Clinton Hill Foodie

Halloween Risotto and Pork Chops

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:41:00 +0000

This year, Halloween was a quiet and intimate affair at the CHF household, as I just had a few friends over for dinner and to watch a movie. For the record, we watched Paranormal Activity and it was jaw-droppingly terrible. Run, don't walk, to see another movie if you're ever presented with the opportunity to see this one.

Thankfully, the rest of the night went great, with lots of food and wine to cushion the stinging blow of over-hyped bad cinema. Not wanting to go to a huge amount of trouble, I decided to make a quick saffron risotto along with some fried pork chops. My friend Kate added a salad made from ingredients scavenged from the depths of my refrigerator and with a few bottles of wine, we were all set.

The risotto was basically the same one as I made in this post, only I used a regular yellow onion instead of shallots. I'd have preferred shallots, but I more preferred not having the leave the house, so there we are.

The pork chops were pretty simple. I mixed a cup of flour with some cayenne pepper, ground red pepper, cumin, sea salt, and ground black pepper to dredge the raw pork chops in. I then fried them on a cast iron skillet using vegetable oil until nicely browned on each side.

I don't really know what was in the salad, but it was pretty good. Maybe Kate will comment and let us know what magicks she unleashed? Time will tell.

Easy Weekday Pasta

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:31:00 +0000

I've had a rough few weeks on a variety of fronts, so a lot of the more in-depth cooking I do has been put on hold. That doesn't mean there aren't simple and easy ways to make something good without a lot of time or preparation.

The other night I wanted some pasta, but didn't have any good options for sauce around. While I usually like having some of my own red sauce at the ready for these kinds of emergencies, it's been a while since I've done up a batch and I was fresh out.

A quick butter and garlic sauce was the answer. This is something that's quite literally once of the easiest things you can do for pasta, and it's almost impossible to screw up. This is Clinton Hill Foodie's version of Rachel Ray's cooking, I suppose.

1. Cook pasta. Drain pasta.

2. Add 3-4 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, 2-3 tbsp butter, and 1-2 tbsp mined garlic. Fresh garlic is the best, but I like keeping around little jars of minced garlic in the fridge for exactly this kind of thing. You can vary the amounts of everything to taste - I tend to prefer more oil and less butter and more garlic.

3. Stir in the pasta. Add salt and pepper to taste, maybe with some crushed red pepper flakes.

4. Serve with grated parmigiano reggiano and more pepper.

That's it. Simple, easy, light, and awesome.

Homemade Pizza In Brooklyn

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 15:50:00 +0000

Last week I got to try out a new baking stone and pizza peel. That meant a Sunday filled with homemade pizza.

This was my father's dough recipe, which I've written about before. We had a bit of an emergency when the dog ingested one whole batch of dough while we were otherwise engaged and he had to have emergency surgery at the vet to get it all out. The dog is doing fine.

The pizzas came out great, and I have some extra dough left over that I've been using whenever I get a quick pizza craving. I made a quick batch of tomato sauce for the pies. I used cans of diced tomatoes since I didn't have time to really stew it all day.

Getting the oven up over 500 degrees usually means some smoke in my apartment. I did my best to give the oven a thorough cleaning before we started, but after a few pizzas there was some debris in there and the smoke inevitably came. Our only recourse was to nuke the smoke detector or else go completely insane. The lesson? Keep your oven as clean as you can, and do what you can to clear the air, either with a vent if you have it or windows and doors. None of that ended up helping us, but it's worth mentioning.

No 7 Brunch Redux

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 18:39:00 +0000

Had a chance to pop back into No. 7 for Brunch this past Sunday. This time my eyes were a little too big for my head and we ordered way too much, but it was still all very good. Some notable differences from the last time I was in:

- Tried an order of the turkey sausage. Good, if not great. I'm not a huge fan of alternative sausages in general, and while I love turkey meat, I don't think it works great in sausage form. These were good, but not spectacular. I'd order them if you really wanted some lean meat.

- My father ordered the omelette, complete with Mexican chorizo, Swiss cheese, and arugala. He reported that it was good.

- One of their brunch cocktails is a Pimm's drink of some kind that I can't remember the name of. It was tasty, though I'd have preferred a glass of the blueberry sangria that they'd run out of.

- They had a coffee cake for dessert that was really something. It was some sort of peach, sour cherry, and cream cheese concoction.

I couldn't pass up another waffle, and I browbeat my father into ordering the salt potatoes and scrambled eggs as well.

Seriously, go to No. 7.

No. 7
7 Greene Avenue
Brooklyn, NY
718.522.6370

http://www.no7restaurant.com

Google Map

Sesame Biscotti

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 17:23:00 +0000

My father was in town this past weekend, which usually means he wants to show off some new thing he's been cooking or baking. On Saturday is was his recipe for Sesame Seed Biscotti. Well, not his recipe, per se, but a recipe he's pulled from Google and tried.

Disregard the yeast in the pictures - that was actually used for the pizza dough we made the following day.

Sesame Seed Biscotti
Adapted from a recipe from FoodNetwork.com

Ingredients

4 cups 00 farina flour (The original recipe called for all-purpose flour)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups sesame seeds

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl and set aside.

Put the butter and sugar into the bowl of a mixer and cream until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time with the mixer running and beat until smooth. Add the vanilla and beat. Next, add the flour mixture and beat until well incorporated.

To form the cookies, divide the dough in half and roll into logs 1-inch in diameter. Cut the logs into 3-inch lengths. Dip each piece of dough into the cream and then roll in the sesame seeds. Place the cookies on a baking sheet and place in the oven until golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Let cool and serve. These will keep in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

As you can see from the recipe, we substituted 00 farina in place of the all-purpose flour. This may have been a poor choice, as the cookies came out really soft. It may be a matter of choice, but I think I'd go with all-purpose were I to make it again.

Also, be forewarned: it's impossible to eat one of thee cookies without sesame seeds falling everywhere.

Birthday Bash

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:51:00 +0000

It was my birthday last week and I had a few friends over for some food and wine to celebrate. I didn't do any cooking at all, but there was certainly some great eats.

My roommate went a bit nuts and cooked up a pork satay with some skewered chicken and rice. No recipe to post since he had no documentation and flew by the seat of his pants anyway. Whatever he did, it came out great.

What is it with dogs and cat beds?

Brunch at No. 7

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 15:00:00 +0000

Having already been to No. 7 once and been absolutely blown away by their dinner menu, I stopped on this pack weekend on Saturday to see what they had to offer when it came to brunch. My brunch expectations are usually pretty tame, though, so while I expected something good, I didn't really have my anticipation meter dialed way up.

Folly! Folly, I cry!

I promise never again to underestimate No. 7. What could have been a pedestrian but acceptable brunch with eggs, potatoes, a waffle, and a bloody Mary was instead full of surprising takes on the classics with some extra free fried chicken.

My friend went relatively conservative with her order of scrambled eggs and salt potatoes. It might just be me, but I don't see salt potatoes on menus down here very often, so it was a nice surprise. The actual potatoes themselves were exactly what they claimed - tender potatoes cooked in overly-salted water. Very good, and a nice side dish for almost anything.

The eggs were a real star, though. How surprising could an order of eggs really be? I mean, look at them. It's a bowl of eggs. But there's something in the water at No. 7, because these were spicy and subtle and shockingly great. I don't know what they're doing to them, but whatever it is, it's Good.

While the eggs and potatoes were interesting, the waffle was the real star here. Again, I expected a good Belgian waffle. What I got was maybe the best waffle I've ever had. It's soft and sugar-y and spicy with all sorts of subtle flavors. It also came with a delicious banana compote and glazed almonds to sprinkle about wherever you please. There was also syrup.

In addition to our order, our lovely waitress provided a free sample of their fried chicken. I almost refused since I was about to head home to make ten pounds of my own, but who can say no to free fried chicken, really? No one can. No. 7's version was pretty good, and certainly would make for a good brunch option if you're in the mood.

The only thing close to a disappointment for me was the bloody Mary, which was ok but not great. It was frankly kind of bland and not spicy at all, but it was still good enough that I had a second. Olea still holds the local crown in that regard.

I'm now convinced that there's nothing No. 7 doesn't do well. It's unequivocally my new favorite restaurant, and I promise one of these days I'll show up having not forgotten my camera (these are all iPhone pictures). In the mean time, if you haven't yet stopped in, do yourself a favor and give it a shot.

Information:

No. 7
7 Greene Avenue
Brooklyn, NY
718.522.6370

http://www.no7restaurant.com

Google Map

Sunday Kickoff Party

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 13:03:00 +0000

Football is here again, and that means it's a great time to have friends over for beer and food. That's exactly what I did on Sunday, and I thought I'd share some of what we had.

In addition to a big batch of fried chicken, I made bacon-wrapped scallops. I'd write out a recipe, but there's really not much more to it than:

- Wrap scallops in bacon with a toothpick
- Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and brown sugar
- Broil (flip halfway through)

I also put out some of this amazing crab dip from Costco as well as a good (but not spectacular) artichoke-klamata hummus and an obligatory shrimp cocktail.

Beers ran the gamut from Brooklyn IPA to Blue Moon to Heineken to Corona to Yuengling, depending on who brought what. It was a great day of food, football, and friends, and I look forward to week 2. Also the Seahawks won (yay!) though my fantasy team lost (boo!).

Time for Fried Chicken

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 12:50:00 +0000

I have kind of a funny history with fried chicken. I love it, first off. There are few things that can put me into a Pavlovian-like salivating frenzy like really good fried chicken. One of the things I'm actually most disappointed in with regards to our fair neighborhood has been the abysmal quality of the fried chicken at places like Crown which are open 24 hours. Sure, Ruthie's and Five Spot are much better, but they're not open when I'm coming home in a cab at 2, you know?

Six or seven years ago while I was still in Queens I decided my summer project was going to be getting really good at making fried chicken at home. I was partially inspired by the fried chicken episode of Good Eats, and since I already owned a cast iron pan, that was my frying implement of choice.

This recipe is an amalgamation of lots of different recipes that I've found and adapted over the years. A good part of the recipe comes from a KFC copycat recipe I found a while back along with some extra tidbits I've thrown in as I've played with it. It varies from kind of spicy to very spicy depending on my mood and who I'm cooking for, and in general I aim for the latter. It's a fair amount of work and you will make a mess, but frankly it's worth it. There's nothing quite like like home made fried chicken, and it's always better the next day so don't be afraid of leftovers.

Clinton Hill Foodie Fried Chicken

Ingredients:

8-10 lbs of chicken drumsticks and thighs. Make wings and breasts if you want, but they're not my thing when it comes to fried chicken.
2 cups Bisquick. You can just add some baking power to all-purpose flour too.
2 packages Italian dressing mix
2 tbsp tomato soup bouillon
2 tbsp cayenne pepper - adjust for spiciness. Basically add more if needed.
2 tbsp ground black pepper
1 tbsp kosher salt
2 tbsp paprika
1 tsp garlic power
1 tsp onion powder
Vegetable shortening
1 quart low-fat buttermilk

Directions:

First soak the chicken pieces in buttermilk in sealed plastic containers in the fridge for at least a few hours. Some recipes call for an hour, some call for 12-24 hours. I find you want to have them in there at least 2-3 hours, preferably longer. It doesn't necessarily need to be overnight, though.

Mix the flour/Bisquick and all the spices into a large ziplock bag. Remove each piece of chicken from the buttermilk container and let the buttermilk drizzle off it. You don't want the chicken to have too much liquid or else the excess will just end up globbing up all the flour in the bag. It's going to happen anyway, but you want to mitigate it as much as you can.

Toss each piece of chicken around in the bag until evenly coated with the flour mixture.

I use a cast iron pan and pure vegetable shortening for frying. This will also work just fine with a deep fryer, but since I don't have one I can't help you there. With the pan, heat up a couple of healthy dollops of shortening. You can use a candy thermometer to measure the temperature, but I pretty much play it by ear. No, it's not scientific at all, but there's something romantic about treating a vat of hot oil as an art form.

You don't want the oil too hot. In fact, I tend to err on the side of it being too cool, with the heat turned pretty far down. I've found that if the oil is too hot, the chicken cooks far too quickly on the outside and you end up with nicely-browned chicken pieces that are still raw inside. This is a travesty, so do your best to avoid it. Keep the oil relatively cool, and cook the chicken slowly. When one side is browned, turn each piece and finish them off. Each batch takes about 8-10 minutes this way. While cooking one batch, you can batter the next.

When the pieces are done cooking, remove with tongs and set them on a plate covered in a paper towel to soak off excess grease.

While the chicken is great when it's fresh, I think it's even better after being refrigerated overnight, served either cold or re-heated.

So there it is: my recipe. Fried chicken is one of those things where everyone and their mother has their own version, and I have no doubt there will be people who have serious issues with how I make mine. I don't really care, because in the end I had 10 lbs of chicken and it was awesome.

Silver Spoon Review

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 13:24:00 +0000

With the remnants of Tropical Nonsense Danny having passed us by on Sunday, the sun came out and forced me to leave my humble cave in search of...something. Who knows what, but I ended up wandering around most of Clinton Hill and Fort Greene over the course of the morning. After a while I started to get a hankerin' for ice cream or iced coffee or something, and even poked my head into Bittersweet, but didn't get anything. Passed by the General Greene too, but didn't get anything.

What did I finally get? Frozen Yogurt at a place I'd never actually been, Silver Spoon on Fulton St. It's another of those places I've passed by a few dozen times but never actually set foot in. That all changed on Sunday when I, well, set foot in it.

The place feels a bit like a spa, which is odd. Calling their menu sparse might be a big generous, but they're certainly focused. They have 5 or 6 flavors of frozen yogurt along with a bevy of various toppings. They also serve coffee.

...and that's pretty much it. I wasn't feeling cheeky, so I got a medium pineapple frozen yogurt (they had mango on the menu but apparently it wasn't available). The staff was friendly and prompt, and I handed over my $5.90 in exchange for my yogurt.

Yes, you read that right. $5.90 for a medium, and to be honest, they don't go to any length to fill the cup they give you. If I'd wanted toppings? That would have run me an additional couple of dollars. That's getting dangerously close to $10 for a little snack, no?

In any event, it was really, really good frozen yogurt, so no complaints there. But I'm not sure how often I'll stop in. I mean, I guess it's not *that* much more than $4.50 for two scoops at Bittersweet, but it really felt like a lot. It was good, but I'm not sure it was that good. Still, on a gorgeous, warm day the place was pretty barren, so maybe I'm not alone.

Information:

Silver Spoon
737 Fulton Street
Brooklyn, NY 11227
718.852.7567

Google Map

More on Fresh Fanatic

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 13:50:00 +0000

Are we tired of Fresh Fanatic posts? I hope not! I've had a chance to stop in a few more times in the last few days, as well as get some reader questions answered, so I thought I'd collect everything into a single follow-up post.

First, prices. One of the traps Fresh Fanatic is going to have to work hard to avoid, because of its focus on high-quality fare, is high prices for everything. They've maintained over and over that while they're going to be selling organic produce and other goods, they believe they'll be able to offer lower prices than other stores. How are they doing? Well, prices on deli meats are high but not exorbitant. $8.95/lb for things like ham and turkey, which is about a dollar more than many stores offer for comparable meats. They use Applegate Farms for the meats but offer Boar's Head cheeses. When I've been there they haven't had anything on special - if they do start to offer specials, it might bring things down a bit. I got a pound of ham yesterday and asked for it sliced thin and they did a really great job, which isn't always a given at delis around here. The bakery staff also mentioned that they're still playing with prices on things like the prepared sweets. A slice of flourless chocolate cake is $3.25 now, but that might change as they gauge interest.

Produce seems reasonable, especially for fruits and vegetables which have both an organic and non-organic option. I'm still not thrilled about how the produce is organized, though. Tomatoes, for instance are set up so that organic ones are in the main produce area, while non-organic roma tomatoes are on the other side of the partition by the front door. Two separate places in the store to get tomatoes? I don't think it works, but they're still playing with how things are set up, I imagine. Price in general will be something everyone will be keeping a close eye on.

For items where they only have an organic option, like eggs, prices are high. Their cheapest dozen eggs is $3.50, and that might mean people shop elsewhere for staples. I'd like to see some non-organic options for things like milk and eggs so that a trip for basic stuff doesn't take too much of a chunk our of my wallet.

How about hours? Right now they're still playing in by ear a bit, but they're open by 7:30 or 8 in the morning and are planning on closing between 7:30 and 8 on weeknights, 6 or so on the weekend. They've mentioned to me a couple of times that they're trying to get a feel for the neighborhood and how late people will shop, and they won't close up if there are still people shopping. They also have a "walk-by" window on Park that will be open at 7am to server coffee, which will be great for people who use the bus stop that's right there. I stopped in at about 8 this morning for coffee ($4.25 for a large latte and a poppy seed muffin) and both the store and the coffee window were open.

Beer? They're waiting on the liquor license, and it may take up to six months for that to come through. Once they get it, they plan on having a good selection (30+) of beers, and they're also planning on soliciting suggestions from shoppers as far as what we'd like to see. The Associated on Myrtle has always had an excellent beer selection, so it will be interesting to see how Fresh Fanatic competes.

A few people have mentioned it, but everyone there has been exceptionally friendly and helpful. Stop at the fish counter and you can end up getting a 15 minute lesson on fish. Everyone wants to know what they can do to help, and what they can do better.

Have you had a chance to stop in yet? Tell us what you think!

67 Burger Review

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 18:00:00 +0000

I've written up 67 Burger before, but this past Saturday I happened to get a craving for a good burger while also having my camera with me so I thought I'd take the opportunity to pop in and give this neighborhood joint the full treatment that it deserves.

Named after its address, 67 Lafayette Ave, 67 Burger is a Fort Greene restaurant that does pretty much one thing: serve gigantic, greasy burgers that are made to order. The menu is a monument to burger construction, guiding the diner through a choice of meat, burger "style," extras, and sides. If you're looking for something other than some kind of meat on a bun, this probably isn't your place (though there are a few good looking salad options). 67 Burger is all about the burgers, and they make no bones about it.

I've been to 67 Burger before and have always been happy with their beef burgers, but this time I wanted to try something a little different. I make turkey burgers at home a lot and I'm always happy, so I figured I'd give 67's a chance. I ordered a turkey "parisian" with swiss cheese and an order of fries.

First off, the fries were as good as ever. They're made to order and are almost too hot to eat when they arrive ahead of your burger. The order is also pretty massive, so you might want to consider sharing a single order if you're not alone, especially considering the size of the burgers themselves.

67's Burgers are massive affairs, so there's never any worry of leaving hungry. While I really liked the parisian's onions and mushrooms combined with the swiss, I was less thrilled than I thought I'd be with the ground turkey. It didn't seem seasoned much at all, and was a bit disappointing. From now on I'll stick to the ground beef, I think.

67 Burger has to be a part of any discussion of Brooklyn's best hamburger, though. While I loved what I tried at Prime Meats, 67 certainly has more variety and creativity on their menu as a specialty joint, and if you haven't been it's certainly worth the trip. I kind of need a nap just thinking about it.

Information:

67 Burger
67 Lafayette Ave
Brooklyn, NY
718.797.7150
http://67burger.com

Google Map

Fresh Fanatic Grand Opening

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 22:41:00 +0000

Today marks the official grand opening of the new gourmet grocer in Clinton Hill (or is it Wallabout?) on Washington and Park, Fresh Fanatic. I've had opportunities to stop in twice now and so far I'm pretty impressed. I've been hoping for better grocery options for a while now, and while Fresh Fanatic may not be the second coming of Trader Joe's, it seems to be about the next best thing.

I'd gotten a heads-up about a new "deli" opening nearby when I sat down with the owner of Body by Brooklyn a few months back. I'd gotten my hopes up for a little Italian deli - good meats and cheeses - and that would have been just fine. Instead, Fresh Fanatic is a more than full-service grocer, offering deli, meat and fish, coffee, and hot food counters along with a pretty substantial fresh bakery.

I was initially struck by just how big the space is, since I was expecting a glorified bodega. Fresh Fanatic is built in the Fresh Market or Greene Grape Provisions mold, focusing on a small selection of high-quality products rather than a huge selection of everything. There just isn't space to carry everything, but from what I've seen so far, what they do carry is very good.

Jake Bernstein, Fresh Fanatic's Marketing Director, was kind enough to answer some questions I had in advance of the grand opening today.

What brought Adam and David [Fresh Fanatic's owners] to this part of Brooklyn?

The family owns the building at 275 Park, entitled The Chocolate Factory. They made it residential in 2003 and opened the spa (body by brooklyn) soon after, and now comes the supermarket.

What's the relationship with Body by Brooklyn?

Also owned by Adam and Davids family.

Why a grocery store?

Adam and David had the space already and saw the opportunity. There is also no great fresh affordable supermarket in the neighborhood.

What does Fresh Fanatic hope to do differently? I noticed separate deli, bakery, and meat counters - will there be any specialties?

We specialize in international, gourmet, organic (stress affordable), and eventually a 24 hour coffee window.

Will there be any delivery options? What about prepared foods?

We will be taking delivery orders via internet. Also we have many prepared foods such as sushi, whole chickens, and much more.

Aside from Body by Brooklyn, does Fresh Fanatic have any other direct relationships with local businesses, such as selling Bergen Bagels bagels, for example?

We will be at The Jelly Pool Parties for the last two Sundays of August.

So what's been my experience so far? Well, the produce is good, but not expansive, and is unfortunately split on two sides of a large partition. Onions, potatoes, etc on one side, with other fresh product on the other. I'm one for having all the produce in one section, but that just might be a personal caveat. I did like the way the rest of the store was organized, and nothing feels cramped or out of place.

The deli and especially the cheese counters looked great. I'm a long way from Greene Grape Provisions and the other great markets in that part of town, so having this kind of cheese and deli selection close by is fantastic. This is probably instantly the best meat counter in this part of the neighborhood as well. There wasn't much to see as far as the coffee, hot foods, and bakery are concerned, but those will come along as the store finishes getting set up.

This block is home to Mojito, Il Porto, RePop, Body by Brooklyn, and now Fresh Fanatic, and it's become a great destination in a part of the neighborhood that seemed pretty barren just a few years back. We can always use more great grocery options, and so far Fresh Fanatic looks like a great one.

UPDATE: A commenter inquired about the hours, so while I was in today I asked. Right now they're opening at about 7:30 and closing between 7:30 and 8 on weeknights, 6 or so on the weekend. They're playing it a bit by ear, and if there are people in the store, they're not going to kick anyone out. They also plan to have a drive-by window open at 7 in the morning for coffee, which should be handy for anyone who uses the bus stop there on Park.

I also asked about beer, since right now it's the most glaring omission. They're well aware, and apparently it's what's been asked about by more people than anything else. They're in the process of getting their liquor license, but it can take up to six months. I was assured that when they do finally get it, they're going to do it right, hopefully offering a large assortment.

Today I had a chance to shop at the meat and fish counters, the deli counter, and the bakery, and every single person helping me was eager and enthusiastic to not only help me with what I was looking for, but to ask for any thoughts I might have. This first week, at least, Fresh Fanatic seems to be doing everything they can to be the best grocery in Clinton Hill. Or Wallabout, but I'm not sure how much competition there is for that one.

UPDATE 2: See further thoughts here: http://www.clintonhillfoodie.com/2009/08/more-on-fresh-fanatic.html

Information:

Fresh Fanatic
275 Park Ave
http://freshfanatic.com/

Google Map

Pequena Closed Temporarily for Health Violations

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 15:53:00 +0000

It appears that Pequena, one of the better little restaurant sin Fort Greene, has been temporarily shuttered following a Department of Health inspection. According to The Local:

[A] spokeswoman for the Health Department said Pequeña was shut down after receiving 90 violation points at an inspection on Wednesday. The inspection was a followup visit from a June 20 inspection at which the restaurant racked up 35 violation points. These included not keeping foods at correct temperatures, evidence of insects and inadequate refrigeration, according to the Health Department.

Here's the actual result of the June 20th inspection:

PEQUENA
86 SOUTH PORTLAND AVENUE, BROOKLYN 11217
718-643-0000

Violation points: 35

Inspection Date: 06/20/2009

Violations were cited in the following area(s) and those requiring immediate action were addressed.

Sanitary Violations
1.) Non-food contact surface improperly constructed. Unacceptable material used. Non-food contact surface or equipment improperly maintained.
2.) Plumbing not properly installed or maintained; anti-siphonage or backflow prevention device not provided where required; equipment or floor not properly drained; sewage disposal system in disrepair or not functioning properly.
3.) Appropriately scaled metal stem-type thermometer not provided or used to evaluate temperatures of potentially hazardous foods during cooking, cooling, reheating and holding.
4.) Food worker does not use proper utensil to eliminate bare hand contact with food that will not receive adequate additional heat treatment.
5.) Cold food held above 41Â°F (smoked fish above 38Â°F) except during necessary preparation.

Following my review of Body by Brooklyn a few months back, there was a lot of discussion in the comments about the DOH records for a lot of local restaurants. It's nothing out of the ordinary to have a few minor blips after an inspection, but this was apparently egregious enough to have Pequena closed temporarily. Here's to hoping they get things sorted out properly. I liked Pequena, but I may take a closer look at their DOH records from now on, as well as of Maggie Brown and Olea, which are under the same management.

You can take a look at DOH inspection histories for all NYC restaurants at this page.

CHB Previews Fresh Fanatic

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 16:36:00 +0000

Robin over at CHB recently got a chance to take a sneak peak at the new grocer going up on Washington.

Owner Andrew Goldin lives in the building and has a degree in hospitality management. That experience, combined with world travel to many of the globe’s best markets, led to the unique experience that is to be Fresh Fanatic. Goldin says that the store will eventually boast an impressive range of international foods – Thai, Japanese and even Russian. They’ve already ordered bread from Germany.

Fresh and organic it will be, but Goldin promises it will be much less expensive than Whole Foods. He also promises the most reasonable prices on prepared foods in the tri-state region.

This looks even better than I'd imagined, and I'm going to try and get in there this weekend. They're doing a soft open today or tomorrow, with an official grand opening on Tuesday, August 18th.

UPDATE: I've posted my own impressions after stopping in a couple of times over the weekend.

Prime Meats Review

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 19:22:00 +0000

While I still have a ways to go in my search, there's a new candidate for Best Burger in Brooklyn. Prime Meats, the spin-off of the much-beloved Frankie's 457, is right down the block on Court St. in Carrol Gardens and it has a great one.

Prime Meats is a bit of a throwback. It feels like a Western saloon, almost like something right out of Deadwood. From the antique Prime Meats mirrored sign to the tin ceiling to the old-fashioned light bulbs, Prime Meats feels like a lovingly-crafted experience all the way through.

We went on a Sunday morning at about 11, and the place was already packed. We were happy to wait five minutes for a table while we examined the great-looking pastries and cakes on display. The Olive Oil Cake in particular looked great, and we ended up ordering one along with coffee and a bloody Mary while waiting for our entrees.

The bloody Mary ended up being a bit of a disappointment, though it was the only thing about Prime Meats I wasn't completely happy with. It's expensive for one, at $11 (Frankie's 457 sells them for $8 - weird) and it just wasn't all that tasty. It wasn't bad, per se, but it wasn't worth $11.

The Olive Oil Cake is only of those dishes that just takes you completely by surprise. We expected sometime similar to a pound or bundt cake - something kind of dry and tasty, if unspectacular. We ordered it our of curiosity more than anything. What we got was exceptionally moist and delicious, with hints of lemon zest and sugar on the outside. This is the kind of thing I'll be craving for months, and it makes me wonder just how good the rest of the pastries are. I'm already looking for recipes to try my hand at something similar.

For my entree, I tried the Steak and Eggs along with a side order of grilled bratwurst. The eggs weren't overcooked, always a danger, and the steak was seasoned well and juicy. The dish comes with an order of potatoes as well, which were good but not great, but they complement the steak and eggs well. The bratwurst was also very good, if a bit smaller than I was expecting. There don't seem to be a lot of great places for brats in this part of Brooklyn, so I think I'm comfortable calling Prime Meats one of the best.

The real star of our meal was the 1/2 lb Prime Meats Burger, which my father ordered. Served with lettuce, tomato, onion, mayo, and gruyere ($2 extra) on a slightly grilled bun along with fries. This is the stuff dreams are made of if you like burgers. Big but not massive, seasoned well, and perfectly juicy, this was a really exceptional burger. I know there are great burgers all over this area, but Prime Meats has got to offer one of the best, and it's currently my personal favorite.

We also shared an order of Jenn's German Potato Salad, which was ok but not fantastic. In my opinion, the potatoes were a little overcooked so they lost too much of their firmness. I'd like to try their American version, though.

Prime Meats is a great spot, and well worth the quick trip over from Clinton Hill/Fort Greene. If you're looking for some place new and unique, you'd be hard pressed to make a better choice. I certainly hop to be back soon.

Information:

Prime Meats
465 Court St.
Brooklyn, NY
718.254.0327

http://www.frankspm.com/

Google Map

The General Greene Review

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 14:12:00 +0000

The General Greene is a cozy little restaurant on Dekalb which is another that keeps getting recommended to me over and over. Replacing the unremarkable June a couple of years back, The General Greene offers up pretty standard cafe fare with a full bar as well.

We stopped in for what I'd hoped would be lunch after finding that Autour Du Monde was only serving their brunch menu. This turned out to be true at Ici as well, and instead of running around any more we decided to just stop at The General Greene and see what we could get.

First, drinks, of course. I love a good bloody Mary, and The General Greene didn't disappoint. It could maybe have been a bit spicier, but it was very tasty and I'd order it again.

On to our entrees which were less than great. I had the burger, which was recommended to me in the Best Burger in Brooklyn post from a little while back. I ordered it medium, wanting it juicy but not quite trusting them to not make it too rare. That turned out to be a mistake, as I ended up with a burger that while good, was cooked well past medium into overdone territory. The burger itself is pretty sparse, adorned only with cheddar, red onion, may, and a slice or two of pickle. Even though it was overcooked, it was still tasty, but it wasn't very big and comes only with some nondescript greens on the side. If you get it, make sure to add an extra something on the side as well. My problem was that the only sides offered at 2pm on a Saturday were very breakfast-centric and not very appealing to accompany a burger.

While the burger was passable, we also ordered the Grilled Steak Skillet, which is steak and potatoes in a small cast iron skillet with three baked eggs on top. This really wasn't very good at all. The eggs were way over-baked and came out almost hard-boiled. The steak was overcooked to the point where it was tough, and the potatoes were basically mashed and really made no sense at all. It was almost a garbage plate, and the smell of baked eggs combined with the potatoes wasn't all that pleasant. My father was starving and still could only manage to eat about half of it. I wouldn't recommend it at all.

Aside from the bloody Mary, the brightest spot of our lunch was the bitter chocolate mint ice cream I had right as we were leaving. It's egg-less Philly-style ice cream and is very good. With Bitter Sweet just down the road, I'm not sure you'd go out of your way to come to The General Greene for ice cream, but it's something.

With so many great options for brunch in Clinton Hill and Fort Greene, it's really tough to recommend The General Greene. I wish we'd gone to Maggie Brown, Chez Lola, Olea, or Autour Du Monde, which is ironic since we'd started our quest at the latter to begin with. I'll give The General Greene's dinner menu a try some time, but I don't think I'll ever be back for brunch.

Information:

The General Greene
229 Dekalb Ave
Brooklyn, NY
718.222.1510

http://www.thegeneralgreene.com/

Google Map

No. 7 Review

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 13:17:00 +0000

Often when I make a post about a restaurant I get comments suggesting some other neighborhood joint that I should check out. Sometimes I've already been there, but if not I definitely put it on my list of places to check out whenever I'm out and about and looking to try someplace new.

No. 7 is one of those places that seems to keep getting recommended over and over. Not just by blog readers, either. At Brooklyn Blogfest, for instance, a number of different people asked if I'd ever been to No. 7, and when told I hadn't, it was eagerly suggested. Now, it's not that I haven't tried to go before, either. A few months back I finally succumbed to pressure and wanted to give it a shot, but was stymied when I discovered they were closed on Mondays. We hit up Pequena instead, if you remember.

On Friday I finally put my foot down and tried No. 7 with my father in tow. We got there just as they were about to open for dinner, so we waited at the bar for a few minutes before our table was ready. The front area of the restaurant is open and inviting, and we had no qualms with having a quick pint of Six Points Bengali Tiger before sitting down to eat. Before I really get started I should apologize for the poor quality of the pictures. I stupidly forgot my real camera at home and was forced to use the iPhone to produce documentary evidence of the meal.

The first thing that strikes you about No. 7 when you sit down to eat isn't the airy open space of the dining area or the many racks of wines around the room. Rather, it's the sparseness of the menu. This isn't a restaurant which gives you a small novel of a menu to peruse. On the contrary, you have a choice of five appetizers and fiver entrees, and a healthy but not expansive list of wines and beers. Now, this isn't a bad thing by any means, and I'm told they change up the menu on a regular basis in addition to having daily specials. Still, the menu we got on Friday consisted of two fish dishes, one tofu, one beef, and one chicken. There's not a lot of variety there, which only becomes an issue if any of the dishes really aren't that good.

To start, we decided to share an appetizer, the Pimenton Smoked Mozzarella, which is served with fried artichokes, lemon and parsley. What we expected what a decent piece of cheese to nosh on before our entrees. What we received was so surprisingly good that it blew us both away. I'm going to bet they're making this mozzarella themselves, because if not, I'd like to know where I can buy this stuff. The smoked flavor wasn't overpowering at all like it can be with store-bought smoked mozzarella, and the cheese was creamier than I expected. The real star of the dish, however, were the fried artichokes which were almost bursting with flavor. I'm not a huge fan of artichokes in general, but these were so good that I think my mind was changed in one moment. This wasn't some quickly deep-fried plate of veggies - the flavors were both subtle and intense, and meshes perfectly with the lemon and cheese. For something this simple, it was impressive how all of the flavors came together in such an interesting and delicious way. This would become a theme of our dinner, as we found out when our entrees arrived.

Neither of us were really ever in danger of ordering the tofu, so it came down to fish, fish, chicken, or beef. The Roast Chicken sounded good, if unadventurous, so we weren't really tempted. The Grilled Waygu Bavette Steak temped us both, but in the end we each decided on a different fish. My father ordered the Grilled Arctic Char, and I went with the Wild Striped Bass.

First up, the Grilled Arctic Char. We immediately noticed that this must have been prepared on an exceptionally hot grill, as the outside of the fish was almost blackened, while the inside was basically raw. If you've never had it, arctic char is closely related to salmon, so it takes well to both being grilled and being eaten very rare. No. 7 served the fish hot atop cold summer squash and topped with an orange-habanero gastrique. There are a number of interesting things about the dish. First, the fish itself is incredibly good, with a subtle contrast between the seasoned, grilled crust and the very fresh and delicious rare center. The orange-habanero gastrique adds a nice citrus-and-spice texture so you're not left with only a piece of fish, and while the squash may have been the most unremarkable part of anything we ordered, it was still very good. Let's call the arctic char highly recommended.

If the artic char was great, the Wild Striped Bass was greater. I wasn't exactly sure what to expect when I ordered it, but what I got was almost a striped-down fish stew. According to the menu, the dish comes with fumet, cockles, hearts of palm, and pea shoots. What you get is a healthy steaming pot of fish and cockles soaking in fumet, with a side of white rice and two lime wedges. After spritzing a bit of lime juice into the pot and loading up a spoon with a little rice, I dipped in and tried the bass with some of the fumet. I was immediately struck by a variety of different flavors complementing each other to create something almost breathtaking. I was expecting well-prepared food, but this was almost transcendent. The fumet is the real star here, bursting with flavor and pulling everything together. The pieces of bass are huge as well - they're not tiny bits of fish hiding in a pot. You really get your money's-worth here. The rice is critical, too, since it acts to hold the fumet in place on your spoon. There are subtle flavors all over the place in this dish, and I really couldn't stop raving about it after that first bite. Since No. 7 changes up their menu pretty often, I don't know how long this will remain, so get in there and try this if nothing else.

Normally we probably souldn't have stayed for dessert, instead going over to Cake Man Rave. Everything had been so great, however, that we felt it was probably a good idea to stay and see what No. 7 could dream up in the dessert department. The dessert menu, like everything else, isn't particularly expansive by any means. In fact, with only three items to choose from, I think they have more varieties of grappa than they have dessert choices. Our waitress recommended the Cherry Shortcake with cocoa biscuits and cannoli cream, but we ended up with the Peach Crumble and Buttermilk pudding.

The peach crumble was decent, if unspectacular. Served with a moscato sabayon, raspberries, and a peach-hibiscus gelŽe, it's a tasty and not-too-sweet way to end a meal. While I liked it, I think next time I'll try one of the other desserts.

We also ordered the Buttermilk Pudding, which is made with strawberries, mint, pie crust, and cumin of all things. Here again, No. 7 surprises and delights with unexpected flavors. The cumin is immediately apparent but not overpowering, and gives the pudding an exotic and unexpected flavor that almost shocks your palate into paying attention to what you're tasting.

By the end of the meal, I had already decided that No. 7 was my new favorite neighborhood restaurant, and I'm already thinking about when I'll be back. I've been talking non-stop about it since we left, and I imagine I'll be raving about it for months to come. If you haven't gone yet, make sure No. 7 is right at the top of your list of restaurants to try. You won't be disappointed.

Information:

No. 7
7 Greene Avenue
Brooklyn, NY
718.522.6370

http://www.no7restaurant.com

Google Map

A Quick Note on No 7

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 13:06:00 +0000

I'll have a longer writeup later this weekend, but I wanted to make a quick note about No. 7, a restaurant I finally got around to trying for the first time last night. If you haven't yet, go eat there right now. I was really blown away by how unique the dishes were. I think No 7 is now my new favorite neighborhood restaurant.

More to come, including pictures.

New Bakery: Essential Cakes

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 15:22:00 +0000

I'm a day late on this one, but thanks to Oral Fixation at The Local for writing up the new bakery on Fulton, Essential Cakes.

Proprietor Etwin Gordon, a graduate of the American Institute of Culinary Arts, hails from Canarsie but chose to open up shop in Clinton Hill because “it’s an up-and-coming neighborhood.”

Upon first bite, Oral Fixation was surprised at the delicacy with which Ms. Gordon’s cupcake toed the fine line between kitchen table and patisserie. The cake has a fruity, subtle sweetness and delicate crumb; the icing is sugary, suffused with coconut andalmost toothy in texture, triggering memories of grade-school birthdays past.

Sounds great, has anyone else had a chance to stop in?

New Pequena Location on Vanderbilt

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 14:29:00 +0000

Thanks to Robin over at Clinton Hill Blog for shining the light on this awesome new development. It seems Pequena will be opening a new location on Vanderilt, just south of Atlantic.

The restaurant will open in place of the Barrette bar, which just closed recently on Vanderbilt (at Bergen) in Prospect Heights. The owners are behind the local empire responsible for the original Pequena, Maggie Brown, Olea and Moe’s.

Now, the original loation won't deliver to me because I'm too far away, maybe this one will? One can only hope, as their food is pretty great, and not very expensive.

Park Ave Deli Close to Opening?

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 16:22:00 +0000

Courtesy of Brownstoner, it looks like the new deli I heard about way back when I met with the folks at Body By Brooklyn is close to opening. Fresh Fanatic, eh? I'd been looking forward to a traditional Italian Deli, but this name makes it sounds more akin to Fresh Market and the like - which is great, don't get me wrong.

Anyone peeked in yet?

Information:

Fresh Fanatic
275 Park Ave
http://freshfanatic.com/

Google Map

Say Hello to the Aqualis Grill

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 13:49:00 +0000

I had no idea this was on it's way, but it sounds like we've got a new option for seafood in the neighborhood, and anyone who read about my trip to Florida a few months back knows how happy that makes me. Andy at The Local has a heads-up of the brand new Aqualis Grill down on Fulton:

About a month ago clabl, , one of our frequent commenters, asked about a new restaurant coming to Fulton Street.
It’s now here. And perhaps you have already been there. The Aqualis Grill, a Mediterranean restaurant at 773 Fulton Street, opened on July 2. Fish is their specialty, with most of their entrees less than $20. If you have been in, tell us what you think of it.

Here's what the single Yelp review had to say:

The salmon carpaccio was PERFECTION. The grilled swordfish kebab was equally amazing. My friend and I also ordered the feta and roasted pepper spread, which was served with freshly baked pita bread.

The ambiance is wonderful, the music is great, and the waiters are hot. Without a doubt best Mediterranean fare this side of Athens.

Sounds like a great place, and it's instantly up there on my list of places to try. Anybody been there yet?

Information:

Aqualis Grill
773 Fulton St.
718.797.3494

Google Map

Best Burgers in Brooklyn?

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 20:20:00 +0000

Let's talk some more about burgers, shall we? Last week's post on Sputnik's new menu and claims of the "best burger in Brooklyn" sparked a few comments and some emails to me on the subject, and it's high time we explored this in more detail. We've talked plenty about pizza - my current favorite is Il Porto, by the way - but there hasn't been a good burger debate yet.

First thing's first: unlike pizza, it's not that hard to make your own really excellent burger. Pizza takes yeast and a superhot oven and a pizza stone or something similar. Burgers just take good ingredients and a range, boiler, or grill. With that in mind, check out my burger recipe from a little while back. You can also just ask any red-blooded American within earshot and I guarantee you'll get a decent-to-great burger recipe suggestion.

Ok, so you don't feel like cooking or grilling? Let's talk about where to go in Clinton Hill and Fort Greene for a really good burger.

The first obvious choice is 67 Burger, which I've been to and really, really like. The burgers range from pretty standard to mildly exotic, and they've got top-notch fries to boot. They're expensive, but worth it if you're treating yourself.

Next on my personal list would be Maggie Brown. Here's what I wrote back in 2007 in my first CHF post:

The burger was great, especially notable for the excellent, greasy bun and the horseradish they sprinkle on top of the cheddar.

Way to be descriptive there, champ. Still, the horseradish was really memorable, and it's a burger I'd never say no to.

Some other suggestions from readers include the burgers at Prime Meats and General Greene. Rustik makes some turkey meat sliders with blue cheese that I've had a couple of times, and I'd wager money that Brooklyn Public House has at least a decent burger. Red Bamboo likely has one made out bamboo stalks and bean curd, too.

I know I'm missing a bunch of good ones, too. What are some of your favorite places to grab a burger in the 'hood?

Update: I got to try the burger at Prime Meats recently, and...damn. It gets my vote.

New Sputnik Menu

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 15:59:00 +0000

Now here's a place that's very close to me, yet I don't stop in all that often. Sputnik is a little bar and performance space on Taaffe which has apparently, unbeknownst to me, started serving food.

SPUTNIK is well known in brownstone brooklyn for being a bar/performance space, having hosted such acts as KRS ONE, Earl greyhound, DJ Premier and many, many other notable musicians and artists as well a plethora of local talent.

What may be of news though, is that for over a year now, SPUTNIK has been operating as a "burger joint" restaurant as well, with a focus on specialty meats. I'm confident, and our many local regulars can attest, that SPUTNIK very possibly has the best burgers in Brooklyn. Choose your burger (the Sputnik, The memphis, the Tijuana etc.) and choose the type of patty (elk, ostrich, bison, beef, turkey or veggie). add a side of fresh cut fries, onion rings or a side salad. We've also recently added pita wraps: The Veggie California, the Falafel pita wrap, the spicy turkey, etc.

Yes, we are still a bar and have summer drinks on our menu. the sangria has quickly become a house favorite.

I understand there are many, many dining options in Brownstone Brooklyn and I think SPUTNIK offers something a bit different and well...just original.

Anyone had a chance to stop by lately? How's the food? "Best burgers in Brooklyn" is quite a claim, but it sounds like it's worth a try.