AlwaysInvestigating: Sandwich Planet’s Napalm Burger
GutterGourmet — June 23, 2010
The Napalm Burger at Sandwich Planet, with a cross-section.
Recently, we profiled the Hellfire Slice. Today, we’re turning up the heat by reviewing Sandwich Planet’s Napalm Burger. Because of its location near the edge of the known solar system (the entrance to the Lincoln Tunnel on 9th Avenue and 39th), stumbling upon Sandwich Planet can be like discovering Pandora. In lieu of Unobtainium, Sandwich Planet fulfills our species’ need for sandwiches and variety.
Featured Cocktail: Jalapeño Tequila Four Ways at Mayahuel
Maryse Chevrière — May 06, 2010
The Pale Rider cocktail at Mayahuel.
If you’re not suffering too badly from tequila-overload after yesterday’s Cinco de Mayo festivities, go for another round at Mayahuel— or even if you are, a little hair of the dog never hurt.
Mayahuel was recently voted Best Reason to Ditch the Shot Glass at the 2010 Eat Out Awards, and it is emphatic about not being your typical slam-it-down shot kind of establishment. You won’t be licking salt off your hand, or chasing with a bite of lime.
Offered straight-up, for sipping, or in thoughtfully designed cocktails, the selection of fine tequilas and mezcals spans most of the menu’s pages, carefully categorized and infused with everything from raspberry to red pepper. Following a trend of spicy cocktails, we recently sampled four drinks at Mayahuel featuring jalapeño-infused tequilas.
AlwaysInvestigating: Plaza Mexico Doña Zita’s Cemita Poblana
Josh Kaplan — September 01, 2009
Plaza Mexico Doña Zita’s Chorizo Cemita Poblana, $8.
Tucked away on an inconspicuous corner of what used to be Astroland in Coney Island (on Bowery Street at Henderson Walk, view map), a half block from Stillwell Avenue, is a humble stand called Plaza Mexico Doña Zita. Besides two show-stealing condiments (their Salsa Fresca and an intense Tomatillo Cilantro Sauce), there’s nothing out of the ordinary as far as the competent Chicken, BBQ Pork and Chorizo tacos go. But the real reason to skip Nathan’s Famous Frankfurters is a sandwich, Doña Zita’s Cemita Poblana.
The Cemita is said to originate from Puebla. It traditionally includes sliced avocados, meat, cheese, onions and salsa roja on a sesame-seed egg roll. The incarnation offered by Plaza Mexico (advertised as a torta) is spectacular— a teetering tower of beautifully-balanced flavors and textures.
The bun is slathered with pinto bean paste and fried on the griddle. Next, Doña Zita’s greasy chorizo is laid as a foundation for thin slices of avocado, tomatoes, and jalapeño wedges. It’s all topped off with a fat, stringy nest of milky white quesillo, a popular Mexican string cheese (also known as Queso Oaxaca) that has the texture of mozzarella, and shredded lettuce. When you bite into the sandwich, the cheese acts as a cold, juicy, chewy element that melds with the grilled chorizo to form a melted, integrated bite— it’s a vision of Mexican street food.
AlwaysFresh: Park Slope Farmers’ Market (8/4/09)
Michelle Kiefer — August 04, 2009
The AlwaysHungryNY.com Team is hitting the streets and heading to farmers markets throughout the city to scope out the fresh, seasonal ingredients that are inspiring the culinary genius of locavore chefs and amateur gourmets alike.
This week, we were in Park Slope at the Park Slope Farmers Market. Click on the thumbnails below to see pictures from our farmers’ market tour. Remember, you can always use AlwaysHungryNY.com’s Seasonal Calendar Page to find out more about the foods that are currently in season.
AlwaysLearning: Kolaches
The Hungry Goat — June 15, 2009
Sausage, Cheese & Jalapeño Kolache from Old Towne Kolaches in Houston, Texas
Unless you’re from Texas, you’ve probably never heard of Kolaches, a delectable breakfast snack as common in the Lone Star State as bagels and cream cheese are in New York.
What it is: Traditional kolaches (pronounced KO-LA-CHEESE) are sweet, flat yeast rolls filled with fruit jam, poppy seed paste or soft cheese.
Where it’s from: They are said to have been introduced stateside by Czech immigrants in regions like Eastern and Central Texas. The term has also come to refer to a savory variety stuffed with items like mini-sausages, cheese and jalapeño. The slightly sweet roll is best eaten warm, with the gooey cheese melted all around the salty sausage. Some believe this non-sweet adaptation on the pastry that is widely popular across Texas, to be the result of Americanization. Others maintain that the correct term for the variety is Klobasnek, a distinct albeit similar item whose name translates in Czech to “Pig in a Blanket.” Most call it a good excuse to eat hot dogs for breakfast.
Where to get it in New York: Kolache board activity on Chowhound and Yelp makes it clear that this cult, “hometown favorite” is being craved here in New York where it’s virtually impossible to find. Fortunately for New Yorkers, kolaches are scheduled to make their Manhattan debut in September of 2009 in Midtown, where two locations of Kolache Mama are supposed to simultaneously open. This specialty shop owned by Richard Saler, a Texas native, promises to be “filled with goodness.” We’ll see if they can deliver on that promise and how quickly New Yorkers are to embrace them. There are plans to open fifty Kolache Mama stores during the next four years in cities including Philadelphia, Boston, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Atlanta, so this Texas treat isn’t likely to be a secret much longer.
HungryChefs: Chefs Love Lupa, Mixed on Hot Dogs
The Gluttoness — June 11, 2009
Roasted Pork Shoulder “Gyro” with Pickled Cucumber & Yogurt from Anthos at Street & Savory
Some of the country’s best chefs attended Citymeals-on-Wheels’ Street & Savory Tasting Event. We’ve already brought you pictures of all the dishes and rounded up our favorite plates, but we were also able to speak with the chefs.
Our questions were obvious: What are you AlwaysHungry for? Which New York City restaurant do you crave? And in keeping with the night’s theme: what would you serve if you opened your own street cart? Some chefs took the easy route, promoting dishes they had prepared for the evening, others were quite creative with their responses.
HungryHamptons: Eat Your Way Out of Traffic
The Gluttoness — May 22, 2009
Let’s face it, if you plan on leaving for the Hamptons anytime after noon today, you are going to be stuck in a traffic nightmare. No matter what creative route you come up with, at the end of the day you will probably find yourself on the Long Island Expressway. You can pretend that you don’t mind sitting in traffic, or you could do what any self-respecting person would do for relief: eat. There are two great pit stops along the way (click for Gmap).
1. Little Vincent’s (Huntington, NY)
Pull off the LIE at exit 49N and it’s a straight shot up Route 110. When 110 intersects with Main Street (Route 25A), you’ve arrived. While Little Vincent’s pepperoni pie is fantastic, the obvious choice here is the Cold Cheese Slice, a steaming hot, plain slice with fantastic sauce and a heaping pile of cold mozzarella cheese on top that allows you to eat it quickly without burning the roof of your mouth. To read about the origin of the Cold Cheese Slice read our article about Little Vincent’s.
2. Bobby’s Burger Palace at Smith Haven Mall (Lake Grove, NY)
photo courtesy of khalnayak via Flickr
If you skipped Little Vincent’s hoping that traffic would let up, you’ll probably be starving by the time you get to exit 56. Bobby Flay’s Lake Grove burger joint serves ten different burgers inspired by his American travels and it’s a quick detour. Notable burgers include the Buffalo Burger (Red Hot Sauce, Blue Cheese Dressing and Watercress, above), the Miami Burger (Pressed with Ham, Swiss, Pickles, Mustard and Mayonnaise) and the Santa Fe Burger (Queso Sauce, Pickled Jalapeños and Blue Corn Chips). Angus beef can be substituted wtih ground turkey and chicken breast and all burgers can be served, crunchified (with potato chips). After getting off on exit 56, take NY-111 to NY-347 (Smithtown Bypass) and make a right again for the Smith Haven Mall.
Featured Dish: Mexican Radio’s Nachos
The Gluttoness — May 19, 2009
The CORE loves nachos, but there’s a fundamental issue of uneven topping distribution in most presentations we’ve come across. Most often, you’ll get a giant stack of tortilla chips with a healthy top layer of ingredients. But each ingredient rarely ends up together on every “chip, and after the first few bites clear away some of the toppings, you end up with a pile of naked tortilla chips underneath. You are lucky if a few straggling black beans manage to slip through the cracks.
Mexican Radio has figured out a solution, and the result is not only aesthetically impressive but profoundly flavorful. Individual tortilla chips are laid out much like slices of a pie, one next to the other in a circular composition around a pile of chopped lettuce and sliced, pickled jalapeños. Each chip is evenly coated with an adequate layer of melted cheese and warm black beans and the jalapeño slices in the center allow you to control the spiciness of each nacho. Decorative swirls of crèma and hot sauce create a bulls-eye presentation, which guarantees that each bite is perfect.
It’s difficult to imagine ever eating nachos any other way again.
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