AlwaysInformed: The Mister Softee Jingle

Arthur Bovino — March 18, 2010

Mister Softee is back.

It happened last night, 2010’s first Mister Softee jingle. It makes sense if you consider Mister Softee’s history. In 1956, the Conway brothers took their first truck out on St. Paddy’s Day, and gave out green-colored ice cream. March 17th was the anniversary of Mister Softee’s first outing.

The jingle signifies that warm weather is near, but it’s also the crack of the starter’s pistol—the beginning of a run of articles, and local TV news spots that detail how the jingle drives city-dwellers crazy. People have been hiding from the cold so long they forget they can actually leave their homes. They take three months of cabin fever out on poor Mister Softee, and his happy little song.

Last year’s dire warnings included a report at the end of March in The Daily News about Inwood residents claiming to be driven mad by the constant jingle. The New York Post chimed in two months later, this time in Williamsburg and Greenpoint, with residents complaining about the trucks that circle McCarren Park. NPR in 2007 when New York City implemented a new noise code. You get the idea. The over/under on the 2010’s first news report about people being driven mad with rage about the jingle? By next Friday, Monday the 29th at the latest.

Two things. It’s beautiful outside, get out of the house. Go buy an a ice cream. Also, did you know the jingle has lyrics? The cream-i-est dream-i-e-est Softee words were copyrighted in 1960:

The Mister Softee Lyrics >>

Top 5: Affogato

February 04, 2010

The Affogato: hot, bitter espresso poured over sweet ice cream. It’s a great meal-ender.

Affogato, it’s Italian for ‘drowned.’ Gelato drowned in hot espresso— coffee and dessert combined. Sounds like a simple dessert, right?

But there’s nuance involved in what constitutes a great affogato. What kind of espresso? What flavor gelato? Vanilla? No? What kind? And what’s the ratio of one to the other? Is there whipped cream, caramel or chocolate sauce? Toppings— sweet or salty variables scattered on top or served on the side? We kept all this in mind as we set out to find the City’s Top Five renditions.

Click here to find out Always Hungry’s Top 5 Affogato.

Have an idea for a Top 5? We’d love to hear from you. Go to the bottom of a Top 5 page and enter your suggestion into the “Suggest a Top 5” field along with your rankings and your email address.

Featured Desserts: Matsugen

Arthur Bovino — January 13, 2010

Grapefruit Jelly at Matsugen.

Sushi. Dessert. Disconnect. The last thing you’d expect when going to eat high-end sushi is that at the end of the meal you’re going to be left thinking about sweets. But that’s what happens at Matsugen. Sure, chicken meatballs with super-spice-your nose heat are enjoyable. Yes, Sea Urchin with Yuzu Jelly is a welcome, smoky palate cleanser. And Hot Soba with Kamo Nanban Duck is a good antidote to repeated, freeze-your-face winter slaps. But aside from the Bakudan (which remains one of Matsugen’s best dishes), it is a trio of desserts that are most likely to resonate.

Click here for pictures of ice cream brûlée and warabi mochi >>

Featured Brunch: Daniel Boulud Does Brunch

The Gluttoness — November 06, 2009

Summer Fruit Parfait with Yogurt, Granola and Berries, $9.00.

Hot off the heels of its two-star review from The Times, DBGB Kitchen & Bar (view) has experienced the expected surge in business, and not only during prime dinner hours. Turns out it’s not all about the sausages, especially during brunch, when DBGB serves sweeter delights like Belgian Waffles topped with chocolate or berries and whipped cream, and a Fruit Parfait featuring figs, yogurt and granola. You can still order a juicy Yankee Burger, and those sausages (nine varieties) well, they get even better— any of them can be topped with two eggs, any style for $6.00.

Breakfast favorites abound, whether you’re looking for Brioche French Toast, a simple stuffed omelette in the velvety, uncolored French style, or poached eggs “en cocotte” with caramelized onions, mushrooms and bubbly Gruyère. Best of all is the classic Croque Madame, topped with an oozing sunny-side egg, and the super crisp, triangular hash brown cakes served in a miniature iron skillet.

For little kids, the horribly hungover and serious sweet tooths alike, nothing will end your bountiful brunch on a better note than DBGB Kitchen & Bar’s spectacular sundaes. There’s a Cassis Beer Yogurt with Speculoos Cookie, Rainbow Meringue, and Black Currant Compote too. But for the sake of the season you might consider the Caramel-Cider (with braised apple, marshmallow and oatmeal crumble). Of course, it’s impossible to go wrong with the indulgent chocolate chip cookie and brownie-flecked Coffee Mocha. Looks like Daniel Boulud has spent some quality time with a pint of Half Baked.

Haven’t we all.

Featured Dessert: Kyotofu’s Sweet Potato Cake

The Gluttoness — November 05, 2009

Warm Sweet Potato Cake w/Satsumaimo, Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, Sweet Potato Caramel & Pecan Tuile.

Slashfood recently penned a piece about the obscurity of Sweet Potato Cake. They’re right, sweet potato pie is probably the first dessert to come to mind when people think about sweet applications of this ingredient, but the creative minds at Kyotofu (view) are doing something to throw the spotlight on this lesser-known sweet potato treat. Kyotofu’s tofu-centric dessert bar is known for delicately blending eclectic Asian ingredients with classic French pastry techniques, and their Warm Sweet Potato Cake ($10.00) follows suit.

This stylized interpretation features two different textural implementations of sweet potato. The cake is moist and spongy. Warm slices are presented on a creamy purée of satsumaimo (a purple-skinned, Japanese sweet potato) and topped with a sticky, sweet potato-infused caramel. A scoop of vanilla bean ice cream offers a cool contrast and pecan tuile brings a nutty crunch.

AlwaysPartying: National Chocolate Day

The Hungry Goat — October 28, 2009

From Strip House: Strip House Chocolate Cake.

On this most sacred of days, National Chocolate Day, we give you the gift of chocolate food porn. For the viewing pleasure of all you chocoholics out there, we have assembled pictures of some of our favorite chocolate dishes in New York City.

Click Here for more Chocolate Food Porn >>

Featured Desserts: Porterhouse Cake & Baked Potato Ice Cream

The Gluttoness — September 30, 2009

Dylan Prime’s Chocolate “Porterhouse” for Two: Red Velvet “N.Y. Strip,” Frozen Mousse “Filet,” and White Chocolate Bone, $24.00.

Porterhouse and a baked potato are a classic steakhouse combination. The steak’s bloody juices mix with the melted butter used to cook it, creating an obvious dipping sauce for the potatoes. Things don’t get more savory than this. But this classic combination of steak and potatoes is now getting even sweeter. Two restaurants have cleverly turned them into decadent desserts made to satisfy even the most demanding sweet tooth.

Dylan Prime’s (view) clever Chocolate Porterhouse is just as big as the real thing. The dessert even mimics the steak’s proportion of N.Y. Strip to filet: a white chocolate “bone” separates Red Velvet Cake and Chocolate Mousse Cake. Both are covered with a dark chocolate shell as if they had been seared on a flaming griddle, and raspberry purée replicates the natural juices that seep from a freshly cooked steak. A cross-section reveals how the red velvet cake emulates a rare steak, while the chocolate mousse appears more well-done. This cake can’t compete with what you’ll find in the best bakery, but whipped cream and raspberry sauce make everything better, and you won’t have to worry about taking your Lipitor.

Continue Reading >>

Seasonal Spotlight: Figs

The Gluttoness — September 29, 2009

Figs are in season, and they’re inspiring chefs throughout the city to feature them prominently on their menus. They have, in turn inspired us to compose the following fig-themed meal.

APPETIZER: A Voce’s Pancetta — Pork Belly with Figs, Balsamic & Pistachio ($12).

A Voce’s (restaurant page) pork belly is marinated overnight with coriander seed, fennel seed, onion, garlic and orange zest, then slow-cooked for six hours and crisped to order. The thick-cut slab of pancetta is topped beautifully with sliced figs. Fragrant from the penetrating marinade, the warm silky fat melts on the tongue while meatier bits are tender and succulent. The sweetness of the figs accentuates the scents of orange and licorice, their gritty seeds collaborating with the crushed pistachio for intriguing flecks of contrasting texture. A simple dressing of reduced balsamic mimics the natural caramelization of the pan-fried pork belly.

Continue Reading >>

AlwaysPartying: 2009 Vendy Awards

The Hungry Goat — September 28, 2009

New York City’s love affair with street vendors was on full display at Saturday’s 2009 Vendy Awards. A crowd of over 1,000 hungry New Yorkers—a record high for the event—filed into historic Corona Park to sample and support the eleven contenders by way of an hours-long eat and repeat marathon.

Highlights included: Biryani Cart’s kick-ass Kati Roll, the chorizo huaraches by Vendy’s winner, Country Boys/Martinez Taco Truck, Big Gay Ice Cream Truck’s Caramelized Bacon Ice Cream Sandwich, and “Freddy” The King of Falafel’s unforgettable performance with two lovely belly dancers.

Top, Country Boys/Martinez Taco Trucks’ Chorizo Huaraches. Bottom left, Chicken Tacos.

2009 VENDY CUP WINNER
Country Boys/Martinez Taco Truck – Fernando & Jolanda Martinez
Served: Fernando said he selected his clients’ favorites, Huaraches, Quesadillas or Tacos with a choice of chicken, beef, or vegetarian filling.
AlwaysHungry For: Anything with seafood.
AHNY Notes: Fernando said his favorite restaurants are El Viejo Yayo, and Barzola.

Continue Reading >>

Featured Dessert: DBGB’s Baked Alaska for Two

The Gluttoness — September 11, 2009

DBGB’s Omelette Norvegienne (Baked Alaska for two, $18) w/Raspberry Sorbet, Vanilla and Verbena Ice creams, Meringue and Chartreuse.

For dessert-lovers a double-serving of sweets can be a must-order whether or not you’re dining solo or à deux. DBGB Kitchen & Bar’s (restaurant page) super-sized treatment of their Baked Alaska fulfills both possibilities. This classic dessert usually features pastry-wrapped ice cream, topped with meringue, then broiled or torched until the creamy insulator is ablaze with a bubbling, brown char. In addition to the American moniker (said to have originated in 1876 with Chef Charles Ranhofer of Delmonico’s to honor Alaska’s acquisition), at DBGB the dish is given a French appellation, Omelette Norvégienne.

DBGB’s open-ended Baked Alaska for Two displays a spumoni-like trifecta of flavors. The restaurant’s pastry chef, Myriam “Mimi” Eberhardt broke down this “pretty traditional dessert.” First she portions it for two so the ice cream doesn’t melt. The trio of ice creams are frozen solid then wrapped in a thin layer of almond cake. This spongy layer is covered with French meringue which is pre-charred then flambéed tableside with Chartreuse (a green French liqueur made using 130 herbs under the supervision of Carthusian monks). The cake quickly becomes infused with its surrounding flavors, particularly the remnant Chartreuse and melting meringue, which drools to the bottom once the confection is set aflame.

Chef Eberhardt’s selection of homemade ice creams is based on the season so the dessert’s flavors will change with nature’s bounty. Currently a tart, ruby red raspberry sorbet acts as the fruity gem in the center of vanilla bean and lemon verbana ice creams. As Mimi explained, “the freshness of the sorbet balances the creaminess of the ice cream.” As superb as this current combination is, we’re eager to taste what flavors fall has in store.

Maintaining the Grade: Momofuku Ko

Arthur Bovino & The Hungry Goat — September 09, 2009

We lucked out and scored a coveted reservation for dinner last night at Momofuku Ko (restaurant page). Taking pictures of composed plates is still banned so we annotated the meal with grades in the Dish by Dish style of two AlwaysHungryNY.com meals there in February.

Click here for the course by course >>

AlwaysTraveling: Pizza à Bessa (Brasília, Brazil)

Arthur Bovino — August 25, 2009

Left, ‘Calabresa’ (Tomato Sauce, Mozzarella, Sausage, Olives, Onions, Oregano and Crispy Garlic.). Center, Sausage, Corn and Potato Sticks. Right, Tomato Sauce, Mozzarella and Potato Sticks.

Restaurant: Pizza à Bessa (view site)
Address: SCLS Quadra 214, Bloco C, Loja 14, Setor Comércio Local Sul, Brasília, Brazil‎ (view map)
AlwaysHungry Grade: A-
AlwaysHungry Recommends: Rodizio.

Brazilian cuisine is known for the seemingly endless meat offerings that are served rodizio-style (unlimited food at a fixed price) at its renowned churrascarias. But it’s not the only cuisine in Brazil served in this style. In many places, rodizio has been adapted to one of the country’s favorite cheap snacks, pizza. In Brasília, the country’s Epcot-like capital, Pizza à Bessa is the pizza spot.

An open airy setting for Pizza à Bessa in Brasília’s Asa Sul (South Wing).

There are two Pizza à Bessa locations. The branch that opened in Asa Sul in June, 2006, is in an area with other good restaurant options. Settle in, R$19.70 (about $11) gets you as many slices as it’s possible to stomach. It’s half-price for children five to nine and free for anyone younger.

Waiters fly from the kitchen and do circuits around the dining room, each one carrying a tray with a different type of pizza. You’ll frequently find yourself with three different slices on your plate. When it comes to getting your money’s worth, as at any rodizio, pacing is key. But part of the fun (besides downing caipirinhas with your pizza) is the two-fold food challenge you face: 1) seeing how many slices you can eat 2) attempting to sample each of the thirty to forty different kinds of pizza.

Pizza à Bessa serves conventional pizza, but Brazilians use all kinds of unexpected ingredients— at any one point your plate is likely to resemble a Midwestern potluck. Some toppings you’ll find include: Carne de Sol, Catupiry (Brazilian cream cheese), Mustard, Purê de Batatas (Mashed Potatoes), Corn, Tuna, Cassava and Potato Sticks. Purists, be warned, while the menu says that many slices feature tomato sauce (molho de tomate) its application is light. The best slices tend to be the ones featuring very creamy Brazilian cheese and enjoying the experience is mostly about the novelty of unexpected textures and combinations.

There are also a number of incredibly sweet dessert pizzas: Sorvete e Calda de Chocolate (Ice cream and Chocolate Syrup), Maçã (Apple), and Mel (Honey) among others.

The slice count on our vist: 25

Left, ‘Purê de Batatas’ (Tomato Sauce, Mozzarella, Mashed Potatoes and Oregano). Right, ‘Calabresa.’

Click here for more pictures of Brazilian pizza from Pizza à Bessa. >>

AlwaysLearning: Durian, As Bad As They Say

Arthur Bovino — August 24, 2009

Durian, the so-called “King of Fruits,” being prepared at the fruit stand outside Tú Qùynh Pharmacy in Chinatown.

Durian. Eating this stinky fruit is a culinary rite of passage you see Andrew Zimmerman and Anthony Bourdain perform halfway around the world, late at night on television. But you don’t have to let them have all the food challenge fun.

Where it’s from: Southeast Asia. Though native to Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei, Thailand is the world’s largest exporter.

What it is: Durian, a greenish-brown fruit renowned for its powerful smell, grows from a tropical evergreen tree, and grows to be a foot long and a half-foot wide. Its spiny shell inspired the name— duri is Malay for thorn. The texture inside is part custard, part mushy-stringy-slimy rot. The smell comes from a high concentration of sulfurous compounds.

Comparisons to cheese, sewage, and death, and descriptions like “banana, caramel, and vanilla, with a slight onion tang,” may seem over-the-top at first. Travel-writer, Richard Sterling’s description sets the tone: “pig-shit, turpentine and onions, garnished with a gym sock.” But Bourdain’s isn’t far behind, “your breath will smell as if you’d been French-kissing your dead grandmother.”

There is no hyperbole. Keeping this down may be difficult. As if durian’s natural flavor isn’t uncompelling enough, some preparations go further. Take Tempoyak, fermented durian, and boder, durian minced with salt, onions and vinegar.

There are several durian-related urban legends. One is that the ripe fruit falls from the tree and kills people. Another is that it eating it in excess can kill anyone with high blood pressure. Many in Southeast Asia believe that it’s lethal to consume alcohol with durian, some brave souls set out to disprove on video. It’s also believed to be an aphrodisiac— there’s said to be an expression in Java, “durian jatuh sarung naik”, meaning “durians fall and the sarongs come up.”

Left, Tú Qùynh Pharmacy at 230 Grand Street. Right, Durian Sorbet at Bao Noodles.

Where to get it in New York: Visit the stand in Chinatown outside Tú Qùynh Pharmacy on the corner of Grand and Bowery. They regularly receive durian flown frozen from Thailand. You have to buy the whole fruit, which on average weighs 8 to 11 pounds and costs about $2/lb. A salesman with protective gloves selects a durian (when ripe and shaken, it’s said to rattle inside like a soft-boiled egg), slices it open with a boxcutter and seals it in plastic for you.

If you’re interested in a more tame experience, try Bao Noodles, which recently featured a surprisingly pleasant Durian sorbet or Chinatown Ice Cream Factory, which regularly offers Durian Ice Cream.

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 (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).

AlwaysInvestigating: Cornbread Ice Cream

Arthur Bovino — August 13, 2009

A heaping bowl of Cornbread Ice Cream ($4) at Dante’s Southern Fusion in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

As fans of Sundaes and Cones and even Shake Shack can attest (it’s August’s Thursday flavor), Corn Ice Cream is a popular if not everyday flavor. Dante’s Southern Fusion (view site) in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, recently advertised an intriguing variation on their menu: Cornbread Ice Cream.

Dante’s cuisine is described as classic southern dishes made with “classic Asian, Spanish or French techniques and sauces.” As interesting as it sounds and as beloved as cornbread is, this flavor’s success was not predetermined. Would it have the flavor of cornbread and the texture? And if it had the texture, would there be cold, hard-kerneled chunks?

The restaurant’s owner, Dante (“he just goes by Dante, like Prince,” said Chef Joseph Capozzi), recently bought an ice cream machine about a month ago. “We’ve just been coming up with all sorts of crazy ice creams,” noted Capozzi, who has his own cooking video site, theultimatebyte.com

Staff members have been encouraged to suggest flavors. Quirky ones currently on the menu are Chinese 5-Spice and Kentucky Twirl (Bourbon Ice Cream with a Raspberry Swirl). They haven’t all made the cut. Take the Rum with Blueberry Lemonade Mix, nicknamed ‘Bacardi Blue.’ The cornbread flavor was a creation of Dante, who according to Chef Capozzi, was inspired by the free cornbread they serve.

“It’s funny because he’s got a science background so he comes up with crazy stuff and different ideas,” said Chef Capozzi. “They call me the magic man because I make the ideas happen.”

It turns out there was some magic because the flavor is craveable. The cornbread has real corn and pimentos, which provided the ice cream with quite a substantial texture. But it was an enhancement—it was as if someone left a cornbread cookie in a bowl of milk, soaked it until it disintegrated slightly, then made ice cream with it. The bowl of five scoops disappeared in less than three minutes. The next step may be to invent suitable toppings— perhaps honey, bacon bits, maple butterscotch syrup or even chili?