AlwaysInformed: August’s Best RUB Burger
Arthur Bovino — September 01, 2010
The Donut Burger, a special Monday night burger at RUB BBQ (August 2nd).
Those who know, eat RUB BBQ’s special Monday night burger. Those who don’t, rhapsodize about Five Guys. Seriously, don’t take our word for it, as weekly Monday night burger regulars, Jonathan Burr and Andrew “Goose” Gussman will tell you, Scott Smith and Andrew Fischel’s weekly special is more than a shtick. The afternoon announcement is a great what’s-the-special-gonna-be-today moment almost powerful enough to make you think Monday’s closer to Friday than it is. Rather than a weekly update, here’s a month’s roundup of the Monday burgers, including our pick for August’s blue ribbon winner.
Always Hungry: The Restaurant List
Jeff Zalaznick — January 05, 2010
Dishes from The Always Hungry Restaurant List.
If I had to choose, what restaurants would I take with me into 2010? Off the top of my head, what places do I know that I will choose to return to in the coming year? These are the questions that I asked myself as I thought about this year’s restaurant list. As I made the list, I have made sure that it not only reflects what restaurants to go to, but that it also lets you know exactly what to eat when you get there. As always, our goal is to arm readers with the information that they will need in order to have the best eating experiences possible. This list is a guide to a slice of the Always Hungry life. It is a roundup that will help you unleash your inner fat kid to the fullest in the New Year. If you have not tasted all of the dishes mentioned below, then you have a lot of work to do, but if you start now, you have a whole year to make it happen. So, without further ado, I present The Always Hungry Restaurant List: A Strategic Guide To New York Eating. Keep this close in 2010, and it will ensure that you Never Eat An Insignificant Meal Again.
Best of 2009: Trends and 2010 Predictions
Jeff Zalaznick — December 23, 2009
It’s that time of year again. Time for reflection and prediction. As we leave the aughts behind, we look back at the trends that changed New York City’s food landscape in 2009 and ponder what’s in store for 2010. We are going to take a positive spin: those that we hope will remain and those we eagerly anticipate.
TRENDS 2009
1. Best Steaks, Not From a Steakhouse New York has always been known for our steakhouses, but this year the best meat was ripped from the house’s hands and put into the control of some of the city’s best restaurants. Much of this loosened grip has to do with the all-star quality and distribution ability of Pat LaFrieda (watch video). Though I love me a Porterhouse at Peter Luger’s, a Rib-eye at Strip House and a Double Eagle Strip at Del Frisco’s, they have been surpassed by the Côte de Boeuf at Minetta Tavern, the Rib-eye for Two at Locanda Verde, the Strip at Marea. The list goes on and on. It was also the year that the bone in rib-eye finally rose up to overtake the porterhouse as King of all Steaks. It was only a matter of time. This is a major advancement across the board.
2. Haute Dogs The hot dog went gourmet and I am not complaining. Crif Dogs has been doing impressive things with the genre for a while now (though their new usage of “everything bagel spice” is very exciting), but restaurants like DBGB, Fatty Crab UWS and Cabrito are jumping into the mix with some seriously delicious contenders. This is one that I think will continue to grow in the next year.
3. Omnipresent Octopus Seriously, think about every restaurant you’ve visited lately and ask yourself if there was octopus on the menu. I guarantee that more often than not, no matter the cuisine or price-range, this cephalopod was probably present. And why not? It’s economical to serve, and recently, the average rendition is fabulous. I am so happy that chefs have finally learned how to prepare it so well, leaving the chewy childhood memories behind. Also, keep an eye out for sweetbreads, I think that they are starting to fall into the same category.
PREDICTIONS 2010
1. Artisanal Italian beer everywhere.
2. Large-format alternative (not steak or chicken) proteins for two.
3. Lamb belly becomes the new pork belly.
4. Italian Small Plate (aka “Stuzzichini”) Restaurants
5. Brain is the hot new Offal
6. Mexican Infusion: Fusion Cuisine and Sandwich Revolution.
Best of 2009: Cocktails
December 23, 2009
The Mint Julep at Back Forty.
As we remember this roller coaster year, it is important to note the bevy of cocktails that helped celebrate the highs and forget about the lows. There is no question that many of the best are being made in some of our favorite restaurants. Marea made a delicious “Diplomat” that involved the classiest of barside pyrotechnics and the perfect touch of Amaro. Amaro was everywhere, in cocktails out of cocktails, on the rocks, after dinner. Gin became the new vodka, and a Negroni was the thing to drink. The cocktail programs at barMasa, Stone Barns, Yerba Buena, Fatty Crab and Minetta Tavern were consistently impressive. The pineapple flavored vodka at Mari Vanna was a revelation. Crop Organic Cucumber Vodka changed lives.
We have nominated the AlwaysHungry Cocktail of 2009: Remember the Maine. It is the poignant revival of a historic cocktail named for a phrase, “Remember the Maine, to Hell with Spain!” which was popularized after the 1898 sinking of the USS Maine, an event that precipitated the Spanish–American War. The cocktail is the perfect balance of strong, bitter and sweet. It revived our passion for mixology. We would like to make a toast to Remember the Maine! This is a fabulous cocktail (right) to make on New Year’s Eve night to help you battle the cold and help you forget whatever bad decisions you end up making. The ingredients and the straightforward recipe: 2 oz. Rittenhouse Rye or Wild Turkey Rye, ¾ oz. Punt y Mes, ¼ oz. Cherry Heering, Absinthe. Chill, strain and stir in an absinthe-rinsed (½ tsp) glass.
Also, for your viewing pleasure, here is a slideshow of some of our best sips of 2009 (memorable enough to make it through the haze of our drink-induced stupors—so they must be really good).
Best of 2009: A Few Dishes
December 22, 2009
A few of AlwaysHungry’s favorite dishes of 2009.
There is no question that a lot of eating has gone down this year. Rookies have introduced new favorites and standbys have reminded us that oldies can still be goodies. To celebrate the conclusion of the ninth year of the aughts, we’ve compiled a little photo tour of a few of our favorite dishes and organized them into nine of our favorite food groups.
Click Here for a few of AlwaysHungry's Favorite Dishes of 2009 >>
Best of 2009: New Restaurants
December 21, 2009
By row, left to right: Locanda Verde’s Chicken for Two, Marea’s Spaghetti with Crab & Uni, and The Breslin’s Thrice Cooked Chips. 2nd Row: The Standard Grill’s Rock Shrimp & Iberico Hash, Minetta Tavern’s Côte de Boeuf, and DBGB’s Yankee Burger. 3rd Row: Kesté‘s Pomodorini e Provola Pizza, Fatty Crab’s Fatty Sliders, and Vinegar Hill House’s Red Wattle Pork Chop.
Here are our picks for the nine best new restaurants to enter the New York food landscape in 2009. If you want to know what to eat when you get there, go to the restaurant pages for AlwaysHungry’s recommended dishes.
BEST NEW RESTAURANTS OF 2009
1. Marea. Michael White is king. The Octopus & Bone Marrow Pasta says it all.
2. Locanda Verde. The valiant return of Andrew Carmellini. Incredible vibe for any occasion.
3. Minetta Tavern. McNally’s greatest hit. Proving supercool can taste good too.
4. The Breslin Bar & Dining Room. A new scene for the food scene. French Fries. Late nights.
5. DBGB Kitchen & Bar. Something for everyone. Great space. Great sausages.
6. Vinegar Hill House. Re-invinegarated a neighborhood with the Red Wattle Pork Chop.
7. Kesté Pizza & Vino. The best of the new artisanal pizza contenders.
8. Fatty Crab UWS. Taking a risk with heat, spice and fat on the UWS.
9. The Standard Grill. Without a doubt, the best party in town.
Best of 2009: In 2009 Chefs Were Hungry For…
Arthur Bovino — December 17, 2009
Just a few of the chefs and personalities AlwaysHungry spoke with in 2009.
AlwaysHungry interviewed a lot of chefs at many events throughout the city during 2009 and among the many questions we asked them, there’s one we always tried to get an answer to: When they’re not hard at work in their restaurants, and they want to eat out, what is it they feel compelled to order no matter how many times they’ve eaten it in the past or seen it on a menu?
Click to Discover What More Than 150 Chefs Said They Were AlwaysHungry for in 2009 >>
Best of 2009: AlwaysHungry’s Top Stories
Arthur Bovino — December 17, 2009
Clockwise from top left, AlwaysHungry’s most popular posts in 2009.
From bacon to doubles, Anne Burrell to Kenny Shopsin, AlwaysHungry has been all over your New York City food radar. So while you’ve probably already seen these awesome articles, in the spirit of the end of the year and all that is the December-holy-round-up (just in case you’ve had too many eggnogs and have forgotten), we present the top ten most popular posts for AlwaysHungry’s inaugural year.
Click Here for the Top Ten Most Popular Posts on AlwaysHungryNY.com during 2009 >>
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