Manhattan: Lower East Side
Posted by Kathy YL Chan, October 16, 2009 at 2:30 PM
[Photo: Kathy Chan]
A friend and I stopped in at my favorite pudding bakery, Sugar Sweet Sunshine, yesterday evening to satisfy a sweet craving. I had pumpkin pudding on my agenda, but lo and behold, there was a new pudding on the menu! Chocolate chip pudding! Whipped cream, butterscotch pudding, and soft crumbled chocolate chip cookies, all mixed together in a crazy messy mass spooned into a big cup. Too sweet, too fatty, too delicious—it's for the glutton in me. The puddings here only get better with each visit. Their banana pudding will always be my favorite, but nothing like breaking the mold every now and then.
Sugar Sweet Sunshine
126 Rivington Street, New York NY 10002 (map)
sugarsweetsunshine.com
Posted by Carey Jones, October 16, 2009 at 12:30 PM
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.
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Posted by Laren Spirer, October 2, 2009 at 3:00 PM
[Photos: Lush Life Productions ]
White Star is like the shy and unassuming child in a pack of more boisterous siblings. It sits unobtrusively on Essex Street across from Seward Park, and although the original concept was centered around sipping spirits, most notably Absinthe, it has changed somewhat since it opened in August 2008.
Its original iteration was a departure from Sasha Petraske's other carefully crafted cocktail dens, Milk & Honey and Little Branch. But even before his Long Island City outpost Dutch Kills opened, White Star had shifted, turning away from sipping spirits and towards more traditional cocktail offerings, though the absinthe fountain remained atop the bar. Stopping in earlier this week, we were looking forward to a pleasant cocktail at the sleek, marble bar while gazing at the namesake white star lamps. We got that and then some.
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Posted by Kathy YL Chan, October 2, 2009 at 1:15 PM
The much anticipated Stuffed Artisan Cannolis opened yesterday on the Lower East Side. Owned by Anhony Fontana, the cannoli boutique offers a total of thirty flavors, with twenty available at any given time; though the shop is their first official storefront, the business has been around since 2007.
Pictured above from front to back: red licorice, almond love joy, peanut butter and jelly, pistachio, pumpkin pie, candy corn, and peanut butter cup. If you think those flavors are out there as far as cannolis go, that's only the tip of the iceberg. There's also root beer float and White Russian cannolis.
Authentic? No. Fun? Definitely. Not shown, but my favorite of the offerings is the classic cannoli, with a thick whipped ricotta filling, creamy and not overly sweet. Unlike Rocco's and Madonia Brothers Bakery, the cannolis here are pre-piped—how the shells manage to stay crispy with time is a wonder I'll simply eat and enjoy.
Stuffed Cannolis
176 Stanton Street, New York NY 10002 (map)
212-995-2266
stuffedcannoli.com
Posted by Carey Jones, September 29, 2009 at 10:00 AM
[Photo: Robyn Lee]
The greatest thing about Shopsin's—well, one of the six or seven greatest things about Shopsin's—is that no matter how many times you return, there's always something you haven't yet attempted on their constantly revised tome of a menu. Like when Robyn Lee tried the S.O.S. "sandwich":
The menu describes it as "eggs, grits, creamed corned beef, hot sandwich," leading us to believe it would be one of those dishes consisting of two pieces of bread filled with a layer of something non-bready that someone with opposable thumbs could pick up. But we were a bit off.
It's a mound of grits on top of a slice of bread--wonderfully resilient, slightly spongy potato bread--topped with another slice of bread, with plenty of scrambled egg and corned beef chunklets throughout, all in a pool of some sort of savory cream sauce. Holy fugnut.
Posted by Kathy YL Chan, October 16, 2009 at 2:30 PM
[Photo: Kathy Chan]
A friend and I stopped in at my favorite pudding bakery, Sugar Sweet Sunshine, yesterday evening to satisfy a sweet craving. I had pumpkin pudding on my agenda, but lo and behold, there was a new pudding on the menu! Chocolate chip pudding! Whipped cream, butterscotch pudding, and soft crumbled chocolate chip cookies, all mixed together in a crazy messy mass spooned into a big cup. Too sweet, too fatty, too delicious—it's for the glutton in me. The puddings here only get better with each visit. Their banana pudding will always be my favorite, but nothing like breaking the mold every now and then.
Sugar Sweet Sunshine
126 Rivington Street, New York NY 10002 (map)
sugarsweetsunshine.com
Posted by Carey Jones, October 16, 2009 at 12:30 PM
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.
Continue reading »
Posted by Laren Spirer, October 2, 2009 at 3:00 PM
[Photos: Lush Life Productions ]
White Star is like the shy and unassuming child in a pack of more boisterous siblings. It sits unobtrusively on Essex Street across from Seward Park, and although the original concept was centered around sipping spirits, most notably Absinthe, it has changed somewhat since it opened in August 2008.
Its original iteration was a departure from Sasha Petraske's other carefully crafted cocktail dens, Milk & Honey and Little Branch. But even before his Long Island City outpost Dutch Kills opened, White Star had shifted, turning away from sipping spirits and towards more traditional cocktail offerings, though the absinthe fountain remained atop the bar. Stopping in earlier this week, we were looking forward to a pleasant cocktail at the sleek, marble bar while gazing at the namesake white star lamps. We got that and then some.
Continue reading »
Posted by Kathy YL Chan, October 2, 2009 at 1:15 PM
The much anticipated Stuffed Artisan Cannolis opened yesterday on the Lower East Side. Owned by Anhony Fontana, the cannoli boutique offers a total of thirty flavors, with twenty available at any given time; though the shop is their first official storefront, the business has been around since 2007.
Pictured above from front to back: red licorice, almond love joy, peanut butter and jelly, pistachio, pumpkin pie, candy corn, and peanut butter cup. If you think those flavors are out there as far as cannolis go, that's only the tip of the iceberg. There's also root beer float and White Russian cannolis.
Authentic? No. Fun? Definitely. Not shown, but my favorite of the offerings is the classic cannoli, with a thick whipped ricotta filling, creamy and not overly sweet. Unlike Rocco's and Madonia Brothers Bakery, the cannolis here are pre-piped—how the shells manage to stay crispy with time is a wonder I'll simply eat and enjoy.
Stuffed Cannolis
176 Stanton Street, New York NY 10002 (map)
212-995-2266
stuffedcannoli.com
Posted by Carey Jones, September 29, 2009 at 10:00 AM
[Photo: Robyn Lee]
The greatest thing about Shopsin's—well, one of the six or seven greatest things about Shopsin's—is that no matter how many times you return, there's always something you haven't yet attempted on their constantly revised tome of a menu. Like when Robyn Lee tried the S.O.S. "sandwich":
The menu describes it as "eggs, grits, creamed corned beef, hot sandwich," leading us to believe it would be one of those dishes consisting of two pieces of bread filled with a layer of something non-bready that someone with opposable thumbs could pick up. But we were a bit off.
It's a mound of grits on top of a slice of bread--wonderfully resilient, slightly spongy potato bread--topped with another slice of bread, with plenty of scrambled egg and corned beef chunklets throughout, all in a pool of some sort of savory cream sauce. Holy fugnut.
Posted by Kathy YL Chan, September 23, 2009 at 4:45 PM
Above is prime example of why fall is my favorite season of the year: Pumpkin Trifle Pudding from Sugar Sweet Sunshine. Banana Pudding and the Chocolate Bomb Pudding are offered year-round at this Lower East Side bakery, but only in the autumn months does the pumpkin pudding make a debut. The pudding looks messy, and it is, but it's is all part of the fun, with crumbled pumpkin cake layers tossed with whipped cream and eggnog pudding. You'll end up with a toothache, but it's worth the sacrifice.
Sugar Sweet Sunshine
126 Rivington Street, New York NY 10002 map)
212-995-1960
sugarsweetsunshine.com
Posted by Nikki Goldstein, September 11, 2009 at 1:30 PM
[Photograph: Nikki Goldstein]
Growing up in a Hispanic family, Sunday breakfast often consisted of homemade arepas with scrambled eggs. The smell of sizzling diced tomatoes and scallions (my favorite additions) would waft from the kitchen into my bedroom, waking me up in the most comforting way. That memory is undoubtedly why I was so eager to try the Benedict Colombiano at Macondo on the Lower East Side. If it could bring me back to the flavors of home, I knew I risked developing a dangerous addiction. Luckily for me, brunch at Macondo is a decent deal—the entrees, though priced around $14, come with a complimentary drink. Not bad.
The Benedict Colombiano is simple in its composition, mimicking its traditional counterpart. A sweet yellow corn arepa replaces the English muffin, and a saffron lemon aioli is a welcome change from Hollandaise. The flavors and textures are far from simple, though. The arepa is made thicker than usual, and with less of a sear, acting more like a corn muffin with spot-on flavors that reminded me of home. The unctuous yolk and rich aioli play off each other nicely, benefiting from the lemon's subtle acidity. Complex? Definitely. Comforting? Even more so.
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Posted by Kathy YL Chan, September 9, 2009 at 12:30 PM
Editor's note: In "Lunch for One," Kathy YL Chan will seek out some of the best places for solo lunchers to grab a noontime bite.
The call of coffee and piles of fresh magazines were strong enough to lure me through the front doors of the newly opened Cafe Pedlar. Situated in the overflow room of Frankies 17, outfitted in brick walls, Pedlar is as ideal for a solo meal as it is a perfect place to meet with friends. (I could linger there for quite a while.)
Sandwich options are few; two rotating choices, to be exact. Pre-made, though fresh, they keep it simple: a cheese, dijon, and arugula sandwich, a roast pork sandwich. It was Prosciutto and Pecorino on my day, thin-cut ribbons upon ribbons of luxuriously cured meat piled high on a buttered house pretzel roll ($6.50). The prosciutto melts in your mouth without the least bit of effort, inviting a satisfied sense of bliss. Straightforward, utterly simple, and delicious. If you're in a lighter snack mood, head in the direction of pretzel braids with sea salt, butter, and mustard, or camping rolls—single serving, nut-studded numbers.
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Posted by Allison Hemler, September 8, 2009 at 9:00 AM
"The macchiato at Cafe Pedlar in Brooklyn could make me a regular."
[Photographs: Allison Hemler]
Grabbing a cup of coffee can be as routine as brushing one's teeth—and like most of us will only go for Aquafresh or Crest, say, coffee fits the same profile. A visit to the bodega will not yield the same results as Gimme or La Colombe. When you've chosen the cafe you'll visit regularly, most people stick with one drink and don't budge. However, I've never been the regular type—my choice of drink varies with the day of the week and my estrogen levels.
Since I write about coffee, I'm constantly doing research on the big independent roasters and the tiny cafes that are popping up across our great city. Thankfully I'm a grad student, too—it's in the job description to drink coffee.
One night, after eating dinner at Frankies 17 on the Lower East Side, I noticed the restaurant's annex had been transformed into a second outpost of the highly regarded Cafe Pedlar in Brooklyn, a collaboration between the Frankies and Duane Sorensen of Stumptown Coffee. Since it had been a while since I'd been to the Brooklyn outpost, I decided the next morning I'd take a visit.
A tale of two Cafe Pedlars, after the jump.
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Posted by Kathy YL Chan, September 4, 2009 at 3:00 PM
This afternoon I spotted the newest members to join the lineup at Babycakes on the Lower East Side: powdered sugar, chocolate-dipped, cinnamon-sugar, and jelly "doughnuts". These vegan doughnuts are delicious, tender with a hint of cinnamon spice. But blindfolded, you wouldn't mistake these baked versions for the real thing. Though a committed omnivore, I've generally been a fan of Babycakes, perhaps the most popular of the vegan-friendly bakeries in town.
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Posted by Tia Kim, August 13, 2009 at 1:30 PM
Editor's note: Please welcome our newest New York contributor, Tia Kim! The author of Bionic Bites, Tia will be checking out the grub at a different bar each week in her column "Raising the Bar."
On the way home a few weeks ago, I saw a chalkboard sign outside Marshall Stack that made me smile. Someone had written "Allen Street, the Champs-Élysées of New York." Having recently stepped in a puddle of human urine in front of my apartment, I knew with great certainty that Allen Street was far from "the most beautiful avenue in the world." But someone in Marshall Stack obviously had a sense of humor—and I was intrigued.
Walking into Marshall Stack, with its wobbly wooden tables and bright throwback jukebox, one feels suddenly at ease. The bartender is actually nice—a rare thing, in this neck of the woods—and when I ordered a nine dollar glass of Malbec, he kindly reminded me that it was their happy hour (until 7pm) and the house red, a Nero D'Avola, cost only four dollars.
I took him up on the offer and settled by the large windows facing Allen after placing an order for a Duck Club ($11) and an Asparagus Goat Cheese Panini ($9). All the food is made in an open "kitchen"—well, a panini press, toaster oven, and refrigerator—at the end of bar. A few sips into my friendly medium-bodied red, and the sandwiches were ready.
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Posted by Carey Jones, August 6, 2009 at 1:15 PM
A friend visiting from out of town rang me up last week. "I'm going to the Doughnut Plant tomorrow morning," she told me, "but I'm kind of overwhelmed by the options. What's the best doughnut they have?"
It was a seemingly innocent question, one logically posed to a food writer.
But asked to name the very best doughnut, I came up short. What kind of serious eater was I, if I hadn't sampled everything on the menu? I'd breakfasted my way through crème brûlée doughnuts and tres leches doughnuts, Blackout cake and carrot cake. But the other doughnuts had thus far eluded me. Even after grudgingly turning to Internet research, I couldn't locate a single piece with a comprehensive doughnut gallery.
There was only one solution—to trek down to the Doughnut Plant and order everything on the menu.
All sixteen doughnuts, in pictures, after the jump.
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Posted by Kathy YL Chan, July 23, 2009 at 3:30 PM
I stopped by Momofuku Milk Bar late last night with soft-serve on the mind (humid nights call for cold desserts). A quartet of flavors debuted in the afternoon, replacing the former set of lemon verbena, rosemary, blackberry, and apricot soft-serves. Strawberry shortcake is doubtlessly the best of the current collection—clear and summery in flavor, creamy just so. Cereal milk appears for the second time on Milk Bar's soft-serve menu. It originally showed up in mid-Feburary and is the only flavor to appear twice. Peaches and cream slowly grows on you scoop after scoop. Both my companion and I didn't like it at first, but were gradually won over by the end; the peach essence is surprisingly mild. Cherries Jubilee was the least enjoyed, brash and sugary.
However, what was even more exciting than the soft-serve was the blueberry pie. I'm a sucker for sweets incorporating blueberries, and this did not fail to impress. The finely ground graham cracker crust is topped with a tangy-sweet sour cream and blueberry filling. To finish: savory crumbles of corn streusel and fresh macerated blueberries. The filling verges on too rich, but the ratio of crust-to-filling-to-topping saves the day and prevents the pie from erring on the too-luxurious side. Blueberries and corn are a perfect pairing (think City Bakery's blueberry-corn muffin), and Momofuku Bakery mistress Christina Tosi's take is just divine.
Momofuku Milk Bar
207 Second Avenue, New York NY 10003 (on 13th Street; map)
212-254-3500
Posted by Nick Solares, July 15, 2009 at 10:30 AM
The Breakfast of Chumps
As Alan Richman recently said, there is little worth eating beyond the pastrami, knockwurst, and hot dogs at the iconic Katz's Deli. Perhaps this isn't surprising. It is a bit like going to Peter Luger and ordering a fish and salad—yes, it's on the menu but nobody expects it to be good.
Some might say there is no point in reviewing food that "misses the point" of a restaurant (I get this from time to time in my hamburger reviews over at AHT) but my feeling is this: If an item is featured on a menu, it is fair game for review.
While we generally try to report on the positive here at Serious Eats, sometimes a negative review can be as useful as a good review, especially when the place has compelling food aside from the dishes warranting criticism. If Richman found the lunch and dinner menus underwhelming, he really would have been disappointed by the breakfast.
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Posted by Kathy YL Chan, July 2, 2009 at 4:15 PM
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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Posted by Robyn Lee, July 1, 2009 at 5:00 PM
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.
Posted by Kathy YL Chan, June 11, 2009 at 4:00 PM
The hunt for my dream rugelach seems to be a never-ending one. My current favorite is made by Erica's Rugelach and sold at various Joe's the Art of Coffee locations around the city. Russ & Daughters carries a fine raspberry number though I suspect that even more delicious ones lurk out there. Many people have suggested Not Just Rugelach and Zabar's for a rugelach fix.
Any suggestions from you? Perhaps we'll compile them all and do one massive rugelach round-up post!
Russ & Daughters
179 E. Houston St., New York NY 10002; (b/n Allen and Orchard Streets; map)
212-475-4880
Posted by Erin Zimmer, June 9, 2009 at 12:00 PM
How to Eat the New Catch Holland Herring 101. Photograph by Jen Snow
New Catch Holland, or “Hollandse Nieuwe" is like the wishbone of the herring world. Two filets are attached at the tail, and per tradition, you're supposed to hold them over your mouth before dropping the Siamese-like fish inside (and making a wish). Once a year, during only a brief four-week period, this herring of the North Sea reaches optimal deliciousness. Russ & Daughters received its first delivery, and will start selling them today individually for $4.49 (each one contains two attached filets) or in packs of ten for $39.95.
Niki Russ Federman of Russ & Daughters models the eating ritual here, and if you stop by the store, she might just reenact it in person. Place orders by phone at 212-475-4880 or online for nationwide shipments.
Russ & Daughters
179 E. Houston Street, New York NY 10002 (map)
212-475-8880
Posted by Erin Zimmer, May 16, 2009 at 7:30 PM
"Jim's matzoh ball soup." Photographs by Michele Humes
Daniel Boulud's new spot DBGB won't open for a few weeks, but his team hosted a media preview today. You probably don't associate the classically-trained French chef with matzoh ball soup and hot dogs, but both were on the brasserie-meets-diner menu. The former is a recipe from his executive chef Jim Leiken. "Everyone thinks their mother's recipe for matzoh ball soup is the best in the world, and Jim thinks his mother's is," Boulud said from a ladder (they're still in construction zone phase).
The menu will feature three burgers. Note: this one was in mini form for the event.
As for the "DB Dog" (all beef, made from shoulder meat) it's all part of the sausage theme here. "I have a fascination with sausage," Boulud said in a giddy little boy tone. He'll have at least 14 on the menu, all of which are made in-house by his charcutier Sebastien Loyzance (sausagier seems like a title that should exist). Boulud insinuated a currywurst in the works. The full sausage menu, after the jump.
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Posted by Kathy YL Chan, May 7, 2009 at 2:30 PM
The only time you're allowed to pass up a doughnut at the Doughnut Plant is for a churro. Though, come to think of it, the churros are quite small—you could easily swing both and still feel pretty awesome. Regardless, turn your attention away from the deep-fried rings for a second and concentrate on the churros ($1.50 each).
The plain churros are nothing spectacular, but pump in a delicate share of cajeta and everything changes—for the better, of course. The cajeta, a distinctive caramel made from goat's milk and sugar is something beyond lust worthy. I'd gladly buy the caramel by the jar if that were an option! Per usual Doughnut Plant protocol, make sure to go in the early morning for a fresh batch.
Doughnut Plant
379 Grand Street, New York NY 10002 (at Clinton Street; map)
212-505-3700
doughnutplant.com
Related: Doughnut Plant's Creme Brulee Doughnuts
