Sassy Sliders and Posh Paninis
The Perfect (Budget) Sandwich
As we start a new year, I’m thinking about NYCSnackattack, which is six years old as of this year. Since the lockdown in 2020 I have been very low key about both searching out $10 and under snacks and writing them up. I think this is the year to, as they say, “fish or cut bait.” If I can’t deliver a stronger NYCSnackattack, this might be time to say so long. BUT if I can channel more excitement into fishing—and frying and eating the fish—then I keep on keeping on! And while I have my own inner struggles, there are external ones with which I must reckon, mainly the ultra-high cost of EVERYTHING. So as part of my re-investment of energy into this blog, I promise to be more vigilant in searching out big tastes for small budgets, like those described below. I hope your 2023 is full of joy in snacking. Please do put your own recommendations for $10 and under snacks in the comments below! Thanks for being a reader.
$5 Döner kebab sliders - Like the Arab shawarma and Greek gyro, döner kebabs are made of seasoned meat cooked on a vertical rotisserie. Turkish immigrants brought the kebab to Berlin, and there are now more döner kebab joints in West Berlin than in Istanbul. Berliner and son of Turkish emigrants Erkam Emre brought doner kebabs to New York City with his Kotti Berliner Döner Kebab. I happened upon one outpost at the relatively new Essex Market, relocated and rebranded in 2019. As with most hipster food courts, price points of all items seem to be $15, but—Oh Joy!—I spied a sign at Kotti Berliner Döner kebab “$5 sliders all day.” For only $5 you get a diamond shaped tortilla wrap filled with well-seasoned chicken slices and a rainbow of toppings, ranging from red lettuce to diced feta to cucumber slivers. The whole thing is slathered in a yogurt-based white sauce, heavy on garlic and lemon with a hint of dill. Tip: ask the server to go light on the sauce and don’t ask for every single topping, because the thin wrap will fall apart. The full price döners come with delicious fluffy Turkish bread, pide, that won’t fall apart.
So many choices for only $5!
Hot Honey Tiki Chick ($5) - My reliable snack spotter Lydie Raschka texted me about this phenomenal steal of a deal at Tiki Bar, a popular Upper West Side watering hole: Five different sandwiches (including a vegetarian falafel option) for $5.00 each. Delivered to you in a sealed foil packet, these sandwiches are even more substantial than the $5 döner slider. I had the Hot Honey Tiki Chick, a large slab of buttermilk fried chicken dotted with black pepper, coated in a sweet, spicy, sticky sauce and topped with lots of thin pickle slices. As you can see in the photos, the fried chicken cutlet will NOT be contained in the soft-but-sturdy bun, but hangs out the sides. The pickles, chicken and hot honey sauce form a umami trifecta. What’s more, you’ll groove on the fun atmosphere of Tiki Bar, which “Tiks” every box in retro Tiki décor—from dancing hula girl ( “Tiki chick”) motifs and bartenders in Hawaiian shirts to drinks served in outlandish marine- and tropical-themed containers. But unlike most theme bars, this one has a lived-in, comfy feel and how can you not enjoy sitting around the large U-shaped bar with kibbitzing Upper West Siders of all ages, some in their shlubby sweatshirts, worn jeans, and unfashionable shoes? Tip: This bar is popular; I planned my snacking visit at 5PM, their opening time, but there was already a line to get in and scant seating inside.
Teeny Weeny Paninis ($7.50) - I am taking the liberty of reviving a snack attack I wrote about here in 2017, the molto molto bene $5.50 sandwiches of tony Sant Ambroeus coffee bars. Now the same offerings are $7.50 while some are $8.50. The price may have changed but the “palm sized panini” have not. I love that these small sandwiches have only a few quality ingredients and that any mayo and mustard are “light.” Here’s what you can choose:
Classico (egg salad), Vegetable Frittata (spinach, tomato, mayo), San Daniele Swiss (the famed prosciutto and Swiss cheese),Prosciutto Cotto (cooked ham and Swiss cheese), Tacchino (turkey, light mayo, mozz, tomato, light mustard), Salamino Felino (thinly sliced Milanese salami), Bresaola (cured spiced beef, arugula, Parmagiano-Reggiano), Tonno Classico (tuna, tomato, light mayo), & Tonno (tuna, marinated artichoke, light mayo)
Tip: The best seating is at the Sant Ambroeus coffee bar in the basement and first floor of Sotheby’s. Unlike other coffee bars with minimal, not so comfy seating, this coffee bar feels spacious and, patrons say, “European.” Plus, you can spend time viewing the artwork up for auction.
Kottiberliner Döner Kebab
88 Essex St (in Essex Market near Delancey)
917-261-5255
Tiki Chick/ Tiki Bar
517 Amsterdam Ave. (NW corner of 85th & Amsterdam)
Sant Ambroeus Coffee Bar (at Sotheby’s)
1334 York Ave. (btw E. 71st & E.72nd)
212-606-7070