First Look: Pulino’s Bar and Pizzeria
Arthur Bovino — March 15, 2010
Sausage Egg Breakfast Pizza.
Funny how things work. Frank Pepe’s opened its first New York location in Yonkers last November. Last week, Eddie’s of New Hyde Park announced it would soon make its first inroads into Manhattan since they opened in 1941. Now both styles of pizza have met on Bowery and Houston in Pulino’s Bar and Pizzeria, Keith McNally and Nate Appleman’s much-awaited pizzeria. The kicker? As Eater has well-documented with its first looks at the decor, the place looks like it has been there on the corner forever.
Of course, Neapolitan-style was a New York staple long before Frank Pepe’s left the confines of New Haven. But Pulino’s combines the crust texture and taste of Pepe’s with an even thinner pie, one that’s just about 2½ times the thickness of what you’d expect from Eddie’s. Not to say it’s cracker-like, it’s not at all. But it is not a doughy pie. Do not think Kesté, Co., or Motorino. Nor are pizzas as charred as the ones pictured by Zagat. What we have here folks, as was the intention – is an idiosyncratic style of pizza. A standardized amoeba shape, a thin crust, and square cuts.
Featured Restaurant: Baohaus
GutterGourmet — March 10, 2010
The Royal Frush at Baohaus, and a can of Hey Song Sarsparilla Taiwanese Root Beer.
Eddie Huang’s Baohaus on Rivington is attracting Taiwanese (and everyone else) looking for Gua Bao buns—authentic Taiwanese street food.
Huang, a third generation Baozi-maker opened it partially as a tribute to his F.O.B. (“fresh off the boat”) mother, and partially to improve on the City’s Taiwanese steamed bun game. Mostly he wanted to serve New Yorkers, like his buddies at Artichoke (for whom he designed the T-Shirts, and the Led Zeppole logo), something fucking good to eat. With raves from the New York Times, and nods from the Food Network, people are lining up out the door for his real deal Taiwanese street vendor fare.
Featured Dish: Bereket’s Doner Kebab
GutterGourmet — March 04, 2010
Bereket’s Doner Kebab with the works.
It is late at night. You’re on East Houston. You stroll past Yonah Schimmel’s Knishes, then by Russ & Daughters. You stagger in the door, and tip the counter man who slices the perfectly spiced meat and overstuffs a sandwich for you. The bread disintegrates, unable to contain the mountain of meat inside. No, not Katz’s Romanian influenced pastrami on rye, I’m talking about the Doner Kebab on pita at Bereket Turkish Kebab House.
The lamb-beef fusion is covered with hot sauce and cacik, a Turkish yogurt sauce, which is runnier than its thicker Greek cousin, tzatziki. The meat, which is only a little bit thicker than prosciutto, absorbs their flavor the way pastrami soaks up Jewish deli mustard. The countermen expertly alternate the meat with tomatoes and onions inside the grilled pita before applying the red and white sauces.
The Turkish Doner is distinct though similar to the Greek gyro and the Middle Eastern shawarma. Basically they all involve lamb and/or beef rotated on a spit with the roasted meat sliced by hand and stuffed into pita bread with various vegetables and condiments. Perhaps if we set a long enough table and served all three (and threw in some Jewish pastrami for good measure) we could bring peace to the Middle East, or at least a helluva party to the Lower East Side.
AlwaysHungry: Best of Sunburnt Cow & Bondi Road
Arthur Bovino — March 02, 2010
Bondi Road’s Fried Calamri and The Sunburnt Cow’s Kangaroo Shepherd’s Pie.
Plans seem to be on target for the April 1st opening of The Sunburnt Calf (W. 79th St), Heath St. Claire’s third Australian-themed restaurant in New York. We hear the menu is going to be a combination of dishes from The Sunburnt Cow and Bondi Road. Having been invited recently to eat at both places, here are the dishes that we most enjoyed, a diverse, but representative grouping that we’re hoping to see on the new menu uptown. If you’re looking to do your own survey, the best way is to visit for the Monday night special at either place: all you can eat and drink for two hours at $20.00/per person.
Featured Restaurant: T-Poutine
GutterGourmet — February 23, 2010
Clockwise from top: Classic Poutine, Cochonnet Sandwich, Exterior.
New York’s poutine scene. Always Hungry has done a poutine tasting in Brooklyn, covered the fabulous smoky meat version at Mile End, and sampled Hotel Griffou’s duck confit-covered gourmet rendition. Of course, the ultimate is the foie gras-covered poutine at Au Pied de Cochon in Montreal. But French fries covered with cheese curds, all smothered with brown gravy, “Classic” poutine, that’s the best bet at T-Poutine on Ludlow.
AlwaysInvestigating: Bunny Chow
Sampurna Satpathy — February 11, 2010
Bunny Chow from left to right: Madiba, Xai Xai, and Bunny Chow.
Pop quiz. What’s bunny chow?
A. Minced bunnies?
B. Chow mien with rabbit?
C.The stage name of your favorite Asian stripper?
D. South Africa’s national dish?
If you guessed D you’re ahead of the crowd (C, and you may be on the wrong site). Actually, South Africa’s national dish has nothing to do with rabbits or strippers— though it does have a virgin. It’s a hollowed-out quarter loaf of white bread, filled with curry that is topped by the removed bread (the ‘virgin’), and sometimes chutneys and sambals. In South Africa, it’s often just called ‘bunnies.’
The name’s origin is ambiguous even in Durban where bunnies are said to originate. Under apartheid, when Indians weren’t allowed in restaurants, bunnies were a convenient meal to carry to work in the fields. One theory is that ‘bunny’ comes from Banias, the name for the Indian business class, with ‘chow’ being slang for food. New Yorkers have three places to eat bunnies: Madiba, Xai Xai, and the four-month-old Bunny Chow. We recently set out to discover whose is best.
Featured Restaurant: The Meatball Shop
Arthur Bovino — February 10, 2010
Clockwise from top: Spicy Pork Meatballs with Spicy Meat Sauce over Rigatoni, Chicken and Salmon Meatball Sliders, Beef Meatball Hero, and White Beans.
Meatballs. Even if you didn’t grow up in an Italian-American household, just bringing the word up in conversations can kick off impassioned discussions that involve meat methodology, combination theorizing, and philosophizing about technique. But a restaurant dedicated solely to meatballs? That would have made my great-grandfather laugh. And that’s exactly what co-owners, Daniel Holzman and Michael Chernow, are going to do with The Meatball Shop, all the way to the bank.
AlwaysPartying: National Australia Day
Arthur Bovino — January 26, 2010
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Tuck Shop’s Thai Green Chook Curry Pie.
Today, January 26th, is National Australia Day. Why should that matter to Americans? Because no matter where they are in the world Aussies always seem to be having a good time. So if they’re celebrating, chances are you’re going to want to get in on the festivities. National Australia Day refers to First Landing Day in 1788, when eleven convict ships from Great Britain arrived at Sydney Cove.
Two Always Hungry approved restaurants, Bondi Road and Sunburnt Cow, will be celebrating. They will be serving steak sandwiches and burgers, including their signature Burger with the Lot (egg, bacon, beets, fried onion, pineapple, lettuce and tomato) for $3 each. You can also pony up $20 for unlimited drinks during a three-hour period. If you’re not into partying on a Tuesday night (you’re getting old), but still want to get in the spirit, it’s worth stopping for a quick meat pie at Tuck Shop, the Australian pie shop with two locations (St. Mark’s, and 1st St).
For $12 you can get what’s called a Tucker Box, any pie plus two sides for $12. There’s the traditional ground beef pie, the ‘Chook Pie’ with chicken, ham and leeks in white gravy; a Guinness Steak and Mushroom Pie; and even a Mac ‘N Cheese Pie. Our favorite is the Thai Green Chook Curry Pie ($5.00). It’s made with Kaffir lime leaves, galangal, coconut milk, Thai basil and chilis. The buttery pastry is thin and delicate, tearing easily to let the curry fall out.
Address: 115 St Mark’s Place (b/n 1st Ave & Ave A)
Hours: Mon-Thurs, 11:30am-2am; Fri-Sat, 11:30am-5am; Sun 11:30am-10pm
Address: 68 East 1st Street (b/n 1st & 2nd Aves)
Hours: Mon-Thur, 8am-2am; Fri-Sat, 8am-5am; Sun 12pm-10pm
AlwaysInformed: Yonah Schimmel’s Cheese Bagel
GutterGourmet — January 13, 2010
The Cheese Bagel from Yonah Schimmel’s.
There’s a Howard Johnson Express to the right of Yonah Schimmel’s Knishes, and Landmark Sunshine Cinema to the left, but the knishery seems to have made few concessions to the 20th, much less the 21st centuries. One, their use of the microwave, hasn’t been particularly kind to the classic potato knish (though their Kasha Knish is still best in class), it effects the delicate knish skin, makes the mound of potato filling mealy, and scorches the roof of your mouth. But there is an item at Yonah Schimmel’s that may be its redemption: the Cheese Bagel.
The Cheese Bagel ($4.00), which does not appear on the menu board above the counter, is a unique animal. There’s that old parable from India about the three blind men who examine different parts of an elephant without knowing what they’re touching, you know, the one where they violently disagree about what the animal is. Similarly, if three blind(folded) people were to order Yonah Schimmel’s Cheese Bagel and examine it, here is what they’d say:
“It’s not a bagel. It’s twisted like a pretzel”
“It’s soft and breaks easily. It’s a knish”
“It’s too thin to be a bagel or a knish, and the skin is blistered like a bialy.”
Upon tasting the soft sweet farmer’s cheese filling, any of them would have to declare, “you’re wrong, it’s a blintz.” In the end, they’d all have to come to the same conclusion: “Delicious.”
Featured Restaurant: Georgia’s Eastside BBQ
GutterGourmet — January 11, 2010
Fried Chicken Sandwich at Georgia’s Eastside BBQ.
Now that the craze over new fried chicken joints has died down a little, we’re taking a moment to feature a rendition at an old favorite: Georgia’s Eastside BBQ. Located on the rapidly changing Orchard Street, Georgia’s is not named for the state but for the owner’s dog whose photo adorns the wall in a place of honor between his mother and father. The spot is a wonderful dive with half a dozen tables and an old rifle hanging on the wall.
The style of BBQ ranges from North Carolina pulled pork, to St. Louis ribs, and fall-off-the-bone, beer-steamed Memphis dry-rubbed babybacks. But the highlight is— you guessed it— the fried chicken, which Time Out New York just rated as one of the top 100 things to put in your mouth in 2009. The huge serving of perfectly fried not-too-greasy, heavily-battered chicken is for lack of a more perfect description, well, perfect. If you’re in the mood for something a little different, you can get the Fried Chicken Sandwich ($7). Sides include corn bread, beans, kale, collard greens, and corn on the cob.
If you’re looking for us, this is where we’ll be eating fried chicken until the projected Spring opening of Hill Country Chicken. Pies ‘n’ Thighs news anyone?
Check out the new food pictures on Georgia’s Eastside BBQ’s restaurant page.
AlwaysInformed: Food Art at the New Museum
Maryse Chevrière — November 20, 2009
Top, Cumpadre: Fishing Line, Croissant, Butterfly. Bottom, food installations in Fischer’s exhibit.
We did it! We made a croissant float in midair!
Just kidding. Urs Fischer did. The installation is part the Swiss artist’s exhibit, Urs Fischer: Marguerite de Ponty, currently up at the New Museum (site) through February 7th, 2010. Don’t be fooled, this isn’t a specifically food-centric show (ask the front desk where the food art is and you’ll be met with an eye roll and directions to the croissant on the third floor).
The piece is cool, in an irreverent modern arty kind of way, if not just plain amusing at the very least. But the real attraction for food folks is on the second floor, where Fischer has filled the space with different shaped mirrored cubes covered in a variety of silkscreened images—including food items like an éclair, a raw steak, Swiss cheese, and a rotting pear, among other things.
It’s an ideal weekend afternoon activity, and if you’re in the mood for a bite afterwards, here are AlwaysHungryNY.com’s recommended restaurants in the area.
Featured Dessert: Doughnut Plant’s Crème Brûlée Doughnut
Maryse Chevrière — November 19, 2009
Doughnut Plant’s Crème Brûlée Doughnut.
It has almost been a year since the Crème Brûlée Doughnut debuted at the Doughnut Plant, but a recent visit reminded us why this revelatory cream-filled pastry is still worth rhapsodizing about.
Doughnut Plant (site) doesn’t want for endorsements— it’s easily the best doughnut shop in New York City and arguably the country (no, Stan’s and Coffee an’ Donuts fans, we haven’t forgotten you, they are awesome). But there’s a valid case for why everyone (including too cool LES hipsters) freaks out over Doughnut Plant. One answer is in every delectable bite of their Crème Brûlée Doughnut, which you no longer have to request.
The first mouthful of vanilla bean-flecked cream, caramelized sugar crust, and light yeasty dough leaves you wondering how this blissful combination wasn’t conceived sooner. It’s every reason why people love Crème Brûlée, but in doughnut form. A second bite and the palm-sized pastry disappears. It’s guaranteed you’ll be reaching for your wallet to order a half-dozen more.
Featured Restaurant: Luke’s Lobster
GutterGourmet — November 12, 2009
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The “A Taste of Maine” Platter with Lobster Roll, Crab Roll, Shrimp Roll, and Empress Crab Claws.
Sandwiched in between Caracas Arepa Bar and Caracas Arepa Bar To-Go on East 7th is Luke’s Lobster (view). No bigger than a shack with a small counter and eight stools, Luke’s mission is to make the lobster roll as accessible as the hot dog. With lines out the door, and very reasonable prices ($8/small lobster roll, $14/full roll), they may well succeed. Their slogan is “From ME (Maine) to You,” literally. The lobster meat is vacuum-sealed from when it leaves Maine to the time that it hits your roll.
The ‘A Taste of Maine’ consists of a small lobster roll, a small crab roll and a small shrimp roll with a pair of tiny Empress Crab Claws. Unlike the ones on ice at the holiday party, which taste like Sarimi and require a thorough dunking in cocktail sauce, these claws are so sweet that they are reminiscent of their larger Floridian Stone Crab cousins. The crab roll was more of the fresh crab. The shrimp was sweet like Ama Ebi. The lobster roll was all claw and knuckle meat—among the best New York has to offer. All the rolls are soft, toasty, top-split hot dog buns. If there was any mayo or filler, we did not see or taste it. A bag of potato chips and your choice of six organic Maine Root sodas (Blueberry, Ginger Brew, Sarsaparilla, Root Beer, Orange or Lemon Lime) to wash it down— all for 20 bucks.
FirstLook: Sigmund Pretzel Shop
Arthur Bovino — November 03, 2009
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Left row, Salt Pretzels (front) and Poppy Pretzels (back). 2nd row: Jalapeño Cheddar Pretzels (front) and Sesame Pretzels (back). 3rd row: Caraway Pretzels. Right, Lina Kulchinsky.
For a city with so many pretzel stands, New York has some horrible pretzels. The dry, mass-produced street variety are good for filling the chilly fall air with the appealing scent of hot charcoals and warm bread, that’s about it. Not to say Auntie Anne’s are bad (that smell was chemically engineered for world domination), but when a chain makes New York’s best it’s a sad state of affairs. Beer gardens like Radegast Hall & Biergarten and Zum Schneider are helping to remedy this, and now there’s new hope with Sigmund Pretzel Shop on the Lower East Side (map).
Click Here for Pictures of Sigmund's Pretzels and Donuts. >>
Making the Grade: Móle Review
Hank "The Scumbag" Lihn — October 06, 2009
Carne Asada tacos at Móle.
“It may shock you, but I’m going to give a stunning endorsement to Móle, the Allen Street Mexican spot tucked neatly beside the Lower East Side’s equivalent of a strip mall (a deli and a Domino’s). Approaching this small venue, you really don’t expect very much, despite the people you’ll occasionally see milling about outside it. But Móle possesses the earthen feeling of the cooking you’d get in your abuela’s home (if you had an abuela) juxtaposed against a “Wastin’ Away Again in Margaritaville,” aesthetic that pervades the space. It’s a one-two combination for blue collar culinary glory at its finest.”
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