NYC Recap

After a busy fall trying to balance a full time job, taking classes, and keeping to my track coach’s training schedule, I knew that I wanted to take some time during the holiday season to get away. Living in the northeast, my first choice is always New York. When I think about going out of town, my thoughts immediately turn to what food I might be able to eat and explore while I am there. New York has so much to offer, from what you find at the market, to the seemingly endless number of high end restaurants, to the equally unique and special “cheap eats” that are essential to survival for one in my position. On this trip to New York, I would be spending some time with family, some time with friends, and some time exploring the city on my own (mostly in the morning when friends were asleep and I would sneak out for a couple hours…). My parents were kind enough to take me out to dinner at places I cannot afford due to the ever dwindling bank account of a college student, and this added to the excitement of the trip. Meals included dinner at Michael Psilakis’ Anthos, a seafood centered, Greek inspired restaurant a block and a half from Bobby Flay’s Bar Americain (just an example of the culinary power that is so prevalent in the city), dinner at Ouest on the Upper West Side, New Year’s brunch at Norma’s at the Parker Meridien, breakfast at Shopsin’s in the Essex Street Market on the Lower East Side, and dinner at the new and highly acclaimed Marea. I would have felt lucky to dine at just one of these establishments on my trip to the city, so being able to visit them all felt like somewhat of a miracle. Even more unbelievable is the list of places in the city where I hope to eat in the future, and how this list managed not to reduce in size after this trip, but to grow…

In addition to the meals I enjoyed with family, I was also on my own (with a friend) for a great number of meals. I had saved some money from my work this fall in anticipation of this trip, but for the most part I attempted to restrain myself as I wandered the streets in a state of wonder and amazement. It seems strange to speak of these feelings while waiting for a subway, watching the rats scurry across the tracks, but I had moments while exploring the streets when I was struck by all this city has to offer for someone as captivated with food as I am. During the rest of my time in the city I ate at falafel “joints,” I ate at Barney Greengrass and Kefi (another Michael Psilakis establishment) on the Upper West Side, and I ventured to the Lower East Side to try David Chang’s pork buns at 9am. I met friends for lunch at Ocean Grill and enjoyed (maybe a little too much) a late night trip to Minetta Tavern. I also spent some time at a number of different markets where I would discover some new foods ingredients, some of which I am very glad I did.

The trip had so many high points, and not all came along with the high price tags. I had a smoked Sturgeon appetizer at Ouest which brought exactly what I had wanted. I never ate smoked sturgeon before this trip to New York, and I knew that New York City was where I wanted to try it. I expected to find what I was looking for at Zabar’s or a deli, somewhere that specializes in in this kind of thing, but I found the sample I had purchased at Zabar’s to be lacking. The flavor was slightly fishy and lacked a noticeable smoke. The appetizer at Ouest however, far exceeded my expectations. Being in a high end restaurant, the dish was more refined, served with frisee, a poached egg, and lardons, but what accompanied the dish was not what defined it. The sturgeon had a velvety texture and retained a certain fresh quality in addition to a gentle smoke.

On a previous trip to New York, I visited Taim Falafel and Smoothie Bar. I had a falafel sandwich and tried each of their three flavors of falafel. They have a green falafel with parsley, cilantro, and mint, a roasted red pepper falafel, and a harissa spiced falafel, all of which I enjoyed the flavor of. One late morning while I wandered the city alone, I stopped by for an early lunch and decided to try their Sabich Sandwich. The sandwich is served in a pita and includes slices of fried eggplant, a sliced hard-boiled egg, hummus, Israeli salad, marinated cabbage, tahini, and a mango chutney. It sounded like a lot to me, but I found that when eating it, something was added to the experience by each ingredient. The fried eggplant was meaty and flavorful. The hard-boiled egg added to the “meatiness” but contributed a subtle eggy flavor that was not at all overwhelming. The Israeli salad and cabbage added freshness and crunch. The hummus and tahini added great flavor and creaminess, and the mango chutney added a touch of sweetness. Over all, it was a very satisfying sandwich, and for six dollars, it was certainly a highlight of the trip.

Also a highlight of the trip was an unexpected late night trip to Minetta Tavern. A friend of mine and I had split a couple bottles of wine and had two rounds of drinks at the bars before we made it to an eleven o’clock showing of Fantastic Mr. Fox. The movie was fairly entertaining, but I decided midway through the film that I was going to borrow my friends phone and look up somewhere to find good late night food during the middle of the week. I ended up on the Minetta Tavern website, and their closing time was listed as 2am. I had heard so much about their Black Label Burger, and could not think of anything I might want more than to have a great burger experience. I have spent some time looking for this experience in the past, and I always manage to some up short of what I hope. We get out of the movie at 12:30am and hop on the L train to Washington Square Park, three blocks from Minetta Tavern. We were not concerned about time, and this was nearly a problem. We made our way to the door at 12:55am, only to see that the listed closing time was 1am… The man at the door confused us for drunk college students who had made their way across the street from Mamoun’s Falafel, so we informed him that we were actually looking for a table. The hostess saw us come in and immediately sat us down, as the kitchen would be closing in five minutes. I ordered quickly for both my friend and me. I told him this was to be my treat, and I quickly grabbed his menu away. I ordered two appetizers, squid stuffed with salt cod, piquillo pepper, olives, and preserved lemon, and a trio of tartares, one beef, one lamb, and one veal. The appetizers were much enjoyed. The filling in the squid was excellent and made of for the fairly chewy exterior. The tartares were great. Each had a distinct flavor, and the texture was perfect. None of the three were the least bit chewy, and all had good “mouth feel.” Next we had the Black Label Burger. I had not ventured out for a burger in quite a while. I was a little sick of coming up short of my expectations so consistently. This time would be different. The burger was mix of prime dry-aged beef loosely held together by its own fat. It came on a custom made brioche bun and was served with caramelized onions. I am a big fan of caramelized onions, and I appreciate the sweetness they bring to any burger. The brioche bun was buttery and soft, very light and did not have as much sweetness as an ordinary brioche. But this burger was all about the meat. It had a nice crust and was thick and juicy. It was meltingly tender, a result of both the dry aged beef and the fat that had melted into it. The meet had a superb beefy flavor and an almost nutty quality that can only be obtained through careful dry-aging. I savored each bite, and though time has passed since, I still feel as though I can just barely taste that last bite. The memory remains on the tip of my tongue, although it is unfortunately not accompanied by the satisfaction that was in the moment. The only shared feeling is one of longing. I cannot wait until I can have the burger again, or at least another like it, wherever it may be. I had begun to doubt that I would find such a satisfying burger, but this trip gave me hope. I was not dreaming of some unattainable beast.

These highlights made the trip great, but there was so much more food that added to the experience. I had great food all over the city, and I will post about some of the experience soon. I may also get to some of the disappointments I came across. While exploring any great food city, these disappointments are inevitable. But don’t get me wrong, the positives I found far outweighed the negative, and I can’t wait to do it again.

San Antonio and Coming Home

This weekend was my first trip to San Antonio. I heard it was something like the seventh largest metropolitan area in the country. My brother was playing in a soccer tournament, so on top of that, I wanted to find some good food. Upon arriving, I found that the hotel I was staying in was a mile away from a Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives destination. I had never been to one of the Guy Fieri visited establishments before, so I figured we could try The Cove. I went with my mom and step-dad. We walked in and it certainly looked like a dive. There were old signs on the walls, picnic tables both outside and in, and a bike parked right in front of the drum set at the far end. The dining area was separate from where you ordered food, in the same room as the bar. They had an extensive selection of beers in bottles. Many from the southern and western parts of the country, as well as a few Mexican beers and other imports. There was nothing on tap which was too bad. My step-dad ended up getting a relatively light, malty wheat beer brewed about 30 miles away.

For lunch, we ordered a chicken-poblano soup, sweet potato fries, and seafood tacos. One thing that I noticed in San Antonio was the extraordinarily large amount of soups like this, some kind of chicken and mild chile soup with or without crisp tortilla chips. The soup was okay, and I thought the seasoning was fine, but everyone at the table tried it and thought it was missing something. There was a certain brightness missing, maybe it could have used some fresh herbs or to have been sitting around a little less. With the fish tacos, there was also something missing. The fish was mild and did not contribute in terms of flavor. The tortilla was fine, and it was served with a cilantro cabbage slaw. The whole thing was missing something, and this was where it could have been helped in my opinion. The slaw was relatively bland, and the cilantro in it had lost all freshness. An addition of some of the house made salsa that they had brought out with the tortilla chips actually helped some. I did not try the sweet potato fries. My mom and step-dad had ordered them and I did not feel compelled to try them as they were pretty soggy.

So our first meal in San Antonio could have been better, and I had less hope for that evening’s dinner. It was a banquet for the soccer teams and their families. I ended up eating food from Whole Foods that I had picked up on the way and not eating the meal that was served. The next day consisted of breakfast at the hotel with team parents, oatmeal and a standard omelette. Lunch was again from Whole Foods after a long run, and we had dinner at a restaurant after the soccer game hosted by Williams College Alumni. It was standard Tex Mex, and we had salad, chicken fajitas, and chocolate chip cookies for dessert.

The next day we again had breakfast with the parents. For lunch, we went to a local grocery store. It was a chain of five or six in Texas, and it was fun to go. It definitely made me wish I had a kitchen, because they had a lot of quality products. The produce section was good, they had fresh fish, including a fair amount whole, and I was very impressed by the meat selection. All of the meat (chicken, beef, veal, buffalo, and maybe some other) looked high quality and fresh. They also had an impressive wine section, a decent sized cheese section, and some good prepared foods, including fresh made tortillas (white flour, whole wheat, and butter flavored). For lunch, I had a beet salad with an orange and rasberry vinaigrette, a salad, and pastrami and turkey with chipotle mustard in a warm whole wheat tortilla. Unfortunately, this would be the best meal I would have on the trip. I had planned on going out for dinner later that evening, but had to run a workout on a track. I had a lot of trouble finding a track, it got very late, and I ate leftover groceries and frozen yogurt from a local, Pinkberry-like place.

We left the next morning, picking up breakfast from Jamba Juice on the way to the airport, and this was the best breakfast I would have on the trip. Jamba Juice consistently produces quality, fresh tasting smoothies with a great consistency, and I am a loyal fan.

Tonight was the first night back that I was able to cook, and it was a relief. I made a trip to the Great Harvest Bread Company for a free loaf of bread as I had filled my frequent customer card. I made an asparagus leak soup with garlic, shallots, thyme, and stock. It was simple but very flavorful, was a bright, vibrant green, and did not take much time to cook at all. The loaf of bread I got earlier had spinach, parmesan, and roasted red pepper in it and was perfect toasted and dipped in the soup. I also made buffalo burgers with number of different pantry ingredients mixed in. I added chopped garlic and shallots, capers, olives, miso, and horseradish. After struggling through a weekend of food searching, trying to make my way past all of the Tex Mex that was being thrown at me, it was nice to be home.

The Stand Burger in New York, NY

With all of the great food that I have eaten in New York, I have yet to find a special burger place. That is what I was hoping for at Stand. I liked the setup of the restaurant. It is a very casual place with a fair amount of space. There is an open kitchen which I like. I started with the fried pickles because our server said they were amazing. Unfortunately, the “tempura” batter was far too heavy, and the pickles were not very flavorful. They were overly greasy as well. I ordered the Stand burger as well. This burger came with lettuce and tomato, and was more of a meatball or meatloaf than a burger. Onions and spices were mixed in with the beef, and frankly, I have made more juicy and flavorful burgers with spices and onions using 93/7 ground round. In addition to this, and the most frustrating part of the meal, I ordered the burger on the “rare side of medium-rare.” The patty came gray all the way through, pretty much well done, and was a little dry. Oh well.

I also ordered a toasted marshmallow shake. Unfortunately, because I am not as much of a dessert person, this was the best part of the meal. It was pretty good, but was not up to what I expected after what I had heard about it. Because of the marshmallow mix that they put in, it is not as creamy/frozen as a normal milkshake. I think that less could be used, giving the shake more of an icy and creamy texture, and less of a marshmellow flavor in a good way. Overall, I was disappointed with the meal, and the whole time I was eating, I was wishing that I had gone to the Burger Joint in the Parker Meridien, the other place I was considering getting a burger. I guess I am glad I tried the milkshake. I think I may have enjoyed a different flavor more. They do quality milkshakes but nothing too crazy.

07/16/2009

Murphy’s in Hanover, NH

I think that Murphy’s, since it has redone its image and more importantly its menu, is one of the better dinners you can get in the Hanover area. The new chef has added a lot, and reading the menu, things appear appetizing. I went recently and had the mussels for an appetizer. The broth was nicely flavored with the mussell juice, onion, celery, carrot, thyme and white wine. I then ordered the salmon because it looked very good (and the person I was there with said it was), but soon realized that I was in the mood for a burger. I told the waiter, who was very nice and helpful, and he changed my order. I asked for the buffalo burger. The burger was very good. A good bun and a very juicy burger (not always accomplished with buffalo) served medium rare. I did not get dessert that night but heard the desserts were pretty good. I plan on going back, and it may be the place I now go to when I go out for dinner or drinks in Hanover.

07/11/2009