AlwaysInformed: Meatball Madness Preview
Arthur Bovino — October 08, 2009
Meatball Sliders at The Little Owl.
It’s finally here this weekend: New York City Wine & Food Festival’s Meatball Madness hosted by Giada De Laurentiis. The GutterGourmet has been waiting for this moment for months. He’ll be at the event covering it for us on Sunday. To bone up:
-To learn about participants, visit relevant sites and AlwaysHungryNY.com’s restaurant pages below.
-For great meatball pictures, revisit our Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs roundup.
-For who else it might have been interesting to see compete and in which categories, read the Meatball Madness preview that GutterGourmet wrote after Meatball Melee of the Boroughs.
AlwaysInvestigating: About Giada’s Meatball Madness…
GutterGourmet — May 21, 2009
Now that Dish du Jour’s “Meatball Melée of the Boroughs” is behind us, and Nicky’s Famous Meatballs, a dark horse, deep-fried meatball by Bello Giardino’s, has taken the title, Best Meatballs in the Borough, it’s time to look forward to the next great meatball competition. This fall’s return of the Food Network’s New York City Wine and Food Festival (presented October 8-11 by Food&Wine and Travel+Leisure) is rumored to be featuring an entirely new event hosted by Giada De Laurentiis: Meatball Madness. It would have been a close call to choose between getting up close to Giada or the city’s best meatballs, thankfully we won’t have to. And who better than Giada to judge the best balls?
The event has inspired some intense thought about the competition’s potential participants and possible categories. For the approval of the powers that be, we submit the following:
The Traditional Italian/American Category
1) Lazzara’s gargantuan Meatball Parmigiana Hero (now at 2 locations: 38th Street and the new offshoot in Hell’s Kitchen on 9th Ave.).
2) Papa Perrone’s (best Midtown pizza truck) for meatball sandwiches and meatball pizza.
3) Manganaro’s Grosseria (no, not their archrival relatives next door, Manganaro’s Hero Boy).
4) John’s of 12th Street for spaghetti and meatballs in a Tony Soprano atmosphere circa 1908.
Click here for more suggested "Meatball Madness" categories >>
Featured Dessert: Frankies’ Red Wine Prunes
The Gluttoness — April 27, 2009
Frankies 17 Spuntino Red Wine Prunes with Mascarpone may just change your mind about prunes. Stewed in red wine, the slow-cooked prunes melt in your mouth—a slightly tangy contrast to the decadent bed of creamy mascarpone. Reduced red wine syrup covers the plate, coating the mascarpone long after the prunes vanish. The beauty of the dish is its simplicity, yet another example of how Frankies’ dedication to the best ingredients results in spellbinding dishes that don’t require much work. We managed to secure their recipe (below) so you too can master this chilled dessert.
Wine-Stewed Prunes with Mascarpone
Serves 6
1 pound pitted prunes (about 40)
1¼ cups sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
2½ cups dry red wine
2 8-ounce containers mascarpone
1. Combine prunes, sugar, cinnamon and wine in a pot over medium-high heat. When mixture boils, reduce to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes, until the liquid has turned to syrup.
2. Remove from heat, and the mixture rest for at least 15 minutes. Spread a mound of mascarpone on each plate, top with 6 prunes and drizzle with syrup. Serve immediately.
AlwaysHungryOlympics: Clinton Street Eating
The Gluttoness — April 24, 2009
The AlwaysHungry Olympics is a feature dedicated to gastronomic feats that defy normal human boundaries. These expeditions are a true test of strength, endurance and concentration that can only be achieved through practice and dedication of the mind, body and soul. The AlwaysHungry Olympics demonstrates how some can turn eating into a sport, and on that rare occasion, into an art form.
Clockwise from left: Fat Hippo’s Steak & Eggs, Cube 63’s Sushi, Frankie’s Rabbit Pappardelle, Falai’s Exterior [food not pictured by request]
It had all the makings of a glorious night. The AlwaysHungryNY Council of Eaters was heading out for a meal at Fat Hippo. The name alone had us excited considering that we essentially share a logo (though their hippo is much fatter than our silverware-wielding cartoon). Our anticipation for the evening evaporated when we realized that the Burger Fondue’s itty-bitty burgers were the menu’s only worthwhile bites. An hour hadn’t even passed before it was obvious that we couldn’t allow this to be the end of our night but rather an awful amuse bouche to our next destination. Our location on Clinton Street inspired an AlwaysHungry Olympics— a hopeful Tour de Gluttony of this narrow Lower East Side street’s numerous eateries.
San Marzano Brick Oven Pizza called to us from the other side of 71 Clinton Street, but the address just put Wylie Dufresne on the brain. WD-50 is unfortunately closed on Tuesday night, so we opted for a table at Cube 63 to sample their specialty sushi rolls. Considering it’s BYOB and we had no booze, we were compelled to cross the street afterwards for pasta and wine at Falai. Clerkenwell was debated as our next stop, but the ridiculously small menu and even smaller crowd sent us packing. A totally empty Sachiko’s on Clinton wasn’t enticing either.
We ended up at Frankies 17 Spuntino, the busiest spot on the block. Admittedly, we stopped eating short of Clinton St. Baking Co., but we feel safe declaring Frankies as the clear-cut victor for the best dinner on Clinton Street. This conclusion can only be understood through the context of each restaurant experience, so follow the links below to learn all the juicy details.
1. Fat Hippo 71 Clinton Street
At first glance it was clear that the entrées would outshine the appetizers. Burger Fondue and a Duck Cuban sounded far superior to House Cured Salmon with Potato Latkes…Click Here For Full Review
2. Cube 63 63 Clinton Street
Owners Ken & Ben Lau, brothers with a fondness for booze-infested fun, had a recipe for success with their low prices and creative specialty rolls. You’re not going to Cube for an omakase, but rather to binge on inspired spicy tuna rolls with eel sauce and extra crunchies… Click Here For Full Review
3. Falai 68 Clinton Street
The bread was impressive. Some rolls were stuffed with stewed black cabbage and others with sautéed onions and fennel. But the amuse, a Parmesan Cheese Marshmallow with Capers and Anchovies was nauseatingly salty and nearly impossible to eat without destroying… Click Here For Full Review
4. Frankies 17 Sputino 17 Clinton Street
Both dining rooms were full. One of the things that keeps both Frankies Sputino locations packed is their dedication to sourcing only the finest ingredients. When ingredients aren’t up to their standards they make their own… Click Here For Full Review
SEARCH: Hidden Gem, Lower East Side, Hipster First Date?
April 01, 2009
Use our very advanced search engine to always find the perfect place. Do you need a Hidden Gem on the Lower East Side for a Hipster First Date? Here’s what’s AlwaysHungry Approved:
Ápizz 60 Clinton Street
Recommended Dishes: Apizz Margherita & Lasagna Cinghiale
Azul Bistro 152 Stanton Street
Recommended Dishes: Empanadas & Argentinean Marinated Sirloin
Barrio Chino 253 Broome Street
Recommended Dishes: Enchiladas Mole & Churros
Falai 68 Clinton Street
Recommended Dishes: Foie Gras Trio, Ricotta Gnudi with Brown Butter & Pici with Italian Sausage
Frankie’s Spuntino 17 Clinton Street 17 Clinton Street
Recommended Dishes: Meatball Parmigiana Sandwich & Linguine Cacio e Pepe
Kuma Inn 113 Ludlow Street
Recommended Dishes: Kuma Bolognese, Deep-Fried Pork Belly & Thai Sticky Rice
Little Giant 85 Orchard Street
Recommended Dishes: Biscuit & Gravy, Sausage & Onions & Sticky Toffee Pudding
Sachiko’s on Clinton 25 Clinton Street
Recommended Dishes: Kushiage, White Tuna & Jalapeño & Specialty Rolls
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