July 2006
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Month July 2006

Entries 5 Total

Summer 2006 Getaway Part 2: Jones Beach, Long Island

Jul 31, ’06

On my way to Jones Beach for the first time this season, the Dr. texted and told me that he will be out by noon. He wanted to tag along. This was a big deal to me considering I was there almost every Saturday last summer. So I packed lunch for two–angel-hair pasta, roasted chicken from the Spanish store down the block and some watermelon slices with a big bottle of water–and met up with him at Penn Station. By 2pm, we were on the beach.

We situated ourselves on my usual spot. It’s less crowded because it’s in between the couples with children and the happy gays, two groups who don’t want to be near each other. We rented a big umbrella and ate our lunch. I spent the rest of the afternoon sunbathing and reading clips from The Times while the Dr., well, slept and slept.

Four hours later, we got stuck on the road because of a car accident along the way. The ten-minute shuttle bus ride to the train station took more than an hour. We caught the 8pm train back to New York City and had dinner at Grand Sichuan before we trudged back to Harlem. Our sunny Sunday went as quick as the Boston Kreme doughnut the Dr. bought for me while in Long Island.

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Grand Sichuan International

Jul 31, ’06

229 Ninth Avenue at 24th Street
212/620.5200
about $60 for two, without drinks, without tip
♥ ♥

New York City has some great selection of Chinese food. Unfortunately, it doesn’t include Sichuan, the spicy kind. When I crave the flavor of numbing Sichuan peppers, I go to Grand Sichuan International in Chelsea. They have a few branches in the city, but I frequent the one in Chelsea. No matter what time you visit, it’s always crowded. The service is inconsistent, but their kung pao chicken is always right and the dan dan noodles always spicy.

It ain’t Monterey Park outside of Los Angeles, but it will have to do.

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My Befana

Jul 31, ’06

116 West Houston Street between Thompson and Sullivan
888.6.BEFANA
about $50 for two, without drinks, without tip

Set-up like a deli, only more classy with beautiful tilework on the floor, “la befana” is the Italian version of Santa Claus. What we know as the feast of the Three Kings is celebrated by Italians with good food to close out the Christmas season. How do they know how to do everything right?


Immaculate counters

Chef Daniele Baliani opened My Befana as a nod to his childhood in Italy after successfully establishing Pantheon Adventures, a tour company which leads small groups throughout the Mediterranean in search of gastronomic and cultural delights. Now he’s in a spotless space on West Houston serving pork chops with cranberries, flank steak with caramelized shallots, duck with soy, ginger and honey sauce and lamb in tzatziki sauce.


Tuna sandwich


Broccoli rabe

Lunch is a steep $12 for an entree and one side. Dinner is a better deal for $18 for an entree with two sides. If you are too busy to make it to their SoHo space, you can call the 888 number and get their Mediterranean food delivered to your apartment, your office or the gym. If I could eat stuffed grape leaves everyday, I would.

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Hurricane Hopeful Surf Bar

Jul 31, ’06

139 North 6th Street between Bedford Avenue and Berry, Williamsburg, Brooklyn
718/302.4441
about $50 for two, without drinks, without tip

Brought to my attention by that stand-off with Bobby Flay, the Hurricane Hopeful Surf Bar claims to have the best clam chowder in New York City. It was ninety degrees but that didn’t stop us from tasting and judging them for ourselves. We ordered the crab and corn chowder and the popular haddock chowder for about $6 each.


Corn and crab chow-dah

Now, I don’t really know anything about chowder. I’ve had several during multiple visits to Maine and Boston and I’ve tasted them watery like broth and thick like bisque–I just don’t know what proper chowder is like.

At Hurricane Hopeful Surf Bar, my ignorance didn’t matter because they are all really good. The consistency is in the middle and I liked them that way. But skip the other items on the menu when you go. The conch fritters were mostly made of batter. The red snapper ceviche was very watery and tasted of sweet orange juice.


Soupy ceviche

The space looks miniscule from outside but it extends all the way at the back to an outdoor garden decorated with small paper lanterns. The sand on the floor takes you as far away as, well, some beach in the Northeast but the service is exceptional. For a busy Saturday night, our waiter treated us like real ladies, making sure we were okay with everything during that one balmy summer night.

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Angel-Hair Pasta with Summer Vegetables

Jul 31, ’06

Adapted from Gourmet Magazine

angel-hair pasta
3 large vine-ripe tomatoes
a handful of grape tomatoes, cut in half
1 small garlic clove, minced
2 tbsps lemon juice
fresh basil chiffonade
3 small squash, cut in smaller pieces
a handful of haricots verts, trimmed
a handful of sugar snap peas, trimmed
salt and pepper

1. Using a mortar and pestle, crush garlic with a pinch of salt into a paste. Set aside.
2. Cook beans in a large pot of boiling salted water for less than 4 minutes. Shock in iced cold water to stop cooking. Drain.
3. In another pot of boiling salt water, cook pasta until al dente. Drain.
4. In a large bowl, grate tomatoes using the grater’s largest holes, discarding the skin. Toss pulp with grape tomatoes, garlic paste, lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Add the vegetables and the pasta and toss some more to combine. Sprinkle with basil.

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