Takeru Kobayashi and Joey Chestnut competing in Nathan's Hot Dog-Eating Contest 2008 during overtime.
Nathan's Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest
Saturday, July 4, 12 p.m.-1 p.m.
The 94th annual contest is doubly intense this year as defending champion Joey Chestnut seeks to keep his title against Takeru Kobayashi, six-time winner. For those staying at home, you can also watch it live on ESPN. The record to beat? Fifty nine hot dogs. Free admission, but get there early for a good view. Nathan's Famous, 1310 Surf Avenue at Stillwell Avenue, Coney Island (map); event website
Blaue Gans PIG OUT!
Saturday, July 4, 2 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Join this Austrian joint for their second annual all-you-can-eat feast with whole roasted pig, sausages, salads, and a Viennese Cake Bar. Tickets $35/person. 139 Duane St. (between Church Street and West Broadway) (map); event website
Pig Roast and Camp Out at Queens County Farm
Saturday, July 4-Sunday, July 5, 5 p.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Marlow & Daughter's Tom Mylan roasting a whole pig to accompany pulled pork sandwiches, and pies and other yummies from Sweet Deliverance. With a DJ, old school games like flashlight tag, and a farm-fresh breakfast the next morning, this is one tasty sleepover. FYI, it's BYOT (bring your own tent). Tickets $80/person. Queens County Farm Museum,
73-50 Little Neck Parkway, Floral Park (map); event website
Wine Film Festival at Enoteca on Court
Sundays June 28-July 26, 7:30 p.m.
Enjoy outdoor screenings of wine-themed films on Sundays this summer in Enoteca on Court's garden. If you love Keanu, "A Walk in the Clouds" will screen July 26. 347 Court Street, Brooklyn; (map); event website
Ommegang Brewery Presents Fight Club!
Monday, July 6, 6 p.m.-8 p.m.
Taste four craft ales paired with cheese at The Bell House. Additionally, Ommegang pints will be $3 all night! . $10/person. The Bell House, 149 7th Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenues, Gowanus Brooklyn (map); event website
Hudson Square Music & Wine Festival
Tuesday, July 7, 5 p.m.-7 p.m.
At the city's only non-park free concert series, City Winery sells its first wines made in New York in accompaniment with the weekly barbecue. There's live music, a wine and beer garden, and Thunder Pickles from the organic Katchkie Farm. Free admission. City Winery parking lot, 155 Varick Street between Spring and Vandam Streets (map); event website
After the jump, the street fairs.
]]> Street FairsSaturday, July 4
The Great July 4th Festival: Water St b/n Broad and Fulton Streets; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Sixth Avenue Festival: 6th Avenue b/n 14th and 23rd Streets; 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Stone Street Fourth of July Celebration: Stone St b/n Coenties Alley and Hanover Square; 12 p.m.–11 p.m.
Woodside Festival: Woodside Ave b/n Roosevelt Avenue and 63rd Street, Woodside Queens; 11 a.m.–6 p.m.
Sunday, July 5
Lexington Avenue Festival: Lexington Ave b/n 34th and 42nd Streets; 11 a.m.–6 p.m.
USO Avenue of the Americas Summerfest: Sixth Avenue between 42nd and 56th Streets; 10 a.m.–6 p.m.
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After dinner at DBGB last week, Ed, Robyn and I shared a trio of desserts. I tried to pick a favorite, as I always do when a crowd of sweets land at the table. But really, such a task is difficult when the options are so varied and equally tempting. First, a coffee-caramel sundae, complete with crumbled chocolate cookies, brownies, candied pecans, a tower of fluffy fresh whipped cream and chocolate sauce. It's hard to lose with such a pairing—who could refuse coffee, chocolate, and caramel smothered into one delicious mess of a sundae cup? If this particular combination doesn't strike your fancy, sundae combos are also offered with base flavors of kreik beer-cherry and apricot-pistachio. Ice cream by the scoop is also available. DBGB doesn't serve the top ice cream in the city, but is better than average—the texture is simply lovely, but flavors could be more aggressive.
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On the lighter end is a strawberry and mascarpone tart, with berry-ginger ice cream on the side. Simple and clean cut, the tart is outfitted in a mascarpone base with sliced, fresh strawberries, gently macerated. Ginger in the ice cream provides a subtle and haunting kick, with the berry element clearly dominating the flavor profile. A fine, if not too memorable summer dessert.
The most "fun" by far was the Omelette Norvegienne, a baked Alaska flambéed tableside with Chartreuse. The chilly sweet incorporated vanilla, raspberry and verbena ice creams with an outer layer of sponge cake. Ice cream and all is enrobed in a billowy coat of fresh meringue flambéed a deep golden shade. It's the first time I've had baked alaska in ages—such delicious fun it was to poke my fork through multiple layers of meringue, cake and ice cream! More restaurants ought to bring back this dessert—or at least a modern day interpretation of one.
299 Bowery, New York NY 10003 (at East 1st Street; map)
212-460-5777
danielnyc.com
I just got back from a trip to Di Fara to check out unsubstantiated rumors of a Di Fara closing. The pizzeria was indeed closed, but Dom DeMarco's daughter, Maggie, was there and reports that her father was at the doctor for "minor mouth surgery."
No word on when the place will reopen. Stay tuned.
Update: It has reopened.
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Long ago this Canal Street storefront must have sold art, or more likely knockoff handbags. These days it hawks something far more interesting: fresh jackfruit. The impressive array of huge green fruit looks like something out of a science fiction flick. At first I didn't know what they were. A sign with two Chinese characters and the English word “sweet” indicated that the mystery fruit costs $4 a pound.
When the couple working this hole in the wall told me the ginormous green ovoids were jackfruit, I jumped at the chance to buy some. Not willing to commit to a gigantic wedge, I grabbed a small container. They told me that many people cook the seeds, but that it was fine to eat the fruit itself out of hand, which is exactly what I did as I strolled down Canal Street. I had all intention of taking a closeup of the jackfruit flesh in Sara D. Roosevelt Park, but it was so damn good it was gone long before Grand Street.
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Until very recently my experience with this tropical fruit has been limited to gudeg, an Indonesian preparation of young jackfruit stewed with cumin and coriander that bears a startling resemblance to barbecued beef. These fleshy yellow lobes were nothing at all like their younger cousins. They were sweet, but not overly so, and tasted slightly of bananas with a hint of pineapple. And at $2.50 a container, the price was pretty sweet too.
194A Canal Street, New York NY 10013 (map)
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Pera's Wine & Meze special: Bottle of wine and three mezes for $39, until 7pm every night. 303 Madison Avenue (map); 212-878-6301. [via Wined & Dined]]]>
'Punches—The Original Mixed Drink' at Astor Center
Monday, July 6, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., $45
Phil Ward of Mayahuel guides you through the ins and outs of the perfect party drink—punch. Using Flor de Caña rum, Phil will show you various drink recipes, how making punch will save your wallet, and why it will never go out of style.
Astor Center, 399 Lafayette Street (at East 4th Street), Manhattan; 212-674-7501; astorcenternyc.com for info and registration
'Soups and Salads for Summer' at ICE
Tuesday, July 7, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., $105
Forget the stockpot: cold soups paired with refreshing salads make the perfect summer meal. Peter Berley will lead you through some of his favorite recipes, featuring spicy melon soup with crab, chilled avocado soup, quinoa salad, fresh tomato soup with ricotta crostini and basil oil, corn and lobster salad with tarragon, and more.
The Institute of Culinary Education, 50 West 23rd Street (at Sixth Avenue), Manhattan; 800-522-4610; web.iceculinary.com for more info and registration
'Kimchi' at The Brooklyn Kitchen
Tuesday, July 7, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., $45
Korean-Texan Sunny Bang will show you how to make different styles of kimchi, and will have students assist in the production of a kimchi pickle.
Brooklyn Kitchen, 616 Lorimer Street (at Skillman Avenue), Brooklyn; 718-389-2982; thebrooklynkitchen.com for info and registration
A beginner's cheese tasting, Argentine cuisine, and peach lavender jam—after the jump.
]]> 'Cheese 101' at Murray's Cheese'Exploring Latin American Cuisine: Argentina' at Astor Center
Wednesday, July 8, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., $125
To begin the new series on the varied cuisines of Latin America, Leticia Moreinos will lead this class on making a delicious Argentine meal, drawn from Spanish, Italian, and French cuisines. On the menu: empanadas, marinated skirt steak with chimichurri sauce, Argentine rice croquettes, churros with dulce de leche, and alfajores (traditional South American cookies). While eating your creations, you'll taste various wines straight from Argentina.
Astor Center, 399 Lafayette Street (at East 4th Street), Manhattan; 212-674-7501; astorcenternyc.com for info and registration
'Canning' at Sweet Deliverance Kitchen
Wednesday, July 8, 8 p.m., $40
Learn how to make peach lavender jam and pickled dilly beans from start to finish. You'll witness a demo on canning, pickling, and preserving using the season's best produce.
Sweet Deliverance Kitchen, 1287 Atlantic Avenue (b/n Nostrand Avenue and New York Avenue), Brooklyn; 718-389-2982; thebrooklynkitchen.com for more info and registration
I've said it before and I'll say it again: New York barbecue joints all seem to have one meat that they nail, one dish that is clearly superior to every other meat they cook low and slow. At RUB BBQ that one dish is the burnt ends, or the crazy smoky burnt ends of the fatty half of the brisket. RUB's burnt ends are alternately meaty and fatty, so if you're fat-phobic you should order something else.
Of course if you're fat-phobic you probably wouldn't have walked into RUB or any other barbecue joint in the first place. Don't worry, though. There's plenty of meat, both crusty exterior pieces and tender interior ones, on these burnt ends, and they give you so much Adam and I happily split the burnt ends dinner. If you eat them that way, they are even a bargain.
]]> The burnt ends dinner comes with a choice of two sides and a slice of thick white bread. I like the vinegar cole slaw and the baked beans with mine, but that's just one man's preference.For dessert, have the bacon chocolate-chip cookie. It's not the greatest chocolate chip cookie you've ever had (far from it, actually), but it is studded with bacon bits smoked and cured in house.
208 W 23rd Street, New York NY 10011 (map); 212-524-4300; rubbbq.net
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Photographs by Robyn Lee
This just in from United States of Arugula author and serious eater David Kamp:
Ed,
HELP! Just walked past Joe Jr's, my beloved local greasy spoon [Kamp is very fond of greasy spoons. —Ed], and they have big handwritten signs in the window saying they've lost their lease after 35 yrs. They are asking people to sign a petition to save Joe Jr. and to "spread the word," I guess in hopes of pressuring the landlord not to cut them loose.
Could Joe Jr's really be history? Say it ain't so, Joe! Where will hungover serious eaters who live in Greenwich Village go to recuperate?
482 Sixth Avenue, New York NY 10011 (at West 12th Street; map)
212-924-5220
Cheeseburger from La Cense truck. Photograph from Gastrodamus on Flickr
Wednesday nights at Satsko, get six varieties of premium sake of the restaurant's choosing and complimentary appetizers for $25 ($35 if you want to choose the sake). 45 Eldridge Street, New York NY 10002 (b/n East Houston and Stanton; map); 212-358-7773.]]>
I've never considered the marriage of blueberries and pistachio before, but Bouchon Bakery definitely made it work in this turnover ($3.50). At first you don't even notice the blueberries—which are whole and pop in your mouth, unlike the usual gelatinous kind found in pastries—but they're hiding behind the creamy pistachio clouds inside. It's kind of like a pastry hoagie with two long flaky slices, topped with pistachio bits for an extra crunch, holding all the goodness inside. This is definitely a two-handed responsibility.
10 Columbus Circle, New York NY 10019 (at 59th Street, third floor; map)
212-823-9363
bouchonbakery.com
Photograph courtesy of YummyInTheCity
If you haven't made it to the Brooklyn Flea to try one of the Red Hook Lobster Pound's lobster rolls yet, then head over this Sunday and get in line early—otherwise you could face a wait of up to two hours. Christine, of YummyInTheCity, waited from 1 to 3 p.m. and still declared the rolls the best in the city and worth the long wait. She tried both the New England (traditional with mayo) and Connecticut (grilled in butter) style rolls for double the lobster power and wasn't disappointed.
Lobster rolls from the Red Hook Lobster Pound are currently only available at the Brooklyn Flea, but are coming to the storefront location as soon as the license comes through. The main website issued a note saying they're "truly sorry" for the two hour line and are working on it. Let us know how it is this Sunday!
Related
Buy Your Lobster from Red Hook Lobster Pound
A Downtown Date Idea: Urban Lobster Shack on the Staten Island Ferry
The $9 Lobster Roll at Fairway
Best Lobster Rolls in New York City?
Last week I ate lunch at Michael Jordan's Steakhouse in Grand Central Terminal. When I walked in through the bar I noticed the seriously delicious sounding bar menu—so delicious that I tried to order a couple of items off it when I was in the restaurant's main dining room. No can do, I was told; it's only available after 3 p.m. So Robyn Lee, Grace Kang, Kathy Chan, and I ended up hitting the bar last Friday afternoon as the clock struck three—just for the food, of course.
Thick-cut french fries fried in goose fat ($7), always a capital idea, were almost swamped by too much Gorgonzola cheese sauce. Ask for it on the side.
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Ipswich clams were deftly fried and were a great bargain at $6. These crunchy bi-valves are reason enough to miss your train.
The grilled cheese and roasted bacon and tomato panini ($7.50) was nothing special, but the thick slices of roasted bacon definitely helped.
MJ's bar burger special ($9.95) was nicely charred, came medium rare as ordered, and was just the right size for me. It came with fine house-cured pickles, but not fries.
The barbecue spare rib slider ($4.25) sounded better than it tasted—like a not very special sloppy joe.
The garlic bread ($9) came disguised as focaccia Lincoln Logs, only these Lincoln Logs tasted really good. The Gorgonzola fondue was not a fondue at all, just a solid, tangy cheesy sauce.
So don't kill yourself trying to make that 3:05 train from Grand Central. Hit the bar at Michael Jordan's instead—just for the food, of course. Order carefully and you'll score just like Mike.
Grand Central Terminal, North Balcony
23 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017 (at 43rd Street; map)
212-655-2300
theglaziergroup.com