First Look: Whitmans’ Juicy Lucy Burger
GutterGourmet — June 09, 2010
Whitmans’ Juicy Lucy in the East Village with French fries.
“I find no sweeter fat than sticks to my own bones,” from Song of Myself, Walt Whitman.
Walt’s new namesake restaurant on 9th Street just east of 1st Avenue is still getting its bearings before the dining room opens downstairs where they will be sourcing fresh, local foods. Grass-fed beef, pickles cured in Brooklyn, pork, etc. Until then, the draw is the upstairs burger counter, which Whitmans’ chef, Chris Edwards, and owners have given some immediate cache with a Juicy Lucy.
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 >>
Featured Dish: Maialino’s Burrata
Arthur Bovino — January 20, 2010
Burrata at Maialino.
Today, Sam Sifton reviewed Maialino. We agree with much of what he said, including nods to the salumi, tripe and Chicken alla Diavola. Not mentioned, however, were some of the restaurant’s strong protein dishes like the Veal T-bone and Braised Lamb, as well as an excellent burrata appetizer. And, what dish could be more perfect to mention given it’s National Cheese Lovers Day?
Executive chef, Nick Anderer, said Maialino’s “legit, real-deal burrata,” is flown straight from Puglia. They get it through Lou DiPalo of DiPalo Selects, who Anderer said they use “almost as a purchaser.” Along with Marea’s Nova Scotia Lobster with Burrata, and the Burrata Pizza special at Kesté, Maialino’s is another incredible rendition worth seeking out.
“It’s a buffalo milk mozzarella casing,” said Chef Anderer, “the inside is buffalo cream with buffalo stracciata, torn shreds of buffalo milk cheese soaked in buffalo cream. When it’s cut open it’s like a buffalo milk stracciatella.”
There’s not much more to it. “We put it on a plate and we put some Marcelli olive oil on it.” Well, that’s not completely true, there’s a scattering of Maldon salt and fresh ground black pepper.
You will only find the burrata on Friday or Saturday, when it arrives. Any fan of this type of cheese won’t be disappointed. When cut, it oozes and spreads out to fill the gap. Each bite has a creamy tang accented with a light bitterness of olive oil. It’s the kind of dish that when it’s gone, the first thing you look for is bread to mop up the film on the bottom of the plate.
AlwaysPartying: National Cheese Lovers Day
January 20, 2010
A few of our favorite cheesy dishes.
Today, January 20th, is National Cheese Lovers Day. From our favorite breads and sandwiches to multi-borough quests and cheese cave internships, Always Hungry’s love for all things fromage has certainly been well-documented. For your viewing pleasure, we have organized by category some of the best and most interesting cheese dishes we’ve enjoyed recently.
AlwaysInformed: Yonah Schimmel’s Cheese Bagel
GutterGourmet — January 13, 2010
The Cheese Bagel from Yonah Schimmel’s.
There’s a Howard Johnson Express to the right of Yonah Schimmel’s Knishes, and Landmark Sunshine Cinema to the left, but the knishery seems to have made few concessions to the 20th, much less the 21st centuries. One, their use of the microwave, hasn’t been particularly kind to the classic potato knish (though their Kasha Knish is still best in class), it effects the delicate knish skin, makes the mound of potato filling mealy, and scorches the roof of your mouth. But there is an item at Yonah Schimmel’s that may be its redemption: the Cheese Bagel.
The Cheese Bagel ($4.00), which does not appear on the menu board above the counter, is a unique animal. There’s that old parable from India about the three blind men who examine different parts of an elephant without knowing what they’re touching, you know, the one where they violently disagree about what the animal is. Similarly, if three blind(folded) people were to order Yonah Schimmel’s Cheese Bagel and examine it, here is what they’d say:
“It’s not a bagel. It’s twisted like a pretzel”
“It’s soft and breaks easily. It’s a knish”
“It’s too thin to be a bagel or a knish, and the skin is blistered like a bialy.”
Upon tasting the soft sweet farmer’s cheese filling, any of them would have to declare, “you’re wrong, it’s a blintz.” In the end, they’d all have to come to the same conclusion: “Delicious.”
AlwaysStrong: Breadzilla (Wainscott, Long Island)
Arthur Bovino — January 11, 2010
Shrimp Salad Sandwich on Squishy Bread.
Location: Breadzilla (map)
Address: 84 Wainscott Northwest Road, Wainscott, NY
Hours: Mon, closed; Tues-Sat, 8am-4pm (lunch, 11:30am-2:30pm); Sun, 8am-3pm (lunch, 11:30am-1:30pm)
Contact: (631)537-0955
Always Hungry Grade: A-
Always Hungry Recommends: Shrimp Salad Sandwich on Squishy Bread
What possesses the Always Hungry Crew to go on a road trip to the Hamptons in a snowstorm at the crack of the new year? The answer is the good fortune that happenstance brings. Like when you eat something you would never order because you arrive at a place nine minutes after lunch ends and that’s what you’re given after begging the kitchen to make you something, anything. That’s what happened recently with a Shrimp Salad Sandwich at Breadzilla, the East Hampton sandwich shop.
For the uninitiated, Breadzilla the bakery is open Tuesday through Saturday, 8am to 4pm, but lunch is only served until 2:30pm (1:30pm, Sundays). A menu featuring about 20 to 25 options goes online about 11am (with photocopies at the counter). As noted on Serious Eats New York some of the sandwiches seem like “mad scientist creations.” The handwritten menu changes daily and has something Shopsin’s-like about it. The three or four items at the bottom are the ones you’ll find consistently. They are: Spicy Tuna Jade on 8 Grain ($8.95), the Zilla Melt ($8.95), and two sandwiches on “Squishy” Bread, Tuna Salad ($6.95) and Egg Salad ($5.95).
Given the more complicated, enticing options that were on the menu (Ribs and Potato Salad, Gooey Cheezy Roasty Beasty, Steadkadilla, and the Crispy Duck Wrap), Shrimp Salad Sandwich would normally be one of the last things selected. But it was incredible. Full of unchopped, tender shrimp with the texture of the amaebi you’d get at one of the City’s better sushi restaurants. Barely dressed with mayo and seasoned just enough, so the fresh flavor of the shrimp was the focus. Beautiful.
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 >>
SEARCH: French Onion Soup
November 02, 2009
Bar Americain’s Vidalia Onion Soup w/Parker House Crouton & Blistered Vermont Cheddar, $11.00.
Sure, soup is the perfect meal on a cold night, but some soups are better than others. Case in point: French Onion Soup. Any soup smothered in bubbling, burnt cheese is going to have an advantage over an unadorned bowl. However, not all French Onion Soups are executed equally, and no amount of melted cheese is going to save a poorly seasoned soup.
French Onion Soup is actually relatively easy to make—-sweet onions are slowly caramelized then simmered in beef stock. The purpose of the crouton, aside from being juicy and soaked with deliciousness, is to help the cheesy overlay stay afloat. As for cheese, Gruyère is the most commonly used, although Fontina, Cheddar, Parmesan, or a combination of them, are all valid choices. As long as the cheese is properly blistered and gooey it will most likely taste great.
Bar Americain’s (view) rich Vidalia Onion Soup (above) is one of Manhattan’s best. The thick broth is full of sweet, soft onions, and the coating of Vermont white Cheddar is sharp and distinctive.
But Bobby Flay isn’t the only chef serving a fantastic crock of French Onion Soup in Manhattan. By typing “French Onion Soup” in quotes into the search field of AlwaysHungryNY.com’s Advanced Search Engine we compiled a list of some of our other favorites.
How To: Cesare Casella’s Spaghetti Carbonara
The Gluttoness — October 29, 2009
Cesare Casella’s Spaghetti alla Carbonara.
Some people are all about lasagna, others love gnocchi or vongole. I’m all about Carbonara. Endless attempts at finding worthy replicas of this classic Roman dish have ended with disappointment. That was until Secession opened, and Cesare Casella, who was consulting on the Italian portion of the menu, brought his incredible Carbonara recipe to TriBeCa. Alas, Frank Bruni trashed the restaurant, the pastas were taken off the menu, and in a few months Secession was closed. I dreamed about the Carbonara, and every time I ran into Cesare Casella at an industry event, I essentially begged him for his recipe.
At Salumeria Rosi, Cesare Casella finally demonstrates his secret Carbonara recipe.
Recently, Cesare’s recipe finally landed in my inbox. But I wanted to learn from the master, so I met Cesare in the kitchen at Salumeria Rosi. His secret to perfect Carbonara? “Simplicity,” he said. “You’ve got to respect the traditional recipe and good ingredients—organic eggs, the best guanciale.”
Classic Carbonara uses eggs, pecorino Romano, guanciale, and black pepper, yet Cesare doesn’t have a problem with including cream (“Cream lets you make a mistake”) or blending meats and cheeses for more complex flavors. I’ve ruined many Carbonaras, but Cesare’s recipe was remarkably simple and the results were unparalleled. For anyone who loves Carbonara, this will be the ultimate rendition.
AlwaysPartying: National Pumpkin Cheesecake Day
The Gluttoness — October 21, 2009
Babbo’s Pumpkin Cheesecake with Golden Raisins, Crème Fraîche and Saba.
It’s National Pumpkin Cheesecake Day and I’m reminded on this food holiday of the Pumpkin Cheesecake that became my favorite dessert at Babbo (view). It’s not currently on the menu (I’m told that pastry chef, Gina De Palma is still deliberating how pumpkin will make its star turn), but this rendition, which Ed Levine wrote about in The Times’ Quest for the Best Cheesecake, is really the only way to deliciously bask in pumpkin cheesecake glory.
This delicately dense cheesecake is replete with rich, creamy pumpkin flavor. It is accompanied with crème fraîche, Saba (Italian grape must reduction), and golden raisins that have been cooked into an intense caramel compote. The raisins burst with juiciness and a subtle scent of orange, an effect that works in unison with the bold sweetness of the Saba to amplify the pumpkin flavor.
Given the quality of the food at Babbo, it’s virtually impossible to leave room for dessert, but sometimes you have to make room and the pumpkin cheesecake is such an occasion. I can only hope that Chef De Palma brings it back. While we wait with anticipation to see if it makes a triumphant return, there are some other great New York City cheesecakes that I can recommend.
AlwaysTraveling: Pizza Capital of the World (Old Forge, PA)
GutterGourmet — September 29, 2009
Arcaro & Genell’s “tray” ($12.50) with, in thirds from front: chopped clams, hot peppers and plain cheese (toppings $0.25/cut, 1-11 cuts).
Restaurant: Pizza Capital of the World
Address: Old Forge, Pennsylvania, 18518 (view map)
AlwaysHungry Grade: A-
AlwaysHungry Recommends: Red and White ‘cuts’ from Revello’s, Arcaro & Genell, and Ghigiarelli.
We’ve all butted heads over which city deserves the moniker Pizza Capital of the World. Most (including me) would objectively say New York City. Others would look to the mother country’s famed city, Napoli. Those who like to invoke Wooster Street in New Haven, Connecticut (either Sally’s or Pepe’s) shouldn’t be considered insane. I’ll even tolerate the Chicago Deep Dish fringe weighing in and the Alice Waters/Wolfgang Puck/California Pizza contingent. So it was with a mild feeling of terror that I discovered a place which can only be properly described by the late, great Rod Serling, the creator and host of The Twilight Zone: cue theme music Doo Doo Doo Doo, Doo Doo Doo Doo.
“You’re traveling through another dimension — a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind. A journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination. There’s a signpost up ahead: your next stop: Old Forge, Pennsylvania, population 8,798, established 1899.
[cue Len Berman echo machine] Pizza Capital of the WOORRLLDDD!!!!”
AlwaysPartying: Brooklyn Cheese Experiment
Arthur Bovino — September 14, 2009
Pete Taylor, Josh Knowlton & Billy Denniston of Propeller Pale Ale, unanimous homebrew winners.
On Sunday at the Bell House (view site) in Park Slope, Brooklyn, amateur cooks and homebrewers battled to see whose cheese-based dishes and beers would take top prize at the Brooklyn Cheese Experiment. The well-attended and much-photographed event was sponsored by Murray’s Cheese Shop, the Vermont Cheese Society and Council and Sixpoint Craft Ales and presented by thefoodexperiments.com hosts, Theo Peck and Nick Suarez. It featured 17 cooks and 8 teams of homebrewers who were competing for cash prizes and gift certificates to Brooklyn Brew Shop, Brooklyn Homebrew and Whisk. A portion of the ticket sales were being donated for ovarian cancer research.
A judging panel included: Bon Appétit’s restaurant editor, Andrew Knowlton; Taylor Cocalis, the director of Education at Murray’s; the Vermont Butter and Cheese Company’s Adeline Druart; Chanterelle’s fromager, Adrian Murciathe; and the brewers of Sixpoint Craft Ales. They awarded top three categories for best food and beer. Audience members also voted on their top three favorites. Alyssa Lees’ cheese puff was given special distinction and awarded her two tickets to a show at the Bell House.
AlwaysTraveling: Pão de Queijo Haddock Lobo (São Paulo, Brazil)
Arthur Bovino — September 08, 2009
Pão de Queijo Haddock Lobo
Restaurant: Pão de Queijo Haddock Lobo
Address: Rua Haddock Lobo, 1408, São Paulo, SP, 01414-002, Brazil (salghadhinos and a cloth-covered basket on top filled with warm goodness. Rich, sunglass-wearing women rub elbows at the counter with anyone who has a few reais to spend on what are the best pão de queijo in the city, if not the country.
Part of what’s so good about this place is how fresh everything is— literally just from the oven. Every fifteen minutes, fresh pão de queijo is brought out front and placed in the basket, usually by Tiao, the ever-smiling baker with the white hat who is a local celebrity. The fresh pão don’t stay in the basket long, there’s usually a line of businessmen, children, tourists and housewives who have staked out the counter. Unlike typical renditions, these are not domed. Instead, they’re misshapen and elongated. And while they’re made with cassava flour according to traditional methods, they are very light and their texture is unique— more like a cross between pão de queijo and biscuits from the American South. They’re like warm, cheesy, slightly stretchy biscuits with a slight crunch on the outside.
The coxinha is just as addictive. Some have attributed the attraction to “its crunch, unlike any candy bar.” While it’s true that this delicate exterior is superb, it’s the center that’s truly amazing. If chicken were candy without being sweet, this would be it. The meat is delicately shredded, as if done by hand, and it’s moist, as though it was just cooked, battered and fried moments ago. Add your dash of hot sauce with each bite, down some espresso and don’t expect to eat anywhere else after because once you’ve tasted one of each, you’ll be gobbling up several more.
Coxinha at Pão de Queijo Haddock Lobo.
Pão de Queijo, fresh from the cloth-covered basket.
AlwaysLearning: Pão de Queijo
Arthur Bovino — September 04, 2009
.jpg)
Pão de Queijo in Astoria at New York Pão de Queijo, $1.75.
Pão de Queijo (pronounced, pow de KAY-ju, with a nasal ‘ow’) is an addictive, gluten-free, South American salgadinho.
Where it’s from: Pão de Queijo is one of many different salgadhinos (snacks), like Coxinha and Pastels, which you can find everywhere in Brazil. It is most often sold at cafés, where it’s eaten with espresso for breakfast while standing at a counter— though it can be found all day. Variations are said to be found in Bolivia, where they’re known as Cuñapé, and in Paraguay and Northern Argentina where they’re known as Chipás.
What it is: In Portuguese Pão de Queijo means ‘cheese bread.’ Bread isn’t quite accurate— gougère or cheese profiterole is more apt. Basically, it’s a domed cheese puff one to three inches wide, made using Povilho Azedo, cassava flour (tapioca starch) usually with Queijo de Minas cheese inside. Origins are murky, but it’s thought to have been created by slaves who harvested the yucca crops and gathered the starch leftover after processing. Starch was rolled into balls and baked. Later, when cattle-farming became widespread, cheese was introduced. One Brazilian chain that specializes in it, Casa do Pão de Queijo (founded in 1967 in São Paulo), attributes it to the 18th century in the state of Minas Gerais, a region in the Southeast of Brazil, a little less than 300 miles from Rio.
How it’s made: Recipes vary, but generally, milk, oil and butter are first mixed over heat. Then tapioca flour, eggs and cheese are added. After the mixture cools, balls of dough are formed and cooked for about twenty minutes. The combination of tapioca starch and cheese creates a slightly gummy, chewy consistency inside, like a palatable rubber cement. When done right, they are crisp on the outside and light, airy, warm and slightly chewy on the inside with full, cheesy flavor. One of Brazil’s best places for pão de queijo is in São Paulo— Pão de Queijo Haddock Lobo —a little shop in a neighborhood called Jardins Paulista.
Where to get it in New York: There are pockets of Brazilian restaurants downtown (like Casa and Cafe La Palette in the West Village, and one place in the East Village, Esperanto) that serve pão de queijo, as well as a few in Midtown (Emporium Brasil) on what’s left of Little Brazil on 46th Street (“Little Brazil Street”) and also in Newark, and Astoria, Queens.
One AlwaysHungryNY.com favorite spot for pão is New York Pão de Queijo (right), a small café in Astoria. It has other treats including açai na tigela and a bevy of Brazilian fruit juices. Fair warning: once you’ve eaten one, it’s difficult to stop.
AlwaysLearning: Welsh Rarebit
The Gluttoness — September 03, 2009
Welsh Rarebit from The ChipShop on Atlantic Avenue, in Brooklyn Heights.
Welsh Rarebit. If you just heard the name, you would probably expect a plate filled with some kind of rare meat. The reality couldn’t be farther from that. In honor of National Welsh Rarebit Day…
What it is: Welsh Rarebit consists of toasted bread topped with a savory sauce made with melted cheese. The sauce is typically made with Cheddar cheese, although some recipes call for the addition of dark beer, mustard, cayenne pepper and/or Worcestershire Sauce. The cheese-covered bread is then broiled and served very hot so that the cheese is bubbling and golden brown. There are many variations of the original dish. One, the Buck Rarebit, calls for topping Welsh Rarebit with a poached egg.
Where it’s from: This traditional British dish dates to the 18th century, perhaps as early as 1725. The name is thought to be a corruption of the word, ‘rabbit,’ the theory being that rabbit was the food of the poor and that the Welsh, who were notoriously poor, couldn’t even afford that. As such, instead of eating meat with bread, cheese became the ‘meat’ component of the dish. In 1785, by virtue of a misnomer in A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, the name of the dish evolved into “Welsh Rarebit.”
Where to eat it in New York City: Where better to enjoy a classic British dish than surrounded by maps of the Tube, Beatles posters, and plates commemorating Princess Diana in one of New York’s most traditional British gastropubs, The ChipShop (Brooklyn Heights restaurant page, Park Slope restaurant page). The restaurant is best known for a lengthy list of beers-on-tap and deep-fried treatments of pizza, Twinkies and Haddock (for a phenomenal Fish & Chips). But their “English Menu” is full of other British favorites like Scotch Eggs, Haggis, and of course, Welsh Rarebit.
The ChipShop’s glossary defines Welsh Rarebit as “cheddar cheese, heavy cream and mustard on bread and baked—served with tomato.” The folks there identified the mustard as Colman’s and noted that eggs are also used in the sauce. At the restaurant, the slice of thick, crisp white bread arrives browned and bubbling, adorned with a halved slice of tomato. It’s part open-faced grilled cheese, part Croque Monsieur (minus the ham). It’s like a savory, cheesy French Toast. The exterior crust has a hearty crunch, but the heavy dressing of cheese sauce soaks the bread’s innards and oozes from the sliced center.
Welsh Rarebit is comfort food at its finest. It’s no surprise that this decadent dish was a food staple eaten by the poor as it definitely helps you to escape from your financial burdens, at least momentarily, even longer when accompanied by a cool pint.
<< Back to Thought For Food
"Unleash Your Inner Fat Kid."
Whet your appetite with a daily dose of AlwaysHungry's Thought for Food. We provide content that will improve your knowledge of food, and that will enhance your experiences with food. We do not write industry gossip.
Always Hungry Newsletter
