Poke, mon!

Wendy and David planned to eat at Poke (343 E. 85th St. bw 1st & 2nd Ave.) one night before she moved to Brooklyn, so I invited myself to her goodbye to the Upper East Side dinner date. Unfortunately, they got out of work late and I am always late, so we didn't get to Poke until 8. A terrible fate! Poke doesn't accept reservations, so we had a 45 minute wait.

Luckily, Dave lives nearby and Wendy bought 2 bottles of wine since Poke is BYOB. Dave only had Mike's Hard Lemonade and 2 bottles of Coke in his fridge so after a bottle of Louis Jadot we were starving by the time Poke phoned.
We ordered edamame 3.50 and shumai 4.50 straight away. You can't go wrong with edamame. I guess you could if you ate the whole pod, but it's probably edible, albeit a bit hairy. Personally, I think shumai is kind of boring and mushy and doesn't really taste like shrimp, but the kids wanted it. Poke's shumai was okay, but the real star was the beef tataki! It reminds me of the Asian guy on Star Trek. Ooops. His name isn't tataki, it's Takei. And he was gay! who knew! And if the tataki was not sliced, who would know it was raw inside? Tataki means beaten or pounded according to the interet. Does tartare means finely chopped? The wikipedia says no, but it's another word for the Mongols.


Back to the sushi. We ordered the Sushi regular w. spicy tuna instead of a California roll. One piece is missing in the picture or maybe we got the sushi irregular because you're supposed to have 8 pieces. Every piece was firm fresh with clean flavors. The simple garnishes like lemon or chive topping the fish added a really nice zing. David wanted to get the bagel sushi or whatever that cream cheese roll is, but Wendy and I ignored him and went for the Pearl Roll for 7 bucks. This one was my favorite because it was warm and crunchy on the inside. Rolled in masago on the outside, the inside had deep fried oysters, cucumber, and scallions. The Ninja roll ($13) was fine, spicy tuna on the outside and eel and avocado in the inside. I think Wendy liked the truffle roll ($13) the best tempura flakes on the outside and salmon with spicy truffle sauce on the inside.

Okay, I can't remember if Wendy liked the truffle roll the best, but I do remember getting the fried ice cream and being underwhelmed. Or was it Mochi ice cream? This entry really was written in November. I've been away from the internet, I'll explain shortly...

Frenzy season

Hi there,
I'm visiting Crazytown this month. Herky jerking work during the day and living it up in the evening. Last night there was a fire at our office and I was worried sick. When faced with saving stuff from my office, I didn't know if I should choose the $5,000 dead dog or the 10 pistols on my desk. I just grabbed the computer and ran out like a bandit. Luckily, everything is fine, though I'm fighting a cold and the orange juice just isn't working.
Depression is setting in due to the lack of sun and the realization that there's no more corn at the farmers market. Every Saturday I'd been buying 5 ears for 2 bucks, then throwing it husk and all in the toaster oven for an afternoon snack. I even bought cojita cheese to duplicate the Red Hook ball field corn. I've been hooked on the ball field street food and now that soccer season is over, I guess it's back up to Spanish Harlem for my Latin food.

I did it!

Did you help Martin Scorcese's box office this weekend by going to see The Departed? Did you see me? Or are you like Matt & Matt and Nancy and you missed my cameo. Although I didn't get a credit, at least I've been immortalized on film and not in a porno way!
This flyer is based on actual research. Our fabulous graphic designer saw that there was a flyer in the pictures in the location folders of the Massachusetts Police Dept. The flyer had some other girl's photo and name, so he just stuck my picture and name instead. It's pretty funny, most people wouldn't notice it, but if you haven't seen me in a while or ever, well, now you can.
Everyone asks if I liked the movie. The truth is, it was impossible for me to judge it as a piece of cinema. I enjoyed working on the film. I've met the cream of the crop in NYC film production. Driving to Marty's townhouse to deliver a model in the snow; handing Michael Ballhaus a director's plan, watching Thelma Schoonmaker walked out to introduce the crew screening, what I felt those times was more thrilling to me than watching the film. That said, I'll watch it in a couple more years, then ask me.

Brunch at Supper

Everyone is freaking out because of the e coli in the spinach. It's a bummer that the popularity of spinach will decrease and affect the small farmers that rely on spinach sales. I barely buy fresh spinach but when I do, it's generally from the farmer's market where it's got dirt on it, so I have to wash it several times anyway. I like to think it's clean dirty rather than covered in industrial agriculture poop.
When Miryam's croquet birthday party was cancelled yet again due to rain, we ate brunch at Supper this Sunday. Carissa asked about the Florentine omelette and our server said the spinach had been replaced with zuccini. She ordered the red eggs, that's not what it's really called, but that's what it looked like. Eggs cooked with tomato sauce and toast. Yummy! No picture because I forgot my camera, and the photo would have looked a red mess anyway. These photos are from another brunch visit. I just love their French toast with berries and real maple syrup. Miryam ordered it this time, and I think she liked it, though she almost got stabbed by the cook's kitchen knife. They have an open kitchen and at one point, this big knife fell out of its storage bin and hurtled toward M's leg! I got the poached eggs on grilled polenta cakes with fennel and Parmigiano cheese. Pictured, you'll see their Eggs Benedict (with arugula, not spinach!), but the eggs on polenta was kind of a healthier version of the Eggs Benny. Instead of a Hollandaise, the fennel was drizzled with Balsamic vinegar. It adds a sweetness and acidity that I really dug with the richness of the yolk and refreshing fennel. The cheese tops this fine dish, thus contributing that crucial bit of salt. Speaking of salty, the bacon is divine. Thick and a little bit sweet, it's the applewood smoked and a big pile of it is perfect for sharing.
Does it seem odd to go to a place called Supper for brunch? Well, it's not because it's delicious at any hour of the day. Located on E. 2nd between A&B, there's a black awning but no visible sign, but step inside and you will be happy you found the place. Brunch starts at 11am. It's conveniantly near a Citibank because Supper only takes cash. 156 E. 2nd St. 212-477-7600

No Transfatties allowed

NYC Board of Health is setting a limit to the amount of transfats restaurant food is allowed to contain. I don't care for transfats, but I don't want someone to tell me what to do when it comes to eating. Then again, everything is complicated when it comes to food issues. For example, I'm conflicted about outlawing foie gras production. I've read that ducks and geese don't have gag reflexes, I've also heard that they do. Some of the birds (the free range ones obviously) waddle up to their feeders because they like overeating other birds are probably caged and prodded with dirty metal tubes until their livers explode with disease. I really don't know, but I'm not really into banning anything except maybe for littering and public masturbation. If I had to take a stand on the situation, I'd say that the industry has to be regulated, but at the end of the day, it's all about personal choice.
This weekend I was talking to my friend, Matt, the owner of Baked in Red Hook. I ordered the delicious Coke cake, but wanted to know what happened to their other famous chocolate cake. The one that made the head manager break out in sweats, the one that had out of this world flavor. Yes, the one made with lard. He said it had to go because people would order it, asking, "What's in this cake? It's so delicious!" When he told them, people stopped buying it. Oh well.
The Coke cake is terrific however and made with delicious European butter. The fat content is higher in European butter so it must be better! You can't taste the soda in the cake, I think it's more of a texture thing, maybe the bubbles give it a lighter texture? The icing is absolutely perfect-not too sweet, it's a deep chocolate ganache that should really be sold as a skin cream, it's so rich and delicious.
I'll post a picture of it later, until then, enjoy these delicious transfat free donuts from Donut Plant. They fry with 100 percent pure corn oil. No transfatties here, these are healthy doughnuts. The ingredients are organic and oh my god is that square coconut cream donut delicious.

Peace out, Ann

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Originally uploaded by i_eat_ny.

This is only somewhat food related, but I was sad to hear that Ann Richards passed away two weeks ago. When I worked at the Dobie Theater in Austin during college, Ann was one of our celebrity regulars. Because she was a celebrity, she didn't have to pay for admission, but she always did. And actually insisted that she pay, she was no better than anyone else. I remember she loved the John Sayles film, "The Secret of Roan Inish". She saw it twice and even took her grandkids to see it the second time. I wonder if she and Sayles were friends. We didn't play Sayles' follow up film, Lone Star, but I bet she saw it and enjoyed it. Ann and I had a little run in once after she saw one of my favorite food movies, "Big Night." After the show, Ann came out and said in her loud Southern Drawl, "I'D RATHER WATCH PAINT DRY ON A FENCE THAN WATCH THAT MOVIE AGAIN!!!"
I was shocked! "Big Night" was about family and food, the stuff of life and someone bigger than life like her didn't like it? She probably wasn't much of a cook, public service and all, but at least she sat through the whole thing. A couple of years later, I remember being annoyed that she did a Doritos commercial, or maybe it was Pizza Hutt, but I've made peace with that. Sometimes you just need to make a buck.

Jen and some dummies

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Originally uploaded by i_eat_ny.

So it's been a month since I've written; time flies when you're an American Gangster. Thursday morning was insane, so it was great to get to set after two hours of Long Island traffic. Luckily Jen was driving with Hakim in the back amusing himself with songs and impersonations. The location was the Nassau colliseum where the 1971 Madison Square Garden fight between Muhammed Ali and Joe Frasier was being recreated for the movie. We had rented 600 dummies and 300 extras to fill up the huge arena. Of course, I forgot my camera, but Hakim was nice enough to shoot these photos. It was a hoot to see the dummy handler pick up five dummies with one hand and throw them on the floor. Because the dummies were all men, our set decorator said being in the seats was like being in a gay men's club. These men reminded me of the Bionic woman doll my sisters had whose face came off to expose a head painted with wires and machinery. Some of the dummies' faces and wigs were falling off, but all this can be fixed in post. It will be interesting to see what the CGI people do as far as motion and filling in the gaps.
On a food note, we had just missed lunch, so we only saw the craft service table which was stuff from Costco. But we rode the freight elevator up with one of the TomKats catering guys, he looked absolutely exhausted. I asked him what time he had to wake up to make the donuts and he said 12. Twelve midnite to make the 7am call. Seriously, the catering department has the hardest job. They have to be the first ones at the location ready to work and they're always the last ones to leave. Hats off to them.

Hey buddy!

Hey buddy!
Originally uploaded by i_eat_ny.

Sorry I haven't written in a while. Things have been really hectic the last few weeks. It doesn't mean that I haven't had food adventures! I just haven't had the time to type any of them up. My days and part of the night have been spent working on American Gangster and dealing with the homestead. One of my projects at work was making some prop beer circa 1970. The Budweiser peeps finally responded to our requests and sent us some vintage beer labels. The actors can't get drunk while working, so I bought non alcoholic Kaliber by Guinness and Buckler Beer by Heineken. They both have brown bottles like Bud. However, my favorite version has been the bottles of Reed's Raspberry Ginger Beer. It's soda, but I love the graceful looking bottles. The necks seem longer than the fake beers. I painted the bottle caps with a silver paint pen to cover up the twist tops and learned in the process that the twist off cap was introduced in the late 1960s. Anheuser-Busch started testing the twist off in 1964, but didn't use it in mass quantities until around 1967. They must have been drunk, why would it take 3 years to test a bottle cap?!

Food related, sort of...

Just got back from seeing Half Nelson, the best film of the summer. My old company, THINKFilm is distributing the film, and I hope that my friends there get big fat raises when the film is a hit. Half Nelson is the kind of film that I want to work on. It's the kind of film that I wish I helped distribute. It's about story, character, emotions. The stuff that makes you feel. It's not about the stars, the production design, or the director. Please go see it.
I couldn't help but think about the product placement situation in the film. They had very few noticable brands. When the credits rolled, there were a few clothing companies thanked. I can only think of one visible brand name, Blow Pops. Because I've only worked on studio films, I don't know how clearances are handled on smaller films that are acquired. In my daily experience on this new film, American Gangster, I've had a hell of a time trying to get name brands cleared because it's a drug related film. In fact, the only brands that I've been helpful in clearing are all smaller local companies. Luckily, they both have great products. Boylan sodas and Manhattan Special espresso sodas have signed clearance releases. Manhattan Special even gave us a free case of sodas. As a result, if I drink a soda, it's only going to be those kinds. I will never willingly pay for a Coke, Pepsi or Cadbury Schwepps product again. They suck! Pictured above are the Indian sodas I bought in Curry Hill. Thums Up is Indian Coke, so I wonder if there are pesticides in the soda.
On other films, Coke and Pepsi are used freely because they probably have a product placement deal with the studio. In fact, the crew is probably provided with free sodas and water if there's a product placement deal with the company. This helps out a lot when you've got a 300 person crew and the movie stars are taking up 20 million bucks of the budget.
On the last movie I worked on, the remake of Mostly Martha (it will be called No Reservations when it comes out), Catherine Zeta Jones starred. She is a huge mogul not because of her acting or even her marriage, but because of her advertising deals. There was a photo shoot for some prop food magazines and in every photo, her hand with her watch was noticable. She's being paid to wear that watch, folks. Ironically even though she's paid to advertise Elizabeth Arden cosmetics, we couldn't get any freebies, set dec had to buy all the make up in her bathroom. CZJ also wouldn't hold a certain store's bag in a scene where her character goes shopping because it wasn't in her deal. That kind of sucked because set dec saved a lot of money by creating a deal where items from the store were free if she held a bag.
I also heard a funny story on that last J. Lo/Marc Anthony movie. One of them is sponsored by Coke and the other one advertised Pepsi, so neither of them could be near the other's soda. Or something like that.
I'm kind of torn about product placement, sometimes I don't even notice it, other times it bugs me. What's your opinion?
One more story before I call it a night. As I was walking home, a neon "Chinese Food" sign on a silver street food cart caught my eye outside of the old Tower Video store. So I walked over there and checked out the menu. Fried chicken wings, egg rolls, teriyaki bowls, dumplings, and TACOS?!! I asked the guy, why tacos? And he said because lots of people like tacos. And I said, but that's not Chinese food. Why would I eat a taco at your cart instead of going to the Taco Bell up the street? Why not make them Chinese taco, do like a Mooshu chicken, or teriyaki in a tortilla?
He just kind of stared at me so I bought a pork bun. It was smaller than what I've gotten in Chinatown, but it did hit the spot.
And I realized that just like in Half Nelson, you really can't help others if you can't help yourself. And sleep would help me very much.
Time to hit the hay,
Liza

Westfair Fish and Chips at Camp Carol

Presidents may visit Camp David for R&R, but I go someplace much more exclusive, Camp Carol. Visiting my friend Carol in Connecticut is one of my favorite day trips. Not only does she live in the same town as Paul Newman, but she's always got some adventure in store, generally including food. I've been lucky to visit twice this summer for terrific company, swimming and seafood lunches at Westfair Fish and Chips.
Both times we went for the fried clams and the lobster roll. Now some people prefer clam strips because they are cleaner tasting, but we prefer the whole body. The bellies and whatever else they dredge in flour haven't been gritty yet and while some might consider the mushy bellies gross, we prefer to call it creamy.
The lobster roll is as fresh as can be because they're pulled from the tank right after you order it. I didn't hear any screaming from the pot or when the cook dips the warm pieces into clarified butter than stuffs it into a hotdog bun, so I'm sure they used the knife method if you're worried about my morals. Last weekend we got the steamers which I've actually never had. Let's say we were comparing clam eating to porn, fried clam strips is to Skinemax as fried whole clams is to Playboy as clam steamers is to Hustler. Eating steamers is hardcore! There's this little tube with a dark skin covering it that looks like an uncircumcised penis. I hear it's really called a siphon, but it's another reminder that you're eating a bottom feeder which is why you have to dip it in the provided clam juice in case there's any left over grit.
Then you can dip it into the butter or spritz with lemon. It's a bit of an aquired taste and feels kinda dirty but it's kinda delicious!

Westfair Fish & Chips
1781 Post Rd. E. (Rte. 1)
Westport; 203.255.3184
Check out clam love if you're enjoy New England seafood shacks.

Bing a ling

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Originally uploaded by i_eat_ny.

This is a picture of my new obsession. Actually, I've been obsessed with bing for an entire year. Carol introduced me to her friend Melissa who lives in Chinatown and is a fabulous designer. Long story short, Melissa told us about these awesome Chinese treats called bing. This is from an email from July 11, 2005: If you are anxious to give the Bings a try, the bakery (if one can call it that) is located downstairs in the Triple Eight Mall underneath the Manhattan bridge. As for my favorites, there are only three varieties available -- cabbage, spicy mustard greens and pork. The number of black sesame dots on the Bing indicates what's inside. There is a sister bakery in Flushing which has a couple of additional combinations like spicy chicken and spicy pork. I have yet to try either. Keep in mind that there is no English menu. The Bing, which look like sesame studded donuts, are on a tray on the counter.
Marvelous Melissa goes on to tell me the heating directions and other tips in the email, but when I tried going to the hidden restaurant in that mall under the bridge, I was confused, because all I saw was noodle soup, so maybe that place was just always out of them. Later, I read a piece in the NYTimes about the bakery in Flushing that makes them, and a new location in Manhattan that had yet to open. Well, they've opened and everyone is talking about them on the new Chowhound.com.
Last night Melissa had a tasting party, and I was lucky enough to finally eat bing! Imagine the yummy sesame bread from the Eldridge St. Dumpling House stuffed with delicious fillings of savory pork and cabbage, spicy chicken, beef, all kinds of goodness that you'll just have to try.
I'm addicted. In fact, I'm leaving the office now so I can get a bing for dinner. The store is right across from the IFC Center at West 3rd and 6th Ave and the chowhounders said that they're giving a free bing for every one you buy. See you there!

This bothers me

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Originally uploaded by i_eat_ny.

Can anyone tell me what this means? I don't understand it at all. What are those rings around the bottle and the people? Does it mean that Bud Light is watery? What's worth it in New York City? In other towns is it worth it?

Just Can't Get Enough

Pies and Thighs is so damn good, I know my days are numbered before it gets so crowed or they run out of food and I won't be able to go. They opened in April, so I think by October, I'll have to find another place to go for awesome Southern food. That's why I had to visit for breakfast to get my fill. Ted and I started with a donut to stave off the hunger. Generally, I like a doughy Krispy Kreme style donut better than that cake variety, but now I'm confused. Pies and Thighs donut is so brown and crispy on the outside and the cake inside is tender and delicious, maybe I like cake donuts more now. I also love that they save the donut holes and sell them, too. Waste not, want not!

I actually wanted to get the fried fish and grits, but they were out of fish, so I got the gravy and biscuits. My order was piled high with sausage chunks. They were spicy and delicious on top of their wonderful biscuit. The gravy was just the way I like it. Thinner that the way it's served in Texas or Virginia, so it soaks into the biscuit. Now the biscuits and gravy was good, but it was a little much. I could feel my blood thickening with cholesterol and it felt good.
But I had to soldier on, and I'm glad I did. Ted ordered the hash with eggs and potatoes. Their version is the best I've ever eaten. When I think hash, I think of dog foody mystery meat with potato cubes from a can. I used to love that stuff as a kid, but I wonder if I'd still like it after the tv dinner experience.
The pork was the left over stuff of their pulled pork sandwiches. Smoky and moist, the taste is out of this world. Their potatoes are roasted and their skins are sweet and the starch is almost creamy. I can't tell you how good this place is, you just have to try it.

Times change

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Originally uploaded by i_eat_ny.

Work has been crazy busy, and it's starting to get to me. I'm breaking out and this was my lunch today. One of my challenges today was looking for the 1970s tv dinners with the aluminum foil tray. They don't exist anymore because everyone uses a microwave. I didn't have time to stop for lunch, so I just ate one of the turkey dinners I bought to slip into the boxes the graphics department made. Was the food better when I was a kid? I used to love these things. I don't have to tell you that the dinner was really salty except for the green beans and the brownie dessert.. The brownie was the best thing, then the green beans. The potatoes were awful, they didn't heat up well and they tasted like sawdust. The meat, gravy and stuffing were way too salty. Yuck!

Baby melons

The Greenmarket is one of the places that makes me love New York, but I also love hearing about the dark side of the market. You can read about some of the controversies on Nina Planck's website . She used to be the director of the Greenmarket, but got fired. Some of her ideas are that smaller farmers should be able to sell at the Greenmarket and that everything should be local, including the butter that goes into the baked good, for example. She a purist and an idealist. As a result, she has started up her own farmers markets called the Real Food Markets. I went to the one on Lafayette at Petrosino Square, but it was rainy and the second week that it was open, so it was basically 3 vendors and a bit pricey. I'm on her email list though and every week it sounds like it's getting bigger. Personally, I just want stuff to taste good and wish it was cheaper, but I appreciate the Nina Planck's of the world.
This morning I went to the Greenmarket at Tomkins Square Park and bought the usual summer staples: corn, lettuce, tomatoes, peaches... Then I saw the watermelon and knew I had to have one. I was going to get a yellow on the inside, stripey on the outside melon, but this group of 3 Chinese men were thumping all of those melons and I didn't feel like butting in. So I went with the red "sweet baby". I did some thumping and I know it's supposed to sound hollow, but they all sounded the same to me. Is the thump supposed to be in the key of C? B minor?
So I asked the Chinese guy next to me. His response to my thump was Maybe. So I called my mom and she wasn't home. My dad was like, huh? what? Mommy will be home in an hour. We talked about about when mom was sick and dad bought a watermelon to cheer us up. He cut into it and out poured red liquid because it was rotten inside. That sucked as well as symbolized everything that was going wrong at the time.
I just cut into my little melon and while the disappointment wasn't as profound as when Dad cut that rotten one, it sorta sucked because the flesh isn't sweet on this baby. The taste is well, watered down, and it doesn't have that distinctive sugary taste. It's okay, I'll make watermelonade with my lemon of a watermelon, but it's not good enough for my watermelon, cilantro, feta salad.
I just spoke to my mom and she said that the thump should sound like a "pung!" I have no idea what she's talking about, but she also said that the vine should have fallen off cleanly. My vine was still attached. I picked a melon before it was ready.
Dammit!

Sweet Red Bean Fish


I finally did another video. This is a sneak peak of episode 3. Who knows when it will be finished!

Crazycakes

Friday was my boss' birthday, but he didn't didn't tell me until late in the day when I was running around town like a headless chicken trying to fetch the actor's prop wedding rings. So I ignored the boss' declaration and decided that his birthday would be on Monday.
On Sunday I was eating ice cream (I had watermelon sherbet; Ted had black sesame ice cream) at Sundaes and Cones (95 E. 10th St. bw 3rd & 4th Ave.) and spied the perfect present. An ice cream cake, of course! There's a computer on the counter with a slideshow of the ice cream cakes styles. I really wanted to get the "Poop on grass" motif, but I really wanted people to try the ice cream. So I went with the "Balls". Little balls of ice cream formed a circle on the top surrounding the Happy Birthday phrase.
Sundaes and Cones used to be in Brooklyn, but the owner who happens to be Chinese decided to bring his fun flavors to Manhattan. Similar to the Chinatown Ice Cream Factory, S&C makes the Asian classics: green tea, ginger and red bean ice creams. But they also make more. Much more.
My second new favorite flavor is corn! Wouldn't that be funny in a poop on grass cake? It's quite tasty actually. Think about it. Corn on the cob is sweet. You put butter on corn. Butter is made of cream. Ice cream has cream in it.
But like I said, I really wanted the office people to try the stuff, so I chose the my #1 new favorite, black sesame, ginger, and mocha chip for the cake layers. The sesame lends a nuttyness and natural saltiness to the sweet cream, while the ground up seeds add a bit of flavorful grit that's yummy. The ginger is mostly sweet cream, but every now and again you hit a spicy piece of candied ginger. The mocha chip I threw in there for the mainstream peeps. Derrick doesn't like chocolate, but I still had them add chocolate crunchies in between the ice cream layers. It turned out really good, I thought. Reaction was mixed, but I had fun watching people think about the flavors. And the boss liked it, so he said.
Sundaes and Cones asks for cake orders (8"cake $28) a week in advance but they said they could do it for Tuesday August 1. That's MY birthday. So we had an early afternoon cake and an tea time cake. I told Erik when I started this job that I wanted this heart shaped cream puff cake from Choux, the other creampuff factory. I was fascinated by the mixture of cream, chocolate and puff pastry that I saw on their postcard. I have to say, I enjoyed the ice cream cake just a little bit more. I mean, there were surprises with the choux cake. Namely it was much smaller in real life than the picture; it was hard to cut; there was a fresh strawberry layer; and they misspelled my name! I loved this little cake, but I found the pastry part a little stale and the chocolate layer a bit rubbery. I wonder if that's because you have to order it a week in advance. Do they make it a week in advance?
Either way, I still enjoyed it and it was so pretty.

Shake Shack

So much has been written about the Shake Shack in Madison Park that I didn't feel like writing about it. Then I read this
essay about the boring industrial design of the Shack and why would you want to take your out of town friends there. Tourists might wonder why you just didn't take them to Wendy's across the street. But I don't think that's the point. It's a centrally located place to enjoy the outdoors and get a cheap(for NY) and yummy meal. Simple formula that's wildly popular.
It's such a mob scene that they've installed a webcam to moniter the line all the time. The hype is true, Shake Shack is really good. So is it worth the wait? Definately not when you're dining alone. But if you're meeting friends and they can get in line while you're running late, it's great! I recently met up with Matt and Diana at Shake Shack and as Diana pointed out, the nature of fast food is that it's fast to make and fast to eat. Because the line is so long (everything is made to order), you're forced to wait and it gives friends the opportunity to catch up and socialize in line. Just don't go too hungry because you'll over order!
The food is simple grub — burgers, hotdogs, French fries, milk shakes, and sundaes.
Actually, the milk shakes are made with their frozen custard. Reminds me of the stuff I used to eat at Sandy's Frozen Custard (Sandy's is in Austin and they served a cone for 65cents!). The kiddie cup at the Shack is a buck fifteen, so the price is nice. The Shack also offers different flavors besides chocolate and vanilla. In fact, they are so organized that on the website, they have a calendar of the flavor of the day. Today's flavor is summer peach. Ooooh! Every Thursday this month, they're serving sour cherry. I'm going to have to bookmark that page.
I dig the burgers there (Prices vary from 3.23 for a single hamburger to 6.46 for a double Shack burger), but I also really like the mushroom burger ($4.15). It's actually a fried portobello mushroom cap with special sauce (mayo&ketchup), cheese and lettuce and tomato. I like to believe that this deep fried yummy is healthier than it's beefy counterpart. I'm probably wrong, but it tastes so right! I haven't tasted their hotdogs and Matt didn't give me a bite of his Chicago dog, but it looks good, doesn't it? I forgot to take a picture of the French fries, but they're just your run of the mill crinkle cuts. Save the calories and get a burger with the custard if you're debating between the fries and dessert. But if you like to live a little, then by all means, order it all!

Pies and Thighs

Isn't this a gorgeous sight? There aren't many places that I know of with good fried chicken under ten bucks. Charles' Chicken in Harlem is my favorite in the city, and luckily it's far from my apartment, so I haven't been up there in a long while. Closer to home, I love me some Mama's fried chicken with their cream drenched mashed potatoes. But it's the combination of the chicken and biscuit that I miss from growing up in the South. That's why I've been dying to try, Pies and Thighs. The NYTimes reviewed it a couple of weeks ago, but every time I've tried to go there (next to the Williamsburg Bridge at S.5th St. & Kent Ave.), Sunday after 4, it's been closed. So I smartened up and dragged Josh over there for an early Saturday supper.
As you can see, the fried chicken box ($8 including biscuit and side!) was 2 big pieces, one white, one dark, then a little wing tucked in the back of the basket. If you get it to go, you get a box. The meat was piping hot fresh from the fryer with a couple of shakes of tabasco on top. Nice crispy skin, not too much coating, but just enough to be satisfying. The white meat was amazingly juicy and I gave Josh my dark meat, so I could get half of his pulled pork sandwich, but I'm sure it was delicious.
And the biscuit! That biscuit was super buttery and hugely fluffy without being overly doughy. It was crispy on the outside, not hard like a hockey puck.
the only thing missing was honey to drizzle over the biscuit, but I didn't think about it until later. I was too excited.
Even though it took me three outings to finally eat here (They close when they run out of food?), it was sooo much better than my 2 attempts and final tasting of the much anticipated Dirty Bird, the organic fried chicken joint on 14th St. bw 7th & 8th. I should try it again because I've heard it's gotten better, but when I know that Pies and Thighs is so damn good, why would I go to a place that has good ideals, but the food is mediocre?

One of my problems with Dirty Bird is I didn't crave any of their sides. Corn bread, maybe, dirty rice, no. They have some other stuff, but not that much. When I eat chicken and biscuits, I want collards. And collards I had at Pies and Thighs!
The greens were delicious, flavored with a bit of the pulled pork that was cooking in the smoker in the concrete garden we were sitting in. Josh's pulled pork was quite good as well. Smokey and quite spicy with a vinegar based sauce. The bun melted under the sauce and the heft of the chopped coleslaw, but it seemed more homey with that wonder bread kind of bun. We shared his huge side order of potato salad. Mayo, mustard, dill, little red potatoes, and the same yummy pickles that topped the sandwich were sprinkled in the excellent salad.
Oh yeah, we splurged on the key lime pie. It was good, but was a little too fresh, it was still warm! It was still good, but creamier than tangy.

hambun

hambun
Originally uploaded by i_eat_ny.

There have been some minor annoyances at work lately. Solace has been mostly food related. After the rat incident at the 34th St. subway stairs, I started taking the stairs on the east side of the street. It was serendipitous because I stumbled upon a tiny Chinese bakery that serves yummy cheap treat. I think the lady thought I was Chinese the first time I went there as I was wearing my Departed tee shirt. The bloody character covering my chest says, "dead." I'm holding a half eaten ham bun with cheese. I tried not to eat it while walking to work, but I'm weak when it comes to cheese. This ain't a fancy treat, it's literally a white bread bun stuffed with a slice of ham lunch meat and a piece of American cheese melted (a little burned) on top. This yummy breakfast cost 75 cents and the accompanying watermelon milkshake coast only $1.50. The milkshake isn't pictured, because it's just a pink drink, but I have to divulge that it wasn't really a milkshake. It was watermelon (seedless) sweetened with simple syrup then blended with ice. I know I ranted about seedless watermelons recently, but when a treat is that cheap, I don't care!!!

Another Salad Day

salad
Originally uploaded by i_eat_ny.

Today was filled with bad luck. While I was running up the stairs at the 34th St. subway stop to get to work, a huge black rat ran down the stairs. The guy in front of me screamed like a woman, then of course I screamed. I could hear the dirty rat's talons tapping on the concrete. It was an omen of bad things to come. I'll spare you the bloody details of my visit to the dentist, but long story short I was tortured mentally and physically then paid $300 for it!
As a result, I'll be putting myself on the frugality plan again. Adios cocktails before dinner and popcorn at the movies. Hello budgeting and babysitting.
I really wanted a watermelon juice from Mexican Bakery on East 4th St. and 1st Ave to cheer me up, but I decided buying my own watermelon was the way to go. For $2.75, I get one juice, but for about 4bucks, I'll get a slice of watermelon that will last me at least 3 servings. (Such a rip off when you're from Texas, but I've gotten over this.) So I went to three different bodegas in my neighborhood looking for watermelon with seeds. Everyone has gone seedless it seems! Have people become so lazy that we can't even be bothered to spit out seeds? I refuse to buy seedless melon, there's just something wrong about them and they aren't as sweet. I finally found them at the deli bodega on East 7th St. on the east side of 1st Ave. I remember a couple of years ago, people were handing out flyers not to shop there because they weren't union or something, but life's about choice. And I needed that seedy watermelon for my feta, cilantro, snow pea and lettuce salad. There's just something about the feta, melon, cilantro combination. I heard that the combination was from the times of Mesopotamia. Or maybe it's the Mediterranean. Whatever. The cilantro really brightens up greens, the salt of the cheese and juicy sweetness of the watermelon rock together. A splash of lime juice and a few grinds of pepper are all that's needed for dressing and now I'm looking foward to tomorrow.

Salad Days

Sometimes it’s so hot here in the city, one doesn’t really feel like eating. Who are those nutjobs? There’s so much great stuff to eat right now!
Summer is the best time to buy fruit at the farmer’s market and blend them into smoothies. Don’t waste your money on stupid Starbucks and Jamba Juice, make that shit yourself. Save the dregs of your morning coffee and throw it into the freezer for a mocha milkshake later. Now is the time to buy tons of blueberries (Chances are they’re on sale and grown in New Jersey. Since they’re local, you don’t have to feel guilty about those Chilean bananas. They cancel each other out.) Freeze those babies for winter when the farmer’s market it only selling apples. As far as veggies, I’ve been pretty satiated with the sugar snap peas, but I’m really lusting for corn on the cob and tomatoes.
While I’m waiting, let's talk about one of my favorite salads that’s available and delicious all year round. When a chopped salad contains meat, is it a called a chopped meat salad? At New Saigon on 1st Ave. (bw East 3rd&4th St.), it’s the #27 Shredded Chicken Salad with Lime Juice. I’m not so lazy that I’ll have this salad delivered, but I will call the order in to pick up. When I’m tired after a day of sitting in front of the computer eating Doritos at the office, this salad seems healthy. It’s made of cabbage, carrot, iceberg, cilantro (and sometime parsley), red onion and chicken. I think the dressing is actually lemon rather than lime juice, but I only think that because the cooks garnish the salad with extra slices of lemon. It’s fresh, cheap and so much faster to have someone else do all that chopping!
When I need that salad, but I have company, I don’t take them to New Saigon because it’s a take out joint and verges on depressing. Instead, I’ll take them to Chinatown, as I did when my Godmother visited last month.
On the way to Nhå Hång (73 Mulberry St.), we passed a Hare Krishna parade on 5th Ave while catching up on the past fifteen years. Nhå Hång is even better when you have a large group because the food is consistently good so you can order a lot of dishes. It’s a little exotic for food adventurers, but safe enough for the picky. It’s also great when you have jury duty, they serve cheap ban mi sandwiches and lunch specials. The first and last time I went to the World Trade Center before 9/11, I had dinner at Nhå Hång with a bunch of friends. Marsha had an open studio art show on the 98th floor, and we went out for a big dinner afterwards. This was the first time I went to NH, but it certainly has not been the last. The salt and pepper calamari, #73 Goi gå xé phay (Viet Style Shredded Chicken Salad with Mint and Lime Leaves) and the 7 treasures ice (jello and beans is weird, but fun) are dishes I love ordering. The salad is especially good because they serve it with those crispy chips that stick to your tongue. They remind me of those pastel colored egg cartons.
Pho Bang (157 Mott between Broome & Grand) serves this same shredded chicken salad, but the atmosphere at NH is a little better and I don’t think that Pho Bang has lime leaves in their version of the dish. I’ll just have to go back there and refresh my memory and my palate with this terrific salad.

A Provocative Act

I've been dying to try Pies and Thighs because I love me some fried chicken and biscuits, but when Josh and I went there, it was closed. Luckily, I had passed by Dana and Chris on the Williamsburg campus and they recommended what I thought was some kind of reggae Carribean restaurant, Marley and Sons. Bob had a bunch of sons, right? When we got the restaurant, I realized Marlow and Sons is owned by the same folks that gave us Diner and is more of a wine bar seafood shacky type place. No jerk chicken in sight.
There was an article in the New Yorker a couple of weeks ago about oysters that schooled me on that rule regarding oysters. You're not supposed to eat them on months without r's. For some reason, oysters know what months don't have r's in them and they have sex during that time, so you shouldn't eat them because they taste like their gonads. Or something like that.
Oysters are very sexy—they're wet, salty, and can be a little bit funky. I should write about oysters using some kind of sexy metaphors, but that seems kind of overdone. Besides, I was with my number one gay boyfriend. Josh and I were a bit apprehensive at first because it was a hot day and we're neurotic about getting sick, but after a stiff Mint Julip and Moscow Mule (ginger beer, lime and rum), we had no fears. Plus each oyster was only $1.25, it was happy hour(Mon-Fri 5-7 & Sat&Sun 2-6)! I wrote down the names of the oysters, but I lost the paper. You'll never remember the names anyway. All I remember is that the big ones were from the West Coast and the little ones were from the East. Or the other way around. Never you mind, all you need to know is that the big ones were funkier. The big ones were fleshier and creamier if you like oysters. Or phlegmier if you don't. The little ones were nice and briny and tasted fresh like the sea. I dug the little ones which goes along with what the New Yorker article mentions. Women like the smaller oysters. That article harped on whether or not people chewed the oyster. One farmer kind of kneaded it with his tongue, while another just bit it once. A chef said he learned as a kid that you had to chew it or else it would go down your gullet alive! Whatever the case, we had four of each oyster and it was the perfect amount. We then shared a nice, but not as interesting as the oysters, mozzarella and salami panini.
Marlow & Sons 81 Broadway, Williamsburg. Call for hours at 718.384.1441.

Little is Better

keylimes
Originally uploaded by i_eat_ny.

Today was the last day on American Gangster for Karen, so I went to get a treat for us.
I rode my bike up 11th ave, which was scary because of all of the Lincoln Tunnel traffic and because I can't stop thinking about the two people who recently got run over on their bikes last week. But I made it to the Little Pie Company in one piece and bought a key lime pie because they are tart. Karen has a very tart sense of humor and we were calling her the proptart, so it works. Riding south on 10th Ave was scary because I was scared my pie and mini cheesecakes were going to fly off the back of my bike. Then, much to my horror, a cop on a horse started trotting in front of me! I couldn't pass them on the left because the traffic was bumper to bumper to the Tunnel. I like horses, but that one did not seem happy, it kept on snorting and turning around, it was unnerving. I rode like a slug praying that the horse wouldn't poop in front of me.
Picture is a photo I took last year when I was working on "The Departed." The plain pie is from www.littlepiecompany.com Little Pie Company ($19) and the dressed up one was from Billy's ($25). I added the lime slices to Billy's because we had left over ones from the margaritas. We conducted a taste test and decided that while http://www.billysbakerynyc.com/ Billy's (184 9th Ave. bw 21&22nd) is prettier and had a thicker crust, Little Pie Co.(407 W. 14th St. & 424 W. 43rd St.) is better because the filling was tarter and limier.

kyle

kyle
Originally uploaded by i_eat_ny.

My friend Kyle's film ROOM has a week's run at the Pioneer (Weds 6/28 - Fri 7/7. The screening this Wed. will be introduced by Kyle and followed by a discussion with reps from the Joseph Campbell Foundation and the New York Jung Association. I'm going to buy tickets for the show tonight. I hope there are some left. I know this isn't really food related, but the Pioneer is owned by Two Boots pizza, a great place to get a slice. And they have an awesome peanut butter pie at their sit down restaurant across the street.

enids

enids
Originally uploaded by i_eat_ny.

Remember when some bitch called me fat on my own blog entry? I had eaten at Egg in Williamsburg, and I left hungry. I was annoyed and that person was annoyed that I was annoyed. Anyway, I said that if I wanted brunch with a Southern flavor and I was in Billyburg, I thought it was better to go to Enid's. And it still is! Last weekend was the Renegade Craft Fair in McCrarren Park so before Carol and I overdosed on wacky teeshirt designs, we needed food. I got the toad in the hole and Carol got the veggie burger. The burger was good, homemade and it had a little spice of something that made it quite red. My fried toast with two eggs was straight forward and filling. I also had a side of yummy greens, but it's literally off to the side for the photo.

Pee on me!

The Strangers With Candy movie finally opens June 28 at the Landmark Sunshine! Can you see Amy in the picture behind Dave and Steve? Apparently she signs her autograph with "pee on me." Here's what I think you should do next Friday: get a big group of friends together, go to Lil'Frankie's (19 1st Avenue bw 1st & 2nd St.), order the Frankie's salad, get a pizza pie, order some cocktails, (the Key lime pie tastes remarkably like the real thing). Then get more beer at the bodega and smuggle it in to the theater. Guaranteed good time. But friends and booze are essential.
Last night I went to the premiere of Strangers with Candy for friends and booze. The party was at Dylan's Candy Bar. The owner is Ralph Lauren's daughter, so I thought there would be candy from all over the world. I mean, I figured she's kind of a wealthy curator of candy, so why not search out interesting wackiness? The gummy teeth were the most fun, but the usual jelly bellies, m&m's and sour patch candies were all free at the party, so I'm not really complaining, just commenting. Note: If you want more interesting stuff, go to the Lower East Side and Economy Candy (108 Rivington Street) or the Sweet Life (63 Hester St.).
Let's move on to the food. Now, I've told you how I was disappointed with my last wrap party's food, right? Basically it was a movie about a French trained chef, but the food for the party was sliders and chicken on a stick. It didn't go with the concept of the movie.

Strangers with Candy is trashy fun, so the Costco food was perfect! Chicken nuggets (salty&greasy delicious), mini sliders (they were tinier than regular sliders), pigs in a blanket (really making a comeback—this is the 3rd party I've been to with these salty suckers), bagel pizzas (not as gross as they looked), BLT bites (my favorite—it seemed healthy with that little grape tomato, though the bacon could have been crisper), paper cups of mac&cheese (these were a hit, though I thought the mac wasn't cheesy, but greasy and it seemed uncouth to squeeze the cup's contents into the mouth). I'm actually pretty proud of myself because I didn't get trashed on the free wine and beer, didn't eat too much salty food, but I did eat a ton of candy. It's now sitting on the craft service table at work calling my name. When candy calls, you better answer.
Below, you'll see me being bummed that this guy isn't holding a food tray, but a trash tray. There were little trays of chocolate covered mini oreos, goobers, and yogurt covered rice crispies. I wondered if they were trying to get rid of old stock.