Goodies First

Sunday Night Special: Corn, Potatoes, Green Sauce

Very occasionally I do this horrible thing where someone speaks perfectly good English with a Spanish accent and I respond back in crappy Spanish, like a reflex. There's no need for that.  I was just excited to get a cashier at Food Bazaar who happened to be Peruvian (not what I'd expect in East Williamsburg) and was into my ingredients. I blurted out "Mis amigas no comen carne" when she suggested lomo saltado, I guess because coming up with a non-meaty Peruvian menu sucked ass and the trauma was pent-up. I did make a chicken.

I was asked if could add a dish that didn't involve onions, corn, peppers, potatoes or avocado, and add asparagus somewhere. Um...no? At least I didn't suggest salchipapas or anticuchos. And clearly, I am a control freak who can't just mellow out and have fun cooking with friends. The dinner turned out pretty well, though. Wine smoothes things out.

Papas a la huancaina. Sometimes you've got to embrace the starch. Potatoes were how this whole idea started (Peruvian wasn't even my suggestion) and I can't think of a more classic dish than the simple sliced boiled potatoes with a cheesy aji amarillo sauce. I've had restaurant versions and always thought it was a little bland, but this version was spicy (just lightly--nothing Peruvian is incendiary). Recent James Beard award-winning Gran Cocina Latina had a higher-brow version, and it was tempting, but I just went home-style with evaporated milk and saltines.

Pollo a la brasa had to be oven-roasted, no brasa. There are a million variations on the marinade, and I'd say the most important ingredient is the soy sauce.

The green sauce, a non-traditional (I think) staple at Peruvian-run chains like Pio Pio and Sophie's, may have been the biggest hit. You could eat this on anything. I had habaneros on hand instead of jalapeños. Half a pepper added punch--and a little yellow-ness--but the sauce can handle it because it's mayonnaise-based.

I did turn to Gran Cocina Latina for the ceviche, Marisa Guiulfo's Lima Fish Cebiche (not online anywhere) since there is a whole chapter devoted to variations. The base is simple: lime juice, garlic, red honion aji amarillo and cilantro, and I included scallops and squid in addition to cubes of flounder. It could've done without the squid, which was a little bitter and chewy. And yes, corn in two forms--hominy and toasted kernels--and sweet potatoes (some use white potatoes and yuca too) were present. There's no harm in more starch with your nearly-raw seafood.

River Styx

Wednesday, day two for River Styx, the new project from Roebling Tea House people,  it was no problem getting seats for three on the early side of dinner time. Other newcomers in the area were under siege (more later). We only tried small plates on this first visit.

The buttered tortilla concept seemed sort of weird in the abstract, but really it was not much different than a less flaky roti. Plus, they were blue. Served as the starch with a balsamic and olive oil dressed mound of chicken liver, it was a lot of richness, and reminded me of something I would make if drunk and/or too lazy to go to the grocery store, which is often.

Squid suave is buffalo squid, super crispy with a light batter. One is not enough. Any leftover tortilla is particularly good dragged through the hot sauce.

Scallop "ceviche" was a more composed plate  (not sure why ceviche gets quotes--it seemed raw?) with frizzled leeks and caviar. Oddly, I'd eaten homemade scallop ceviche, no quotes, for lunch. Something I'd make if sober and had planned a supermarket visit.

There were also nachos with "pump cheese," a.k.a. artisanal queso. These were minus the stewed chicken.

A sip of another’s tequila-based serrano cocktail, Discipline, was crazy hot. When I ordered my own later, the heat had been toned down, what I swear was vanilla upped and an attempt (forgotten and apologized for with the initial round) to light the strip of hot pepper, apparently soaked in oil of some sort, failed to ignite. A+ for effort, though. I also had a whiskey sour-ish drink made with Rye and Applejack. Both were iced, warmer weather cocktails. I would not describe them as tiki, however, despite reading that elsewhere.

This is not my neighborhood, but if it were I might be excited for the sudden growth spurt along the western fringes. Or maybe annoyed if I just wanted something to eat or drink on a week night. A Sunset Park friend who joined for the second round, was thrown by the 45-minute wait at nearby Alameda and the clumps of kids on the sidewalks spilling out of Achilles Heel and taking up the sidewalk. For mellowness, $5 prosecco on tap and sandwiches, the backyard at non-hotspot Troost (not to be confused with Torst also in Greenpoint) was more than sufficient.

River Styx * 21 Greenpoint Ave., Brooklyn, NY

 

Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.

I would be remiss in not taking part of all that Times Square has to offer, now that my office in right in the thick of it. And if there's one thing chains are adept at, it's responding fairly rapidly on social media.

I put out a plea. And Bubba Gump was there for me (29 minutes later). 

@goodiesfirst With us and Bubba, of course!

— BubbaGumpCo (@BubbaGumpCo) April 10, 2013

But really the deciding factor was that out of the many choices in a one-block radius, it was the only chain I'd never tried before. That shrimpy alien-eyed mascot in a top hat had beckoned many times in New Orleans, but I'm not a monster. Three visits in, there's no way that even I could justify allocating a dining occasion there in such a food-rich city. But I'm here all the time and have no problem sacrificing a meal in search of greater knowledge. Bubba Gump Times Square is a very YOLO experience.

I expected tourists. I did not expect foreign tourists. There's a heck of a lot of Italian, Spanish and British-accented English being spoken in line--and yes, there's a line, despite the multiple wood-planked dining rooms that sprawl along the second floor overlooking the northeast corner of 44th and Broadway. More American than New York, though, two diners will still be given a raised booth that could easily seat six, almost making it worth the wait. (For the record, Guy's American Kitchen, equally large, on the same block, looked like you could walk in and snag a table immediately.)

Are the foreigners Forrest Gump fans? I ask, because a friend who's worked in the Viacom building and wondered why anyone would line up, didn't realize the restaurant was themed after the movie. Memorabilia is everywhere and so are the cameras capturing it. My only interaction with the film was once choosing it over True Lies on an unusually hot Portland night because I was desperate for air conditioning, drunk, and I could get in free to movies. I missed the first half, and barely remember the second half.

They push the commemorative glasses with the cocktails, but you can buy your Sierra Mist, blue curacao, rum, vodka, gin and pineapple juice, a.k.a. the Blue Hawaiian, to consume in the normal manner, just renting the glass. The drink are sweet and you won't get drunk, despite the Long Island Iced Tea-esque list of ingredients. Even two stiff brown spirited cocktails at Rum House afterwards won't mitigate the aqua-ness.

Calories are listed on the menu, as is now the law, and no surprise, quite a few dishes break the 1,000 limit. Peel and eat shrimp will not (only 300, if you care). The most popular dish by far is the Shrimpers Heaven, basically 1,420 calories worth of fried shrimp every which way. Vacationers don't care.

If you want a little more cheese and fat, with spinach and artichokes thrown in, Bubba's Far Out Dip will suffice.

And if it's requisite breading and frying you're after, the coconut shrimp with a marmalade dip, supposedly Cajun, works and you don't even have to like seafood because of all the orange and coconut sweetness.

There is a dish called Bubba's After the Storm "Bucket of Boat Trash," which I hope makes more sense to those who paid better attention to the movie.

Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. * 1501 Broadway, New York, NY

Sunday Night Special: Beets, Spinach, Dumplings

A million years ago, I used to post Sunday cooking experiments. At some point I stopped because if there's anything less interesting than hearing someone talk about where and what they ate out, it might be what they made at home (yes, I know that cooking blogs are a huge genre). Personally, I'm not into telling cute back stories or styling photos with props. But I have felt the urge for a revival. Cooking is fun. I'll probably just stick to the facts, and use the same serving dishes over and over. So every other Sunday, I will be having a handful of friends (of varying skill levels and dietary preferences) over for a informal cooking club that will tackle a different cuisine each session. There's not likely to be any beef or pork included (much to my sadness) but sticking to vegetables, a little seafood and the occasional chicken, is a challenge I'm up for.

I'm a competent home cook, but not wildly creative or intuitive. I pretty much follow recipes unless I know my way around a dish, which is why I never understand people who say they can't cook. I've had surprisingly few disasters as a result of simply following a set of rules (however, I'm scared of empanadas and mayonnaise after a few miserable failures).

Georgian was a slightly odd first choice for cuisine, considering no one had any first-person experience with any of the dishes. On the other hand, that's freeing because who knows if you're doing it wrong? Does the food taste like crap? No? Ok...success.

All recipes were single-sourced from the May Saveur.

Charkhlis Chogi/Beets in Tart Cherry Sauce It's possible that people who say they don't like beets would eat this without trouble. The roasting and subsequent application of butter softens any bitterness (I don't think beets are bitter, but it has been said) and the cherries may be monochromatic, but add different dimension of sweetness.

Phkali/Spinach and Walnut Salad I think this emerald green puree is meant to be more of an appetizer than side. That's ok, though. There is a startling amount of spinach in this mound, enriched with an impressive amount of toasted, ground walnuts, which is why I just went with bagged C-Town greens. Sorry. I'm conventional--and frugal. All-baby, all-organic spinach would've made this a $25 plate of food, I calculated. Pomegranate seeds were impossible to come by, so this is garnish-free.

Khinkali Qvelit/Cheese and Mint Stuffed Dumplings These were a little more intermediate. I wanted to make the eggplant dish, too, but dough-making plus frying seemed a bit ambitious for a test run. Luckily, one attendee was a confident baker (others got relegated to chopping, shredding or Game of Thrones-watching). If you can't find farmer's cheese (I found it--Friendship brand is common in NYC--but it was past the expiration date) and live somewhere where queso fresco is common, that'll do. And if you eat the leftovers the next day with untraditional Thai chile paste, that's ok, too.

What did you cook this week?

 

Thank God It's Flat-Screened

No shock, TGI Friday's has a bit of an image problem. Even in its natural suburban habitat, the slowly evolving fern bar feels a little long in the tooth. The chain wants to lure back singles because they drink more and spend more (without alienating the families, of course).

The solution has been less flair and more flat screens. Laminate tables have been replaced with wood, as young drinkers require, and strawberry-basil margaritas and cucumber cocktails featuring Hendrick's gin now compete with the signature Mudslide.

Except that every single customer in the foreground of this photo meant to show off a remodeled version with "plush leather seats, solid wood tables and the marble-topped bar" looks to be over 70.

I'm thinking TGI Friday's might be a perfect candidate for The Middle Ages.

Photo: TGI Friday's/Star Tribune

Unseasonal Menus

Taco Bell's announcement of a new "low-end" menu elicited online snickers, but it just means that the company is introducing a $1 Cravings Menu to counterbalance its, er, upscale, Cantina Bell offerings. Nearly twenty years ago (hell, the mid-'90s are that distant?) Taco Bell had a 59-cent, 79-cent, 99-cent menu, so $1 fast food in 2013 is rightfully low-end.

On the innovation side, Fast Company has the Dorritos Locos Taco backstory.

But what I really care about is Bonefish Grill and the "menu refresh" that came to light in Bloomin' Brands' earnings call this week. It'll be the first since 2008 and will begin testing in August.

I'll assume it doesn't involve doing away with bones.

 

 

Best Pizza

I shouldn't be too harsh on my friends' eating quirks because it's not as if they have no good ideas. I would've walked by Best Pizza, never giving it a second thought, if I hadn't been introduced to it and the vegetable (god, never say veggie or veg) slice earlier this year. Not the green pepper, olive, mushroom blech that passes for a non-meat slice, but kale, beets, cauliflower and blobs of ricotta that are more of a treat.

The white slice, which only occurred to me yesterday after being called out in the latest installment of Real Cheap Eats devoted to food off the L line, is the better meatless option, if you ask me, though. Less crusty, so the toppings (not that there are a lot of them) have more presence. Lemony ricotta, sweet caramelized onions and an unexpected sprinkling of sesame seeds are all you need. Oh, and maybe a shake or two of chile flakes.

Best Pizza * 33 Havemeyer St., Brooklyn, NY

Xixa

 

A most serious issue has emerged where I’m just not going to be able to try all of the restaurants I would like if it requires convincing a dining companion. I do not surround myself with the foodish, through financial circumstance (not that I’m sitting on a pile of gold) or dietary predilection--bones, spice, meat, offal, all fish, raw fish have been deal-breakers--the pickings for company can be slim.

I’ve toyed with starting a column just for the subject, but there’s no surer way to get ridiculed, particularly if you’re female. Solo dining is divisive. On the one extreme are the solo shamers who find an aversion to eating alone ludicrous, and then there are the anxiety-ridden who would rather just go hungry (or go on Seamless) than suffer the perceived indignity. I don’t mean grabbing a slice of pizza for lunch. How many would dine at Noma alone? (I would say El Celler de Can Roca to be more timely, but apparently one of those Roads & Kingdoms dudes has written an essay on exactly that already. And I’m not surprised it’s a guy—there is something more pitiable than a lone lady.)

Thankfully, I was able to coax a friend into wandering over to Xixa (revamped Fatty ‘Cue was a no go--there's brisket in the mustard greens and pork dressing on the eggplant) where even on a Saturday night there was an open spot for two at the end of the communal table (which wasn't horrible--I'm not a good space-sharer--but it does require a suck-in or a stand-up for others to get in and out if you're against the wall). And really, the bar would’ve been perfectly fine for a single diner.

First off, Xixa, despite what’s been said about it, isn’t particularly Mexican. I mean, more so than Traif, and there are avocados and chiles, but this is "tacos," "tamales" and "guacamole" territory.

The grilled carrots, sweetened with honey and smoothed with a lime crema and feta, were amazing. The coriander was expected; the dill was not.

The hunks of avocados with raw vegetables and puffed rice cakes, a.k.a. nam prik num, was surprisingly weak. This was the one dish I was gung ho on trying because my new favorite breakfast (above) consists of mashed avocado, crunchy sea salt and a few dabs of sharply hot and shrimpy nam prik ta-dang (I alternate with a catfish version—both from Sripraphai) on toasted German pumpernickel health bread. I wanted that extreme burst of salinity, fishiness and heat.

The chile rellenos stuffed with burrata and a zucchini-mushroom-fennel escabeche, and the corn flan with crab and a poblano cream were not mine. I made personal entrées of a butterfish tartare with an avocado mousse and chips and the standout duck lettuce wraps, which came with dark slices of meat mixed with raisins and peanuts,  and a banana puree and cubed cucumbers and halved grape tomatoes as garnish. It's a lot of sweet, and the banana had potential to be creepy, despite plantains making total sense with these flavors, but it all worked.  Even the non-meat-eater who is slowly and selectively acclimating to poultry, as long it's chewy and well-done, gave these a try.

The meal begins a tiny amuse (a snap pea turned  into a taco filled with crema and a frico) and ends with a one-bite sweet (a brownie-like thing), both extra touches that make the meal more special. Even if every small plate wasn't perfect, the overall effect was pleasing.

P.S. I know these photos look like hell. I'm kind of over SLRs at the table, but iPhones don't cut it. A new in-between camera arrived just hours ago; we'll see how it pans out.

Xixa * 241 S. Fourth St., Brooklyn, NY

 

 

Must Be the Breadsticks

Attention was paid to the fact that cheaters love chain restaurants. But the real Business Insider doozy was this thing (can you even call this a post or an article?) appearing online 15 minutes later about one anonymous Wall Streeter getting shit done at Olive Garden.

I'll go on record saying that I ate at Bubba Gump on Tuesday. I would totally take clients there if I had an expesnse account (and clients).

Selamat Pagi

You could take issue with white people better known for their artisanal ice cream cooking Balinese food (I withhold judgment) or that what they're calling Balinese is more generally Indonesian (ok, that’s sort of an issue) but where else are you going to find rendang in North (or South, for that matter) Brooklyn?

And the beef rendang was good, rich and stewed tender in coconut milk, lightly spicy with cinnamon and star anise undertones. The only weirdness were the pickles, which were, uh, pickles. I was expecting crisper shallots and matchstick-cut carrots and cucumbers (yes, pickles are cucumbers). You just never know in Brooklyn because at Three Letters it was the complete opposite: fried pickles turned out to be fried pickled vegetables. For further confusion there was a $4 seasonal pickle plate (as well as that old Balinese specialty, deviled eggs) listed in the snack section—who knows what it contained?

The last of the three snacks was shrimp chips with three sambals—two very lemongrassy, one more tomatoey, all hot. It’s a nice shared starter. Sambals, nam priks and their ilk are fussy to make, so I’m always happy to eat someone else’s selection.

The non-small plates are served as entrées, not family style, so my bite of mahi mahi coconut curry was inconclusive. I did not try the tamarind tempeh that was also present.

Everything is organic; the beef is grass-fed. Descriptors like wild, biodynamic and heritage make appearances. Items are priced accordingly, which isn’t to say outrageous (the rendang was $17) especially when you consider that there is now a food truck selling beef rendang to go for $13.

If you come from Tørst like I did, you can continue drinking Evil Twin beer. Hipster Ale, of course.

Selamat Pagi * 152 Driggs Ave., Brooklyn, NY