AlwaysInformed: Passover Meatballs
Arthur Bovino — March 30, 2010
Beef and Matzoh “Passover Meatballs” at The Meatball Shop.
No, The Meatball Shop isn’t kosher, nevertheless, they’ve gotten into the holiday spirit by creating a Passover Meatball as the daily special. It was featured last night, and a call to the restaurant confirmed they would be serving it again tonight.
The Passover Meatball is made with beef liver, chicken liver, ketchup, onion, egg, and of course, matzoh. The balls are more browned on the outside than their other renditions, and it has an almost meatloaf-like consistency. The matzoh was noticeably present— ragged, soft pieces that added texture.
Paired with The Meatball Shop’s classic tomato sauce, topped with grated cheese, and served with focaccia for scraping up the leftover sauce, the Passover Meatballs make a great rainy night dish ($7.00).
Featured Dessert: Streit’s Chocolate Covered Matzo
GutterGourmet — March 30, 2010
Chocolate-covered matzo (image courtesy of sfgate.com).
Like Russ and Daughters, Streit’s Matzos is a fourth generation Jewish family business that has been at its current Lower East Side Rivington Street location since 1925. It may be the Jewish equivalent of green beer on St. Patrick’s Day, but the only thing I look forward to more on Passover than Fox’s U-Bet chocolate syrup made with real cane sugar (instead of the non-kosher corn fructose the rest of the year) is Streit’s dark chocolate covered matzo.
Who needs bread? Better than a chocolate babka, the rich dark chocolate turns the dry cracker-like matzo into a luxurious dessert. So at Passover Seder when the simple son asks, “Why is this night different from other nights?” you can shout with glee like I do: “Chocolate covered matzo!”
Now if they could only perfect chocolate-covered gefilte fish.
Top 5: Matzoh Balls
Jeff Zalaznick — March 29, 2010
An unexpected contender, and a forgotten favorite have finally established a Top 5 Matzoh Ball list.
Last year’s Top 5 quest to find New York’s best matzoh balls, uncovered an amazing and disturbing discovery: some of the City’s supposed best Balls were no longer living up to their reputation. New York had only three contenders. A host of issues sunk classics like Barney Greengrass, Blue Ribbon Bakery, Bubby’s, Carnegie Deli (the worst in class), and 5 Napkin Burger. Most were plagued by underseasoning, and/or bad texture. It was a sad state of affairs for both the City and the Jewish culinary community.
But, the clouds have parted, and in the last year, the addition of an unexpected contender, and the reminder of a forgotten favorite, have finally rounded out a list worthy of exalting this Passover. We have a Matzoh Ball Minion!
Happy Passover! Now go do like the Persians do and smack each other with some scallions!
Click here to find out Always Hungry’s Top 5 Matzoh Ball Soup
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 Brunch: Bagel Brawl
GutterGourmet — March 26, 2010
Clockwise from top: Onion Bagel at Ess-A-Bagel, Ess-A-Bagel’s Everything, Ess-A-Bagel exterior.
As has been noted, there’s a bagel brawl brewing along First Avenue between 19th and 21st Streets. It may even define the very essence of what a bagel is while typifying the melting pot that makes New York the gastronomic capital of the world. There’s Ess-A-Bagel, and then, there’s David’s Bagels. Pitting them against each other is a great brunch outing.
Ess-A-Bagel on 21st has always been my favorite bagelry in the City. There are fans of H&H and Kossar’s, but Ess-A-Bagel’s bagels are beautiful, big, and pillowy— bagels on steroids (particularly at the original location). Order an Onion or an Everything, and you’d swear that there was a quarter pound of onions, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, garlic, and everything else covering all that surface area.
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.
Top 5: Latkes
December 15, 2009
Latkes: Complicated Simplicity
Where one eats latkes is a very personal thing. This becomes even more important come the Festival of Lights. There are so many factors that go into determining whether one likes a latke or not: thickness, weight, seasoning, size, crispness. So, in honor of Hannukah, we set out to find the five best latkes that embodied different versions of these factors while still adhering to traditional preparation.
Click here to find out AlwaysHungryNY.com’s Top 5 Latkes.
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.
AlwaysHolidays: The Latke Recipe
Jeff Zalaznick — December 15, 2009
AlwaysHungry’s latkes being fried.
It is very important that you have a good latke recipe to accompany your Hannukah candlelighting. Everyone has their grandma’s recipe that they love, but if you are looking to hone your craft a little bit further, this should be of assistance.
There are many different ways to make latkes, but after a variety of attempts I think that we have found perfection. The variables that we looked at included onions, eggs, oil type, grate/purée, size, matzoh meal inclusion, and potato drying technique. Our conclusion was to caramelize the onions in chicken fat, go half and half with the potatoes in the grater and food processor, dry the hell out of the potatoes (first through a strainer and then by utilizing the “jelly roll towel” technique), and finally, to fry the pancakes in a combination of chicken fat and peanut oil.
Nothing groundbreaking, but a few minor tweaks that can take your pancakes to the next level. And of course, you should listen to this while you make them.
AlwaysHolidays: Eight Crazy Deep Fried Nights
December 11, 2009
From Sammy’s Roumanian, Latkes.
Tonight marks the beginning of Hannukah. Celebrating the oil that burned for eight days while the Maccabees rededicated the holy Temple in Jerusalem, this wonderful holiday conveniently calls for oil soaked, deep fried delicacies. When else is there such a good excuse to eat foods soaked in oil? For us, almost everyday, for the rest of you, maybe not as often. While it is American tradition to celebrate with Potato Pancakes (Latkes) and Jelly Dougnuts (Sufganiyot), anything that is soaked in oil will do. So to help celebrate these Eight Crazy Nights, we give you eight of New York City’s great oil soaked, deep fried treats (including a few beloved latkes and donuts) that you can devour while you light your menorah, have a party, and dance the hora.
HAPPY HANNUKAH!
Featured Restaurant: Cafe Edison
GutterGourmet — December 03, 2009
Chopped Liver Sandwich at the Polish Tea Room. Left, 47th Street entrance. Right, lobby entrance.
So I’m schlepping around the Schmatte District looking for a bowl of matzoh ball soup and a nosh when I realize I’m all the way up on 46th street outside of The Hotel Edison (site). I walk through the hotel lobby all the way in the back through a nondescript door leading into a little coffee shop. Cafe Edison (view) aka the “Polish Tea Room” is not at all fancy-pants like the Russian Tea Room. In fact, it’s a bit schmutzy but haymish.
I get a booth and order the soup. The kneidlach are to die for. Better than the 2nd Avenue Deli’s if that’s possible. It was a shonda that this was not included in AlwaysHungryNY.com’s Top Five Matzoh Ball Soups! Then I order a bissel of the Kasha Varnishkes on the side, the Chopped Liver and the Hot Roumanian Pastrami on Rye. The bowtie pasta, buckwheat and onions are superb, the chopped liver with hard-boiled eggs needed a touch of salt, but the pastrami, though not up to Katz’s or the 2nd Avenue Deli’s standards, is just fine.
I am a maven when it comes to Chocolate Egg Creams and this one is poifect. Being a fresser, I cannot leave without ordering the blintzes, all three of them (the waiter already thinks I’m meshuga). The cheese, cherry and blueberry fried crepes make me think of my old bubby who was a waitress at Ratner’s when she was a girl. I ate so much I could plotz.
Café Edison is truly a time machine if you want to go kibitz or kvetch for an hour. I must return to try the Latkes, the Matzo Brei and the Gefilte Fish.
Click Here for Beautiful Pictures of Food at the Polish Tea Room >>
AlwaysInformed: Izz Nat Your Average Deli
The Gluttoness — October 14, 2009
Challah French Toast with Caramelized Bananas and Maple Butter.
Every neighborhood has its advantages, and while there is much I love about living way downtown, the lack of an authentic delicatessen has always been a problem. We’ve got Bubby’s and Kitchenette, my TriBeCa brunch staples, but while you may be able to order a Matzoh Ball Soup there, at neither place can you find a towering sandwich a la Katz’s. Gold St.‘s 24-hour diner concept was overthought, particularly the inclusion of a sushi bar, and ultimately, the food sucked. A good deli has to stay simple and classic. Izzy & Nat’s (view) successfully brings that authentic deli experience to Battery Park City.
The front of house is essentially your average bagelry (a luxury TriBeCa and the FiDi now have thanks to Zucker’s and Leo’s) with hand-rolled bagels, smoked fish, cold salads and schmears. The black and white tiles and leather booths give the dining room that old school deli flair. A lengthy menu provides a problem that I actually like to have—too many options—and the Fair Trade Organic Coffee, imported from Chile, is one of the best cups of joe I’ve had in a while.
On a recent visit, I thought I wanted lox and a bagel, but Challah French Toast and a Pastrami Benny kept luring my attention with promises of caramelized bananas and creamy hollandaise. Then there are all the Jewish staples: Kasha Varnishkes, Potato Pancakes, Matzoh Brie and Sweet and Sour Meatballs—not to mention a house-made Meat Knish with pastrami! Holy heaven. Should I make my own sandwich or settle for the always-satisfying Reuben? I decided on a towering Turkey Pastrami on Rye (right) and a warm slice of Chocolate Babka, which hit the deli spot. The meal tasted even better for having been able to devour it just a few blocks from home.
AlwaysPartying: Yom Kippur Break-Fast
The Gluttoness — September 28, 2009
Yom Kippur, aka the Day of Atonement, is the holiest day of the Jewish year. We ask for forgiveness for our sins and we deny our bodies food for an entire day. For those of you who are eagerly awaiting sundown, here is some “Break-Fast” inspiration:
__ Barney Greengrass’ Lox scrambled with Eggs & Onions ($14.00).__
AlwaysPartying: Jewish Beef Brisket
Jeff Zalaznick — September 18, 2009
AlwaysHungryNY.com’s recipe for Jewish Beef Brisket is the best out there, we promise.
Rosh Hashanah is upon us and we promise, the brisket recipe we published on National Brisket Day is the best one out there. We know that your grandmother makes it best, but believe us, this recipe has been perfected over the years by Chef Usha, and is without question the finest one that you will find.
AlwaysInvestigating: Native Tongues
The Gluttoness — August 03, 2009
Growing up Jewish, tongue was often part of my deli experience (especially when Nanny ordered it). But not until I moved to New York did I realize it was an globally respected ingredient. Recently, I tried four international preparations, starting at Katz’s Deli, which specializes in my native tongue.
AlwaysPartying: Loving the L.E.O.
Jeff Zalaznick — June 03, 2009
It’s National Egg Day today. Yay. So let’s celebrate it with a classic New York staple: The L.E.O. (For the totally uninformed, this stands for lox, eggs, and onions.) At this point in time, it should probably be called a N.E.O (with Nova), since lox is really too salty to use in the dish, but for the sake of history, and the ability to call my favorite breakfast and my uncle by the same name, let’s stick with L.E.O. Now, in my opinion there is only one restaurant that makes an acceptable L.E.O., and it is the finest in class. This is Barney Greengrass, and there is no reason to ever discuss any other restaurant when it comes to this topic. A N.E.O, sliced tomatoes, sturgeon and bagel. It’s a Molotov cocktail, baby. It could kill you it is so good.
Since there is only one place worth eating it out, the best thing to do is make it yourself. The guidance I’m going to give you below will be extremely helpful in your quest to achieve the ideal L.E.O.
AlwaysPartying: National Brisket Day
Jeff Zalaznick — May 28, 2009
Today is one of our favorite food holidays, May 28th is National Brisket Day. Since everyone else is probably going to give you something BBQ, we thought we’d go with our other favorite type of brisket: Jewish Beef Brisket. This recipe has been perfected over years by Chef Usha, and is without question the finest recipe that you will find. We know that your grandmother makes it best, but believe us, give this a try. Looking at the Jewish Calender, this may be somewhat poorly timed, but definitely put it in a box and lock it away. Shavuot anyone?
Just for good measure, the best BBQ brisket in NY is without question served over at Hill Country, so if you are in the mood to celebrate, go there.
Click here for AlwaysHungryNY's Jewish Beef Brisket recipe >>
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