55 Ralph Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11221-3608
(718) 455-0155
Dear “Rib Cage”,
Why did you change your name? I thought the name was fun and clever. “First Dibs On Ribs” is way too long. I had fun saying, “Lets go to the rib cage!”
Anyhoo…I’m not here to post about your name, I’m here to post about your fame! (Or pending fame anyway. )YOUR RIBS ARE THE BOMB!!! (Do people still say that? I do! shooo).
I *heart* your ribs.
Let me tell you guys about “First Dibs on Ribs”. Even though the name is annoying the food makes up for it! This isn’t a sit in restaurant, so don’t gather up the family and start making your way over. This is a takeout joint, but its definitely not “Fast Food”…no waaay. This is SOUL FOOD! Food for the soul..and yes it makes your soul dance. The ribs are so tender they fall off the bone. They’re smoked, tender, succulent and delightful. And don’t ask me if they’re BEEF ribs! Because obviously they’re not, if I just described them as delightful. I haven’t tasted a beef rib that I’ve liked yet! These are good ole pork ribs! PORK IS MY FRIEND! But if you’re on the outs with pork let me tell you about some of their other yummy dishes.
Collard Greens:
OOOOH WEEE! The collard greens will make you slap somebody they’re so good. Notice I didn’t say ya mama! I don’t advocate slapping ya mama…Unless you’re balloon boy! If you’re on a diet, then go for the greens and nothing else. You wont be sorry.
Mac & Cheese:
Need I really say much? If you screw up mac & cheese, then you just suck and you may as well just close up shop and go home. You can’t be a soul food restaurant and not make good mac and cheese…theirs is pretty darn good.
Sweet Potato Pie:
YUMMERRRRS!!!! You can have Thanksgiving every day (except for Monday. They’re closed on Mondays) if you visit this place.
Cakes:
Their cake is good. You wont be disappointed, but honestly I think its box cake and not cake from scratch. Which is a good thing because I usually like boxed cake better. Now don’t look at me sideways and discredit my taste buds. I grew up on boxed cake so maybe it’s like a little slice of childhood every time I eat it? I don’t know but its good! Be quiet! lol
Fried Chicken:
I hate to have to do this but…their fried chicken is really touch and go. One problem I have with some restaurants is that they don’t always stick to a particular recipe. KFC might be fast food, but one good thing you can say about them is no matter WHAT KFC you go to, no matter what time of day it is, your chicken will always taste the same. This cant be said for “First Dibs On Ribs” fried chicken. Depending on who’s in the kitchen that day makes a big difference. Sometimes their quarter chicken (I prefer white meat) is crispy, tasty, cooked all the way through and just some of the greatest chicken you could ever have. Then other days it’s soggy, wet and just nasty! And it has a red tint to it. Whoever cooks that day must make it with Sazon. So if the chicken is light and crispy looking. GREEN LIGHT! GO FOR IT! If its reddish and soggy looking, RUN! Cuz some chicken botcher done effed up the chicken! Someone revoke their black card IMMEDIATELY! You can’t be black and eff up chicken!
Now I’m not saying all black people can fry chicken. But the ones who cant know better than to be in the kitchen effing it up! I guess that person didn’t get the memo!
Overall I think that “First Dibs on Ribs”, “The Rib Cage” or whatever you want to call it, is a great place to get some food to go! Its ok that its not an eat in kind of restaurant because the food is so good, you wont want to eat it in public anyway. You’re going to want to sit home and eat it like the fat pig at heart that you really are! Grease on your lips, barbeque sauce on your shirt, and glory in your heart! HALLELUJAH! LOL
Oh yeah, I almost forgot to tell you where its located. Put on your bullet proof vest, because its located on Ralph Avenue in Bedford Stuyvesant! But its worth the risk!
117 MacDougal St
New York, NY 10012
(212) 254-3480
This is one of my favorite places to go. Whenever friends come from out of town and want to grab a bite, this is the first place I take them. Its a very cozy place to be. Right in the heart of Greenwich village (off Bleecker Street) you cant go wrong with The Olive Tree. There is really something for everyone.
From traditional Middle Eastern dishes like Shawarma, Kabobs, felafel, hummus, Baba ghanoush, Israeli salad to fun foods like the most amazing Buffalo wings I have ever had this place will satisfy all. The atmosphere is very comfortable and cute, with silent Charlie Chaplain films playing on a projector. It even has a slight kid friendly vibe with tables that you can write on with chalk. If you want to keep the kids occupied, it might be smart to bring your own colorful chalk because they only have white.
On top of that, the prices are very reasonable! A chicken kabob sandwich will cost you about $6.50, a platter with rice is about 11 dollars. The restaurant is very clean and neat, and can actually be classified as a “nice” restaurant. You can go there for drinks with friends, a date, or even a business meeting. If youre in the mood for a good laugh, guess what! THE COMEDY CELLAR is right downstairs!
And all the same foods can be purchased in the comedy cellar! The comedy cellar stage has been graced by some of the greatest comedians of today such as Wanda Sykes, Dave Chapelle, Chris Rock, Robin Williams and even Jerry Sienfeld! If you cant afford to go to the comedy cellar, just go to the bathroom and walk really slow, cuz you have to go through the comedy cellar to get to the bathroom. But make sure you look your best, or you might get clowned.
Speaking of the bathroom, it’s so small, you can be inside it and outside it at the same time. Why bother even going all the way in? You can stick your butt in and keep your head out to watch the comedy show. Make a note to self not to eat too much if you go there, cuz if you get too fat, you wont fit in the bathroom.They need to do something about that.
Other than that, I highly recommend this place for anyone looking for a laid back atmosphere with fun food. By the way…if you want to feel warm and fuzzy inside, grab a hot apple cider or warm milk and honey. You wont be disappointed!
The area is also very lively, so once youre done eating, go outside and buy some sterling silver jewelry off of an outside vendor, or a nice bong from around the corner if youre a weedhead (or a crackhead? lol just kidding)..there are also all kinds of boutiques, dessert shops (Red Mango frozen yogurt is also deelish…Pinkberry who?). And if youre wondering, NO i am not a weedhead, and i dont own a bong..the little ones look like penises. WTF?!…I do want a hooka though! I dont smoke but I think they’re pretty. I tried hooka once though..its fun…if u like coughing. lol
My favorite dishes:
Buffalo Wing and Mozarella Sticks platter: (i dont like cheese that stretches so I usually wait for my sticks to cool off before I eat them. I know..I’m strange). The wings are honestly the best buffalo wings I’ve ever had. My friend who claims to be a “wing EXPERT” gave me the side eye when I suggested this restaurant. Once he tasted the wings, he gave me my props! HA! Just make sure you ask for them to be well done. Buffalo wings are best when theyre nice and crispy.
Chicken Kabob sandwich: Yummy well seasoned chunks of chicken, fresh off the skewer and tucked into pita bread with lettuce and isreali salad. It comes with your choice of yogurt or tahina dressing. I usually pass on the dressings and ask for buffalo wing hot sauce with mine. Yeah I’m annoying lol. Also, if you find a lil piece of wood once in a while, dont fret…i told you its FRESH off the skewer!
Chicken Kabob Platter: Same wonderful chunks of chicken as in the sandwich but theyre still on the skewers, served with isreali salad and your choice of fries (yeah), rice (OH YEAH!), or mashed potatoes. All are good but with this dish I prefer the rice. I love the isreali salad too!
Drinks: I really dont drink alcohol, so I usually have the hot apple cider…its so yummy with the cinnamon sticks that they put in it. And if im feeling chilly, i will have the warm milk with honey! Just make sure youre on your way home (or back to your hotel) if you drink the warm milk because it might make you sleepy.
Insomnia Cookies
50 West 8th Street (near Avenue of the Americas)
Greenwich Village
New York, NY
(or a college near you!)
(My favorite. The Reese's Peanut Butter cup cookie!)
OMG!!!!!!!! DO YOU WANT TO GO TO HEAVEN BEFORE YOU DIE? Go to Insomnia Cookies! they have THEE BEST cookies I’ve ever had! Mrs Fields has NOTHING on them! Well Mrs Fields isnt all that anyway so whatever.
Insomnia is so small you will miss it if you blink so keep your eyes peeled! I think they should put a fan in the doorway and blow the aroma of the cookies outside to attract more people! Once you go in there you immediately melt like a warm chocolate chip! The aroma is enough to bring tears to your eyes! (Im such a fatty! haha)
Its small but you can sit in there at the little counter by the window, it only fits about 3 people. Most people just sit there to wait for their orders.
The cookies are served warm, soft and moist!!!! With a bit of crisp around the edges! PERFECT!!!
My favorite cookie is the Deluxe Peanut Butter Cup! It has REESES PEANUT BUTTER CUPS BAKED IN! and normally im not a peanut butter cookie person but for these I will make an exception!!
Other favorites, double chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin and oatmeal! I will be sure to try the other flavors as well!
I recommend they make an oatmeal chocolate chip! Im waiting patiently for that though my patience is wearing thin!!!
Cookies are $1 each. I believe DELUXE cookies are $2.25 each! WORTH EVERY PENNY! And can you believe they deliver!? This place is a fatty’s dream lol (and by fatty I dont mean a fat person, I mean someone who’s greedy and lazy aka me lol)
King Food
Malcolm X Ave Between Quincy St. & Gates Ave.
718-919-7176
(Deliver=Yes for 50 cents)
NO MSG
This is a hood chinese restaurant so dont expect to sit in there to eat. Theres a little bench you can sit on to wait for your food. But thats it. The cooks and cashier are behind a bulletproof plexiglass window right where they need to be!
I only tend to stick to particular dishes when I go to ghetto Chinese restaurants. Now dont get me wrong, I love these types of restaurants. They tend to have the best food! But theyre ghetto and if you go to one, youll see why. If you live in or have visited any residential ethnic (mostly ethnicities other than white) neighborhoods, you will know these types of restaurants. Though, in areas like Chelsea, The Lower East side, Fort Greene and Park Slope etc. they wont have bullet proof windows (mostly because these neighborhoods are gentrified..aka..white people live there so people feel safer lol)
Now keep in mind this is NOT traditional chinese food. Meaning, this isnt really chinese food. Chinese people just cook it.
Antyway…onto the dishes
Chicken Wings/Half of Chicken:
The chicken wings are good. Although most of these chinese restaurants LOOK the same. Their chicken wings vary, some are good..some, not so much. King food almost tastes like somebody black is cookin the chicken. Its nice and crispy (but you have to tell them “fry it hard”). Also, its best if you tell them to chop the chicken up first before they put it in the oil. That way all the greasy goodness can get into the center of the wing and cook the meat up nice and well. And they know me in that store so they know not to take my chicken out of the grease until I tell them to. Thats a plus in my book. Remembering how I like my stuff and sticking to it! If they were a sit down restaurant i’d give em a good tip for that. If you’re more of a meat lover, you might prefer the Half of Chicken.
Tip, if you’re in the mood for it, throw some hotsauce and ketchup on there and youll be singing chicken praises lol. Chinese restaurant chicken is the only chicken that tastes right with hot sauce and ketchup on it.
Fried Rice:
The fried rice is decent, not the best but damn sure not the worst. They dont put anything fancy in it. All they put are onions, bean sprouts (i hate bean sprouts) and whatever your choice of meat. (ie, pork fried rice, beef fried rice, etc). I personally just get my rice plain with onions. I dont like all that weird meat in my rice. Too much going on! And how do you REALLY Know thats pork, beef or chicken? The texture is usually a little off, and plus beef in these restaurants are always rubbery…so I’ll pass. It would be nice if they put carrots, peas and eggs in the rice but I guess this place isnt close enough to manhattan to get all fancy. The closer you get to manhattan, the more stuff you get in your rice. REMEMBER THAT!
French Fries:
Getting fries from this place is a gamble. Sometimes theyre stale, so good luck with that. They have the medium sized french fries. Not skinny like mcdonalds, but not fat like potato wedgies. And theyre not the kind with the ridges in them. Their french fries leave much to be desired. So, I usually stick with the fried rice.
BBQ Spare Ribs:
NOT FEELING THEM AT ALL! first of all, theyre too big. I like my ribs thin and petite. these seem like DINOSAUR ribs or something. And since theyre big and thick, they arent well done enough for me and I end up having to cook them again in the toaster oven when I get home. So Im gonna say PASS on the spare ribs.
BBQ Spare rib tips:
The rib tips are better than the ribs, but they love giving you GIANT ones. Whats with them and GIANT rib dishes? And if you ask them to chop the ribs up more, they get an attitude. Yeah the lady in that place has a bit of an attitude. But I guess I would too if I had to work in the chinese restaurant all day every day even on weekends. Sucks to be HER.
Broccoli with Garlic Sauce:
Im just gonna stop getting this dish because they NEVER get it right! Either they dont cook the broccoli enough, or they cook it TOO MUCH! I dont like my broccoli crunchy, I like it soft but still in the shape of broccoli! Today I got it and it was mushy and soupy! They need to get their act together and learn how to follow directions. Or maybe I need to learn how to give better directions…or just cook my own damn food! But I dont know how to make broccoli with garlic sauce, and If I did, I wouldnt WANT TO! thats what I have THEM for.
Egg Foo Young:
This is one of my FAVORITE dishes from there. Again, I dont get any meat in it because I dont know wtf that meat really is and honestly its just too much going on. I just get onions in there and its good as hayell! I usually get it with fried rice instead of white rice. Throw some hot sauce on there and you’re good to go.
Won Ton Soup:
Their wonton soup is pretty good..for MY preference. Sometimes they fuck it up though. I think sometimes they have a different cook in there and he doesnt know wtf he’s doing..but MOST of the time its right. I like my wontons kind of tough. Tough noodles are always good to me..but dont eat the meat in the middle cuz I dont know WTF that is! I usally eat the noodle around it and chuck the meat. But you do need that meat in the middle cuz it adds flavor. And the little strips of pork floating around in the soup are ok. I usually eat one, and throw away the rest. The people in there know me so they remember to put EXTRA SCALLIONS! I have them well trained haha..the broth is usually good. Nice and salty (but not too salty), unless the dude who effs it up is there.
Happy meals:
I like that they have specials called happy meals where there are a few dishes that you can mix and match. Like theyll give you chicken wings, rib tips and french fries…or fried shrimp, chicken wings and fried rice. Theres a whole combo side of the menu.
All of these dishes are pretty cheap in price range (but not cheap ENOUGH hahahahha) All of the aforementioned dishes are between 3 and 5 dollars. Its funny how I call them dishes, when they come in styrofoam trays, and paper containers. YAY GHETTO CHINESE FOOD!
Also, if you spend 8 dollars you get a free soda. Their chinese ice t is good, in a DIABETES sorta way! Theres more sugar than tea in that shyt!
If you get your food delivered, dont believe the dude who calls and says “yeah you can come downstairs and get your food now”..because when you get downstairs, HIS ASS is not gonna be there yet! He’s lazy and doesnt want to wait for you to come down, so he calls people before he leaves the chinese restaurant, so that YOU can be waiting for HIM once he gets there. HE GOT HIS NERVE!!!!
If you go in and order your food, expect to be annoyed cuz theres always some loud ass people in the chinese restaurant…but if its any consolation, if youre a weed head, you can probably get you some weed while you wait HAHAHA (im not a weed head..im just SAYIN! lol)
Update: I forgot to mention MAKE SURE YOU HAVE PAPER TOWELS AT HOME! Cuz the people in the Chinese restaurant are cheap as HELL! U ask them for napkins, they give you A NAPKIN! yes A! as in ONE! wtf am i gonna do with ONE napkin! And dont ask for more soy sauce! They act like you asked them for their first born child! You prolly got a better chance at getting their first born than you do getting extra napkins and soy sauce without attitude lmao
(yes I said “prolly”! we make up words over here! where the hell do you think words come from? people make em up! duh lol)
This sweet potato is THE BOMB! DO YOU HEAR ME!?!!? I’ve had it and it is deeeelish! Everything is perfect! And the crust is to die for! Thank you Shanice for sharing your recipe! You guys should check out Shanice’s youtube page , aside from being a fantastic cook, she is also an awesome singer!
While you eat her sweet potato pie recipe, listen to her sweet potato voice! lol jp
