AlwaysInformed: RUB BBQ Burger Bash Update
Arthur Bovino — July 27, 2010
RUB BBQ’s Green Chile Cheeseburger, cross, and owner Andrew Fischel with Pit Master, Scott Smith.
Every week we’ve been saying we want RUB BBQ to open a burger joint. We’re not there yet, but last night, the owner, Andrew Fischel noted something to us that we haven’t seen any coverage about: RUB BBQ’s burger will be going up against some of the gastrosphere’s big burger players at the New York City Wine & Food Festival’s Blue Moon Burger Bash this fall.
If you’re going, “RUB does a burger?” you can’t call yourself a self-respecting New York burger aficionado— they’ve been serving burgers every Monday night since November. (If you missed it, check out this interview with RUB’s Pit Master, Scott Smith.) Given that in addition to their standard burger, Fischel and Smith have done a different regional burger every week since the beginning of the year, the next question of course is: which burger will they choose for Burger Bash? We have the scoop.
Featured Brunch: Roberta’s
Arthur Bovino — July 23, 2010
Clockwise from top: Duck Egg and Mortadella Sandwich and Iced Tea at Roberta’s in Brooklyn.
The concrete jungle sizzles in summer. Light twinkles off the glass condo windows through waves of heat. You get jostled by sweaty sidewalk-denizens. The City is too much. Too full, too busy, too— too much. It’s Saturday. Almost noon. Or maybe Sunday and already past two. You’re hungry. Need food. Brunch. Breakfast. But you don’t want French toast. Enough Eggs Benedict. You laugh in the face of omelettes. You want something different, somewhere else. It’s time to flip this meal upside-down. You need to head to Brooklyn— to Roberta’s. You need pizza for brunch.
Featured Cocktail: San Rocco Lemon Shot
Arthur Bovino — July 22, 2010
San Rocco’s Lemon Shot.
Sucker for shots? Sucker for kitschy shots? Come on, get over your big bad old self. You know you are.
If you’ve been reading the weekly Featured Cocktail posts, then you know that whether the shots are set on fire, dropped in pints, served in glasses made of ice, or even better, some combination of all three, they get us every time. We’re not scared to go maverick and create them ourselves (a Leche de Tigre at Bar Paya for one), but it’s great when they’re house specialties, like Mad for Chicken’s Coooool Shot, and 8st Kitchen’s Korean Bomber. Even better when they’re eponymous; then you can’t really leave the place without trying it— that kind of oversight would just be unprofessional. Here’s a new one we recently discovered: San Rocco’s Lemon Shot.
No, it’s not set on fire, but the shot involves presentation and two stages, and it’s very easy to drink. And really, what else do you need? Stoli, Triple Sec, and Lemon— it’s a Kamikaze-Lemon Drop mash-up. There’s half a hollowed-out lemon filled with vodka, perched on top a shot glass filled with Triple Sec. You throw back the vodka from the lemon half, squeeze the little bit of lemony vodka remaining in it into the Triple Sec, and then down that too. In the words of the owner, Rocco Arena, with whom we shared one last week by invitation, “Salute a noi.”
AlwaysInvestigating: Jimmy’s Burger Shack
Arthur Bovino — July 21, 2010
Clockwise: No. 9 Burger (Fried Egg, Bacon, and Cheese) and “Shack Sauce” at Jimmy’s Burger Shack.
Summer rolls around and I want to get the hell out of Dodge, Malcolm X-style— JFK, LaGuardia, I-95, the Port Authority, and Penn Station— by any means necessary. And when you’re at Penn with time to kill, one of your best options (lest you want to brave oysters and bread bowls at Tracks) is New York Pizza Suprema. But travelers cannot live on pizza alone. Sometimes you have to shake things up. You wonder, “Can Jimmy’s Burger Shack be all that bad? It’s still there three years after opening, right?”
Featured Dessert: Terroir Trio
Arthur Bovino — July 20, 2010
Olive Oil Cake with Riesling-Soaked Peaches.
You’ve no doubt by now heard about Terroir’s Olive Oil Cake— the one sitting on the cake stand under a glass cover by the front window. It’s citrusy, moist and delicious without being too sweet. And the cake is accompanied by Riesling-soaked peaches that still have some texture. But the cake is just one of three simple, great desserts at Terroir that deserve some attention.
There are a few notable qualities to these three desserts. First, they’re fairly small portions, not cheap small, but just-right small. Second, all three desserts have both two textural components, and two flavor components. Three, the central component of each has fantastic mouthfeel.
AlwaysPartying: Food and Wine Celebration for Veggie U
Arthur Bovino — July 19, 2010
Chef’s Garden Squash Blossoms at the 8th Annual Food & Wine Celebration hosted at The Chef’s Garden in Milan, Ohio.
This weekend marked the 8th Annual Food & Wine Celebration. The event, hosted by Farmer Lee Jones at The Chef’s Garden in Milan, Ohio, benefitted the Veggie U Children’s program, an effort to combat adolescent and juvenile disease, and create a better understanding of sustainable agriculture.
Outside, under tent cover that shielded everyone from a hot, summer day, Farmer Lee Jones graciously welcomed his guests, wearing his trademark blue overalls and red bowtie. There were dishes prepared by more than 40 local chefs, including one by chef Jonathon Sawyer of The Greenhouse Tavern, who was recently noted as one of Food & Wine’s best new chefs.
Farm-fresh corn, sweet peas, micro-greens, carrots, beets, and green goodies of all kinds graced the tastings— the food was fantastic. One of the best dishes was the Chef’s Garden Squash Blossoms Stuffed with Fire Roasted Heirloom Sweet Corn and Silver Lake Chevre with Fresh and Spicy Peach Chutney from Chef Michael Deligatta of Michael Anthony’s at the Inn (top).
Vegetables were crisp, sweet, and full of summer flavor— but then, they came from the farm, and you can’t get much more to-table than that. And while the after-party coincided with a torrential downpour, festival-goers and chefs partied on with a deconstructed clambake, more farm-fresh salads, soft-shell crabs a la plancha, and a seemingly endless supply of steamed lobster.
Featured Brunch: Traif
Arthur Bovino — July 16, 2010
Clockwise from top left: patio and Crispy Braised Bacon with Soba in Smoky Miso Broth with Sunny Egg, at Traif in Williamsburg.
It’s a good sign when you look for reasons to visit a restaurant. With Traif, chef Jason Marcus’ ode to all things unkosher in Williamsburg, that reason was a hunch that it might be a great unheralded brunch spot—a hunch inspired by the Seared Foie, Fingerlings with Sunny Egg, Ham Chips, Maple, and Hot Sauce, and the Braised Berkshire Pork Cheeks with Polenta, both sampled on a previous visit.
AlwaysInformed: Spekuloos for Sale from Wafels & Dinges
Arthur Bovino — July 14, 2010
A Liège Wafel with Spekuloos Spread and Strawberries from Wafels & Dinges.
There it is in the in-box, sweet, sweet news: “IT’S NOT PEANUT BUTTER, IT’S SPEKULOOS!” Wafels & Dinges is now selling their secret weapon, Spekuloos, the “winning ingredient” used in their victory over Bobby Flay on Food Network’s Throwdown.
While it may not be being popularized across the country at quite the breakneck pace the press release makes it seem— “And It’s Spreading Across America”— (look out! it’ll be on your jelly sandwich in the lunchroom tomorrow!) this is exciting news. If you’ve missed our previous coverage, basically, Spekuloos (or Speculoos), tastes like Golden Grahams Cereal in dessert sauce form. Spekuloos didn’t originate as a spread, but as a cookie— for the full details, read all about it here.
Previously, finding Spekuloos was tough. You could buy the cookies at Le Pain Quotidien and at Walgreens which sells Lotus Bakeries’ ‘caramelised biscuits’ rebranded in the United States as Biscoff. As far as we can tell, before this, getting the spread meant ordering a 28oz jar for $7.58 through the airline food supplier, Gourmet Center.
Now you can buy Spekuloos through Wafels and Dinge’s website, at their truck, and at their new stands at the South Street Seaport, Riverside Park, and at the Arcadia Gift Shop on Eighth between 21st and 22nd Streets. “It leaves Spekuloos-virgins in awe,” their site claims. Indeed.
Featured Dessert: The “Shacked-Up”
Arthur Bovino — July 13, 2010
“Shacked-Up,” an off-menu mash-up of three new concretes.
SHAKE SHACK THEATRE DISCTRICT
Starring Danny Meyer
OPENING NIGHT: A SHAKE SHACK LINE!
A musical about tourists and zealots alike!
The new Shake Shack in Midtown West has created opportunities for burger headlines, pun-ridden show titles, and at the least, the names for three new menu-standard concretes: the Great White Way, Pretzel! The Concrete, and Jelly’s Last Donut. Those new menu items have also created the opportunity for a new over-the-top off-the-menu option, a mixture of all three.
AlwaysTraveling: Randy’s Donuts (Los Angeles, CA)
Arthur Bovino — July 12, 2010
Fresh donuts at Randy’s Donuts in Los Angeles.
Restaurant: Randy’s Donuts
Address: 805 West Manchester Ave, Inglewood, CA
Contact: (310) 645-4707
Hours: “Open All Night.”
Grade: A-
Notes: Accepts credit cards. Lines can be long.
Recommended: Apple Fritters, Coconut Raised, Cake and Raised Donuts.
After driving around Los Angeles, it wouldn’t be a surprise to learn there are more donut stores there (1,182) than in New York (1,121). That’s 3,256 donuterias per Angeleno compared to 7,327 per New Yorker. Consider this map. Play punchbuggy while driving, subbing donuts for VWs and you will crash.
L.A. also seems to have more independent stores (remember, they don’t have Dunkin’ Donuts), and aside from Doughnut Plant, more good ones. To boot, is there anything in New York that equals the cool factor of the leftover architecture from the defunct Big Donut Drive-In chain? No. So, with it’s most recent star turn— Iron Man 2— it’s time to feature one of L.A.‘s most iconic stores.
Any discussion of L.A.‘s best donuts (and even some of the country’s best) inevitably brings up many of the same characters, among others: Stan’s, Bob’s, Fritelli’s, Donut Man, Tang’s, and…Randy’s Donuts.
Round-Up: June
July 09, 2010
We pigged out at the Big Apple Barbecue Block Party, and had two films shown at the NYC Food Film Festival. We downed Scotch Flights at Keens, and ate panini at Salumè in SoHo. Yup, Always Hungry featured some great food and drink in June. In case you missed any, check out this round-up.
From Sandwich Planet’s Napalm Burger (left) to the Best Chocolate Cake in the World, ESPN’s Match Truck to the launch of Ed’s Lobster Cart, Always Hungry has been all over your New York food radar. Here are June’s top five most popular stories.
1. AlwaysInvestigating: Sandwich Planet’s Napalm Burger
2. AlwaysInvestigating: Nine More Great Sandwiches
3. First Look: Ed’s Lobster Cart
4. AlwaysInformed: ESPN’s Match Truck
5. AlwaysHungry: O Melhor Bolo de Chocolate do Mundo
ALWAYS HUNGRY ARCHIVES: JUNE Review June’s complete article archive, or check out the five posts below for some of our favorite food and drink sampled throughout New York last month.
AlwaysInformed: Shake Shack’s Beat the Buzzer Game
How To: Alain Allegretti’s Provençale Fish Soup
Featured Dessert: Five Leaves’ Ice Cream Cart
Featured Cocktail: Pulino’s Limoncello Sparkler
Featured Brunch: Locanda Verde
AlwaysTraveling: Good Stuff Eatery (Washington, DC)
Arthur Bovino — July 07, 2010
Clockwise from top: Prez Obama Burger, a sign inside Good Stuff Eatery, and the Good Stuff/We the Pizza sidewalk café.
Restaurant: Good Stuff Eatery
Location: 303 Pennsylvania Ave, SE, Washington, DC
Contact: (202) 543-8222
Hours: Mon-Sat, 11:30am-11:00pm; Closed Sunday.
Grade: B
Recommended Dishes: Prez Obama Burger, Uncle D’s Chili ‘N Cheddar, Spike’s Village Snack Fry, Toasted Marshmallow Shake.
Spike Mendelsohn’s new pizzeria, We, The Pizza is supposed to open to friends and family tonight. This past weekend, plywood was up at the pizzeria adjacent to Mendelsohn’s burger joint, Good Stuff Eatery, but the door was open. Inside was a glistening dining room with pizza boxes stacked from floor to ceiling. We, The Pizza should make a run at the dominance of Capitol Hill’s nearby pizzerias, Matchbox and Seventh Hill. At least, the opening solidifies this stretch of Pennsylvania as Spike’s block.
Inside We, The Pizza.
With the U.S. Pizza Team appearing at tonight’s “Red Carpet Opening” of We, The Pizza with Mendelsohn, Chef Michael Colletti and a DJ, it figures to be a scene. But July 4th meant burgers. So, we stopped in to test out the Prez Obama Burger along with some of Spike’s other good stuff.
More from Good Stuff Eatery >>
Featured Brunch: Vinegar Hill House
Arthur Bovino — July 02, 2010
Reuben Sanchez: braised corned beef, sharp Cheddar, Tomatillo-Jalapeño Jam.
Sometimes brunch is better on Saturday. Sometimes, it’s better to do the far end of the brunch stretch. If you don’t mind lounging in bed, wait and let that 11 o’clock start pass in favor of a 2 o’clock meal. On those occasions, one of the perfect brunches is at Vinegar Hill House in Brooklyn. Outside, inside, wherever you want, there’s less of a wait and the food is just as good.
Featured Cocktail: Infusions at A Voce
Arthur Bovino — July 01, 2010
From left: Margarita in Fuoco, Platino, and Melone infusion cocktails at A Voce.
Vodka fruit infusions are nothing new, but when it comes to summer, they make for refreshing cocktails. They can be colorful with flavors as varied as your imagination is creative, they’re easy to make, and they give a sense of participation in the cocktail-making process.
A great spot to enjoy infusions is in the shade in a chair outside A Voce Madison, where they make three seasonal drinks designed by Olivier Flosse, their wine and beverage director: Melone, Margarita in Fuoco, and the Platino. Sharing Cassoncini con Prosciutto de Parma, sipping a cocktail, the dying light cast down 26th Street, you get that “it’s summer in New York” feeling.
The Margarita in Fuoco has bite, but not too much, a salted rim, and pepperoncini garnish to bring home the heat. The second, the Platino, may be the one that’s just right. It definitely hits the tiki trend— fruity, sweet, and punchy, with an impressive centimeter of foam that supposedly comes not from egg whites, but from the pulp of the fruit. The Melone is refreshing and not too sweet— a light-handed, melon-infused vodka drink that’s an obvious summer go-to.
As nice as it is to sit on the terrazza outside the restaurant enjoying these drinks, recreating them in your own special spot in the City may be even better so we’ve included the recipes below.
AlwaysInformed: Shake Shack’s Beat the Buzzer Game
Arthur Bovino — June 30, 2010
The Shake Shack’s online line game, “Beat the Buzzer.”
Are we the only ones who didn’t know about the Shake Shack game? If so, we haven’t been diligent enough about checking the Shack Cam before we leave the office for lunch. If waiting on line at Shake Shack doesn’t already slurp up enough of your day, you can wait on it in the office too. If you haven’t seen it, the online game on the Shack’s site, “Beat the Buzzer,” which launched a few weeks ago puts you on the line, virtually. You still get buzzers and burgers here, but it’s in exchange for points.
To play, you click on the Atari-looking joystick on the upper right corner. You get 30 seconds per level, and you need a certain number of points to proceed to the next level. You get points by clicking the buzzers when they vibrate— they’re each worth 50 points. “You’ll have to be quick, the Shake Shack line is always moving!” explains the site. Indeed, that’s the hope.
Shack icons (burgers, concretes, fries, etc.) equal bonuses. Funny enough, burgers only get you 75 points. Higher bonuses are reserved for the wine glasses (200), bottles (225), and dog bones (250).
There’s already a Shack HQ App out there for line updates and custard flavor info, but no Beat the Buzzer App as far as we can tell. Now that’s an app they really need to make so you can play the line game, on the line. Whoah, meta, dude.
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