As you've no doubt heard, the High Line park on the West Side of Manhattan is finally open. If you haven't made your way over to check it out, here are a few things you need to know: no drinking allowed, no dogs allowed, it closes at 10pm, and if it reaches capacity, you might have to wait in line at the stairway like it's the door at Tenjune. The park is certainly already a tourist attraction, and it seems that only time will tell if New Yorkers will use it for their own recreational purposes. In the spirit of science and advancing the quality of life for all humanity, we at Immaculate Infatuation decided to do a little research. So, on a recent Saturday, we headed up to the High Line with photographer Tracy Ketcher and proceeded to stuff our faces.

Planning Planning Planning Planning Planning

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If you can't spend a day drinking on the High Line, why not spend the day eating? We surveyed local restaurants to see who we could get to actually deliver us food up there. It was a hard day's work, but in the process we found a few reliable delivery options so that you don't have to give up your seat - or your view of the naked people inside the Standard Hotel. So, without further ado, here's the rundown, or as we like to call it, the High Line Delivery Challenge.

RUB

RUB

208 W 23rd St.
New York, NY 10011
212-524-4300
Official Website

Our first delivery came from Rub at about 12:30pm, and it was far and away the best food delivery we've ever had. As New Yorkers we've encountered thousands of delivery folk in our time and certainly had some strange experiences, but this was something straight out of the Chappelle Show. Enter "Calhoun the Superhero" (he insisted we call him that).

RUB

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This guy showed up with our food, a little frustrated that we didn't pick up the phone, but proud to have found us nonetheless. It seems that Calhoun takes much pride in the fact that he will deliver anywhere, "even on a damn boat", he screamed to anyone within earshot as he pointed to New Jersey. Calhoun the Superhero certainly doesn't operate in secrecy - this dude put on quite the show, even insisting that we get a shot of his "best butt in town" shirt and one of a kind shades. Mark our words, this is not the last you have seen of Calhoun the Superhero on this site. We'll be putting out the distress call soon, and when Calhoun shows up in the Ribmobile, we'll make sure to have the video camera rolling.

RUB RUB RUB RUB

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Pulled Pork Sandwich
RUB does a great pulled pork sandwich. I would even put it up there with Blue Smoke's. It delivered well, and something about eating BBQ on the High Line felt right.

Brisket Sandwich
Again, this sandwich delivered well and came with a nice slather of spicy BBQ sauce. The brisket is lean, but nicely marbled and very flavorful.

Super Fries
Damn these fries are super indeed, and we can only assume Calhoun has something to do with the name. These fries have a dusting of sweet and peppery spices. They were a bit mushy from the trip, but fries rarely deliver well.

The Lobster Place

The Lobster Place

436 W 16th St.
New York, NY 10011
212-255-5672
Official Website

You can't beat a lobster roll by the water on a hot summer afternoon, even if the water comes courtesy of the filthy Hudson River. Since Mary's Fish Camp & Pearls Oyster Bar wouldn't deliver, The Lobster Place was our next call. Although the Lobster Place doesn't normally do delivery, they decided to roll the dice on our High Line Delivery Challenge. Their Chelsea Market store sits right next to the 16th St. and 10th Ave entrance to the High Line, and it seems that our proposition might have opened their eyes to a potential new revenue source. In fact, they should set up a stand on the High Line and sling those things like hot dogs at a baseball game.

In regards to delivery execution, it took a few calls and a little bit of fancy footwork to finally connect with our delivery guy, but he made it - and quick. It only took about 20 minutes store to chair. Calhoun the super hero is a hard act to follow, but The Lobster Place represented hard on the High Line as well. See that picture below? That's the delivery guy giving the camera his gangster face.

The Lobster Place The Lobster Place The Lobster Place The Lobster Place The Lobster Place

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Lobster Roll
This delivered well, and was a nice size lobster roll in a hot dog bun. Not at the top of the lobster roll heap, but certainly a great option for not having to get off your ass on the High Line.

Blue Ginger

Blue Ginger

106 8th Ave.
New York, NY 10011
212-352-0911

Yes, sushi is not the ideal snack when eating outdoors under the blazing hot sun. However, our friends who live in Chelsea swear by Blue Ginger, and seeing as they were willing to accommodate our demands, we took a shot. We quickly learned that explaining your location on the High Line to a stranger who speaks zero English is, ahem, no walk in the park, so we flagged him down on his bike on 10th Avenue and 14th Street in front of a small ground level park, which he had assumed was the High Line. Regardless, our guy made the effort and didn't leave until we found him. It was a little more work than we were hoping for, but at the end of the day, it was worth it. The sushi was great, and the restaurant is on the Infatuation hit list for a proper review.

Blue Ginger Blue Ginger Blue Ginger Blue Ginger Blue Ginger

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Yellowtail Scallion Roll
The yellowtail in these rolls was excellent, and the pieces were a nice size. These turned out a delicious bite even in the heat.

Spicy Tuna Roll
These guys were extra spicy and had a nice kick. Again, far better than we expected, and a recommended order.

Salmon Sushi
Nothing to write home about, but the fish was fresh and high quality.

Recap

So there you have it. Immaculate Infatuation Research Department puts in the time so you don't have to. Next time you're in the area, Head up to the High Line, order from any of the three restaurants we summarized above, happily fill your belly, and enjoy the scenery.

For the record, we reached out to the following restaurants and got these responses:

  • Good - Would possibly deliver, but only after 6pm.
  • Grand Sichuan - Said they would deliver, but we're pretty sure they had no idea what we were asking for and were just agreeing to everything we asked.
  • Pastis - Will not deliver.
  • Pizza 33 - Will not deliver.
  • Pop Burger - Will not deliver.