AlwaysInvestigating: Trini-Gul’s Bake ‘n Shark

Arthur Bovino — February 08, 2010

Trini-Gul makes Bake ‘n Shark that has inspired references to renditions in Trinidad (left, Richard’s).

Just before the end of the year, Trini-Gul, the new Trinidadian eatery on Nostrand Ave, got some love for its bake and shark, roti, and doubles. Any place that inspires references to Maracas Beach had to be checked out. So we visited Crown Heights to taste the bake ‘n shark, and to see where Trini-Gul’s doubles might place among the City’s best.

More Bake 'n Shark, Doubles, and Roti! >>

Featured Dish: Berliner Brat Burger

GutterGourmet — February 08, 2010

Clockwise from top: Berliner Brat Burger, Freakin Deal, and a Bratwurst.

Rolf Babiel has been missed since he passed last October, but thankfully, his brother Wolfgang carries on the Hallo Berlin cart tradition. I spent many a day on the corner of Fifth and 54th, waiting for my order to be ready— one of the great combination specials, often the ‘Dr. Atkins,’ or the ‘Churchill.’ Then there’s the ‘Freakin Deal,’ a wurst with onions, potato salad, and a warm crusty roll— a freakin’ deal indeed for $4.00. I loved to eat from an overflowing paper tray at one of the little folding counters on either side of the cart while watching Rolf slice the wursts and throw fresh ones on the grill.

But it’s a little cold for standing around outside, so lately I’ve taken to visiting Hallo Berlin Express on 9th Ave and 50th St. It has given me occasion to enjoy a sandwich that has not been given enough attention— the Triple B.

The Berliner Brat Burger is served on toasted bread with horseradish mustard and a pickle ($5.00). As the name suggests, it’s actually not so much a burger, as it is a salty, porky sausage in burger form. The one problem you encounter is that the bread doesn’t hold up to the juicy patty and its other toppings: rotwein, sauerkraut, and sautéed onions. But that won’t matter much when you down it while quaffing one of the German drafts they have on hand.

AlwaysInformed: Coming up on the Events Calendar (2/8)

February 08, 2010

Always Hungry’s Calendar keeps you informed about food events taking place around the city and the country. Here’s a list of some of this week’s significant events:

• 2/8 Head to Great Performances for a molecular gastronomy dinner.

• 2/8 Learn the basics of bread-making at The Culinary Loft’s cooking class.

• 2/8 Sample ciders from across the globe at Hearth’s special tasting dinner.

• 2/11 Indulge in chocolate and wine at the Global Giving Circle’s tasting event.

• 2/13 Head to Dos Caminos for a special Valentine’s Day Lunch menu.

• 2/14 Happy Valentine’s Day.

• 2/14 Happy Chinese New Year, celebrate the Year of the Tiger.

Click here to view Always Hungry’s full calendar.

AlwaysPartying: Superbowl Edition

Jeff Zalaznick — February 05, 2010

The spread.

Throwing a Superbowl party is something that must be done in style. Always Hungry style. The goal is to put together such an epic combination of food that your friends at the game wish they had stayed home. Normally this takes great meditation and planning, but if you stick with us, we will put it together for you. Follow these instructions and we guarantee that you will have the best Superbowl spread that any of your guests have ever seen.

Here is the move:

• New York’s best Buffalo Wings from Cercle Rouge
• Sloppy Joe Sandwiches from the Town Hall Deli
• A Bo Ssäm to-go from Momofuku Ssäm Bar
• And cook a Bacon Explosion just to ice the cake, and give the apartment that signature smell.

Click for an Always Hungry Spread >>

AlwaysTraveling: Emeril’s (New Orleans, LA)

Jeff Zalaznick — February 05, 2010

At Emeril’s, clockwise from top: Black Pasta with Crawfish Meatballs, Andouille and Boudin Sausages, and Banana Cream Pie.

Restaurant: Emeril’s New Orleans
Address: 800 Tchoupitoulas St,New Orleans, LA 70130
Contact: (504)528 9393
Hours: Lunch, Mon-Fri, 11:30am-2pm; Dinner, Mon-Sun, 6pm-10pm
Grade: B+
Always Hungry Recommends: Gumbo, Black Pasta with Crawfish Meatballs, Rabbit Remoulade, Boudin Sausage, Banana Cream Pie.

About five years ago, I attended a small dinner in the tasting room at Italian Wine Merchants that was being cooked by Mario Batali and Emeril Lagasse. Aside from it obviously being an epic experience, the one thing that I have never been able to forget was a white gumbo that Emeril served. It has been seared into my food memory as a wonderful flavor profile that I have not known since. So, there was little choice but to make a pilgrimage to the place where these flavors brewed long before the country become familiar with him as the screaming Food Network star.

As I expected, the meal had highs and lows, but one thing that it did deliver was that flavor that I had been yearning for. Both the Gumbo and the Boudin were perfectly rendered, and the black spaghetti with crawfish meatballs gave the perfect fusion twist.

But the highlight of the meal was a conversation I had with the restaurant’s general manager. He was telling me how he used to be one of Emeril’s executive sous-chefs. When I told him that I was from New York, he said that he had once visited the City with Emeril to cook a dinner, and that he would never forget it because he had been responsible for the gumbo, and that he made an experimental white gumbo that people are still talking about. My night was complete.

Click for Food at Emeril's >>

AlwaysTraveling: Café du Monde & Central Grocery

Jeff Zalaznick — February 05, 2010

Clockwise from top: Café du Monde, Powdered Sugar-Covered Beignets from Café du Monde, Central Grocery, Muffuletta from Central Grocery.

There is a long checklist for New Orleans eating, and it is no mistake that both Café du Monde and Central Grocery have found themselves at the top of this list for over 100 years._ These Decatur Street institutions are symbols of one of the country’s great cities and a reminder that the people of New Orleans have been eating and drinking better than we have for a long, long time.

When you visit, there is no better way to start your day than by taking a stroll through Jackson Square, sitting outside at Café du Monde and having Chicory Coffee and Beignets, and then strolling down the street to pick up a world famous Muffuletta at the Central Grocery. Last week, I did it three times in a row, and I cannot tell you how natural it felt. It is the most pleasurable morning routine that I have ever experienced. There is no question that both Café du Monde and Central Grocery deserve their iconic reputations.

Click for More About Café du Monde and Central Grocery >>

Featured Brunch: Ballaro

GutterGourmet — February 05, 2010

Ham and Cheese Frittata with Prosciutto di Parma.

Your new go-to for Italian brunch should be Ballaro, the Italian café and wine bar on 2nd Ave near 4th Street, named after an historic, open-air market in Palermo, Sicily. Ballaro’s cappuccino with chocolate sprinkled over the foam is among the best in class. The brunch special is an offer that you simply cannot refuse.

Choose between either the freshly-made ham and cheese frittata, or the vegetable (mushrooms, spinach, peppers and artichoke). Both frittatas rival the Spanish tortilla at Boqueria. Plus you get a mesclun salad with tomatoes, a slice of melon and your choice of sliced prosciutto di Parma or Speck dell’Alto Adige. All for $10, including the cappuccino!

Alternatively, make your own sandwich using their gourmet larder of affettati (sliced meats) and formaggi. I’m lobbying to have them name the one I made after me. The “GutterGourmet” consists of: olive oil baked focaccia warmed on the panini press, with culatello, creamy burrata made with latte di bufala, and topped with sliced stuffed hot cherry peppers. Also comes with the salad and the cappuccino for $10. Grazie mille, Ballaro!

SEARCH: Where to Watch the Big Game

Maryse Chevrière — February 05, 2010

Clockwise from top: scene from the Saints’ victory over the Vikings, Acme’s Fried Shrimp Po’Boy, Kate’s Crazy Wings from Wogies, and Cabrito’s Danger Dog.

If you’re planning to throw a Superbowl party, we’ve already got you covered. But let’s say you want to pass on the hosting duties and obligatory clean-up hassle. Where’s the best place to go for tasty snacks, strong drinks and good company while watching the Saints take on the Colts in Superbowl XLIV?

We’ve made it simple for you. Just go to Always Hungry’s Very Advanced Search Engine, select “Guys’ Night Out” from the By Occasion field and “Flat Screens Included” from the By Features field, for a list of great game day options.

Naturally, a lot of restaurants are offering specials deals for the event. A few interesting ones:

• Delmonico’s is serving up Buttermilk Fried Chicken, Double-Fried French Fries and unlimited Stella Artois on the house from 5:30pm to 6:30pm.
• For something less traditional, Artisanal is doing a Monterrey Jack Fondue with Black Beans and Chipotle ($48.50/person).
• If you’re one of the many who have been not-so-patiently awaiting the opening of Fatty ‘Cue, both Fatty Crab locations will serve a preview menu (though only the Fatty uptown has TV’s).

Top 5: Affogato

February 04, 2010

The Affogato: hot, bitter espresso poured over sweet ice cream. It’s a great meal-ender.

Affogato, it’s Italian for ‘drowned.’ Gelato drowned in hot espresso— coffee and dessert combined. Sounds like a simple dessert, right?

But there’s nuance involved in what constitutes a great affogato. What kind of espresso? What flavor gelato? Vanilla? No? What kind? And what’s the ratio of one to the other? Is there whipped cream, caramel or chocolate sauce? Toppings— sweet or salty variables scattered on top or served on the side? We kept all this in mind as we set out to find the City’s Top Five renditions.

Click here to find out Always Hungry’s Top 5 Affogato.

Have an idea for a Top 5? We’d love to hear from you. Go to the bottom of a Top 5 page and enter your suggestion into the “Suggest a Top 5” field along with your rankings and your email address.

Featured Cocktail: Shots! Shots! Shots!

Arthur Bovino — February 04, 2010

Get ready! The Tiki Torch Shot at the Zombie Hut in Carroll Gardens is set on fire.

All this talk of rum, tiki culture, and its revival, reminded us of a drink called the The Tiki Torch Shot at the Zombie Hut in Carroll Gardens. This isn’t just about picking one up and slamming it down. It’s set on fire, and instructions are required. It currently joins the Pickle Back at The Rusty Knot, and the Cooool Shot at Mad For Chicken, as three of our favorite, more involved shots. And if you do all three in one night it will probably be a great story to tell. If you can remember anything…

More Tiki, More Pickle, More Cooool... >>

AlwaysTraveling: Restaurant August (New Orleans, LA)

Jeff Zalaznick — February 04, 2010

Clockwise from left: Salad with Beets and Crabmeat, Potato Gnocchi with Blue Crab and Truffle, Slow Cooked Venison Shoulder, and Redfish “Courtbouillon.”

Restaurant: Restaurant August
Address: 301 Tchoupitoulas St, New Orleans, LA 70130
Contact: (504)299-9777
Hours: Lunch, M-F, 11am-2pm. Dinner, daily, 5-10pm
Grade: A-
Always Hungy Recommends: Oyster Trio, “Chop Salad,” Trout Pontchartrain, Duck & Foie Gras.

Classic New Orleans cocktails, local ingredients, and contemporary French food done by local celebrity chef John Besh. It is a prerequisite when it comes to New Orleans fine dining, and while it may not be the most exciting meal that you have in town, it will most certainly be one of best.

Click Here for the Food Porn >>

Always Hungry: Best of January

Jeff Zalaznick — February 03, 2010

Clockwise from top: Mile End’s Smoked Meat Sandwich, Maialino’s Amatriciana al Forno, Cochon’s Fried Oyster and Bacon Sandwich, Café du Monde’s Beignets.

If you follow Always Hungry’s Twitter Feed, you’ve witnessed the epic eating that goes down on a daily basis. It would be difficult to find someone who eats as much, as often, or at as many places as I do, which is why you love and trust Always Hungry. Every time I eat, I tweet, so that our readers know what is going on in the world of Always Hungry in real time.

Use this as a timely guide to what you should be eating now. Here is the Best of January.

The Results:

Best Dishes:

Al Di Là: Farro Salad, Zucca Tortelli.
Babbo: Black Spaghetti, Grilled Pork Chop.
Benihana: Clear Soup, House Salad, Shrimp Appetizer, Hibachi Chateaubriand.
Charlie Mom: Vegetable Dumplings, Young Chow Fried Rice, Ginger Scallion Lobster.
Double Crown: Vegetable Mulligatawny Soup, Endive and Stilton Salad.
Le Caprice: Roast Rib of Beef with Yorkshire Pudding, Corned Beef Hash with Double Fried Egg.
Lung Kee: Spicy Pork Jerky.
Ma Pêche: Three Terrine Banh Mi, Rice Noodles and Pork Sausage.
Maialino: Salumi Platter, Cotechino & Pigs Feet, Stracciatella Soup, Fried Artichokes, Veal T-bone, Oxtails, Chicken Diavola, Braised Lamb.
Marea: Crudos, Bone Marrow and Octopus Fusilli, Veal Agnolotti, John Dory.
Mile End: Smoked Meat Sandwich, Ruth Wilensky.
Momofuku Ssäm Bar: Hamachi, Spicy Rice Cakes, BBQ Rib Sandwich, Ribeye.
Prime Meats: Housemade Pretzel, German Brown Trout, Dry Aged Bone-In Ribeye, Spaetzle.
Roman’s: Bacon-wrapped Rabbit, Sausage, Parsnips.
Sau Voi: BBQ Pork Banh Mi.
Second Avenue Deli: Roast Beef, Cole Slaw.
Shabu Tatsu: Munchie Salad, Prime Rib Shabu.
Wallse: Duck Breast with Red Cabbage, Creamed Spinach, Potato-Cucumber Salad.
Xi’an Famous Foods: Cumin Lamb Burger.

New Orleans

August: Stuffed Flounder, Trout “Pontchartrain”, Duck and Foie Gras.
Café du Monde: Chickory Coffee, Beignets.
Central Grocery: Original Muffuletta.
Cochon: Oyster & Bacon Sandwich, Mushroom Salad, Oyster Roast, Fried Boudin, Pork Gumbo, Oven Roasted Gulf Fish, Pineapple Upside Down Cake, Banana Cream Pie.
Emeril’s: BBQ Shrimp, Warm Mississippi Rabbit Remoulade, Black Spaghetti & Crawfish Meatballs, Gumbo, Homemade Andouille & Boudin Sausages.
Galatoire’s: Oysters Brochette, Trout Amandine.
Saints Superdome: Jambalaya.

Restaurant Picks: Benihana, Charlie Mom, Ma Pêche, Maialino, Marea, Mile End, Momofuku Ssäm Bar, Second Avenue Deli, Shabu Tatsu, The Smile, Wallse, Xi’an Famous Foods.

The Numbers:

Number of meals: 75
Number of restaurants: 61
Number of dishes: 431

CLICK HERE to See All of the Meals and Follow Always Hungry’s Twitter

AlwaysTraveling: Cochon (New Orleans, LA)

Jeff Zalaznick — February 03, 2010

Clockwise from top: Exterior, Oyster and Bacon Sandwich, Dining Room, Oven-Roasted Gulf Redfish.

Restaurant: Cochon
Address: 930 Tchoupitoulas St, New Orleans, LA 70130
Contact: ‎(504)588-2123
Hours: Mon-Fri, 11am-10pm; Sat, 5:30pm-10pm; Closed Sunday
Grade: A+
Always Hungry Recommends: Wood-Fired Oyster Roast, Fried Boudin, Mushroom Salad, Oyster and Bacon Sandwich, Oven-Roasted Gulf Redfish, Banana Cream Pie

Cochon, and its chefs, Donald Link and Stephen Stryjewski, have received much praise since the restaurant opened in 2006. The James Beard Foundation, which named Link the Best Chef: South, in 2007 for his restaurant, Herbsaint, also nominated Cochon for Best New Restaurant that same year. It has been celebrated for its in-house preparations (whole pig boucherie and homebrewed whiskey), its gourmet renditions of New Orleans classics, and a commitment to fresh, local ingredients. In fact, they source most everything from within a 100-mile radius.

Still, even amidst the hype, it is so rewarding when a great restaurant can live up to its reputation, and so rare when it can surpass expectations. This restaurant does both in stride. Cochon is New Orleans food done the best way it can be done. Everything here is good, but the dishes that truly shine are those that take New Orleans’ tradition and combine it with a skilled hand and a creative touch.

Click here for dishes at Cochon >>

AlwaysTraveling: Who Dat Nation

Jeff Zalaznick — February 03, 2010

A scene from the Saints’ January 24th victory over the Vikings.

Who dat? Who dat? Who dat say dey gonna beat dem Saints? Who dat? Who dat?

For the New Orleans Saints it has been a very long road to their first Superbowl, but finally, the people of NOLA have a football team that lives up to their wonderful food.

There is no question that New Orleans is one of the greatest, and possibly most unique food cities in the world, and we would like to make sure to celebrate that appropriately. Thus, what better way to show our Superbowl endorsement of the team than by bringing you coverage of some of the greatest meals that the Big Easy has to offer for the rest of this week. And besides, there is really not much food worth noting in Indianapolis.

First stop: Cochon.

AlwaysHungry: Save the Deli

GutterGourmet — February 02, 2010

Old Jewish Joke. When asked if it’s ok to put a mezuzah in a Lamborghini:
The orthodox rabbi asks: “What’s a Lamborghini?”
The conservative rabbi says: “No, the car is not built by Jews.”
The reformed rabbi asks: “What’s a mezuzah?”“

Save the Deli by David Sax simultaneously sounds a dire warning that the Jewish Deli is an endangered institution while expressing hope that it may yet be resurrected. I’m reminded of the book by the recent opening of Mile End in Brooklyn’s Boerum Hill. Though not intended as a religious text, Save the Deli has very personal meaning. As someone who grew up in an ultra-reformed Jewish household (where the Feast of San Gennaro took precedence over Yom Kippur), Katz’s, 2nd Ave. Deli, Carnegie, and Stage were my temples far more than the neighborhood synagogue.

David Sax grew up in Toronto, the son of two Montreal-born Jews. But, like me he has a strong sense of Jewish identity that is more closely associated with pastrami than with a mezuzah. In fact, he correctly points out that Schwartz’s in Montreal may be more authentic than even the great delis of New York City. Having eaten Schwartz’s smoked meat, I cannot disagree.

The book takes a whirlwind tour of Jewish deli enclaves from the obvious (New York, Los Angeles, and Miami) to the surprising (New Orleans, Houston, and even Scottsdale). I agree with many observations— “lean” should be expurgated from the Jewish Deli menu lexicon, so too the word “mayo” —while disagreeing with others: hand-slicing versus machine-slicing separates the men from the “goys.” No matter your religion, Save the Deli is a great reminder of the joys and traditions of latkes, chopped liver, blintzes, kugel, and pastrami as catered by the local Jewish Deli.