AlwaysInvestigating: Chicken Beak-to-Tailfeather
Arthur Bovino — March 11, 2010
The Always Hungry approach to chicken beak-to-tailfeather eating.
From FergusStock and Cabrito to Hakata Tonton, there was a time last year when there seemed to be nose-to-tail eating going on every which way you turned. It involved hearts, tongues, and heads of oxen, pigs, duck, goat and the like, but no chicken. Then someone on the interwebs wrote a post about eating balut (fetal duck embryo), inspiring beak-to-tailfeather eating. Okay, so no one ate any beaks. But we did gather an impressive résumé of tasty chicken offal from restaurants around the City.
AlwaysInvestigating: Testing the Dos Toros Quesadilla
Arthur Bovino — March 04, 2010
The Steak Quesadilla at Dos Toros Taqueria.
People have been talking about how good the quesadillas are at Dos Toros Taqueria. In early January, Oliver Strand called them “a marquee player.” Soon after, Ed Levine said, “I don’t think there is a better quesadilla to be had in all New York City.” We thought the same thing last November. But all this talk inspired the question: what are the City’s other great contenders?
Menupages puts the number of New York restaurants with ‘quesadilla’ on their menus at 860 (that only 468 are labeled Mexican may cause concern). Even crossing off Applebee’s and the like, determining the City’s best quesadilla would be daunting. After due diligence, we pitted seven steak renditions at well-regarded places against Dos Toros to see who might topple the quesadilla that would-be king.
AlwaysInvestigating: Sunny & Annie Deli Sandwiches
Arthur Bovino — March 03, 2010
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Clockwise from top: Mr. Bloomberga, The Louis 649, Kimchee Sandwich, and the P.H.O. Real.
Even if you don’t live in the East Village, you’ve probably heard about the deli sandwiches at Sunny & Annie Deli on Avenue B. It’s a veritable Yelper’s delight, that place your friend keeps telling you about that supposedly has “thousands” of sandwiches on their menu, many written in magic marker on scraps of paper taped to the glass shield. He’s always stopping off there for a sandwich after a night of drinking, or ducking in between sessions at Alphabet City bars. “You know, that place on the corner! They’re open all night!”
The sandwiches have numbers that sporadically climb to 1,005, then jump to 10,000. But they really serve the same function as the names— there aren’t actually thousands. The folks there put the count at “about a hundred.” Still not a number to scoff at. A few, like Joe-Bama, John Kerry, P.H.O. Real, and the Biden, have even garnered press. While it’s not new to the scene, we recently visited to sample some of the most popular, more interesting sandwiches.
AlwaysInvestigating: Battle of the Pizza Cones
Arthur Bovino — February 22, 2010
Left, K! Pizzacone’s Breakfast Pizza. Right, Rio Bonito’s Margherita and Pepperoni Pizza in the Cones.
K! Pizzacone is getting the kind of opening day publicity that most restaurants would kill for. We almost ended up on Japanese television this morning just by stopping in for a Breakfast Pizza. Conesteria indeed. In anticipation of getting a first taste this morning, we visited Rio Bonito last night to have their Pizza in the Cone fresh in our minds. Let the battle of the Pizza Cones commence!
AlwaysInvestigating: Another (Peanut) Butter Burger
Arthur Bovino — February 17, 2010
RUB BBQ’s Goober Burger.
We’ve said it before, you don’t need to visit Wisconsin to know that slapping a half-stick of butter on a burger makes sense. But how about peanut butter? RUB BBQ’s clever Monday night rotating burger special continues, and the burger this Presidents’ Day was the Goober Burger.
AlwaysInvestigating: Bunny Chow
Sampurna Satpathy — February 11, 2010
Bunny Chow from left to right: Madiba, Xai Xai, and Bunny Chow.
Pop quiz. What’s bunny chow?
A. Minced bunnies?
B. Chow mien with rabbit?
C.The stage name of your favorite Asian stripper?
D. South Africa’s national dish?
If you guessed D you’re ahead of the crowd (C, and you may be on the wrong site). Actually, South Africa’s national dish has nothing to do with rabbits or strippers— though it does have a virgin. It’s a hollowed-out quarter loaf of white bread, filled with curry that is topped by the removed bread (the ‘virgin’), and sometimes chutneys and sambals. In South Africa, it’s often just called ‘bunnies.’
The name’s origin is ambiguous even in Durban where bunnies are said to originate. Under apartheid, when Indians weren’t allowed in restaurants, bunnies were a convenient meal to carry to work in the fields. One theory is that ‘bunny’ comes from Banias, the name for the Indian business class, with ‘chow’ being slang for food. New Yorkers have three places to eat bunnies: Madiba, Xai Xai, and the four-month-old Bunny Chow. We recently set out to discover whose is best.
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.
AlwaysInvestigating: Mozzarella from Factory to Plate
Arthur Bovino — January 29, 2010
Franco Spatola uses his own fresh mozzarella on his pizzas at Da Franco in Queens.
You can find great mozzarella and great pizza in New York. But restaurants that make mozzarella from scratch to put on their pizza? That’s another story. When Franco Spatola offered a factory to plate demonstration in Queens, we couldn’t resist.
Mozzarella from Factory to Table >>
AlwaysInvestigating: Meat and Potatoes Sandwich-Style
Arthur Bovino — January 26, 2010
Tabla’s Lamb Sandwich with Mustard Mashed Potatoes, Lime and Cucumber Raita.
Meat and potatoes may be a standard combination on a plate, but you don’t always see potatoes as a condiment. Sure, there’s the classic cafeteria move of piling potato chips on a sandwich, and some people spread leftover mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving sandwiches. But when dining out you don’t usually get to eat them both on a sandwich in one bite. While looking through Tabla’s menu, we were reminded about their Lamb Sandwich with mashed potatoes, which made the cut with their revamp. We realized that we’ve been eating potatoes on sandwiches in different forms quite a bit. Consider three sandwiches from Tabla, Rye House, and Bobby’s Burger Palace.
Tabla’s Lamb Sandwich features Mustard Mashed Potatoes, Lime and Cucumber Raita ($26). It’s samosa as sandwich. There’s great lamb flavor, mashed potato texture, tangy lime, and creamy yogurt. It’s impressive that the bread holds up to all the stuff going on inside, especially when you start ladling on the raita. This is a surprisingly messy, heavy sandwich for a power lunch place, but it’s tasty and good for sharing. It takes using potato as condiment to the next level, mixing a condiment, mustard, into it. It’s also served at dinner, but as the “Pulled Lamb ‘Naanini.’
Click here for photographs of meat and potatoes sandwich-style >>
AlwaysInvestigating: Dokebi’s Korean Tacos
Arthur Bovino — January 21, 2010
Dokebi’s Braised Berkshire Pork Belly Taco with Sesame Leaf.
In October, Eater reported that Dokebi was serving Korean tacos. The more thought given to this, the more they needed to be checked out. Consider the following. Experts noted Williamsburg as one of 2009’s best dining neighborhoods. The trending of Korean food and tacos. Then there’s everyone’s hankering for the Kogi Truck. It’s a convergence of trends that could unlock the universe.
Click here for photographs of Korean Tacos at Williamsburg's Dokebi >>
AlwaysInvestigating: Empire Slice of Mind
Arthur Bovino and Gavin Skeen — January 19, 2010
Cheese Slice from Squisito’s.
The Empire State Building is one of New York City’s defining symbols. So nearby it you might expect to find a fantastic slice of this great metropolis’ defining food. But as one local doorman advised, “I’m from the Bronx so I know, most of the pizza around here tastes like cardboard!”
It was a Midtown challenge worth investigating. Since the closing of Giuseppe’s we counted fourteen pizzerias within a two-block radius of the Empire State Building (36th to 32nd, north to south; and Park Ave to 7th Ave). That’s without venturing inside the Manhattan Mall, and including Rosa’s Pizza, which is actually in the Empire State Building. While technically Sbarro and Pizza Hut are pizza places, most self-respecting New Yorkers wouldn’t consider them representative slices (same goes for the California Pizza Kitchen, just outside the aforementioned boundaries). Similarly, a Brazilian cone pizza spot called K! Pizzacone is preparing to open nearby on Fifth Avenue. While it will be interesting to see how New Yorkers (and tourists) take to it, this taste-off to find the best ‘Empire Slice’ involved eating conventional, plain slices in each pizzeria.
Check out the top six slices below, and the full cast of cheesy characters (with a map) in the slideshow.
Click here to find out who has the best "Empire Slice" >>
AlwaysInvestigating: Latin Breakfast Sandwiches
Maryse Chevrière — January 18, 2010
Café Habana’s “Sloppy Pepe” with Pulled Pork, Two Eggs and Habanero Pickled Onions.
At the end of last year we predicted that the Mexican sandwich craze would make a big splash in 2010. As much as we love tortas and tacos, some of the best Latin sandwiches are served at breakfast. Here are three of our current favorites.
Café Habana’s Egg Sandwich with two scrambled eggs, lettuce, tomato, black beans and mayo on thick Cuban bread is arguably the best in class. Add bacon and a liberal amount of their excellent hot sauce to enhance the experience. It’s exactly what you’ve always wanted in a breakfast sandwich. The catch? It’s only available on weekdays. But there’s an equally good sandwich on the brunch menu. Advertised as a hangover cure, the “Sloppy Pepe” (above) is perfect after a big night out. Juices from the smoky pulled pork soak into the crusty bread and the runny yolks from the two sunny-side up eggs add the right amount of richness. But the Habanero pickled onions are what make this dish. A bright, sour note that leaves you salivating.
Click here to see our other favorite Latin breakfast sandwiches >>
AlwaysInvestigating: Nha Trang’s Ech Chien Bo
GutterGourmet — January 12, 2010
Nha Trang’s Ech Chien Bo.
It has been a few years since I visited La Grenouille, the grande dame and sole survivor of New York’s haute French cuisine. So after Sam Sifton awarded her three very deserving stars, I started pining for the eponymous dish— Les Cuisses De Grenouilles Sautées Provençale— frogs’ legs ($45.00). Problem was, my stomach said “oui, oui,” but my wallet said, “non, non.” So I hopped down to Baxter Street, just off Canal, to my favorite Vietnamese, the original Nha Trang (Center Street is never quite as good).
After the mandatory Deep Fried Pork Spring Rolls wrapped in lettuce with fresh mint and dunked generously in nuoc mam (fermented fish sauce), and an order of Vietnamese style pork chops, I order the Ech Chien Bo, frog legs fried with French butter. Now you may be tempted to order the Ech Xao Sa Ot (frogs’ legs in chili and lemongrass), but that would be a mistake. The plump frog legs are delicately fried with a sweet buttery sauce, and come with sautéed onions and fresh parsley— they rival the ones at La Grenouille. Besides costing only $9.50, no one at Nha Trang will look askance at you as you eat with your hands (and lick your fingers).
There is no substitute for La Grenouille. I highly recommend it for special occasions. But if you love frogs’ legs and don’t have a large purse, Nha Trang is the place to go.
AlwaysInvestigating: New York’s Best Pão de Queijo
Arthur Bovino — January 08, 2010
Cross-section from Churrascaria Plataforma’s Pão de Queijo.
If you’ve visited Brazil you know about Brasileiros’ love for Pão de Queijo (learn more), the addictive, gluten-free cheese gougère made with tapioca starch. Like arancini in Italy, doubles in Trinidad, pizza in New York or pan con tomate in Spain, pão de queijo is one of Brazil’s most iconic snacks.
Natives of Minas Gerais may contend this, but some of the Brazil’s best pão can be found at São Paulo’s Pão de Queijo Haddock Lobo. There is nothing in New York that approaches Haddock Lobo, but a few places go a long way to giving you a fix. We set out on a mission through three boroughs to find the City’s best, eating pão de queijo at a total of 14 places in Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn, and keeping in mind the following criteria.
- Size: Domed and about three inches in diameter.
- Exterior: Slightly crispy and without a gummy coating.
- Interior: Light and airy with holes, semi-hollow and slightly gummy.
- Flavor: Savory and cheesy. Adding salt should be unnecessary.
- Temperature: They don’t have to be piping hot but at their best they’re at least a little warm.
We discovered a few things about the state of New York’s pão de queijo. One, it’s easy to mess up. Two, the City’s renditions are smaller by almost two thirds on average, and often, heavier. Three, for the number of Brazilians living in Astoria, we were surprised that so few of the pão de queijo in that area ranked near the top. Lastly, New York’s best pão de queijo are free…with drinks. You’re welcome!
Without further ado, New York’s best pão de queijo, worst to first.
Click Here for a Search for New York's Best Pão de Queijo >>
AlwaysInvestigating: Bobby’s Burger Palate
Arthur Bovino — December 07, 2009
Top, the Burger Americain with Pimento Cheese on Bar Americain’s lunch menu. Left, composed burger. Right, cross-section.
During a recent visit to MARK Burger, Chef Erik Rubin noted to a colleague that one of his favorite burgers in New York City was at a place he once worked, Bar Americain. MARK Burgers’ quality and Rubin’s esteem for Bobby Flay’s Bar Americain Burger piqued some curiosity. In the wake of Flay’s NYCWFF Burger Bash entry, his CBS slider discussion and the opening of Bar Americain’s second location, it was time for a State of the Hamburger at Flay’s New York restaurants.
Burger-by-Burger: Mesa Grill, Bar Americain and Bobby's Burger Palace >>
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