Best Damn Italian Hero this side of Hell's Kitchen
Written: Jan 25 '01 (Updated Jan 30 '01)
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Pros: The chicken or veal parmegian, huge portions, inviting atmosphere.
Cons: --
The Bottom Line: This place is great. It is a bit out of the way being on ninth avenue, but well worth the trip.
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| soothsayer's Full Review: Manganaro's Hero Boy |
Manganaros Heroboy is an icon on 9th avenue, between 37th and 38th street. Actually, there are two Manganaros on this block, one an old world italian specialty foodstore and restaurant, and the other a cafe/restaurant. Both restaurants are owned by the Manganaro family, but by two factions of it. According to the newspapers, the Manganaro brothers are fighting it out in court for the right to use the Manganaro name in their restaurant. The foodstore even has a hand sign outside the door disavowing any affilation with Hero Boy next door.
note: this review formerly was at budget restaurants section of new york city travel of old site, I deleted, moved the review here, and slightly revised it.
About a year ago, I read a review regarding this restaurant. Basically, it was described as a working man's place serving large sized portions of food. Indeed, you won't find many women here, everyone is huge (I don't mean obsese) and either works for a construction company, or is a truck driver type. The food portions are large, and was rated excellent. I was interested in restaurants that gave good sized portions of food for a reasonable price, so I visited that year; the food I discovered was great!
The place I visted then was furnished ok, it had booths of 1970 styled plastic, it was reminiscent of a cheap pizza joint. Manganaros have since remodeled and expanded. The place now looks like a fancy sitdown cafe with a spacious polished wood and exposed brick wall noveau factory interior. In addition to the flannel wearing construction worker regulars, more sophisticated looking dot-com professionals frequent the place as if it was a Starbucks.
They still use booth seating in addition to regular tables. Only those ugly boothes have been replaced with big expensive looking wooden booths with deep and cushiony seats -- these seats are suitable for big people, otherwise they will feel like sofas for smaller guys. The regular sit-down tables are large, with comfortable wooden chairs. The plates you are served in makes the eating experience classy. There are large white platters for everything, the silverware is elegant and heavy. The paper napkins they have are extra large and softer than the ones you get elsewhere. Even though the food is inexpensively priced, you will never feel cheap eating here.
The food at Manganaros Heroboy, as always, was great. I recommend the Veal Parmegian or the Chicken Parmegian heros (chicken is $4.95, veal is $6.50). All heros are about ten inches long or so, the counter person will slice off enough italian bread (freshly baked from their bakery around the corner) for your sandwich. The chicken parmegian is perfectly seasoned and cooked. The thin layer of breading on the outside is crisp and cooked in fresh oil, and topped with mozzerella cheese. Each piece of chicken or veal is moist and tender inside. The chicken is all thick breast meat. Your hero will have three large pieces of chicken or veal, you can top it off with some nice marinara sauce should you so desire.
The meatball hero is a monster. For $4.50, you can get a hero stuffed with six, inch-and-half diameter tasty meatballs; you will not be able to finish this because the sandwich is huge. Eat half and save the rest for dinner. In addition to their hot sandwiches, they have cold ones like the "Mile High" ($5.25) which is stuffed with italian deli meats.
Among the vegetarian offerings is a roasted pepper hero ($4.00), and eggplant parmegian ($4.75). You can order pasta too; the sauce is a nicely seasoned marina. Drinks come either bottled, or fountain. You get free refills for fountain drinks. The food is always fresh, and replenished quickly as there is one line full of hungry folks extending out the door.
Manganaros is also famous because they invented the six foot long hero. You can order this item for a hundred and sixty dollars, and can feed 40 people. According to the catering menu, "7 pounds of especially-baked oven-fresh Italian bread overflowing with 15 pounds of Italian delights like lean prosciutto, Genoa salami, mortadella, sopressata, cooked salami, provolne, ham, swiss cheese, pimentos, tomatoes and lettuce -- all delicately heightened by olive oil, oregano and selected natural spices."
The neighborhood where Manganaros is located is a mix of old world mom-and-pop food speciality stores and the industrial. The port authority bus terminal is a few blocks north, the LIRR railyards and the Lincoln tunnel is nearby, so is the Jacob Javitts Convention Center. Among unique restaurants, there is the Cupcake Cafe (a small downscale place specializing in cupcakes and cakes) on 39th St, Michel London Foods catering kitchens (this branch has hamburgers listed on the menu in addition to its normal gourmet fare) on 40th St, Tangine's (Moroccan restaurant) on 38th St. and Sandwich Planet (great sandwiches using choice ingredients imported from all over the nyc area) on 39th St.
If you are in the area, near the convention center, or are coming off a bus (or about to board a bus) at the Port Authority Bus Terminal, might as well make a stop over at Manganaros, just two blocks down.
Recommended:
Yes
Kid Friendliness: Yes
Vegetarian Friendly: Yes
Notes, Tips or Menu Recommendations Chicken Parmegian, Veal Parmegian good bets.
Free refills on fountain drinks.
Best Suited For: Friends
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