So much for fall. In New York, it feels like we've gone from shorts to winter coats in just a few days. But fortunately, there are plenty of rainy-day eats to warm you up. Ten of our favorite comfort foods, after the jump.
Possibly inspired by the offerings from those big national chains, like Dunkin Donuts located across the street, the breakfast sandwich ($3.50) from Bite is leaner, greener and definitely tastier than anything you will see advertised on TV. A brioche bun is filled with scrambled egg, Swiss cheese, ham, sliced plum tomatoes, and a slightly spicy special sauce. A brioche-wich, if you will.
It's flattened in the panini press, embossing those distinctive ridges and giving it a slight crunch. The cheese comes nicely melted; the egg (which I requested softly scrambled) is just enough to hold the entire sandwich together. And the vibrant tomatoes burst with juice, adding a fresh component that you will never find at a fast food joint.
211 East 14th Street, New York NY 10003 (map)
212-677-3123
www.bitenyc.com
The sandwich gods were not with me last night. I was curious to try out some more offerings from the newly opened Defonte's, but my arrival, half an hour before their posted closing time of 8 p.m., was greeted with a simple hand written sign: "Sorry Closed." Annoying, yes, but not the end of the world. It turns out they had run out of ingredients, which is not uncommon for them. To ensure you'll get a sandwich, you should get there before 7:30 p.m.
Since Baoguette was only a few blocks away, I hustled up to Lexington Avenue. My timing was better than it was at Defonte's, but not by much—I got there just as a hand written sign was being posted on the door informing me that they had "sold out."
261 Third Avenue, New York NY 10010 (at 21st; map)
212-614-1500
defontesofbrooklyn.com
61 Lexington Avenue, New York NY 10010 (b/n 25th and 26th; map)
212-518-4089
The longtime (since 1922 longtime) Brooklyn sandwich shop Defonte's opened today in Gramercy. Back in 1992 (when only food dinosaurs roamed Brooklyn), Ed checked out the Red Hook original at the behest of the New York Times' Florence Fabricant.
Since it was the first day at the Gramercy location, I didn't expect everything to be perfect. Indeed, there were some communication problems among sandwich-carvers—nobody seemed to know what rare or medium-rare was—but the operation looks well-managed, and with a little meat bloodiness enlightenment, I'm sure the staff will be up to speed soon enough. [More Defonte's, after the jump.]
Molly's is the kind of place you've probably walked by without notice a hundred times—just another "Irish" pub in the city. But step inside and you'll be in for treat. You could follow Adam's advice and order the burger, but I usually skip it and order the chicken pot pie and a pint of Harp instead. Golden puff pastry on top, hot chicken and veg underneath. Served piping hot, I recommending poking a few holes through the pastry to let it cool down a bit before taking a bite. This is my ideal comfort food experience—friendly Irish staff, dimly lit, worn wooden booths, an old jukebox (U2 anyone?), saw dust on the floor, and when the weather merits it, a fire roaring in the fireplace.
287 3rd Avenue, New York, NY 10010 (b/n 22nd Street and 23rd Street; map)
212-889-3361
So much for fall. In New York, it feels like we've gone from shorts to winter coats in just a few days. But fortunately, there are plenty of rainy-day eats to warm you up. Ten of our favorite comfort foods, after the jump.
Possibly inspired by the offerings from those big national chains, like Dunkin Donuts located across the street, the breakfast sandwich ($3.50) from Bite is leaner, greener and definitely tastier than anything you will see advertised on TV. A brioche bun is filled with scrambled egg, Swiss cheese, ham, sliced plum tomatoes, and a slightly spicy special sauce. A brioche-wich, if you will.
It's flattened in the panini press, embossing those distinctive ridges and giving it a slight crunch. The cheese comes nicely melted; the egg (which I requested softly scrambled) is just enough to hold the entire sandwich together. And the vibrant tomatoes burst with juice, adding a fresh component that you will never find at a fast food joint.
211 East 14th Street, New York NY 10003 (map)
212-677-3123
www.bitenyc.com
The sandwich gods were not with me last night. I was curious to try out some more offerings from the newly opened Defonte's, but my arrival, half an hour before their posted closing time of 8 p.m., was greeted with a simple hand written sign: "Sorry Closed." Annoying, yes, but not the end of the world. It turns out they had run out of ingredients, which is not uncommon for them. To ensure you'll get a sandwich, you should get there before 7:30 p.m.
Since Baoguette was only a few blocks away, I hustled up to Lexington Avenue. My timing was better than it was at Defonte's, but not by much—I got there just as a hand written sign was being posted on the door informing me that they had "sold out."
261 Third Avenue, New York NY 10010 (at 21st; map)
212-614-1500
defontesofbrooklyn.com
61 Lexington Avenue, New York NY 10010 (b/n 25th and 26th; map)
212-518-4089
The longtime (since 1922 longtime) Brooklyn sandwich shop Defonte's opened today in Gramercy. Back in 1992 (when only food dinosaurs roamed Brooklyn), Ed checked out the Red Hook original at the behest of the New York Times' Florence Fabricant.
Since it was the first day at the Gramercy location, I didn't expect everything to be perfect. Indeed, there were some communication problems among sandwich-carvers—nobody seemed to know what rare or medium-rare was—but the operation looks well-managed, and with a little meat bloodiness enlightenment, I'm sure the staff will be up to speed soon enough. [More Defonte's, after the jump.]
Molly's is the kind of place you've probably walked by without notice a hundred times—just another "Irish" pub in the city. But step inside and you'll be in for treat. You could follow Adam's advice and order the burger, but I usually skip it and order the chicken pot pie and a pint of Harp instead. Golden puff pastry on top, hot chicken and veg underneath. Served piping hot, I recommending poking a few holes through the pastry to let it cool down a bit before taking a bite. This is my ideal comfort food experience—friendly Irish staff, dimly lit, worn wooden booths, an old jukebox (U2 anyone?), saw dust on the floor, and when the weather merits it, a fire roaring in the fireplace.
287 3rd Avenue, New York, NY 10010 (b/n 22nd Street and 23rd Street; map)
212-889-3361
This weekend was the first time I decided to trek above 14th Street to visit David's Bagels on 1st Avenue near 19th Street in Manhattan, and my first encounter with a flat bagel, or "flagel." I was a regular at the David's Bagel location on 1st Avenue between 13th and 14th Street (sadly, it closed at the end of August), but had never seen flat bagels offered there.
Curious, I had to learn more about this crunchier species of bagel. Like, how does a flagel get so flat? First it helps to know a little bit about bagel preparation. Bagel dough is mixed and kneaded, then shaped into a bagel. The bagels are then proofed for at least 12 hours before boiling for a few minutes, and finally finished in the oven. It's this process that produces a bagel's (or flagel's) shiny, crispy exterior and tender interior. A phone call to David's Bagels confirmed my hunch—a flagel is a bagel that's flattened after it's been boiled and before it goes into the oven.
Bread Pudding with Cinnamon Ice Cream
Having grown up in England I have been subjected to a fair amount of stogy and uninspired bread pudding. I wonder if Francis Drake would have repelled the Spanish Armada with quite as much vigor if he had known what a Spanish spin on the dish might have tasted like. Such is the case with the bread pudding served at Casa Mono, Mario Batali's Gramercy Park Spanish restaurant.
Served with cinnamon ice cream, macerated raisins and an orange (naranja) compote the bread pudding is buttery and tender. A puff of steam escapes when you crack the exterior crust, revealing a delicate and moist interior infused with orange zest. The acidity of the orange compote balances the sweetness of the pudding and richness of the ice cream, while the raisins add a nice textural balance to the dish.
52 Irving, New York NY 10003 (nr. 17th Street; map)
212-253-2773
The food porn from this weekend's Big Apple Barbecue Block Party has been pouring in since early Saturday afternoon, and if you missed it (or you just want to stare lovingly at your favorite plates of 'cue), there are plenty of options. Gothamist was one of the first to post a slideshow, as did Eater. Jason Perlow has photo and video coverage on Off the Broiler, Dave Cook from Eating in Translation was there, as was Food in Mouth; plus new Serious Eats grillmaster Josh Bousel has a great round up of the event on his blog The Meatwave.
But our totally biased favorite is this video put together by the CW11, featuring our very own Ed Levine talking about how great it is that one weekend a year these pit masters get to be treated like rock stars.
Were you there? What did you think?
The gentleman exiting the building is not Ed Levine. (Photographs: Robyn Lee)
With barbecue joints seemingly sprouting up on every corner these days in New York, it's easy to forget what a barbecue wilderness Gotham was for so many years.
When I arrived in New York in 1973, there was precious little real barbecue, slow-smoked meat cooked with indirect heat. Even by the late '80s our barbecue options here were limited to Smokey's on Ninth Avenue (for North Carolina barbecue), Stick to Your Ribs in Queens, and Tennessee Mountain Home in SoHo.
225 Park Avenue South, New York NY 10003 (at 18th Street; map)
212-533-2500
Website
Must-Haves: Brisket, short ribs, beans, cornbread, salt and vinegar potato chips
What You'll Spend: $30 and up (not including alcohol) for dinner
Grade: B
The barbecue game-changers in our town were Virgil's in Times Square and Blue Smoke in the Flatiron District, both opened by respected restaurateurs (the late Artie Cutler, and Danny Meyer, respectively). Following those in short order were Daisy May's, the first chef-driven barbecue joint in New York (Daniel and Le Cirque veteran Adam Perry Lang), R.U.B. (Paul Kirk), with its Kansas City–influenced style; and Hill Country, which harkened to Smokey's with its dedication to a single regional barbecue style (in its case, central Texas's German butcher–derived 'cue). Hill Country (Robbie Richter and Big Lou Elrose) and Daisy May's were also the first barbecue joints manned by competition pit masters who honed their barbecue skills on the national 'cue competition circuit.
Now comes Wildwood BBQ, which brings together the talents of an interesting trio: megasuccessful, commercially oriented restaurateur Steve Hanson, the aforementioned pit master Elrose, and uber restaurant designer David Rockwell. Hanson has made it clear that he hopes to roll out Wildwood nationally in the next year, bringing his pan-regional, urbane-but-not-fancy-pants barbecue concept to a city near you. But barbecue is tricky business, serious eaters, and does not easily translate to multiple locations, so I was curious as to what I would find at Wildwood.
Adam Platt disses Wakiya big-time in New York magazine this week. He asks: "So when, exactly, did the glamour and mystery of Chinese cuisine disappear from New York?"
A valid question, but I feel compelled to report that Platt gave a less-than-stellar review to Chinatown Brasserie, a credible and would-be Chinese food glamour spot, when it opened. Its dumpling chef, Joe Ng, is certainly the greatest dim sum chef in New York. The stir-fry dishes have been hit and miss at Chinatown Brasserie, but I must admit that I actually haven't been there since management put Ng in charge of all aspects of the kitchen. BTW, the Chinese barbecue has been excellent as well. I'm going to eat there next week, so I'll keep you posted.
But I digress.
Two people whose taste buds I have profound respect for especially when it comes to Chinese food told me last week that the food at Wakiya was awful. Three strikes and you might be out, Wakiya.
It's almost a cosmic question. Blue Smoke is owned and run by Danny Meyer's Union Square Hospitality Group. I know the general manager there, Mark Maynard Parisi, and the chef, Kenny Callahan. These guys all know good food and how to serve it. They make an array of very good sandwiches, everything from an excellent fried oyster sandwich to a killer cubano to even a fine straight-ahead tuna sandwich on buttermilk toast. And their burger is absolutely terrific, one of the best in the city. And I know these guys know how to make great french fries. The fries at the Union Square Cafe served with the burger are among New York's best french fries.
At Blue Smoke ...
Bouchon Bakery's bouchon, Shake Shack's cone, and Burgers and Cupcakes' mini-cupcake
So what can you buy for $2.00 or less that is good enough to tell your friends about, (not including pizza slices, which I'll deal with separately)?
My top 11 list (is that a baker's ten?) list, not in any particular order. Please pardon the lack of visuals and links. I'm totally crazed this morning.
Yesterday I posted my ten favorite fancy-pants burgers in New York City. They all cost more than ten bucks and aspire to hamburger greatness. They were:
1. Cafe D'Alsace
2. Telepan
3. Union Square Cafe (only available at lunch)
4. Spotted Pig
5. Cookshop
6. Country
7. Burger Bar at Grand Central
8. Nice Matin
9. Bar Americain
10. David Burke Sliders at Bloomingdale's
For addresses and phone numbers go to Menupages.
An ELE reader commended me on the list and mentioned Home's burger as one I should consider for the list. Adam Kuban, founder of A Hamburger Today, the nation's leading hamburger website, liked the list but wondered aloud about whether the fries should make a difference if what you're trying to judge is the burger.
Josh Ozersky, Mr. Cutlets, newly installed online Food Editor for New York Magazine and a serious burger maven, then weighed in with the force of twenty double quarter pounders with cheese. He said, and I quote, "The fact is Fancy Pants burgers are nearly indistinguishable...Eating them is just eating a meatloaf between two slices of obtrusive bread. All character in hamburgers exists in the lower realms, where the inside is an afterthought, and the surface speaks volumes."
Is Mr. Cutlets right when he suggests that fancy-pants burgers all suck?
Is any burger bigger than Shake Shack's doomed to failure? Do fries not matter? Is any roll other than a generic white bun a pretentious exercise in Foodiedom? Or is Josh a reverse burger snob, a purist who is ignoring the inherent deliciousness of a burger made with high-quality meat, cheese, bun and fries?
I don't know why, but lately I find myself eating fancy-pants burgers at every turn. Perhaps I'm coming under the influence of Adam Kuban, who really does order a hamburger in every restaurant that has one on the menu. Whatever the reason, I have discovered a handful of terrific fancy-pants burgers lately, enough so that if I updated my New York Times piece on burgers I would have a very different "best of" list.
Let's define our terms.
Moreover, because it's so pricey every element of a fancy-pants burger must be nearly perfect. That is:
A bad fancy-pants burger is cause for fury and revolt, because who wants to pay all that money for a lousy burger that comes off as a pretentious exercise in populist food.
Lastly, a fancy-pants burger must still be made from high quality, freshly grmay taste great (the DB burger most assuredly does; I haven't had the Robuchon creation yet), but they are serious dishes created by world-class chefs that have been inspired by true burgers.
Anyway, here's my list of the Top Ten Fancy-Pants Burgers in New York City:
These last few days have almost done me in. So I've been treating myself to one scoop of ice cream a day (no more, no less, given my "eat less" diet, which has me down 40 pounds). Here are my NYC faves:
1. Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory: Old-fashioned American, not particularly high in butterfat, ice cream.
2. Otto cart in Washington Square Park: The cheapest way to sample Meredith Kurtzman's amazing gelato.
3. Shake Shack: I know it's a cliché, but the frozen custard here rocks, and the ice cream and shake only line is consistently short.
4. Il Laboratio de Gelato: Where Ciao Bella (see below) founder Jon Snyder now plies his trade.
5. Ciao Bella: It's still pretty damned fine, even without Snyder, especially the malted milk ball.
6. Cones: I love the fruit-based gelati and sorbetti here. Bleecker Street, just east of Seventh Avenue South.
7. Eli's: Eli is a ganef, but the man knows how to make great food.
8. Creme Cremaillere: Try the Mission Fig. Sold by the scoop at Manhattan Fruitier, 29th Street, between Park and Lex.
9. Emack & Bolio: I know they're from Boston, but the ice cream is really good.
10. Eddie's (Maspeth): For old time's sake.
Have I missed any?
Häagen-Dazs is by far my favorite mass-produced ice cream, a rare example of a formerly boutique brand that's maintained its quality standards after being bought.
When it's July 4th weekend and it's this hot, a man's thoughts turn to ice cream.
With the temperature and humidity levels ridiculously high this weekend, I am pleased to report that the Otto ice cream cart is back at the NW corner of Washington Square Park. I ordered a half lemon, half coconut cup last week and got a half lemon, half vanilla instead, but it didn't matter. This is truly great ice cream, made by Meredith Kurtzman at Otto, where the gelati and sorbetti are almost uniformly sublime. Otto is definitely one of the great NY ice cream spots.
Here are my other favorites:
A reader has asked me for my list of top five barbecue joints in NYC.
What are yours? This is one everyone has an opinion on.
The more pertinent question is whether there are even five barbecue joints in NY with the hunger, passion and knowledge to do right by 'cue. I ended up writing about seven.
In alphabetical order (almost):
Blue Smoke: Danny Meyer, Kenny Callahan and Mark Parisi-Maynard are trying to do right by cue' lovers in NYC, and most of the time they succeed, although inconsistency continues to plague the 'cue here. The ribs are consistently excellent, the brisket less so, and the fried chicken at dinner rocks. On average I would give Blue Smoke a 90.
Daisy May's BBQ USA: Adam Perry Lang has hung up his fancy-pants toque in favor of the pursuit of the ultimate 'cue. I haven't had his barbecue recently enough, so I'll give it an incomplete for now. But I know Adam has been faring well on the competition barbecue circuit, so he's still got the smoke in his veins. In general I find he tries a little too hard with his barbecue sauces. His meat is generally far superior to his sauces.
Dinosaur Barbecue:John Stage took a lickin' from the critics when he first opened, and based on my recent experiences there, the critics were dead wrong. Stage knows his barbecue, uses plenty of real wood, and again has a passion for doing 'cue right. I'll give the it a 90.
Rack and Soul: I went early to Rack and Soul, and I found the barbecue hard to judge as it was slathered with very sweet barbecue sauce. So I'll give it an incomplete until I return. Charles Gabriel's fried chicken was way good, however. The chicken gets a 93.
RUB: Paul Kirk and his partner have done a pretty good job with RUB. The brisket is dry, the burnt ends rock, the ribs are generally damn fine, and I don't ever order barbecue chicken, but the duck was surprisingly good the one time I had it here. Burnt Ends: 92,Brisket: 70, Ribs: 88
Virgil's: You can't expect great barbecue in Times Square, but Virgil's serves up a creditable plate of ribs. I give it an 82.
One final entry not in alphabetical order:
Pies N Thighs Many writers I know and respect speak very highly of the pork shoulder here. The only time I had it, it was so smoky it tasted of nothing but smoke and vinegar. I'll be back, so for now it's an incomplete.
ELE's Jeff asked for my list of the best hot dogs in Manhattan:
Photo courtesy of liaoyusheng.com
Gray's Papaya: Great natural casing, all-beef dog made by Marathon, Sabrett's parent company. I ask for mine well-done, not that any of the counterpeople listen. Many locations, I go to the one on 72nd and Broadway.
Papaya King: Virtually the same hot dog as Gray's (there's one secret spice added), but the mustard is spicier and the bun is more or less toasted. Multiple locations, but I go to the one on 86th and Third Avenue.
Katz's: The best deli dog in lower Manhattan. They give you more sauerkraut than either of the above-mentioned spots, and the hot grill gives the hot dogs a great crust. Houston Street and
The Shake Shack: The SS serves the only true Chicago-style dog in NYC: A Vienna Beef hot dog, poppy seed bun, and sport peppers as one of the condiments. I wish they would grill the hot dogs instead of steaming them. Have the frozen custard for dessert. In Madison Square Park at 23rd and Madison.
Artie's: A big kosher-style deli dog properly grilled. It would be hard to finish two hot dogs here. At Artie's I get cole slaw and sauerkraut on the dog. 82nd and Broadway.
Brooklyn Diner: A humongous (easily sharable), expensive, natural casing, all-beef dog served with crispy, wispery onion rings and very good sauerkraut. 57th Street between Broadway and 7th Avenue.
For more on NYC hot dogs check out my Times story.
A burger from Shake Shack
My top five burgers in New York City:
Peter Luger, but only when they can figure out how to serve a burger medium-rare.
Shake Shack: I know it's a cliché, but nobody gets the bun-to-meat ratio right except these guys, and that salty crust is so damn fine.
Telepan: Chef Bill Telepan is now serving that great burger he perfected at the Judson Grill. Bonus: It comes with great sourdough onion rings.
Prime Burger: Tell them to make it from scratch, and don't waste any calories on the french fries. Have a piece of pie, instead. And dig the swiveling school desk tables for one.
The Good Fork: Great burger in Red Hook, but alas, only fair onion rings.
Honorable mentions: The Spotted Pig, Blue Smoke
Address: 178 Broadway, Brooklyn, NY 11211 (map)
Phone: 718-387-7400
Website: peterluger.com
Address: 10 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10010 (inside Madison Square Park; map)
Phone: 212-889-6600
Website: shakeshacknyc.com
Address: 72 West 69th Street, New York, NY 10023 (b/n Columbus and Central Park West; map)
Phone: 212-580-4300
Website: telepan-ny.com
Address: 5 East 51st Street, New York, NY 10022 (b/n Madison and 5th; map)
Phone: 212-759-4729
Website: primeburger.com
Address: 391 Van Brunt Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231 (map)
Phone: 718-643-6636
Website: goodfork.com
If you love fried chicken as much as I do, living in New York makes it very difficult to satisfy the almost daily hankering I have for great fried bird. The fried chicken is pretty good at Blue Smoke, but that's because Blue Smoke chef Kenny Callahan was inspired by the visit he and I paid to one of the great fried chicken joints on this earth, Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken in Mason, Tenn. But even Kenny would admit that his bird does not really compare to Gus's. The fried chicken is also pretty damned good at Charles' Southern Style Kitchen on 155th Street and Eighth Avenue, but Charles does not season his batter at all. So the news that Allison Vines Rushing and her husband Slade, most recently of Jack's Luxury Oyster Bar, are opening up a fried chicken joint in New York makes me very, very happy. I for one will be one of their first customers when they open Dirty Bird to Go this coming Monday at 204 W. 14th Street, 212-640-4836. The Rushings are planning to soak their brined bird in buttermilk before frying in a double batter. I have no idea what that means exactly, but it sure sounds good. They're also planning to serve rotisseried chicken as well, which I'm sure will be very good as well. But does NYC really need another place to get a rotisserie bird?
