Always Hungry: Best of February
Jeff Zalaznick — March 03, 2010
Clockwise from top: Sushi Zen’s Uni Chawan Mushi, Suenos’ Tortilla Soup, Hakkasan’s Honey Roast Pork, Good Stuff Eatery’s Farmhouse Burger.
If you follow Always Hungry’s Twitter Feed, you’ve witnessed the epic eating that goes down on a daily basis. It would be difficult to find someone who eats as much, as often, or at as many places as I do, which is why you love and trust Always Hungry. Every time I eat, I tweet, so that our readers know what is going on in the world of Always Hungry in real time.
Use this as a timely guide to what you should be eating now. Here is the Best of February.
The Results:
Best Dishes:
New York
Babbo: Nonna Menu: Salumi & Pumpkin, Rigatoni Sugo, Chicken Thigh, Pork Rib, and Meatball.
BLT Fish: Cheddar Biscuit, Garlic Bread, Buffalo Rock Shrimp, Belgian Dover Sole.
Cipriani Dolce: Prosciutto & Mozzarella di Bufala, Carpaccio alla Cipriani, Tagliardi with Veal Ragu.
Da Umberto: Spaghetti with Clams, Pancetta and Hot Chilies.
Del Posto: Vacca Rosso Risotto, Veal Chop For Two, Ribeye For Two, Label Rouge Roast Chicken.
EN Japanese Brasserie: Sushi Omakase Lunch.
Faustina: Spot Prawn Crudo, Burrata Cannelloni, Uni Tajarin, Truffle Risotto, Lardo Prawns, Pork Chop.
JFK’s Terminal 5: Boar’s Head Sandwich: Turkey, Ham, Tomato, Pickles, Jalapeño, Mayo, Mustard.
Maialino: Breakfast: Amatriciana al Forno, Black Pepper Pancetta.
Mari Vanna: Borscht with Pampushka, Sunflower Salad, Blini & Caviar, Sturgeon Kebab.
Minetta Tavern: Meatballs & Oysters, Black Label Burger, Choucroute, Côte de Boeuf, Pommes Anna.
Morimoto: Yellowtail Pastrami, Kobe Buri Bop, Spicy Rolls: Salmon & Yellowtail.
Suenos: Tortilla Soup.
Sushi Zen: Uni Chawan Mushi, Sushi Omakase.
This Little Piggy Had Roast Beef: Roast Beef Sandwich “This Way”, Pastrami & Coleslaw Sandwich.
Yerba Buena Perry: Brunch: Serrano Ham & Suckling Pig Cubano Sandwich
Miami
Burger & Beer Joint: Frickles, Chicken Wings, Mushroom Fries, Onion Rings, Thunder Road Burger.
Casa Tua: Prosciutto, Burrata, Lobster Farrotto, Branzino.
Joe’s Stone Crab: Chopped Salad, Jumbo Claws, Mustard Sauce, Hash Browns, Key Lime Pie.
Hakkasan: Dim Sum Brunch: Dumplings (Mushroom, Chive, Chicken, Shrimp), Hakka Congee, Mixed BBQ, Hot & Sour Soup.
La Sandwicherie: Sliced Chicken Sandwich, Chicken Salad Croissant, Roast Beef & Prosciutto Baguette, Extra Dressing.
Macaluso’s: Salad, Meatballs, Sinatra Shrimp.
Prime 112: Deviled Eggs, Shrimp Cocktail, Chopped Salad, Porterhouse, Veal Chop, Mac & Cheese.
Prime Italian: Kobe Meatball & Bufala Ricotta, Prime 112 Chopped Salad.
Paris
Brasserie Lipp: Steak Tartare, Choucroute Garni.
Café du Ruc: Cheeseburger.
Comptoir: Lobster Salad, Pluma de Porc Iberico, Cochon du Lait, Mustard Potatoes, Tarte Tatin.
Michel Rostang: Black Truffle Sandwich, Foie Gras-Stuffed Pigeon.
Table de Joël Robuchon: Truffle Potato Salad, Pan Tomate, Lamb Chops.
Restaurant Picks: BLT Fish, Burger & Beer Joint (Miami), Cabrito, Comptoir (Paris), EN Japanese Brasserie, Faustina, Hakkasan (Miami), La Sandwicherie (Miami), Maialino, Mari Vanna, Michel Rostang (Paris), Minetta Tavern, Suenos, Sushi Zen, This Little Piggy Had Roast Beef.
Biggest Letdowns: Colicchio & Sons, Crema, Helene Darroze (Paris), Mr. Chow (Miami), Rye House.
SoBe Wine & Food Festival
Burger Bash: Good Stuff Eatery’s Farmhouse Bacon Cheeseburger, B Spot’s Fat Doug Burger.
BubbleQ: Lonesome Dove Western Bistro’s Lamb Belly BLT with Warm Potato Salad, Restaurant August’s Vietnamese Po’ Boy with Roast Suckling Pig.
Best of the Best: Morimoto’s Glazed Pork Kakuni with Congee, Beast’s Foie Gras Bon-Bon with Quince-Champagne Gelée and Cracked Pepper Shortbread.
Dim Sum & Disco: o ya’s Sushi, Tropical Chinese Restaurant’s Pan-Fried Leek Dumpling and Taro Shrimp Patty, The Setai’s Crisp Fried Kurabuto Pork Belly.
The Numbers:
Number of meals: 77
Number of restaurants: 56
Number of dishes: 472
CLICK HERE to See All of the Meals and Follow Always Hungry’s Twitter
AlwaysSoBe: Dim Sum & Disco
March 01, 2010
Salmon Tataki Nigiri with Torched Tomato, Onion Aioli, and Smoked Salt from Chef Tim Cushman of o ya (Boston, MA).
Chefs from five of the country’s best Asian restaurants did a little dance, made a little dim sum, and got down at Saturday night’s Dim Sum & Disco party at The Setai. The event, co-hosted by chefs Ming Tsai and Jonathan Wright, featured the incredibly successful pairing of Asian small plates with the boogie-down beats of the Bee Gees and Donna Summer.
Chef Tim Cushman of o ya put on a show, torching slices of tomato and pieces of fresh salmon for his excellent Salmon Tataki Nigiri. It, along with his other offerings, the equally delicious Hamachi Nigiri with Banana Pepper Mousse, and Hamachi Sashimi, were some of the evening’s best bites.
Between sips of disco-themed cocktails from master mixologist Tony Abou-Ganim, we also enjoyed Ming Tsai’s freshly-shucked Island Creek Oysters, and Foie Gras and Oxtail Dumplings, as well as chef Wright’s Black Truffle and Scallop Har Gau, and Crisp Fried Pork Belly. Also, the local favorite, Tropical Chinese, came to the party with a killer Leek Dumpling.
AlwaysSoBe: BubbleQ
February 27, 2010
Clockwise from top: Lonesome Dove Western Bistro’s Lamb Belly BLT with Warm Potato Salad, Big Bob Gibson’s Smoker, Champagne refills from a chandelier-dangling trapeze artist.
Thirty great chefs working the grill. An epic BLT sandwich. Free-flowing Perrier-Jouët Champagne. A woman refilling glasses while hanging from a chandelier. Only on South Beach, and only at BubbleQ.
The event was presented by Allen Brothers, hosted by Emeril Lagasse, and held under a big tent on the beach behind the Delano Hotel. It featured everything from ribs, brisket, and fried Cuban Sandwiches, to Grilled Oysters and Frittas. Unlike at Burger Bash, no official awards were given out, but our winner was Tim Love’s Lamb Belly BLT— a crunchy, well-dressed spin on a classic. Our Top 5 bites of the evening were rounded out by entries from Restaurant August, Centrico, Big Bob Gibson Bar-BQ, and Restaurant Mirazur (Menton, France).
Pork Belly featured in Centrico’s Tacos.
AlwaysSoBe: Symon and Schwartz Take Burger Bash
February 26, 2010
Clockwise from top: B Spot’s Fat Doug Burger, Michael’s Genuine Bacon Cheeseburger, Morimoto’s Pork “Kakuni” Burger, and The Standard Hotel’s Mini Blue Burger.
The burger barons came out to play at last night’s Amstel Light Burger Bash, kicking off the 2010 South Beach Wine & Food Festival in epically gluttonous style. Presented by Allen Brothers, and hosted by Rachel Ray, the event featured entries from 27 chefs from around the country.
Returning champ, Spike Mendelsohn, still riding high off his victory in New York, came prepared to throw down. Spike was surrounded by a cheering squad, and donned boxing gloves and a robe, like the Ali of Burgers. His Farmhouse Bacon Cheeseburger was solid, but ultimately it was Michael Schwartz of Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink, holding home court advantage, who took home the Golden Grill Award for his Michael’s Genuine Bacon Cheeseburger.
For the people’s choice award, it all came down to a tight race between fellow Iron Chefs Bobby Crunch Master Flay and Michael Symon. In the end, Symon’s Fat Doug Burger triumphed over Flay’s crunchified Dallas Burger. We couldn’t agree more. As much as we enjoyed Blackberry Farm’s Chow Chow Cheeseburger and Marc Burger’s Crunchy BBQ Kobe Burger, Symon’s combination of a juicy patty, salty, crunchy pastrami bits, and a soft potato roll was easily our favorite.
Click here for the winners, some of our favorites, and the full slideshow >>
AlwaysSoBe: Patrón’s Great Debate After-Party
February 26, 2010
Meyer Lemon and Jalapeño Cocktail with freshly shaved ice at Patron’s Great Debate after-party.
Judging by the crowd of chefs and stylish festival-goers around the pool of the W Hotel at Patrón’s Great Debate after-party, it was clear that some tequila was just what was needed after gorging at Burger Bash. Patrón cocktails, including exceptional Margaritas, intoxicatingly large shots, Mojitos, and an exceptional drink made with a Meyer Lemon-Jalapeño mixture that was finished with freshly shaved ice. It was like a spicy, tequila-laced fruit slushie. Those who still had room enjoyed tasty bites like gnocchi made with potato and with ricotta, and a duo of tuna carpaccio and tartare. Check out the scene, and the cocktails in the slideshow below.
AlwaysHungryOlympics: 17th Street
February 24, 2010
We don’t profess to be athletes, not even of the competitive eating genre. But, we have engaged in our own brand of gastronomic sport. From a restaurant crawl along Clinton Street to food questing in Queens, the Always Hungry Olympics have prompted some awe-inspiring eating. With inspiration running high from watching the nightly feats of the Winter Games, we sought out a significant challenge, and we found it not far from Always Hungry HQ.
On the menu this time, an underrated restaurant corridor: 17th Street. We even amended the Olympic motto: Citius Muneris, Altius Balbutio, Fortius Orexis (swifter service, higher stamina, stronger appetite). Now, the rules:
- We would try to eat at every significant restaurant on 17th Street in one night, necessitating fast eating and a brisk pace.
- Only restaurants that actually opened onto 17th Street were counted. That eliminated places like Cafeteria and Casa Mono.
- There were three Always Hungry eaters, so at each restaurant there were a minimum of three dishes, three alcoholic beverages, and three glasses of water ordered.
- In true Olympics style, we timed it all: orders, food, checks, etc.
Check Out this Epic Eating Adventure >>
AlwaysSoBe: South Beach Wine & Food Festival
February 23, 2010
The South Beach Wine & Food Festival is finally upon us, and before we descend upon Miami for a fun-filled weekend of gluttony, we thought that we would get things started off the right way by publishing not one, but two never-before-seen videos from the New York festival’s signature events: Burger Bash and Meatball Madness.
Also, in anticipation of time spent down south, we sent the GutterGourmet down there to do some advance recon on what restaurants you should spend your time at between gorging at the events. We will be bringing you some of his Miami restaurant reviews during the week.
So, whether you are traveling down to SoBe or not, here are two videos from NYCWFF that will most certainly whet your appetite:
BURGER BASH
Spike had cheerleaders, Bobby Flay lead his own cheer, and Josh Capon made the greatest acceptance speech of all time. This is just some of what went down at the Blue Moon Burger Bash at the 2009 New York City Wine & Food Festival. The event, which featured 21 participating restaurants and chefs battling it out in the Tobacco Warehouse under the Brooklyn Bridge, was nothing short of epic.
MEATBALL MADNESS
Meatball Madness. The grand finale of the 2009 New York City Wine & Food Festival featured meatballs made of everything from tuna to wild boar. Ultimately though, it was a meatball master who held strong and took the top prize.
AlwaysPartying: Superbowl Edition
Jeff Zalaznick — February 05, 2010
The spread.
Throwing a Superbowl party is something that must be done in style. Always Hungry style. The goal is to put together such an epic combination of food that your friends at the game wish they had stayed home. Normally this takes great meditation and planning, but if you stick with us, we will put it together for you. Follow these instructions and we guarantee that you will have the best Superbowl spread that any of your guests have ever seen.
Here is the move:
- New York’s best Buffalo Wings from Cercle Rouge
- Sloppy Joe Sandwiches from the Town Hall Deli
- A Bo Ssäm to-go from Momofuku Ssäm Bar
- And cook a Bacon Explosion just to ice the cake, and give the apartment that signature smell.
AlwaysTraveling: Emeril’s (New Orleans, LA)
Jeff Zalaznick — February 05, 2010
At Emeril’s, clockwise from top: Black Pasta with Crawfish Meatballs, Andouille and Boudin Sausages, and Banana Cream Pie.
Restaurant: Emeril’s New Orleans
Address: 800 Tchoupitoulas St,New Orleans, LA 70130
Contact: (504)528 9393
Hours: Lunch, Mon-Fri, 11:30am-2pm; Dinner, Mon-Sun, 6pm-10pm
Grade: B+
Always Hungry Recommends: Gumbo, Black Pasta with Crawfish Meatballs, Rabbit Remoulade, Boudin Sausage, Banana Cream Pie.
About five years ago, I attended a small dinner in the tasting room at Italian Wine Merchants that was being cooked by Mario Batali and Emeril Lagasse. Aside from it obviously being an epic experience, the one thing that I have never been able to forget was a white gumbo that Emeril served. It has been seared into my food memory as a wonderful flavor profile that I have not known since. So, there was little choice but to make a pilgrimage to the place where these flavors brewed long before the country become familiar with him as the screaming Food Network star.
As I expected, the meal had highs and lows, but one thing that it did deliver was that flavor that I had been yearning for. Both the Gumbo and the Boudin were perfectly rendered, and the black spaghetti with crawfish meatballs gave the perfect fusion twist.
But the highlight of the meal was a conversation I had with the restaurant’s general manager. He was telling me how he used to be one of Emeril’s executive sous-chefs. When I told him that I was from New York, he said that he had once visited the City with Emeril to cook a dinner, and that he would never forget it because he had been responsible for the gumbo, and that he made an experimental white gumbo that people are still talking about. My night was complete.
AlwaysTraveling: Café du Monde & Central Grocery
Jeff Zalaznick — February 05, 2010
Clockwise from top: Café du Monde, Powdered Sugar-Covered Beignets from Café du Monde, Central Grocery, Muffuletta from Central Grocery.
There is a long checklist for New Orleans eating, and it is no mistake that both Café du Monde and Central Grocery have found themselves at the top of this list for over 100 years._ These Decatur Street institutions are symbols of one of the country’s great cities and a reminder that the people of New Orleans have been eating and drinking better than we have for a long, long time.
When you visit, there is no better way to start your day than by taking a stroll through Jackson Square, sitting outside at Café du Monde and having Chicory Coffee and Beignets, and then strolling down the street to pick up a world famous Muffuletta at the Central Grocery. Last week, I did it three times in a row, and I cannot tell you how natural it felt. It is the most pleasurable morning routine that I have ever experienced. There is no question that both Café du Monde and Central Grocery deserve their iconic reputations.
Click for More About Café du Monde and Central Grocery >>
AlwaysTraveling: Restaurant August (New Orleans, LA)
Jeff Zalaznick — February 04, 2010
Clockwise from left: Salad with Beets and Crabmeat, Potato Gnocchi with Blue Crab and Truffle, Slow Cooked Venison Shoulder, and Redfish “Courtbouillon.”
Restaurant: Restaurant August
Address: 301 Tchoupitoulas St, New Orleans, LA 70130
Contact: (504)299-9777
Hours: Lunch, M-F, 11am-2pm. Dinner, daily, 5-10pm
Grade: A-
Always Hungy Recommends: Oyster Trio, “Chop Salad,” Trout Pontchartrain, Duck & Foie Gras.
Classic New Orleans cocktails, local ingredients, and contemporary French food done by local celebrity chef John Besh. It is a prerequisite when it comes to New Orleans fine dining, and while it may not be the most exciting meal that you have in town, it will most certainly be one of best.
Always Hungry: Best of January
Jeff Zalaznick — February 03, 2010
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Clockwise from top: Mile End’s Smoked Meat Sandwich, Maialino’s Amatriciana al Forno, Cochon’s Fried Oyster and Bacon Sandwich, Café du Monde’s Beignets.
If you follow Always Hungry’s Twitter Feed, you’ve witnessed the epic eating that goes down on a daily basis. It would be difficult to find someone who eats as much, as often, or at as many places as I do, which is why you love and trust Always Hungry. Every time I eat, I tweet, so that our readers know what is going on in the world of Always Hungry in real time.
Use this as a timely guide to what you should be eating now. Here is the Best of January.
The Results:
Best Dishes:
Al Di Là: Farro Salad, Zucca Tortelli.
Babbo: Black Spaghetti, Grilled Pork Chop.
Benihana: Clear Soup, House Salad, Shrimp Appetizer, Hibachi Chateaubriand.
Charlie Mom: Vegetable Dumplings, Young Chow Fried Rice, Ginger Scallion Lobster.
Double Crown: Vegetable Mulligatawny Soup, Endive and Stilton Salad.
Le Caprice: Roast Rib of Beef with Yorkshire Pudding, Corned Beef Hash with Double Fried Egg.
Ling Kee: Spicy Pork Jerky.
Ma Pêche: Three Terrine Banh Mi, Rice Noodles and Pork Sausage.
Maialino: Salumi Platter, Cotechino & Pigs Feet, Stracciatella Soup, Fried Artichokes, Veal T-bone, Oxtails, Chicken Diavola, Braised Lamb.
Marea: Crudos, Bone Marrow and Octopus Fusilli, Veal Agnolotti, John Dory.
Mile End: Smoked Meat Sandwich, Ruth Wilensky.
Momofuku Ssäm Bar: Hamachi, Spicy Rice Cakes, BBQ Rib Sandwich, Ribeye.
Prime Meats: Housemade Pretzel, German Brown Trout, Dry Aged Bone-In Ribeye, Spaetzle.
Roman’s: Bacon-wrapped Rabbit, Sausage, Parsnips.
Sau Voi: BBQ Pork Banh Mi.
Second Avenue Deli: Roast Beef, Cole Slaw.
Shabu Tatsu: Munchie Salad, Prime Rib Shabu.
Wallse: Duck Breast with Red Cabbage, Creamed Spinach, Potato-Cucumber Salad.
Xi’an Famous Foods: Cumin Lamb Burger.
New Orleans
August: Stuffed Flounder, Trout “Pontchartrain”, Duck and Foie Gras.
Café du Monde: Chickory Coffee, Beignets.
Central Grocery: Original Muffuletta.
Cochon: Oyster & Bacon Sandwich, Mushroom Salad, Oyster Roast, Fried Boudin, Pork Gumbo, Oven Roasted Gulf Fish, Pineapple Upside Down Cake, Banana Cream Pie.
Emeril’s: BBQ Shrimp, Warm Mississippi Rabbit Remoulade, Black Spaghetti & Crawfish Meatballs, Gumbo, Homemade Andouille & Boudin Sausages.
Galatoire’s: Oysters Brochette, Trout Amandine.
Saints Superdome: Jambalaya.
Restaurant Picks: Benihana, Charlie Mom, Ma Pêche, Maialino, Marea, Mile End, Momofuku Ssäm Bar, Second Avenue Deli, Shabu Tatsu, The Smile, Wallse, Xi’an Famous Foods.
The Numbers:
Number of meals: 75
Number of restaurants: 61
Number of dishes: 431
CLICK HERE to See All of the Meals and Follow Always Hungry’s Twitter
AlwaysTraveling: Cochon (New Orleans, LA)
Jeff Zalaznick — February 03, 2010
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Clockwise from top: Exterior, Oyster and Bacon Sandwich, Dining Room, Oven-Roasted Gulf Redfish.
Restaurant: Cochon
Address: 930 Tchoupitoulas St, New Orleans, LA 70130
Contact: (504)588-2123
Hours: Mon-Fri, 11am-10pm; Sat, 5:30pm-10pm; Closed Sunday
Grade: A+
Always Hungry Recommends: Wood-Fired Oyster Roast, Fried Boudin, Mushroom Salad, Oyster and Bacon Sandwich, Oven-Roasted Gulf Redfish, Banana Cream Pie
Cochon, and its chefs, Donald Link and Stephen Stryjewski, have received much praise since the restaurant opened in 2006. The James Beard Foundation, which named Link the Best Chef: South, in 2007 for his restaurant, Herbsaint, also nominated Cochon for Best New Restaurant that same year. It has been celebrated for its in-house preparations (whole pig boucherie and homebrewed whiskey), its gourmet renditions of New Orleans classics, and a commitment to fresh, local ingredients. In fact, they source most everything from within a 100-mile radius.
Still, even amidst the hype, it is so rewarding when a great restaurant can live up to its reputation, and so rare when it can surpass expectations. This restaurant does both in stride. Cochon is New Orleans food done the best way it can be done. Everything here is good, but the dishes that truly shine are those that take New Orleans’ tradition and combine it with a skilled hand and a creative touch.
AlwaysTraveling: Who Dat Nation
Jeff Zalaznick — February 03, 2010
A scene from the Saints’ January 24th victory over the Vikings.
Who dat? Who dat? Who dat say dey gonna beat dem Saints? Who dat? Who dat?
For the New Orleans Saints it has been a very long road to their first Superbowl, but finally, the people of NOLA have a football team that lives up to their wonderful food.
There is no question that New Orleans is one of the greatest, and possibly most unique food cities in the world, and we would like to make sure to celebrate that appropriately. Thus, what better way to show our Superbowl endorsement of the team than by bringing you coverage of some of the greatest meals that the Big Easy has to offer for the rest of this week. And besides, there is really not much food worth noting in Indianapolis.
First stop: Cochon.
First Look: Mile End
GutterGourmet — February 01, 2010
Top: Mile End’s Smoked Meat Sandwich Bottom left, Exterior. Right, Jars of pickled cabbage.
Like the Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton introducing traditional American blues to a new generation in the 60’s, sometimes it takes a foreigner to make you appreciate your own culture. So, maybe it’s not crazy that a French Canadian can make New Yorkers remember what the soul of a great Jewish deli is all about. Mile End (named after a neighborhood in Montreal) in Brooklyn’s Boerum Hill is faithfully recreating Schwartz’s Montreal Hebrew Delicatessen much the same way that Hill Country recreated Lockhart’s Kreuz Market barbecue.
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