Writing With My Mouth Full

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    • Mercat

      45 Bond Street between Lafayette and Bowery
      212/529.8600
      $120 for two, with 3 drinks, with tip
      ♥ ♥

      It was a Monday night and Mercat has only been open for three days, yet the decibel level made it seem like it was a Thursday night. The place is packed; the white tiles immediately reminded me of Cal Pep in Barcelona. One of the bartenders gave me a long-stemmed pink rose to alleviate my 25-minute wait for a seat at the bar in front of the restaurant. (I saw later that every woman in the house was holding the same rose. I wasn’t so special after all.) The sausage and cheese station was manned by one doing all the slicing and plating and was surrounded by the curious also waiting for the bathroom to free up. In the back, the open kitchen was being watched by the more important people who sat at the chef’s bar. Everyone seemed to be in good spirits.

      We started with the crispy sweetbreads on a bed of fennel, orange and capers. It was a light and delicious appetizer to an unexpectedly heavy meal. The grilled sardines were great with salsa verde even though I was picking small, thin bones off my mouth the entire time. What made my night, however, was the braised pork belly served with crosnes, my latest favorite vegetable. Never mind that it also came with asparagus which seemed pretty boring compared to the sauce that made the dish special: a dollop of preserved cherries. No one should be afraid of eating their meals with fruit; I could have eaten this all night with my glass of cava.

      The mushroom dish will mostly likely leave Mercat bankrupt. For only $12–and I can’t believe I’m saying “only” here–I think I tasted sautéed morels, hen-of-the-woods, shiitake and crimini mushrooms on my plate. The last time I stopped by a Whole Foods, morels were going for $60 for a pound. A very earthy and filling dish served with crunchy strings of potatoes and topped with a fried egg was hard to resist even if the egg was a little overdone. They ran out of razor clams by 10pm and I totally missed the blistered Padron peppers from the top of the menu, so we finished with the snails and chorizo skewers. It sounded promising but what happened to this dish? The snails tasted like they’ve been in the bottom of an aquarium for days. The chorizo-tomato salsa could not even cover the algae taste that we decided to leave the dish unfinished.

      From my experience at Cal Pep, the meals got better as the night wiled away. At Mercat, the night started inspiringly, but after I ate the snails, all I wanted was to rewind my experience back to the pork belly and back to Spain.

      Related post/s:
      Mercat is reportedly inspired by Cal Pep in Barcelona
      Crosnes at Momofuku Ssam
      Pork belly with watermelon at Fatty Crab

    • Adobong Pusit, Braised Squid

      Cameron asked me what else she can do with squid. Xe Lua does a really great crispy squid appetizer but most restaurants treat squid like shrimps–they overcook them until they’re chewy and rubbery. And really, calamares can’t be the only way. I once read that you either cook squid for two minutes or two hours. Once you cross that overdone threshold, you have to keep cooking it to soften it.

      For this Filipino adobo recipe, you cook the squid for about ten minutes. My father would tell you that you just know when to turn the heat off. Don’t be afraid to poke them with your fork to check the tenderness. At least I can tell you how to clean the squid: slice across the tentacles near the eyes to pull out the innards and the plastic-like spine. You’ll see a small pocket in there which holds the ink. I keep a couple of them intact for color. Discard the rest but keep the tentacles. It’s okay for the tentacles to completely separate from the body. Rinse thoroughly.

      Ingredients:
      1 1/2 pound fresh squid, cleaned
      1 medium head of garlic, peeled, crushed
      2 tbsp white vinegar
      1 tsp whole black peppercorns
      salt

      1. In a saucepan, bring squid, peppercorns and garlic to a low boil for 5 minutes. The squid will make its own juice from the ink pockets you left intact, so no need to add water. Do not stir.
      2. When squid is tender, add vinegar and bring to a second low boil for about 5 minutes. Do not stir. Season with a little salt. Add a little more vinegar to taste.

      Related post/s:
      Where to buy fresh squid
      In Barcelona, baby squid are called chipirones
      Crispy squid at Xe Lua

    • Spicy & Tasty

      39-07 Prince Street, Flushing, Queens
      718/359.1601
      ♥ ♥ ♥

      The pain didn’t take effect until five minutes into our meal. When I say pain, I’m talking about our tongues going numb, beads of sweat starting to dot our foreheads, a ringing sensation behind our ears and ooze starting to form in our small noses. All were good pain, mind you, and even as they got worse, we kept eating. If you like your Sichuan Chinese food, you know what I’m talking about and if you venture to Flushing, Queens, then you know that spicy and tasty are enough adjectives to describe the Spicy & Tasty buffet.

      We were in Queens to check out the panorama of the City of New York in the Queens Museum. We hardly take the number 7 train so when we found ourselves in the city’s largest borough, the most ethnically diverse county in the entire United States, we decided to continue on to Flushing and look for a late afternoon meal. We’re not familiar with the neighborhood at all so we stopped by Duane Reade to steal a glance inside one of the city magazines. Unfortunately, there was always one restaurant listed under Queens, but luckily, Spicy & Tasty was the one selected by The New Yorker. The restaurant was only an avenue away from the subway so we took the quick hike, feeling very determined to eat spicy Chinese food.

      The Dr. grew up in Los Angeles and if he misses a cuisine more than Korean, it would be Sichuan Chinese. We have several Shanghainese Chinese restaurants in New York, but only a few good Sichuan places. He would recall to me trips to Monterey Park eating spicy dish after spicy dish flavored by fagara peppercorns. In fact, the last time I went to Los Angeles without him, I went to his favorite Sichuan restaurant and finally understood why a good sweat is sometimes appeciated and even necessary. To my delight, his eyes lit up as soon as we walked in Spicy & Tasty. He wanted to order everything behind the glass. We pointed and picked three dishes and added a soup and a bowl of dan dan noodles to our bill from our table.

      The culprits were the spicy root vegetable, the crispy tendon salad and the dan dan noodles. We took turns picking the pieces with our chopsticks, blowing through our tongues and stuffing our mouths with the smoked tofu and celery to ease away the numbness. When the pork and squash soup was served, it was like water to two quenched survivors. I found myself playing with the Filipino upo in my mouth to dilute the spicy and garlicky combination of the dan dan noodle sauce. There was laughter, imagining how we looked like that moment, and then the laughter turned into quiet, happy tears.

      Related post/s:
      Grand Sichuan Restaurant on St. Marks Place
      Making your own tamer Sichuan dish at home

    • FreshDirect Rosa Mexicano Microwavable Meals

      Most of our group lunches at work are ordered via FreshDirect. Every New Yorker has also seen their delivery vans all over the city–albeit not in my part of Harlem–but I’ve never ordered from them until today. The New York Times announced this week that chef Roberto Santibañez of Rosa Mexicano has collaborated with FreshDirect to offer Mexican microwavable meals to its customers. I’ve never been to “New York insitution” Rosa Mexicano because I try not to eat Mexican food from restaurants deemed “upscale and authentic.” I never buy TV dinners either but the spiel was that these Fresh Dining Meals contain no butter, very little cream and only vegetable-based oils are used in their sauces. The prospect of a healthy-sounding Mexican dish in “revolutionary microwavable containers” was intriguing.

      I signed up on FreshDirect.com, ordered six of the Rosa Mexicano Fresh Dining Meals and had them delivered to work. An hour after the estimated delivery time and $78.93 later, four co-workers signed up to be my guinea pigs.

      1. Beef Short Rib Enchiladas with Salsa Mestiza and Cactus, $9.99
      I loved how spicy it was but I didn’t really taste the short ribs nor remember the cactus. I did appreciate the real parsley garnish. Cameron thought that the beef was a little bland. She agreed that it was spicy but she also thought that it just didn’t have a lot of flavor. The tortillas were falling apart which made them the “most Mexican.”

      2. Chicken in Ancho Chili Adobo with Green Beans and Shiitakes, $8.99
      Luc said the chicken was too hard. He felt that he was eating something very healthy, but later added that his comment meant that he was still hungry.

      3. Halibut in Tomatillo Herb Mole with Red Bliss Potatoes and Asparagus, $13.99
      I really liked the vegetables because the short ribs were too salty from the other dish that I took comfort in eating the zucchini from this. Cameron said the sauce tasted very fresh. She was really impressed with the softness of the fish because she expected less from a microwavable meal. She also said that there was a nice meat-to-sauce ratio although the vegetable choices–red potatoes, asparagus and zucchini–weren’t very Mexican. She thought the potatoes were too heavy with the fish and would have prefered rice or grilled scallions or piquillo peppers.

      4. Shrimp in Red Bell Pepper and Chipotle Cream Sauce, $10.99
      I was surprised that the shrimp was clear and wondered whether I did not microwave the dish long enough. I actually ended up liking this dish because of that fact. I usually do not order shrimps because most of the time, they are overcooked, tough and chewy. Cameron thought they were just undercooked. Aaron said he didn’t even notice because it was “yummy to my tummy.” Aaron liked the sauce that Cameron called “too creamy for Mexican food,” although she liked the spice. Out of the three things she tasted, she said that this is the one dish she will not order again. Aaron just felt bad.

      5. Turbot in Veracruz Sauce over Achiote Rice with Asparagus and Chayote, $9.99
      Taste was overall average for Ben. The fish was a little overcooked but “pretty good for a microwavable meal.” The asparagus was too soggy and the rice was too mushy, both of which he attributed to the sloppy sauce, which was just “okay.” He thought there wasn’t enough rice and he found himself looking for more as he ate the fish. He said he would put it slightly higher than Trader Joe’s microwavable meals, but at $10, he expected much more. He would not buy it again and will stay loyal to Trader Joe’s because they charge $5 for theirs.

      6. Grilled Chicken in Tequila-Mushroom Cream Sauce with Snow Peas, $8.99
      It was only after I tasted this dish that I understood Luc’s description of the chicken being too hard. This dish contained a huge breast of chicken, complete with grill marks, and I needed a real knife to properly slice through it. The snow peas were so crunchy, they may have been raw, which was not a problem to me. Like all the others, this was also smothered in sauce. The combination of tequila and mushrooms made the sauce taste a little nutty that at first taste, I thought there was some peanut butter in it. I added my own rice to this and I enjoyed it more because it kept the saltiness at bay.

      As for the packaging, the containers looked snazzier than the ones I can buy from regular grocery stores. After heating up, though, the tab was very difficult to pull back. We all ended up poking them with our plastic forks–not provided by FreshDirect–to open. It only took four minutes to heat up each container and I thought that was so convenient.

      We work downtown in New York City and we’re all used to paying at least $8 for lunch, but we wanted more. An hour later, I was snacking on Ritz crackers.

      I also had to order at least $60 worth of items to qualify for FreshDirect delivery. The delivery fee was a steep $14.99 but they did come in the next day, twenty-four hours after I ordered online.

      The overall taste verdict? FreshDirect Rosa Mexicano Fresh Dining Meals are a little over-salted and saucy, but not so bad in taste in terms of microwavable food. In terms of Mexican food, however, all of us say, “so-so.”

      Related post/s:
      Searching for a good taco in New York City

      Related purveyor/s:
      Rosa Mexicana Fresh Dining Meals at FreshDirect.com

    • Insalata Caprese, Tomato and Mozarella Salad

      A recent visit to the farmers’ market introduced me to hydroponic tomatoes and basil. It was the Shushan Valley Hydro-Farms’ first day at the market and one of the organizers walked me to their stall after I expressed disappointment that there were no vegetable vendors around. Sure it was a rainy day but a girl needs her vegetables!

      I’ve only heard of the term hydroponic in relation to a certain addictive herb, so when the owners showed me a photo of their farm, I was intrigued. A variety of techniques exist in hydroponic gardening. Instead of soil containing silt and clay, mineral nutrient solutions are introduced to the plants’ water supply. Because plants absorb essential mineral nutrients as inorganic ions in water, soil is no longer required for the plants to thrive when the minerals are artifically added. Their tomatoes were happily plump and the basil leaves all had a nice shade of healthy green. I love the idea that I don’t have to wait for Mother Nature to make up her mind about the weather before I can buy tomatoes.

      I bought a basil plant for less than $3, picked several of its leaves for this caprese recipe and three weeks later, it’s still thriving in a water-filled small plastic cup on my window sill. I can’t say the same for the tomatoes though; I bought five of them and they were all gone by next morning.

      Ingredients:
      2 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced
      fresh mozarella, sliced
      fresh basil leaves, thoroughly washed, patted dry, chiffonade
      salt, pepper, olive oil

      1. Arrange tomatoes and mozarella on a plate. Top with basil leaves and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

      Related post/s:
      Get your hydroponic tomatoes and basil from Shushan Valley Hydro-Farms
      Only Di Palo’s mozarella will do

    • Provence

      38 MacDougal Street off Prince
      212/475.7500
      $80 for two, with 3 drinks, without tip
      ♥ ♥

      Updated, 2008: Provence will reopen in May as Hundred Acres.

      I was delighted when I walked by Provence several months ago and saw that it was reopening with help from the owners of Five Points and Cookshop. I’ve eaten at Five Points twice without reservations and both times I left impressed and satisfied. I’ve only stopped by Cookshop for a drink, but one of their bartenders made them so beautifully, I stayed for two more. I visited Provence during opening week and felt completely at home as soon as I sat at the bar. The interior is a great mix of femininity and masculinity without the frills. Victor Hugo has never looked so good in a bathroom! Who knew homey furniture could be so sexy? I can’t wait to return when the windows are open and the flower boxes are filled in the summer.

      We started with the endive salad with treviso, arugula and parmesan, a salad that would have been boring if not for its spiky lemon-anchovy dressing. I love bitter greens flavored by a little tart but kept at bay by aged, hard cheese. The sardines were lightly coated in breadcrumbs and served with lemon and chili oil–the right combination of tanginess and spiciness. The ravioli was rich but daintily stuffed with finely chopped snails, wild nettles and walnuts. A garlic-parsley sauce brought its decadence down a notch.

      The Australian bartender was so charming, he immediately made me forget that I was there with someone. The Provence team has wisely chosen a small selection of French wines and Belgian beers. The Delirium Nocturnum, a dark ale, was of a maroon-brown color which tasted sweet and cinnamony while the Chateau de Roquefort clairette light and plummy. Provence was already loved by the neighborhood before it closed, but this reincarnation surely puts it on the MacDougal map.

      Related post/s:
      Guess which restaurant also carries a MacDougal address?

    • Soba Noodles with Vegetables

      When I want to prepare something quick but substantial, I always turn to Asian noodles. You can see me at Sobaya slurping my soba noodles most Sunday afternoons. Before Honmura An closed, it was the best place to watch a Japanese soba maker perform his art. But it was in Chicago where I first tasted a soba dish tossed like a salad with vegetables and mushrooms. Four years later, I can still remember how Anna made it for the Dr. and me.

      In some small way, I wanted to bring back the old with the new by making this familiar recipe the first for this new Web address. For my take, I used carrots and sweet peas. They complemented the soba’s buckwheat color. Soba is one reason why dried mushrooms are great to have in your pantry. You can just soak them in warm water a few minutes before you need to use them. The nori, or dried seaweed, provided an extra crunch. You can make this dish your own by adding any of your favorite vegetables; just julienne them for a prettier presentation.

      Ingredients:
      soba noodles
      dried shiitake mushrooms
      1 small carrot, peeled and julienned
      a handful of sweet peas, roughly chopped
      2 stalks of scallions, finely chopped
      nori, or dried Japanese seaweed
      sesame seeds, toasted
      sesame oil
      rice vinegar
      light soy sauce

      1. If using dried mushrooms, soak shiitake in a bowl of warm water for thirty minutes. After soaking, drain shiitake mushrooms and squeeze out excess water using a paper towel. Slice in strips. Set aside.
      2. In a small bowl, mix equal parts sesame oil, soy sauce and rice vinegar.
      3. Cook soba noodles in boiling water for about 5 minutes. When done, drain and fluff with a fork to keep the noodles from sticking together.
      4. Pour sesame sauce little by little over soba noodles. Toss with the mushrooms and the vegetables. Mix in sesame seeds and crushed nori. Top with chopped scallions.

      Related post/s:
      Where to buy soba noodles and nori
      Soba with peanut butter?
      Or else just go to Sobaya

    • Chicken Pomegranate Stew

      I was in front of my laptop all day. I was hungry and all I could find in the fridge were chicken thighs and some leftover vegetables. I was too lazy to brown them, less make a fuss and do something fancy, so I peeled and cut some carrots and leeks and made a bed of them in a large pot. I added some onions and garlic with the rosemary sprigs sitting prettily in the fridge kept alive by Glad Press’n Seal. Should be good for about an hour in the oven, I thought, and I went back to my work. When the oven timer beeped–I have burned many meals without it–I transfered the pot on top of the stove and let it simmer. There was something missing. I looked in the pantry and thought of making curry, but I really wanted the broth to be more soupy than saucy. I found the bottle of pomegranate molasses I bought after Tyler introduced me to it. I added a tablespoon at first and it gave the broth a lemony kick. I decided to add some more, adjusting it with some more salt and red pepper flakes, until I was happy with the taste.

      Ingredients:
      6 chicken thighs
      1 large carrot, peeled and cut into 1-inch strips
      1 leek, white part only, rinsed well, cut in half and then lengthwise
      1 small red onion, peeled and quartered
      4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
      1 cup chicken stock, divided in two
      1/4 cup pomegranate molasses
      rosemary sprigs
      salt
      red pepper flakes

      1. Preheat oven to 450º. Rinse chicken thighs and pat dry.
      2. Scatter carrots, leeks, onions and garlic in a large Dutch oven. Lay chicken thighs over vegetables. Pour 1/2 cup stock over chicken and sprinkle with rosemary, salt and red pepper flakes. Place pan in oven and roast for 40 minutes. When chicken and vegetables are cooked, transfer to stove over medium-high heat.
      3. Add remaining stock and the pomegranate molasses. Let simmer while seasoning to taste.

      Related post/s:
      Tea-Smoked Chicken with Pomegranate Glaze
      Cornish Hens with Pomegranate and Orange Zests
      Butternut Squash Soup with Pomegranate Topping
      Pomegranate Meatballs with Tomato Mint Salad
      Silkie Chicken with Pomegranate

    • Dani Restaurant

      333 Hudson Street corner of Charlton
      212/633.9333
      $300 for fifteen without drinks, with tip
      ♥

      Update, 2008: Dani is now closed and only available for special events.

      Dani looked promising as soon as we walked in. Its space on Hudson is so airy and spacious, it made me wonder why other restaurants just don’t move to the West Village. I booked a table during lunch for a big group. They told me over the phone that our tables will be separated in two groups but assured me that they will be next to each other. When we were all seated, we occupied an L-shaped corner but with an empty table in between the two groups. We asked the maitre’d to move the place settings one table over so that we can be together but she never returned to fulfill our request. So there we ate, two groups side by side, separated by a small table in between, standing to pass plates of appetizers from one table to the next.

      The lunch menu is very simple with a good selection of sandwiches and salads. There are also some hearty fares like my super al dente orecchiette with lamb or my co-worker’s pasta al forno with smoked mozarella and sausage. A tuna special was deemed mediocre by another co-worker which was curious because I’ve only seen him eat fried chicken during lunch times. Their prix fixe was a good deal with a small bowl of soup, salad and a panini, but those who ordered the paninis alone all disliked the pasta dough chips served on the side. Dani provides a nice space for big parties, but its staff needs to loosen up to accommodate even those who do not order booze during the day and work a little harder for the 20% tip they automatically add to group checks.

    • Blue Ribbon Bar

      34 Downing Street off Bedford
      212/691.0404
      $86 for two with four beers and a glass of wine, with tip
      ♥ ♥ ♥

      So there’s Blue Ribbon Sushi and Blue Ribbon Brasserie on Sullivan; the Blue Ribbon Bakery on Bedford and Blue Ribbon Market around the corner. Of course, there’s the other brasserie in Brooklyn. I wasn’t surprised when I heard the Bromberg brothers have opened Blue Ribbon Bar on Downing Street because they have been in the business even before the Lambs started taking over the East Village and way before David Chang started attracting other chefs at his restaurant during its after-hours. What I like about any of the Blue Ribbons is that they go past the food trends. People who still wait in line are most likely customers who have been following the empire for the last ten years. I know that when I go, I will get more than just a decent, civilized meal; that I’ll get a tried dish that only a select few will appreciate.

      It’s their dependable reputation that made me order the pickled tongue, the wild mushrooms with sweetbreads and the steak tartare with capers. I like that a restaurant, even a tight bar space, will be adventurous enough to offer those items. I like it even better when they can do them right. The pickled tongue, which reminded me of wd-50, was so tender that it made me happy to be eating it even as it discombobulated after a bite. The steak tartare was classically Blue Ribbon and put in mind one of my favorites from their roster, roasted bone marrow with oxtail marmalade. The mushrooms were so fragrant that my companion didn’t mind the sweetbreads even after I told him what they really were. They have a great wine list and less expensive flights for their sparkling wines, Pinots and Reislings. It’s also the same reputation that makes their employees less obnoxious–I was going to use an eight-letter word starting with an “a”–than other waitstaff in the city. Our bartender was very accommodating even after more people squeezed in and he never forgot us sitting in the corner, refilling our water glasses and serving us a complementary flight of wine after already several drinks.

      Related post/s:
      Blue Ribbon Sushi
      Blue Ribbon Brooklyn
      David Chang’s Momofuku Ssam
      The Lambs’ Degustation
      The pickled tongue at wd-50

    • Where to eat in Las Vegas: Mon Ami Gabi

      I was in Las Vegas for a two-day-long work conference. Everything was set up for us. They took care of our flights, hotels, transportation and food, and everything was done half-aSsed. I didn’t think I would hate the idea of a buffet until after the first night’s dinner at the Bellagio Buffet. Everything looked liked they’ve been picked over by the time we sat down at 8pm. The lamb loin was so boring. The chicken was dry. The squid salad was chewy. I walked past the sushi station and the lamps made the fish look so unappetitizing that I didn’t even bother. I wondered why everyone makes a big deal of the Bellagio Buffet. The only thing that was worth eating was the quail, which was surprisingly moist, stewed in red wine. The sundae looked promising for dessert, but the taste disappeared as fast as it melted. I looked around me and understood the type of eaters buffets attract. They most likely come from smaller towns that don’t have as many food choices as New Yorkers. The buffet to them is a splurge because it’s in a nice hotel and they’re in the middle of their dream vacation. There were so many choices, but I really would rather have two good courses than fifteen mediocre ones. I had read reviews about the long wait and the view of the Bellagio fountains from Mon Ami Gabi before I left New York. I was adamant to eat something delicious while in Las Vegas so when we finally had some time to ourselves, we took a cab from The Luxor to the Paris Hotel.

      Mon Ami Gabi, which means “My Friend Gabi” in French is tucked next to the Eiffel Tower replica. It was dark when we first walked in and the tiles reminded me of the more intimate bistros in Paris, but then it opened up to an atrium bathed in sunlight. It was too windy to sit outside so our table next to the patio was perfectly situated. If the group of ladies next to us with big hair and white shorts weren’t there, it easily could have been Paris. I ordered the potato soup as an appetizer. The chicken broth was subtly flavored and the small potato chunks floated delicately with the chives. The duck confit sat on lentils. The skin of the duck was golden and crispy while the dark meat tenderly came off the bone when poked and nudged with a fork. The fries were a different kind: they were thinly sliced and deep-fried and came with my companions’ orders of steak, chicken and salmon sandwiches. Two others ordered the spinach crepe and the lobster bisque. From the looks of their empty plates at the end of our meal, they liked them, too. I visited Las Vegas for the first time three years ago. I had dinner with some friends at Nobu and I remember that the omakase was excellent. Returning this year, I realized that the country’s top chefs have at least one branch on the strip and that the food being offered have come a long way in the desert, but the buffets still have a long way to go.

      Mon Ami Gabi is inside the Paris Hotel, 3655 Las Vegas Boulevard. Call 702/967.7999 to make reservations for dinner inside the restaurant. Otherwise, there is a long wait for the tables outside where diners have the view of the Bellagio Fountains.

    • Ed’s Lobster Bar

      222 Lafayette Street between Spring and Broome Streets
      212/343.3236
      $90 for three with Birch beer and two glasses of sparkling wine, without tip
      ♥ ♥

      Ed McFarland, another Pearl Oyster Bar graduate, has opened up his own seafood restaurant and rawbar. (Ex Pearl partner, Mary, left to open Mary’s Fish Camp.) The location is great because it’s quite hard to find a decent place to eat in SoHo without straying away from Broadway. Ed’s Lobster Bar is narrow in front and opens up in the back. There is wainscoting on the walls and bricks are painted white. The space and the menu reminded me of the many seafood places I’ve tried during drives around New England. Three of us were seated in the back during its opening weekend where it was busy and pretty tight. We were next to the bathroom and the kitchen but the collective buzz contributed to a happier ambiance than not.

      Press writeups laud the lobster rolls and everyone around us ordered them, but I just couldn’t get into all that mayo even after picking the fresh lobster pieces in it. The fries were a bit soggy and I ended up pushing the boring greens that came with it. The best thing on the plate were the homemade pickles. They were perfectly salty and briny. I know I’ll be back for a jar of them and skip the $19 roll altogether. All those years visiting New England never taught me what proper clam chowder is. I liked Ed’s version because it was runnier, but my companion told me she would have prefered it chunkier, Brooklyn style. We also ordered three oysters from Blue Point and three from Pine Islands. They were fresh, sweet and salty just like the ocean. We would have appreciated the scallops better if we weren’t painfully full because they tasted like they were seared in glorious bacon fat. We had visited two other places beforehand, so we called it an early night as if we were actually in New England.

      Related post/s:
      Mary’s Fish Camp
      Brooklyn-style clam chowder