MY HELL’S KITCHEN
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very quick stride. When people step out of doorways and into the flow of foot traffic without making sure there is a clearing, or they stop abruptly to check their phone or figure out where they’re going, it can create instant sidewalk gridlock. I’m forced to become like Neo from The Matrix — bobbing and weaving to get back to my full-leg walks. Sidewalk rage is real.
IMAGE: VANESSA R KESSLER
What is HK Roulette? Four of us get together. We each have a score card, with one of four courses written on it – cocktail, appetizer, entrée, or dessert. We blindly select our course and write down the restaurant and item we want to enter into the competition. At the end of the night, we total scores and make a donation to the winner’s favorite non-profit. We have a blast.
Vash
BIO
Vash Boddie is an actor, reporter, storyteller, activist, artist, and foodie. This year, he launched HK Roulette, a monthly progressive dinner that raises money for charity. hkroulette.com
Why choose just one restaurant when you can have four? Let the game begin … Serendipity brought me to Hell’s Kitchen I’d been developing some property on an island off the coast of Honduras when the weather forced me to take a break. So when a friend and longtime Hell’s Kitchen resident told me she was looking for a roommate, I jumped at the opportunity. In an instant, HK became home. There is something about being here that makes me want to be the best version of myself. These are the things I love about it The island boy in me loves that it is
bordered by water. This means a two to three-block walk has you at the water’s edge, able to experience some of the most beautiful sunsets. The journalist in me loves that everyone comes to or through Hell’s Kitchen – to eat, drink, see a show, or even to get out of town. I fantasize about interviewing them all and telling their stories. But this bit’s kind of sucky The pedestrians (or tourists) on 8th and 9th Avenues. I’m 6’2” with very long legs and a
DIGITAL EDITION
VASH’S HK
The Stinger, W44th St 8th/9th Ave Qi, 9th Ave - 48th St The Harrow, 10th Ave - 49th/50th St Print, 11th Ave 48th St Añejo, 10th Ave 47th St Schmackary’s, W45th St 8th/9th Ave
I’ve eaten in a TON of restaurants As for my favorites… The Stinger makes some of the most sophisticated cocktails in the city, not just Hell’s Kitchen. Some of their selections are made with honey from their rooftop bees and I just love that. Save the bees! Qi (formerly Chaan Teng) has a take on General Tso’s chicken that is absolutely unexpected and delicious. The Harrow is relatively new and they have great food. I especially love their deconstructed bacon-wrapped dates. And Print has the best octopus I’ve had. Other favorites include the bar at Añejo during happy hour. And there is no greater joy than walking into Schmackary’s moments after they announce it’s BOGO. That’s Buy One, Get One Free, y’all! Breaking the ice … During cocktails, to deepen the connection, I like to use a question I learned in my first college sociology course. I ask everyone to complete the sentence “I am …” as many times as they can in 20-30 seconds. It is magical to see how engaged people are to hear another person’s life condition, goals, or achievements. My HK happy place … I love to sit in the window seat of my apartment watching the pulse of Hell’s Kitchen. I can almost tell what time it is by who’s walking by: kids on their way to school; day drinkers heading to Rudy’s or 9th Ave Saloon; musicians going to work on Broadway; drag queens going to the bars; drunk folks on their way home in the early am …
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