Always Investigating: Balkan cuisine at Djerdan
GutterGourmet — August 02, 2010
Traditional Veal Kebabs at Djerdan Burek.
On 38th Street, just west of 7th Avenue is a quiet, unassuming restaurant below street level that looks like it could be the home of the Bosnian Social Club. Fortunately for us, it’s not members only, and Djerdan Burek offers great Balkan cuisine to anyone daring to venture in.
AlwaysInvestigating: Jimmy’s Burger Shack
Arthur Bovino — July 21, 2010
Clockwise: No. 9 Burger (Fried Egg, Bacon, and Cheese) and “Shack Sauce” at Jimmy’s Burger Shack.
Summer rolls around and I want to get the hell out of Dodge, Malcolm X-style— JFK, LaGuardia, I-95, the Port Authority, and Penn Station— by any means necessary. And when you’re at Penn with time to kill, one of your best options (lest you want to brave oysters and bread bowls at Tracks) is New York Pizza Suprema. But travelers cannot live on pizza alone. Sometimes you have to shake things up. You wonder, “Can Jimmy’s Burger Shack be all that bad? It’s still there three years after opening, right?”
Featured Dessert: The “Shacked-Up”
Arthur Bovino — July 13, 2010
“Shacked-Up,” an off-menu mash-up of three new concretes.
SHAKE SHACK THEATRE DISCTRICT
Starring Danny Meyer
OPENING NIGHT: A SHAKE SHACK LINE!
A musical about tourists and zealots alike!
The new Shake Shack in Midtown West has created opportunities for burger headlines, pun-ridden show titles, and at the least, the names for three new menu-standard concretes: the Great White Way, Pretzel! The Concrete, and Jelly’s Last Donut. Those new menu items have also created the opportunity for a new over-the-top off-the-menu option, a mixture of all three.
Featured Cocktail: Scotch Flight at Keens
GutterGourmet — June 24, 2010
The Dinner Flight of Scotch at Keens Steakhouse.
When my testosterone flows unchecked, it’s time for Scotch and beef. And a flight at Keens Steakhouse is the way to go.
Start with the Dinner Flight: Auchentoshan 12 year Lowland, Cragganmore 12 year Speyside, Bowmore “Legend” Islay, and Glen Ord 30 year Highland ($31.00) The complexity, smokiness, and peatiness get progressively intense, making a fine wine or cheese seem simple by comparison.
Pair your flight with The King’s Cut Prime Rib and you complete the illusion that you have become the King of Scots, particularly when accompanied by a chaser of Murphy’s Stout (okay, that’s Irish, but after a flight or two, exceptions must be made). The haunch of beef done to an exact rare to medium rare with a side of horseradish au jus. As you stagger out of the pub room onto the street, you’ll deem yourself the master of all you survey. Just try not to fall into a bog on the walk home.
AlwaysPartying: Toast of the Town 2010
Maryse Chevrière — May 25, 2010
Catsmo Smoked Trout with Chopped Beets and Shaved Fennel from Wall & Water.
As expected, the City’s wine fanatics came out to play at last night’s Toast of the Town grand tasting event hosted by Wine Enthusiast. The David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center was once again packed with well-heeled revelers sampling from more than 500 internationally acclaimed wineries and spirits producers.
There was food too, of course. Small plates from a handful of New York’s top restaurants helped keep party-goers on their feet as pours got bigger and continued until 10pm. Thalassa’s silky Olive Oil-cured Scallop over Caviar Mousse was a repeat favorite, joining Brasserie Cognac’s Lobster Bisque and Wall & Water’s Smoked Trout with Beets and Fennel as the evening’s best bites.
More Photographs from Toast of the Town 2010 >>
Featured Cocktails: Midtown Punches
Arthur Bovino — May 20, 2010
Left to right: The Campbell Apartment’s Terrace Punch, and The Empire Room’s Prohibition Punch.
Thanks to Hospitality Holdings, signature cocktail drinkers in Midtown no longer have to stay in the cozy confines of The Campbell Apartment for a high-profile punch at a bar with that ‘cocktails from a different era’ vibe. The bar’s Prohibition Punch has made the move to The Empire Room.
First Look: Momofuku’s Beef 7 Ways
GutterGourmet — May 19, 2010
Braised Shank, the main event of Ma Pêche’s Bay Fête de Bœuf, Beef 7 Ways.
Having partaken in Momofuku’s special epic preparations at Noodle Bar (Southern and Korean Fried Chicken) and at Ssäm Bar (Bo Ssäm), the Always Hungry crew answered the siren song of Ma Pêche’s online reservation-only Bay Fête de Bœuf, Beef 7 Ways, with mixed results.
AlwaysInformed: Cake Balls Now at Milk Bar
Maryse Chevrière — May 19, 2010
Birthday Cake Bonbons from Momofuku Milk Bar.
Still bummed about Momofuku Milk Bar’s decision to drop their cake-by-the-slice option? The backlash must have been pretty fierce, because as of this week, both the East Village and Midtown shop locations are offering an alternative: cake bonbons.
Slice by Slice: New York Pizza Suprema
GutterGourmet — May 17, 2010
The Bacon Slice at New York Pizza Suprema in Midtown, and a Bacon Slice upskirt.
Any discerning pizza-lover who has missed a train at Penn knows the deal: Rosa’s will do in a pinch. But if you hurry, the place to grab a slice is New York Pizza Suprema, catty–corner on 8th Avenue where it has been since 1964. Suprema is a bastion of goodness in the pizza wasteland that is Midtown. What’s not often noted is that it can be discussed as a destination too. It’s no stretch to mention it in a conversation about members of New York’s pantheon of Metropolitan slicerias. We’re talking Joe’s, and Patsy’s of Harlem. As Suprema’s website says, “This pizzeria was here before Madison Square Garden.” But it had been a while since we’d visited so it was time for a state of the slice.
Featured Dish: Triomphe’s Scallops in Foie Gras Butter
GutterGourmet — May 12, 2010
Scallops with Porcini Mushroom and Foie Gras Butter.
Though overshadowed by its neighbor, DB Bistro Moderne and its infamous $32.00, foie gras-stuffed Original db Burger, Triomphe, the French restaurant tucked into the Iroquois Hotel, has a similarly luxe signature dish: Chef Steven Zobel’s Scallops with Porcini Mushrooms and Foie Gras Butter.
AlwaysInformed: Drinks and Snacks at The Capital Grille
Arthur Bovino — May 10, 2010
Pan-Fried Calamari with Hot Cherry Peppers on the Bar Menu at Capital Grille in Midtown.
The Capital Grille in Midtown is a want-to-grab-a-quick-drink away from Grand Central. Though the Chrysler Center location has been around since 2004, this is the first time they have offered a set bar menu, which we were recently invited to sample. The snacks, some new, some adapted from the regular menu, do a decent job of making patrons consider another cocktail and taking the next train.
AlwaysInformed: The Hellfire Slice
GutterGourmet — May 10, 2010
The Hellfire slice at Hell’s Kitchen Pizza.
Curry phaal, super hot buffalo wings, Szechuan noodles, pizza. Pizza?
If you twist off the top of the dried red pepper flakes jar in order to get the proper level of spice on your run-of-the-mill slice, then there’s a pizzeria for you. The aptly named Hell’s Kitchen Pizza is located in, well, Hell’s Kitchen, on 10th Avenue between 47th and 48th Streets. You may have heard about it by way of their Mac-and-Cheese Pizza, but the eponymous slice, the Hellfire, is what’s of interest to heat-seekers.
This baby packs a triple threat of hot Italian sausage, sliced red and green cherry peppers, with pepperoni thrown in for good measure. We’re not talking habanero or Scotch bonnet Scoville levels here, but if you like your pizza with a kick, this slice kicks ass.
Location: Hell’s Kitchen Pizza
Address: 691 Tenth Avenue
Contact: (212) 765-8565
Always Informed: Snacks at Ardesia
Arthur Bovino — May 06, 2010
House-Made Goat Milk Ricotta Crostini.
Recently, the Midtown West winebar, Ardesia, was declared to have New York’s Most Ambitious Bar Food by Time Out New York. Sample the house goat milk ricotta and you’ll agree, the little tastes that Chef Amorette Casaus has created for thirsty revelers at this chic Manhattan hideaway reach high, and most satisfy.
One drawback is that to find Ardesia, you may end up forced to declare yourself ‘Most Intrepid Midtown Spelunker.’ If you haven’t been, head to the Hudson, then when you’re about to fall into it, keep going.
AlwaysInformed: Lunch at Margon
GutterGourmet — April 28, 2010
Left, Margon’s Octopus Salad, and Oxtail. Right: the line, and Cubano sandwiches.
“What’ll you have, Papi?”
It’s one of my favorite phrases— particularly when asked by one of the sweet Dominican women behind the counter at Margon on West 46th Street. The proper response? “Dos Cubanos, por favor.”
Margon is perhaps the most authentic Cuban cafeteria-style restaurant outside of Tampa and Miami (or maybe Union City, New Jersey). Its praises have been sung, but they’re worth another refrain. Specials change daily, but you can always get incredible Cuban sandwiches made to order, which, in the Tampa style, add salami to the pork and ham. It is then hot pressed with cheese and pickles.
All of your tropical fruits are available as batidos: mango, papaya, and even mamey. The roast chicken is an entire tender leg and thigh stained the color of a Floridian sunset— red and orange with paprika and oil. Same with the boneless pork chop.
Fresh ham is piled high on the plate. The Rabo (oxtails) come with a red wine and garlic sauce, which serves double-duty when poured over the rice, black beans, and sweet plaintains that accompany every special. A cold octopus salad balances out all of the meat dishes.
The long lines in the tunnel-like cafeteria move quickly and are punctuated by “Thank you, Mami,” or “God bless you, Papi’” whenever contributions to the plastic tip jars are made. For a true Caribbean experience in the heart of Times Square, Margon is muy sabroso.
AlwaysInformed: Schnipper’s Attempts the L.E.O.
Arthur Bovino — April 15, 2010
A L.E.O. Sandwich on a Toasted Everything Bagel from H&H at Schnipper’s Quality Kitchen.
Schnipper’s Quality Kitchen, the corner joint in The New York Times Building that serves a Green Chile Cheeseburger, recently announced breakfast service. Among the typical morning fare on the new menu (Mon-Friday, 7:00am-10:30pm) is an unexpected addition. A New York classic that doesn’t get the same attention as pizza or bagels: The L.E.O.
For the uninitiated, L.E.O. stands for lox, eggs, and onions. As previously noted, when it comes to the L.E.O., chances of surpassing the rendition at Barney Greengrass, are slim. Even better is the N.E.O. with Nova, since lox brings too much salt to the equation.
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