I know we must have a few people here who scarfed down a few of these as a kid. Thought this was a great article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/07/nyregion...70&emc=eta1



I'm not sure what that whole diet vanilla bullshit is all about, but glad to see that they're going strong, and are adapting. The factory is right in the middle of hipster central, I wonder how long they'll be able to hold out.

Man, now I want one.

How does it go with Cheez-its?

That is an interesting question!

However, I think that Manhattan Special might be one of the few things on this planet that doesn't go with Cheez-Its.

Cheez-Its + whole Milk. oh. my god.

CHEEZ-ITS!



What the F?!

That video should have stopped about two minutes earlier. I was crying at that point.

Manhattan Special is the nectar of the Gods! Ohhh so good ice cold !

go over to Manhattan Avenue in Brooklyn and check out the factory. The espresso smell is intoxicating. The diet version is good too, BTW.

just my .02

I knew that another person of Italian heritage would back me up on this.

Sunday morning ritual:

1. Go to Church
2. After church, go to local Italian deli (in the 80s, it was Salumeria Mimi on Post Rd. in Eastchester, next to Happy Days Pizza, not the same name anymore, but still a pretty kick ass deli, I think)
3. Buy:
- big round loaf of bread
- big hunk of imported Parmigiano Reggiano
- assorted cold cuts - capicola, turkey, prosicutto, etc.
- several 1.5 liter bottles of Manhattan Special
4. Go home, eat face off, consume mass quantities of Manhattan Special
5. Suffer through alternating effects of food coma/espresso and cane sugar rushing through your blood, while watching selected sporting event (seasonal)

Life was so simple then...

Holy hell, does that stuff sound gooood.

It's a little too sugary, but yes, as a coffee aficionado, I'd bet that you would like it a lot.

Each bottle is different IMO. I buy it by the case and I can taste the differences in the batches. Sometimes the sugar is too much and sometimes the espresso is overpowering.

99% of the time tho...it's dead on!

My favorite sandwich with a Special: Proscuttio, Hot Cappicola, Fresh Mozzerella and roasted peppers on Semolina bread.

Heaven...

You're fucking killing me, here. Guess I've got to hit Gaetano's for lunch today!

Oh man! Yoou guys are making me want some serious Italian food. (que to piss off 101 annnnnnd go!)

Those Chef Boy-ar-dee posts from Hockeybird really were some of your finest work.

Yeah, those were the days.

Im starviing though. I could totally go for some MOTTZERELLA sticks.

All you need is some Polly-O String Cheese and a can of 4-C breadcrumbs!

Ive changed my mind.I now want Ravioli's.

I'd li e to make my own. How much RIGGATTA is needed to make a nice batch for one person. RIGGATTTA!

RIGGATTA's a boat race - you want RIK-ATA. Like Gymkata, but with Rick instead of Jim.

How about Jake Lamotta? He was a good guy.. No?

Forget the Ravioli's with the Riggatta. (Riggata!!)

Lets take that Riggata and make some MANNICOTTI. None of that "Manigot" shit.., MANNICOTTI!

I might be going to Manhattan tomorrow. Any suggestions as to where I would be able to purchase one of these beauties?

The larger grocery stores might have 'em, but your best bet would probably be an Italian deli, even more likely downtown somewhere.

If you're really that interested, you can check the the comments in this post from Gothamist:

http://gothamist.com/2008/07/08/manhattan_special.php

Click to view attachment
Count it! That stuff was good, good because it was so different than anything I've had. You're right - that cane sugar gives it that extra whallop, but I couldn't imagine drinking it with pizza. It would go great with a nice big slice of black forest cake.

Unfortunately, it fizzed all over everything when I opened it, so not only was I robbed of a few ounces of liquid, but my hands and bag got real sticky .

And in case anyone was wondering, I found it at some deli on W34th street between 8th and 9th avenues. It was across from the Skylark (?) Diner. I started asking people around, and very few people knew what it was. Finally I got to a real Italian deli, and the guy knew what I was talking about but wasn't sure where I could find it. He pointed me across the street and low and behold, it was there. A nice way to polish off the afternoon.

That's some kinda dedication, nicely done.

If I have turned just one person on to the joy of Manhattan Special, my work on this earthly domain is done.