Coming Soon: Double Trouble

I'm headed to the hospital in a couple hours to get induced! Double Trouble should be here at some point on Friday. These were our last meals out pre-DT.

Last brunch: No. 7
We love brunch at No. 7. The food is great and the service is attentive without being overbearing. It hasn't been overly crowded the couple times we've been so Double Trouble and I have had a little more belly room.

DMR and I split an order of waffles and half fried chicken for a DIY version of chicken and waffles. The waffle is good, though I prefer the thicker, Belgiany kind, as well it to be a little more on the crisp, well done side. It's served with two little dishes, one with candied almond slivers and one with an apple and raisin compote. I dig the apples pieces out and leave the raisins for DMR to consume. The fried chicken can be ordered in 1/4, 1/2 and whole portions. The 1/2 order is more than enough for us. You get 5 well seasoned pieces (a drumstick, a breast cut in half , wing and I think a thigh?). The batter gives off a nice crunch. I like alternating between dipping my chicken in the maple syrup and the home made hotsauce.

We also shared an order of latkes and a cinnamon bun the size of a squashed softball. This was the same exact meal we ordered the one other time we had brunch here, with a few minor tweaks. The latkes were all potato on our initial visit but the second time around some carrot and celery was mixed in. Our cinnamon bun was relatively straight up last time, this time it was studded with bacon bits.

Last dinner: iCi
I read about iCi's $25 3-course prix fixe on Grub Street or Eater and it sounded like a good deal. The restaurant offers up three appetizer and entree choices and then a choice of two desserts. DMR and I like different tastes, so we usually order and share our plates. To begin, we went with the crispy potato cake with goat cheese, apple sage chutney and a winter salad of frisee, radicchio and a roasted garlic vinaigrette. I let DMR eat most of the goat cheese as I'm not really supposed to eat soft cheeses, but at this point, it probably doesn't matter. The cakes were definitely crispy on the outside, but still tender and soft on the inside. The sage in the chutney was probably my least favorite part. We both could have eaten two cakes a piece easily, but the lightly dressed winter salad was a good partner and a good idea. Odd appetizer out: house cured salmon.

Dan ordered the roasted pork medallion with kale, pinenuts, currants and a sweet potatoes for his main and I opted for the Spanish mackerel with squash, red peppers and kalamata olives in a ginger lemon beurre blanc. The pork was unfortunately a little over cooked and tough, but the sauce and kale were delicious. My mackerel on the other hand was expertly sauteed. Odd entree out: tagliatelle with sun dried tomatoes.

There were only two options for dessert, so no feelings were hurt. We shared the chocolate pot de creme with chantilly cream and a coconut tart with almond brittle. Left to our own devices we probably would have each ordered the pot de creme, which is one of my favorite desserts ever. It easily blew away with the coconut tart, which was perfectly respectable (with the exception of the almond brittle, which contained some unexpected chewy citrusy ingredient). The pot de creme reminded me those melted chocolate bar cookies from The City Bakery. In a word, deliciousness. Dark chocolately decadent deliciousness.

Peekamoose Restaurant & Tap Room - Big Indian, NY

Right before New Year's, Dan and I borrowed my mom's car and drove upstate to Mt. Tremper for a mini vacation. We spent the night at the Lodge part of this place called the Emerson Resort, which turned out to be a bust! The promised Wi-Fi was non-existent and the front desk lady game me a lame excuse blaming semantics and the toiletries left in our bathroom were totally USED! Ew. We did have a very nice meal at the Peekamoose Restaurant & Tap Room, which was about a 20 minute drive up the same route the lodge was located and where I ran into an old co-worker!

I'll get the cons out of the way first:
- We had to wait at least 35 minutes past our reservation time to get seated, even though when we were brought to the dining room, at least a third of the tables were empty. We were also seated right by the door at an awkwardly placed table that seemed like an afterthought.
- Upstate water, EW! After taking one sip from my glass of tap, I had to break down and order a $6.50 bottle of Panna still water.

Now, onto the meal. I got a Cascazila from the Ithaca Beer Company. I forget what Dan ordered - maybe a Newcastle Brown? We got some delicious bread with scallion butter to begin. I love when bread comes on a board with a cutting knife. It was delicious, and as you can tell from the picture, very crumby.


We were then given an amuse bouche of a curried crab salad, which was perhaps a little over-dressed. It also could have used an edible vessel like an endive leaf, or is that too overdone at this point? I do love salads in endive leaves and isn't the point of an amuse something you can pick up and pop into your mouth? I'm probably wrong and just thinking of that poor chap Clay's fruit salad mess from the first episode of the most recent Top Chef.


To start with, the both of us ordered the 12 ingredient chopped salad. I could only make out the following ingredients for sure: romaine, tomatoes, olives - nicoise?, red onion, feta cheese, cucumber. I think there were also pine nuts and two types of sausage/meat. In deconstructing my plate at dinner, I think I figured out another ingredient or two, but now I can't remember.


Dan couldn't figure out a main to get, so he ordered two appetizers. The first was a trio of pan roasted sea scallops with slices of apples that sat on a puree of sweet potato. This could have easily been its own entree.


He also got the sweet potato gnocchi, which got added texture from being browned in a pan. The sweet and savory nuggets were served in a creamy (coconut milk, I think) but light broth and dotted with olives and pine nuts.


For my main, I went with the braised pork belly, which came with red wine braised red cabbage and creamy mashed potatoes. The cabbage by itself was too sweet, but once you started making bites with the pork and potatoes, it became an addictive combination.


We put forth an excellent effort. What you see left in my plate is some of the skin. I ate some of it, but I like my pig skin crispy.


Dessert was the weakest part of the meal. I really enjoyed the cardamom ice cream since it's not a flavor you see too often, but hated the puff pastry shell that held the braised half apple.

Noo Na First Taste

I've been avoiding NooNa. The review were not the best when it first opened about a year and a half ago and so we've stayed away. Plus we've got a Korean place Sushi Okdol down the street that does the job for the most part. But my last meal there was really disappointing and sometimes a girl just needs her kimchi, so NooNa got the delivery call.

I ordered the duk mandoo guk - a really homey soup of beef dumplings and rice cake slices. Did I mention I was suffering from the worst cold ever that last like three weeks?

The dumplings were obviously homemade, which was nice to see since so many places rely on frozen product. There were three rather large, plump mandoos and a nice portion of duk. However, the meat filling in the dumplings was way too sweet. This is apparently a trend here. Also, I like to toss kimchi pieces into the soup to slightly cook them and also spice up the broth since this is one of the tamer Korean dishes you'll find. Very bummed to find no banchan included with the delivery order. Come on guys, throw me a plastic container of the stuff!

Dan got a mini hamburger topped with kimchi and some kimchi fried rice.


I had a bite of the burger and the meat once again was overly sweet. The bits of bulgogi that dotted the kimchi friend rice suffered from the same mis-seasoning. Otherwise it was a pleasant meal that pretty much it the spot. I doubt we'll be doing delivery from here again any time soon since the bill came out to be about double what we normally spend.

Introducing for the first time: DeCoursy's Sidecar

Before delving into the monumental caloric intake from the trip down South, a little post to tip our hat to DeCoursy's Sidecar (560 5th Ave between 15th and 16th).

We've been waiting for this bar/restaurant to open for a while now and it's finally time! Run by our friend Bart (ex-O'Connor's) and his brother Johnny (who I believe used to man the raw bar at Blue Ribbon Brooklyn), Sidecar is making us regret our move to Clinton Hill. Ok, not really, but it'd be great to still live within a 10 minute walk of this place.

Over the weekend the DeCoursy brothers opened the doors to friends and family for a little soft pre-launch. There may not be a classier joint around.

Exterior shot with their fantastic hanging signage.

I started with a few malpeques, which were served with this delicious cucumber mignonette that I wanted to slurp down like a shot of vinegary gazpacho. Don't mind the large ice cubes - I heard the ice crusher was down.

DMR and I then tackled a BLT soup - greens, tomato and bacon in a chicken based stock topped with crouton with a dollop of aioli. Incredibly, Johnny said he had only one order for it the previous night! WTF? I wish we had each ordered one!

DMR went with a burger and I was about to order the Vietnamese pork sandwich, but then my mouth opened and "fried chicken" came out. The meat was tender and juicy and the crust nicely seasoned and crunchy. I was a big fan of the "succotash" served on the side, and not just because of the pieces of bacon that were sauteed along with the vegetables. That's root mash as the other side.

I obviously liked my chicken. It was a hearty portion of drumstick, thigh and breast and I ate it all (with a little help from DMR on the thigh which I had saved for last).
The diet starts tomorrow!!!

Dessert was peach cobbler and despite my allergy to stone fruit, I dug in. I had to stop once my mouth started getting super itchy, but those few bites were totally worth it! I imagine desserts will be changed up regularly.

Although they are still awaiting their liquor license (very soon is the word), Sidecar is officially opening its doors tomorrow. Their house cocktails, which we'll write about once the bar starts rolling, will include old-timey standards like the Moscow Mule, Pimm's Cup and of course the Sidecar, as well as some new ones concocted by Bart. Until then, it's still certainly worth it to stop by for the food and to plug some quarters into one of the finest jukeboxes around (or an original Spy Hunter arcade game if that's your speed). The DeCoursys have poured a lot of love and soul into the place and the thoughtful little touches mean a lot to a nitpicker like me! I knew it was a good sign when we sat down at "Johnny's Bar" (aka the bar in front of the kitchen) to eat and there was a hook for my bag. Oh, and the bathrooms boast the XLERATOR, the greatest hand dryer ever known to man.

DeCoursy's Sidecar
560 5th Ave between 15th and 16th
Brooklyn, USA

Last Night's Dinner: Anti-Valentine's Day / Nester Version

DMR is especially not a fan of Valentine's Day. I think it's somewhat of a racket too, but it's still nice to go out mainly because I like eating out. But mainly, we stay in. Last year he surprised me by "cooking" dinner at home. That is, he assembled pre-made items, which is all I can ask for considering he had to step into a market to pick up these things which I'm sure was hard enough.

This year I did the shopping and picked up the following for dinner:
• flank steak with roasted tomatoes
• sauteed spinach with garlic
• haricot vert with mushrooms
• fromager d'affinois (a cheese I had recently tried for the first time and loved)
• demi-baguette (I think from Tom Cat Bakery which they stock at Union Market).

and best of all for dessert, 18 oz of Il Laboratorio del Gelato in mint chip picked up from Bierkraft.

I reheated the flank steak in the toaster oven on the broiler setting, which brought it back to life. I had planned to reduce some balsamic vinegear into a syrup to drizzle over the meat, but forgot and turns out the meat really didn't need it. The veggies I placed in a small covered skillet to quickly reheat them and also resulted in a very hot pan lid, which I of course grabbed without a towel. There's a nice Mike n Ike sized burn mark on my palm. The gelato was soft and smooth with abundant chunks of dark chocolate. Somehow we managed not to eat the entire container.

Octopus Salad at Stone Park Cafe 12/8

One of my new favorite dining routines is eating at the bar of Stone Park Cafe on Friday nights, when our downstairs neighbors have their salsa parties. On this particular night, I was headed to a Christmas party but needed a little something beforehand. This is a grilled octopus salad, with shaved fennel, frissee, cherry tomatoes and capers in a tomato beurre, topped off with a duo of tempura'ed caper berries. The octopus was really tender and I really enjoyed the beurre. DMR got a burger, OF COURSE!

Last Night's Dinner: The Good Fork

Well, that's one down on the to-eat list. I wasn't expecting to be able to cross off The Good Fork any time soon but DMR and I found ourselves at this newish Red Hook restaurant last night with Handbags and Gladragss (aka D. Nelson, Esq.) and Oda. The rain started soon after we sat down at our table in the scruffy covered back patio area (wait, is that a mean thing to say? I'm not trying to be mean, but the patio seemed like a work in progress, not that anyone minded. I was just happy we didn't have to wait.) and the percussive drops against the roof set a nice tone for the evening.

The chef at the Good Fork is Korean-American and so along with dishes like farm-raised chicken with potato-parsnip mash and parpadelle with lamb ragu, the diner can order steak and eggs "Korean-style" which is just brilliant. Koreans have known for a long time that kimchi goes really well with lots of things. The "Korean-style" in this case refers to the kimchi fried rice that adorns the plate alongside a perfectly cooked skirt steak (medium in my case) with a soy (or perhaps balsamic?) reduction and fried egg with a brilliant yellow yolk. Not only is this picture terrible because I took it without the flash on, but the plate was also turned so you can barely see the rice. Around 11 o'clock if you're wondering.

Kimchi fried rice is one of my favorite foods and like any good Korean, I think my mother's version is the best. On visits home back in the day, it's one of three things I'd want to eat (her kimchi jigae and Callahan's being the other two). Nowadays we just eat out whenever we visit so a homecooked plate of kimchi fried rice is rare. This version was a pretty good substitute. It could have used more kimchi pieces in the rice but overall it was really flavorful as the house-made kimchi was at a perfect state of ripeness. But I am getting way ahead of myself because before the entrees, we got some really tasty starters beginning with the bread!

I'm curious to know what bakery the Good Fork gets their bread from. Our first helping was soft and chewy; Dave likened it to a Portuguese roll while it reminded me of a potato roll. The second batch (we devoured the first really, really fast) crusty and a little saltier, but equally tasty. One small detail which I liked a lot: the butter was soft and easily spreadable. What's the point of serving butter if you can't get your knife into it? Dan and I shared the special salad of bitter greens, halved figs, blue cheese and candied walnuts in a lemon vinaigrette and for the entire table we ordered a plate of pork and chive dumplings and the special potato dumplings with braised oxtails. The former came five to an order, encased in a wrapper so thin you could see the filling through it, and accompanied by a small dish of dipping sauce, in which I could have liked a little more vinegar. They brought back memories of the handmade dumplings the Korean PTA ladies at my elementary school would make to sell at fundraisers. The gnocchi could have perhaps benefited from a tad more salt, but overall it was a hearty, stick to your ribs perfect for a rainy day dish that would make a great addition to the menu as an entree. I'd order it with a side of kimchi fried rice. Starch city!

For our mains, Jen also got the steak and eggs K-style, while Dan and Dave both ordered the burger, Dan with cheddar on his. The menu says 8 ounces, but it looked and felt heftier than that. The patty was nestled in between halves of a sturdy but not too dense bun. The bun top reminded me of a portobello mushroom and maybe in a funny way, this as well. Come to think of it, Dave maybe have referred to this bread as Portuguese roll-like. It was definitely spongier than you would have imagined from looking at it. The tangle of divine tempura'ed onion rings that accompany the burger will make you forget about french fries - at least for a little bit. They were gobbled up in minutes so we got an extra side order for the table, which arrived as a heaping mass in a white bowl.

The dessert menu super cute - the size of an oversized ticket folder in half, with "mmm" written on the front. Along with a selection of digestifs were the following three options: Steve's key lime pie, a flourless chocolate cake with creme anglais and rasberry sauce and an apple tart with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce. We went with the chocolate cake and apple tart, under the logic of the pie not being house-made and available at Fairway and other points throughout the city. Armed with our spoons, neither dessert had a fighting chance.

We got really friendly service throughout the night and co-owner even followed us out the door to thank us. We'll be back.

Last Night's Dinner: Gimme a SHEA!

Shea Stadium is at the absolute bottom of the list when it comes to ballpark food, well maybe only second to Yankee Stadium. In recent years, they've had a few non-traditional additions, but for the most part, everything is fried and kept warm under heating lamps. It's a shame, because it seems that all ballparks outside of New York are able to provide tasty, diverse and local options for the fans. The Mama's of Corona stands at Shea are finally a step in the right direction. Mama's is really Leo's Latticini, and old-school, family-run Italian food shop in Corona, Queens, right in the shadows of Shea. It's where the mozzerella is made in the back of the store a couple times a day and where asking for gravy on your chicken parm means red sauce.

Mama's opened up an outpost a few years ago, offering up a welcome alternative to the abundant battered and fried choices, not to mention the simply bad choices (like the pizza...ugh, bring back Pizza Hut, coal oven does not translate into an Aramark kitchen). There are two locations in Shea - a larger shop located in the field level (but not in that right field food court area, which means unless you have a field ticket you're outta luck) and a little stand in the mezzanine (near Section 9 or 11 is it?) Upstairs, your choices are but two - but they're two very good choices: italian sub or turkey. Both come with generous slices of mozzerella as well as two small containers, one filled with spicy marinated mushrooms, the other with roasted red peppers. You can also get a little bit of brown gravy with your turkey sub. Downstairs, you can even get an nice little antipasto plate with chunks of provolone and salami, slices of proscuitto, a smattering of olives, some of those marinated mushrooms flecked with chili flakes and a couple peperoncini.

Last night at Shea Stadium for game two of the division series between the Mets and Dogers, it was an italian sub night. That's a lie - I also had a hot dog and DMR also had a sausage with onions and peppers. The italian sub is perfect when shared with someone. I recommend bringing a bag of chips, preferably plain Utz, to accompany as well. The sandwich is built upon a crusty seeded roll. There are generous layers of pepper ham, salami and mozzerella whiter than Matt Damon's teeth. The mushrooms last night were the spiciest all season. The Mets win 4-1 to go up two games to none in the series. Delicious.

Last Night's Dinner: Blue Ribbon Sushi

The following bad things happened to me yesterday. First I learned I needed another root canal and my dentist yelled at me (but in a caring, funny, Eastern European sort of way so I didn't mind that much). Then my cute little orange umbrella I purchased earlier this year at UNIQLO broke! The piece de resistence? My laptop at work totally got busted. I installed the latest iTunes and QuickTime updates and it wouldn't restart! Why does every Mac I touch go haywire? And I hate PCs so I refuse to switch.

So I called up the Listmaker to tell him about my crappy day and he suggested we go to Blue Ribbon Sushi for dinner, but we had to not go overboard because I had just eaten at Al Di La the night before (see BrooklyVegan) and spent some money.

We both started off with the miso soup, which I love at BRS because the miso paste comes on the side and you can add to your own taste. For dinner we went with a maki combo of tuna, california roll and mackerel supplemented with a negi hama roll (yellowtail with scallion) as well as some nigiri a la carte (2 pieces of broiled fresh water eel, 2 pieces of regular eel, 1 piece of spanish mackerel, 1 piece of smoked yellowtail). Green tea and a large bottle of Asashi was shared to wash things down.

For dessert, someone at the table who is not me really wanted to get the chocolate bruno with green tea ice cream, but I started getting some stomach pains and we instead skipped dessert and just went home. The stomach pains were not a result of the food not being good, I think I just ate too quickly. Big surprise!

Last Night's Dinner

Al Di La (5th Avenue and Carroll, Park Slope) with Youthie L.

My first time dining here, despite the fact that it seems to be an old favorite of many. There was really nothing not to like about this reasonably priced, rustic Italian trattoria. To start, YL and I shared the beet salad (two types of beets, both delicious with great texture), along with a salad comprised of white anchovy fillets, yellow and red tomatoes, yellow CHERRY tomatoes (juicy and sweet), over a bed of bread, dressed in a lovely lemon vinaigrette. Seriously tasty. For dinner, YL had the spaghetti con vongole (this white clam sauce somehow manages to be perfectly simple, but oddly SPICY at the same time) and I had pappardelle in an amazing duck ragu. The ragu was just rich enough and tasted slightly of Madeira. The house red is also quite nice here. We split a carafe, which was actually a country kitchenish looking pitcher, and agreed that it tasted like delicious jam! In a good way.

Afterward, I went to the Warsaw in Greenpoint to see Rogue Wave. Since I sort of live in a bubble, I of course had never heard of them, but I went because my friend Heather is friends with Evan (bass) and Gram (lead guitar, sometimes drums). I was pleasantly surprised and especially liked it when they sang 'the Kids Are Alright' with members of Nada Surf (I COMPLETELY forgot about those guys! I seriously have not thought about them since the nineties.). Anyway, in addition to being a cool venue, the Warsaw also offers cheap drinks and homey Polish fare. Despite being stuffed from dinner, I had some yummy kielbasa with pickles!

Last Night's Dinner

Yankee Stadium with Papper.

Yankees - 12
Devil Rays - 4

Beautiful night at the Stadium and the return of Matsui (who, by the way, went 4 for 4). Apparently, it was also Suzyn Waldman's birthday - blech! Today is Bernie Williams' - that gentle soul. Anyway, I ate my usual chicken fingers and french fries and a Heiney. No uncharted territory here. Paps had the same, plus a sausage prior to entering the ballpark.

Last Night's Dinner: Grimaldi's

Before I continue with my seemingly never-ending Asia reports, I just wanted to say that last night's dinner post-bocce tournament with my teammates and friends at Grimaldi's was a great way to end the very long day. I was the pig of the table, consuming a half slice more than Slice and Balgavy. Even after 4.5 slices I could have eaten more and we were debating ordering another pie. My more reasonable half enticed the crowd into ganging up on me and reminding me of my less than iron stomach helped me realize I probably had enough. I had 2 slices with pepperoni and garlic, one with sausage, one with just pepperoni and half a cheeseless slice with pepperoni, mushrooms and sausage. All washed down with a rootbeer, which is my beverage of choice at Grimaldi's, only I wish they stocked Boylan's instead of Olde Brooklyn, which doesn't have the depth of Boylan's and always tastes a little too syrupy and flat to me. At the table I said that Grimaldi's was one of my five favorite things to eat of all time. I have to come up with a list of the other four.

Last Night's Dinner

So, last night was the big IYWMB doubleheader against Jonny Cakes and Boccelism. Since I was at Floyd and had not yet eaten, naturally I got some takeaway from the Chip Shop next door. Youthlarge and I both decided on the kids size chicken fingers and chips. Per usual, the chicken fingers were really tasty, but man, they totally worked me!

By the time I got back to Chinatown: the Apartment, my stomach was feeling seriously funny. I was planning on just chilling out, drinking lots of water and re-watching Syriana. But then I got a call from Newell, who was at his apartment around the corner hanging out with none other than BIG ELI (Scarecrow, I think I'll miss you most of all), just in from Cairo for Nate and Heather's wedding this Saturday. SWEET! So they came over to have some rum and tonics. Anyway, Big Eli started talking about Buzkashi, which is sort of like polo, but instead of hitting a ball around the field, you gallop about trying to plunge your hand into the stomach cavity of a dead, decapitated and de-hooved GOAT. So gross. Apparently, they play this in all of the 'stan' countries. Then, as if that weren't making me nauseas enough, Betten and Newell started talking about CARBONATED SOUR MILK. WTF? Between all of this talk of what's grosser than gross AND my Chip Shop attack, I totally had to excuse myself from the room to go b-a-r-f. EW.

Last Night's Dinner: Cozy Soup 'n' Burger

Last night, after seeing An Inconvenient Truth, Lauren and I decided that we needed some sort of food. I hadn't eaten dinner yet and was pretty ravenous. We eventually ended up at Cozy's (Broadway at Astor Place). I hadn't been there in years (well, possibly year), but I used to go there all the time with my friend Abbey when I was at NYU. Once we cut our 9:00a ballet class (this class met FIVE days a week and was only worth ONE credit - what were we thinking?) because we thought getting breakfast there and discussing another class we were slacking off in would be a better use of our time. Looking back on it, I think we may have been wrong. Another time, Ab and I went there and we were WASTED, so I asked the people at the neighboring table if I could eat one or two of their onion rings. They said YES. Too bad Youthlarge and I weren't drunk the time we saw that dumb kid waste a meatball at the old diner on Union Square East! Oh well.

As I do roughly 94% of the time when dining at Cozy's, I ordered the Cozy turkey burger deluxe with a side of gravy for my fries. The 'Cozy Burger' is topped with fried onions, mushrooms and cheese and is quite delicious. Lauren, who is at the opposite end of the eating spectrum from me, ordered a mixed salad, a side of steamed broccoli and a scoop of cottage cheese. She encouraged me to eat some of her vegetables. I begrudgingly agreed to eat one broccoli florette, which I hid behind my turkey burger for most of the meal. It dawned on me that I could just dip the broccoli in some gravy to make it more palatable. Well, my scheme totally worked and I ended up eating three to five more pieces!

All of the french fries I ate ended up making my stomach feel funny, so I was going to have a nice, relaxing stroll home to try to settle it. However, my efforts were thwarted because Papper and his Canadian roommate were drinking at Swift's (East 4th between Lafayette and Bowery), which was on my way home, so I decided to stop in for a drink. Well, predictably, one drink turned into four, but the good news is that the Bushmills and sodas I was drinking totally settled my stomach. The quote of the night was when Paps' roommate, Rob, exclaimed, 'the Canadians saved your (our) asses in World War II'. That crazy Canuck nearly killed me! His remark caused me to lose the ability to breath due to hysterical fits of laughter. Once I regained my composure, I asked him 'which beach did the Canadians even land on at Normandy, Sword?'. He had no idea. Well, it was Juno.

Last Night's Dinner: Tuesday Night Tapas

Luz (Vanderbilt and Myrtle, Clinton Hill, though some think it's in Fort Greene. I disagree.) with Donovan, Dutch Robert, Zach Attack 2006, Nate and Heather. Donovan heard about their Tuesday night tapas special, which is three tapas and one glass of wine or sangria for $20, and invited all of us to try it out. I considered bailing on the plans due to the heat, but had to make it out to Brooklyn at some point regardless to check SHR and DMR's mail and water their plants (S - one of them is not looking so good), so forced myself to go.

On my way there, I ran into Heather on the C train at Jay Street - Borough Hall. She asked me what I was doing there and I told her about my dinner plans. She mentioned that she and Nate might be joining us, so I might see her later. Suffice it to say, I did! Upon arrival at the restaurant, I saw Donovan and Dutch Robert sitting at the bar since we had a fifteen minute or so wait. I was mad hot from my schlep from the Lafayette C stop (in hindsight, I should have gotten off at Clinton - Washington and taken the B69 down Vanderbilt), so suggested that we order a pitcher of rose sangria. I have never had a rose sangria before, but if you have read any of my prior entries from the last few weeks, you can probably deduce that I found it to be lovely and refreshing. Once the other three arrived, we still had about a ten minute wait.

Once seated, all of the Luz employees started acting really weird. I think it was because the hostess had us sit at a four-top, despite the fact that we were a party of six, with three of us on the banquette, two in the opposite chairs and one at the head of the table (me). As we were sitting, one waitress ran over and was like 'I don't think six people are really supposed to sit there'. Well, shit man, I don't think six people should sit at a table for four either, but that's what we were told to do. The confusion was cleared up and the waitress retreated. After a couple of minutes, our waiter stopped by and asked if we were ready to order, to which we responded that we would love to see some menus first. His response was KRIZZAY. He was like 'oh, the hostess just told me that you were over here and I had no idea what you needed'. Um, ok. There was also some debate about the sangria service, which I stayed out of entirely, as I was already feeling pretty weirded out. When our waiter returned with our menus, he seemed a bit less edgy. Phew. I blame the hostess. It sort of seemed like she forget to tell anybody anything about our table.

Anyway, I ordered the following:

Camarones al Ajillo (braised shrimp in garlic, chiles and parsley) – This is a classic. I've found that it is always tasty just by virtue of its ingredients. This time was no exception. The chiles were really nice and spicy.

Chorizo al Vino Tinto (sautéed chorizo with garlic, onions and thyme in Riojan wine) - Right now I have my right thumb at 8 o'clock, which from my perspective, looks like a partial thumb down, but very close to being neutral. The dish wasn't necessarily bad, but it just wasn't that good either. I am of the opinion that chorizo should always be GREAT.

Donovan and I shared the following:

Pinchos de Res (grilled beef tenderloin cubes served with red chimichurri and crispy yuca drizzled with mojo) - This may have been my favorite. The beef was very tender and succulent and the yuca had a very nice contrasting texture.

Braised ribs with a spicy mango sauce (for some reason I cannot find an official name or description for this) - Very delicious as well. For me, a close second to the beef tenderloin, though many in my party thought it was the best, hands down. The meat was literally falling off the bone and had been nicely seasoned with what tasted like West Indian spices.

Zach decided to go with the paella, which apparently was not very good.

I have mixed feelings about this place. Now that I know what to order, I'll definitely go back for the Tuesday night tapas special, as it is a very good deal. I don't know though, everything just seemed so hit or miss. Like, how could the ribs be so off the hook and then the chorizo so less than mediocre? Anyway, after we settled up, we headed over to Alibi (DeKalb and Vanderbilt, I think Clinton Hill, mentally at least if not geographically) for a quick beer. The bartender was absolutely smoldering. He looked like a dirty Clive Owen.

Last Night's Dinner and Snacky

Loreley (Rivington between Bowery and Christie, NYC) with Ted, Barb, Papper, Nate, Melanie and Alec. First things first - mazel tov to Alec and Melanie on their wonderful news! I don't know much, but I do know this: babies are cute. Usually.

After a sketchy dim sum experience, I was really looking forward to doing some serious eating at Loreley. I usually snack on their delicious fries (served with both ketchup and mayo) while I figure out what I want to eat for real. Figuring out what I want to eat for real usually means that I end up ordering the Jaeger Schnitzel, which is your standard Wiener Schnitzel, but served with a nice mushroom sauce. The Schnitzel is served with french fries, but I usually get Spaetzle as a substitution, as I have already eaten an ample portion of fries while sipping on one of Loreley's many enticing beer options. Last evening I was drinking half liters of Franziskaner Hefe-Weisse - one of my favorite things to drink in the Summer. You can also opt for having your beer served to you in a gigantic liter sized stein, but it's not less expensive to do so and you end up drinking warm beer. Unless of course you're super manly, in which case you probably drink your beer TWICE as fast as everyone else.

To eat I ordered the Schlachtplatte mit Kassler, Rippenspeck und Rauchwurst, which was basically just a huge plate of delicious meat. The meats included were a smoked pork chop, super fatty and delectable rib bacon and a smoked sausage. The aforementioned triumvirate of deliciousness was served on a bed of sauerkraut and mashed potatoes. I asked for french fries instead of mashed potatoes, but ended up with mashies anyway. They were ok, but I REALLY wanted french fries as I did not order them to snack on while mulling over my entree selection. Next time. I didn't eat any of my sauerkraut because it agitates my acid reflux, but Ted, Alec and Papper all reported that it was rich and tasty. Ted, that old salty dog, ate all of my bacon fat too.

After dinner, we all piled into Alec and Melanie's new Jeep Liberty (It's funny, they traded in their sensible car for an SUV to accommodate the arrival of their new baby, but why would you want to bring a baby into a world full of SUV's? We asked Alec about what kind of gas mileage he got and he said about 4 miles to the gallon. Ha!) to drive to Hank's (Atlantic and 3rd, Brooklyn). Nate plays there every Sunday with Sean Kershaw and the New Jack Ramblers. They also have free barbecue there on Sunday nights. Despite the rather large plate of meat I consumed at Loreley, I still managed to scarf down a Mardi Gras sausage (andouille infused with cheddar cheese), courtesy of Soul! Sausage. It was nice and spicy and really hit the spot. Though, it was a little precarious to eat as the hot cheese would occasionally spurt out and burn us on our arms and faces. Ouch.

Last Night's Dinner: Take-out from Great Neck

Last night Newell stopped by around 9:30p for dinner. We considered our various C-Town eating options over a couple of glasses of Glenlivit Nadurra (16 year old single malt, non-chill filtered, very crisp and almost fruity), which somehow turned into two more drinks each. Suffice it to say, with the clock ticking and our unwavering resolve to continue the consumption of Scotch, our dining options were becoming rather limited. We finally admitted to ourselves that all we could really do at that point was get take-out from Great Neck (Great NY Noodletown, Bowery at Bayard, C-Town). Here's what we ordered:

Roast Duck and Flowering Chive Spring Rolls - Crispy and delicious, never disappoints.
Three Jewels (Roast Duck, Roast Pork, Soy Sauce Chicken) - First time getting this take-out vs. eat-in. I'm against it and won't make the same mistake twice. Not nearly as much duck as when you sit and get table service. Yummy garlicky scallion sauce still made me lose my mind though.
Beef Chow Fun w/ Chinese Vegetables - Not so psyched on this dish either for take-out. Now, I've had take-out Beef Chow Fun sans vegetables countless times from Great Neck and have been pleased every time. I'm wondering if it was the VEGETABLES that compromised the integrity of the dish? I knew there was a reason for my unadulterated love of meat and strong aversion to vegetables! Anyway, inexplicably, Great Neck separated our Chow Fun into two containers, one with noodles only, the other with the beef, Chinese vegetables (jerks) and sauce. This was no good for me because I wanted the noodles to be tossed around in a pan with the other components of the dish. Especially the SAUCE. Great Neck frequently does this with their takeaway noodle soups as well, but that's ok because there's no sauteeing going on there.

While we were finishing up dinner, Donovan stopped by with a six pack, fresh off the F train from some place in Brooklyn called Bar BQ (6th Avenue and 20th Street). It sounded seriously delicious and I was getting super jealous just hearing about it. I plan to visit there soon. Mike W. (aka Robo) and Sean Murphy came by Chinatown: the Apartment as well. Suffice it to say, we killed the bottle of Glenlivit, the beer and made a dent in some Bushmills, courtesy of Newell. My two drinks a day plan is really not working at all. Not even a little.

Last Night's Dinner - 100th Post!

Cafecito (Avenue C between 11th and 12th, NYC) with Papper, Adrienne and Donovan.

Papper, always a bastion of enthusiasm, invited some people over to his place last evening for some post work lychee martinis, followed by dinner at Cafecito. I don't actually work, but if someone's having post work drinks, I'm there regardless. Though, the tricky thing is that I'm trying to limit myself to two drinks a day right now, because once I hit that third drink, I find that I just want to drink my face off. I'm sorry to report that I exceeded my self-imposed drink limit by four drinks, bringing last evening's drink total to six. The good news is that I did in fact wake up with my face on this morning, which I am very glad for.

So anyway, Cafecito is one of Papper's favorite restaurants in the City. I went there on his birthday, but just for drinks, so had never sampled the food there myself. I have to say, it was not only delicious, but a great value as well. They couldn't seat us immediately, so Paps, Adrienne and I just hung out at the sidewalk bar on Ave. C (it really looked more like a snack bar window, but bigger), drinking mojitos (always delicious and refreshing) and eating tostones with an amazing garlic sauce. We were seated after about fifteen minutes.

Just as our food arrived, I noticed some movement in the large potted plant outside the window. I looked closer and it was none other than Donovan - a truly magnificent form of urban wildlife not often found outside of its natural habitat. We invited the little Donovan in. He adapted very easily to the confines and customs of the restaurant and ordered a Dos Equis and a Cubano.

I had the churrasco, which is simply chargrilled skirt steak with Cuban chimichurri sauce and lime cured onions. The steak was served with yellow rice, which I passed on per usual, black beans and MORE tostones with the amazing garlicky sauce. The steak was simply succulent (I feel like Youthlarge was just saying the other day that she HATED alliteration. Funny.). It was also cooked to the correct doneness, which I was pleasantly surprised by. I really didn't expect it to be as skirt steaks are usually over done.

Papper started with the grouper ceviche (very light, perfectly seasoned with just the right amount of lime juice and cilantro) and ordered the Cubano as well. I've had my fair share of Cubanos in this town and think this might be the tastiest one I've ever had. It might have something to do with that garlicky sauce they use. Papper said that in addition to the standard ham, they also put a thin layer of prosciutto on the sandwich. Now, I don't know if I really buy that, but I suppose it would explain the extra savory goodness I experienced. Hmmmm. Well, I guess I could just order it sometime and take a look under the hood before I finish eating it. That's what I'll do on my next visit. I hope I don't forget though.

After dinner I tried to convince people to go to Ace Bar for some skee-ball action, but had no takers, so we ended up just going to Parkside for a nightcap. Man, I swear, if I could get back all of the hours I've spent at the Parkside I would be a much younger woman. Cheers.

Tuesday's Dinner: Vive la France!

In honor of the Frenchie victory over Spain, I invited Newell and Sus to join me for dinner at Les Enfants Terribles (Canal and Ludlow, LES/C-Town, NYC). This was my second visit to LET this week as one of my favorite summertime activities is sitting outdoors and drinking pastis. I love the cloudy anise-y goodness of a nice cold glass of pastis. I'd be hard pressed to find another drink that's more refreshing, or that causes me to sit around, daydreaming about living in Provence with my young Frenchie-Tunisian wife, who dutifully refreshes my pastis as I sit on the deck contemplating how wonderfully my life has turned out. And I'm not even a gay!

After ordering three Ricards, we decided to start with the Trois Senteurs Salad, which was three flavored goat cheese toasts served with frisee. The goat cheese was creamy and delicious and had nice thin slices of cucumber framing it. Very refreshing and perfect for the season. The frisee was saturated with some sort of overly sweet dressing, so I avoided it altogether. For dinner I had the Korhogofefemougou, which was simply grilled steak in a marinade of special spices from Cote d'Ivoire (bar none the best team in the World Cup to not advance to the Round of 16), served with fried kasava and salad. Instead of the fried kasava I opted to have french fries. The french fries at LET are divine. Sus got some yummy fish dish called Bozo-Bozo! Newell rocked the Casbah with some leg of lamb.

So anyway, I'm hoping for a Germany vs. France final on July 9th - June 6th style. Blesse mon coeur d'une langueur monotone...

Monday Night's Dinners

Jeallado (East 4th between 1st and 2nd, East Ville, NYC) with Abbey.

I was planning on going to Pioneer Bar-BQ in Red Hook for Kaci's birthday (Happy Birthday Kaci!), but logistically it just wasn't working out. Plus, my friend Abbey is in town from the land of the hanging chads and she wanted to take me out for a belated birthday dinner. Even though this place reminds us of a barn and has horrendous service, we decided to go there because for some unknown reason, I absolutely love it. Wait, I know why I love it. I love it because they have these special rolls with delicious crabmeat filling in the middle. AND the sashimi is really fresh and tasty and has never once worked me over, it just takes FOREVER to show up at my table. Per usual when patronizing this establishment, I ate the following:


Sashimi Combo A - Tuna, yellowtail, salmon and white fish served with miso soup, sunomono app. and rice.
Lily Special Roll - Tuna and whitefish over some yummy real crabmeat filling.
Sara Special Roll - Salmon and yellowtail over the same yummy real crabmeat filling.

En route to dinner, I got an SMS from Papper indicating that he would be having tapas at Xunta (1st Avenue between 10th and 11th, East Ville, NYC). So, after I was done with sushi, I decided to stroll over to Xunta for some sangria and maybe a little snackie. When I got there, I decided that I was not in the mood to drink at all, but did want to have some tapas, despite having just come from dinner. I told Papper et al that I was going to order something, but then Papper, with a great sense of urgency, told me that the kitchen was closing and that I should order a bunch of stuff for the table, so here's what I got:

Tortilla Galega - Galician omelette with Spanish sausage (a true tapas staple)
Patacas Bravas - Spicy potatoes (crispy and delicious)
Camarones a Plancha con Bacon - Grilled shrimp wrapped in bacon (this is my dream)

As it turned out, no one else was really hungry for a second round of tapas, so I ended up having to eat the three aforementioned dishes all by lonesome, save for one shrimp eaten by Zach and three crispy potatoes eaten by Papper! Suffice it to say, I felt really gross and stuffed, which seems to be the status quo.