mad eats at madison square eats

Have you ever been faced with so many good food choices that your brain shut down and you ended up eating Cheetos for dinner?

Yeah, me neither.

But I did come pretty close to it Thursday night when I dragged the gang to Madison Square Eats for a post-work noshfest. The night prior, I had such a mad craving for the Vinh Asiadog that I looked up Asiadog locations. I've only ever encountered Asiadog at flea markets, concerts and festivals but to my glee, I found out that they have a regular outpost in Nolita. To my even greater delight, I realized there's a mini food fest beside Madison Square Park called Madison Square Eats that's going on until October 21, 2011, and Asiadog was one of its awesome vendors.

So right after work, we made a beeline for Madison Square Eats. I must have wandered around aimlessly for 10 minutes as I racked my brain on what deserved space in my belly the most. While I thought about it, I had the Sydney from Asiadog and some sort of delicious amber ale fresh from the tap at Cannibal. I thought I could figure out what sort of beer it was by looking at their restaurant menu but holy crap! Have you seen that beer menu?! Go take a look. When I'm done gushing over Madison Square Eats, I am so planning my Cannibal invasion.

The Sydney doesn't compare to the Vinh (which deserves a post all its own) but I wanted to try something new. It was pretty yummy, topped with a refreshing relish of mango, red onion, cucumber, cilantro, peanut and fish sauce. A Thai spin on the New York dog.

Mitch picked the Wangding, topped with pork belly and onions, which looked pretty darn awesome. I'm gonna have to try that next time.

I was extremely tempted to get one of the Red Hook Lobster Pound's lobster rolls but $16 for a roll seemed steep (specially when there's a food fair with stuff like $9 pizzas and $4.50 fancy beef dogs). But they looked amazing! Check out that generously buttered roll just overflowing with massive chunks of lobster.

I got the lobster mac n cheese instead, which was pretty awesome. Basically they take some mac n cheese, toss it with a generous helping of the massive chunks of lobster they use for the rolls, cover the whole shebang with cheese, and then blowtorch the cheese into lovely melted goodness. The blurry, terribly lit picture doesn't do it justice but it's a good use of $9 and great for sharing.

Also vying for stomach space at the fair are Fatty Snack's pork buns. For $9 you get two buns overflowing with pork goodness and a soda. De-lish.

To top it all off, dessert! I tried Mitch's waffle from Wafels & Dinges topped with bananas and smothered in Nutella. Amazeballs of course. Bar Suzette is also at the fair whipping out wonderful crepes, as well as Momofuku Milk Bar, which was already closed by then. The lunch crowd must've cleaned them out!

After all that nomming, it would've been prudent to have some lovely tea from Spices & Tease's amazing selection ...

But of course I didn't do that. I had more beer instead. Nobody's perfect.

I have to say that Madison Square Eats is one of the best food fests I've been too. It's small but the selection of vendors is top-notch. The tables and umbrellas are blanketed in Marimekko prints, which ups the cute factor tenfold. And on the day we went, the crowd was small, chic and friendly. I definitely foresee coming back again and again in the next few weeks! Check it out if you haven't gone yet!

the meatball shop

Tonight we decided to ditch the Super Bowl fetes and chase a ball that means so much more to us: the good old meatball! Top Chef's last challenge at New York Italian institution Rao's seemed to have everyone craving hunks of beef smothered with tomato sauce, so Melissa, Ben and I trekked to The Meatball Shop in the Lower East Side for a fix.

I love how ordering is done in this joint. You each get a marker and are told to tick your orders off right on the menu. Genius!

Ben ordered a hero with three delicious meatballs smothered in cheese and tucked into a fresh baguette from Il Forno Bakery. He loved it. I didn't have the heart to snap a picture since he was starving while Melissa and I were still digesting the last of our three-course lunch. Our gene pool seems to include having a bottomless pit for a stomach so somehow, she and I still devoured the hearty meatballs with rigatoni and tomato sauce that we ordered, plus a few bites of side salads ordered mostly to make us feel "healthy" (see image above). Digging into those bowls of pasta and meatballs tasted like coming home. So delicious and absolutely worth every bit of the sick, stuffed feeling I was left with hours later.

After seeing several ice cream sandwiches pass us by, we had to have one. We ordered mint ice cream sandwiched between two chocolate chip cookies to share. When it comes to best decisions ever made, ordering mint ice cream ranks up to there with Anheuser-Busch deciding not to kill off Corona. It was seriously the most delicious mint ice cream I've ever had, flavored with real mint and containing tiny flecks of real mint leaves in all that creamy goodness. I might have to come back for a weekly fix.

The Meatball Shop is a gem of a spot in the Lower East Side: really good food, a proper drinks list, great service and a cozy ambience. They do not accept reservations, however, and even on Super Bowl night had a packed house. I would suggest coming on slower evenings and in small groups.

For someone who attends Super Bowl Sunday more for the chili, wings and beer rather than to actually watch football, I'd say this was a awesome way to spend the evening! Football lovers or not, I hope you enjoyed your Sunday night, as well!

Rating:

The Meatball Shop is located at 84 Stanton Street between Allen and Orchard Streets. You may phone 212.982.8893 to order takeout, get directions or maybe even have a chat, but The Meatball Shop does not accept reservations.

 

got lunch? by kickshaw cookery

Some people have a problem with drunk dialing. Me? I have a problem with hunger-pang-induced texting. The absence of food in my fridge tends to screw with my judgment so I'm prone to harassing friends, neighbors and generally anyone who makes the mistake of responding to my whining on Facebook on weekends and during snowstorms to placate my voracious appetite with brunch and coffee (why I haven't thought of funneling that energy into Seamlessweb orders, I'm not really sure either).

On those desperate mornings, I wish I was in on Kickshaw Cookery's Got Lunch? program. The brainchild of New Yorkers Pilar Valdes (by way of Manila) and Binh Ly (who is of Chinese-Vietnamese descent), the program is inspired by CSAs or community supported agriculture groups that bundle up resources to purchase a "share" from a local farmer. With this "share", members of the CSA get the benefit of receiving deliveries of newly harvested, in-season produce every week or every other week.

As with a CSA, one can get a membership to Kickshaw Cookery and get deliveries of delicious gourmet lunches twice a week for a month. For $140 for the Winter season, you get a total of 10 meals, which will be delivered to you on Mondays and Thursdays. How would you like to have a box containing cider and juniper brined porkchop with sauteed collards and radishes plus roasted jewel yams just show up at your door?

Like a CSA delivery, you won't know what you're going to get until you pop that box open. Kickshaw Cookery uses whatever's freshest and in season. I would not be opposed to getting surprised with a meal like this:

If you're not as big a fan of surprises as I am, you can get an inkling of what may show up for lunch by checking out their sample menus here. If you fall in love with Kickshaw Cookery's food and decide you want to take this relationship to another level, you can tap them for your catering needs, whether it's for an intimate dinner or a party for 120.

The Winter season for Got Lunch? begins on February 7, 2011 and ends March 10, 2011. To get a membership, click here. Enjoy!

valentine's day dinner at dbgb

I've posted about DBGB before but I think it warrants another post since my dearest friend Nina Vargas took such beautiful pictures during our group Valentine's Day dinner last Saturday. That and the food was amazing!!! We shared one of their specials: a decadent foie gras mousse. I prefer my foie gras seared but for $13, this was not bad at all.

We also ordered that beautiful escargot dish ($14). Cannot get enough of the creamy parsley custard, plump escargots, juicy roasted tomatoes, and crunchy filo pastry. Yum! It just seems to get better every time I have it.

Also part of their specials: a light Hefeweizen from an obscure German brewery for $16. Even the non beer drinkers in our party liked this one since it's so light and devoid of bitterness. It was apparently quite popular with diners because we had to lock down the last two bottles before they completely ran out. At the end of the day, I still preferred the richer Schneider Weisse that I started with.

Some of the girls who were more dainty eaters ordered appetizers as their dinner. Mia had the Tuna Crudo with harissa-sesame sauce, cucumber radish, crispy rice ($11), while Annavi had the Chipolata—a pork sausage link with pommes mousseline and black truffle.

I am a tiny girl but definitely not a dainty eater, so I ordered steak frites. Holy peppercorn, fat-laced, 10-ounce Black Angus ribeye goodness! I asked for my steak to be cooked medium rare (more on the rare side) and it was absolute perfection. Although I must admit, I had a very Pinoy moment of wanting A1 sauce on the side at one point. Hahaha ... I didn't do it, don't worry! That would be like spitting on the Eric Ripert copper pot on display. I did not disrespect Daniel Bouloud's steak.

I talked up the Frenchie burger ($17) so much that all of the boys ended up ordering it. Brandon went for the Monster Frenchie (add $8 for an extra beef pattie). He had to eat it with a fork and knife since the burger was so unwieldy but he loved it. Our friend Dan, who was quite hungry, regretted not ordering the monster because the regular Frenchie didn't fill him up. But he made up for it by ordering a mint chocolate sundae that he deemed the best sundae he's ever had. Fighting words!

My dearest Nina, who is usually more preoccupied with the wine list than what she's having for dinner, just loved her entree: sauteed skate with cauliflower risotto, romanesco, pinenuts and saffron brown butter ($22). The fish was so flavorful and that risotto was to die for. 

I highly recommend DBGB if you're looking for a place that can accommodate large parties. We were a party of 9 (originally 12) and although we had to settle for a very early reservation (at 5:30pm!), they were very relaxed about time and didn't mind that our party trickled in slowly. We probably sat down for dinner closer to 6:30pm but they were very cool about it. I've gone to DBGB three times now, and every single time I had a wonderful experience. Do try it if you still haven't! 

With my gorgeous Valentine's Day dates at DBGB

DBGB Kitchen & Bar is located at 299 Bowery at 1st Street, New York, NY. Tel. (212) 933-5300

fatty crab

I'm going to have to pay for tonight's Fatty Crab noshfest with a serious Bikram Yoga session tomorrow. For some reason that I still can't figure out, Fatty Crab had been off my radar until tonight. But now that I've popped my Fatty Crab cherry, you can bet I'll be coming back for more. We were celebrating our friend JM's birthday so we were a fairly large party, which meant lots and lots of food. 

We were all famished so the plates of Watermelon Pickle and Crispy Pork ($15) disappeared rather quickly. 

I love sweet and salty combos so I was definitely a fan of this dish. The contrast between the textures and tastes of the crispy fried pork and refreshing cubes of watermelon was a winner. Next came some Nasi Goreng ($16), spicy fried rice typical of Malaysia and Indonesia. Very tasty but those sliced chilis meant business.

Then came steamed pork buns ($9) so juicy and flavorful that I'd pick them over David Chang's any day. I especially liked the little coriander salad on the side, which added another dimension of flavor and texture to the pork buns.

I just realized that I didn't get to try the Lamb Shoulder Curry with that deliciously oily roti. Making my mouth water at 2AM when I have no business being hungry.

If there's one dish I would definitely come back for, it's the Fatty Duck ($17). It's fried to a delicate crispness, and is somehow not as greasy as I've come to expect duck to be. And the rice that it comes with ... Filipinos are already slaves to white rice, but when you add a crunch factor to it, I'm just done for.

Of course, we had to get some Fatty Crab cooked in chili sauce and served with white toast. Not a lot of people are willing to work for their dinner, so most of our party just dunked pieces of the toast in the chili sauce, which was quite good in itself. Other determined foodies like myself dug in with the claw crackers for the juicy prize within the shells. The crab meat I was able to salvage from the claws were very tender and juicy. But I wish they would take a cue from the brilliant folks in my country who serve just piles and piles of crab legs. So much more conducive for stuffing yourself silly.

Drink order tip: the Lachouffe Dobbelen Triple IPA ($10) turned out to be a great choice because it's slightly sweet so it always worked with and never against the spicy food. 

And with that, my food coma and I are going to bed ...

Fatty Crab is located at 643 Hudson Street (between Horatio and Gansevoort) and at 2170 Broadway (between 76th and 77th Streets), New York, NY. Tel. (212) 352-3592 (West Village) and (212) 496-CRAB (Upper West Side)

the problem with market-based menus

Anthony Bourdain obsessed freak that I am, I HAD to trek over to Williamsburg to check out Diner after seeing Tony wolf down a bone marrow butter-smeared ribeye in this joint. It's one of those places that offer a very seasonal, market-based menu. You can expect grassfeed beef all around, butchered right at Marlow and Daughters a few doors down. While there are very few regular items in the menu, the specials list takes maybe 5 minutes to recite. I loved the look of the place. Diner inhabits a cozy 1927 dinercar, and is dark and candlelit—a great place to go for those just-heating-up second dates.

The sad thing is, there were absolutely no steaks when we went. They had apparently sold so much of it over the weekend that they had none left by the time our party rolled in. SO SAD. This is the first time I experienced the downside to market-based menus. When there's no more cow to go around, there's just no more cow. We had to content ourselves with beef carpaccio and burgers ...

The burger was quite delicious. Nice and juicy with all the gooey melted goodness of white cheddar on top. YUM. Yum enough to make me salivate for a burger right now, but not enough to make me trek all the way back to Williambsburg. I would trek back though to attempt another shot at the bone marrow butter-smeared steak. I mean, it's smeared with bone marrow butter for crying out loud. I will not rest until I have it.

In the meantime, I am starving. I woke up at 3:40 after a night that involved me doing my very first keg stand, among other things. So I'm gonna go out and buy an overpriced cafe mocha and sandwich at Starbucks. That's all I got folks! Happy Sunday!

Diner is located at 85 Broadway Brooklyn, NY 11211. Tel. (718) 486-3077

dbgb

"Why does this place only get two stars?" Mika asked in disbelief last night, while our party massacred several burgers at Daniel Bouloud's new downtown establishment, DBGB. He was in utter disbelief at the injustice wrought by online critics on this place, which has had us dreaming of juicy beef patties tucked snugly into a toasted brioche bun with scrumptious pork belly confit and crisp bacon since our first visit last week.

"Maybe," I said, "the people who gave those reviews secretly love this place and just want to make sure they can always get a table here."

Our friend Foster, who kept his eyes closed in rapture after taking his first bite of the Monster Frenchie (the aforementioned burger/pork belly wonder except with TWO beef patties—hence the "Monster" moniker), said, "I would totally do that."

Okay I'm sure that some online critics actually have very valid reasons for disliking DBGB, but after two visits to DBGB, we have not found any. The beer selection is solid. There are 22 craft beers on tap originating from Brooklyn to Dusseldorf that will satisfy every beer craving, whether it's for a light white beer, a crisp and hoppy lager, or a satisfying oatmeal stout.

The dishes we've tried so far have been wonderful. On our first visit, we tried the escargots with persillade custard, tomato, almonds & mushrooms ($14). It's something like a deconstructed escargot tart (if such a thing exists). The plump snails and juicy roasted tomatoes sit on a bed of parsley-infused custard, and are accompanied by crisp filo puff pastry. I do love the classical preparation of escargots but this was very good as well. Last night we flirted with beef bone marrow seasoned with pickled mustard seeds and garlic, and served with a few slivers of Katz's famous pastrami, some watercress, and rye bread toast ($11). The seasoning was a bit overpowering to me as I do love just plain old bone marrow, but it was still quite a treat and I would come back for more. DBGB also offers a hefty selection of sausages. I'm not sure which one we had last night but it was so good that I'd definitely want to try more.

What I appreciate most about this place is the great service. Everyone from the bartenders to the runners are just impeccable. That's something that's not always easy to come by in this neck of the woods. I also love the interiors of this place, which tell so many stories. Copper pots owned by star chefs adorn the shelves in the main dining area, while the bar's mirrored walls are etched with funny quotes from celebrities and gastronomes. Given a choice, I would always eat at the bar. They have these super comfy bar chairs for two (great date place!), and you never have to wait for your beer. Definitely coming back here again and again and again ...

DBGB is located at 299 Bowery between Houston and 1st Street, New York, NY. Tel. (212) 933.5300