CRAZY DAY WITH HAGAN AND FISHERS OF MEN II

It's five minutes to ten o'clock Tuesday morning and I'm crossing Wall Street to meet with food blogger, Hagan Blount of Wandering Foodie, who is spearheading the 93 Plates project. For the entire month of January, Hagan is eating and blogging his way through three meals a day of food experiences. So far he is more than two-thirds of the way to completion, has gained ten pounds and is feeling good about it.

Being the sociable foodie I am, I went along with Hagan on two of his ninety-three plates and found out the unexpected challenges with condensing three meals a day at scattered locations and writing under time constraints for 31 days straight. Our first stop was at The Waffle Truck.

"You know, I don't think I've ever eaten food from a truck." That is, if you don't count ice cream.
"Really?" Hagan responded, surprised but too preoccupied by scouting for The Waffle Truck to dig deeper.
"Where is this truck?" I asked.
"Their website said Coenties Slip for Tuesday, did you check their website this morning?" asked Hagan.
"Yup, I did." I responded. This wasn't looking good.
Hagan pulls out his phone to check The Waffle Truck's twitter status. "They updated three hours ago to say that they are at 58th, between Lexington and Third!" Followed by $^#@*&!, (bleep), and then (bleep), and lots more (bleep)!

So we head to the upper end of midtown to 58th and Lexington, this basically shaves off an hour from our schedule, not to mention is UTTERLY AN-NOYYYY-ING! Which brings to my attention the question of how someone like moi survives. I have not fully imbibed the social networking scene and this disadvantage was transpiring before my eyes, I've failed to keep up with a moving food establishment. It did occur to me to check twitter earlier in the morning but alas I over-relied on the website. Did I mention I don't have an iPhone? Did I have to mention it? Doh! I'm so out of touch. It would have been handy, but I'm rarely in these situations so I don't feel too deprived.

Fast forward to 58th and Lexington. The Waffle Truck is nowhere to be seen. Hmmm. Is this really happening again? Hagan and I headed to the nearest wifi spot, which happens to be at the MacDonald's. Did you know that Micky D's is offering free wifi as of January 15th! Wow-za! Still not enough to get me to dine at the Golden Arches, but sweet!

After a flurry of typing, Hagan's face turns red. Why? "They just updated half an hour ago that they moved to 43rd and 5th. What the (bleep, bleep, bah-bleep, bleep?)" So what do you do when you're pressed for time and have been defeated by a moving waffle truck? Go to the next best thing, in our case it was Starbucks.

 

What can I say about Starbucks? It's consistent, which means it's predictable, which means it should yield some level of comfort. Plus it's a great place for those needing a table, chair and wifi for their mobile office.

I had bread pastry covered in powdered sugar, which was soft, plain and good as expected.

Hagan had a sugar crystal topped donut, which he enjoyed.

Hagan asked, "Which Starbucks do you like to go to?"
I responded, "The nearest one." While there's a wide spectrum of opinions on Starbucks, I have to say that one thing I really appreciate is it's consistency. Whether it be the one in London or the two in Houston that are directly across the street from each other, you know what you are getting wherever you are. And starting the day with getting what you expect is worth quite a bit to me, especially after chasing after a waffle truck.

Next stop was Fishers of Men II on 125th and 6th. I think this was my first time in Harlem, if you don't count visiting Columbia University. It's amazing how many people were on 125th Street just hanging out. The streets were truly vibrant and buzzing!

Fishers of Men offered a much more predictable and smoother experience with short menu and fast turnaround, and gospel music to top it off. We started with a chili cheese grilled hotdog, buns toasted which I enjoyed.

Next we had the fried fish, shrimp and chips piled high and accompanied by a vinegary hot sauce and tartar sauce. Lightly battered and crispy, you couldn't go wrong with this order. We both agreed the hot sauce really made the plate come alive. I was such a coward, I ate but four bites and called it quits. I have a fear of deep-fried foods which was magnified when I sat down. So what did I do afterward?

I redeemed myself at One Lucky Duck with a raw, organic, vegan Mean and Green Shake.

Fresh Local and Best thanks Fishers of Men II for contributing the meal.

When you have time, please visit Hagan's post on Fisher's of Men and Starbuck's.