The Feisty Foodie

Happy Birthday, Feisty Foodie!

2009-10-01T10:30:00.002-04:00

Well, well, well...

Happy Birthday to the Feisty Foodie!!!

Wait, what's that...?

SO. The Feisty Foodie is officially 3 years old today. It was three years ago today that I sat and contemplated the names I could give myself. I'd been food blogging for a year or so on and off before that, on another blogging site, but I wanted to reach more people, and Xanga is great as a private community... but didn't work for what I wanted anymore. (Though I do continue to host my photos on there; I am a lifetime premium member, baby!!!) I decided to move to Blogger because I was familiar with Google and it seemed like an easy place to start.

Then began the search for the name.

I don't hide nor promote the fact that I'm quite a word nerd; I also adore alliteration. My initial choice was Furious Foodie, but it was taken! by someone who wasn't using it! but this turned out to be a good thing, because I thought about it some more and realized that made it sound like I was mad all the time. I'm not mad all the time! And certainly not over food! Food is delicious and makes me happy.

Then... it suddenly dawned on me... in my early 20s, the group of friends I hung out with on a regular basis (many of whom are now in what I've affectionately dubbed the Birthday Brunch Bunch... see? I like alliteration!) used to call me the Feisty one.

Thus, the Feisty Foodie was born.

My original tagline was Feisty is just another word for bitchy which was how I felt about the word and the nickname; funny, amusing, and apt.

It now reads OPINIONATED FOOD CRITIC and will eventually read If it tastes good, eat it!

Honestly, when I started doing it, it was just fun. It was a way for me to keep track of what I'd eaten, what I thought, and share those thoughts with some friends. It's still fun, but I never thought it would lead to where it has: making so many wonderful friends via blogging, opportunities to have my voice heard, and a wonderful bunch of readers who are never afraid to let me know when I've screwed up, but also when I've done well.

I wouldn't trade a minute of this for the world!

And on this date, I am MOVING my site!!! I mentioned it in the beginning of the year and now it is finally happening!!!

Please update your bookmarks to feistyfoodie.com!!!

Okay, I know I'm insane, but here's a bit of disclaimer: I am going nuts with schoolwork - my first exam is on Saturday, eep! - and there is a bit of backend stuff that still needs work, cleanup on the archives, and a bit of this, a bit of that. If you find any problems or run into issues, PLEASE let me know by dropping me an email!!! I am aware of some stuff, but you can all be my beta testers and help me out by letting me know when you see something wrong. You know: if you see something, say something!

All forthcoming posts will be on the new site. There will be a new RSS feed and all of that good stuff... coming!

I want to give a HUGE thanks to Jenn - she didn't just help me with the site. She basically made it, from the ground up, for me... and without her, it'd still be an empty site. Not sure I can ever thank her enough!!!

As always... happy eating and see you over there!!!

CSA Week #15

2009-09-30T10:30:00.003-04:00

CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. Essentially, one purchases a 'share' in a local farm - much like the stock market, one then has a vested interest in seeing the farm succeed. Dividends/pay outs come in the form of produce - vegetables and sometimes fruit. Different farms do things differently; my farm happens to be also organic, and I pick up my box each week - Tuesdays for me - from a local location. Join me on this journey - my inaugural season with a CSA - as I explore the various vegetables I receive and what I can do with them to turn them into delicious happiness...
For more information on CSAs, click here. To find a CSA local to you, you can click here or for one in NYC, visit JustFood.org. I found mine by typing "Forest Hills CSA" into Google - my neighborhood name + the word CSA, and I'm sure that would work for you as well. Good luck and enjoy the fruits of your labors... har, har.

Week #15

It looks so much like an ordinary canteloupe.

Slightly smaller with thinner skin,

with an incredibly juicy flesh, bursting with sweetness, it looks like a jewel.

I ate it simply and loved it greatly.

I made a stuffed eggplant attempt which was pretty terrible. The stuffing was fine - I also stuffed zucchini with the same stuffing (and brought it for lunch) and that was delicious - so it was an issue with the eggplant, either the way I cooked it or that breed of eggplant doesn't sit well for me.

The other side of the plate contains creamed spinach that was only alright - and the spinach wasn't from my CSA - and...

the ULTIMATE ROASTED ZUCCHINI SALAD.

Come closer. You'll like this... a lot. I promise...

one or two medium sized zucchini cut into cubes
few strips of bacon
minced shallot
one spoon of mayo
lemon juice
spicy brown mustard
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
grape tomatoes, cut in half (see below for trick/tip)
chives, chopped
corn cut from the cob

Chop bacon into small bits and put in skillet over very low heat, allowing as much fat to render as possible. Cook until super crispy. Reserve a 1/2 spoon of the bacon fat (I actually keep all of my bacon fat in a jar for future use, but that's person by person).

In the meantime, roast the cubed zucchini on a baking sheet tossed with olive oil, kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes, or until you peek in and the edges are starting to brown a bit and it all looks and smells wonderful.

In a work bowl, add: mayo, shallot, lemon juice, mustard, chives, 1/2 spoon of bacon fat and mix together. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Add grape tomatoes, corn cut from the cob, roasted zucchini and crispy bacon bits, tossing gently to coat.

Chill, then serve & enjoy.

Seriously? SO GOOD. Just mind bogglingly delicious! I urge everyone to try this recipe before the season for all of these things is over (well, it's very close, sorry for posting so late, or rather discovering it so late). Mmmmmmmm!

Tip/trick for cutting many grape tomatoes in half: place a bunch of similarly-sized grape/cherry tomatoes on a takeout container lid (with the lip up to prevent them rolling away). Place another takeout container lid in the opposite direction; cut through the gap in one shot keeping the not-cutting hand on top of the lid.

I saw that on Rachael Ray and thought it was pretty impressive... since I hate chopping cherry/grape tomatoes in half because it takes forEVER!

Happy eating! Now go make the ULTIMATE ROASTED ZUCCHINI SALAD... now!!! :)

Previously:
CSA Week #1
CSA Week #2
CSA Week #3
CSA Week #4
CSA Week #5
CSA Week #6
CSA Week #7
CSA Week #8
CSA Week #9
CSA Week #10
CSA Week #11
CSA Week #12
CSA Week #13
CSA Week #14

Red Hook Ball Fields

2009-09-29T10:30:00.001-04:00

Food adventures. You know I love to have them.

But you know I hate hype even more than I love adventure.

A year or two (or more?) ago, the food world buzzed with the news of vendors that attended to the Red Hook ballfields.

They talked about the authenticity, the low prices, and the wonderful food.

Dominican, Salvadorean, Mexican, Colombian, and more.

Everyone & their mamas flocked out to Red Hook.

The New York Times wrote an article.

The hype increased to fever pitch.

Then, incredibly, some governing agency (DoH or DoP, I'm not sure) stepped in and decided that these vendors needed to be regulated.

They could no longer serve from card tables set up on the grass.

They had to buy trucks and/or carts, adhere to the same guidelines every cart & truck in NYC does, and pass inspections.

Which were incredibly expensive. The vendors left, shut down, and the food world rallied around them.

They came back.

The hype died down, but business remained good.

HB and I had plans to check out another hyped Brooklyn spot this past weekend, but that got shut down when we realized it wasn't open. I asked her if she wanted to check out the ballfields; they're pretty much out of the way, in the middle of nowhere besides Ikea and Fairway, but she was game. Hell, if you're not into a food adventure, we probably aren't very good friends, so of course she was down.

Getting there wasn't difficult; hop on the Ikea ferry from the Financial District (which is close to my office, actually; it was odd being there on a Sunday), walk a few blocks - which HB will want me to tell you were LONG blocks - and you find yourself at the corner of Clinton & Bay Streets, where there are about 7-8 vendors parked. The ones at the corner had the longest lines; HB and I were wondering what determined the lines - location alone? or was it the food? Perhaps the vendors jockey for the corner position. Perhaps not. I'm not sure - though my rough understanding of the way the world works tells me that some of those countries don't quite like the inhabitants of some of those other countries, so I'm guessing there's some sort of system in place such that it keeps the peace.

I'd spoken briefly to Allison (of Robicelli's) before I headed out, so I was armed with her recommendations. She'd been there just the weekend earlier, and warned me that by the time we got there - around 2 pm - the lines were going to be heinous. Luckily for us, despite the awesome weather, the lines were more manageable than that; we only had to wait for our last item.

Our first plate - which HB and I shared - was a plate of fried pork over cassava, with onions on top. The fried pork was super fried - crunchy, crispy bits, delicious with the cassava and onion, but a little bland on its own. Fun to crunch down on, but watch out for the bones... and definitely say yes when she asks you if you want it with cassava and onion. $5

Our next purchases were both from the same cart, though we got them separately. Mango juice, which wasn't very sweet, but in a way, that was the more awesome thing; it was literally just blended down fresh mango. No sugar added, no juice, just fruit. $2 each cup, which I found really cheap as the cup was pretty large - I would even guess it was more than a mango in each cup. The only thing is that as they add the ice after scooping your juice, it tends to be cold and watery at the bottom and full-flavored at the top. Next time, I'd swish it around a bit more to chill the bottom up!

Elotes - grilled corn with butter or mayo, cotija (cheese) and chili powder... this was really good. I've been making my own lately, but I don't have a grill upon which to char the corn properly. Mmm. $3 each.

And finally, the only item we waited on line for, the tacos. Hindsight tells me we should have tried the huaraches, darn it. Two tacos come in an order, and we were allowed to order two different kinds - carne for her, pork for me - in the same order. $6 it only took a few minutes to get our tacos post-ordering; the line was long and we had to stand behind these idiots who didn't know what they were doing there and just... not good. In any case, I found her carne very tender and juicy, despite looking dry (the last pic), and mine was delicious.

The tacos were good, and definitely needed the double taco to not fall apart. However... they did not blow my mind. They were yummy, and not super cheap nor expensive, but... worth the trip on a weekend? Not for me... if I'm in the area already for Ikea/Fairway, I might hit one of these stands up for some yummy ethnic eats.

Yvo says: I'm not sure when the season ends, but it's a fun thing to do at least once... I liked everything we tried, and it was a gorgeous day. Since we weren't interested in watching any of the futbol games, though, there isn't much to do except eat, then leave... so if that's your main goal, and you're okay with traveling all the way just for that, it's worth at least going once. If you're less inclined, then... well, you're missing out on some interesting and tasty food, but it's not the end of the world.
recommended

Red Hook Ball Fields
check website for location, map, directions and more

Chao Thai

2009-09-28T10:30:00.001-04:00

I'd heard once or twice how great & authentic Chao Thai was, first from a few foodie friends, from a Thai friend, from reliable sources, but I just hadn't been able to get over there yet. I finally made my way with BFF for our semi-monthly-dinner...

The place is really tiny. After comically changing tables like 3 times (at the waitress's request), we ordered Thai iced teas. This becomes very important later. Oh, they were good, not too sweet.

There are items listed on the menu with an asterisk by its name, indicating that it is a spicy dish. We ordered 5 dishes (like our last dinner, which was at Sripraphai), three of which had asterisks by their names. I asked the waitress, "Could you make it not so spicy?" and she smiled, agreeing, yeah, no problem, we can make it mild, don't worry.

She lied. I mean she outright lied.

Papaya salad was bursting with freshness, juicy and... what the f* oh my god my mouth is burning my tongue is turning numb holy crap what the flip - yeah, I couldn't feel my mouth. BFF couldn't feel her mouth either but kept eating. Me? Nope. I finished what I'd scooped onto my plate, but there was no way I could even move. I started crying, my face was burning up, my nose began running and I couldn't feel parts of my mouth. I guzzled my Thai iced tea.

The waitress actually noticed this, and came over and said "Oh too spicy?" with a fake air of sympathy. Then she offered to put more milk in our iced teas, which I eagerly nodded my acceptance. I couldn't talk.

Not good. I'm not saying the salad wasn't good - it was great, except for the whole being unable to eat anything for 10 full minutes.

The next dish to arrive was chicken sate. It was good. Well, it was alright. It's just sate, and they didn't offer beef sate, so we opted for chicken. I would have preferred pork, but we were getting pork later in the meal, and BFF suggested chicken. (I've only had pork sate at one other place, and it was sooo damn good, except for an incident later in the meal that put me off that place forever.) I ate this easily with bits of cilantro in each bite, yum.

*ignore the sate with cilantro in the pic ... our table was crowded and we needed to make room for the next dish

Crispy pork with basil sauce. Also had an asterisk by its name; I've had basil sauce at other Thai places, so I figured I could eat this, right? Well, yes and no. The pork was crispy to a texture that I wouldn't have even thought possible for pork, and while not overwhelmingly spicy, hard to eat from the chili seeds flecked on each piece that seared their mark into my tongue. (There are a few occasions where, directly after eating something too spicy for me, my tongue becomes super sensitive to any further heat. This was one of those occasions unfortunately.) I definitely liked this dish, but was unfortunately unable to eat as much as I'd have liked.

Crispy catfish salad. The catfish wasn't very crispy, unfortunately, and I definitely find Sripraphai's rendition much tastier. It didn't help that this was also liberally covered with chili peppers mixed throughout... and the mango that was mentioned in the menu description was either green mango, or not present at all. I wasn't pleased with this dish.

We ordered a noodle dish remarkably similar to the one we'd ordered at Sripraphai, which wasn't spicy at all... and contrasted with the other dishes we'd eaten that night - it was way too bland comparatively, so this dish served only the purpose of something for me to actually eat without crying.

Our entire meal came out to just over $60 with tip, so it is similarly priced to Sripraphai.

Of note: after the waitress had laughingly given us more milk, and basically laughed in my face (it wasn't malicious or mean, but it was laughter), I overheard her as she talked to another table.

Guy: WOW that was SPICY! Is that like, your spiciest dish?
Waitress: No *laughs* that's not spicy, that's BABY spicy!
Guy: What??? (his friends laugh with her)
Waitress: Yea, that was BABY spicy, like for... for kindergarteners!

I think she takes pleasure in watching people struggling to eat what she deems not spicy at all. Sadistic waitress!

Yvo says: Chao Thai doesn't mess around; if they say it's spicy, it's spicy, and don't bother asking for mild! I can't blame them for that because the menu states clearly that it's spicy. But I will think twice about returning except to get anything from the non-spicy parts of the menu - unfortunate, since most of the interesting items have asterisks by their name!
if you like unapologetically spicy food... this is the place for you

Banh Mi Bender: Final Thoughts

2009-09-25T14:30:00.001-04:00

After trying banh mi from some of the top-rated places in New York (and some just thrown in there), I can honestly now say I feel comfortable giving an opinion about banh mi in general. The bread is as important a part as the pate, the quality of what they're putting inside your sandwich. A good banh mi strikes the perfect balance: the bread doesn't overwhelm nor take centerstage, but neither should any of the ingredients within; it truly is greater than the sum of all its parts, with each part being equally boosted by the others.

Having said that, I find I cannot overlook the bread problems. This isn't to say that the bread is the most important, but it IS the first thing that touches your lips as you eat any sandwich, and in this case, it makes a huge difference.

Therefore, here is my ranking of banh mi from the places I have thusfar tried (all on the low end of the price spectrum), for sandwich, price, experience, etc.:

Paris Sandwich - excellent bread, perfectly crisp baguettes that yield as you bite through the crust, ahhh. Good insides, and lots of other offerings available as well (including desserts, cakes, appetizers, and other stuff, and all the fixin's to make your own banh mi party at home). Paris also gets extra points for having a brightly lit seating area with tables for customers.
Banh Mi cart - by proxy, since I believe that they are owned by Paris, or at the very least get all of their supplies from Paris, and they use the same bread + insides; they get points off for high price point, but get them back for proximity to my office. (This is NOT a destination cart- I do not recommend anyone go out of their way to go to this cart, ie, making a special trip if they work in another part of the city, just go to Paris.)
Banh Mi Saigon Bakery - excellent insides, but the bread just doesn't work for me. It's too fluffy and flaky all at the same time - the outside flakes off, but the inside floomps in on itself. Bonus points for price.
Ba Xuyen - wasn't bad, but its far location is ridiculous for someone as myself who lives in Queens, works and plays in Manhattan. There's not enough going for it to win a higher rank, despite having a seating area, lots of yummy goods scattered around for purchase & consumption, and the lower price.
Sau Voi Corporation tied with Pho Bac in Elmhurst (which is the place I have no intention of reviewing for its banh mi) - Sau Voi's completely flat, terrible banh mi coupled with its higher price was a total insult to my mouth. Pho Bac is a decent restaurant that somehow just randomly offers a banh mi - though they don't say take out only, it's just scrawled on a scrap of paper and slapped to the wall. They aren't a banh mi place and seem to only offer it for the hell of it; it's $3.25 and there are no other choices. It was terrible. I will unlikely ever go back to either place for a banh mi; it was hard to pick which was worse because of all the finer points. I will just say that if you choose to go to Pho Bac solely for its banh mi, you're a fool (the further you travel to do so, the more foolish); and if you go to Sau Voi, I would like to hear why - did I go on an off day and just happen to get a terrible sandwich???

I'm continuing my banh mi journey and eating my way slowly through the menus at both Paris & Saigon... perhaps another round up in a month! :)

Happy eating!

Sau Voi Corporation (On a Banh Mi Bender)

2009-09-25T10:30:00.001-04:00

Our last and final stop in the "cheap banh mi" category was Sau Voi. (I've tried a place that had them for $3.25 but was so underwhelmed by it, I'd rather skip discussing that place entirely.) I'd read that Sau Voi was also in a storefront, much like Saigon, except records instead of jewelry. Lizz and I were both excited to try what is described as the first place in NYC to offer banh mi, and one of the best. I was really excited because it's much closer to the train station than either Paris or Saigon, though neither is very far, it does afford a little more time to us.

We quickly ordered the same two sandwiches as usual - grilled pork, which was bursting with very sinewy, chewy-in-a-bad-way pork, but lacked for veggies and cilantro. I mean, I can see some carrots in the picture, but any hope of tasting those few strands were lost in the chewy pork taste. Squishy bread completed the FAIL sandwich.

I had greater hopes for the regular/pate banh mi and turned my attention that way, until I saw this...

and noted how freaking flat it was, with floppy innards. Ewww, just not good looking. And how did it taste? The way it looked! Flat insides, squishy bread, no veggies, and the meats were dull and uninteresting (is that HAM I see? Ham is NOT the same thing as PORK ROLL, people!). I was really horrified and disappointed with this sandwich, after all the raves I'd heard, and how close it was to the train. Also, given that these were $4 each - on the high end of the cheap scale - a little annoying that they were so dissatisfactory and unfulfilling. Boo.

Yvo says: Despite its proximity to the train, I'll gladly walk the extra few blocks to avoid this place. I was really disgusted with a sandwich that everyone raves about - did we get a bad batch? Go on a bad day? What gives? It was also way spicier than we'd requested, but even that wasn't enough to liven it up and make it a good lunch. Ugh. Avoid.
not recommended

Ba Xuyen (On a Banh Mi Bender)

2009-09-24T10:30:00.002-04:00

Yup, I took a trip to Brooklyn to sample another banh mi place. Well, I'd heard a lot about it in the past, and AWL asked me if I wanted to check it out with her, so I was game... even after I found out it's really f*cking far by train from me. Oh well! I went on a Sunday afternoon and it was nice hot and sunny. There weren't many people in Ba Xuyen, but people trickled in and out as we sat there, eating.

I lucked out because RC didn't mind sharing two sandwiches with me, so, per usual, continuing the banh mi bender, I ordered a grilled pork and a regular/pate (here called the Combination). The above is the grilled pork. Hmm... it was REALLY wet. The insides were really wet with mayo? butter? (the menu says butter, but we all thought it was mayo), and squished out happily while we ate. I mean, the table in front of me was a MESS, littered with my sandwich bits. Gah. The flavor was alright, but I didn't like how messy the sandwich was, and the bread was unremarkable.

Here is the combination: lots of good stuff inside, though for some reason, I had trouble eating this as it seemed really excessively spicy to me. Gack. Otherwise, the flavors and overall combination were good, but they're also pretty standard. The bread being unremarkable is a big deal for this sandwich; because the innards tend to be the same (ham, head cheese, pork roll, cilantro, pickled veggies, etc.), the bread really makes a place's banh mi stand out, suck, or fall to the back of your mind. This was the third one: unremarkable.

Yvo says: The sandwiches were good. And they have avocado shakes here! But honestly, it's quite out of the way for most people unless they live in the area - it's not even very close to the train station. I couldn't comfortably call this destination dining - as in, don't really go that far out of your way to eat here - although their banh mi do rank on the low end of price at $3.75 a piece. Yummy, but not OMG GO HERE NOW yummy... not like Robicelli's (where I went after this banh mi, haha).
recommended, but don't go too far out of your way for it, not worth a special trip

Banh Mi Bender, Part 1 of 4 - Paris
Banh Mi Bender, Part 2 of 4 - Banh Mi Saigon Bakery
Banh Mi Bender, Part 3 of 4 - Ba Xuyen

CSA Week #14

2009-09-23T10:30:00.002-04:00

School started off fast with CSA Week #14, and I need to eat between the end of the work day and the beginning of my night classes. Last semester, I solved this problem neatly, since I would leave work and head straight to school via public transportation, I would pack myself an extra bento for dinner, or pick up something near school. This semester, I go home after work, pick up the car and then drive to school. Technically this saves me a ton of time from commuting, but it makes dinnertime a bit squishier, shall we say.

One day, craving salmon something fierce, but not having much time to go shopping, I managed to pick up a slab during work hours, stick it in the work fridge, then bring it home to cook.

My Facebook status the next day read:

"The Feisty Foodie rolls the right way: last night, got home from work at 6:45, made herself dill salmon, warm parsleyed potato salad, and zucchini & fresh corn, with a starter of a mini-caprese salad, and finished eating by 7:45, then left for school, returned home at 10:15, washed the dishes, in bed by 11:30pm."

I guess I should have said spoiler alert, but here we go!

Here's the beauty shot: locally made (as in, made at my local store) mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, hand torn basil from my windowsill pot, drizzled with EVOO and a touch of kosher salt, fresh cracked black pepper.

Different angle. That was really good. The tomatoes were super sweet. Not as sweet as last week's, but still very delicious.

As I mentioned, salmon. I made a quick lemon-dill salmon that I baked, but cut it sloppily because I'm silly like that.

Sauteed some zucchini and corn cut off the cob together very quickly, onions, and it was good. Healthy.

Last but not least, I quickly boiled some chopped potatoes, and when they were ready, drained them then dumped them straight into a bowl with a bit of waiting mayo mixed with lemon juice, kosher salt, cracked black pepper, minced shallots and chopped parsley. The heat was enough to infuse everything with a lovely flavor. I REALLY liked this warm potato salad, I will be making that or something similar again.

I even had enough leftovers for bento :D

Happy eating!!!

Previously:
CSA Week #1
CSA Week #2
CSA Week #3
CSA Week #4
CSA Week #5
CSA Week #6
CSA Week #7
CSA Week #8
CSA Week #9
CSA Week #10
CSA Week #11
CSA Week #12
CSA Week #13

Banh Mi Saigon Bakery (On a Banh Mi Bender)

2009-09-22T10:30:00.002-04:00

Continuing my banh mi bender... Next up on the list was of course, Saigon Bakery. This is the place everyone talks about and raves over and just loves to bits; every time I've mentioned banh mi, more than half the people who respond will always tell me to go to Saigon before I make my final decision on whose banh mi is the best.

Interestingly, the front of the store is a jewelry shop. And when Lizz and I went, there were people actually shopping for jewelry there! Amazing! There are no tables inside, but there's a bench that runs along one side that you could ostensibly sit and eat your sandwich really quickly, but it's a bit uncomfortable as it's right where the line kind of is, and people are jostling constantly. You basically go in and place your order, then wait. (We thought there was a line, but the crowd close to the counter is just people waiting to get their sandwiches.)

For comparison's sake, we got the pate (which translates similarly to Paris's special), and the grilled pork. This is the pate - the sandwich was bursting with goodies, lots of pickled veggies, cucumber, cilantro, meats and pate, which was well-seasoned, and again, a creamy, earthy counterpoint to the smooth coolness of the other cold cuts. The combination was well executed here. My biggest complaint would be with the bread (more on that in a second).

The grilled pork was good, chewy little nuggets of pork; they were no less generous with the filling here. The sandwich was bursting - as you can see! - with everything they'd stuffed inside.

I was seriously full, about to burst, when I was done eating. And at $3.75 a sandwich here, 25c cheaper than Paris and BIGGER, that's a pretty good bargain, right?

So. My one complaint was with the bread! It held up well, despite being stuffed to the brim with yumminess. BUT. Every time I took a bite, some of the outside part of the bread would flake off and shower me with crumbs. I haaate messy eating. I don't like being showered with crumbs, especially eating at my desk in my office as I was, because it got everywhere and it's hard to clean from all over the floor and my desk and... yeah. The bread wasn't bad, don't get me wrong, it didn't sog up or anything, but it just wasn't as good as Paris (or even the Banh Mi Cart's bread... but then I'm pretty sure Paris supplies the Banh Mi Cart if not owns it).

Otherwise...

Yvo says: I can see why so many people love Saigon; it's a great bargain and a huge sandwich for a low price. I definitely recommend this for big eaters, as one sandwich will surely fill you up more here than it would at Paris. The execution is flawless and delicious; you really can't ask for more goodies inside a banh mi without expecting it to explode all down your front. However... I just don't like the bread here. If it was on Paris bread, with Saigon insides... then WHOA, that would be the ultimate banh mi!!!
recommended

Edited to add:

Craving some banh mi for lunch on Friday, I was digging through my bag when I stumbled across Banh Mi Saigon's menu... which stated along the bottom "Local Delivery at Minimum $15.00" - I work in the Financial District; am I local? A quick phone call confirmed that I am indeed, which sent me into spasms of joy as I both Facebook'ed then Tweeted this fact (and caused a few people to rush out and order from them, haha). (Because I simply asked "Do you deliver to the Financial District?" without giving a specific location, I am inclined to believe that they do deliver to all of the Financial District... but you can check by calling if you want!).

Quickly gathering a few coworkers to reach the $15 minimum, I decided to order two sandwiches.

First, another pate sandwich, because I like pate and it's good to have one you know for sure you'll like.

Here's a look for size comparison; half the sandwich is about a 1/2 inch to an inch longer than my BlackBerry Curve.

Now, for my other sandwich, someone had mentioned chicken being a good banh mi filling. So I got the chicken, which was $4.25. Ummm... I don't know what they did to the chicken, because it was clearly dark meat, but it was chewy and dry. That isn't to say it wasn't good, but it wasn't quite what I was expecting. Flavored nicely and an alright filling, I wouldn't order this again... it was just alright.

I still don't like the bread.

Banh Mi Bender, Part 1 of 4 - Paris
Banh Mi Bender, Part 2 of 4 - Banh Mi Saigon Bakery

Paris Sandwich (On a Banh Mi Bender)

2009-09-21T10:30:00.001-04:00

If you follow my Twitter or are my Facebook friend, you've already heard me mumbling half-incoherently to myself about being on a banh mi bender. Well, the first place I went to was Paris Sandwich, as I'd long ago noted that it was a friend's favorite place (she's since told me that Baoguette is now her favorite place, but that's for the next banh mi bender). Lizz and I had talked about meeting up for lunchtime banh mi, as Chinatown is sort of directly in between our offices, so off we went.

I like to try the classic of anything, wherever I go, so I immediately latched onto the Paris special baguette. Lizz said she had a fondness for grilled pork, and generously offered to split both sandwiches with me so that we could both try more variety. Sold!

Nom nom nom. Unfortunately, the weird thing was that neither of the sandwiches were cut in half. Lizz and I both were a little confused, because our experiences in the past were that most places cut them in half... but she gamely tore both sandwiches in half while I went to Wah Mei to get some pork chop over rice. Thanks again, Lizz :)

I couldn't wait to dig in, so while I was waiting for the train to go back to the office, I whipped out the Paris special, took a quick pic, and devoured it. Mmm, earthy pate, a bit of creaminess from the butter, crunchy pickled veggies, and the bread - the bread is perfect. Crisp on the outside, soft and yielding, holding the insides perfectly... just. YUM.

The grilled pork - well, the bread was the same delicious bread. I wasn't as fond of the meat - it was a little too sweet for me, and discussing with Lizz later, she felt the same way. Not my favorite style of sandwich there.

Here's a little secret: after having eaten so many banh mi at the Banh Mi Cart, I am pretty certain that the two places are related. It was really busy so I didn't bother trying to ask someone, but the green tea waffles available at Paris were also available at the cart for a short while, and when I saw someone order them - they looked exactly the same as what I'd gotten at the cart once! The menus were suspiciously similar as well, but then, it's banh mi, you figure everyone has somewhat similar offerings... but what sealed it in my mind was the bread. The bread is absolutely the same (which I confirmed by going to other banh mi places and noting the bread being completely different): the perfect baguette, crisp exterior, soft interior, resists sogging... it's the exact same bread. That's my strong suspicion.

Paris wins extra points as one of the few places I went that had tables inside, and a pretty clean interior that had lots of goodies to look at, drool over, and really want. I mean, we walked in, and while we were waiting for our sandwiches, I was so close to picking up some Vietnamese salads, summer rolls, drinks, all sorts of brightly colored containers that just screamed "take me home with you, I will make you happy!"

Yvo says: Within the "cheap" banh mi set ($4 and under; the lowest I've seen in NYC is $3.25), these are on the "expensive" side at $4 a piece. However, with excellent bread, fairly quick service, an actual eating area, and loads of other goodies to look at and/or eat while you're there, Paris definitely ranks high on the list for banh mi. I think it's also an excellent place for beginners to start, as it's an actual eatery (you'll understand this comment with forthcoming posts), and fairly bright and clean within the place.
recommended

Part 1 of 4, Banh Mi Bender Week

Picnick, Smoked

2009-09-18T10:30:00.003-04:00

The hype has died down, and it's close enough to my office that there's no reason not to go try Picnick, Smoked. You may recall that I really detested Picnick when I went 2 years ago. Maybe not. But I did... but I LOVE BBQ, so whatever.

As you can see by the above pic, there was no line when I went. Why? Because this was the Friday before Labor Day, and the Financial District was pretty empty. The hype died down, the line was gone, and I could finally comfortably go - I'm sure I've mentioned a ton of times that I'm a huge brat, and don't like waiting on lines. Especially when it's super sunny out and I have to stand in the sun... I'm not cut out for that. (It actually creates health issues for me, but even minus the sun, I hate standing in line. I embrace my brattiness.)

I ordered the complete package meal deal - I forget what it's called, Lil Piggy maybe? - drink, meat, side, and dessert, because I wanted dessert. Will Goldfarb is known for desserts, and I'd enjoyed his panna cotta, so, why not? I requested root beer, but the guy behind the counter - who I thought was Will, but then it wasn't, and I was just confused - kind of young, hipster lookin' guy who was REALLY nice - pulled out a "Creamy Red Birch Beer" - which I'd never seen before, so I snagged that one instead. Yum! It tasted like birch beer, but it was reddish in color.

I'd planned on getting Kobe beef brisket, but they were out; then I wanted pulled pork, but the nice guy was all "We have beef ribs" (it's a special, so there's a $1 surcharge for the meal-deal) and I can't resist ribs. It was going to be a slow afternoon at work anyway. Garlic bread on top...

MASSIVE pile of ribs underneath. The fat is delicious, I don't care what anyone says. The only problem here is (and there are no further pics of the ribs, because once I started eating, that was it for pics) that the meat was tender... but slightly bland. Salt was nowhere to be found, so I snagged some BBQ sauce, which was quite tangy and had a good kick, surprising my tongue. Delicious... though finishing this whole lunch put me out of commission for the rest of the day. Burp. Yes, I ate the fat, or most of it.

Creamy potato salad - pretty good, needed a little salt (which I didn't have! They don't put salt out on the tables!) but REALLY creamy. Not for you if you don't like mayo.

My dessert - I almost took the cookies, but the guy working the counter said I should try the apple tart, because he made it. I obliged. I could have sworn he said it was apples on top of almond praline, but I know fo'sho that's not praline or not praline how I know it. Whatever. This tart was f*cking amazing. OMFG. The apples were delicious but the bottom, soft, slightly cakey, crumbly, and just... oh my, I want the recipe, even though I'll never make it - I just want to find someone to make it for me. Oh, Mr. Nice Guy working there...???

Beyond that... I actually returned a week later, intending to try the pulled pork, but they had Kobe beef brisket, so why the heck wouldn't I get THAT? Mmm! I got another meal-deal because it was totally worth it.

The housemade lemonade was super tart with a slight sweetness, really good... if you like lemonade and tart things. I do (which is why I ordered it!).

A better pic of the bread, since last time, I didn't take one. I liked the bread because it's garlicky - but not overwhelming, and crispy, something nice to temper your tongue between bites of whatever.

I opted for the cole slaw this time, which was really creamy. Seriously, if you're squeamish about mayo, pass on both the mayo-based sides, but this one in particular. I mean, wow. It almost got me... and I LOVE mayo.

So, I went on a very rainy Friday afternoon - no line again, the week after Labor Day - not just because I didn't bring my lunch that day, but because I've read before that smoked items are even better when it's rainy out; something about the moisture and smoke really penetrating the items. Yum. You see that ring of fat? I ate the fat. YES I DID. And it was smokey, salty, delicious.

Here's a pic with the BBQ sauce they gave me - almost not enough. This sauce wasn't quite as spicy as the week before, but still a nice kick to it that gave my tongue the tingles. The meat was super tender - rainy day WIN!!! - but needed a bit of salt. Sigh. However, eaten with the fat and a slight dip of BBQ sauce... zomg so damn good I cry big fat tear of joy!

And at $11 for the deal... so worth it, since the Kobe beef brisket by itself is $8.50 alone.

My coworker had the pulled pork and really liked it, so next rainy day, I might go back for that...

Yvo says: I was wary of the hype and the crowds. The hype and the crowds have died out, and luckily, I never saw any hype that said OMG BEST BBQ EVER cuz it's not. Location-wise, though, it's only a few blocks from work, and it definitely fills part of the void of good food down here in the Financial District. The prices are not prohibitively expensive, and it's definitely tasty enough that I will return, and am welcoming them to the area with open arms. Please don't block me from getting my 'cue when I want it, though - I will spork you :)
recommended

Picnick, Smoked
Wall Street & South Street
Mannahatta Park

Shake Shack: Upper West Side

2009-09-17T10:30:00.002-04:00

I talk enough about my boyfriend and his eating habits on here that y'all who read regularly probably feel like you know him almost as well as you know me. Well, a recent turn of events had me thinking maybe I don't know him as well as I thought I did...

I frequently mention that he is not as into food as me, and that's true. Most people aren't, actually. It just makes me love him all the more because he balances my crazy food obsession... a little bit... I mean, he's got his little food quirks, too, you know? And despite his less-than-obsession with food, he generally indulges me in my nuttiness and my quest for better and better and more delicious food.

BF's birthday came to pass, and as is our general custom, the birthday person gets to decide what to do... for a few days (anywhere from a 'birthday weekend' to a 'birthday month' though it tends to land in the general range of a week). The first day, we woke up early to have dim sum, which already is a surprise - waking up early on weekends isn't something BF likes to do. (Granted, he'll wake up early, work a little bit, and then go right back to sleep...)

Post-dim-sum and shopping at a toy store, we were on our way back to my place when he said, "Let's do something," and I rattled off a list of things: museums, animal habitats, movies, mall, I had a whole list at my fingertips and was prepared and ready to do any/all of these things. After a moment's thought, he said, "Nah," then said, "How about the park?"

I agreed, and suggested swinging by my place to pick up a bottle of wine, a blanket, the dog, but he asked me what park did I think we were going to. "Central Park," replied I, looking confused.

Then, very slowly, he said, "I was thinking about, y'know, Shake Shack park... what's it called?"
"Madison Square Park - Ohhh, we can go to Cosmic Comics! It's right there!"

So off we went, and I teased him, "You knew exactly how to 'talk me into' going to the city... just mention Shake Shack and you know I'm there!" He laughed, but soon enough, I would find out just how inaccurate my statement was...

We parked next to Madison Square Park, walking through it on our way to the comic store. I noted the incredibly long line at Shake Shack, despite how disgusting it was out, and then we entered the comic store, where I then noted I could monitor the line from the store's windows overlooking the park. To our delight, the store happened to be entirely 30% off with very cold air conditioning, so we happily browsed for an hour, coming away with $100 worth of comics between us for the incredibly low price of $70. We were both happy.

Unfortunately, as we exited the store, I saw the line for Shake Shack continued to be exasperatingly long; disgustingly so, considering the extreme temperature outside and the stickiness of the day. "We don't have to go to Shake Shack," I offered. "I don't need a burger. I can just get frozen custard." I wasn't even very hungry just yet, and if you know anything about me, it's that I detest waiting on line. Look, I love the Shake Shack burger, but waiting in a long line on a hot sticky day with no waterpark ride at the end of it doesn't appeal to me. BF actually turned to me, and said, "Actually, I want a Shackburger."

My eyebrows shot up in surprise. A lightbulb went off and I realized he hadn't been trying to bribe me to go to the city earlier, he'd been declaring what he wanted! Imagine my surprise and quite a bit of delight... he's starting to care about food more and more!

I chewed on this for a brief moment and said, "Well, you know... we could go to the UWS location. It's indoors, and I hear the lines are never that bad. Plus we wouldn't have to eat outside... it's indoors so there's gotta be air conditioning..."

I genuinely expected him to veto this idea, and we'd head somewhere else for our early dinner (it was just before 5 at this point). But instead he looked at me, thought for a split second, and agreed, stating again, "I want a Shackburger."

It was a few minutes before the statement really sunk in. "Wait," I said slowly. "You want a hamburger (which he ordered the first time I took him to Shake Shack) or you want a Shackburger (which he'd ordered at Citi Field)?" BF, you see, is a plain burger eater. He orders hamburgers, plain, at McDonald's (or did; he no longer eats there, though this has nothing to do with me nor my eating habits). He ordered a plain burger at Taylor's Refresher! He likes his burgers plain (a squirt of ketchup), finding all the excess stuff too fussy, and I don't fault him for it. But this was an interesting twist... he wanted a Shackburger!

We drove quickly up to Shake Shack UWS, where there was a line but it moved quickly. Soon enough, we had our food.

Before I could shoot a picture, BF moved everything on the tray, so ignore the funky configuration.

Two single Shackburgers, a caramel hand spun shake, and a (plain) order of fries.

BF asked me, "Don't you have a million pictures of Shake Shack burgers already?" (and how!) "Why do you need more?"

"Because I haven't been to this location yet, and I have to see if it stacks up to the original," I explained.

(Again, BF gave me his slice of tomato, but didn't remove anything else from his burger.)

BF ate his, then turned to me and said, "That is one GOOD burger." I smiled. He was happy, it was his birthday weekend, and I couldn't argue with that. It's a damn good burger. Is it different from Shake Shack Madison Square Park? Yes. I still find it a little softer than I recall the MSP location being, but not totally soggy like the one at Citi Field. It's a good size, fitting easily in my mouth, and yielding to my bite gently. The flavors all work together to create what I consider, to my tastebuds, to be the perfect harmony of meat, tomato, cheese, Shacksauce, lettuce, and buttery bun. Delicious.

Considering the line moves quickly, and I've heard there usually isn't even a line to begin with, this is a great option for those who want Shake Shack but don't want to wait on line outdoors at Madison Square Park. Its location directly across from the Museum of Natural History is great as that is one of BF's favorite museums, but honestly? I would only go here if I were in the area. And I am never in the area. Had we been on foot that day, taking the subway, it's unlikely we'd have actually gone... (though even into the city we might not have gone, considering how sticky and gross it is to take the subway in this weather; waiting for the train on the subway platforms is completely brutal...)

Yvo says: Unsurprisingly, it doesn't quite measure up to Shake Shack original, but I'd say it is on par/close, and would beat out the original by a slim margin based on reduced wait time ... and being indoors (air conditioning/heating!). However, the location does throw everything off...
recommended

CSA Week #13

2009-09-16T10:30:00.003-04:00

Look at those beauties!

They were so amazing, I took two photos. Well, more, but two made the cut.

So here we are at Week #13, the real halfway mark. Wow. Kind of scary and sad but amazing all at the same time. I've already learned so much and have eaten so well this summer, I'm sad that it'll all be over sooner than I know.

There wasn't much this week for me - my partner and I split slightly unevenly to make splitting a little easier. I was able to breathe easier and try to catch up on all the zucchini we'd been getting, which is great!

Those first pics of cherry tomatoes - these were like candy. After rinsing them, I just ate them like chips while watching TV. DELICIOUS.

Then I made a hmm zucchini ... I don't know what you'd call this. But here are my notes:

sautee zucchini (cut into half-coins) w/butter, salt, pepper;
add corn cut from the cob (boiled before) at last minute;
top with basil ribbons

variations - add parm/hard italian cheese, garlic, onions, tomatoes, peas, whatever fresh veggies on hand

--> Those are my notes, but I think I see red onions and garlic in there as well. It was good. I'd make it again :) but I've since come up with a simply amazing recipe for zucchini that I will be sharing shortly... it blows this one out of the water.

Happy eating!!!

Previously:
CSA Week #1
CSA Week #2
CSA Week #3
CSA Week #4
CSA Week #5
CSA Week #6
CSA Week #7
CSA Week #8
CSA Week #9
CSA Week #10
CSA Week #11
CSA Week #12

The Fun Flushing Run 2

2009-09-15T10:30:00.001-04:00

Flushing is not my favorite neighborhood to visit. It isn't far, and it is indeed loaded with cheap eats and amazing Asian restaraunts for really cheap, but it's so crowded on weekends and filled with rude people who push you and aggressively block you and just... I don't like it. I also don't like the embarrassing moments that occur because I look like I fit in, but I don't. (To put it more plainly, when people try to speak Asian languages to me and I stare back blankly and am reminded, once again, just how crappy my Chinese is.)

However, when I hurt myself recently, I was instructed to get an X-ray on my ankle, and the X-ray facility was in Flushing. Since I chose to go on a weekday afternoon, it was slightly less crowded, and I maneuvered my way into getting another Flushing Feast. Mmm. All food seen above, which came to $11.25. Seems like $11 is the magic number for when I decide it's too much food... :)

More Peking duck buns... but this time just two. Perfect.

What's this!? This is the gua bao from Gu Shing that I didn't manage to get last time. This monstrosity was $2! The pork belly meltingly delicious, while the sugared peanuts with the slightly pickled mustard greens... then the lovely brightness of cilantro... I really liked this. I would absolutely seek this out again. OMG. *tears of joy* $2 and this could be lunch.

Wo tip, or fried dumplings... I grew up getting them from this place. There's no name that I could see, but it's on the side street by Starbucks, across the way. These got a little soggy during my run home, but they were delicious and even better quickly toasted. Gosh, I remember the days of 5/$1, but these were 4/$1.25. Yum.

Duck wings! Yes, they look a little scary, I imagine, to someone who didn't grow up eating these. But I did. You mostly gnaw the skin off the wing tips, and then there's a bit of meat on the wing itself. They're fun to eat, though pretty oily, so you'll want to eat these during... maybe a baseball game on TV? :) $2.50 for that giant container. I actually wound up picking the meat off the remainder - after I'd eaten about half the container during a baseball game on TV - to make duck fried rice.

Mai fun, I think this is called. Lots of veggies which I like, and only $1.25! How any single person could eat that entire container and still be hungry beats me. I wound up bringing some for bento one day, actually. This was a little bland so I splashed a bit of hot sauce on it to waken it up and boy howdy was that yummy. :)

More of those pork buns (4/$1.25) I talked about last time... except this time, with

shot of the innards! Juicy delicious, perfect for breakfast. Or eat 3 of them for lunch one day. Which I did ;)

Those chicken drumsticks I talked about last time but didn't get - fried to perfection, crispy - even after a stint in a wax bag for a while, then some time in the fridge... delicious and full size. 2/$1 or 75c for one. Obviously I got two. Yes they are greasy but they taste fresher and better than the ones from the local takeout place you might usually get your fried chicken from.... ;)

I am renewing my love of Flushing, though I'm pretty sure I'd still prefer to keep my jaunts to weekdays between the hours of 9-5... with so much cheap, delicious food to be had, I may have to revise that... or quit my job and start writing about food permanently. :)

Happy eating!

see previous post for locations/map

Dirty Pierre's Sunday Special - $7 Burgers

2009-09-14T10:30:00.000-04:00

I've written about Dirty Pierre's before and how much I liked it, but recently, doing some research for what I thought would be an upcoming blog-project, someone mentioned to me that they have $6 burger Sundays! I finally was able to get over there directly before going to see Julie/Julia, which was sold out, so we walked around a bit before heading over to grab our burgers. Though the special wasn't listed anywhere, I asked, and the waitress politely corrected me that it's now a $7 burger... not a big deal, honestly.

Unfortunately, she didn't tell us that the burger also comes with the option to add a beer for $3! It's only Bud or Bud Light that applies, but still! (I found this out by overhearing someone asking about it. Hmm, I wonder where they post their specials since we didn't see any of these notes...) Whatever! Onwards with the burgers!

BF seemed surprised when he asked "That doesn't come with fries, right?" and found out that it does. This makes our meal pretty complete for a really good price. With the exception of BF, we all opted to add on cheese - myself adding pepperjack for the fun of it - which boosts the price $1.50 or so, but not a big deal if you want cheese. The burger platter normally runs $9.95 which isn't bad but then add on the cheese and it starts to get into the hmmm, do I want that? area.

If you'll notice, the burger came on a large English muffin and was rather flat but wide. This made it incredibly easy to put in my mouth. (Yes, I did also add a slick of mayo; Orzo asked for mustard, I asked for mayo, and both came in squeezy bottles, which made for a really nice touch.) The top of the toasted English muffin was super crisp, and remained so for about half or a little more than half of the burger; I eat a little slowly, so the juices started soaking into the bun. But the crispness of the English muffin against the meaty deliciousness of the burger was well played; I loved the contrasting textures and though I'd have thought an English muffin too doughy for a burger, this all worked out rather well, to be honest.

In fact, Orzo's gf (who needs her own acronym... hmm) commented later to me that her English muffin had stayed crisp throughout her entire burger - which is odd, because she eats slower than me. AH! I just realized that she only ate half her burger (giving the rest to Orzo) so that might explain it. Ironically, everything I loved about the burger (the shape/size of the patty, the English muffin, the juiciness) were counter to the reasons she only thought it was okay. In the end, though, we both agreed that the burger was good, though perhaps not destination-dining good... it is close enough to me that I would definitely go back for this. I really appreciated the burger in entirety, and the fries are quite crispy and delicious.

I also suggested we order a Caesar salad to start and split - because I like having greens in my diet - and it was totally enough for the 4 of us to split and enjoy. Everyone liked it so I was glad I'd suggested it.

Yvo says: Thoroughly enjoyable - and the Mets game was on, one of the few we've won lately (August 9, 2009, Santana started); the waitstaff, per usual, was lovely and accomodating. I really enjoy this place as my local pub to get my grub on!
recommended

Bayview Restaurant & Lounge

2009-09-11T10:30:00.001-04:00

Recently, for BF's mom's birthday, we went out to eat at a restaurant on the water. Sounds lovely, right? Except for the gnats that ate us alive... there are plenty of non-smelly bug repellents which the restaurant could have employed to dissuade the bugs from feasting on their customers, but... it became clear shortly that the restaurant could care less about their customers.

We arrived a few minutes before our reservation and were asked to wait a minute for our table to be ready - no big deal, except when BF & I headed to get a drink at the bar, they could have told us it would literally be 60 seconds; our drinks weren't ready yet before the hostess pointed to our table. Honestly, we walked right by our table on our way to the bar, and the table was as 'ready' as it was when we were seated. I didn't understand why we weren't led straight to our table; it was missing a few place settings but that wasn't corrected until 15 minutes later, after we were seated, after our appetizers came out, and after I requested a few extra settings. Uh...

We ordered two dozen baked clams as a starter, and these came remarkably quickly. Literally, 5 minutes after we'd ordered them. Unfortunately, I had two that I deemed fishy - not fishy enough that I'd spit it out and be rude like that, but fishy enough that I stopped eating and decided it wasn't worth possibly getting sick. BF didn't heed my frowning face and whispered statement "I think the clams are bad," and ate more than I did, and had some issues later. But his stomach is also a lot more sensitive than mine, and he is no stranger to those kinds of problems post-meals (which is why I can't take him to Indian places - he ALWAYS gets sick). In any case, he didn't think they were "that" fishy... but clearly, in the end, I was right!

Fried calamari; this also came quite quickly, along with the clams. Soggy, and I definitely did not want another bite.

After we'd finished our appetizers, the plates were cleared and the wait began. I swear that I had to ask two different people for bread before we got any... AFTER our appetizers were done! In addition to which, we waited easily an HOUR for our next course. No one came by to check on us nor tell us that the kitchen was backed up (if it was?) or anything... it was just being ignored for an hour. I don't play that game.

BF and I opted to each order what we wanted and "share" - a common theme with us at this style of restaurant, one of us will order a pasta dish and the other will order a meat dish. It works such that the person who ordered each dish usually eats more of their own dish, but both gets a taste of the other, which is nice for trying lots of stuff.

(Please note that I don't believe in sharing, so let this be a testimony to how much I love this man.)

I ordered the veal francaise and risked it when I chose broccoli over green beans, though honestly, mushy green beans < mushy broccoli, in my world. Mushy anything is bad, but... well, there you go. I found it a bit odd that I was given a choice of rice or baked potato as my starch, but I shrugged and picked the potato since I don't like rice that much... although I guess the rice would have nicely soaked up those lovely lemon juices.

My veal was fine, tasty enough, though it wasn't quite veal-ish and was very heavily breaded - it could have been thinly pounded chicken, the breading was so thick. The broccoli was actually cooked properly - still crunchy but definitely cooked through - which pleased me so much that I ate all of my broccoli first. (Funny note: BF's mother asked me how I liked the food; not wanting to be rude, I said "The broccoli was really good," to which she responded, "Oh, I didn't like it! It wasn't cooked enough, I like my broccoli mushy" which goes to show you that it really is personal preference.) The baked potato was fairly standard.

BF ordered the rigatoni alla vodka, which worried me insomuch the menu description listed it as an 'orange cream sauce' - which doesn't sound appetizing to me at all, but I tried to push my fears down and see orange as a color descriptor rather than an ingredient. Though those worries were proven unfounded - didn't taste any orange in there at all - the pasta was cooked beyond al dente for sure, and the sauce tasted like a plain red sauce that had cream added to it to achieve the orange color. Huh. Well, BF found it alright - he didn't like it, per se, but he did find it palatable enough to eat.

Overall, I was really disappointed with the place, after other members of the party had told me that the food was good there. They didn't find the food that night to be good, either, so it wasn't like I was being overly picky or had too high expectations. The service was terrible and slow - the waitstaff was clearly incredibly young, probably their first job ever while school is out, but it's inexcusable that we were routinely ignored (if they'd kept bringing us drinks, the tip would have jumped significantly!), no one explained why the food was taking so long, and our table wasn't set properly, which took forever to correct. We didn't even get bread until after our appetizers arrived- and only then because we asked for it. I don't like going to restaurants to be treated poorly. Seriously. If I wanted to eat mediocre food while being treated poorly, I could go back in time and date my ex-boyfriend again. Come on. As a restaurant, you don't want to be compared to the ex-boyfriend. You want to be the one on The List, the one I want to cheat on my boyfriend with.

Yvo says: I wouldn't go back if you paid me. Or if BF's family had another function there, but I'm hoping they don't.
not recommended

Bayview Restaurant
25 Van Brunt Road
Broad Channel, NY
718-634-4555
http://bcbayview.com

Financier Patisserie (Gelato)

2009-09-10T10:30:00.001-04:00

On a very hot day recently, I wanted ice cream. Of course, there appeared to be no ice cream shops in the immediate area. Man, the Finanical District sucks for food. There's a Haagen Daaz at Seaport, but I work a good 15-20 minute walk away from there, and who wants to walk that far when it's suffocatingly hot outside? Blech.

After a lot of thought, I realized I didn't want a shake from Burger Shoppe (where I've been going for my ice cream cravings in this weather), nor a coffee drink from Starbucks (ironic, considering what I wound up getting...). So I posted a frustrated call for help on Facebook, and received nothing really helpful (someone suggested a convenience store for Drumsticks and the like, which is great - I love Twix and Snickers ice cream bars! - but not what I was craving).

Then it dawned on me. Financier totally has gelato and is only 2 blocks from here. I was sold.

I walked over and got this - coffee gelato. It was good, airy, definitely creamy-fatty-goodness. I wish they had more flavors (passion fruit, mango, raspberry... I want something more seasonal and delicious sounding... sue me), but this is definitely my new go-to place when I'm craving scoops of cold, creamy goodness. The above cup was a small and came to just under $3. Oh, and the guy scooping asked me if I wanted all coffee or two flavors, but since I felt coffee didn't play nice with the other flavors available, I opted just for coffee - just note this in case you go and want more than one flavor in one cup. I'm sure they'd oblige.

Yum!

CSA Week #12

2009-09-09T10:30:00.001-04:00

And here comes Week #12... almost halfway through the season, kind of crazy, right? If you clicked through the link, you'll see I got some fairly standard items; potatoes, peppers, tomatoes (mine EXPLODED! I had it on the counter and one day I came home, smelled something slightly earthy, went into the kitchen, and it was leaking all over my counter!), more zucchini, etc.

And yes, I once again chopped up the zucchini and sauteed it with some fresh garlic (from past CSA weeks), crisped it up nicely, then fried an egg to put on top. And it was delicious, as I expected.

But there was another vegetable on there... one I'd never cooked in my entire life!

In fact, one that I'd hardly ever eaten in my entire life.

That would be... eggplant. Asian eggplant. It looked like zucchini, but purple - long, skinny. I wondered what to do with it. Do I peel it? Do I have to soak it, as I'd read? What do I do???

Thankfully, Facebook once again rescued me, as Lizz let me know that I could 'wilt' it and skip the soaking process.

I formulated my own recipe in my head, and whipped up a batch. And my gosh, served over fluffy white rice, it was absolutely delicious, and I will totally make it again.

You should make it, too.

1 Asian eggplant, cut into inch long sticks
1/2 pack of medium firm tofu, cut into same/similar size/shape
garlic, minced
onion, minced
soy sauce
hot bean paste (optional, but it adds a nice lil kick)
cilantro (if you don't like that, it's optional)

In a dry skillet over high heat, "wilt" the eggplant a bit. Remove eggplant to a plate.

In same skillet, add a little bit of oil - olive or sesame if you like. Add garlic and onion, stirring a bit, until fragrant.

Add eggplant, then a splash of soy sauce, stirring everything all around a little bit. Add a bit of the hot bean paste to taste (go easy; it gets spicy super fast because eggplant likes to absorb everything!). Add cubed tofu and stir around.

(If you want a saucier dish, add a bit more bean paste, a little more soy sauce, and then add cornstarch slurry to thicken. Yum! Gravy!)

Top with lots and lots of cilantro. Or chopped scallions would work nicely as well! You could also add ground pork to this if you wanted a meatier dish. Lots of variations here! ;)

Serve with fluffy white rice.

Happy eating!!!

Previously:
CSA Week #1
CSA Week #2
CSA Week #3
CSA Week #4
CSA Week #5
CSA Week #6
CSA Week #7
CSA Week #8
CSA Week #9
CSA Week #10
CSA Week #11

Pernil Dinner Party

2009-09-08T10:30:00.001-04:00

Being quick on Facebook has its many advantages. A friend of mine posted recently that she'd "just bought a 7 lb. pork shoulder for $6! Now, what to do?"

I immediately commented, "pulled pork! or ooh, pernil!!!" and someone seconded my pernil notion. She decided pernil sounded great, so I invited myself over by offering to make some stuff to bring over. HAHAHA cuz that's how I roll. (In my defense, I hadn't seen her in over a year... she just came back after moving to China for a year... give me some slack here people!)

The pernil in all its glory. God I can only tell you her apartment smelled amazing.

Beans made with slab bacon and other delicious goodies! (for spooning over our rice)

The salad I made... and you can sort of see the empanadas as well, heh.

Slicing into that sucker, omg...!

The chimichurri/parsley sauce I made.

My plate - salad I dressed with poppyseed dressing that she had, a little bit of rice & beans, and slices of that wonderful pernil. I don't have the recipe - not even a really good approximation for you - but she said it was really easy, so I want to encourage all of you to try making it, because lord only knows that I was nervous about making one, which is why I wound up never doing so and only going the pulled pork route! I am TOTALLY going to make this sometime soon though, it was absolutely delicious and wonderful, and perfumed the house with such an amazing smell... yum!!! And BF totally loved it, which is always a good reason to make something - so he will eat and be merry ;) The meat was succulent, flavorful, soft and yielding (I really didn't NEED a knife, but I could use one)... just amazing. And this was her first time making pernil! Or even roasting such a large slab of meat (I believe that's what she said). Oh my gosh! so good!

(And the parsley sauce wasn't bad either. Haha. It added a different flavor to the meat but didn't overwhelm it.)

Mmm, thanks for having us over again!

Happy eating!!!

Mama's Empanadas

2009-09-04T10:30:00.000-04:00

Recently, I was on my way to a special dinner party (post to come), and I wanted to pick up something to bring. So I hit up this place nearby, which I've been meaning to check out anyway... cuz lord knows I loved the empanadas in Argentina!

Do you see those prices? Less than $2 for each one, the most expensive one I can see is $1.75! And I would think they are very filling. I ordered quickly but it took a few minutes - maybe a little upwards of 5? - for everything to come, so I think they prepare them fresh as you order them. I didn't specify corn or wheat, so I received all corn.

Ready to be served at the dinner party hostess's place. From top clockwise: beef, chicken, and broccoli & cheese!

Bisection of the beef one. I thought it was alright. The beef was beyond shredded nor ground; it was kind of a seasoned paste of beef. BF didn't like it and consequently refused to try any other kind unfortunately. I would definitely not get this one again unless I craved that specific type of texture and flavor... which I can't imagine doing.

Cross section of the chicken empanada. I know our hostess really enjoyed this one; I thought it wasn't bad, but again, the chicken was neither shredded nor ground, but somehow made into almost a paste of some sorts. I liked the peas in there, though - a nice contrast to the texture.

Broccoli & cheese! This was definitely, of the three that night, my hands-down favorite. Smacking lightly of broccoli, with a strong taste of oily cheese - mozzarella perhaps? - with a crisp crust (actually, all of them had a very crispy corny shell), I really enjoyed this quite a bit.

Yvo says: Overall, at just under $9 for the 6 empanadas above, it shouldn't be hard for me to go back and try more kinds! I would really like to try the wheat shell to see the difference, and I'd love to try some of the dessert kinds, figs, caramel, guava... yum! Inexpensive and very tasty indeed!
recommended

Citi Field: Cascarino's, Nathan's, and MolliCoolz

2009-09-03T10:30:00.001-04:00

David Wright's first at-bat on August 2, 2009, versus the Diamondbacks

By the time this post goes up, baseball season will be winding down. For some teams, the pressure will be high as the race becomes neck and neck. For my team, at this writing, it is looking unlikely that the race will apply to me. We are struggling right now, and ending the season above .500 looks like a good goal at this point. Many of our best players are on the DL - have been on the DL for much of the season - and it is what it is.

But, as a Mets fan, the bottom line, the resounding cheer is... ya gotta believe. I believe. Until the numbers are such that it is statistically impossible - not simply improbable - I will hold fast to the faith that something amazing can and will happen. Ya gotta believe. Otherwise... what's the point?

In any case, though I'd decreed my last post about Citi Field the post, basically, I'd eaten most of what it had to offer and decided that Box Frites + Mama's of Corona were what I'd recommend to people going to Citi Field for the first time... well, this game we tried some new (to us) stuff. So I figured I'd post about it.

This was actually a rain delayed game - we sat in our seats for three hours, waiting for the game to start - did I mention it was our 6 year anniversary as well? poor B, who isn't even as into baseball as I am, but he was infinitely patient as we waited for the game to start. And it did start 3 hours after the posted start time... and we lost, 5-2, which hurt a lot.

But you're not here for the baseball, are you? I wish you were...

Because it was pouring as we got there, we rushed to our seats to sit under the overhang. We were both starving, and decided to grab whatever was closest - in this case, pizza for him... which was doughy and unimaginative, but as B said, after I made a face to his choice of pizza and told him he hadn't liked it last time, "Sometimes I'm just in the mood for shitty pizza." Okay, babe.

As for me, I wasn't too hungry and I really didn't know what to get, though I'd casually mentioned to BF that I hadn't yet had a hot dog at the park. He frowned and said with disbelief, "Really?" which gave me great pause, and I found this. Guess it was just that unmemorable? Anyway, this prompted me to walk over Nathan's, where I suddenly lighted on "corn dog" on the menu for $4. I got really excited, having really enjoyed my last few corn dogs... and decided to get one. Since it was raining, everything was really fussy to juggle and get ketchup, mustard, etc. - so you know I'm not weird and just blob on mustard on one corner. (When I'm carrying a lot of stuff and everything's fussy and I'm hot/wet/sticky from the weather, and there's an umbrella involved... let's just say I get grumpy really quickly, so it was good I got this out of the way fast.)

Here's a better shot of the corn dog with a little blob of mustard on it. You can kind of see the field in the background with the tarp down, too.

First bite! Okay, honestly? I don't know if it's a result of not having had many corn dogs in my life. But this was really good. As you can see, there isn't excess corn-exterior to too little hot dog interior - the ratio was perfect, with the gently sweet and crispy corn part contrasting beautifully against the juicy, salty hot dog part perfectly. I mean... this was blissful. I actually would like another corn dog everytime I go to the park! Seriously! And $4 doesn't seem outrageous but then I don't know how much corn dogs are supposed to be. Anyone else know?

***Note that I did tell BF that it was really good and had him try a bite, and he agreed that it was good, and I know for sure he's had corn dogs way long before me elsewhere, though I don't know where. He thought I was weird when I told him I never had one. Maybe he had them at Coney Island, because he also said I was weird for never having gone to Coney Island. I don't know.

While we sat at our seats, chatting and whatnot, vendors would occasionally pass by. We'd seen the Molli Coolz stand outside and wondered briefly what happened to Dippin' Dots ... so we decided to try it. And these were filthy disgusting. That small cup was $6, but prices are what prices are at the ballpark - but the ice cream was just offensive! It was chalky and milky tasting, and just... not good. Blegh. We both agreed we would NOT be getting these again (and they offer Dibs at the park, too, so I'd suggest sticking to those).

Funny enough, after the game started, we decided we were a little hungry again, so we walked over to the Taste of the City. I actually wanted Blue Smoke, some ribs sounded good, but as we passed by Nonna Delia's aka Cascarino's near Taste of the City, I remembered they had pasta dishes like penne alla vodka, etc. So I walked over and BF wanted to split one, and I'm not going to deny that on those days when you're cold and it's rainy out, nothing hits the spot better than a nice big bowl of saucy pasta!

And while the sauce was pretty good, seasoned appropriately and tasted nice, the pasta - which I actually expect, given that it's pre-made and sits there in a warming thing for a while - was overcooked and way past al dente (our preferred level of doneness for pasta). We also actually managed to grab the last of the penne alla vodka that day, so that might have added to the deteriorated texture issues - but it was suitably tasty and hit the spot. Between the 2 of us, we didn't finish all of it, leaving a little bit, but bear in mind, we also ate everything else in this post as well. At $9 for the portion, not too shabby - BF and I actually mentioned how a lot of pasta places in his neighborhood charge $11.95 and up for a plate of penne alla vodka, so this isn't outrageously priced whatsoever.

Yvo says: Y'know, I really enjoyed my corn dog. The pasta was decent, though definitely not a go-out-of-your-way kind of thing... and I'm pretty sure the corn dog is available all over the stadium, so no need to go out of your way! (The pasta may or may not be, I'm not entirely sure.) Avoid MolliCoolz because that is chalky wackness, and the pizza sucks too (unless you like thick, doughy, yucky pizza, which some people do!). So a winner, a maybe, and two losers... all in all, a good day for food (especially since, after the game, BF and I went to Pho Bang and picked up some yumminess for dinner at home over a movie... yum!). Not so good because it was the day I wound up hurting my ankle... but that's another story for another time, eh? :)

Citi Field
all over

CSA Week #11

2009-09-02T10:30:00.002-04:00

CSA Week #11 rolled around me and... I totally spazzed on taking pictures. Really, it's because nothing was particularly photogenic, so... instead, you have this.

Cross section of one of the purple potatoes I received. I roasted these very simply, but next time, I need to find something more interesting to do with these... the starchy sweetness of these should be employed better than I did. Oops.

For the green peppers and tomato (our surprise veg), I made a quick pico de gallo that served me well.

With the parsley, I made chimichurri... twice... but you'll see a horrible photo next week, I promise. Look for it. The recipe is simple and delicious, though:

parsley, chopped fine
garlic, minced fine
red pepper flakes
salt
onion (I used some of the red onion I received), minced fine
olive oil

Just mix it all by hand, and cover. Let sit for 12 hours at least and spoon it over everything in sight, it's so good.

Last, but not least, I also used some of the onion to make duck fried rice (with a touch of bacon by request). I didn't really want to post this here, because the onions are a small ingredient in this dish, but... well, yeah. I took a photo, so...

I was going to post it somewhere, so it might as well be here. Very simple, really, and similar to my bacon fried rice recipe (which I need to update the recipe with its own post...). The only difference is that I added some duck meat I'd picked off some duck wings (you'll read about these in a future post) towards the end. Absolutely delicious, but I didn't expect it to be any other way ;)

Happy eating!!!

Previously:
CSA Week #1
CSA Week #2
CSA Week #3
CSA Week #4
CSA Week #5
CSA Week #6
CSA Week #7
CSA Week #8
CSA Week #9
CSA Week #10

Make That Sandwich!!!

2009-09-01T14:30:00.001-04:00

If you haven't entered yet, what are you waiting for? $25,000 and a trip to Napa Valley for two, courtesy of Mezzetta!

Click here for details!

My simple sandwich won't win any prizes, but it was definitely delicious. Freshly baked ficelle, a slick of mayo, a few slices of roast beef, local & organic tomato slices, deli-sliced mild pepper rings (courtesy of Mezzetta), which added a nice zing to the sandwich. Yumm!

Good luck!!!

Nick's Pizza

2009-09-01T10:30:00.000-04:00

I pass by Nick's (two posts) every week when I pick up my CSA share. I've been meaning and wanting to go pick up a pie on my way back, but juggling my shares - and having so much food after that - generally precludes picking up a pie to also carry back. This week was different though; pick up took a lot longer than I'd anticipated and I was starving. I figured at least this way, as soon as I got home, I'd be able to eat.

This isn't Nick's fault, but my pizza did wind up being cold or a lot colder than hot by the time I ate it. Oh well.

I ordered meatball, expecting lots of little meatballs scattered around, but instead got this. Hmm, interesting. At first I thought it was eggplant, but no. Look again. And then I realized I never ordered meatball pizza before...

Upskirt!

Despite not being able to eat it until it was near-cold, I found the crust still crisp and delicious. The meatballs were actually quite yummy, too - I guess they make giant meatballs, then slice them into funky rounds? Or do they make meatball tubes (like a meatloaf?) and slice from that? I don't know, but it works and really is delicious, albeit a bit funny looking.

Yvo says: I admit I'm not a big pizza person - I smell it and think "God, I want that," but rarely get it because pizza seems to often disappoint me (truthfully, you can smell pizza on pretty much every other block in NYC, so it isn't surprising that much of it sucks). I don't have pizza nights like many people do - once a week or so, getting a pie at home and watching a movie - but I do enjoy a good slice here and there. Nick's definitely has emerged as the hands down winner for pizza in my area (even though there is no delivery, so I have to go get it, and it's not the closest pizzeria by a long shot...). I'll keep going here for my pizzas!
strongly recommended

Product Review: Mini Glutinous Rice Cake

2009-08-31T10:30:00.002-04:00

The last time I was at my mother's house, she told me I should take some of this stuff the bro had bought and stocked her freezer with - this stuff, actually. Well, after reading that overwhelmingly positive review, I was even more keen to try this stuff. It's not like I'll ever make my own (some people do! and I applaud them for it, but this isn't how I roll).

Pretty simple; out of the package, you simply steam it for 20 minutes, according to the package instructions (which are in English... because I can't read anything besides English).

Fresh out of the steamer... this smelled like some familar scent from my childhood. I wish I could explain that or describe it further, but I can't. (I didn't grow up eating a whole lot of these, so it doesn't make sense to say that.) Anyway, I peeled it open eagerly, but be careful, because it's hot.

So much promise!

Yeah, I used a fork to push back some of the sticky rice to peer at its contents. What? I've mentioned before that I can't use chopsticks, and you'll rarely find me using chopsticks at home unless I am eating noodles in soup... In any case, I was pleasantly surprised by the rice pulling back easily, yet being sticky, soft, delicious smelling...

Okay. So how did it taste? I'm not going to compare it to the real deal, because I can't remember the last time I ate the real deal anyway. Straight up, this was pretty damn tasty - especially given that it was frozen and comes two to a pack for $3. I will definitely be stocking some in my freezer for those nights when I am just too lazy to cook...

Yvo says: I really like Prime Foods in general, as far as frozen foods go - they make the XO dumplings I've mentioned before that I stock in my freezer - and this is another winner, in my opinion. I wouldn't say eat this every day - I'm not all about the pre-made foods! - but this is definitely a good staple to have in the freezer.
recommended