Elixir Juice Bar

This is my favorite pool hall in the city. Its on the upper west side, which seems like a world away from where I live (midtown east), but whenever I go, it seems worth the trek.

There are lots of tables, so the wait is never too long. They have power plays, which if you can take advantage of them, are very good deals (for Manhattan... not so good if you are used to $2/hr table time like I enjoyed in college).

Overall, just a comfortable place to spend a few hours either competing with your friends or working on your bank shots.

Loews Cineplex At

This Loews is out on the west side, but its not too bad if you have access to the A/C/E trains - just get off at 34th Street. Otherwise its a couple of long blocks to get there. Its location is also why they often have good promotions here (free movies on weekdays, new film screenings, etc)

The theater itself has all stadium seating, and is very comfortable for movie watching overall. As with all Manhattan theaters, the concessions are way overpriced and so are the tickets. The one thing I never understood was who designed the bathrooms to be a floor above where the theaters are. This is annoying if you need to go during the movie, as you miss more of the film than you would if the restrooms were right outside.

Brevard Cleaners Inc

They offer the usual free pickup and drop-off service. The clothes come back folded and smelling like Snuggles (not sure if that's what they use, but that's what it makes me think of... which is good as far as I'm concerned). But the price was higher than I expected. I dunno... I switched to Symphony shortly after.

I did go to Brevard to have a suit dry cleaned and a button sown back on. I also had a small hole patched up. I think it ended up being $35? Maybe I'm too used to the prices in less "ritzy" neighborhoods, but I thought that was a little steep. Still, for just plain wash and fold, they are not bad. And they do fold the clothes better than Symphony...

Jackson Hole Burgers

I keep meaning to try other things on the menu, but when I sit down, look at the juicy burger at the next table, and I invariably end up ordering one myself. The mushrooms and onions are great toppings. And the burger itself is big, juicy and always tasty. I dont know why, but it actually tastes SWEET! The burgers at this Jackson Hole (35th) are the best - I think because here, they dont press down on the burger (thus squeezing out all the juiciness).

As with all the Jackson Holes, the sides are to be avoided. The steak fries are below average (large, not always crispy, just not tasty), the onion rings are terrible (in my opinion anyway... I like the big batter dipped ones, and these are the small, hard, flour covered ones). Just get the burger!

This is the first place I ever went to where I had to eat a burger with a knife and fork (its too big/hard to eat it the regular way). I travel a lot, and I've had burgers all over the world - they always remind me that if only I were in NY, I could be having a Jackson Hole burger instead.

Blue Smoke

This place specializes in slow cooked ribs and they do it to perfection! They have several varieties, and I can never remember which one I like best... St Louis, Memphis, Kansas City... Actually, I've had them all, and they are ALL good. But I think St Louis is my favorite.

My only complaint is the sides. I love good ribs with mashed potatoes and thick brown gravy. But their gravy is of the lighter variety and not that tasty.

I have also gotten take out from them twice. I will try to avoid that in the future. I'm not sure if I'm just paranoid, or if they get "damaged" in the packing, but the takeout ribs just dont compare to the eat in ribs. They are smaller and they dont seem to come from the same slab. My paranoid side says they are tossing odds and ends into the takeout orders.

Still the ribs are just so good they override any other flaws. Try to get their before 6:30 PM, else you might end up waiting for 45 minutes or more. The place is packed every night.

Virgil's Barbecue

Was in the area and got a half rack of ribs to go. The menu warns you that the meat will appear red - its due to the smoking process, not because its undercooked. I like my ribs saucy, so I asked for extra sauce and they were happy to comply (some places charge extra for sauce). The ribs were large and fairly tasty. The sauce was tangy with a bite at the end. I love bbq ribs - this takeout experience (Note that takeout ribs never taste as good as eat-in ribs) was above average but it wasnt great, like I had Virgil's was. I'll have to go back and eat-in to get a better idea.

Brother Jimmys Bbq

I've been to Brother Jimmy's three or four times. The place is has a movie style southern feel to it, with wire partitions, themed decorations and the like. Service can be a little slow during busy times, but it does take a while to heat up a rack of ribs. I like their bbq sauce - its sweet with a bit of a punch at the end. The ribs themselves are trimmed and you dont get a full half rack with the regular order (the menu just says ribs, not half or full rack). But for me, at least, its usually enough. Except for the one time I got the end, and I looked over at my buddies' much (MUCH) larger pieces with envy. 8-)

Angels Service

I would not go so far as to say the have the best italian food, but everything I've tried on the menu is above average. My favorite is the SAN BENEDETTO, angel hair pasta with seafood in a creamy pink sauce. My only complaint would be that the lobster and shrimp are slightly overcooked (typical of every Western restaurant I've been in... try the lobster or shrimp at an Asian restaurant, and you'll see they cook it just a few seconds less, and it comes out plumper and juicier).

I've also had the chicken parm at least five times, with mixed results (3 times very good, once ok and once the cutlet was way over cooked and dry). The lasagna is also above average. If you want bread beyond the bread basket they give you (filled with several tasty varieties of bread) I'd go for the Gorgonzola Garlic Bread. Its a buck more but worth it - the regular garlic bread needs a tad more butter/olive oil to suit me personally.

Morton Williams Supermarkets

I live closer to a Food Emporium, but I prefer going to the Associated. I like their selection of meats (rib eye steaks, sliced pork ribs, boneless ribs, skinless/boneless chicken thighs), which are always fresh. Overall prices are higher than I would like (used to live in Chinatown, where everything is inexpensive), but as good or better than the other supermarkets in the area.

Symphony Cleaners

I started using this service because they had a coupon in a mailer. I usually call in the morning and leave the laundry with the doorman on my way out the door. Everything is back by the next evening, sometimes one day after that.

My main concern is that the clothes come back folded into 6 X 18 rectangles, and highly compressed. So most things are not only wrinkled, but with creases in unexpected places.