We know we’ve been doing a lot of meat-related posts lately on the R & B blog, but we just can’t help ourselves—we’re unabashed carnivores. Out latest love? The Polish Sausage at the newly opened Hell’s Kitchen branch of Peter’s Since 1969.The original branch of Peter’s opened a few years ago in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, but now they’ve made their move to Manhattan. Most of the ink spilled on Peter’s focuses on their rotisserie chicken—and justifiably so, because that is one bird worth clucking about. But if you can tear yourself away from the poultry, we’d like to recommend their Polish sausage. The kielbasa-style sausage has a killer pepper-garlic kick and a tangy smokehouse flavor that’s all too hard to find in links these days. You can thank Steve’s Meat Market in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, for that—Peter’s gets their sausage from this old-school Polish butcher, where it’s smoked daily. At the restaurant, the sausage is served alongside house-made sauerkraut—a refreshing touch, though their mac ‘n’ cheese makes for a lovely, (if not exactly light) side as well.

Oh, and if you’re curious about the name? 1969 is the year the Polish butcher shop that originally housed the Brooklyn restaurant opened. No matter—Peter’s is a welcome addition to our neighborhood, 1969 or 2010.

Peter’s Since 1969

587 9th Ave.

212.868.0600

For today’s installment of Meet the Team, we present intern extraordinaire Alyssa Maldonado, who’s been helping R&B with every step of the way. As a native New Yorker, she’s got the inside scoop on where to go and what to eat all over the city. Take it away, Alyssa!

Where did you grow up?

I spent most of my childhood in Astoria, Queens, around all the Greeks. Now I go to Vassar and my family lives in the Lower East Side.

Any hidden restaurant gems you can recommend as a native New Yorker?

Max on Ave B & 4^th St—no one’s ever heard of it, but it’s this little Italian place with a cute garden in the back. I like to eat outside. Also, I don’t know if this is necessarily a hidden gem but I love those Indian places on 1^st Ave near 6^th St. in the East Village—the ones with all the Christmas lights and the guys hawking outside. They’re ridiculous but so much fun—and they give you so much food!

What’s your guilty food pleasure?

It should be a guilty pleasure—but it’s not—ice cream. I eat all I want and I don’t gain weight from it. I gain weight from eating normal food, but not ice cream. It’s very bizarre.

What do you think the ideal walk-and-eat neighborhood is?

I would have to say the West Village, just for Bleeker Street alone. You walk up that street and get your bread at Amy’s, your ice cream at Cones, your cheese at Murray’s…[sigh]. I could walk that block for hours.

We here at R&B are big supporters of the James Beard Foundation Greens, an event series for foodies in NYC aged 21-40. Past events have included a Porkapalooza with Ryan Skeen, a behind-the-scenes look at a dumpling factory in Brooklyn, and of course, a Taste of Hell tour with us! Tonight, we’re venturing out to Williamsburg to check out Brooklyn Bowl, the city’s first LEED-certified green bowl-o-drome, with a menu from the team behind Blue Ribbon (think fried chicken, egg shooters with pickled peppers, and chocolate chip bread pudding). We’ll be there, shooting for that perfect 300 and sipping on Sixpoint brews, and you can join us by clicking here! Because there’s nothing more amusing than tipsy foodies in bowling shoes.