Broadway. The boxed chocolates are all kosher (all have hashgacha from Israel), but the sit-down restaurant is not kosher at all.
• Battery Park – great views of the New York harbor, Statue of Liberty, and the Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Verrazano bridges.

Museums & Zoos:

• MoMA
• The Met
• Museum of Natural History
• The Guggenheim
• Central Park Zoo

Affordable Shopping:

• Century 21
• 34th St.
• Canal St.

Jewish Info: Jews can be found in just about every area of this city, they might as well change the name to Jew York. Minyanim are not difficult to find, and there are nice Mikvahs on the Upper West Side, Upper East Side, Washington Heights, and on the Lower East Side.

Orthodox or not, check out the following synagogues:

• The Spanish-Portuguese Synagogue
• The Stanton St. Shul
• Park East Synagogue
• Ohab Zedek (OZ) – Friday night social scene
• Mt. Sinai Jewish Center – Friday night social scene