New York Bagels and Deli

I must admit, seeing what could be described as something that belongs in a strip mall somewhere anywhere other than New York City in a tiny island country is weird and comforting. New York Bagels and Deli is slightly off the many highway in the Grand Anse area and has what a generic american deli would have: burgers, sandwiches, several breakfast options and delivery. It's relatively new, with the "Now Open" still laying in the grass after falling a few months ago. The decor is similar to most of Grenada: bright lights, tiles and garden furniture inside. The burger and fries come in at about $5, with the burger being serviceable version of a whopper without ketchup and the fries forgettable (somehow, the best american food I've had was visiting KFC drunk). A burger that I would never even think of order turns out to be the best burger I've had on the island to date; it was grilled instead of microwaved and was somewhat large. My biggest complaint is the music selection--typically someone displaying "New York" in its name (though they are usually pizzerias) has music from the area like Frank Sinatra, Bruce Springsteen et. al. or generic pop/top 40. Instead, the local radio station, which seems to be the only station in Grenada, is playing (As an aside, they have been playing Christmas music since mid-October). New York Bagels and Deli does provides enough comforts of America to warrant return trips, with the American menu, Manhattan posters and familiar decor, but adding the music would be the easiest improvement to this restaurant.

Caribbean Beer

In Philadelphia, land of plenty, I might have drank these beer once (if that). Down in Grenada, your choices are few, and you do adjust. One thing I won't complain about is the price, about a US dollar per bottle. You only get 9.3 oz though, and if I could remember the strength of average American beer, I'd be able to figure out if 5.5% made it a decent trade off. As for gut reactions:
Carib: The standard beer. Somewhat bland, but I found it better than Miller Lite.
Stag: The light-bodied cousin to Carib, even though they look exactly the same, it tastes a bit better. In terms of price and labeling on the bottle, there is no difference to Carib.
Guinness Foreign Extra: Guinness doesn't travel. The density is lighter than the Irish one, and it has an extra aftertaste that just feels weird. It's 6.5% if you need that extra 1% alcohol content.
And now the imports:
Piton: From St. Lucia, it tastes similar to Carib, and costs 1EC (37 cents) extra. Not really worth it for a different label.
STUD: From Trinidad, a stout with Ginseng, promising extra energy. Gave me the desire to drink Guinness Foreign Extra instead.
Samba: Also from Trindad, but with Hops and Malts imported from the Czech Republic. Someone needs to tell people about quality control is more important than ingredients from great beer location when it has the aroma of fermenting urine. The first beer I've poured down the drain.
Mackeson: From St. Kitts, it might just be Guinness Foreign Extra with a different label. If that is the case, the lack of perception alone improves the taste. This is the beer I'll probably drink I'll be drinking for a while.

Moral of the story, when in the Caribbean, drink rum.

Maybe I'll start posting again...

I'm now out of Philadelphia and on a Caribbean Island. And the food from what I have been eating has been great (it can't be the hunger). I'll see about a few new reviews, but even when I had time I did nothings, so don't expect greatness here.

War report: South Broad St. 10-Midnight

I'll remember what I can, this may be edited later

• The world series banners were stolen by highly functional drunks. The art museum banners were untouched for hours
  
• Broad St. is littered with broken glass. I might not be wearing my sneakers for a while.
• I booed a guy in a Santa suit.
  
• Cops were only there to make sure murders didn't occur..
• Seven people failed to overturn a Honda Civic.
  
• A school bus full of riot cops is on it's way to S.Broad. It will arrive Friday.
• A GOP bus was pissed on.
  

No Update this week

Sick with Phillies Fever.

La Scala's resturant

I've been to the Comcast Center LaScala's several times, and finally went to the main restaurant on 7th and Chestnut.

The pizza dough is LaScala's claim to fame, a homemade recipe that has won rave reviews for sister restaurant Apollo pizza. It's a harder crust with an excellent taste and mixes well with the sauce and cheese. Regardless of toppings, the pizzas deserve their praise

The chicken parmigiana was excellent. The chicken was juicy and the mozzarella was tasty. The sauce also tastes great and is not too sweet.

The restaurant itself does not use a fake Italian facade. It is modern American design, sleek and lightly decorated. It is more symbolic of Italian Americans and their current status instead of attempting to show local rubes Italy with stereotypical roman decor. Prices range from $10-20, well worth the quality of food served.

Comcast Center: Jake & Max's

The next edition in a continuing series on the eateries in the Comcast Center. As a bonus, here's my review of Tokyo Sushi: learn to spell "Philadelphia."

The newest addition to the Market is Jake & Max's, a simple deli. As long as the food is edible, people will continue going here. Yes, it's obvious, but they currently are one of the cheaper places to eat in the Comcast Center. It doesn't have the same fancy facade as DiBruno's, LaScala's or Tokyo Sushi; Jake & Max's is just a series of cabinets that double as the specials board.

The Deli is split into two main sections: salad and deli. In addition to the relatively low price, the salads are large. The Europa salad was filling and used fresh ingredients. The mozzarella was tasty, but the prosciutto did not have the expected flavoring--it just tasted like ham.

The sandwich side offers a wide variety of choices, the panini being one of the cheaper selections. The Italiano panini is an excellent mix of chicken, provlone, peppers and spinach. All the ingredients blended together in a better than anticipated manner.

The only issue with this Deli is few of the staff have experience working in a Deli (and by extension, how to make the specific meals). Outside of this one issue, Jake & Max's is an excellent addition to the Market at Comcast Center.