25 Friday Jan 2013
The chawanmushi (茶碗蒸し) at M. Wells Dinette is an airy egg custard served over foie gras and topped with roasted eel.
The decadent marrow tart with escargots is served with a dark, aromatic gravy sauce that includes wine and herbs. I could have eaten 10 of these, they were so good.
07 Friday Dec 2012
Posted in Asian, Brooklyn, bucket list, celebrations, Japanese, seafood, Williamsburg
Zenkichi is an intimate izakaya in Williamsburg with a $65 seasonal chef’s tasting menu, omakase. The faint illumination and privacy screens of the romantic booths made it hard to take pictures — but here are some that I took of our favorite courses.
pickled persimmon, monkfish, scallops
cod milt (seminal fluid) and chrysanthemum tempura
tofu salad
black cod
sesame tofu in dashi
whiskey truffles
12 Monday Nov 2012
Tags
bakery, chimney cakes, Hungarian, LIC, Long Island City, queens
Hungarian chimney cakes (kürtőskalácsok) are pastries baked on a cylindrical spit over a fire. Chimney Cake in Long Island City sells them for $4
Chimney Cake
10-50 Jackson Avenue
Long Island City NY 11101
(718) 786-1818
31 Wednesday Oct 2012
Posted in Brooklyn, bucket list, celebrations, Mexican, Queens, snacks, spicy, sweets
These tamarind-filled candy tubes are covered in spicy, salty, tangy powder (salsa en polvo). I bought this pack of Skwinkles at an Associated in Sunnyside, Queens but MexGrocer.com is offering free shipping on orders for the next two days if you use the code “FREESHIP12” at check out.
09 Sunday Sep 2012
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OMG Bon Chovie was not offering their Caesar Salad on a Stick today! My jaw dropped to the floor.
02 Sunday Sep 2012
I was a contestant in Maharlika’s first annual Balut Contest last weekend. The embryos seemed to be a little more developed than the ones I have had at Maharlika.
Originally I entered the contest just to eat free balut — I have never been a very fast eater. But when el momento de la verdad arrived, something came over me and I really wanted to win!
In five minutes I was able to shove 11 baluts down my throat. I almost choked a couple of times. It seemed like the guy next to me, Wayne Algenio, (the guy who won) wasn’t even chewing them! He ate 18!
Here’s me with the champion!
02 Sunday Sep 2012
This brothless ramen bowl (mazemen) was topped with crab and miso at Yuji Ramen at Smorgasburg this weekend.
The best thing I ate were the “Jersey style” (head on) fried anchovies with smoked paprika mayonnaise at Bon Chovie.
There was a special combo that included an order of anchovies and any side for $10. I got the Caesar salad on a stick.
When I realized that Caesar salad on a stick was a whole head of romaine lettuce with their own Caesar dressing, croutons, and Parmesan cheese shoved into all the nooks an crannies of the lettuce, my jaw dropped to the floor. Isn’t it amazing?!?! The “stick” was a skewer that held the paper in place around the salad. I liked eating it even more than the original salad on-the-go, the McDonald’s Salad Shaker!
12 Thursday Jul 2012
Roses and thorns about Pok Pok Ny? I like to start with the thorns. There is only one tiny toilet for the entire restaurant and the wait is typically 7-8 people long. The part that bothered me is that when the employees at Pok Pok have to use the bathroom they cut in line and say to everyone, “I just need to check to make sure the bathroom is clean for you!” In line last night one employee did this and as he was walking out he was adjusting his fly, clearly having just urinated. Moments later another employee cut in front of everyone again saying, “I just need to check to make sure the bathroom is clean for you!” My friend told her, “Somebody just did that 30 seconds ago.” The employee looked embarrassed, as it was apparent that we had caught on to their system. Pok Pok: rent some Porta-Johns.
The food was good but nothing was so memorable that I would actually go to Redhook again for it. In fact there was one “Vietnamese” style catfish over vermicelli dish that was covered in dill (I wonder if it was really pak chee lao) and it reminded me of a foul Slavic dish of carp with dill.
The papaya salad with salted black crab could have been a little spicier.
I felt kind of swindled after my Singha slushy arrived. The server omitted the part about it basically being a bottle of beer that was left in a freezer for too long. She pointed to a fanciful battery-operated wooden barrel that twists back and forth, mixing ice and salt around the bottles to lower the temperature and turn the beer into slush.
The wings and the papaya salad with salted black crab are also available at Pok Pok Wing in the Lower East Side — so you won’t have to go all the way to Redhook to try those menu items.
Did I forget the roses? I think I’m just focusing on the thorns because I’m so sad I live in Queens, so far away from this amazing restaurant. It really is a special place with herbs and ingredients hard (impossible?) to find elsewhere in the city. I suppose it’s a case of sour grapes because I know I won’t be able to return for a while and taste their awesome food! PS: the staff is super friendly even though they tend to exude a certain Portlandia vibe.
Pok Pok Ny
127 Columbia St
Brooklyn NY
18 Monday Jun 2012
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Manty (манты) are served stuffed with seasoned lamb and onions at Café Kashkar, a Uyghur restaurant in Brighton Beach just off the eastern end of the boardwalk. Freshly chopped celery leaves and dill are sprinkled on top of each dumpling.
You will find a little cruet of infused vinegar at each table.
This lagman (لەڭمەن) dish included stewed lamb and vegetables. It was so delicious I almost ordered a second plate.
If you get a chance, you will love this place. The new owners have updated the menu with pictures. The only downside is that the hot guys who used to work there no longer do… and there is a mechanical bird that chirps from time to time that drove me crazy.
Café Kashkar
1141 Brighton Beach Avenue
Brooklyn NY 11235
Chinook Olive 