Writing With My Mouth Full

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    • SoHo Park

      62 Prince Street corner of Lafayette
      212/219.2129
      about $15 for one, with a drink, without tip
      ♥

      A really uncool name for such a great space and location, SoHo Park opened this week to all kinds of hungry and curious visitors. There were fashionable girls in line while the Brooks Brothers-wearing boys sat at the bar; even backpack-carrying guys joined gray-haired ladies in the dining area. I stopped by after work when they first opened and ordered a Hoegaarden and a Stella at the bar. The bartender had no clue how much beers were. I said, let’s just make it $11, shall we? And he did. (They probably were about $5 apiece anyway.) After drinks, I wanted to see if I can sit on one of the camouflage-covered benches outside. I waited for the hostess to let me know how long the wait was but I could never get her attention. She needed help from other employees fast!

      I returned the next day for lunch and the line was long. There were plenty of seats inside but of course, the benches outside were already taken. After we ordered, we were given old license plates that had our order numbers written on them. Perhaps a nice touch to their “park” theme but the servers walked all over the restaurant in search of the correct numbers when delivering orders. (It was 1pm, by the way, but the girl at the counter was still compelled to greet each person in line a good morning.)

      The double Park burger was juicy but I didn’t get cheese with it–I wasn’t reminded by the girl at the counter that I could order it as an extra. The hand-cut Belgian fries were also pretty good.
      The grilled cheese with pesto smelled heavenly and tasted like it was indeed freshly-made. The onion rings were crunchy, greasy and was our best guilty pleasure side order. The different sauces were notable especially the red-pepper ketchup and the garlic aioli. (Redundant, I know, but they had different kinds of aioli.) The turkey portobello mushroom sandwich was a bit boring and dry but the focacia bread and the barely detectable sauce saved it. (I hope they correct the misspelling on their menu board before my next visit, though.) We also ordered the fried pickles which just turned out to be, well, hot. I think I like my Gus’ pickles just the way they are.

      The food took a while to come because of the time of day, but when they did, we were pretty content (and hungry). The foot traffic will be good for business for sure, but they have to act quickly and focus on the service before they start turning people away.

    • Fatty Crab

      643 Hudson Street between Gansevoort and Horatio Streets
      212/352.3590
      about $70 for two, with three drinks, without tip
      ♥ ♥

      Chef Zak Pelaccio is my kind of guy because he would fry pork belly until it’s crispy and serve it with watermelon chunks and its rind, pickled. The result is a delicious balance of saltiness with juiciness and just the right amount of sourness. I can live with just this dish for a while.

      The rest of the menu is also good. During our first visit, we tried the quail egg shooters after I was alerted by a reader about an oyster-sake version. Four quail eggs are lightly poached and topped with sambal oelek, a traditional Indonesian spice; the other three come with a single anchovy and shredded dried pork floss. We also ordered the Jalan Alor chicken wings named after what used to be the Red Light District of Kuala Lumpur but where the best street food stalls are now located. It was a messy ordeal trying to eat them with our fork and spoon, and then later, with our hands. A very large serving of short rib Rendang came braised with kaffir lime, coconut and chili. It was absolutely delicious but I wished it wasn’t $20–I would like it in a smaller portion for half the price.

      We sat at the bar at 7:30pm on a Monday night and just made it before people started lining up outside to get the next table. It’s warm near the kitchen and with all the spicy food we were eating, we felt like we were actually in southeast Asia; Tiger and San Miguel beers flowed between my brother and I. An extra star for the spoon and fork setup, the oscillating fan on the ceiling, Chef de Cuisine Corwin Kave in baseball cap, and of course, the porn in the bathroom.

    • Korea: Jjorim Fish Stew

      Simmering meats or fish for a long time is what Koreans call jjorim. Usually a soy sauce-based marinade is used to make jjorim stew. This is Nabi’s mother’s recipe but she’s adapted it to make a vegetarian version with tofu. I copied and used both fish and tofu and it turned out to be the perfect bowl to nurse during a rainy day. I julienned a carrot and a radish while I roasted a small sweet potato. I put them all together in a pot with some firm tofu, poured over the soy sauce marinade and topped them with a beautiful cod fillet. The saltiness of the soy sauce evaporated when I put everything into a low simmer; I turned off the heat when the fish was white enough to look tender.

      Ingredients:
      1 1-pound black cod fillet
      1 package of firm tofu, diced
      1 small daikon radish, julienned
      1 medium carrot, julienned
      1 small red onion, thinly sliced
      1 small sweet potato, roasted, sliced
      1/2 cup vegetable stock
      5 tbsps soy sauce
      2 tbsps white wine
      1 tbsp maple syrup
      2 tsps red chili flakes
      a small knob of ginger, peeled, thinly sliced
      1 garlic, minced

      1. Mix and stir all the liquid together with the maple syrup, ginger, garlic and pepper flakes to make marinade.
      2. In a Dutch oven, layer all the vegetables and tofu. Pour the marinade into the pot. Add the vegetable stock. Top with the fish.
      3. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes. Top with roasted seaweed.

      Related post/s:
      More Cooking the World recipes: China
      About Cooking the World: Global Gastronomy Food Project

    • Yogurt Panna Cotta with Grape Gelée

      This didn’t come out as pretty as I had hoped. I forgot to dip the set panna cotta gelée ramekins in warm water before unmolding for a smoother finish, but at least they came out deliciously purple. This was adapted from Gourmet Magazine. I took advantage of the fresh seedless grapes at Fairway and the leftover gelatin packets in my cupboard. I rarely make desserts but the last couple of summers, I’ve gotten the hang of making gelée and panna cotta. To test the waters, I only made two of these and excluded the grappa on both the gelée and the panna cotta–they still turned out yummy.

      Ingredients:
      For gelée:
      1 tsp of unflavored gelatin
      1/2 cup all-natural grape juice
      1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
      1/2 cup seedless grapes, thinly sliced crosswise
      oil for greasing ramekins

      For panna cotta:
      1 tsp unflavored gelatin
      1/2 cup heavy cream
      1/4 cup brown sugar
      1 cup plain yogurt
      a pinch of salt

      1. Make gelée. Sprinkle gelatin over half of the grape juice in a heavy saucepan and let stand for 1 minute to soften. Bring to a simmer and stir to dissolve gelatin. Remove from heat and stir in the remaining grape juice with the grapes and the lemon juice. Lightly oil the ramekins and put in a shallow baking pan. Divide grape mixture evenly among ramekins and chill in freezer for about 30 minutes or until gelée is set.
      2. Make panna cotta while gelée sets. Stir in gelatin and half of the cream in another heavy saucepan and let stand for 1 minute to soften. Bring to a simmer and stir to dissolve the gelatin. Add the rest of the cream with sugar and return to a simmer until sugar is dissolved. Whisk together yogurt and salt in a bowl until smooth. Pour in cream mixture and whisk until combined well.
      3. Pour mixture into ramekins over set gelée and chill, covered with Saran wrap, until firm, about 8 hours.
      4. To unmold, run a thin sharp knife along the edge of the ramekin to loosen. Dip in a small bowl of very warm water for about 6 seconds. Invert a plate over each ramekin and then invert panna cotta gelée onto plates, gently lifting off ramekins.

      Related post/s:
      Gelée with blackberries
      Making gelée with sake
      Coffee panna cotta

    • Searching For a Good Taco: Red Hook, Brooklyn

      I have to admit that we didn’t drive from Harlem all the way down to Red Hook to look for a good taco. We made the trip to check out the Fairway Supermarket that opened a few months ago and do our grocery shopping for the week. Walking along the waterfront of Red Hook, you’ll be reminded that the city was a port city.

      Giant machines, old warehouses, heavy containers, big ships, abandoned piers and the squawking seagulls make up the view. There is no subway close to the water so visitors need to have a car or trek from Carroll Gardens to get to Red Hook. It’s probably this inconvenience that’s stopping Manhattan folks from coming and moving in droves. But when you get there, you can imagine the old-school blue-collar New York way before the cafés and art galleries–and Fairway–started to open up in the neighborhood. Gentrification is well on its way, but who am I to snort when I live in one of the newest buildings in west Harlem?

      The Times featured the tents outside the Red Hook baseball fields last week where all kinds of different foods are sold. We wanted to pass by and look for the pupusas we had in El Salvador and to slurp the vinegar goodness of Ecuadorian ceviche. We thought that if we find a good taco, then it would just be icing on the cake. Little did we know that we’d actually find the best taco. My search this year ends.

      We parked our car and walked towards the park along Bay and Clinton Streets where we could already see blue tents set up for the forming lunch crowd. On Henry Street, however, we spotted a lone table with a tarp tied to a tree, so we decided to check the goods there before heading to the busier part of the field.

      Large pieces of pork are stewed in a vat of boiling marinade then cut up into smaller portions before filling soft tortillas with finely chopped onions and cilantro. I haven’t tasted every taco sold in New York City but I’m going to have to lay it out there and say that this is the best taco I’ve had so far.

      As a comparison, we bought a beef steak taco from the last stand on the far side of Clinton. Although it was good, it wasn’t enough to make us forget about the taco we just had. The Dr., my brother and I all voted for the first taco as the better one.

      The secret in the second taco was the chicharron, or pig’s skin deep-fried into crunchy paradise. I think the lady was thrilled that we asked for extra chicharron when she was putting a taco together for us.

      Related post/s:
      The story behind Searching for a Good Taco in New York City
      Second stop, East Village
      First stop, Upper West Side

    • Momofuku Ssam Bar

      207 2nd Avenue corner of 13th Street
      212/254.3500
      $9 for one, with a drink, without tip
      ♥ ♥ ♥

      Remember when the Lambs were all over 5th Street opening up to five restaurants in the area? Two of them, a Korean grill, now Degustation, and Makimono, now occupied by Jack Oyster Bar that was around the corner, have since closed. So can the east Village only be conquered by one person–or one couple–at a time? And is it David Chang’s turn this year?

      Every time I walk by Momofuku, it’s packed. I like my Berkshire pork as much as everyone else, but spending $13 on a bowl of somen is hard to swallow at times. Besides, when I am in the mood to spend that much for a bowl of noodle soup, any one of my white guy friends are not available to eat with me–a white guy is the accessory-du-jour at Momofuku if you’re an Asian girl. (Look up from your sticky steamed buns when you go.)

      I wish Chef David Chang all the luck now that his second restaurant has opened. From bowls of noodles made fancy by adding Berkshire pork and seasonal ingredients come Korean burritos called ssam made fancy by adding, well, Berkshire pork and other seasonal ingredients. To me, though, a burrito is a burrito: a whole mess of rice, beans and meat wrapped in soft tortilla even if there are Asian touches to it. At Momofuku Ssam Bar, edamame, shiitake mushrooms and kimchi are the culprits. I was ready to surrender towards the end of my heavy lunch but I was with three other boys who thought another half would have made the $9 worth it.

      Momofuku Ssam is so much better for dinner. After an hour wait in a pub down the street, we returned to be seated at the bar. The warm veal head terrine reminded me of Babbo that I almost forgot David Chang became famous because of his noodle bowls. The sweetbreads were grilled, complete with burnt stripes, and were excellent beer food with pickles. I loved the roasted mushroom salad with crosne, or Chinese artichoke, in a pistachio-based sauce. The grilled lemongrass pork sausage was much better and lighter than its soft tortilla counterpart. The lettuce is fresh and crunchy, and like Korean kalbi, is used to pick up the soft sausages. David Chang just can’t help but go back to his Asian roots and I commend him for that.

      Related post/s:
      Momofuku Noodle Bar, David Chang’s first restaurant
      Degustation, from the Lambs

    • fresh.

      105 Reade Street between Church and Broadway
      212/406.1900
      about $55 for one, with two drinks, without tip
      ♥

      For a $28 lunch prix fixe, my shellfish crepe with spinach was very satisfying. It included a scallop, small pieces of lobster and crab plus shrimps sandwiched in a soft crepe swimming in crab broth. I would have been happy without the crepe because it got soggy at the end, but that El Bulli-inspired foam is always interesting to look at. The gazpacho with shrimps had a nice spicy kick to it that I liked. They ran out of the octopus and squid salad and this cold soup was the right choice for a summer starter. I had room for dessert and I thought I made a good choice with the strawberry almond shortcake with sorbet. To me, something tart is always a good ending to a good meal.

      The busboy brought bread to the table three times while we waited for our food. Maybe the small flies buzzing around made him nervous because he was keen on spilling water whenever he would give us a refill. One of the flies–a really, really tiny one–dove into one of our wine glasses. To make up for it, the manager brought us an extra bottle of wine–a service totally unnecessary but very much appreciated by our entire group. Sometimes, attentive service makes up for everything else, even small insects. Sometimes.

      Related post/s:
      A roach in my meal at Blue Hill Restaurant

    • Bond St

      6 Bond Street between Broadway and Lafayette
      212/777.2500
      $155 for two, with four drinks, with tip
      ♥ ♥

      Several years ago, you would have caught a glimpse of Leonardo DiCaprio dining at Bond St. Today, the bouncer in all-black suit is still standing outside and all the beautiful people are still inside, but instead of Leo’s posse, you’ll see the suits and the loud groups of bankers eating on, most likely, company money. Ah, the life. We went one Wednesday night at 8:30pm without reservations. As soon as we asked for a spot for two, they led us to the sushi counter! Ah, the life of those without expense accounts!

      It gets loud in Bond St but the energy is intoxicating. The sushi chefs scream a greeting when diners walk in and a goodbye when someone leaves. We opted for the sushi and sashimi omakase with a bonito-crusted scallop appetizer to start. From what I can remember, we had the pike eel, the otoro, the shrimp topped with caviar and the uni. While nothing is sublime that made me swoon and roll my eyes back, the fish is still sushi-grade. They still melt like butter and they still taste insanely fresh.

      Several years ago, Leonardo DiCaprio switched to Moomba after he got tired of Bond St. For normal people like me, Bond St is still a pretty good Japanese place.

      Related post/s:
      Hedeh is around the corner and costs less

    • Vintage Wine Bar

      2492 Broadway corner of 93rd Street
      212/721.9999
      about $60 for two hungry people, with tip
      ♥

      Before:

      After the Cia and Cameron hurricane hit:

    • Le Baobab Restaurant

      120 West 116th Street between Lenox and 7th Avenue
      212/864.4700
      $25 for two, without drinks, without tip
      ♥

      Named after the “upside-down tree” native to Madagascar, this Senagalese restaurant is one of the many African restaurants in Harlem serving whole fried fish for less than $12. We ordered one with a bowl of lamb curry and Senegalese couscous. The lamb curry had a nutty taste to it instead of the coconut milk I’m used to and it was made better by the white rice that came with the fish. The couscous had such an overwhelming texture I couldn’t really eat it with a thick sauce so I ate it with the fried fish and the hot salsa they gave us.

      We walked in looking forward to eating a simple dinner but we came out with a whole new view of Harlem. A stream of people–women wearing exquisite fabrics, brilliant swatches of cloth knotted in bandanas and men in lose tunics–stopped by to talk, laugh and argue with the other patrons while we ate. We felt like we were in someone’s house in Africa but no one treated us as if we didn’t belong in there.

    • Sigiri

      91 First Avenue between 5th and 6th Streets
      212/614.9333
      $60 for two, BYOB, without tip
      ♥

      Because it’s the only Sri Lankan restaurant in Manhattan, Sigiri is a gem. It’s on the same block as the East 6th Indian restaurants, so if you blink–or if the red lights make you squint–you might just miss it. But try not to miss the dhal vade or lentil patties, the fish and potato cutlets and the vegetable and fish spring rolls, all breaded and deep-fried with traditional Sri Lankan spices. You can get each as an appetizer portion for about $5 or get the sampler for $8.50. The beef curry was a bit boring because the meat was dry inside, but the coconut milk curry covered its blandness and made the dish edible. We loved the yellow basmati rice cooked in saffron with cashew nuts and golden raisins. It was so hearty I could have eaten it without anything else. The best thing about Sigiri, though, is their BYOB policy. Dowel Quality Products, the deli downstairs, sells every beer imaginable.

    • Rosemary-Honey Braised Lamb Ribs

      I had leftover lamb ribs in the freezer that I wanted to use before my run in the park. When I returned out of breath, the last thing I wanted to do after my shower was to go to the grocery store. I searched the Food Network and found this Ming Tsai recipe using lamb shoulder. The list of ingredients, except for the chickpeas, were all in my cupboard so I used a can of butter beans instead. It also gave me a chance to use the fresh honey I bought at a farm when we were in Long Island. September is only a couple of weeks away and the dish made me look forward to autumn. I love braising cheap cuts of meat because it only requires using one pot where I can put everything together and leave it for several hours without worrying about overcooking. My favorite part is pouring the leftover sauce on top of the dish before serving. The liquid is thick and the flavors become concentrated. For this dish, the honey just gave the sauce a subtle hint of sweetness.

      Ingredients:
      6 pieces lamb ribs
      2 sprigs of rosemary
      1 cup all-purpose flour
      1 tbsp chili powder
      1 tbsp ground cumin
      3 cloves of garlic, smashed
      1 tbsp ginger, smashed
      1 small red onion, finely chopped
      1 carrot, diced
      4 ribs of celery, chopped
      2 bay leaves
      1 cup red wine
      1 can of butter beans, drained and rinsed
      1 cup of honey
      2 tbsps soy sauce
      salt, pepper, Canola oil

      1. Mix together the flour, chili powder and cumin in a platter and use to rub and cover the lamb. In a Dutch oven and working in batches to avoid overcrowding, heat some oil and brown the lamb on both sides, about 12 minutes per side. Remove the lamb and set aside on a plate.
      2. Wipe the Dutch oven clean with a paper towel and place back on high heat. Coat again with oil and sauté the garlic, ginger, onions, carrots and celery. Season with salt and pepper. Add rosemary and bay leaves and deglaze with red wine.
      3. Add the butter beans, honey and soy sauce. Add back the lamb and some water to cover. Check for flavor of the braising liquid and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer for about 1 to 2 hours, or until fork tender.