AlwaysPartying: Fatty Crab UWS Turns One
Arthur Bovino — March 04, 2010
Clockwise from top: Lamb Breast Sandwich with Lemon-Garlic Emulsion from Fatty ‘Cue, the scene at the bar at Fatty Crab UWS, T-Shirt from the upcoming Fatty ‘Cue.
Last night the Fatty boys celebrated the one year anniversary of Fatty Crab UWS in full-flavored fashion. Among the bites and booze flowing there were previews of two Fatty ‘Cue cocktails (The ‘Cue and the Hunter S) and three dishes. The bartenders worked furiously to send out Fatty cocktails like the Chupacabra, the Dark & Stormy, and the Fat & Dirty, with champagne bottles at the ready. “Maybe save those for later?” someone suggested. “When’s later?” flew back the response with a smile.
Speaking of later, what about the ever-elusive Fatty ‘Cue opening date? Three days? Three weeks? Three months? Rumors floated among the packed revelers in the dining room, but in the VIP room (the doorway to the kitchen) the guys could be overheard being more concerned (at least for the night) with the next round of Malpeque oyster shooters, and making sure that drinks were being distributed en masse to party-goers who were having trouble bellying up to the bar. Whenever the opening is, we’ll be there to get some more of that lamb breast sandwich.
More Fatty 'Cue Preview Photographs >>
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: 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.
AlwaysPartying: Oyster Odyssey
Arthur Bovino — August 05, 2009
The John Dory’s Hangtown Fry ($17) is served during brunch.
New York City is a great place for raw bar and fried oysters (see AHNY’s National Oyster Day post). As delicious as these oyster preparations are, other classic and interesting preparations shouldn’t be missed. Take the Hangtown Fry, an oyster and bacon omelette made famous in California during the Gold Rush. Its origin is one of those epic food myths.
It starts in a place forty miles east of Sacramento that was called Dry Diggins until three desperadoes were hanged from the town’s giant oak tree, after which it became Hangtown. Supposedly, in 1849 a miner who had found gold walked into the El Dorado Hotel across the street from the tree and asked the bartender for the most expensive meal possible. The result was a combination of bacon from the East, eggs from the coast and oysters that had been packed on ice and brought in from the San Francisco Bay.
The dish outlasted the town’s name and the hotel. Today, Hangtown is known as Placerville, and the El Dorado was replaced in 1857 after burning down a year before, by the The Cary House Hotel, which still stands. Allegedly one of the only places in town to regularly serves the Hangtown Fry is Chuck’s Restaurant. But that’s okay because you don’t have to go to California to strike culinary gold.
The John Dory’s rendition has to rank up there with the city’s best egg dishes. Eggs are creamy. Bacon is substituted with a thick prosciutto that has the texture of tender corned beef. Slices of pickled jalapeño add bursts of a light vinegary flavor and heat also spread throughout the dish. The oysters are only slightly cooked. The pooled flavors lining the plate’s bottom when you finish are worth wiping up with the delicious Parker House rolls.
The Hangtown Fry is just one of New York City’s many notable oyster dishes on the following Oyster Odyssey that a true bivalve-lover should try to check off their list.
Click to see AHNY's checklist of New York City's notable oyster dishes. >>
AlwaysPartying: International Pickle Week
The Gluttoness — May 22, 2009
In celebration of International Pickle Week (May 15 through the 25) it’s time to pay homage to some of our favorite, non-traditional, international pickle plates in New York City. It’s not that we don’t love the NYC Pickle Guys and the sour or half-sour cukes at Katz’s and Second Avenue Deli, but sometimes AlwaysHungryNY likes to spice things up and the pickles at these restaurants really pack some heat.
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