Video: You’ve Been Opening Bananas the Wrong Way…

December 09, 2009

“My whole adult life I never knew the right way to open a banana and now you do too.”

You think you’re smarter than a monkey. You think you’re so phisticated cause you’re living your life like a good homo sapien. You think you’re so educated and so civilized cause you know how to do simple things, like open a banana. But are you sure about that last one?

Make like an apeman. Watch the video, “Open a Banana Like a Monkey,” then use AlwaysHungryNY.com’s Very Advanced Search to find some of the best banana dishes in New York City.

AlwaysInvestigating: Trifle-Spotting

The Gluttoness — November 04, 2009

Left to right, The Standard Grill’s ‘Deal Closer,’ Yerba Buena Perry’s Tres Leches Parfait and Gansevoort 69’s Banana Cream Pie.

During my fall tour of new restaurants, I’ve noticed three desserts that use the trifle composition to reinvigorate familiar dishes. You may recall one, The Deal Closer. It was recently a Featured Dessert.

The Standard Grill’s (view), “The Deal Closer” ($12.00) is fun to eat just because you get to do it with a spatula. Putting that aside, this ginormous dessert actually features trifle-like layers of bittersweet chocolate mousse and moist chocolate cake.

Yerba Buena Perry’s (view) three-layered Tres Leches Parfait ($9.00) features traditional Tres Leches Cake at the bottom of the glass topped with Pisco Panna Cotta and a slightly spiced Mexican chocolate mousse. Tres leches is fantastic alone, but even better topped with two complementary, sinful sweets.

Gansevoort 69 (view) also re-imagines a classic with a trifle composition: Banana Cream Pie ($10.00) built for two. A fudge brownie serves as the “black bottom crust” and a gooey coating of chocolate ganache makes for additional decadence. The rest is true-blue banana cream pie—thick banana pastry cream and bananas, topped with whipped cream that spills over the edges of the ceramic dish.

AlwaysTraveling: O Ya (Boston, MA)

Zach Aarons — August 21, 2009

Bottom left, Hamachi Nigiri with Spicy Banana Pepper Mousse. Right, Warm Eel with Thai Basil, Kabayaki, and Fresh Kyoto Sansho.

Restaurant: O Ya (view site)
Address: 9 East Street, Boston, MA‎, 02111 (view map)
AlwaysHungry Grade: A+
AlwaysHungry Recommends: Foie Gras Nigiri, Fried Kumamoto Oyster Nigiri, La Ratte Potato Chip Nigiri, House Smoked Wagyu Nigiri

In 2008, The New York Times’ restaurant critic, Frank Bruni, put O Ya at the top of his list of the “country’s best new restaurants.” The following year, Boston Magazine named it “Best of Boston 2009, General Excellence.” More accolades followed. Most importantly though, Jeff suggested that I go there, so I recently visited to see if O Ya could dispel my skepticism about Boston’s culinary scene.

O Ya is pleasant and unpretentious. The menu is divided into two sections. The front features nigiri and sashimi, while the back includes vegetables, meats, salads, soups, and several interestingly named categories: ‘truffles & eggs,’ ‘other stuff,’ and ‘something crunchy in it.’

We ordered omakase, which focused on the nigiri and sashimi. It began with oysters— one of two prominent appearances of this ingredient that seemed strategically timed. Though both dishes featured Kumamoto oysters, they could not have been more different. The first was a summery dish that opened up the palate with bright, delightful flavors: Fresh Kumamoto Oyster coupled with Watermelon pearls and Cucumber Mignonette.

At the meal’s midpoint, just as the memory of the fresh oyster began to fade, the evening’s best dish arrived, Fried Kumamoto Oyster with Yuzu Kosho Aioli and Squid Ink Bubbles. The fried oyster was light and fluffy, but possessed dark, savory flavors. Its squid ink bubbles paired elements of traditional Japanese cooking, avant-garde gastronomic technique, and good old New England-style seafood. The oyster was a masterpiece that melted away mellifluously. It was unlike any oyster I have ever tasted.

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AlwaysInvestigating: Ruby et Violette’s Cookie Dough Ice Creams

Danielle Ingerman — August 14, 2009

It’s easy to miss Ruby et Violette (view site), the quaint sweets shop hidden amongst the brownstones at 457 West 50th St and 10th Avenue. But walking by would be a mistake— inside are some of the city’s most indulgent cookies, and recently, some of its most creative ice creams. The store has been open for about eight years, but was reinvented a few years ago by three sisters, Jenji, Bekah, and Heather Sue Mercer, who created more than 100 cookie types. And these are no average chocolate chip cookies, they’re in line with the store’s motto, “Live Life Richly. Indulge.”

Ruby et Violette makes more conventional cookies like Oatmeal Raisin, Maple Walnut and Peanut Butter Chip, and quirky flavors like Mojito and Champagne Strawberry. But the wilder creations set them apart. Take for example: White Russian, Bananas Foster, and Geisha Seduction (a chocolate, chocolate chip cookie with crystallized ginger and dark chocolate chunks). The store has taken the logical next step, different flavored cookie dough ice creams, a call to arms that The Gluttoness made last August.

Left, Positively Pistachio. Right, Double Shot.

There are 18 flavors available each day (and ten prepackaged pint flavors). Our tasting started with Positively Pistachio, pistachio ice cream with pistachio cookie dough, chocolate chips and chopped pistachios. It was fresh and light with pistachio flavor that was punctuated by the crunch of each nut. Double Shot, coffee ice cream with espresso cookie dough and chocolate chunks had deep coffee flavor, and the smooth espresso cookie dough was sweet with a bitter kick.

Left, Touchdown. Right, Berry Banana Twist.

“Touchdown” featured peanut butter ice cream and “Monday Night Football” cookie dough— chocolate chips and Chex Mix. There wasn’t enough dough to compete with the peanut butter’s richness. Berry Banana Twist was the best flavor we tried. Banana ice cream was the perfect backdrop for white chocolate chips, gooey swirls of chunky strawberry jam, and tangy strawberry cookie dough.

Other interesting combinations include First Kiss (salted caramel ice cream with First Kiss Cookie Dough—dark chocolate cookie dough with caramel and sea salt), and S’mores (marshmallow ice cream with S’mores Cookie Dough, marshmallows, toffee, graham crackers and dark chocolate callets).

AlwaysLearning: Açai Na Tigela

Arthur Bovino — July 27, 2009

Açai na Tigela at New York Pão de Queijo in Astoria, Queens

There may be more fruits in Brazil than English words for them. One, açai, has had quite a run. As recently reported, it was added to Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary: “small dark purple fleshy berrylike fruit of a tall slender palm of tropical Central and South America that is often used in beverages.” Little wonder, it’s in everything from cocktails to cheesecake. There’s even acai liquor.

Its notoriety is due to its reputation as an energy-booster and antioxidant source. Health benefits are debatable, its great taste and the best way to eat it (Açai na Tigela) aren’t. You won’t hear AlwaysHungryNY.com rhapsodize about smoothies. This ain’t no smoothie.

What it is: Açai’s flavor is often described as a cocoa-like berry. It can be found plain, but is often mixed with natural sweeteners like honey, cane juice and/or fruits and berries, like guaraná (high in caffeine and also endemic to Brazil). For Açai na Tigela, frozen pulp is blended with fruit (banana or berries) and either juice or milk. Consistency-wise, it should be thick enough to give you fishface if you try to suck it through a straw. But ‘Açai na Tigela’ means Açai “In the Bowl” in Portuguese, and that’s the way it should be served: covered with granola and sliced bananas.

Where it’s from: South America, namely, Brazil, from Olinda to Brasília, São Paulo to Rio, at roadside stands, on beaches and at juice bars in favelas and affluent neighborhoods— wherever there’s electricity. Breakfast, lunch, dinner or dessert, it’s cool, refreshing and filling— a Brazilian way of life.

Where to get it in New York: Nine out of ten times you’ll find it in smoothies. Ignore these soupy disasters. Açai is thick— more ice than ice cream— less water ice than gelato. The best place for it in New York City is New York Pão de Queijo, (view site), a little café in Astoria, blocks from the Broadway Station of the N/W train (view map). It can also be found in Brooklyn at Bogota Latin Bistro (view map) and Siggy’s (view map)

You can make your own using packets of Sambazon açai bought online or from Whole Foods, or Rio Bonito in Astoria (view map).

AlwaysTraveling: Stan’s Donuts & Coffee An’ Donut Shop

Arthur Bovino — June 05, 2009

Above, the donuts on display inside Stan’s Donuts in Los Angeles, California.

National Donut Day, now today is a food holiday we can really get behind. And there’s even some explanation as to why today is donut day. Supposedly, the tradition of celebrating donuts on the first Friday in June started as far back as 1917, when female volunteers for The Salvation Army prepared donuts for homesick soldiers who served in World War I. The day was officially established in 1938 by the Chicago Salvation Army to raise funds during the Great Depression.

Thinking about donuts reminds us of two legendary donut places on opposite sides of the country: Stan’s Donuts in Los Angeles and the Coffee An’ Donut Shop in Westport, Connecticut. Before showing you some great pictures, we should note a few things:

1. There are reports of free donuts today.
2. If you haven’t already done so, you should check out AlwaysHungry’s Top 5 Dessert Donuts.
3. If you’re looking for more local restaurants that serve great donuts, use our Very Advanced Search. We’ve got great recommendations, whether the restaurants spell them Donuts or Doughnuts.

Now, on to the good stuff.

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AlwaysQuestioning: Terrance Brennan & Bradford Thompson of Bar Artisanal

The Gluttoness — May 26, 2009

Together, Executive Chef, Terrance Brennan (of Artisanal and Picholine) and Consulting Chef, Bradford Thompson (formerly of Lever House) are delighting diners with their ““French”:http://www.alwayshungryny.com/thought-for-food/tag/French/ inspired” interpretation of Mediterranean small plates in an extension of the Artisanal brand, Bar Artisanal. AlwaysHungryNY recently sat down with these two chefs who have turned the failed Trigo space into a grand bistro in TriBeCa. When the kitchen at Bar Artisanal has settled into a routine, Brad hopes to open a restaurant with French and West Indian themes. In the meantime, the two are perfecting dishes, and eating plenty along the way.

AHNY: Are you Always Hungry?
BT: I’d say so, yeah…for adventure.
TB: No, because I nosh all day, especially with the new restaurant.

AHNY: So, what did you eat today?
BT: Two espressos and a cappuccino. We had a photo shoot all day. Oh, and granola.
TB: We had the photo shoot, so I tasted the Pizza, Chutney, Steak Tartare}thought-for-food/tag/Steak-Tartare/, Roquefort Parfait, Chickpea Frites, Oysters and Hangar Steak.

Brennan & Thompson on trends, snack foods and 'must-have' ingredients >>

Recipe of the Week: Peanut Butter & Jelly Bread Pudding

The Gluttoness — April 02, 2009

Today is National Peanut Butter & Jelly Day. What better way to celebrate this classic favorite than to bring new life to such a compatible combination of flavors? This gourmet reincarnation comes in the form of Bread Pudding, which is completely fitting considering that PB&J is often served between two slices of white bread. The recipe itself is fairly easy, it’s the Banana Creme Anglaise that can get tricky. But if you’ve ever been one to put bananas on your sandwich, this is one creamy addition you do not want to miss (instructions after the jump).

Ingredients
500g White Bread (2 old loaves)
800g Sweetened Condensed Milk
400g Grape Juice
400g Heavy Cream
125g Peanuts, chopped
8 Single-serving pie pans
1 cup Grape jelly

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Remove the crust from the bread and cut loaves into ¾-inch cubes.
3. In a large bowl combine the bread, condensed milk, grape juice, heavy cream and peanuts. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
4. Line the bottom of the pie pans with grape jelly and fill halfway with soaked bread mixture. Top with another thin layer of grape jelly and then fill to the top with the soft bread mixture.
5. Sprinkle peanuts to cover the top and bake for 30 minutes.

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