New York restaurant profile: Fat Annie's Truck Stop

Fat Annie's Truck Stop—F.A.T.S., for short—serves down-home food in the shadow of Madison Square Garden.

Fat Annie's Truck Stop

Can you remember the last time you had good Frito Lay pie? Or any Frito Lay pie? This delicacy—a blend of spiced beef, cheese, jalapeños, and corn chips slathered with sour cream—is one of many rarities (at least for New York) that puts Fat Annie's Truck Stop in a class by itself. And a heavyweight class it is.

If you were wondering where they park all those semis here on West 33rd Street, the answer is they don't. Fat Annie's is a truck stop in name only. In fact one gets the distinct impression the name was selected almost entirely on the basis of its acronym, which is emblazoned in neon above the entrance.

The majority of Fat Annie's clients come before or after games at the Garden. And the majority of those come for the Beer Towers: 6 pints of any beer on tap for the price of 5.

Some come to eat. They order burgers (single wide, double wide), blackened catfish, southern fried chicken. There are blue plate specials—a different one each night. On Sundays the special is "Kentucky hot brown," an open-faced sandwich of turkey and bacon, smothered in cheese sauce and run under the broiler. What could be bad?

Some of the items on the menu are designated as heart-healthy choices. You will probably not be surprised that Frito Lay Pie is not one of them.

Price range: Appetizers, $3.95 to $10.95; main courses, $11.95 to $17.95; desserts, $5.95 to $6.25.

Recommended dishes: Slow roasted chicken salad, smothered pork chops, Kentucky hot brown, red velvet Cake, bourbon-raisin bread pudding.

Fat Annie's Truck Stop, 131 W. 33rd Street, bet. Sixth and Seventh Aves., 212-695-1122. Open seven days for lunch and dinner. Major credit cards are accepted.

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