Top 5: Bone Marrow
March 18, 2010
Warm and buttery, spread on bread that’s toasted or fresh, bone marrow is an unctuous treat.
Meat jelly. Meat butter. Quasi-solid meat oil. Bone marrow as a condiment. The new butter. The new lardo, even. Go back a few years and it was rare to find it anywhere but in the middle of an Ossobuco, the part that your grandfather loved, but no one else explored. In the last few years it has exploded as an ingredient of choice. There is no doubt that Blue Ribbon was the first to the party when they paired it with Oxtail Marmalade, and created a drunken chef’s best friend, but now it is everywhere, running rampant at great restaurants across the country.
When it comes to marrow, there is marrow as an ingredient, as in the Fusilli and Bone Marrow Pasta at Marea, or the Marrow Poppers at Employees Only, and then there is marrow in its pure sense— served as the main event. It’s the latter that we’re talking about— the bone of the fore shank (though the bone from the hind shank can be used too) veal or beef, that is, typically, sawed in half, seasoned, roasted, and served with toast, and an accoutrement that is most often a variation on a lemony parsley salad.
Obviously, the bread and the accoutrements play a role, but what makes one roasted marrow bone better than another? The sourcing (the inherent animal quality), the cooking (if cooked too long, the marrow dries up, and even the thought of undercooked marrow is disgusting), and of course, the seasoning. There are many factors the play into a great roasted marrow bone, which is why it has become a dish that not only has a loyal following, but a place of honor in the pantheon of Top 5’s.
Click here to find out Always Hungry’s Top 5 Bone Marrow.
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 Restaurant: Sushi Zen
Arthur Bovino — March 18, 2010
Clockwise from top: Seared Scottish Salmon Sashimi Salad, Chawan Mushi with Uni, Yellowtail Scallion Handroll, Bara Chirashi ‘Sushi Zen Style.’
On a red page in the Sushi Zen menu is a poem:
Tell me your long story,
Your journey may continue endlessly,
But today you have stopped at my place.
Welcome my friends, welcome.
Let us toast the wonderful evening.
The poem is slightly corny, but it’s also inviting. And when you sit down to a meal at one of the City’s best sushi bars it’s nice to feel welcome. We certainly did during a recent meal with the GutterGourmet.
Featured Cocktail: Watermelon Soju at Pocha 32
Maryse Chevrière — March 18, 2010
Pocha 32’s Watermelon Soju.
Cocktails might be the last thing on your mind after yesterday’s St. Paddy’s Day revelry, but a little hair of the dog never hurt. Here’s a good recommendation: Watermelon Soju at Pocha 32 in K-Town.
We know what you’re thinking. What’s so special about watermelon soju at a Korean restaurant? The answer here, is presentation. The drink is actually served inside a hollowed-out, halved watermelon. You’re given a ladle, and chilled camping-style tins for self-service. It’s an ideal drink to split among friends, and a pretty good deal at $24— you can easily get upwards of six liberal pours.
The drink is refreshing, and not too sweet (an accomplishment for a fruit cocktail), and the flavor is a dead ringer for watermelon Bubbalicious gum. It evokes summer and backyard barbecues. The bonus, of course, is scraping out spoonfuls of the saturated fruit once all the soju has been downed. Just be forewarned: this stuff is more potent than the taste would suggest. Of course, if you do wind up with a hangover, we’ve got you covered.
AlwaysPartying: Cures for St. Paddy’s Day Hangover
Arthur Bovino — March 18, 2010
ENGOV is an over-the-counter hangover cure that you may have wanted to get ahead of time.
Is it normal that your head is still spinning when you close your eyes? Probably not. If after last night’s revelry, you actually feel like eating today, there are solutions for getting over your St. Paddy’s Day hangover. The first one you might have needed to plan out a bit, it involves an over-the-counter hangover pill that’s really popular in Brazil, but that can be snagged in at least one spot in Queens.
Nobody here is a doctor, but ENGOV has been known to clear the cobwebs if not quite get you from 0 to 60. In Brazil, when people know they’re going to get ripped, they stop into a local farmácia to buy packets of these pills whose ingredients (aluminum hydroxide, caffeine, acetylsalicylic, and pyrilamine maleate) can be found in antacids, aspirin, and antihistamines. You’re meant to take one before your first drink and another after the last. But, you can also just take two the next day.
It may just be a placebo, but for future reference, you can find ENGOV at Rio Bonito in Astoria (32-15 36th Ave), the Brazilian Market that was the site of New York’s first pizza cone sightings before K! Pizzacone came to town. If you’re not into pill-popping, there are some food cures…
AlwaysInformed: The Mister Softee Jingle
Arthur Bovino — March 18, 2010
Mister Softee is back.
It happened last night, 2010’s first Mister Softee jingle. It makes sense if you consider Mister Softee’s history. In 1956, the Conway brothers took their first truck out on St. Paddy’s Day, and gave out green-colored ice cream. March 17th was the anniversary of Mister Softee’s first outing.
The jingle signifies that warm weather is near, but it’s also the crack of the starter’s pistol—the beginning of a run of articles, and local TV news spots that detail how the jingle drives city-dwellers crazy. People have been hiding from the cold so long they forget they can actually leave their homes. They take three months of cabin fever out on poor Mister Softee, and his happy little song.
Last year’s dire warnings included a report at the end of March in The Daily News about Inwood residents claiming to be driven mad by the constant jingle. The New York Post chimed in two months later, this time in Williamsburg and Greenpoint, with residents complaining about the trucks that circle McCarren Park. NPR in 2007 when New York City implemented a new noise code. You get the idea. The over/under on the 2010’s first news report about people being driven mad with rage about the jingle? By next Friday, Monday the 29th at the latest.
Two things. It’s beautiful outside, get out of the house. Go buy an a ice cream. Also, did you know the jingle has lyrics? The cream-i-est dream-i-e-est Softee words were copyrighted in 1960:
AlwaysPartying: St. Patrick’s Day
Maryse Chevrière — March 17, 2010
Mint Jelly to accompany the Lamb Chop from Ben & Jack’s Steakhouse on 5th Avenue.
Most days, it ain’t easy being green. But on St. Patrick’s Day green is where it’s at. Lucky for you, we’ve compiled photographs of some favorite green-hued eats and drinks.
Think about it, there’s a lot of green food out there. Spinach, lettuce, avocados, peas— with pasta, on pizza, in sushi, and on sandwiches. The list goes on. Of course, if you’re looking to down pints til you’re green in the face, Midtown Lunch has a great round-up of places to bar crawl in the heavily pub-dominated neighborhood.
Behold, the epic green foods photo extravaganza you’ve been waiting for. Happy St. Paddy’s Day.
AlwaysPartying: Eat Beer for St. Paddy’s Day!
Maryse Chevrière — March 17, 2010
Litre Pints at Radegast Beer Hall & Garden.
Sure, drinking beer on St. Patrick’s Day is practically a rule, but let’s not overlook the many great foods that are actually made using beer. To celebrate, we’ve created our own menu using dishes that feature beer as a key ingredient.
AlwaysPartying: A Shamrock Shake and a Whiskey Witch Walked into a Bar…
Maryse Chevrière — March 17, 2010
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Clockwise from top: McDonald’s elusive Shamrock Shake, Fat Witch Bakery’s Whiskey Witch, and Baked by Melissa’s St. Patrick’s Day Cupcakes (image courtesy of Baked by Melissa).
Greensanity continues. This time with green sweets. As reported, the Union Square McDonald’s is serving the Shamrock Shake, a tasty minty green confection not normally found in New York. It’s good, get it while you can (though maybe not between stops on your bar crawl!).
If you’re in the Union Square neighborhood with a sweet tooth, make a pit stop at Baked by Melissa for their festive green cupcakes. Or if you’re by Chelsea Market, Fat Witch Bakery is offering some St. Patrick’s Day-themed brownies, like the Whiskey Witch: “a wee bit of whiskey in a Fat Witch.” It’s a sly, guilt-free way to booze at your desk if you can’t be out amongst all the drunken tomfoolery.
Hungry Chefs: Scott Smith of RUB BBQ
Arthur Bovino — March 16, 2010
Pit Master Scott Smith.
Burgers, burgers, burgers. Burgers topped with butter, stuffed with cheese, sandwiched with chicken, spread with peanut butter, and topped with fried egg. The Monday night burger special cooked up by pit master, Scott Smith at RUB BBQ, has been a big success. Always Hungry featured two of them, the Butter, and Goober burgers, and A Hamburger Today has gotten into the habit of sending out a weekly alert detailing the night’s featured burger (Scott decides them day-of).
This Monday’s burger eschewed a regional style for the burger that Scott wanted to make— just so he could eat it. What was it? Read the Q&A.
AHNY: What’s the special burger for tonight [Monday]?
Scott Smith: A Bacon and Roaring Forties Blue Cheese Burger served with a horseradish aioli. This one’s for me.
AlwaysInformed: Lunch at Dickson Farmstand Meats
Maryse Chevrière — March 16, 2010
Salt and Pepper Sausage on a Roll.
Those in the environs of Chelsea Market during lunch certainly don’t want for good dining options, the new offerings at Dickson’s Farmstand Meats included among them. The butcher shop, which has been serving lunch for three or four weeks, offers about five sandwiches that change daily (check their site).
A representative noted that every day they try to have two sandwiches and two sausages on the offer (the Beef Chili is a staple). The star of today’s menu? It was a deceptively simple-sounding Salt and Pepper Sausage on a Roll ($9.00). The loose, juicy sausage has a snappy casing, and comes drenched in richly-flavored, sweetish, baked beans with burnt ends. The chewy baguette holds up nicely, and the runny whole grain mustard under the sausage adds a spicy kick. Say hello to the new gourmet chili dog. Toss that tie over your shoulder, hunch over the tray, and get ready to chow down. This is going to get messy.
OnlyLook: Village Tart Desserts
Maryse Chevrière — March 16, 2010
Valrhona Chocolate Dulce de Leche Skillet Torte.
The desserts at Village Tart inspired some high hopes. Afterall, the newish bakery-brasserie sports a pedigree that includes Permanent Bruncher Lesly Bernard and consulting pastry chef Pichet Ong. The dessert menu seduces with words like “Valrhona chocolate,” “butterscotch,” and “dulce de leche.” And early word on their baked goods set inspired more confidence. Sadly, the love affair ends there.
First Look: Pulino’s Bar and Pizzeria
Arthur Bovino — March 15, 2010
Sausage Egg Breakfast Pizza.
Funny how things work. Frank Pepe’s opened its first New York location in Yonkers last November. Last week, Eddie’s of New Hyde Park announced it would soon make its first inroads into Manhattan since they opened in 1941. Now both styles of pizza have met on Bowery and Houston in Pulino’s Bar and Pizzeria, Keith McNally and Nate Appleman’s much-awaited pizzeria. The kicker? As Eater has well-documented with its first looks at the decor, the place looks like it has been there on the corner forever.
Of course, Neapolitan-style was a New York staple long before Frank Pepe’s left the confines of New Haven. But Pulino’s combines the crust texture and taste of Pepe’s with an even thinner pie, one that’s just about 2½ times the thickness of what you’d expect from Eddie’s. Not to say it’s cracker-like, it’s not at all. But it is not a doughy pie. Do not think Kesté, Co., or Motorino. Nor are pizzas as charred as the ones pictured by Zagat. What we have here folks, as was the intention – is an idiosyncratic style of pizza. A standardized amoeba shape, a thin crust, and square cuts.
Featured Restaurant: Five Leaves
Arthur Bovino — March 15, 2010
Grilled Sardines with Caramelized Cauliflower, Eggplant, Pine nuts, and Curried Date Dressing, and Affogato with an Intelligentsia Organic Espresso Shot at Five Leaves in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.
There was a time not long ago, when those walking from the Bedford L toward McGuinness had already filled their bellies, or well knew the contents of their fridge. It was a hike past the Turkey’s Nest, the concrete baseball field, and the benches near the Automotive High School, to their vinyl-sided homes. Unless they planned to eat Polish, Thai, or at Wasabi, passing N 12th without having eaten was a no-no. But change comes fast in Williamsburg, and this energy has spread to Greenpoint. So it is that Five Leaves, a neighborhood joint, provides this hipster trail of tears a place to feast on the way.
AlwaysTraveling: Nagycsarnok (Budapest, Hungary)
Arthur Bovino — March 15, 2010
The sign above this market entrance in Budapest, “Isamu Vásárcsarnok,” means Isamu Market Hall.
Market: Nagycsarnok, Great Market Hall
Address: 1056 Budapest, V. kerület, Fővám tér 1, Hungary
Highlights: Paprika, Strudel, Tokaji, Unicum, Pálinka
Hours: Mon 6am-5pm, Tue-Fri 6am-5pm, Sat 6am-2pm, Sun closed.
Nagycsarnok, also known as the Great Market Hall, is Budapest’s largest indoor market. It supposedly came about at the turn of the 19tth century, after the unification of Pest and Óbuda, when outdoor markets were unable to supply the growing city with fresh produce. Leaders decided to build a covered market hall similar to those elsewhere in Europe at the time. Nagycsarnok was designed by Samu Pecz, and completed in 1894, but caught fire and had to be repaired before it could reopen in 1897. The market was reconstructed between 1991 and 1994.
More Photographs of the Great Market Hall >>
AlwaysInformed: Coming up on the Events Calendar (3/15)
March 15, 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:
- 3/15 Tour the City’s best BBQ joints on this ribs and brisket eat-athon.
- 3/17 Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Eat, drink, and be green.
- 3/18 You and your child can learn the art of making Challah at a 92nd Street Y’s baking class.
- 3/20 Experience the food of a Mediterranean Passover at the Astor Center’s cooking class and wine pairing.
- 3/21 Taste the best of Little Italy and what used to be Little Ireland on this neighborhood walking tour.
- 3/21 Five chefs compete in a whole roast pig-off at Cochon 555.
Click here to view Always Hungry’s full calendar.
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