Serious Eats: New York

Sugar Rush: Peanut Butter Cookies at City Bakery

2008-10-06T22:00:00Z

When most people think of City Bakery, blue and white cups filled with hot chocolate, enormous wedges of caramelized french toast, and chocolate chip cookies are what usually come to mind. But I'm not most people. The peanut butter cookies are what I've come to love far more than any of the other typical favorites. The smallest of all City Bakery cookies, the peanut butter numbers are not large flat disks easily piled upon one another. Instead you'll encounter scoops, no more than an inch and a half high and two inches in diameter—a dainty baked ice cream scoop. But oh goodness, one taste and it'll be hard to return for any other cookie. It's far too easy to love the butter-rich, crumbly, melt-in-your-mouth texture; so generous, easy, and giving on the tongue. Like the melting moments of Mexican wedding cookies, powdered sugar must be a key contributor to this wonder. Playing on the lines of sweet with salty touches, why have one when you can have two? Lucky for us they're sold in pairs, and at $1.50 they're one of the cheapest items at the Bakery.

City Bakery

3 W 18th Street, New York, NY 10011
212-366-1414
thecitybakery.com/index2.htm

Where to Get Clam Pizza in NYC

2008-10-06T21:45:00Z

From Slice

Photograph from "Boppadopoulos" on Flickr

New York magazine gives a rundown on where to get clam pizza in New York City:

Franny's: 295 Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11217 (b/n Prospect and St. Marks; map); 718-230-0221; frannysbrooklyn.com
Bussaco: 833 Union Street, Brooklyn NY 11217 (near Seventh Avenue; map); 718-857-8828
Lombardi's: 32 Spring Street, New York NY 10012 (near Mott Street; map); 212-941-7994; firstpizza.com
Otto: 1 Fifth Avenue, New York NY 10003 (corner of 8th Street; map); 212-995-9559; ottopizzeria.com
Fornino: 187 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11211 (at North 7th Street; map); 718-384-6004
South Brooklyn Pizza: 451 Court Street, Brooklyn NY 11231 (near 4th Place; map); 718-852-6018

I can't vouch for all of these. I like Lombardi's clam pie and Franny's (uh-may-zing). I'm not big on Otto's or Fornino's because they do that annoying still-in-the-shell-while-topping-your-pie thing. (That's Otto's pie above.) Based on what I've had at South Brooklyn, I'd skip the clam pie—when I've had it, their regular pie has had a tough, too-crunchy crust.

News Spread: More Michelin; Alidoro; Obesity

2008-10-06T21:30:00Z

From Serious Eats: New York

Frank Bruni weighs in on the new Michelin guide ratings [Diner's Journal]
Alidoro sandwiches are now available at the Randolph [NYM]
Here is a list of restaurants that made Michelin's "cheap eats" list [Grub Street]
Starting today, the NYC Health Department will run ads in the subway telling you just how many calories are in the fast food you eat [Gothamist]

Calvin Trillin's Walking Tour

2008-10-06T20:44:00Z

From Serious Eats: New York

The New York Times sent a lucky reporter on Calvin Trillin's eating tour yesterday. My favorite quote from Trillin, who leads the tour as part of the New Yorker Festival: "I'm not interested in finding the best chili restaurant in Cincinnati. I'm interested in Cincinnatians fighting about who has the best chili."

What are the stops on the tour? Some are secret, but others are not:

A slice of potato pizza from Grandaisy Bakery
Sandwiches from the "greens lady" on East Broadway and Chrystie Street
Roast pork banh mi from Banh Mi Saigon Bakery
Spanish nibbles from Despana on Broome Street (I love the tortilla cake there)
Sopressata from Faicco's on Bleecker Street

The story did not reveal which dim sum parlor under the Manhattan bridge they stopped in for lunch. Any guesses, serious eaters?

Bobby's Burger Palace vs. American Roadside Burgers in Long Island

2008-10-06T20:00:00Z

From A Hamburger Today

Crunchburger from Bobby's Burger Palace. Photograph by Nick Solares

Joan Starckey of the New York Times finds out who makes better burgers in Long Island: American Roadside Burgers in Smithtown or Bobby's Burger Palace in Lake Grove? The restaurants are similar for both being opened by successful restaurateurs and requiring customers to order at a counter. After judging burgers, fries, onion rings, and milkshakes from each restaurant, American Roadside Burgers comes out as the clear winner with its superior burgers and fries.

Openings: La Pizzetta on Atlantic Avenue

2008-10-06T20:00:00Z

From Slice

Amy Langfield of NewYorkology tells us that La Pizzetta, a new brick-oven joint on Atlantic Avenue is open and should be starting delivery tonight. 145 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11201 (b/n Clinton and Henry streets; map)

Patisserie Claude's Perfect Tasting Quiche

2008-10-06T19:00:00Z

From Serious Eats: New York

Claude, of the West Village’s Patisserie Claude, is a man you take one look at and immediately trust in the kitchen. In fact, if I were to draw a cartoon chef, it would look something like Claude: white-clad, grey-haired, and somewhat rotund. A little bit grumpy. And very, very French.

While I’d rank his croissants and éclairs among the best in town, his petite quiches are the tastiest item in his modest little shop. The quiche is one of the oldest and tiredest food clichés. But Claude’s, served warm from the oven, hardly resemble the rubbery yellow slices found elsewhere. The crumbly, buttery crust alone is memorable; it reminds you, with every bite, that Claude is first and foremost a pastry man. But that crust can barely hold back the silky egg inside—salty, creamy, barely set, and perfectly dotted with tender mushrooms. Or ham. Or spinach. Or endive and gruyere…

Patisserie Claude

187 W. 4th Street, New York NY 10014 (map)
212-255-5911

Veselka Slammed with Michael Cera Fans Over the Weekend

2008-10-06T17:30:00Z

From Serious Eats: New York

Harry and Sally had a mind-blowing lunch at Katz's. Carrie Bradshaw satisfied her sweet tooth with Magnolia cupcakes. And of course, there's Seinfeld and the Soup Nazi. For as long as movies and television shows have filmed scenes in New York restaurants, fans and tourists have been flocking to them.

Michael Cera might not be as established as Billy Crystal, as suave as Chris Noth, or as iconic as Jerry Seinfeld, but he is fast becoming one of Hollywood's leading young men. His latest flick, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, opened last Friday and Tom Birchard, owner of the restaurant Veselka, reports that they were "slammed all weekend."

One of the final scenes of the movie features Cera and leading lady Kat Dennings at the East Village Ukrainian eatery feasting on pierogies. Evidently fans (we're guessing the bulk of them were NYU freshman girls) flooded Veselka, which is open 24 hours, after seeing the film at nearby theaters. Of course, Cera was nowhere in sight (he divides his time between Canada and Los Angeles), but what better way to console a crush than with a steaming bowl of soul-warming borscht?

Market Scene: Grapes; Garlic; Fancy-Colored Produce

2008-10-06T15:30:00Z

From Serious Eats: New York

Grapes. Photograph from Shareski.

Variety is the Spice of Life: Now at the Union Square Greenmarket, find multicolored carrots, a rainbow of hot and sweet peppers, and the stoplight red, yellow, and green of the last of the heirloom tomatoes of the season, along with herbs, garlic, and jumbles of grapes [Lucy’s Greenmarket Report]

Some Like It Hot:Here is the recipe for Pequin Pepper Sauce, a pepper "7 to 8 times" hotter than jalapenos [Food Mayhem]

Concord, Conquered: Grapes abound, from sweet to tart, at the Grand Army Plaza Farmer's Market [Eat to Blog]

Stomp!: In retrospect, a grape stomp took place last Friday at the Winestand in Union Square Greenmarket. Let’s hope they’ll do it again! [Local Wine Events]

Eyewitness News: This last Saturday at the Union Square Greenmarket, I found opal basil, garlic, purple and green string beans, multicolored carrots, fairytale eggplants, the rainbow of chilies, and grapes, everywhere.

Hot Spots: Additionally, Mom in the City curates the "Top Eight NYC Greenmarkets," along with locations in four boroughs, and opening times [Mom in the City]

Vendy Award Finalist: Fauzia's Delights

2008-10-06T14:00:00Z

From Serious Eats: New York

Editor's note: On October 18th, street vendors from all around the city will converge on the Tobacco Warehouse in Dumbo, Brooklyn for this years Vendy Awards. Tickets are only $80 and every penny goes to benefit the Street Vendor Project, a non-profit organization that fights for the rights of sidewalk vendors in New York City. Every day this week we will profile one of the five finalists, and the food they will be serving up at the competition. To kick it off Joe DiStefano headed to the Bronx to sample Fauzia Abdur-Rahman's "Heavenly Delights".

Friday afternoon I paid a visit to Fauzia’s Delights a street cart located outside the Bronx District Attorney’s office. It’s up for a Vendy Award this year, and after tasting Fauzia Abdur-Rahman’s food and talking to some of her loyal customers, I can see why. As I got on line I asked a fellow in front of me about Fauzia’s eats and he told it to me straight; “I’d cry if she wasn’t out here.” I asked him what he usually gets and my jaw dropped when he said the vegetables. I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone more excited about veggies in my life. Because of the rain the friendly Fauzia didn’t have a chance to make any jerk chicken that day. I asked someone else on line what was good and they beamed, “It’s all good.”

Part of the reason that it’s all so good is that Fauzia, who hails from Kingston, Jamaica, makes everything fresh. She arrives on the corner of 161 Street and Sheridan Avenue at 9 a.m. and fires up her six-burner stove. The offerings change daily, so she posts a hand-written menu.

I decided to go for the fish with mixed vegetables and the honey-mustard bbq tofu. The latter turned out to be chunks of tofu slathered with barbeque sauce. Not exactly my cuppa tea, but still pretty tasty. The fish, on the other hand, was some of the best I’ve ever had from a cart. Tender chunks of whiting and veggies seasoned with fresh basil, onion, turmeric, cumin, coriander, and garlic sat atop a heap of perfectly done rice. It’s the healthiest thing I’ve ever eaten from a street cart. I followed up Fauzia’s fish with some insanely good banana pudding that was teeming with bits of Nilla wafers and fruit.

At the Vendy Awards Fauzia plans to serve fish with mixed vegetables, jerk chicken wings, and—get this—vegetarian jerk chicken wings. And, of course, that insanely good banana pudding.

Fauzia's Delights

East 161 Street & Sheridan Avenue Bronx NY 10451 (map)

New York's Michelin Stars Are Out A Little Earlier Than Expected

2008-10-06T13:30:00Z

From Serious Eats: New York

Thanks to some fine sleuthing by our friends at Eater, we know which New York restaurants get the Michelin star treatment a little ahead of the tire company's official announcement late this morning.

The big news is that the stuffy French folks are at least trying to get past their obvious old school Gallic bias. The tire boy bestowed two stars on Momofuku Ko and rewarded Masa with a third star.

But the Michelin folks showed their true colors by awarding Adour two stars. They do love their Alain Ducasse, don't they?

The one star list is too full of holes for me to comment on here. Stay tuned, though. The biggest one star headline is that Babbo lost its star. It won't make it any easier to snag a reservation there. It will mean that if you do you're less likely to be sitting next to a European tourist.

Smörgåsboard: Atlantic Antic; Chicken and Waffles; Bratwurst

2008-10-06T13:00:00Z

From Serious Eats: New York

Atlantic Antic. Photograph by ultraclay!

There was a lot of great food to be had at Atlantic Antic this past weekend, including a delicious Obama Burger [Always Eating]
Skip the clam strips and get the fried zucchini and soft shelled crab sandwich at Randazzo's Clam Bar [Umamimart]
You can get fried chicken and waffles at a new restaurant in Bayonne, New Jersey [Life Vicarious]
The bratwurst pairs perfectly with the sweet mustard it's served with at Radegast Hall Biergarten [Eat it Brooklyn]
The best burger in Sunnyside can be found at P.J. Horgan's [Shauna Eats Sunnyside]
Risotteria and Mozzarelli's are two great places to get gluten free meals in the city [SE:NY Talk]

This Weekend in 'New York Times' Food News

2008-10-05T18:00:00Z

From Serious Eats: New York

No-Knead Bread: This speedy recipe will leave you with fresh-baked bread in a single afternoon.

Fried Dough Will Improve Your Life: An ode to doughnuts, crullers, fritters, and beignets—best consumed hot.

Colorado Wine Country, on a Bike: Cycle by day and chill out with a good meal and a great glass of wine by night.

Steamed Flounder: The Chinatown-inspired ginger-steamed fish, covered in julienne ginger root and scallions, is not just healthy but craveable.

Stand-Alone White: Other winemakers blend this obscure white grape into pinot blanc, but Domaine Catherine Auther makes pinot auxerrois alluring, flinty, smoky, and green-appley all on its own.

Red Pepper Risotto: A healthy recipe for a dish with bold colors and flavors.

Tuna Tapenade: This recipe for tapenade, the Provençal olive paste, includes a can of olive-oil packed tuna and plenty of garlic.

Negroni: This cocktail from I Sodi, a Tuscan restaurant in Manhattan's West Village, "demands your full, upright attention."

Cheap New York Eats: Ethan Wolff suggests Grand Sichuan International, Pukk, and Mamoun's for falafel.

Good Eats on Staten Island's North Shore: Just off the ferry, you'll find a number of inviting restaurants.

Travel: In the war-torn Eritrea, whole fish is barbecued Yemeni-style—cheap, and delicious; 36 hours in Milwaukee; the legacy of German-speaking Weimar luminaries in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles ("political debate, readings and apple strudel"); have a picnic on a pristine Florida Island.

Weekend Excursion: Shake Shack's Shacktoberfest

2008-10-03T22:30:00Z

From Serious Eats: New York

I don't believe Bavaria officially approved of this message, but how could they object to brats and streudel-flavored frozen custard.

The special Shacktoberfest menu at Shake Shack starts today and will last until October 17th. If you can pry yourself away from your normal Shake Burger order, the old country food includes Polish sausages, "Shackmeister" braised red cabbage, celery root slaw, and seasonal concretes like cran-apple strudel and German chocolate cake. And, if concretes don't taste enough like beer for you, they'll have Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale and Bluepoint Oktoberfest.

Shake Shack

Madison Square Park at 23rd Street, New York NY 10022 (between 5th and Madison Aves; map)
11 AM to 11 PM, 7 days a week
shakeshack.com.

Sugar Rush: Warm Date Cake from Moto

2008-10-03T22:00:00Z

From Serious Eats: New York

South Williamsburg isn't known for being a dessert haven, but if you ever find yourself by the Hewes Street stop on the J train, head to Moto for their warm date cake with toffee sauce and fresh whipped cream. Although the cake is perfectly moist and soft with a medium-light crumb, the buttery toffee sauce is what I remember best. I'd eat it by the spoonful if they'd let me (not that I asked; maybe they would've given me a bowl if I did) or, better yet, carry a flask everywhere I go if that were socially acceptable. My friends I sponged up every last bit of the sauce with the cake, just stopping short of licking the plate clean.

Moto

394 Broadway, Brooklyn, NY 11211 (at Hooper Street; map)
(718) 599-6895
cafe-moto.com