Writing With My Mouth Full

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    • Petite Abeille

      466 Hudson Street
      212/741.6479
      about $45 for three dishes, with two beers, with tip
      ♥

      With four locations in the city, my favorite is the one on Hudson Street in the West Village. Petite Abeille is known for their mussels. On Wednesday nights, you can eat all the mussels you want for about $20 with a Stella. But I really like their waffles with fresh strawberries, topped with whipped cream and sprinkled with confectionary sugar. I order it whenever I visit one of their locations no matter what time of the day it is.

      When it’s warm out, it’s nice to sit by the sidewalk and watch the West Village crowd walk by. For lunch, there are several salads and sandwiches to choose from, but skip the spicy tuna sandwich and stick with the pot of mussels. Dip the crusty bread in the broth and you’re set. Make sure you order a Leffe with it.

      Related post/s:
      Ditch Plains knows their mussels, too
      Or you can do it at home

    • Landmarc at the Time Warner Center

      Third floor of the Time Warner Center, 10 Columbus Circle
      212/823.6123
      about $75 for brunch for two, with mimosas and coffee, with tip
      ♥

      Baby strollers of different sizes and colors almost blocked the entrance. One of the babies being held by its father burped and threw up a gooey substance on the floor. Where were we? We were standing outside Landmarc in the Time Warner Center on a Sunday afternoon. Thankfully, we were seated immediately at the bar which kept us away from any more cranky babies and parents with their hands full. We both stayed out late the night before, so we needed to start our day right. Mimosas were in order–about three glasses apiece, in fact, until the small champagne bottles were empty. I ordered the smoked salmon peppered with capers. I was craving a toasted plain bagel and cream cheese, which I rarely eat, so I was more than happy to eat something unexciting. The salmon was tasty, though, and even the Philadelphia cream cheese was good.

      Cameron chose the very filling eggs en meurette, poached eggs served with bacon, onions and mushrooms in reduced red wine sauce. The bacon was chunky and the crusty bread was softened by the sauce. It could have been a classic dinner option because it was so hearty. This stood out among the other breakfast selections. We also split the blueberry pancakes with warm maple syrup. I’ve had a lot of bad pancakes before and I have to say that the Landmarc pancakes were pretty good. Real blueberries peeked from the soft cakes at every slice with a fork. Even with our first two dishes, we didn’t have a problem doing damage to them.

      We raved about the coffee. I had to call the restaurant two days later to ask for the source. The coffee is from La Colombe and roasted in Philadelphia. It is also served in restaurants like Daniel and Le Bernardin. It’s $15 for a pound in the Chelsea Market, so I’ll just visit this weekend for dinner and order it after my meal. Babies sleep early, right?

      Related post/s:
      Ditch Plains is from the same family
      Too bad I didn’t taste the coffee at Le Bernardin
      I haven’t been to Daniel in almost six years

    • Pork Chops with Fresh Cherry Chutney

      What to do with eight pounds of cherries? After our trip to Dutchess County, I wanted to use some of the cherries we picked from Barton Orchard in some kind of sauce. There’s no avoiding using cherry preserve in this recipe–it helped make the fresh cherries a little more sweet than tart. The allspice and the cumin gave the chutney a really nice flavor. I added some chili flakes just to give it that small spike in taste. I think I’ll make more chutney now with the summer fruits in the market.

      Ingredients:
      6 pieces boneless pork chops
      2 cups fresh cherries
      3/4 cup of black cherry preserve
      1 red onion, finely chopped
      3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
      1 tsp of ground allspice
      1 tsp of ground cumin
      red pepper flakes
      salt, pepper, olive oil

      1. Pit cherries. Using the flat side of a large knife, press on the cherry gently until it splits open while covering with your other hand so there isn’t juice spitting all over the place. Pull out the pits.
      2. Make cherry chutney. In a small bowl, mix cherry preserve, vinegar and allspice. Set aside 1/4 cup of mixture to glaze pork. Then in a saucepot, sauté onions until transparent. Add pitted cherries, red chili flakes and the rest of the cherry preserve mixture. Boil in medium-low heat until thick, stirring often. Season with salt.
      3. While making the cherry chutney, sprinkle the pork with salt and pepper. On a hot grill, cook pork for about 8 minutes on each side. Brush the top part of the pork with some of the cherry glaze you set aside. Turn to cook the other side and glaze the other side as well.
      4. Transfer to a plate and rest for about 10 minutes. Serve with the fresh cherry chutney.

      Related post/s:
      It’s a bitch to clean, but I’m loving my Le Creuset square skillet grill
      I picked my own cherries from Barton Orchard in Dutchess County

    • Dutchess County

      We woke up early on Saturday to catch the 9am Metro-North train from the Harlem stop up to Poughkeepsie. I bet it was a beautiful two-hour ride, but I was catching some Zs the whole ride up while the Dr. studied for his board exams next to me. In the Poughkeepsie station, we stepped out to board the Loop shuttle bus. The other six people with us all had tickets to give the bus driver–we didn’t know we had to buy a package from the station clerk. It didn’t matter, though, because two round-trip tickets cost us $52 which was the same price of two Farm Fresh Link weekend getaway packages.

      Our first stop was the Plankenhorn Dairy Farm, part of the Hudson Valley Fresh Cooperative. I’ve seen their labels around the city: Think Global, Eat Local. We were welcomed by the owners in their yard. They told us about the history of their dairy farm, their prized cow, Lizzie, and how happy their cows are. When we finally met the cows, I was surprised at how big they were. I guess the cows I see on pasture are not necessarily dairy cows. I thought dairy cows just had milk in them, you know? I had no clue they all have to give birth first before they can produce milk. All of Plankenhorn’s cows are artificially inseminated by different bulls all over the country to make sure that they produce nice calves and good milk. They milk them twice a day, one in the morning and later in the afternoon, after a day of resting in the barn equipped with a giant fan and tire mattresses to keep the cows comfortable.

      My favorite part was, of course, tasting the farm’s milk. The regular milk was thin and tasted so fresh, while the chocolate milk was thicker and tasted like melted chocolate ice cream. Both were good with the chocolate cookies the farmers passed around. Because they are part of a cooperative, they can’t sell their milk at the farmers’ market. But you can get Hudson Valley Fresh milk from Zabar’s in the upper west side.

      Our next stop was the town of Millbrook for the farmers’ market. I didn’t want to carry fresh meats in my tote bag all day, so we left with only a jar of garlic pickles and an apple turnover. We walked to the main street and checked out one of the antique stores before we sat outside Slammin’ Salmon to eat a hearty lunch of their “garbage” Angus beef burger and haddock fish and chips. We walked around the Millbrook park and playground before we got on the shuttle again for our last stop: Barton Orchard.

      The original plan was to stop at Secor Farm and pick our own strawberries. Apparently, the farm is running out of fresh strawberries because it’s been popular the last few weekends. We were dropped off Barton Orchard instead to pick cherries. I’ve never seen cherry trees before, so I was amused to see real trees. I thought cherries hang from tall bushes the way blackberries grow. So I climbed one of the trees to reach the ripe cherries on top. After we filled two buckets, we went to the store to pay for our harvest. Our eight-pound yield cost us about $23.

      It was the perfect day to visit the farms upstate. We were so spent that we passed out on the train ride back home.

      Take advantage of the Dutchess County Farm Fresh Weekend Getaway with Metro-North:
      From Grand Central Terminal or the Harlem stop, take the Poughkeepsie train that will take you to the last stop by 10:57am. Buy the $25.75 Dutchess County package which includes the shuttle bus ticket or call 1-800-445-3131 to reserve a seat at least 48 hours ahead. Outside the Poughkeepsie train station, look for the bus labeled “Dutchess County Farm Fresh Link”. There are three stops and the driver will stay with you until he has to drop you off the train station to catch your train back to New York City.

      Related post/s:
      Dutchess County photos on Flickr
      You don’t need a car to go to upstate New York

    • El Idolo

      Corner of 14th Street and Eighth Avenue
      no phone number
      $10 for four tacos and a drink
      ♥

      We had been drinking for several hours when the El Idolo truck caught my eye on the corner of 14th Street and Eighth Avenue. I convinced my tired and drunk friends to cross the street and eat one last meal before heading home. We ordered the chorizo, the el pastor and the chimichuria. I couldn’t really tell the difference between the el pastor and the chimichuria, but the chorizo tacos were deliciously salty. The green hot sauce I poured all over them added a nice spicy kick. A cup of cold horchata, a Mexican rice milk drink flavored with cinnamon, almonds and vanilla also hit the spot.

      After spending a few dollars more than I can afford on drinks, the $2 tacos were bounty sent from Mexican heaven.

    • Dogmatic Gourmet Sausage System

      In the park on Bleecker and Hudson
      no phone number
      $13 for two hotdogs, one asparagus and a drink
      ♥

      Right behind the playground on Hudson and Bleecker and steps away from the long lines outside Magnolia Bakery is a small hotdog stand with an expensive flair called the Dogmatic Gourmet Sausage System. The flair during our visit was a thin turkey sausage for $5 a piece made by Sullivan County’s Violet Hills Farm. There are fancy sauces that you can add, from white truffle gruyere (yes, I know!) to dijon mustard and spicy ketchup. There is also grilled asparagus for the vegetarians. Everything comes in a toasted baguette. To push all the gourmet choices down, there are homemade ice-cold drinks like a really refreshing ginger with vanilla bean.

      The owner, Jeremy Spector, is also the chef at nearby Employees Only. (He was wearing his Employees Only T-shirt and chef pants when we stopped by.) After we ordered, we sat on the park bench next to his stand to wait. He walked over to bring us the wrong orders: he put spicy ketchup on our asparagus instead of the hotdog and he slathered the melted gruyere on another hotdog instead of the asparagus. We joked at how confused he was–it must have been the summer heat. We ended up eating two hotdogs and one order of the asparagus because of his mistake. He let us have the other hotdog for free. And, well, we thought he was really cute for being all flustered.

      Dogmatic Gourmet is a noble idea in the perfect neighborhood, but I’m not sure if I’m its customer. I found it hard spending $5 on a sausage.

      Related post/s:
      Sparky’s on Lafayette is a little easier on the wallet

    • Governors Island

      After a free 7-minute ferry ride from the Battery Park Marine Terminal, we were on Governor’s Island. Back in the 1800s, Governors Island was used by the Coast Guard and the U.S. Army to protect the New York harbor. It became more popular after Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev met there for a 1988 summit meeting. Today, it’s a New York City landmark where summer cultural and historical programs are held. Visitors can picnic and check out several historic buildings like Castle Williams and Fort Jay.

      As soon as the ferry docked, we walked along the National Monument Boundary and joined a few locals who brought their bicycles with them. The view of downtown Manhattan is as nice here as it is from the Brooklyn Bridge. The manicured lawn around Fort Jay was perfect for our picnic blanket and Sunday paper.

      How to get to Governors Island:
      Take the 1 subway to South Ferry. The Battery Park Maritime Terminal is next to the Staten Island Ferry Terminal. The first ferry ride from Manhattan is at 10am. The last one to leave Governors Island back to the city is at 5pm.

    • Grimaldi’s Pizzeria

      19 Old Fulton Street at Water, DUMBO, Brooklyn
      718/858.4300
      about $70 for two large pizzas for five, with drinks, with tip, cash only
      ♥

      Still considered by a lot of people as one of the best places to eat pizza in New York, Grimaldi’s has been welcoming tourists and locals alike at its location by the Brooklyn Bridge even before real estate agents gave DUMBO its name. The line stretches outside the restaurant but moves quickly. The volume inside rises when everyone’s in a good mood, but you can still tell that Frank Sinatra’s playing in the background.

      Grimaldi’s pizza crust is thin and crisp. There are a lot of toppings to choose from for $2 each like black olives, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted red bell peppers and, of course, pepperoni and sausages. I especially like mine with basil leaves and garlic. My only complaint is that everything gets cold too quickly. By the time I eat my third slice, it’s almost time to order another pie. Call ahead to pick up a whole pie–they don’t sell by the slice and it’s cash only–and sit by the pier while taking in the view of downtown Manhattan.

    • Public House

      140 East 41st Street between Lexington and Third
      212/682.3710
      if we paid, about $150 for two, with two drinks, with tip
      ♥

      I was invited by the Public House to a tasting this week. I don’t usually hang out in the midtown area but I was curious to taste what bar food could mean to chef Robert Dziekonski, a native New Yorker who has cooked with Tom Valenti and Danny Meyer. A very large American flag drapes the wall near the bar and sets the tone for the rest of the space. Booths are for small groups, while a lounge off the side is available for bigger parties. I’d equate the interior to a steakhouse more than a pub. The clientele falls in that range as well: suits who come in for business meetings and for after-work drinks.

      There really isn’t a good phrase to describe the Public House menu but “bar food.” And it’s not the gastro-pub type either; it’s straightforward, all-American bar food. I’ve been on a meat-eating binge lately so I was quite excited to eat some burgers and barbeque ribs. With a request to serve everything in smaller portions so I don’t have to be wheeled out of the restaurant after eating, my companion and I started with the famous hot spinach and artichoke dip and grilled pita triangles. The Public House version was roasted in a baking dish with four kinds of cheeses. This made the top a little burnt and crispy. If the manager didn’t push for it, I would have ignored it. Thank god for outspoken restaurant managers.

      The mussels were one of my favorites. Cooked with shallots and garlic but steamed in Brooklyn lager rather than wine, they also came with slivers of jalapeños which added a nice kick to them. I was good enough not to dip the bread in the broth lest I get too full too early. The scallops were a hit. They were perfectly seared and meaty, drizzled with vinaigrette of bacon and whole-grain mustard.

      Public House is probably not the first place I would go to for crab cakes and barbeque ribs. Their St. Louis ribs had great texture but I could have done without the sweet sauce on them. The crab cakes were more delicious without the avocado aioli which was too creamy and salty. They came with a good combination of watercress and caramelized onions, however.

      The other main courses fared better: our Angus burger didn’t come with the bacon we ordered but the sautéed onions were excellent with it. I appreciated that English muffins were used which made the burger less heavy. The filet mignon sliders shouldn’t be missed. The onion brioche were small, light and toasty and brought out the beefy taste of the medium-rare filet mignon. The onions and blue cheese were good touches. The fries that came with both dishes were addictingly crispy.

      The “bar” in bar food is supported by specially-concocted drinks like a martini with olives stuffed with blue cheese and a summery spiked lemonade. Decadent dessert choices included chocolate cake and cookie dough servings. We opted for the blueberry-peach crisp topped with vanilla ice cream instead of the espresso martini. They did end up wheeling me out of Public House after all.

    • Ditch Plains

      29 Bedford Street corner of Downing
      212/633.0202
      about $100 for 5 people, with drinks, with tip
      ♥ ♥

      It’s appropriate that Landmarc’s owners named Ditch Plains after the famous stretch of beach in Montauk, Long Island. While the Hamptons-style crowd mingles at Blue Ribbon and at Mas across the street, the laid-back type is inside the sleek and cozy Ditch Plains. They may look like they haven’t changed their looks since graduating from college, but at least you know they’re just there to eat a low-key meal.

      The menu is straightforward: mussels and oysters, burgers and mac and cheese. The choices are unexciting, but there is nothing plain about the taste. The burger was cooked after my own heart: chunks of bacon sandwiched with perfectly medium-rare meat and melted cheese. The mac and cheese was addictive with burnt cheese clinging to dear life against the ramekin. The mussels in wine with onions and parsley were perfect with a piece of toasted baguette.

      Ditch Plains gets crowded for dinner, but the service never falters. Our waitress brought us an appetizer portion of calamares to let us know she was taking care of us despite the wait.

      Related post/s:
      Blue Ribbon Bar is next door
      Mas is across the street

    • Hill Country BBQ

      30 West 26th Street between Sixth Avenue and Broadway
      212/255.4544
      $75 for two people, with two drinks, with a small tip
      ♥

      Updated, 2007: Added a photo of the salty beef ribs

      It was the perfect day for barbeque. We spent the better part of our Sunday sitting on a blanket under the trees in Central Park with our paper and a couple of fresh peaches. I just had barbeque pork ribs the day before, bought from one of those metal drum-turned-grills uptown but my appetite was unsatiated.

      After a few drinks at Red Cat, we walked over to Sixth Avenue to the new Hill Country BBQ restaurant. The smell of smoked meat hit us as soon as we stepped foot in the warehouse space. Because New York City can’t have open pits in its restaurants, Hill Country makes up for the decor: wooden tables, concrete floors and corded wooden logs in the back next to barbeque trophies. The finishing pits are behind the counter, though, and my mouth watered every time they opened it. The maitre d’ gave us our meal tickets and explained the Texas way of eating: go up to the counter and pick what and how much you want to eat. Each meal ticket was marked by the staff. Our order was tallied at the end of our visit. Lose that meal ticket and you’ll be charged $50.

      I ordered half a pound of the moist brisket and half a pound of the beef shoulder. At $18 a pound, the shoulder was the most expensive item on the menu when we visited. It was lean and juicy. Two out of my four companions liked it over everything else. Hill Country doesn’t kid about how moist their brisket is. My share was almost all fat. They were also so salty that I didn’t finish them. Beef ribs were disappointingly unavailable, so we settled for the pork ribs instead. They were smoked longer which made them drier, but they fell off the bone easier. The sausage, from the famous Kreuz Market in Lockhart, Texas, was tasty with a spicy kick to it.

      You can keep your bill at a minimum if you order by piece instead of by weight. One person in our party ordered two kinds of meat and both totaled $6 and change. The sides are the guaranteed culprits. They come in different sizes with the smallest starting at $4. Among my favorites were the red cabbage slaw and the potato salad. The black-eyed peas, or Texas “caviar”, were undercooked and undersalted, but they ended up being a good side for my oversalted brisket. I loved the cold potato salad, as well as the green bean casserole. The sweet potato and the mac and cheese earned similar raves.

      There were several beer choices, from a Spaten to the ubiquitous Pabst, but I stuck with a good ol’ Coke bottle and ice cold water with lemons. Because I didn’t finish my brisket, I had room for dessert. The banana pudding wasn’t as good as Buttercup’s or Magnolia’s but it was still a good choice to end our meal. We scored a free slice of the interesting ancho chili with dried cherries brownie and a cup of Texas’ own Blue Bell vanilla ice cream from the cheery young man at the pies and pudding counter.

      I didn’t tip too much because there wasn’t any table service except to bring us water. Now I realize that I should have. I’ll be back, though, to try the beef ribs and the game hen stuffed with a beer can. I’ll make sure to tip extra, order by piece and skip the salty brisket at my next visit. And oh, bring my camera.

      Related post/s:
      R.U.B. is a few blocks down
      Dinosaur Bar-B-Que is uptown

    • Society Cafe

      2104 Frederick Douglass Boulevard at 114th Street
      212/222.3323
      about $30 for two egg meals with iced coffee, with tip
      ♥

      I’m always trying to support my neighborhood, so when the bus drove by Society after one of my bootcamp sessions in Central Park, I took note to visit. There were diners eating outside under large umbrellas marked with a certain beer brand. There were young black and white people hanging out. Some people may hate that condo buildings are sprouting up so fast in the neighborhood, pushing the original settlers out, but at least there are more options for places to eat.

      Society reminds me of a small cafe-restaurant somewhere in Brooklyn. The white-tiled open kitchen makes the place inviting. The two large wooden tables in the center are meant to be shared, while smaller tables, some with leather sofas, are perfect for couples. There is free wi-fi except on weekends when the brunch crowd comes in. Even though I first saw Society at night, it looked to me like a comfortable space for brunch. When I visited, it was so bright and cozy inside that I couldn’t wait to get my iced coffee and my scrambled eggs.

      So I waited. And then I waited. We waited for a while before we got our iced coffees. We also waited for a long time before our eggs were served. The place was busy enough on a Sunday early afternoon, but the kitchen was swamped even with three servers on the floor.

      When my conquistador eggs came–what I would call their version of huevos rancheros–I was greatly disappointed. Scrambled eggs are scrambled eggs, but mine was missing oomph. The turkey sausages I ordered were the size of two pinkie fingers and looked like they came from the supermarket freezer. I opted for a salad and the greens were so limp, I set them aside. The house potatoes fared a little better, although they could have used some more spice.

      The cafe encourages diners to enjoy “life in sips”. The staff is really friendly and they give off the right vibe. The crowd seems to be enjoying their time, too, but I wondered what they thought about their food. Society needs to take a look at egg in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and learn what a civilized brunch needs. The neighborhood is definitely changing, but the question that still remains is how good Harlem restaurants should be in order for them to stay in business.

      Related post/s:
      egg in Williamsburg, Brooklyn
      Harlem brunch on the east side