Ace in the Hotel: Part I
the ace hotel has two tiny, almost hidden eateries, both of which serve noteworthy snacks: no. 7 sub (a spin-off of chef tyler kord's ft. greene no.7) and stumptown coffee roasters.
the unifying theme to kord's wacky, wonderful hoagies ($9) seems to be pickles-from the pickled rhubarb in general tso's tofu to pickled jalapeños in the eggplant parm.
when no. 7 sub started serving breakfast,* pickles were part of their wake-up call. i was dubious when i saw the cucumber peanut butter sandwich ($3) featuring "pickled bananas." yet the tangy bananas and the cucumbers, pureed into the pb, work with honey and pb's natural sweetness to create a sweet/sour effect. the crusty bread-baked at crown heights bun panthers-accommodates oozy innards without getting soggy. sometimes weirdness works. sometimes it's just weird, as in the corned beef hash ($5) with scallion cream cheese, zucchini and poppy seeds. corned beef this good deserves a starring role, not schmeary scene stealers.
a bonus to any order is entrée into the ace hotel's lobby, which is like the nypl reading room albeit with food, coffee and chatting. at a long table in pools of dim light from brass lamps, a line of patrons, bloggers, no doubt, sat tapping at their laptops-all, except for one man (to be continued).
- no. 7 sub 1188 broadway (near 29th street, ground floor of the ace hotel) 212-532-1680
got a snack attack to share? contact nbrand@aol.com