So, I have been dying to write about Shopsin’s but did not want to jinx anything ahead of time…it is a rare rare occasion that Carlos and shane and I are all in New York City at the same time. Like a Halley’s comet with a unicorn riding on it, wearing a necklace made of 4 leaf clovers. So we wanted to make sure to fulfill Carlos’ dream of dining at Shopsin’s while we were all there this past weekend. Shopsin’s is such a Carlos type of find: a tiny, kooky eatery nestled into a corner of the Essex Market in the Lower East Side. And their menu boasts over 900 items!! Shopsin’s is a famous New York City establishment similar to the Soup Nazi – where people go specifically to get yelled at or even kicked out! Kenny Shopsin and his oddball sons run the joint in their own special way, and they are quick to tell you how to fall in line. In fact, they are so special that there is even a documentary about Shopsin’s, “I like killing flies”. You should see it. We had read up on Shopsin’s and knew that there were a lot of rules to adhere to. Shane and I were just praying that neither of us would be the cause of Carlos getting kicked out before his meal was served. Such a relief to see his empty skillet at the end of the meal. WHEW!!
We knew we would probably have to wait – Shopsin’s has 5 tables and 3 seats at the bar, AND you are not allowed to have more than 4 people per party. Apparently on weekends the line wraps around the block. Luckily, our wait was not too bad, and we definitely got the best table in the house. Tucked into a hidden corner with a prime view of Kenny Shopsin’s krazy kitchen, our table was also right next to Kenny’s chair, where he sits and drops knowledge while he is not making insane meals from scratch. The menu is fucking awesome. I have read and re-read it dozens of times in anticipation of this trip. I had run every possible scenario and had selected the optimal combination of dishes to allow for my own completely fabulous breakfast meal and some pancakes and taters to share with the boyz. But instead of my well-planned Butch scrambled with feather-shredded taters and a shared plate of smores pancakes, banana pancakes, nutella pancakes, and mac n cheese pancakes, I was so hungover that I ordered ham, pea, and leek soup that I barely touched. Oh well, there’s always next time.
Carlos got the Adobe 1
and shane got the Moe.
They both looked like excellent choices and somehow we were able to take these photos without getting yelled at. Some other people were taking pictures and Kenny suggested that his son move the baby in the stroller out of the way and hit the picture-taker with a chair. My kinda guy. When my brain recovers from the weekend I might be able to scrape up some of the classic quotes we heard from Kenny. DAMN I wish we had a tape recorder but apparently he flips out if he even sees a cell phone or blackberry. Kenny loves his F bomb. I can’t wait to go back!!
Popularity: 3% [?]
