Wali’s favorite foods ...and where does he hang out when he's looking for the best that New York City has to offer?
Do you cook? If so, what is your favorite dish? I can scramble an egg and grill a chicken and make popcorn. In the morning I love doing scrambled eggs with shitake mushrooms, spinach and rye toast. I get my bread at the Fairway on 133rd street and 12th Avenue. https://www.harlemonestop.com/organization/230/fairway
What is your favorite dessert? Warm apple crumble pie with vanilla and chocolate ice cream and mint chocolate chip and cookies and cream together. Ben and Jerry’s Chunky Monkey.
What is the one food you eat at least once a week?Salad – baby spinach with crumbled brie or gouda cheese, sesame seeds, mushroom Portobello or shitake, grilled chicken, raisins, walnuts
What is your favorite restaurant in NYC? Landmarc in Time Warner Columbus circle http://landmarc-restaurant.com. Serafina has amazing salads 77th street and Broadway http://www.serafinarestaurant.com/serafina-italian-restaurant-upper-west-new-york Amy Ruth’s 116th Street and Lenox in Harlem – soul food restaurant. The food is so good and so rich, you can only go twice or three times a year. http://amyruths.com
What is your favorite restaurant in L.A.? Fatburger https://www.fatburger.com I love the double turkey cheese burger.
What is your favorite coffee place? I love espresso! I fell in love with espresso when I went to Italy. After I came back to New York City, I embarked on a hunt for good espresso. Mostly, I found espresso that was not fine and instead like the remnants at the bottom of a coffee cup. It just wasn’t the same. Every once in a while, I’ll have espresso. If can find a good place. Since I came back to New York, I have been on a mission to find good espresso. I can tell you, though, where to find the best hot chocolate in the city. City Bakery café on 18th street. http://thecitybakery.com, where they melt chocolate and put it into a cup and has the most amazing hot chocolate. Almost as good as Serendipity. http://www.serendipity3.com
My favorite place to eat while sitting outside is Sarabeth’s on Central Park South. Close to Bloomingdale’s, 40 CENTRAL PARK SOUTH, 59TH STREET BETWEEN 5TH AND 6TH AVENUES http://sarabethsrestaurants.com/central-park-south
Wali’s Funky Places to eat and hang out Funky places to eat. Mamasushi on 147th and Broadway they do a fusion of Dominican and Japanese. Chicken dumpling in mango sauce. Have a DJ on the weekend have a hip atmosphere. Has good energy. http://mamasushi.com If there is a place to just chill, it’s Merchant’s 7th avenue and 17th street they have an area downstairs where the tables are ottomans in front of a fireplace. It’s walking distance to the Gotham Comedy Club. http://merchantsny.com Note: Merchant’s is soon moving to 190 7th Avenue 21st and 22nd Street
As a stand up comedian, Wali has racked up countless television credits on ABC’s The View, Comedy Central’s Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn, HBO, and VH1’s commentary shows. Television icon David Letterman sought Wali to be the warm-up comedian for his late-night show. Wali performs at all of the top comedy clubs in Los Angeles and New York City, and regularly travels to Europe and Asia as the headlining comedian