500598 Wed Mar 19 08:23:30 -0700 2008 25 19 Outer Boroughs 0 3507066 A transplanted New Yorker just posted a request on the San Francisco Bay Area board for the"best" Jamaican beef patties like he was used to in NY. A hopeless request, if you ask me, but that raised a couple of questions in my mind, as I have only encountered the rather wretched, seemingly ubiquitous ones served at convenience stores and fast food outlets, Just where ARE the best Jamaican Beef patties in New York, both from the standpoint of neighborhoods/communities and individual vendors? Secondly, just what makes a good Beef Patty a good Beef Patty? Focus on Beef Paties please, not on other delights of Jamaican cuisine, (though if you want tease my tast buds with an aside or two......). Wed Mar 19 08:23:30 -0700 2008 131118 Xiao Yang 1 3507698 Little Miss Muffin - Park Place in prospect heights Wed Mar 19 10:59:47 -0700 2008 3507066 103178 ginsbera 2 3507987 Honestly, the Golden Krust chain of fast food restaurants, which are all over the Bronx and parts of Queens and Brooklyn, have really good Jamaican beef patties. There's also an outpost in the basement at Grand Central. I know nothing about Jamaican cuisine and nothing about what is SUPPOSED to make a beef patty good, but the reason I like the ones at Golden Krust is because there's a nice ratio of filling to crust, the filling is nicely seasoned, and the krust is tender and flaky yet sturdy. Other places I've tried tend not to have enough filling and/or the crust is very dry. Wed Mar 19 12:11:30 -0700 2008 3507698 56050 biondanonima 1 3508131 Buff Patty on Myrtle in Ft Greene. Great flaky crust, hot filling with delicious spicy and complex flavor. Christie's on Flatbush is pretty good too, but I prefer the Buff Patty crust texture. Wed Mar 19 12:49:02 -0700 2008 3507066 16011 oolah 2 3508347 Part of my enjoyment of a pattie is the coco bread, and I just love Christie's version. Wed Mar 19 13:33:59 -0700 2008 3508131 12006 lambretta76 3 3509479 I second Christies. The beef patties are incredibly tasty and have just the right amount of heat. Wed Mar 19 19:25:29 -0700 2008 3508347 130794 vinegarhill 4 3510280 If you haven't tried Little Miss Muffin I highly reccommend it. Though I like their beef patties I actually think their BBQ chicken patties are the best thing they offer, plump, and filling. Thu Mar 20 06:35:51 -0700 2008 3509479 103178 ginsbera 1 3509537 To answer your question 'what makes a good beef patty a good beef patty' ... First and foremost, the patty should be served hot or warm, NOT cold. Many places cook their patties around lunchtime and have them sit around in glass-enclosed unheated displays all day. Avoid those places if you can. Patty crusts should not break apart easily after one bite, and should be flaky -- indicating freshness. Very hard crusts or soggy crusts are usually old. Fillings should be generous and *moist* with the right amount of heat. It's disappointing to bite into a patty to find that there's not much filling in it. Lastly, if you opt for coco bread, be sure the patty is heated (or reheated in some cases). The coco bread will certainly fill you up. Visit Jamaican/West Indian neighborhoods for the best. I can't make any recs b/c my search continues for good beef/chicken patties. I should also mention that there are those people who order beef patties from neighborhood pizza shops in NY. Those patties are typically Tower Isle brand patties that arrive frozen, are cooked daily around lunchtime, and then reheated upon request throughout the day. Some people opt to get theirs filled with CHEESE -- the same cheese used for pizza toppings. It's probably a NY thing if I had to guess and it is tasty! Wed Mar 19 19:56:26 -0700 2008 3507066 10609 Cheese Boy 2 3515624 I occasionally give in to the craving for a pizza shop beef patty with sauce and cheese. I'm sure it's deadly, but it's so juicy and tasty! I've seen others who order the patties add on extra things like pepperoni, sausage, grilled onions, jalepenos and red pepper flakes. Fri Mar 21 15:39:45 -0700 2008 3509537 109194 Judyluvs 3 3516198 Judy, wow! I've only seen cheese and pepperoni toppings. Some of the other toppings you've mentioned just remove the whole Jamaican "essence" for me personally. I'm a bit of a purist when it comes to patties - no toppings - only coco bread if I'm really hungry. (I will admit that a patty topped with cheese is really tasty though). Fri Mar 21 19:42:08 -0700 2008 3515624 10609 Cheese Boy 4 3526666 Well, you do have to consider that usually the beef patties and toppings were being ordered by big, hungry guys looking to add something to their snack of the moment... and with a couple of slices! Since I personally can't handle spicy foods very well, the separate ones where the persons added on pickled jalepenos and a (seemingly endless) shake of red pepper flakes made me watch in food prep fascination. Tue Mar 25 13:12:47 -0700 2008 3516198 109194 Judyluvs 1 3511200 Not a Jamaican patty (hope that's cool), but I always used to get great ones at this very small Guyanese place called Golden Loaf, at 715 Nostrand near Sterling in Crown Heights. Some of the best I've had in the city as far as filling-to-crust ratio, spicy inside with a very fresh and flaky crust. Goes great with a 'Ting. Thu Mar 20 10:27:04 -0700 2008 3507066 102721 rad 1 3527241 I would try The Feeding Tree in the Bronx - 892 Gerard Ave # 161 Bronx, NY 10452 (718) 293-5025‎ I still haven't gotten around to going there, but I have heard good things. I like the spicy chicken patty from Golden Crust, but I find that their pastry can be a little thick and dry at times. A good patty should have a light a flaky crust, at least that's the way I like 'em. Tue Mar 25 15:44:55 -0700 2008 3507066 123423 bosun 2 3531784 You have to try Jackie's Bakery in the North East Bronx It is located in the plaza on the intersection of 233rd and Baychester Ave. They have by far the best Coco Bread I have ever had. They bake their own patties and Bread, not like Feeding Tree who outsources their patties. FYI....Golden Crust pattyies are a little to flaky for me, not full of meat, and you can taste that they are not fresh. Wed Mar 26 21:09:22 -0700 2008 3527241 178318 damenacer 3 3532272 ooh, have to get to jackie's. thanks! Thu Mar 27 06:12:27 -0700 2008 3531784 123423 bosun 1 3527960 take a walk down flatbush ave, starting right below prospect park. you'll pass many many jamaican and other west indian eateries and bakeries, most of which have patties. As for what makes a good patty—look for flaky pastry and nicely spiced beef filling that isn't too much like pap. Look for ones that aren't too big (bigger ones are often dried out and don't have as good a crust to filling ratio) in places that have a high turnover. personally, i prefer chicken patties, because in the best ones the scotch bonnet pepper flavor just sings. if you discover any real gems, please report back. Tue Mar 25 19:43:43 -0700 2008 3507066 12221 missmasala 2 3528048 Scotch Bonnet, or Habaneros to us out here, yowzah! Um, and a Red Stripe with that, please. I'm a virtual newbie to Jamaican Beef/Chicken Pies so I probably wouldn't know a gem, but maybe I'll lean fast once I get back there. Tue Mar 25 20:17:34 -0700 2008 3527960 131118 Xiao Yang 3 4160120 I wanted to bump this to add some of my Patty research findings. I really love the beef patties at the Haitian Immaculee Bakery which I first heard about courtesy of the Porkchop Express: http://porkchop-express.blogspot.com/2008/01/immaculee-bakery.html Although they aren't all that similar to the Jamaican ones, they're amazingly delicious and satisfying and due to their extreme flakiness they're more of a beef croissant. The price has gone up to 80 cents. I love the patties at Jamaican Pride bakery on Flatbush--they're pretty much perfect with plenty of spicy filling and superior golden crust. Their salmon ones are good too, flavored with onions and celery I think. Gordon's Bakery, also on Flatbush is not as good IMO, the patties don't have as high a turnover rate and are a little pedestrian. I had a yummy veggie patty somewhere on Church near the post office...will have to walk by again and check what the name of the place was. Sun Nov 09 13:19:47 -0800 2008 3528048 12171 bolletje 4 4161807 Jamaican Pride definitely the best in that short stretch of F'bush (try the Meatloaf, only Fri/Sat I believe), followed by Erroll's, with Gordon's a distant third. Golden Crust doesn't even count, IMHO--you would do (much) better getting frozen patties from the supermarkets. Mon Nov 10 09:35:59 -0800 2008 4160120 14187 jmj 1 4163699 I very recently had the beef patty at The Feeding Tree and I admit that it's still the best I've had anywhere in the Bronx. The chicken patty wasn't very good (too loose, too watery). Both patties were served to me PIPING hot. I'm so not accustomed to that. Often times other places serve them room temp or outright cold. "Hot" was a rather nice "mode". Give them a try if visiting the Yanks or otherwise. The Feeding Tree, 892 Gerard Ave near 161st St, Bronx (718) 293-5025. Mon Nov 10 22:07:13 -0800 2008 3507066 10609 Cheese Boy 1 4163705 In Queens, try Patmar Bakery on S Conduit Ave, in Rosedale, they're fantastic, and much better than the patties at Golden Crust, who also have a restaurant on the same block. Mon Nov 10 22:09:33 -0800 2008 3507066 184990 tasaday 1 4163802 I've been a fan of Christie's since the '70's. However, if you have the energy for a long walk I suggest you walk on Nostrand Ave. starting at Fulton St. and take it a few miles to The Junction where you will see plenty o independent beef patty places. Most of which are delicious and most of whom I don't remember the names. I will also second Little Miss Muffin. I like their veggie patty better, it has a great whole wheat crust and I usually hate whole wheat crust. Avoid the pizzeria's/Tower Isle. They're plain gross. Tue Nov 11 00:25:36 -0800 2008 3507066 15393 bigmackdaddy 1 4163870 another vote for Christie's on Flatbush. Tue Nov 11 03:51:03 -0800 2008 3507066 74397 malibu 1 4176539 I've been obsessing over these, certainly the best homeade Jamaican beef patties (I've tried almost all the ones mentioned below on this thread.) It's a place on 164th street in Jamaica Queens off of Jamaica Avenue across from the 1st Presybyterian Church in Jamaica. I don't remember the name...I went last Sunday and there was a guy chopping meat in the kitchen. They also have Jamaican chicken patties. It's really worth the trip. And the patties freeze well. (If you are in the area Marguerita Pizza on Jamaica Avenue is 1-2 blocks away. It's one of the best slices in the city.) Sat Nov 15 15:47:54 -0800 2008 3507066 159519 tabs 2 4176550 I just found the place..... Patty World Restaurant 89-59 164th Street, Jamaica Queens NY 11432 718-658-6838 Sat Nov 15 15:50:47 -0800 2008 4176539 159519 tabs 2 4305664 Thanks for the Jamaica rec. I will have to try next time I have to do something civil or get caught. Wed Jan 07 16:37:33 -0800 2009 4176539 168211 Jeffsayyes