The Girl Who Ate Everything

Tortilleria Mexicana Los Hermanos

2009-11-21T20:22:21Z

: Tortillas. Inside.

I don't eat Mexican food as much as I should. It doesn't help that New York City is known for having bad Mexican food—like, it exists here, but most of it blows. Or so I've been told. Growing up in suburban New Jersey meant little Mexican food made its way into my diet, and I never developed the palate to be able to tell what's really good or bad. The tastiest Mexican food I've eaten the city has come from food trucks, specifically those that offer tongue tacos, my favorite filling. But since I'm not much for eating outside (most likely in the cold) while standing up, I rarely visit taco trucks, and rarely eat Mexican food.

: Neon!

So what drove me to visit Tortilleria Mexicana Los Hermanos in Bushwick? My friends Veronica and Tristan wanted to go. Also, Anthony Bourdain went there, and he has the knack for making everything he eats automatically be the thing I really want to eat. And, most importantly, it's a tortilla factory...with a small kitchen and seating area in the front. Fresh tortillas take a short journey from the neighboring assembly line, to the griddle, to your mouth.

]]> There were no tongue tacos, but all the major meat groups were represented: chorizo, carne enchilada (spicy pork), carnitas (pork), pollo (chicken), bistec (steak), and cecina (salted beef). Also, besides tacos they also offer taquitos, tostadas, tortas, picadas, and quesadillas. I just stuck with the $2 tacos.

: TACOS!

I ordered a chorizo taco based on Dan's recommendation, and a cecina based on my addiction to pork. Chorizo was the better of the two since it's pork + seasoning + spiciness and the other is just...well, pork. Not that anything is wrong with just pork. I added green sauce for mouth tingling goodness. A little too much tingle. I fear my tolerance for hotness is dwindling. Nooooooooo. (The other day I ate dan dan noodles from Grand Sichuan for lunch and felt what I would guess was the introductory stage of hallucination. Maybe I shouldn't have eaten that as my first meal of the day.)

: Veronica and Tristan nom nom.

Veronica and Tristan agreed that these weren't the best tacos they've had (they mentioned a good place in Sunset Park whose name I'll have to get later), but the tortillas were great and the filling wasn't bad. Worth my little trip into Bushwick, which wasn't much of a trek—only 35 minutes from my office, and right outside the Jefferson stop on the L train.

Address

Tortilleria Mexicana Los Hermanos
271 Starr Street, Brooklyn, NY 11237 (map)

Two Days of Flushing Fooding In One Huge-Ass Post

2009-11-16T05:19:23Z

I know my friends are awesome because they'll say things like, "I've never been to Flushing before; can we go there and eat until we explode?" If you have no interest in going to Flushing, you can go sit in that corner over there marked "YOU ARE NOT MY FRIEND." Yes, the corner with the sad faces all around it.

I may not cover that much ground on my visits to Flushing—with friends in tow I tend to revisit more favorites than try new places—but I hope you find it useful that that I take photos of everything and dump them all in these really long posts, even if I've posted half the stuff before.

Trip 1: Dim Sum, Assi Plaza, Shaved Ice, Etc.

: Table of awesome.

Trip one with Diana, Alice, Greg, Chichi, Gloria, Lee Anne, and my out-of-town visitors Karen and Rebecca, took place on October 17. First top: Ocean Jewels for dim sum. Details about the meal are sort of hazy since our lazy Susan went from empty to plate-covered in 5 minutes (thanks to the collaboration of pushy cart ladies and my Cantonese-speaking friends), but luckily, I took a photo of every dish and Chichi wrote about it on Serious Eats. Her overall impression: meh. My opinion is worthless; I haven't had enough dim sum to know what's good. I'd just listen to Chichi, and according to her, this shizz blows (not her exact words): too many room temperature dishes, not enough stand out deliciousness. If you've eaten the best dim sum in Southern California (and beyond) as Chichi has, all dim sum in New York City might be underwhelming.

]]> After dim sum, we roamed around Korean supermarket Assi Plaza where we met up with Tina and looked at the wide array of Asian foodstuffs. Mostly in the snack aisle.

: Binch?

From the curiously named.

: HAPPY POTATOES!

To the anthropomorphic.

: Let's not get too fancy here.

To the unadorned.

: Not a snack.

To the boiled canned mackerel.

: Orientals love this stuff. I should know, because I am one.

There was also this questionable advertised snack found at a shop at the Flushing Mall. Whenever people ask me what kind of gum Orientals chew, I just point them to dried cuttlefish. It's like chewing gum, as long as the gum tastes fishy and is made of seafood.

: Shaved ice from Ten Ren.

We popped into Ten Ren to hydrate with bubble tea and snack on a bowl of shaved ice and red beans. It's the best shaved ice I've had in Flushing...out of the two places I've tried (the other in the Flushing Mall).

: YEAAAAAH

And I rode this pink limbless blob at the corner of Prince Street and Roosevelt Avenue, sort of unintentionally. While I initially straddled the malformed creature for a stationary photo op (because it's not the first time I've been on a pink limbless blob kiddie ride), Gloria seized the opportunity to spend a quarter in exchange for watching me flail for a minute of non-stop undulating, shrieking fun. I'd do it again in the company of friends; riding it alone would be weird. Because riding it with an audience of eight friends isn't weird. At. All.

: Duck bun!

I made sure to expose Karen to the cheap-ass $1 roast duck bun at the corner of 40th Road and Main Street.

: NOODLES!!

Along with the also cheap-ass ($3.50 perhaps?) heaping plate of liang pi from Xi'an Famous Foods in the underbelly of the Golden Shopping Mall.

: Sand...wich? Is that you?

There was also this ham, egg, cheese, and pork floss sandwich creation from Sun Mary Bakery that nobody ate, but I thought was worth taking a photo of.

: Fro-yo.

And a short trip to Pinkberry that I didn't partake in because you know how I feel about fro-yo.

Trip Two: Taiwanese Breakfast, Spicy and Tasty, Etc.

With trip two on October 31, we tried to cater to those who didn't want to sacrifice sleep by allowing them to join our fooding excursion later than our starting time of 10 a.m. While the food and company were good, the result was suboptimal; it's just way easier for everyone to meet at the same time and be on the same stomach-stuffing schedule. There are few people who are more sleep deprived than I am; if I can survive on unhealthily meager amounts of sleep, SO CAN YOU.

: I...do not know what these are.

The core group of Tam, Al, Diana, Alice, Michael, Chichi, and I started at No. 1 East Restaurant for Taiwanese breakfast. Despite being Taiwanese, I know very little about what Taiwanese people eat for breakfast. If Tam and Al were here, they could tell you what those ball things above are. ...But they're not, so I'm going to call them "flaky dough ball things filled with stuff." Unfortunately, they were sort of dry and bland.

: Yay, fried!

The fried cruller, or you tiao, was much more satisfying. You get crispy, chewy, poofy, and soft in every bite. Like all fried foods, it's best eaten fresh; after a while it becomes an unappealing grease stick.

: Tofu soups.

The savory tofu soups were a highlight of the meal. Not that I remember much about either besides that they were savory (in that "blast of umami" way)...and had tofu in them. ...Moving on.

: Bready things.

The scallion pancakes (one with egg, one without) and beef in sesame pancakes were alright. Not the best, but not bad. The beef pancakes from Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao are better.

: Fail.

The steamed pork dumplings were undeniably full of fail. Anyone want dry, shriveled dumplings? HERE YOU GO.

: Spinach dumplings!

They must put all their dumping-making energy into the spinach dumplings, easily my favorite vegetable dumpling anywhere, and one of my favorite dumplings in general. Little thin-skinned pouches stuffed to the brim with chopped spinach and cellophane noodles—such chlorophyll-dense beauties they are.

: It's Oriental and express.

Gloria joined us after breakfast when we went to Oriental Express Food Lucky L & LWC, represented by the clever combination of a steam locomotive plowing into a bowl of noodles (because it's fast and oriental GET IT?). This is one of those places that you could pass a gazillion times and never notice. Or maybe that was just me.

: SHINY.

Shiny, red, and glaring with fluorescent lights—ah, the aesthetics of Chinatown. I couldn't tell you much about the food they serve here since I left the food ordering in the capable hands of Tam and Al, but considering how full it was, there must be good stuff. (I forgot to try the "rolling donkey"—doh).

: CHIVES!!!

Chive box, something like a large dumpling stuffed with chopped chives and glass noodles and pan fried to a light crisp, is one of my favorite Chinese foodstuffs that I sometimes ate as a kid. I rarely get to eat them these days though; they're not very common in New York City, as far as I can tell. I liked that the wrapping in this pancake-y version was super thin, making for a greater filling-to-wrapper ratio.

: Flop.

The egg pancake-wrapped fried crullers were less successful. Remember what I said about fried crullers having a short window of awesomeness? I'm not sure these crullers ever had that window. Tepid, floppy logs of dough wrapped in equally tepid and floppy rounds of dough do not make for a winning combination. Maybe it would've worked better if it had been fresher.

: Spicy and Tasty.

More win was found at Spicy and Tasty. It wasn't in our original itinerary, but since the neighboring restaurant we wanted to go to was too crowded, we figured we should cross this popular Sichuan restaurant off our list. By this point our party had shifted to include Kathy, Kathryn, and Dan, while Gloria had left.

I don't remember the official Chinese name for any of these dishes because I fail at taking notes—food porn will have to do. All you have to know is that I liked everything.

: Tasty chicken thing.

Spicy, slightly crispy chicken nubs with celery, green onions, and green peppers. GOOD STUFF.

: Noodles.

Spicy cold noodles. ...Also good stuff.

: TOFU!

Soft tofu blocks with a bit of chewy skin, in spicy...goo. ...Yes, also good.

: String beans!

Crisp, sauteed string beans, I LOVE YOU.

: Lamb.

Lamb bits with what looks like loads of garlic and chiles. Probably good, but I didn't eat much of it. Sometimes I can't take the feral lamb funk.

: Soup.

Seafood soup was another winner.

: Dessert!

We finished off with black sesame paste-filled tang yuan (glutinous rice balls) in sweet egg drop soup with fermented rice grains. I've never had this dessert in and egg and fermented rice soup before; I'd prefer it without the fermentation, but the wisps of egg were a nice touch.

: Another Xi'an Famous Foods.

We ended our fooding journey at the Flushing Mall's food court, where I didn't eat anything because I was goddamn full. Some of the others bought food to go from the new Xi'an Famous Foods stall.

: Pork sammich!

Kathryn bought this huge-ass pork-slab-filled steamed bun, also known as a Taiwanese steamed sandwich or burger, from a neighboring stall. Fatty pork on its own is tasty; with the addition of pickled greens, cilantro, and a dusting of ground peanuts, it's freakin' awesome. I wish that dishes like this one (and chive boxes and spinach dumplings) would become more popular outside of Flushing, but I guess I should feel lucky that I have access to such things at all.

Addresses

Ocean Jewels
13330 39th Avenue, Flushing NY 11354 (map)

Assi Plaza
13101 39th Avenue, Flushing NY 11354 (map)

Ten Ren
13518 Roosevelt Ave, Flushing NY 11354 (map)

Roast Duck Bun Stall (Corner 28)
4028 Main Street, Flushing NY 11354 (map)

Xi'an Famous Foods (basement of Golden Shopping Mall)
41-28 Main Street, Flushing NY 11355 (map)

Sun Mary Bakery
13357 41st Road, Flushing NY 11355 (map)

Flushing Mall
133-31 39 Avenue, Flushing, NY 11354 (map)

No. 1 East Restaurant
41-27 Main Street, Flushing NY 11369 (map)

Oriental Express Food Lucky L & LWC
41-40 Main Street, Flushing NY 11355 (map)

Spicy and Tasty
3907 Prince Street, Flushing NY 11354 (map)

Motorino, Soft Serve, and Cake

2009-11-12T07:36:12Z

I've eaten at Motorino twice in Brooklyn, once in the East Village, and once at work by way of my boss tucking a few pizza boxes under his arm and biking them back to our office in Chelsea. And for some reason, the tepid flaps of Margherita I ate in the office ended up being the most impressionable Motorino pizza-eating experience of the four. I didn't attempt to reheat the pizza to its formerly melty-cheese-on-top-of-a-crispy-crust glory; I was impatient, and if my stomach could talk, it would've yelled something like, "HOOO MAN, THERE'S PIZZA [gurgle] EAT IT NOW [gurgleflorp] MRAARAHARH [gurg]."

So I did. And what I mostly remember is the fat, poofy rim of charred dough with a tinge of smokiness and plenty of chew. Oh man—I love you, gluten.

: Thank you, bright iPhone display, for granting us light.

I ate at Motorino in the East Village (where it has taken over the former Una Pizza Napoletana space) for the first time last Monday with Kathy and Ray. I thought it was better than the pizzas I've had from their Brooklyn location, although their crust was looking quite poofy on my last visit in May (a big improvement over my first visit last year). And that's what it's about—CRUST! And. Um. Toppings. Like the spicy sopressata (with chili, garlic, and oregano) pie above.

]]>

Brussels sprouts.

The brussel sprout pie features the awesome combination of charred brussels sprouts leaves and smokey pancetta bits bound by a layer of creamy buffalo mozzarella.

: Filetti.

My favorite combination is the filetti, topped simply with mozzarella, halved cherry tomatoes, and thyme. It's a holdover from the Una Pizza Napoletana menu, and while not as good as UPN's version, it's still tasty, and for $5 less than before.

Similar to UPN's pizza, the outer crust (aka cornichone) of the pies is pooftastic and chewy, while the rest of the crust is quite thin and easily sodden by the toppings. Although I'd prefer non-floppy slices, the structural fail didn't bother me that much.

: DESSERT

Since Motorino's soft serve machine had pooped out for the night, Kathy and I grabbed dessert at Dessert Club Chikalicious. I usually go for the espresso ice shot purely for the crunchy chocolate pearls, not so much for the espresso, but I realized I could avoid the espresso by getting the hot fudge sundae with the toppings I didn't really want on the side. (It would cost more to order the soft serve and chocolate pearls à la carte—$5.20 instead of the $4.95 for the sundae. Hello, confusing pricing structure.) We ended up with vanilla bean soft serve topped with hot fudge and chocolate pearls, requesting the included kataifi and toasted pistachios on the side since I'm sort of meh about them. Their vanilla bean soft serve is awesome, and you can't go wrong with creamy, crunchy, and chocolate in every bite.

: Strawberry shortcake.

We also shared a dainty slice of light Japanese-style strawberry shortcake, a balanced combination of soft sponge cake sandwiching layers of cream and sliced strawberries. Strawberry shortcake is one of those desserts I don't love or dislike—I mean, there's no reason to not like combination of cake, cream, and strawberries, aka "three things that are awesome"—it's just something I'd never crave. But I'll happily eat it if it's in front of me, and I'd recommend this version to people who do like it.

Addresses

Motorino
349 E 12th Street, New York, NY 10003 (map)
212-777-2644

Dessert Club Chikalicious
204 E 10th Street, New York, NY 10003 (map)
212- 475-0929

Burger-Loving Army, Send Me Your Reviews, Plz

2009-11-09T14:10:31Z

: A rice bun burger from Lotteria.

For those who don't know, one of my major tasks at Serious Eats is editing A Hamburger Today, our hamburger-centric blog. I recently put up a post by Lee Anne about burgers in Taipei, which got good feedback. Overall, I'd like to increase coverage of burgers around the world, whether or not the burgers are appealing to an American palate, assuming they're popular with the locals. I'm interested in documenting how the idea of an American burger is translated around the world, like the rice bun burger I ate from Lotteria in Seoul or the burger I ate in Iceland.

And that's where you come in. Methinks I have a good number of readers outside of the US, and out of those, a bunch of burger lovers. If you find a great American-style burger in Vietnam, I'd like to hear about it. And if Vietnamese people have made their own version of a burger, I'd like to hear about that too. Stuff like that. Etc.

If you're interested in contributing, whether you're in the US or not, please email burger@seriouseats.com. Burger reviews don't have to be as long as the ones linked above; they could just be a photo with a short description. But if you want to be more complete, here are some guidelines.

Another note: I'm trying to round up "atypical fast food burgers in Asia" for a possible post (akin to my Top Ten Crazy Asian Pizza Crusts post). If you have any suggestions, please let me know!

My Favorite Sandwiches in New York City and Beyond

2009-11-06T07:29:07Z

: A bunch of sandwiches that shall appear somewhere down this page.

Up until about 2005, I wouldn't have labeled myself as a lover of sandwiches. Looking back, I don't know what the hell was wrong with me.*

When my eyes were opened to the diversity of this great, simple culinary invention of bread filled with stuff, I realized, "WAIT, THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST FOODS EVER; WHY DIDN'T I EAT MORE OF YOU GROWING UP? AHHH CURSE MY FOOLISHNESS." So in belated honor of National Sandwich Day (which was three days ago on November 3, the birthday of sandwich inventor John Montagu), I'm going to write about a bunch of sandwiches I like. Because I won't have an excuse to do this again...for another year.

In randomly ordered, not well categorized fashion, here are some of my favorite sandwiches based on type, location, or cuisine. Most of the recommendations pertain to New York City.

* I should probably note that 2005 was when I started going to NYU and stopped a long streak of dieting. And thus the sandwiches came into my life.

French Sandwiches

: Sandwich from Julien.

Eating good baguettes in Paris pretty much ruined all other bread for me. If you've bitten into a crackly, golden crust and chewy, hole-ridden innards, you know what I mean. I ate a lot of sandwiches during my semester in Paris—good bread is generally more important to me than good fillings, and when there's so much good bread (if you know where to look; I must thank Jeffrey Steingarten for his guidance), a good sandwich shouldn't be far behind. I ate most of my sandwiches from Julien since it was near my school (my favorite sandwich: Poulet St. Moret), but would make my own on occasion (shove some lettuce and cheese on butter-smeared bread—win!), assuming I didn't polish off the plain baguette first.

]]>

Croque-monsieur.

And don't forget about the croque-monsieur and madame, the "monsieur" being a hot ham and cheese sandwich, sometime open-faced, sometimes with cheese on the outer slice of bread; and the "madame" adding a fried egg on top. I prefer mine egg-enhanced.

I'm sure there are plenty of shitty sandwiches in Paris as well. High-tourist areas should generally be avoided for all things edible, but I think you knew that already. And when I say there's lots of good bread, I'm thinking in comparison to NYC, where boulangeries do not appear every other block, to my chagrin. Spend enough time bakery-hopping in Paris and you realize there's a generic bakery model to avoid.

Address
Julien: 85, rue Ste Dominique, 7th, Paris, France

Chilean Sandwiches

: Green beans! Meat! MAYO!

I regret not trying more sandwiches when I visited Chile last May—I only got to try them once at Rapa Nui in Temuco. I reviewed their sandwiches on Serious Eats but to sum things up in one word: MAYONNAISE. SHITTONS OF MAYONNAISE. If you hate mayo, you're so going to hate these sandwiches. Thankfully, my taste buds are in tune with the Chilean's: I say bring on the ungodly amounts of egg-and-oil-emulsion.

The sandwich pictured above, called the chacarero, consisted of a roll filled with juicy slices of beef, tomatoes, and a pile of steamed green beans, all slathered in mayonnaise. Nothing fancy, nothing "exotic," yet not something that has caught on in New York City as a sandwich craze. Someone come here and change that, please. I've only had Chilean sandwiches in New York City at San Antonio Bakery #2 in Astoria; WE NEED MORE.

: I didn't eat these.

These sandwiches may be best eaten after a long night of drunken debauchery, but I'd happily eat one whenever.

Addresses
Rapa Nui: Aldunate 415, Temuco, Chile
San Antonio Bakery #2: 3620 Astoria Blvd, Astoria NY 11103

Norwegian Open Face Sandwiches

: Lots of sandwiches.

I was befuddled by the popularity of open face sandwiches when I visited Norway three years ago. "There's nothing to hold down the filling! What do you guys see in this?" By the end of my week-long trip any progress I made in elegance of sandwich consumption was marginal, but I did gain a fondness for the single-slice construction. Less bread means you can taste the toppings better—at the hands of my weegie friend/chef Morten, those toppings included scrambled eggs, lettuce, red pepper, smoked salmon, and smoked mackerel. When I got back to the US, I made my own open face smoked fish sandwiches, but it wasn't the same; it's one of those things I may have to restrict to eating in Norway, or when a Norwegian friend makes it for me.

Related
this is norway: day two

Tomato, Mozzarella, and Basil

: TMB!

The Italian trinity of tomato, mozzarella, and basil is my favorite group of sandwich fillings. (I never combined them with a French baguette though, for reasons unknown.) I perpetually fail at making decent sandwiches at home, but if I can slop together some good fresh mozzarella, tomato, and basil, at least I know I will come out with something halfway-edible.

My favorite version (pictured above, and reviewed at Serious Eats) is from Doma in the West Village; they use excellent bread from Balthazar that gives me my favorite combination of crunchy and chewy, and lightly press/toast the sandwich so the creamy cheese is just slightly melted and everything is a bit warm. The cheese coupled with the punch of fresh basil and...whatever it is the tomato brings (I'm not a fan of raw tomatoes by themselves, but they're a necessary component in sandwiches such as this one) is transcendent enough to make me forget about anything else. For at least one bite.

Address
Doma: 17 Perry Street, New York NY 10014

Grilled Cheese

: Cheese ooze.

Butter-soaked slices of bread with a golden outer crust and a belly of gooey cheese—that just can't go wrong. This is one of the few things I can make without screwing up too much. I don't have a favorite place to get grilled cheese sandwiches (although I've eaten them a few times at Tiny's Giant Sandwich Shop with much satisfaction); most of the ones I've eaten were homemade.

Address
Tiny's Giant Sandwich Shop: 129 Rivington Street, New York NY 10002

Chinese-Style Egg Sandwiches

: Beef and egg.

I grew up eating egg sandwiches. Tepid, sort of scrambled-fried egg patties on stiff, nutty, whole wheat bread that no adolescent could appreciate, but I was stuck with because my health food-loving mom deemed it so. My impression of egg sandwiches was rather negative as a kid, my main memories being of unwrapping a lifeless brown lump of a sandwich when all my classmates had PB&J (later I'd find out I'm not a fan of PB&J, but hey, I didn't know that at the time), or sitting alone at a table under the fluorescent lights of the YMCA's basement during "after school care" and unenthusiastically eating an egg sandwich as a snack.

It wasn't until I had the Chinese-style egg (and perhaps some sort of meat) sandwich on fat, fluffy slices of crustless white bread that I realized, "Oh jebus, egg sandwiches are totally awesome." I don't know if I'm erroneously characterizing this style of egg sandwiches as a Chinese thing, but I've only eaten it at Chinese bakery/cafes and I can't imagine eating them anywhere else that wouldn't have a constant supply of freshly baked white bread. The beef and egg sandwich above is from Hon Cafe in Chinatown. Someday I'd love to try the egg sandwiches at Australian Dairy Company in Hong Kong.

Address
Hon Cafe: 70 Mott Street, New York NY 10013

Falafel Pita Sandwiches

: Falafel pita sandwich from Taim.

New York City is laden with falafel joints selling uninspired falafel pita sandwiches. Admittedly, I say this not having eaten most of them; after one too many thin pitas nearly disintegrating from the sauce and full of dense falafel balls, you don't really want to take your chances. And I don't have to, because I have one major favorite, and two others that I'd eat at more often if they were conveniently located: Taim is number one, and Azuri Cafe and The King of Falafel and Shawarma are second.

Taim could be labeled as a fancy falafel joint, not that a $5 falafel sandwich is anything extravagant. They use excellent, freshly baked pitas and stuff them with light, crisp falafel balls that taste good even when not eaten fresh.

I've only been Azuri Cafe once, but I remember the falafel being of the light and crisp sort, and tasting especially flavorful in a way that wasn't provided at Taim. What flavor? Um. The memory escapes me; I was there a while ago. Alas, it's far out of my way, so I have yet to go back.

: The King!

I've never tried the King of Falafel at the actual food truck in Astoria; my coworkers brought some falafel platters (not a sandwich by this point, but whatever) and even after suffering at the hands of time, the falafels were still exceptionally crispy and flavorful, which makes me wonder what it tastes like when it's fresh—life changing, perhaps. Loads of parsley and garlic seem to do the trick. It's no wonder he was a finalist in this year's Vendy Awards.

: Falafel from Ashkara.

Maoz is a reliable choice for a good falafel that won't blow your mind away—I find their falafels too dense. But at least you can put whatever toppings you want on it. A better Maoz-like falafel-rie in New York City is Ashkara in the Lower East Side. Ed and I were pulled in by the prospect of their sign that said, "BEST FALAFEL IN NEW YORK." It wasn't the best, but it was much better than average and a good choice for the neighborhood. Read more about it at Serious Eats.

Addresses
Taim: 222 Waverly Pl, New York NY 10014
Azuri Cafe: 465 W 51st Street, New York, NY 10019
The King of Falafel: 30 Street & Broadway, Astoria NY 11106
Ashkara: 189 E Houston Street, New York, NY

Cubans

: The pork...oh, the pork.

I don't eat Cuban sandwiches/cubanos nearly as much as I should. If you don't love the combination of roast pork, ham, cheese, pickles, mustard, and mayo (I guess mayo isn't traditional, but I like it) in a loaf that's pressed to a crisp, I can't trust you. If you're vegetarian, just pretend you're not for a second, and then pretend eating this sandwich and think about how awesome it would be. I've eaten cubanos the most from El Castillo de Jagua, not because it's the best, but because it's conveniently located for me and I like the restaurant. I will gladly accept recommendations for where to get good cubanos in New York City.

: Fancy Cuban.

While I love cubanos for their affordability—around $5 most of the time—the $17 version from The Spotted Pig is an exception. ...Maybe. The last time I went, over a year ago, it was $15. The current $17 is just over my limit of "reasonable sandwich price." Still, it's really tasty as a cubano-inspired fancy pants sandwich. Ed gives more explanation:

The Spotted Pig Cubano is the best in the city and maybe the world. The Balthazar roll is crunchy and yeasty; chef-partner April Bloomfield uses heritage pork shoulder to sublime effect by brining it for three days, slow-roasting it, and then cooking it in duck and pork fat; the pickled jalapeno peppers add just the right amount of heat; Prosciutto de Parma or speck (smoked prosciutto) is a better quality ham than you will find in any other Cubano around the city; and the aged gruyere lends the whole thing a deeply funky flavor.

Rebecca and I shared the cubano alongside their famous burger and agreed that the cubano was better. Ahh pork, so magical you are.

Addresses
El Castillo de Jagua: 113 Rivington Street, New York NY 10002
The Spotted Pig: 314 W 11th Street, New York NY 10014

Banh Mi

: Vietnam, what a tasty thing you have wrought. A banh mi from Hanco's.

Yet another sandwich I don't eat nearly as often as I should. (Alas, most banh mi shops are in Chinatown, but most close before dinner, and when I'm in Chinatown I tend to want to eat at a sit down restaurant anyway.) I love how this Vietnamese sandwich combines various forms of porky goodness (the "classic" option, at least) with raw vegetables, pickles, and herbs in a crusty baguette. The pile of vegetables almost makes me believe I'm eating healthily, even though under the pile lay the porcine treasures of ham, pate, roast pork, sweet sausage, and possibly other slabs of animal fats and proteins. Even better is that a massive sandwich usually costs some ridiculously low price of $5 or less, unless you're at a fancier banh mi joint.

: INNARDS!

I'm no banh mi expert. For that sort of knowledge, I defer you to Tam Ngo and her banh mi analysis post on Serious Eats of six sandwiches from Ba Xuyen, one of the city's most well-regarded banh mi shops that is inconveniently located for most people, unless you live in/near Borough Park. Baoguette is another popular choice as a newer, more creative banh mi shop (Ba Xuyen is old school), but I can't really endorse them seeing as they used my photos on their website without my permission or giving any credit (I contacted them about it, but have yet to get a response). Fail.

Address
Ba Xuyen: 4222 8th Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11232

Tiny's Giant Sandwich Shop

: Spicy Rizzak

Tiny's Giant Sandwich Shop is my favorite sandwicherie in New York City. They don't make the best sandwiches you'll ever eat, but they don't have many competitors for the price—most sandwiches are $5 to $8—and their bread, the sesame semolina in particular, is great. The main downside is that they tend to run out of ingredients by the time dinner comes around. One time I went, they had run out of bread (...yeeaaah, well, it was just one time) and my friends and I ended up eating soups and salads.

My favorite is the Spicy Rizzak filled with a stack of sliced turkey, crispy bacon bits, melted cheddar, sliced tomato and onion, and hot chipotle mayo. There's no standard way of stacking the ingredients, from what I've observed, but it doesn't affect the deliciousness.

: Veggies? Yes.

My second favorite sandwich is almost the opposite of the Spicy Rizzak: the Veggiest of them All, avocado, cucumber, sprouts, shredded carrots, tomato, spinach, roasted red peppers, onions, and Annie's goddess on 7-grain baguette. It's a salad hugged by carbs. My preferred combination would be half of this and half of the Spicy Rizzak—in my mind, they sort of equalize each other.

Address
Tiny's Giant Sandwich Shop: 129 Rivington Street, New York NY 10002

Filet-O-Fish

: Filet-O-Fish: Glorious.

What is it about the combination of fried dessicated fish patty and processed yellow cheese in a squish, steamed bun that triggers my stomach to go into sloshing mode? Don't. Know. My declaration of Filet-O-Fish love on Serious Eats assuaged my fears that I was alone in my Filet-O-Fish fandom. Screw McDonald's burgers; Filet-O-Fish is where it's at.

Burgers

: THE SHACK!

I almost forgot that burgers are a sandwich, too. And when I want a burger, I think of Shake Shack. THE END.

...Or if that's not enough, check out my list of my top 5 burgers in New York City.

Address
Shake Shack: Madison Ave and East 23rd St. Southeast Corner of Madison Square Park, New York NY 10010

Addendum

Someone pointed out that I'm missing a few crucial sandwiches (if you think I need to add anything, feel free to chime in). I can tell you off the bat that I've never had a muffuletta (when am I going to visit New Orleans?). And related to muffulettas, I'm not a big fan of sandwiches stuffed with Italian cold cuts (many an Italian hero has gone into my stomach, growing up in New Jersey and all), so those are out too.

: Luke's Lobster.

What about lobster rolls? I did just blog about them. But their prices makes them quite inaccessible, and only having one clear favorite in New York City that I've only eaten once (from Pearl Oyster Bar) doesn't give it precedence in my "favorite sandwich" list (which I probably should have limited to the top ten). It has the potential when done right though. Maybe I'll go back to Pearl Oyster Bar soon...

: Sabich.

And what about the Middle Eastern sabich? It's a simple and delicious combination of fried eggplant, hard boiled egg, hummus, Israeli salad, tahini, and amba sauce. There are probably a bunch of places to get it in New York City (usually at falafel-ries), not necessarily under the name "sabich," but I'd only ever think of getting it at Taim (I wrote about it on Serious Eats). Alas, I usually get falafel when I go there, perhaps after a tiny internal debate where I can't decide if I want fried chickpea mash or fried eggplant. If you've never had a sabich before, you should definitely check out Taim's. I think I need to do more sabich research; like lobster rolls, they have the potential to be life-changingly delicious—I just haven't eaten enough of them yet.

The only other sabich I've had is from Bite, and while it's a tasty sandwich, it's not nearly as tasty as the one from Taim since Bite doesn't fry their eggplant.

Addendum 2: Pane Bianco

So a week after I wrote this post I realized I forgot about the best sandwicherie of all.

: Sign 1.

Pane...

: And deux.

freakin...

: TROIS.

BIANCO!

Pane Bianco in Phoenix has made possibly the best sandwiches I've ever eaten. It's ridiculous that I could forget about it; I unintentionally ignored the rest of America. It's no surprise that Pane Bianco would make the best sandwiches since it's helmed by possibly the country's best pizza maker, Chris Bianco of Pizzeria Bianco. The fillings match the quality of the bread, and the bread is freakin' fantastic. Bread is key, man. So key.

: Tomato, basil, mozz.

You can't go wrong with anything at Pane Bianco. But I did have a favorite. And it wasn't the tomato, basil, and mozzarella sandwich, although that was awesome.

: LAMB!!

It was the roasted lamb and escarole sandwich. Methinks the lamb is a seasonal filling; I hope your visit is during lamb season.

I gush more about these sandwiches in my post about my trip to Phoenix over two years ago.

Address
Pane Bianco: 4404 N Central Ave, Phoenix AZ 85012

'Satan's Diarrhea' and a Burger from Song 7.2

2009-11-01T04:12:55Z

This post originally took place on October 19.

"You [mumble mumble] bowl of [low growly mumble]," said Greg.

"...Huh?" I leaned in to hear more clearly.

"You [juughfmumbl] bowl of [ssmmumblrMUMBLAH]!"

"...Whaaat."

"You just [mmmumbrlr] bowl of [SUUHGUHDDUHHH]!"

"...Huuuh what."

"You just had a bowl of SATAN'S DIARRHEAAAA!"

"Oh...kaaay...uh..."

So that's Greg, just being himself, invoking his most demonic voice (much like that of an angry wrestler) to inform me that our dish looked like the result of Satan dropping a deuce while blighted with unbalanced intestinal flora. His description wasn't far off.

: ...Okay, it's quite chunky.

The real name for Satan's Diarrhea is Dan Ho Bac Mul Jjim, sautéed seafood (squid, shrimp, clams, and maybe more) mixed with steamed sweet squash and slices of dduk, topped with a ring of mozzarella, sprinkled with chopped scallions, and smothered in a spicy gochujang-based sauce. Pray tell, where does such a delectable mélange of red chili-flavored sea life, cheese, and gourd come from? Korean restaurants that cater to a mostly inebriated crowd, in this case, Song 7.2 in the East Village.

]]>

Greg goes, "Uuungghhh."

But you know me; I do not inebriate. Because I respond with a face like this, sometimes with more scowling and less enthusiasm. Greg got a mug of beer, although judging from the streams of sweat flowing down the sides of his head and that his face was stuck with a look of blank discomfort, the alcohol didn't do much to ease the effects of the dish.

Not that you have to be drunk to eat this dish. I liked it fine, actually; it wasn't offensive, just a bit overwhelming. Heavy chunks of squash and chewy squid bits and rice cakes and all, semi-bound by mozzarella, coated in some taste bud-slashing spiciness. Would I get it again? Proooobably not. But it was good at the time. I rather like those Korean dishes where a bunch of seemingly mismatched stuff that you'd never think to combine—unless you were particularly desperate or drunk—is thrown together to make something hearty and satisfying, à la budae jjigae.

: BURGER!

More enjoyable was the half-pound bulgogi burger, which is a great deal for only $7 with fries. I reviewed it on A Hamburger Today, aiming to debunk the "BEST BURGER IN NYC" claim, instead realizing that "burgers" flavored with onion, garlic, soy sauce, sugar, and sesame oil can't not taste like awesome.

: Photo time.

One of the highlights of the night was when two waiters energetically sprung out of the kitchen with noisemakers while some sort of birthday song played over the speakers (nothing that memorable, I guess) for the party sitting across the room from us. Music blared, lights flickered, and there was a little too much forced excitement flowing through the room...but absolutely none from the gruff employee who stood in the back while flicking the lights on and off in the most stone-faced, unenthusiastic manner ever. Probably because he had done it countless times before. If only he had had a cigarette dangling from his mouth—that would've made it better.

I'd go back to Song 7.2 for the burger, some other platter consisting of a bunch of junk in a bowl, and to see Light Flicking Man in action.

Address

Song 7.2
117 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10003 (at 7th Street; map)
212-777-1086

27 Hours in Philly, Part 2: Veggie Burgers, Cake, and Burmese

2009-10-27T04:49:27Z

This post originally took place on October 4. Here's part 1!

: Veggie burger.

The next morning at National Mechanics, I started my day with their veggie burger...

: Hay guys.

...While I had this somewhat awkward vantage point. Because I was there for the 215 Festival's Food Bloggers Brunch! Alex and Mel came to support me (how I love them so) as I sat at the front of the dining room with E, Taylor, Drew, Collin, and Ben while we answered various questions about the food bloggin-life. Many thanks to Jessica, moderator of the panel, for inviting me even though I'm not based in Philadelphia. I always find a way to slip through the cracks. Oh yes. [HEY LIFE: THANKS FOR LETTING ME SLIP THROUGH THE CRACKS] And many thanks to the young woman who came up to me afterward to complement me on my Iceland photos. :)

]]>

The Piazza

After passing some random jugglers (part of the 27th Annual Philadelphia Jugglers Festival—duh), Mel, Alex, and I took a bus to The Piazza, a newish development of shops, housing, and food in Northern Liberties that features a huge open-air plaza with a huge-ass TV to match, enclosed by modern apartment buildings. It sort of reminded me of Ssamziegil in Seoul, a multi-level shopping complex with the same "lots of windows and clean lines" aesthetic, but with way less space and way more humans.

: A Full Plate.

We roamed around the area, not buying or eating anything (too full to try PYT; maybe another time) until we reached A Full Plate where you can try E's baked goods.

And we did. A woman in the audience of the Food Bloggers Brunch expressed fervent love for E's Elvis cake made of banana chocolate chip cake with peanut butter frosting. We were in luck; there was just one slice left.

: CAKE WEDGE

...One slice being nearly a quarter of the full cake. Our waiter said it was too small for two slices (those are some generous slices), so he just gave us what was left. (Lady M would so not approve.) We weren't going to argue with that.

: PRETENDING TO EAT CAKE

And there was no way in hell were were going to finish that block of cake, but we tried. It was quite dense with clean, not overly sweet flavors. I would've liked it if it were more moist, but I think I was mostly overwhelmed by its towering height.

We attempted to burn off the calories by walking back to civilization/Alex's apartment, passing a few interesting sights along the way, such as...

: I want that stool.

Mr. Bar Stool, store of funky window displays. And stools.

: Really old stuff.

Elfreth's Alley, one of the oldest streets (established in the 1700s) in the country that people still live on.

: National.

This neat sign for these condos.

: Um.

And a giant banner outside the National Liberty Museum advertising the presence of life-size jellybean children and butterflies because holy gee yes that's why I came to Philadelphia, to have nightmares filled with frolicking multicolored jellybean children, frozen mid-step. (I mean, it looks cool, but when they go on forever it starts to get a lil' creepy.)

: Rangoon

After poking around the Internet for restaurant recommendations, we settled on eating dinner at Burmese restaurant Rangoon, which is not as tacky as its awesome 90s-looking-era website, for better or worse.

: Deep fried!

During the food blogger panel, Collin had pointed out the Firecracker Lentil Fritters—made of ground lentils mixed with onion, mint, chilis, and spices—as possessing "burn your face off and whatever else is left of you" hotness, but it was quite manageable. At least, with the expectation that it would leave a trail of ash as it traveled through my digestive system. It's spicy, but won't make you beg for death. Oh yeah, and there's nothing to dislike about crispy fried nuggets of lentil, so eat it.

: TOFU, SO MUCH OF IT.

We loaded up on the tofu for an Alex-friendly meal with Coconut Tofu (tofu, cauliflower, snow peas, carrots, and onions in a coconut sauce) and Jungle Tofu (tofu, bell peppers, string beans, snow peas, lime leaves, and onions in a coconut green curry sauce). We liked the Jungle Tofu more, although by this point in time I can't remember the specifics of what either dish tasted like. ...Just trust me. The tofu cubes had a pleasing texture, not too soft or firm, with a bit of bite to them.

: Thar be meat in...thar.

Mel and I also shared the Rangoon House Noodle made of flat rice noodles with ground chicken, onions, and tomatoes in a red bean sauce. ...So says the menu. There's obviously other stuff in there that I can't identify. Once again, you'll just have to trust me and my nonexistent description that it was tasty and worth ordering. I say that, though, as someone who loves just about all applications of flat rice noodles, so pleasantly firm and chewy they are. (Rice noodles are my favorite member of the noodle kingdom, besides that rice is my favorite grain. Boring, basically nutrition-less, white rice.)

I've only eaten Burmese food once, at Mingala in New York City. This was better, meaning I can truthfully label it the best Burmese food I've ever had.

And thus my 27 hours in Philly came to a close. I love visiting Philly, but 99% of that love is derived from the presence of Alex and Mel. Assuming I die before they do, I should never have to experience a Philadelphia without Alex or Mel. HEAR THAT GUYS? NO DYING.

Addresses

National Mechanics
22 S 3rd Street, Philadelphia PA 19106

Rangoon
112 N 9th Street, Philadelphia PA 19107

27 Hours in Philly, Part 1: Standard Tap and Franklin Fountain

2009-10-25T03:22:22Z

This post originally took place on October 3.

Each trip I've taken to Philadelphia has followed the same routine. Alex picks me up at the Bolt Bus stop, gives me a sorely needed warm embrace, and then we gaily saunter to Capogiro where we proceed to fill our digestive tracts with gelato.

But that's when I arrive in Philly at 10 p.m. on a Friday night. During my last visit, I arrived at 4:30 p.m. on a Saturday afternoon; we skipped the gelato and went straight to Alex's apartment so I could plop down my bags and hang out Alex-style, which involved collectively oogling over photos of autumnal gourds in Martha Stewart Living, covering his mattress in more layers of fluffy bedding than I've ever felt on a sleeping surface before, and learning about the Chinese chicken feet-market on Planet Money.

: Standard Tap

And then at some point, it became dinner. Alex and I met up with his friend Chris at Standard Tap, one of the top places to try on my Philly burger list.

: BURGER!

Alas, it didn't live up to expectations. Not that it was bad—it just left me wanting something better. The components of grilled 7-ounce patty with cheese, sautéed mushrooms, semi-grilled onions, lettuce, and tomato came together fine—nothing stood out as memorably great or bad. The meat wasn't particularly juicy, not dry. The flavor wasn't bland, nor cast any rays of bovine sunshine into my mouth. It's a good burger, just not one I would go out of my way for.

]]>

Innards.

I wrote more about the burger on A Hamburger Today if you want the full sort-of-thought-out review. That's not how we do things on TGWAE. Noooo.

: It's cheese and stuff.

Alex and Chris shared two vegetarian dishes: the veggie burger and the butternut squash and goat cheese. Veggie burger got two thumbs down, while the squash-n-cheese dish got points for flavor, but demerits for awkward execution and inadequate amount of toasted bread.

Despite being quite stuffed, the night of eating was far from over. Because it ain't over until my intestines attempt to leech the nutrients out of something sugar-based.

: Franklin Fountain.

We moseyed down through Northern Liberties to get to Franklin Fountain, an ice cream and soda shop made to look like something from the early 1900s, but is only five years old. DON'T BE FOOLED. Not that you would be. Read more about the shop's history at their website since I don't feel like summarizing it.

: Menu.

Their menu features over 20 flavors of homemade ice cream, specialty sundaes, and a wide variety of non-alcoholic beverages (WOOHOO FOR ME) including milkshakes, phosphates, and ice cream sodas.

: Rainbow of FLAVORS.

...And 25 different flavors to choose from for your soda.

: Oh god, it's a big bowl of ice cream.

Alex, Chris, and I shared The Franklin Mint, a big metal bowl neatly packed with vanilla ice cream layered on top of mint chip ice cream, smothered in fluffy marshmallow glaze accented with lines of chocolate syrup and creme de menthe, encircled by a halo of whipped cream around the edge, and finished off with a mint-flavored green maraschino cherry that is purely decorative and probably shouldn't be eaten even though it is technically non-toxic.

: INNARDS.

So...yeah, it's tasty. Because how could all that stuff in my last paragraph not be tasty? Every refreshing creme de menthe-enhanced bite features gooey creaminess heaped upon sweet, non-gooey creaminess, interspersed with crispy chocolate bits. ENJOY IT, YOU MUST.

: ALL GONE.

And finish it, you must. Even if your stomach is all like, "Nooo, I'm too full, stop it, you're going to tear through the lining"—ppfff, whatever, you just plow through the pain. Unless you feel like you're gonna puke, in which case, it's time to stop.

: MORE.

Against better judgment, which is usually how I handle situations related to overeating, I hobbled back inside to try a drink: the Japanese Thirst Killer phosphate made with orgeat (almond-flavored syrup), grape juice, and angostura bitters with phosphate.

So what the heck is a phosphate? The name given to sodas made with phosphoric acid, which Wikipedia says "gives the bite taste" found in colas—er, the acidic flavor. It might have shitty effects on your health (not that sodas lacking phosphoric acid would be good for you) like, ooh, maybe encourage osteoporosis, so don't guzzle it down or anything. I like soda as an occasional treat, such as when I come across one called Japanese Thirst Killer.

Now that I just spent way too much time looking up information about phosphoric acid (and not having much to show for it), I don't think there was much of it in my drink—it was pretty mellow without much "bite." But it was pleasant. It tastes like grape. And...other things I couldn't really discern, but I assume if they weren't in the drink it would've just tasted like fizzy grape juice, which it didn't. Sort of.

No matter what my drink tasted like (or didn't), I'm a fan of Franklin Fountain for providing interesting mixed drinks that aren't based in throat-burning fermented grain juice squeezed by the fist of Satan. (For those who don't already know, I have a sort of deep, raging aversion towards alcohol. My reaction to a sip of hard liquor is akin to that of a three-year-old who just tasted...well, hard liquor, screwed-up face and expulsion of tongue and all, the difference being that I can express my distaste with a slightly larger vocabulary: "Oh sweet jesus what the hell was that and why does anyone enjoy this?" Not that I won't try alcoholic beverages—oh, I will, but it's unlikely I will ever fully any of them.)

All I remember about the rest of the night was feeling one step below "vomitous." Once again, I ate too much. When will it end? When will I learn? How am I not obese? So many questions to which there are no concrete answers.

Addresses

Franklin Fountain
116 Market Street, Philadelphia PA 19106

Standard Tap
901 N 2nd Street, Philadelphia PA 19123

Sort Of Budget-Priced Lobster Rolls from Luke's Lobster

2009-10-22T03:48:34Z

Each of the three lobster roll-eating experience I've had in my life has been memorable for different reasons. First was my dinner at Pearl Oyster Bar over three years ago with Kathy. Our newly lobster roll-enriched palates were ready to bow down and offer sacrificial goats to the perfectly buttered and toasted squishy buns overflowing with mounds of fresh mayo-bound lobster chunks. It was damn good. Even on our college student budgets, we thought it was worth the $22 price tag...as a very occasional treat. So occasional that we have yet to go back, thus preserving that experience as "one of the best sandwiches we would ever ingest."

Second was at Mary's Fish Camp, again with Kathy, but that's where the similarities end. Instead of a heavenly buttered bun laden with lobster chunks blessed by the sea, we got an anemic roll lacking in butter, and lobster chunks missing whatever magical flavor was present at Pearl Oyster Bar. Even the shoestring fries were disappointing, which is quite a feat considering that fried carbs with a high ratio of crispy surface area-to-innards are almost guaranteed to be delicious. Except at Mary's Fish Camp.

: Luke's Lobster.

Third was last week at Luke's Lobster, a three-week-old counter-service seafood joint in the East Village featuring seafood from Maine, which, of course, includes lobster rolls. The tiny space paired with a line out the door meant there were no seats left for me, Christine, and her boyfriend Adam, so we got our dinner to go and carried it down the block to Tompkin's Square Park.

And that's why the soundtrack to our cold, tree-obscured-moonlit dinner was the rustling of scurrying rats and the mostly incomprehensible conversations of the homeless men around the chess tables we repurposed as a dining area. Not that I'd say either factor negatively affected our dinner—it was just a memorably atypical environment. "Remember that time we sat near that trashcan and all those rats popped out? And then we ate lobster rolls? Yeaaaah."

]]>

Lobster Roll.

A "large" (but quite dainty, which makes me wonder what the small looks like) lobster roll will set you back $14. For two dollars more I went with the lobster schooner, aka "combo meal," consisting of a lobster roll, a bag of Miss Vickie's Chips, a pickle, and a Maine Root drink. The supplementary fried potato matter and gassy drink made for a stomach-filling meal that the lobster roll alone wouldn't have fulfilled.

This lobster roll was quite different the ones I had from Pearl Oyster Bar and Mary's Fish Camp, the biggest difference being the lack of mayo as a binding agent; instead, the bun only contained large, tender lobster chunks sprinkled with a blend of celery salt, thyme, oregano, and black pepper (thanks for the info, Village Voice). As much as I love mayo, I didn't miss it too much here. The nicely toasted and buttered bun was great. Although far from mindblowing, it was a simple, tasty sandwich that just about satisfied my lobster roll curiosity. I wouldn't recommend eating it outside in the cold though considering that the sandwich is devoid of heat.

Was the sandwich's tastiness worth $14? Um. Well. There's a reason I've only eaten three lobster rolls in my life: They're freakin' expensive. I could stuff myself silly for $14 at so many other restaurants that I can't justify eating a kiddie-sized $14 lobster roll again. But in range of lobster roll prices in New York City, $14 isn't bad. I called Pearl's and Mary's to get their latest lobster roll prices: $27 and $30 respectively. Are those sandwiches (and fries) $13 and $16 more delicious? Mary's is definitely not. Pearl's might be. But I'm not a big enough fan of lobster to go back anytime soon to find out.

: Crab claws.

We also shared an order of Empress crab claws, four for $5. You may not be able to tell from the photo, but they're super tiny. We thought they would've benefited from some sort of seasoning.

I can't say I see myself going back to Luke Lobster—I'm just not into lobster enough to want to pay for it, except for the sake of the occasional lobster roll tasting. But if you do like lobster and you're in the East Village, you may as well give it a shot.

Address

Luke's Lobster
93 E 7th St
New York, NY 10009

Upgrading The Blog, Please Hold

2009-10-22T00:26:06Z

I'm going to attempt to upgrade this blog to the latest version of Movable Type due to recent episodes in "My Website Got Hacked, Oh Shit." This might work. Or I might want to kill myself.

.....We'll see! Haha! If this blog looks like poop later tonight, you'll know why. Cross your fingers for me. Thanks.

---

HOLY SHIT DID THIS WORK?!??!?!

Deep Fried Pork and Other Delicious Filipino Things from Engelines in Woodside, Queens

2009-10-15T05:15:28Z

This entry originally took place on...SUNDAY! Not a month ago! Or two weeks ago! Or even a week ago! Fan-freakin-tastic! This sort of thing might not happen again for a while.

: Engeline's. Inside, there be pork.

"Okay, I think we have enough pork."

What. What did she say? When I showed Francine the list of dishes we wanted to order during our dinner at Engeline's Restaurant, I didn't expect her to put a stop to our pork fest. If anything, I thought she'd say something like, "Oh, you forgot about [insert awesome pork dish here], ADD IT TO THE LIST." But as the omnivorous Filipino at our dinner party, she was more familiar with the dangers of overdosing on Filipino meat dishes than the rest of us. Apparently, Filipinos are prone to hyperuricemia and gout. Whooops.

It was a good thing Francine gave us a limit to our order though since we ended up with enough food to feed everyone—Diana, Olia, John, Claire, Veronica, Francine, and me—to 125% stomach capacity. There were few leftovers. Witness the carnage.

: Pork bits.

Under Francine's suggestion, we started with sizzling sisig, little cubes of pork belly and crunchy bits of pig ear marinated in lemon and hot pepper, mixed with diced onion and scallion, served on a hot plate with a raw egg that cooks as you mix everything together.

]]>

Pork bits in motion.

Squeeze on the lemon, break up the yolk, and everyone agreed that you end up with one of the best hash-y things ever, with egg-bound pork-n-onion gobs in every bite. Francine said it's usually eaten with beer as a snack, like peanuts or pretzels. Screw peanuts; sizzling sisig is way better. Except I'd rather eat it with a mound of rice than a bottle of beer.

: Fat egg rolls.

I ordered the pritong lumpia thinking that it was a vegetarian-friendly egg roll for our resident vegetarian Claire, but despite the lack of meat mentioned on the menu, there was meat hidden within the shredded vegetables. ...As Claire discovered when she bit into one. Oops. Overall, not that special.

: Skinny egg rolls.

But the lumpiang Shanghai was a different matter, and the form in which "egg roll" reached its full potential. The miniature size increased the fried-crust-to-filling ratio, and the filling consisted of more meat—ground pork and shrimp—than vegetables. More light, crunchy crust and meat in every bite = more in my belly. I ordered three plates not knowing that there were ten rolls to an order (or five rolls for each of the meat eaters), but what initially appeared to be an overabundance of lumpia turned out to be just right—at the end of the meal, only two or three rolls remained. Eating them was as easy as tearing through a bag of potato chips.

: Fish soup.

The sinigang na bangus (sour milkfish soup) consisted of tamarind broth filled with chunks of milkfish (watch out for the bones), tomatoes, green beans, onions, green chile pepper, and other stuff I probably couldn't recognize. Altogether, it made for a flavorful, lightly sour soup that I'd happily eat with spoonfuls of rice.

: Chicken adobo.

In her New York Times review, Ligaya Mishan called Engeline's chicken adobo "the finest rendition of the Philippines’ national dish I’ve ever had." Not having anything to compare the soy sauce, vinegar, peppercorn, garlic, and bay leaf-marinaded chicken to since I've rarely eaten chicken adobo in my life, I'd say...it was good, although not in an, "OH MY GOD MUST EAT MORE," way. The chicken drumsticks were almost fall-off-the-bone tender, and the seasoning tasted balanced in a way that I interpreted as, "I have no idea what individual flavors went into this, but they combined to form something new and tasty, so who gives a poop." The main reason I don't remember much about this dish may be because I only hate one little nubbin, saving most of my stomach space for the pork.

: PORK.

SWEET BABY JESUS, CRISPY PATA, aka HONKIN' HUGE DEEP-FRIED PORK KNUCKLE-LEG-THING, aka BIG CHUNK OF PORK THAT IS MOSTLY CRISPY SKIN with a sub-layer of CREAMY FAT but UNDER THE CRISPY SKIN/CREAMY FAT LAYER is A TENDER MEAT CHUNK LAYER and in conclusion EVERYONE'S A WINNER.

How does it attain the marriage of crispiness and moistness? The pork chunk is first boiled to tenderize the meat, and then deep fried to give it the crackly skin. There are some other steps in between, but if you're really curious, that's what Google is for.

: Take a closer look.

The awesomeness of crispy pata reminds me of the awesomeness of a perfect French baguette. What's magical about a baguette? The stiff golden crust that shatters when you break into it, revealing its belly of soft, chewy, gluten-y innards. The skin of crispy pata also does that "magical shattering" thingy, but then there's also that sweet sublayer of fat. And the meat. And then, after you suck down the skin-fat-meat trio, perhaps dipped in the accompanying spicy vinegar sauce, there's the part where you eyes glaze over and you mumble, "Uuughhmmmyeaaerhuuhh, or some other variation of gustatory satisfaction.

: Omelet.

Claire ordered the vegetarian-friendly tortang talong, eggplant omelet. It came with a dish of ketchup, but no one used it. Methinks she gave it the thumbs up.

: We are all very full.

We were surprised by how much we ate. Which was a lot, as evidenced by our empty plates. And even though we could've stopped there (or, you know, 20 minutes earlier), we kept going.

: Dessert.

...Because the meal ain't over until you pile some dessert onto the pool of semi-digested meats and carbs and vegetables sloshing around in your stomach. We split three halo-halos between the seven of us, but we didn't even need that many. Easy to say, a glass of crushed ice on top of jelly bits, fat white beans, purple yam, and chunks of something plantain-y topped with a dense square of flan all drizzled in milk is pretty filling.

: MIX IT, VERONICA.

I don't understand why halo halo commonly comes in such tall glasses; that makes mixing everything together a bitch. But by using the "lift, dip, and swish spoon around glass, then repeat 20 times" technique, we ended up with vessels full of slushy fruity milky goo. Unfortunately, since it seemed to only containe milk and not condensed milk, it didn't taste sweet enough, and when slushy fruit milky goo isn't sweet, it's just not that enjoyable.

: Flan.

I would've been better off sticking with a generous slab of leche flan like Diana ended up getting after trying the halo-halo, her favorite part of which was...the flan topping.

: Oo, cakes and things.

Right before leaving the restaurant, Diana and Olia bought some goodies from the bakery case filled with cakes, cookies, meringues, and other sweet doughy things, an opportunity I passed up due to the beached whale sensation emanating from my midsection. It's nearly impossible for me to plan for future eating when I'm afraid of dying within the next hour due to intestinal combustion. As usual, I didn't die (how do I keep dodging these bullets?), and I missed out on ube-flavored treats. Next time...next time.

Address

Engeline's Restaurant
5828 Roosevelt Ave
Woodside, NY 11377

Garlic and Stuff from M&T Restaurant in Flushing

2009-10-12T04:26:43Z

This post originally took place on September 19.

: M&T

It's been weeks since I ate at Qingdao cuisine-specialized M&T Restaurant with Tristan, Grace, and Bram, but if I concentrate hard enough, I can still taste the garlic. What a magic night that was. "The Night My Mouth Became Saturated with Odiferous Sulphur Compounds."

: "Pasta"?

Take a look at the Qingdao cold pasta with special sauce. That yellow mound on top? Raw garlic mash. And what's under it? I'm not really sure. But the New York Times calls it "jelly-like grass noodles." I call it "sort of flavorless cold translucent jelly slabs."

: Mixed.

But that's where the garlic comes in, along with black vinegar, cilantro, and shredded cucumber and carrot. Mix it together and now the jelly flops tastes like "all of the above," making for a refreshing dish—the sort of refreshing that punches you in the face if you're not used to the flavors (I wasn't).

]]>

Cukes.

Next up was cucumber with pork head and shittons of garlic. Another dish that refreshes the palate with thick, crunchy slices of raw cucumber, and moist, fatty pork bits (from the head, I'd assume), infused with garlic and vinegar.

: Chicken.

Chicken with ginger and basil wasn't our first choice for a chicken dish, but methinks due to a miscommunication, that's what we ended up with. Tender chicken nubs in...a sauce. A brown sauce. With basil and ginger chunks. Sorry for the crappy description; the dish was good, just not one that stuck out in my mind.

: IT'S FRIED.

Battered and fried ginseng left more of an impression since it's fried—better yet, something fried that I had never eaten before. The ginseng itself didn't have much flavor (or maybe I missed it because I was in the early stages of some sort of cold), but it had an interesting texture that yields just slightly before cronching. The main flavor came from black pepper. Mmmm. Oh, and salt. Double mmmm.

: Tofu!

For our resident vegetarian, Tristan, our friendly waitress (and perhaps the restaurant's proprietor) recommended mapo tofu, which also came with a side of sliced lotus root. Silky soft tofu cubes doused in a hot Sichuan peppercorn-laced sauce is always satisfying. Tristan loved it.

: CHINESE...crap.

Overall, I enjoyed the meal—most of the dishes were ones I had never tried before, but fit in the familiar, "IT'S CHINESE AND DELICIOUS" category. I'd go back to M&T if someone in my dining party could read off the mirrored wall covered in Chinese specials that probably aren't on the menu. Alas, as the sole Chinese person in our group of four, I provided absolutely no advantage—I only know English, and even that I have trouble with sometimes. (Apologies to Grace, Bram, and Tristan for being fail Chinese.) If you're curious about the specials though, I'm sure the friendly staff will help you out.

Address

M&T Restaurant
44-09 Kissena Boulevard, Flushing NY 11355

Last Day for the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck

2009-10-09T13:29:00Z

: Big Gay Ice Cream Truck

If you want to try something from the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck, today's your last day; New York City's favorite gay ice cream man Doug Quint is closing for the season tonight. [cue dramatic rolling of single tear down cheek]

: Mm, there be salt.

If you get just one thing, I'd recommend The Salty Pimp. It may look like a typical chocolate dipped cone, but...what's that peeking out? Is that a glob of dulce de leche?

: BLOOP.

Yes.

]]>

Chomp.

Bite through the thin, crisp chocolate shell and, aside from the caramel goo, you discover that something else is hidden beneath the chocolate coating: salt. Fat sea salt crystals that crunch along with the shell. It seemed like such a simple combination—like chocolate-covered salted caramel in soft serve-form—but you don't see any other Mister Softee trucks drizzling dulce de leche and sprinkling sea salt on their cones, right? Only Doug does that.

And for one brief moment in my mostly Debbie Downer demeanor, a clearing appeared. And the sun shone through. And its rays were made of dairy-based joy that only an Electro Freeze machine could bring.

: The Gobbler

I also love the Affogayto Mexicano (vanilla soft serve topped with whipped cream and hot chocolate made of Scharffen Berger cocoa powder and cayenne pepper), and pumpkin lovers shouldn't overlook the Gobbler (vanilla soft serve topped with crushed graham crackers, pumpkin butter, and whipped cream), but between utterances of, "MAN THIS IS REALLY GOOD, WHY IS IT SO GOOD," Jessica and I agreed that the Salty Pimp was our favorite.

Check @biggayicecream on Twitter for all the latest updates. The truck will be at Broadway and 17th Street from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. then move to Destination Bar at Avenue A and 13th Street for their end-of-season party from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. I can't make it to the party—I'm going to the Burger Bash for the Wine and Food Festival—so EAT PLENTY OF ICE CREAM FOR ME. Kthnx.

Day 2 For an Out-Of-Towner: Shake Shack, Top of the Rock, and Grand Sichuan

2009-10-05T04:35:53Z

This entry originally took place on September 13. Here's part 1, in case you missed it. Not that you would since you read this blog all the time! Haha! HaaaaaaaI'mwatchingyou.

: New Amsterdam Market

James and I started our day at the New Amsterdam Market by the South Street Seaport. But Ed already blogged about it, so I don't have to.

I've only been to the market for work-related purposes, i.e. to take photos, but it's worth checking out if you like farmers' markets and want to try some local food vendors (mostly those specializing in making loaves of carbs). I love the idea of having more food markets in New York City, but my lack of need for fresh produce (that will inevitably go bad in my kitchen) means I don't support them much in the ways of money exchange. Hopefully this mention will bring them other customers who will actually buy stuff.

I didn't take advantage of the samples at the market, but I had a good reason: I wanted to save stomach space for lunch. And not explode.

: YAY.

And then there was Shake Shack. The salt and fat-laden beef patty of my dreams. I've already expounded upon my Shake Shack love, so I don't think I have to repeat it.

]]> ...But I will anyway. The Shackburger from Shack Shack (the one with all the fixings) is my example of all that is balanced—in texture and flavor—in a burger, possessing just the right combination of bun, beef, and sodium. I say that as someone who has never tried the beloved old school burger joints of Los Angeles, but as James seemed quite smitten with his Shack Stack (I gathered this from his lack of speech and full concentration on devouring, with the occasional "mmm" slipping out between bites), maybe the LA burgers can wait. James' friend Juice (not his real name, but that's what James calls him so I'm going with that) was as fan of his shroom burger, as he should be since anyone who doesn't like like a sandwich of deep fried mushroom and cheese is crazy. I prefer not to associate with these people.

: Purple cow.

I washed down my burger with a Purple Cow, a grape soda float with vanilla custard. You get a choice of one size: "towering bucket." Excessive? Maybe a smidge, but if you like grape soda and frozen custard you're not going to complain. Juice ordered a chocolate and peanut butter milkshake, a combination I had never thought of ordering before. PURE IGNORANCE; it's an awesome combination. The shakes come in much smaller cups than the floats, but that's because they're cement-thick and a larger dose could result in gastrointestinal pain.

: ZOOM

After Shake Shack, we went into tourist mode and headed to Rockefeller Center to visit the Top of the Rock, aka the GE Building. The short elevator ride is accompanied by a quick light show-ish thing viewable through the car's ceiling that inflates the excitement of the incredibly smooth and fast ride. You gotta get your $20 worth.

And you do. At least, I've never seen New York City like this before, and the general consensus is that it's better than going to the top of the Empire State Building (which, although 30 floors taller, doesn't necessarily offer better views) because you can't see Central Park from the ESB, Top of the Rock is less crowded, and you can actually see the ESB by not being in it.

Looking at photos of the view doesn't compare to how it feels to actually be up there. Even though 99% of the people on the roof were tourists, I think it's worth going to even if you live in the city. Sometimes those touristy things you wouldn't do on your own end up being much cooler than you'd expect. I'd love to go back at night. ...When it's snowing.

: Buildings. Some.

I'm a fan of living in concrete jungles. Not that I don't enjoy trees and dirt and fresh air as well, but I'm almost ashamed to say that I'd rather be surrounded by "city" with the occasional jaunt to nature than the other way around. I feel guilty for not appreciating nature more. When I'm in it, I enjoy it as a respite from regular life—but it doesn't make me feel at home. I don't know if that's related to when I lived in Taipei as my first city and had the best time of my life, or if that's just the way I'd be whether or not I had lived there.

But back to food. James, Juice, and I went to my favorite Chinese restaurant Grand Sichuan where we met up with Dinh and Colin. As usual, I was in charge of doing most of the ordering.

: Cukes.

Cold cucumber with scallion sauce: My favorite form of cucumber, doused in a sesame oil and scallion juice-based sauce. I save the sauce for later so I can pour it on my leftover rice.

LOOK AT ALL THAT SAUCE.

: Wontons.

Sichuan wontons with red oil: If you don't think you like wontons, you haven't tried these lil' pork dumplings coated in spicy oily sauce.

: Dumplings.

Pork soup dumplings: Always good. Pork nub in soup wrapped in dough.

: ITS GOOD FOR YOU.

Sauteed spicy Chinese broccoli: This version was a gazillion times better than the same dish I had at the Grand Sichuan in Chelsea. Vegetables were cooked to that perfect tender/crisp point where a vegetable has just crossed the line between raw and digestible. The one in Chelsea was just a bit under that line.

: ..Back to meat.

Gui Zhou spicy chicken: Tender, slightly crisp chicken nubs. Soaked in spiciness. So far, my favorite chicken option at Grand Sichuan.

: MORE MEAT.

Cumin beef: Perhaps too cumin and salt-laden for some, but it's easy to temper the seasonings with rice. Like the Gui Zhou chicken, it's crispy and tender, this time in fillet form instead of nubbin. HIGHER CRISPY SURFACE AREA-TO-MEAT RATIO = SUCCESS.

: Back to non-meat.

Bean curd with cashew: Although it looked boring on paper, this ended up being a great vegetarian option. The fried tofu chunks had a pleasing combination of crisp (I know I've said "crisp" too many times by now, sorry) outters and soft innards, and ...I like cashews. I thought the lack of burning hotness might result in something that tasted meh, but whatever brown sauce it was coated in was flavorful enough. I'd like to eat it again, even not as a vegetarian who is adverse to spicy food.

And thus was the end of the Robyn-assisted James eating adventures in New York City. James did more fooding the following day with chicken, pizza, and kimchi fried rice before leaving for Los Angeles that afternoon. What a good eater he is.

Addresses

New Amsterdam Market
South Street between Beekman Street and Peck Slip
Currently only happening once a month; check their website for more details.

Shake Shack
Madison Ave and East 23rd St. Southeast Corner of Madison Square Park
New York, NY 10010

Top of the Rock
30 Rockefeller Plz
New York, NY 10112

Grand Sichuan
23 Saint Marks Pl
New York, NY 10003

This Sunday, Food Blogger Talk at National Mechanics in Philadelphia

2009-10-03T02:06:57Z

: National Mechanics

To those of you who live in Philadelphia, if you wanna see a bunch of food bloggers talk about BLOGGORIZING, then come to National Mechanics this Sunday for the 215 Festival's Food Bloggers Brunch from 11 a.m to 2 p.m. I'll be there, hidden among a group of food bloggers who are actually Philadelphia-based (Fries With That Shake, Foodaphilia, Meal Ticket, Mac & Cheese, Phoodie, and Unbreaded). You can see how awkward I am in real life yeeeeaaaaaaaah!