AlwaysPartying: Brooklyn Brunch Experiment
Arthur Bovino — March 29, 2010
Judges Award Winner: Savory Corn Cupcakes with Bacon Frosting from Wanna Spoon?.
Yesterday, Nick Suarez and Theo Peck packed The Bell House once again with one of their Brooklyn Experiments. Past events have featured beer, cheese, chocolate, and tacos. This time, attendees’ actual first meal on Sunday was in keeping with the event’s theme, Brunch.
From quiches and French Toast, to breakfast cupcakes and chicken waffle sandwiches, amateur cooks brought outlandish team names, and intricately thought-out dishes to compete for the attention of audience members and judges. Among those casting votes were Bon Appetit’s Andrew Knowlton, chef Sean Rembold of and Marlow and Sons, and chef Emile Castillo of Norma’s.
Special prizes went to Jeffrey Olsen’s “Mad Tea Party” (Earl Grey and Honey Ice Cream with Orange Blossom Water Scones, and Strawberry Syrup), and Andrew Food for his Full Brunch (Hashed Browns, Scrambled Eggs, with Duck Prosciutto, and dessert bite).
Judges awarded the top three spots to Wanna Spoon? (above, Savory Corn Cupcakes; below, Bloody Mary with Bacon Garnish), Redneck Caviar (Duck Confit and Bacon Marmalade Doughnuts), and Working Class Foodies (Buttermilk Waffle Bread Pudding). But it was the audience who got things right. Among Righteous Burn and Team Vail, the crowd singled out One and Supp as one of the best contenders on-hand. There was little that anybody had on their Pork Hash Tamales.
Featured Brunch: Applewood
Michelle Kiefer — March 12, 2010
Roasted Vermont Pork Sandwich at Applewood in Park Slope, Brooklyn.
Applewood is a neighborhood brunch favorite amongst Park Slopers that retains a cozy atmosphere despite its popularity. The menu, which is full of consistently delicious dishes, is seasonal and constantly changing, with ingredients sourced from local farmers. You can count on expertly done brunch classics, like Brioche French Toast with Honey Maple Syrup, as well as omelets stuffed with seasonal produce, and some creative meat dishes.
AlwaysPartying: Brooklyn Cheese Experiment
Arthur Bovino — September 14, 2009
Pete Taylor, Josh Knowlton & Billy Denniston of Propeller Pale Ale, unanimous homebrew winners.
On Sunday at the Bell House (view site) in Park Slope, Brooklyn, amateur cooks and homebrewers battled to see whose cheese-based dishes and beers would take top prize at the Brooklyn Cheese Experiment. The well-attended and much-photographed event was sponsored by Murray’s Cheese Shop, the Vermont Cheese Society and Council and Sixpoint Craft Ales and presented by thefoodexperiments.com hosts, Theo Peck and Nick Suarez. It featured 17 cooks and 8 teams of homebrewers who were competing for cash prizes and gift certificates to Brooklyn Brew Shop, Brooklyn Homebrew and Whisk. A portion of the ticket sales were being donated for ovarian cancer research.
A judging panel included: Bon Appétit’s restaurant editor, Andrew Knowlton; Taylor Cocalis, the director of Education at Murray’s; the Vermont Butter and Cheese Company’s Adeline Druart; Chanterelle’s fromager, Adrian Murciathe; and the brewers of Sixpoint Craft Ales. They awarded top three categories for best food and beer. Audience members also voted on their top three favorites. Alyssa Lees’ cheese puff was given special distinction and awarded her two tickets to a show at the Bell House.
AlwaysLearning: Welsh Rarebit
The Gluttoness — September 03, 2009
Welsh Rarebit from The ChipShop on Atlantic Avenue, in Brooklyn Heights.
Welsh Rarebit. If you just heard the name, you would probably expect a plate filled with some kind of rare meat. The reality couldn’t be farther from that. In honor of National Welsh Rarebit Day…
What it is: Welsh Rarebit consists of toasted bread topped with a savory sauce made with melted cheese. The sauce is typically made with Cheddar cheese, although some recipes call for the addition of dark beer, mustard, cayenne pepper and/or Worcestershire Sauce. The cheese-covered bread is then broiled and served very hot so that the cheese is bubbling and golden brown. There are many variations of the original dish. One, the Buck Rarebit, calls for topping Welsh Rarebit with a poached egg.
Where it’s from: This traditional British dish dates to the 18th century, perhaps as early as 1725. The name is thought to be a corruption of the word, ‘rabbit,’ the theory being that rabbit was the food of the poor and that the Welsh, who were notoriously poor, couldn’t even afford that. As such, instead of eating meat with bread, cheese became the ‘meat’ component of the dish. In 1785, by virtue of a misnomer in A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, the name of the dish evolved into “Welsh Rarebit.”
Where to eat it in New York City: Where better to enjoy a classic British dish than surrounded by maps of the Tube, Beatles posters, and plates commemorating Princess Diana in one of New York’s most traditional British gastropubs, The ChipShop (Brooklyn Heights restaurant page, Park Slope restaurant page). The restaurant is best known for a lengthy list of beers-on-tap and deep-fried treatments of pizza, Twinkies and Haddock (for a phenomenal Fish & Chips). But their “English Menu” is full of other British favorites like Scotch Eggs, Haggis, and of course, Welsh Rarebit.
The ChipShop’s glossary defines Welsh Rarebit as “cheddar cheese, heavy cream and mustard on bread and baked—served with tomato.” The folks there identified the mustard as Colman’s and noted that eggs are also used in the sauce. At the restaurant, the slice of thick, crisp white bread arrives browned and bubbling, adorned with a halved slice of tomato. It’s part open-faced grilled cheese, part Croque Monsieur (minus the ham). It’s like a savory, cheesy French Toast. The exterior crust has a hearty crunch, but the heavy dressing of cheese sauce soaks the bread’s innards and oozes from the sliced center.
Welsh Rarebit is comfort food at its finest. It’s no surprise that this decadent dish was a food staple eaten by the poor as it definitely helps you to escape from your financial burdens, at least momentarily, even longer when accompanied by a cool pint.
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.
Making the Grade: Franny’s
The Gluttoness — July 14, 2009
Franny’s Clam Pizza with Chilies and Parsley
“It could be that we experienced the peak of inconsistency, but Franny’s heavily-charred, thoroughly flimsy pies were remarkably unspectacular. The dough’s lack of substance was made painfully clear when we struggled to cut the gummy bottom with a serrated knife. And while the Clam Pie had previously lived up to the hype, during our most recent visit, the seafood scent was lost amongst the blackened bubbles that overwhelmed its surface.”
CLICK FOR AHNY’S FULL REVIEW OF FRANNY’S
AlwaysPartying: Poutine Tasting (Park Slope, Brooklyn)
Josh Kaplan — June 26, 2009
Wednesday night at the Australian Park Slope gastropub, Sheep Station, Chef Martine Lafond (a Quebec transplant) held a Poutine tasting in honor of “La St. Jean Baptiste,” (Saint Jean Baptiste Day, June 24th), a national holiday of Quebec that celebrates French Canadian culture.
Poutine has been on the rise around the city. Draft Barn threw a disco fry tasting this week. TPoutine is supposed to open on Ludlow soon. Even the swanky Hotel Griffou makes poutine with duck confit. This Canadian junk food classic, (French fries cheese curds and gravy) is said to have its etymological roots in the Quebecois slang, “une maudite poutine,” which describes what it resembles, “an unholy mess.”
Of the three poutines at the tasting —Classic, Chicken and Peas, and Italian— the first (above) was the best. Fries were bathed in a straightforward pan gravy and topped with five curds— salty, chewy bites reminiscent of mozzarella balls. There just weren’t enough curds.
Click for AlwaysHungryNY.com's poutine pictures and descriptions >>
The Round-Up: Marathon Route Dining
October 30, 2008
Just because participants in Sunday’s NYC Marathon have to endure a grueling 26.2 mile race, doesn’t mean you have to suffer starving on the sidelines. The New York Times has compiled a list of 26.2 noteworthy places (one is a truck) along the marathon route where hungry supporters can stop in and get a delicious bite. With cuisines ranging from classic American to Vietnamese, Polish, Honduran, and Senegalese, the eateries on this list are as international and eclectic as the runners competing in the race. (10/29)
Bay Street Lunchonette American Diner (Staten Island)
Plaka Taverna Greek (Bay Ridge)
Tanoreen Palestinian (Bay Ridge)
Thanh Dai Vietnamese (Sunset Park)
Yun Nan Flavour Snack Chinese (Sunset Park)
El Tesoro Ecuadorean (Sunset Park)
Milan’s Slovakian (Greenwood Heights)
Chip Shop British (Park Slope)
Sheep Station Australian (Park Slope)
Madiba South African (Park Slope)
<< Back to Thought For Food
"Unleash Your Inner Fat Kid."
Whet your appetite with a daily dose of AlwaysHungry's Thought for Food. We provide content that will improve your knowledge of food, and that will enhance your experiences with food. We do not write industry gossip.
Always Hungry Newsletter
