DishDoppelgänger: Sorella and McDonald’s

Arthur Bovino — November 16, 2009

Left, Sorella’s Crispy Veal Sweetbreads. Right, McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets (10 piece).

You know you’ve been caught looking at celebrity look-alike features in tabloids on the supermarket line or when surfing online. Well, we’re applying the concept to well-known dishes and others that resemble them. And why not, for those of us interested in food, Thomas Keller’s Oysters and Pearls dish is just as iconic as Jay Leno’s chin. As soon as a doppelgänger dish emerges, you better believe we’ll spot it.

Sorella’s Crispy Veal Sweetbreads with Quince Bacon Marmalade.

Just to be clear, Sorella (view) is wonderful. There’s the crisp, salted Grissini. The Pate de Fegato with its half inch spread of creamy chicken liver mousse. Another favorite are the perfectly seasoned, Crispy Veal Sweetbreads with Quince Bacon Marmalade ($11.00). They’re the ballpark rendition of sweetbreads. They feature a cornmeal-like crust that’s gritty in a good way. But someone has to say it: as unlikely a comparison as it may seem at first, Sorella’s sweetbreads and their sweet, musty sauce, trigger a taste recall of McDonald’s (view) Chicken McNuggets.

Click Here for More About Sorella and McDonald's >>

Featured Dish: Gambas Com Acorda at Pão!

The Gluttoness — August 11, 2009

Gambas com Acorda at Pão!

Pão! co-owner, Frank Coelho, a native of Portugual, didn’t set out to reinvent the Portuguese culinary wheel, just recreate it on a quiet corner in SoHo. His regulars, many of whom are Portuguese and looking for a taste of home, rely on this quaint eatery at Spring and Greenwich for authentic Portuguese fare. Specialties at Pão! (restaurant page) include Caldo Verde, a kale-based soup with potato and linguica (mild Portuguese pork sausage) and Bacalhau and Braz, traditional sautéed cod with egg, onion and straw potatoes.

Pão means “bread” in Portuguese so it shouldn’t be a surprise that bread is a prominent ingredient in one of its signature dishes, Gambas com Acorda, Grilled Tiger Shrimp with Lemon Shellfish Bread Pudding. The beautiful, monochromatic dish features six juicy, butterflied tiger shrimp, which are practically bursting from their glistening orange shells to kiss the lemon-rosemary cream sauce dressing the plate. The shrimp tails are anchored in a mound of savory shellfish bread pudding that is riddled with bits of shrimp, scallop, clams and mussels. The pudding is made from the same broa de milho (wheat and corn bread) that adorns every table.

Gambas com Acorda is much like an Iberian shrimp and grits, with the warm bread pudding offering a smoother sensation than grits. The firm flesh of the shrimp complements the silky texture of the pudding, and the tangy lemon sauce balances its richness. The dish is perfectly paired with a crisp glass of vinho verde, a bright, clean, slightly carbonated ‘green wine’ made from unripe grapes.

AlwaysLateNight: The Candlelight Inn (Scarsdale, NY)

Katie Reisert — August 11, 2009

Restaurant: The Candlelight Inn (view map)
Address: 519 Central Park Avenue, Scarsdale NY
AlwaysHungry Grade: A-
AlwaysHungry Recommends: Buffalo Wings, Seasoned Waffle Fries

For more than fifty years, the tiny red house with a green roof on Scarsdale’s hectic Central Ave., has been home to one of Westchester’s most beloved resaurants.
The Candlelight Inn is infamous for a “no reservations” policy and long lines. But don’t let the name fool you, it’s little more than a biker bar with a small dinning room, a full bar and a dozen tables. The maître d’ is a clipboard nailed to the wall.

If you don’t order a basket of the famed wings, you’ve missed the point. They’re moist and meaty inside and are served swimming in sauce, but still have crispy exteriors. Instead of a pile of wings and drumsticks, The Candlelight’s wings remain connected— the joint broken, skin intact, supposedly to seal in moisture. Customers can choose between three sauces: teriyaki, barbecue and buffalo.

Buffalo wings at The Candlelight Inn, in Scarsdale, NY.

Barbecue sauce is sweet and mild, but with a tangy quality appropriate for wings. The buffalo sauce varies in intensity of heat. Options include: mild, hot, extra hot or the feared “Chernobyl.” Extra hot, while a delicious balance of flavor and heat, leaves many diners icing their lips. Customers are encouraged to mix the sauces as they please, take the recommended “hotiyaki,” a combination of hot buffalo and teriyaki sauces. It’s a good compromise. The Asian element makes the heat more bearable by delaying its onset, and the heat lends a spicy spin on the traditionally mild sweet and sour sauce.

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AlwaysPartying: Oyster Odyssey

Arthur Bovino — August 05, 2009

The John Dory’s Hangtown Fry ($17) is served during brunch.

New York City is a great place for raw bar and fried oysters (see AHNY’s National Oyster Day post). As delicious as these oyster preparations are, other classic and interesting preparations shouldn’t be missed. Take the Hangtown Fry, an oyster and bacon omelette made famous in California during the Gold Rush. Its origin is one of those epic food myths.

It starts in a place forty miles east of Sacramento that was called Dry Diggins until three desperadoes were hanged from the town’s giant oak tree, after which it became Hangtown. Supposedly, in 1849 a miner who had found gold walked into the El Dorado Hotel across the street from the tree and asked the bartender for the most expensive meal possible. The result was a combination of bacon from the East, eggs from the coast and oysters that had been packed on ice and brought in from the San Francisco Bay.

The dish outlasted the town’s name and the hotel. Today, Hangtown is known as Placerville, and the El Dorado was replaced in 1857 after burning down a year before, by the The Cary House Hotel, which still stands. Allegedly one of the only places in town to regularly serves the Hangtown Fry is Chuck’s Restaurant. But that’s okay because you don’t have to go to California to strike culinary gold.

The John Dory’s rendition has to rank up there with the city’s best egg dishes. Eggs are creamy. Bacon is substituted with a thick prosciutto that has the texture of tender corned beef. Slices of pickled jalapeño add bursts of a light vinegary flavor and heat also spread throughout the dish. The oysters are only slightly cooked. The pooled flavors lining the plate’s bottom when you finish are worth wiping up with the delicious Parker House rolls.

The Hangtown Fry is just one of New York City’s many notable oyster dishes on the following Oyster Odyssey that a true bivalve-lover should try to check off their list.

Click to see AHNY's checklist of New York City's notable oyster dishes. >>

First Look: Momofuku’s Fried Chicken Dinner

Jeff Zalaznick — July 24, 2009

A couple of days ago, Always Hungry broke the news about Momofuku’s Fried Chicken Dinner, and therefore was able to score a table before the new ko-style reservation system became impossible to log on to. Now, we will bring you the first look.

The heaping platter of fried chicken (two chickens) is divided into two styles: Korean and Southern. An accompanying French Riviera style “bounty bowl” contained: butter lettuce, shiso leaves, Thai basil, mint, shisito peppers, baby purple carrots and red ball radishes. There were also four sauces. If you are an experienced Momofuku eater, you will probably recognize a few of them. The Hoisin is from the Pork Buns. The Ginger-Scallion and Bibim will be familiar if you’ve had the Bo Ssäm at Ssäm Bar. The Jalapeño-Garlic sauce though, was made specifically for the Fried Chicken Dinner, and was an excellent addition to the suite of Momofuku sauces. The feast also came with stacks of warm mu shu pancakes.

Click here for pictures >>

AlwaysPartying: National French Fries Day

The Gluttoness — July 13, 2009

Happy National French Fries Day! The occasion got us thinking about Rare’s French Fry Tasting Basket (which combines cottage, shoestring, and sweet potato fries with four sauces) and inspired us to consider which New York City restaurants’ French fries would be found in AlwaysHungryNY.com’s ideal Fry Tasting Basket. They follow from left to right:

The John Dory’s Chips & Vinegar, $8.00 (left) — The edges and tips crunch tightly between your teeth, but in the center, they’re almost creamy.

BLT Burger’s Waffle Fries, $4.00 (center) — BLT’s waffle fries taste as perfect as they look. Aside from the fun shape and generous sprinkle of salt, each fry has a hearty crunch and a soft, airy center.

Benoit’s French Fries, $6.00 — Served in a giant intertwined mound, much like the shoestrings at The Spotted Pig, Benoit’s fries are uniquely flat and spaghetti-like. These softer, skinny fries have a delicate crispness and are best eaten by the handful.

As for our four ideal sauces, we’d love the Truffle Mayo at The Kingswood, Blue Smoke’s Maple Dip, Strip House’s Sweet Chili Sauce and Bubby’s Chicken Gravy.

AlwaysPartying: Big Apple BBQ Block Party

June 16, 2009

Blue Smoke’s Kansas City Ribs & Pickled Okra

The Big Apple BBQ Block Party this past weekend was a blast— full of smoke, “hog coffins,” fire, sauces and genuine, get your hands dirty eating. We even ran into some lucky winners of our Big Apple BBQ FastPass Giveaway on the express lines. Everything was delicious, but of course, we had our favorites, which we ranked below. Check out our photographs of pure BBQ goodness on the jump along with a field report from the GutterGourmet.

Click here for a field report from GutterGourmet & AlwaysHungryNY.com's BABBQ pictures >>

AlwaysLearning: Regional BBQ Primer

The Hungry Goat — June 12, 2009

Hill Country’s Beef Ribs

In honor of the summer and all the BBQ we intend to eat this weekend at the Big Apple BBQ Block Party, we’ve compiled a BBQ primer for you that details many of the varied types found across the country, their cuts and traits, their typical sauces, sides, serving styles and cooking methods.

Most importantly, we have included the restaurants and dishes in New York where you can find many of these different preparation styles.

Click Here for the full Regional BBQ Breakdown >>

AlwaysCooking: Free Beef, It’s What’s For Dinner

Arthur Bovino — June 11, 2009

One of the free samples we received recently was Main Street Meats’ premium chopped meat sent by Lee Selig, grandson of the company’s founder, Julius Selig. Their 1946 Blend combines Kobe Brisket, Angus Rib Cap and Boneless Short Ribs with an Angus Chuck base. Main Street says their blend is made daily to order, using a coarse blade so as not to make it too delicate. The number, 1946, refers to the year the company was founded. Three members of AlwaysHungryNY.com took samples to their test kitchens to try the blend in a few of their favorite dishes.

Click for AlwaysHungryNY.com staffer comments about Main Street Meats' "1946 Blend" >>

Delivery Duel: BBQ Brisket Sandwich

The Gluttoness — June 10, 2009

AlwaysHungryNY.com’s offices in Gramercy position us in prime location for BBQ delivery, so we decided to match the Barbecue Beef Sandwich at Hill Country against Wildwood Barbecue Smothered Brisket Sandwich. Both restaurants are just about equidistant to AHNY HQ and calls to them were made at precisely 12:26 p.m. by two AHNY members who finished ordering at just about the same time. The clock was ticking.

Click here for the results of the BBQ Delivery Challenge >>

Featured Dish: Thai Nachos

The Gluttoness — June 04, 2009

Rhong Tiam bills this dish as Thai Nachos but considering the composition, “Thai Chips and Salsa” is more like it. White and green shrimp chips surround a Coconut Dipping Sauce laced with minced bits of chicken and shrimp. The airy chips sizzle and soften when dipped— it sounds like a cross between Pop Rocks and the Snap, Crackle, Pop of Rice Krispies. It’s a curious but light and tasty summer appetizer.

Dine Around Downtown: Steak Sandwich Face-off

The Gluttoness — June 03, 2009

Fifty of downtown’s best restaurants served up their signature dishes at Chase Manhattan Plaza yesterday for the Downtown Alliance’s 11th annual Dine Around Downtown. A live jazz band entertained the sea of hungry diners who sampled the $3 and $6 plates. With all the lobster (rolls, bisques and BLT’s) and meat (burgers, beef ribs and steak sandwiches) it almost seemed like a surf and turf event. But it was the trio of steak sandwiches that demanded our attention and comparison.

Click here to find out who had Dine Around Downtown's best Steak Sandwich >>

HungryHamptons: Eat Your Way Out of Traffic

The Gluttoness — May 22, 2009

Let’s face it, if you plan on leaving for the Hamptons anytime after noon today, you are going to be stuck in a traffic nightmare. No matter what creative route you come up with, at the end of the day you will probably find yourself on the Long Island Expressway. You can pretend that you don’t mind sitting in traffic, or you could do what any self-respecting person would do for relief: eat. There are two great pit stops along the way (click for Gmap).

1. Little Vincent’s (Huntington, NY)

Pull off the LIE at exit 49N and it’s a straight shot up Route 110. When 110 intersects with Main Street (Route 25A), you’ve arrived. While Little Vincent’s pepperoni pie is fantastic, the obvious choice here is the Cold Cheese Slice, a steaming hot, plain slice with fantastic sauce and a heaping pile of cold mozzarella cheese on top that allows you to eat it quickly without burning the roof of your mouth. To read about the origin of the Cold Cheese Slice read our article about Little Vincent’s.

2. Bobby’s Burger Palace at Smith Haven Mall (Lake Grove, NY)

photo courtesy of khalnayak via Flickr

If you skipped Little Vincent’s hoping that traffic would let up, you’ll probably be starving by the time you get to exit 56. Bobby Flay’s Lake Grove burger joint serves ten different burgers inspired by his American travels and it’s a quick detour. Notable burgers include the Buffalo Burger (Red Hot Sauce, Blue Cheese Dressing and Watercress, above), the Miami Burger (Pressed with Ham, Swiss, Pickles, Mustard and Mayonnaise) and the Santa Fe Burger (Queso Sauce, Pickled Jalapeños and Blue Corn Chips). Angus beef can be substituted wtih ground turkey and chicken breast and all burgers can be served, crunchified (with potato chips). After getting off on exit 56, take NY-111 to NY-347 (Smithtown Bypass) and make a right again for the Smith Haven Mall.

AlwaysInvestigating: About Giada’s Meatball Madness…

GutterGourmet — May 21, 2009

Now that Dish du Jour’s “Meatball Melée of the Boroughs” is behind us, and Nicky’s Famous Meatballs, a dark horse, deep-fried meatball by Bello Giardino’s, has taken the title, Best Meatballs in the Borough, it’s time to look forward to the next great meatball competition. This fall’s return of the Food Network’s New York City Wine and Food Festival (presented October 8-11 by Food&Wine and Travel+Leisure) is rumored to be featuring an entirely new event hosted by Giada De Laurentiis: Meatball Madness. It would have been a close call to choose between getting up close to Giada or the city’s best meatballs, thankfully we won’t have to. And who better than Giada to judge the best balls?

The event has inspired some intense thought about the competition’s potential participants and possible categories. For the approval of the powers that be, we submit the following:

The Traditional Italian/American Category
1) Lazzara’s gargantuan Meatball Parmigiana Hero (now at 2 locations: 38th Street and the new offshoot in Hell’s Kitchen on 9th Ave.).
2) Papa Perrone’s (best Midtown pizza truck) for meatball sandwiches and meatball pizza.
3) Manganaro’s Grosseria (no, not their archrival relatives next door, Manganaro’s Hero Boy).
4) John’s of 12th Street for spaghetti and meatballs in a Tony Soprano atmosphere circa 1908.

Click here for more suggested "Meatball Madness" categories >>

AlwaysHungryNY: J.T. Pappy’s Termigator Hot Sauce

Arthur Bovino — May 21, 2009

It will be interesting to see what fast food product placements there are in Terminator Salvation’s 2018, post-apocalyptic vision of California. Indications are that director, McG (Joseph McGinty Nichol), has taken the project seriously, so while the resulting debris of Skynet’s attempt to annihilate humanity may include half-destroyed signs for 7-Eleven and Pizza Hut (rumored product placement partners), we’re guessing John Connor and the Resistance won’t be snacking on Twinkies and Tuscani Lasagna.

While it’s not a tie-in to the film, we recently discovered one chuckle-inducing, Terminator-themed food product: J.T. Pappy’s Termigator, a “Politically Incorrect Extra Hot Sauce“ in a 9 oz bottle ($3.95). The label pictures a pumped-up, toothy alligator resembling Arnold Schwarzenegger, wearing a leather vest and sunglasses, and sporting a crew cut. The claim on J.T. Pappy’s website challenges the Terminator’s superiority throughout the series:

Pappy always said, “Ain’t no tougher critter than a hungry gator!”

Somehow, we doubt anything vegetarian could take on a T-800 but we’ll give the sauce one thing: after an initial two seconds of sweetness, it has a pretty significant bite— enough to give a considerable tickle to the back of your throat. Austin Scorpio, a fan of the early movies and the sauce’s creator, said he was inspired to make the sauce during Arnold Schwarzenegger’s gubernatorial campaign (“politically incorrect” referring to his missteps and his marriage to Kennedy-clan member, Maria Shriver).

As it’s doubtful that Christian Bale or AH-nold (in his certain cameo) will say the classic catchphrase, we’ll leave you with J.T. Pappy’s version: “Sauce-A-La Vista, Baby!”