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Ben Fishner

Ben Fishner

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Born and raised in NYC, it was clear Ben was a serious eater when he called in to Food Talk with Arthur Schwartz on WOR at age 9.

Ben has been blogging about food over at Ben Cooks Everything since 2008, and contributing to Serious Eats since 2010. He writes Apps Only, a guide to fine dining on a budget, and Market Scene: NY, where he reports on the goings-on at New York's Union Square Greenmarket. He also works in the Serious Eats office on all kinds of techy stuff.

  • Website
  • Location: New York, NY
  • Favorite foods: Hot dogs, chicken wings, cucumbers, tacos, matzo ball soup, noodles of all shapes, sizes and ethnicities.

The Best Neighborhood Bars in the East Village, NY

I've lived on the outskirts of the East Village for my entire life, and I'd defy you to name a better neighborhood in the city for neighborhood bars. I'm not talking about places with tasting notes on the beer list, or encyclopedic wine lists, or $14 cocktails. There's room in my heart for all that, but most nights I just want a cheap drink in a low-key setting. Some of these great neighborhood bars are cozy and quiet, and some are dark and loud. Some are true dive bars, and all are great places to unwind with a drink for not too much cash. More

The Union Square Greenmarket is Up and Running at Madison Square Park

While emergency vehicles are parked in Union Square, the Greenmarket has temporarily relocated to Broadway and 23rd Street at Madison Square Park. They're encouraging shoppers to fill an extra bag with produce to be donated right at the market and distributed to those in need by City Harvest. Support local farmers hit hard by the storm and your fellow New Yorkers in need at the same time! More

Market Scene: All Kinds of Winter Squash at the Union Square Greenmarket

Erin's experience with pumpkin-flavored foods this week had her wondering what, exactly, a pumpkin tatses like (hint: it doesn't taste like a scented candle, as many grocery manufacturers seem to believe). What better way to refresh your memory than by visiting the Greenmarket and grabbing an actual pumpkin? Or delicata? Or blue hubbard, kobocha, golden acorn, and stripetti? Click through the slideshow for a closer look at all of the winter squash we've been seeing around the market lately. More

Market Scene: Grapes, Eggplant, Tomatoes and More at the Union Square Greenmarket

Lots of summer produce—tomatoes, peaches, zucchini—are still around, so you're welcome to pretend that fall isn't just around the corner. But it'll be hard since pumpkins and other winter squash have already started popping up around the market. Take a stroll through the market in the slideshow, and then do so in real life! More

A Very Special Market Scene: Tomato Madness!

Oh, tomato season! Many a market shopper's favorite time of year, and this year, we happen to be seeing the best tomato crop in years. And since the season is at its peak, the prices are at their lowest. Because when tomato season ends, you won't see tomatoes like these until next year. We're so excited about the tomato crop, we decided to devote this week's marker scene entirely to the fruit we love. More

Market Scene: Melons, Peppers, Tomatoes and More at the Union Square Greenmarket

Peak season at the market continues this week, with lots of melon rolling in, along with sweet and hot peppers and the squash, tomatoes, and eggplant we've been seeing for weeks now. What's more, the prices on those beautiful heirlooms continue to drop as the season really hits its stride. What're you waiting for? Click through the slideshow and get to the market, ASAP! More

Apps Only: Summertime Seafood Fix at Mary's Fish Camp

When it gets as hot and muggy as it has been the last couple of weeks in New York, I get seafood on the brain. And while I can't make it to New England for the real deal, there are plenty of options in the city for a quick fix. With a serious hankering for fried clams, I found myself at the counter at Mary's Fish Camp this week, trying to see if I could string together an affordable, satisfying meal, and the West Village institution delivered. More

The First Strawberries Have Arrived at the Union Square Greenmarket

@bebo, of course no one likes paying service fees, but it's not free for the market, a non-profit organization, to offer the service, and I for one wouldn't want them to pass the fees onto the farmers either. If you get stuck at the market with no cash, you might be looking at an ATM fee anyway. Seems more than reasonable to me.

@Mr. Nick, good idea, I'll float it around next time I'm at the market.

British foods to bring to US friends?

MCVITTES JAFFA CAKES!!!

Best beer store in Kips Bay Area

Fairway might be your best bet. You could also see if Waterfront Ale House fills growlers, they have a great selection of beers on tap (also, it's just a great place with fantastic food and really good service). The Cannibal has a good selection of bottles but I find it kind of pricey and the service awful.

Storing Knives

Cheap and Funky dinner in Tribeca area NYC

Walker's has a really great burger. Not the funkiest, but solid and a great choice.

Nice Chinese restaurant?

Outside Chinatown, either location of Szechuan Gourmet would be good.

Nice Chinese restaurant?

Which Momofuku in NYC?

I think Noodle Bar is the best to go to for first timers. The specials are always interesting, the pork buns and ramen are essential, and its slightly (but only slightly) less cramped and rushed than Ssam Bar. My favorite time to eat there is lunch, dinner can be insanely crowded.

Help with Chicken Thighs

This recipe is a favorite of mine: http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/08/jacques-pepin-crusty-chicken-with-mushrooms-white-wine-sauce-recipe.html

Not strictly roasted, and really for smaller batches (maybe like 4 at a time) but such a fast, easy, elegant recipe. Variable too.

Chinatown, NYC: Cup and Saucer Luncheonette

I love this place! Have never had their burger, but their bacon egg and cheese is a winner.

3 Good Coffee Drinks for Spring

Ah, crap. I am definitely guilty of making an ad hoc latte at the condiment bar from time to time, but only because with an iced latte I'm concerned it'll have WAY too much milk. My ad hoc iced latte just gets a splash of milk. I'm not concerned about crema and the dilution is part of why I love an espresso over ice. It's enough to make it last a little longer than a simple shot but not so much as an iced americano. Going to try the mini iced americano sometime! Thanks Meister.

3 Good Coffee Drinks for Spring

Hey Meister, I like to drink an espresso over ice instead of an iced americano. Is there a reason that baristas would frown upon that? Because you never really see it on menus, but I like it as something that's less liquid to drink than an iced coffee but still really nice and strong. Thoughts?

Food Processor Suggestions Requested

+1 for Cuisinart. My Pro Classic 7-cup is over ten years old, works like new.

Best NYC Supermarket

What do you find lacking about Fairway? I love it there.

The Most Expensive Matzoh: Does $27 Matzoh Taste Any Better?

Matzo with plenty of butter and salt is hands down one of the greatest snacks known to man.

Ad-free subscription option???

Update: we've gone ahead and limited the frequency of those tablet and mobile ads that show up at the bottom of your screen so that they won't show up on every page you look at on SE. I hope this makes them a little less annoying. Again, thanks for the feedback.

Ad-free subscription option???

Hi all, my apologies--we are indeed running that type of ad on tablets and mobile devices. It slipped my mind when I first read this thread. We had hoped that since you can "x" out the ad pretty easily, it wouldn't be too annoying. Thanks for the feedback!

Ad-free subscription option???

We are not purposely running any pop up ads on Serious Eats at the moment--if some nefarious advertisers are running them behind our back, we'd love to squash them ASAP. If you see a pop-up, please right click it, choose "Copy Link Address," and paste the link into an email to support@seriouseats.com. Screenshots are helpful also, but the link is really what we need to block said advertisers.

Serious Eats is ad supported, and those ads allow us to bring you the great content that you've come to expect here. There are currently no plans to offer an ad-free subscription based version of the site.

Site glitch

Thanks for the heads up! We are looking into this right now.

Steakcraft: Smith and Wollensky's Dry Aged Short Loin Steaks

So... what does this beautiful and beautifully prepared piece of meat cost?

Food Artisans: Checking in on The Regal Vegan

That Faux Gras is really, really good, whether or not you're a vegan. My mom is obsessed with the stuff and has bugging her local Fairway to carry it.

Coconut milk lovers, anyone?

There's also a hot chocolate recipe in Melissa Clark's Cook This Now that uses coconut milk. Haven't made it but I love every recipe I've tried from that book so far (at least a dozen of them!), so I'm fairly confident recommending it.

Open Thread: Where Are You Eating For Valentine's Day in NYC?

Sent the boyfriend to Pino's Prime Meats for 2 newport steaks, which I will cook. He will do the dishes.

Cheap but delicious food near Columbus Circle?

Seconding @dashofginger, also, that made me laugh.

Best NYC Cookbooks?

Amanda Hesser's New York Times Cookbook isn't strictly NYC recipes but has a lot of good ones--Russ and Daughters' chopped liver, for one. Also the New Brooklyn Cookbook is good. And Jim Lahey's My Bread is a great great great bread baking book.