The world’s most famous arena, Madison Square Garden, has thousands of kosher keeping fans attending its Knicks (well maybe not this year) and Rangers games, yet has yet to offer any sort of kosher fare in the arena … until now.

It has been confirmed that Carlos & Gabby’s will be operating Kosher stands within the stadium for both basketball and hockey games throughout the season (minus Shabbat and Yom Tovim I’m sure).

From Matzav.com:

In addition to Yankee Stadium and Citi Field, kosher food is available at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing, Prudential Center in Newark, NJ (New Jersey Devils – Hockey – NHL), Keyspan Park in Brooklyn, (Brooklyn Cyclones) , Izod Center in East Rutherford, NJ (New Jersey Nets – Basketball – NBA), and Met Life Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ (New York Giants / New York Jets – Football – NFL).

Kosher food is also available in major sports arenas in Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington DC, Miami, Toronto, and Boston.

For those of us Knicks & Rangers fans (like me) this is an exciting development, especially since I also enjoy Carlos & Gabby’s! This means no more heading to Kosher Delight or Mr. Broadway 2 hours before a game to eat (not that they’re bad – it’s just inconvenient), and actually being able to eat real food during the game like all the other attendees.

So to my fellow New York sports fans … come to the games hungry!

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!

Click here for: Restaurant Info

Sushein is a brand new Kosher sushi restaurant officially opening today in downtown Manhattan (NYC) near City Hall. What makes Sushein unique is that they are the 1st kosher sushi restaurant in the U.S. to have a conveyor belt in the restaurant deliver sushi to its patrons. I have seen these conveyor belt sushi places before, but never kosher. I was lucky enough to be invited to a special “invite-only” premiere this Sunday, and I left full, satisfied, and overall had a great culinary experience. (Scroll down to the bottom for more pictures from Sushein)

The way a conveyor belt sushi restaurant works is the conveyor belt loops between the kitchen or sushi chefs making the sushi/sashimi/hand rolls/seaweed salads/etc. and the patrons. Each plate of sushi is color coated, which delineates the cost of that plate. You can grab whatever you want off of the conveyor belt and just eat. No ordering required. You can, however, order something from the menu a la carte from one of the waiters.

>> Watch the video to see the conveyor belt in action

Since the plates are small, the portions are really appetizer or “tapas” sized, and thus priced accordingly, with plates ranging from $2.50 – $7+ each. It is not uncommon to eat multiple plates off of the conveyor belt. At the end of your meal, your plates are tallied up to figure out your cost of meal. (In Sushein, because it is a meat restaurant, they also serve beef or chicken sushi, which is quite innovative and tasty, and those plates have a red sticker on them letting you know they are “fleishigs”.)

Some of the sushi rolls I tried were interesting and innovative, including a roll with Salmon, Mango, and Pesto sauce; a “dessert” roll with strawberries, mango, pineapple, and a creamy chocolate center; as well as various rolls incorporating asparagus, chicken breast, beef slices, etc. Every one I tried was beautifully presented and delicious.

I would describe Sushein’s cuisine as Asian Fusion. While many may just go to sample the sushi from the conveyor belt, which is a fun experience, their menu incorporates Asian flavors from across the region.

We tried a handful of appetizers, soups, and main dishes.

My favorites were the Sweet Potato Coconut Curry soup, Lamb Lollies, Short Ribs, and Chilean Sea Bass.

Arielle and I both agreed that the portions were perfectly sized, not too big or small.

The design of silver with pink accents gave it a fun and modern environment, with flat screen TVs, a sushi bar and booths along the conveyor belt, and a back room (not near the conveyor belt) for larger groups or private parties of up to around 20 people. The design was done by Niki Broyn of Brooklyn.

Forgot to mention… Sushein has a selection of Kosher Wines to help you enjoy your meal.

More pics from Sushein:

It’s a great date place, or even a place to take a co-worker. Hope you enjoy it.

~Dani

Sushein
325 Broadway
New York, NY
(212) 962-2500

Under the Supervision of the Orthodox Union (OU)

In the past month, a new Kosher Food Truck hit NYC. The former Quick Stop Kosher truck was purchased by the “Kosher Fresh Diet” and is now “The Kosher Fresh Diet Express“, serving kosher observant New Yorkers.

Fare being sold includes sandwiches, wraps, salads, as well as healthy breakfast and dinner entrees, found only on The Kosher Fresh Diet meal plan. Operating and selling fresh Kosher food throughout Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn, the truck is kosher certified by the OU.

Currently their schedule is:

• Monday through Friday: Corner of Hanover and Water Street (Downtown).
• Sundays: No consistent location. In the past they have gone to the Metropolitan Museum of Art on 82nd and 5th, SoHo – Broadway and Prince St., as well as North Williamsburg (Brooklyn).
• For specific truck locations, be sure to check their Twitter feed: @KFDExpress (although it seems that they are not consistent in posting their whereabouts).

Let us know if you’ve tried it and what you think.

On Monday night at around 10PM, I passed 16 Handles Frozen Yogurt at 2nd Avenue and East 81st Street. It was 37 degrees outside and the place was packed. Contrast that to the also open, but empty, Pinkberry across the street.

16 Handles has changed the frozen yogurt experience for the better. They’ve “turned the counter around” so the consumer can self serve in three easy steps (yes, you can do it better than they can):

1. Choose from 16 flavors (Euro Tart is my favorite), take as many and as much (or as little) as you want.

2. Select from a wide variety of toppings (i like to mix in berries, cookie dough and Reese’s peanut butter cups), take as much (or as little) as you want.

3. Weigh and pay.

4. OPTIONAL – get your frequent yogurt eater card stamped for a freebee after 8 visits.

In addition to the two stores currently open in NYC (2nd Ave. and E. 9th St., 2nd Ave. and E. 81st St.), Eater reports that a new location is opening on the Upper West Side this Spring.

There are other open locations in Jericho, NY, Paramus, NJ,  and Gaithersburg, MD. This Spring and Summer will also bring new franchises to Boca Raton, FL, Clifton Park, NY, Port Washington, NY, and Fairfield, CT.

Most locations are certified by International Kosher Council (Rabbi Zev Schwartz). He explains that the yogurts are all certified Kosher by mainstream Supervisors (like OU, OK etc.) and all the topping are Kosher EXCEPT as labeled (indeed there are some non-Kosher gummy toppings).

Rumor has is it the UWS location will be certified by National Kosher Supervision (Rabbi Aaron D. Mehlman). This will accommodate a community where NKS is more widely accepted and recognized. However, this comes at a cost to the topping selection as certain berries and non-Kosher items will be excluded from the menu.

Please note: to our knowledge, Pinkberry is NOT Kosher (Pinkberry told us that).

Click on the DEAL to purchase it!

Books & Bagels – Manhattan — 50% off
Spend $5, Get $10 worth of Food

Deal expires Midnight tonight!

Books and Bagels is under strict supervision of Chabad Lubavitch of Gramercy Park, Rabbi Naftali Rotenstreich. Chalav Yisrael/Pas Yisrael.

www.nycbooksandbagels.com
121 West 19th Street
New York, NY 10011
(212) 633-4330

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EJ’s Too – West Hempstead — 34% Discount
Spend $10.50 for a Pizza Pie worth $16

Deal expires Friday night!

183 Hempstead Avenue
West Hempstead, NY 11552
(516) 279-6096

Being called for Jury Duty is not fun at all, and to make matters worse you’re there all day. The courthouse is located on 360 Adams Street in downtown Brooklyn and if you search ‘Kosher’ into Google Maps, the only result you will get within a 20 minute walking radius is a closed Pizza shop.
They gave us a 1 hour lunch break and I was starving, so I did what any Jew would do in this situation, find another Jew! I asked the first orthodox looking man, and turns out he frequents the area alot. He directed me to a kosher shack in the lobby of a building across the street.

• Kosher Court
  16 Court Street (In the Lobby)
  Brooklyn, NY

He has coffee, pareve Chulent, and fresh soups which are the only hot items he sells. He also has a variety of cold platters and sandwiches. Including tuna, cheese, turkey, pastrami, bread and others.
The hashgacha checked out, although I forget specifically which one it was. The food was actually pretty good.
The owner gave me his cell phone and said if anyone has any hashgacha questions to give him a call. Baruch Yuda Gancz: 646-267-0577

Considering there are 30-40 Jews who serve on Jury Duty every day, and at least another few hundred working in the area I’m surprised this is all I was able to find nearby.

Exciting news for kosher Upper East Siders and those that work in (north) Midtown East …

Kolette’s Kitchen at 672 Lexington Avenue (between 55th and 56th Street) is now open and under the supervision of Va’ad HaRabbanim of Queens.

It’s menu includes: Middle Eastern Mezze, Deli Sandwiches, as well as Vietnamese Sandwiches – adding some diverse flavors to the Kosher New York restaurant scene.

Source: Koshertopia