sweet breads

September was marked by experiments with fat/organs rather than muscle.  First, Brandon and I relished unctuous pork belly, twice cooked in a variety of home made sichuan dishes. And then... a capricious whim to manipulate the delicate pate-like sweetbreads for myself took hold....

In 2002, a love for the thymus glands burgeoned at Mario Batali's Lupa -- a restaurant i accidentally stumbled into while wondering around NYU.  The dish  was  naively ordered as a side of "sweet bread".  Brad and Elisa's valiant search for fresh veal thymus  guaranteed a successful cooking fete.  The meat looked and smelled disgusting -- especially  during the several changes of fragrant water baths. Yet,  a simple saute  paired with a lovely port reduction proved to be beyond luxurious.  An occasional treat that i truly savor...

destination flushing 8.17.2008

After the times article,
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/30/dining/30flushing.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=Flushing&st=nyt&oref=slogin

we decided to try a variety of small places :
1 . nan shian dumpling house . the best soup dumplings in new york / tripe/ tofu /etc
2 . lanzhou handmade noodles . hand-pulled noddles in broth with greens
3 . xi'an small delights . liangpi gold noddles (sweet tangy and chewy), spicy indian influenced lamb sandiwch
4. kyochon . mind blowing hot korean fried chicken
5 . quickly . bubble milk tea




more pictures at :
http://www.flickr.com/photos/alyssal69/sets/72157606793964753/

Ko 6.9.2008

Ko.

Ko was a struggle. and as with all obsessions in life, the exquisite frustration of the journey proved to be the main source of satisfaction. the ephemeral object of our desire left a barely perceptible dent upon our collective consciousness/memory (let alone palate)..

for about 2 months, brad, elisa and myself eagerly logged in to our computers at 9:50 am, to launch and fine tune a script required in penetrating the automatic online reservation system at Ko which opened at 10:00:00 and closed at 10:00:01. The frustration soon gave way to a ritual performed with zeal despite the seemingly impenetrable odds.

and then one day we serendipitously were granted a reservation for 4 of the total 12 seats on my birthday

we hoped that the output of this assiduous effort would be 10 exquisite photos of each course (in addition to the phenomenal experience), but much to our chagrin, David Chang bans photography :
http://gothamist.com/2008/06/20/no_pics_for_you_chef_bans_photograp_1.php

first the negatives -- the cheapest wine pairing ($50) was universally disappointing.

don’t get me wrong, i love me the sparkly pink imbued beverages. however, around the 3rd chokingly floral rose i was dying for a sharp dry anything…

the desserts were atrocious -- with combinations that were cacophonous yet somehow also flat. a smear of unsweetened avocado only detracted from a rubbery panna cotta... likewise – none of us could remember the icy granita preceding the principle dessert…

there were several decent courses...

and there were a handful of courses that were so revolutionary and unique, that words seem hopelessly inadequate in describing the genius put before us... there was a delicate dish of a soft boil egg accompanied by thinly sliced potato chips and pickled vegetables that was so sublime that the memory lingers on my tongue .. a strange dish of lychee fruit, some type of granola and a mound of flakes (similar in to appearance as bonito flakes) of shaved foie gras that left me moaning -- sweet, salty, creamy, lustrous, crunchy... every flavor you could possibly desire -- distinct yet blending in perfect harmony. an early course of sashimi with yuzu was similarly remarkable, as was a standard split pea soup with crab.

overall, our impression was of an extremely talented young chef -- who is still in the nascent stages of developing... extremely pleasurable, but not particularly memorable..

The review:

http://events.nytimes.com/2008/05/07/dining/reviews/07rest.html?scp=2&sq=ko&st=cse

Japanese DYO

Fat Bastards Indian Style

a brief recap :


Last week Aaron introduced us to total do-it-yourself shabu shabu - complete with individual temperature controls and the components to formulate sauce from scratch...

Egg was burned/fish balls were consumed/tastiness ensued...

Obviously, I prefer the far superior taro bubble tea, but I was forced to admit that Aaron's yellow concoction was quite tasty...

And this week...

Jennifer provided us with her gorgeous exposed brick sublet to craft a homemade Indian fat bastards. Mary impressed us all with bubbling and curding up some paneer while the rest of us got drunk. Aaron masterfully crisped bread and simmered a yellow bean daal -- sans salt; Jennifer fried up succulent eggplant with mustard seed and exotic spices; Emily brought a stellar chana masala; I made tandoori prawns and raita.

All around a truly lovely meal (and preferable to our Jackson Heights exhibition)! Next time: tackle Naan with a make-shift tandoori...

The Rub

RUB . BBQ . NYC

Hill Country USA may very well be the undisputed champion when it comes to ribs and corn pudding, but 'Rub' kicks some serious brisket ass... Rub's 'burnt ends,'

"... the point (fatty part) of the brisket, cooked twice till crispy and lightly sauced..."

are succulent bliss. The chicken wings, bbq bacon chunks and corn bread with beans were all damn tasty as well. (However, the greens and fried oreos should be avoided at all costs).


With Hill Country, Rub, and Korean fried chicken, east Chelsea is now the destination for satiating all meat cravings....

PULPO

Despite my adoration for minimalism in all of its various incarnations, I have been repeatedly disappointed by Mark Bittman's,ny times columnist, stab at streamlined recipes.

His recent attempt at "accessible" octopus was no exception. On the other hand the hours of preparation and search for large pulpo purveyors in ny (sea breeze has fresh octopus in stock) provided novel enjoyment and more then compensated for the lack of flavor.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/05/dining/05mini.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=pulpo&st=nyt&oref=slogin


There has been much speculation in cooking circles on the best means of tenderizing the notoriously tough octopus. Another article in the times last week dispelled some of the myths:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/05/dining/05curious.html?scp=1&sq=octopus&st=nyt

Bittman's recipe is remarkable, in that simply boiling the octopus in heavily salted water, provides sufficiently tender results. No cork or beating of octopus needed.

Unfortunately, the remnants of webbing on the octopus had a peculiar and slightly rancid taste. Next time I will definitely remove all webbing instead of simply cutting through it.
Second, the pulpo would have benefited from additional seasoning and perhaps a second cooking technique. I am envisioning marinating the boiled octopus in some garlic, lemon, olive oil and fleur de sol. Either serve as a cold salad or grill the octopus for a nice charred effect. Sprinkle either with the smoked pimentón.

.................................................

As requested by the birthday boy, red velvet cake with a white chocolate orange cream cheese frosting was served. Lastyear, the times recipe for red velvet cake proved to be dry and jarring. Felix's recipe with cayenne and cinnamon was quite god :

http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/105-02042008-1482270.html

Tacos Por Favor

Taco Por Favor's Chorizo and cheese is a solid nomination for best taco on the west side of LA. Al Pastor was mildly disappointing in comparison (and better can be found on some of the trucks...
but all the selections were damn tasty...








The Great Taco hunt has additional comments :
http://tacohunt.blogspot.com/2005/11/tacos-por-favor.html

Flushing Dim Sum

Flushing, the 'destination of choice' or at least as designated by the signs littering the periphery of the central strip mall, boasts the widest variety of dim sum options in the tri-state area. Enjoying a late and extended Chinese New Year celebration, the four of ordered close to 30 dishes at the “Ocean Jewel.”

As the restaurant’s title implies, the majority of offerings involved extremely fresh seafood. The excellent lightly pickled conch was delicately flavored and resisted only slightly when bit. The shrimp dumplings were lucid gems nestled comfortably in bamboo steamers and were devoured with equal enthusiasm as the rice paper wrapped chives and Chinese broccoli.

Chewing slowly on the gelatinous red bean block, my brother reminisced over the taro jelly’s he ate every morning for breakfast in shanghai. Despite already bulging stomachs, we gorged ourselves on the sesame and sweet meat buns for dessert while eyeing a cart holding a barrel of tofu to be served with sweet ginger sauce.

conch . : .... : : rice cooked in lotus leaf :... :.. :. shrimp in rice paper pancake

shrimp and vegetables in tofu skin :. . : :.. : dumplings :.. .. :: .. : fried wrapped vegetables

taro cake :. .: :::: .... chinese broccoli . .. :: .. :::.. .. .. .. .. chive dumplings

fish cooked in pepper : :::. .. .... . . .:: . sweet pork buns :... .:.. red bean jelly

Little Pepper

Once synonymous with outstanding Korean food, the Flushing area of Queens has flourished into a bustling section of little Hong Kong. Among the cute pastry shops, beauty parlors and tea houses lining Roosevelt Ave, a plethora of outstanding Sichuan restaurants are nestled into hidden underground nooks.

Rated among the top 10 Sichuan and Cantonese in New York, Little Pepper delivers with unique and pleasantly piquant dishes far superior to anything found on the isle on Manhattan.

Chow discussion of Little Pepper













spiced lamb, taro, pickled bamboo
braised beef, tofu, diced rabbit
(not pictured : enhanced pork, rice noodles with spiced beef, tea duck)

1.27.08 Ivo and Lulu

comments?


my boar and sage sausage with blueberry sauce was simple, but pretty exceptional for the price. the coconut flan was lovely...

Laughing Larva

Discovered by aaron :
http://laughingsquid.com/beautiful-larva-candy-hand-made-by-komatsuya-in-japan/

1.10.08 Vietnamese

following the example of my brother’s muscle building regiment, mary is aiming for 4000 calories a day. these two are lightweights. i accomplished this feat with a single glutinous meal at pho pasteur. the sweet cold green tea with mango and tapioca was a pre-meal dessert, my habitual favorite, bbq beef wrapped in lettuce, was consistently delicious and the menu pages recommendation of salt and pepper squid was surprisingly flavorful despite the heavy dose of fried fat. I love Vietnamese -- in moderation: my body is still suffering from that meal...

1.2.08 Di Fara

Di Fara

Difara :
Arguably the best pizza in New York is constructed (painfully) slowly by Di Fara's (in)famous owner Dom, who's notorious battles with the health officials are a constant source of headlines and establishment closings. The pizzas are exclusively designed by don who hand grates 3 types of mozzarella (all imported from his home town in italy), constantly adjusts pizzas in the oven for even browning and tops off the finished pies with a handful of Grana Padano and freshly cut basil.

The wait is long. The place is dirty. The pizza is SOAKED in olive oil.

But... it is worth the hype (or at least Brad and I were in agreement. Mary voiced apprehension over the Grana Padano)

http://newyork.citysearch.com/profile/7381047/

scroll down in posts for pictures (post #28):

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=35551&st=0&p=494782&#entry494782

http://slice.seriouseats.com/archives/2004/01/di_fara.html

http://nymag.com/listings/restaurant/difara_pizza/

A Russian New Years - Fat Bastard Style

When the temperatures start to plummet, all other cravings are supplanted with an insistent predilection for thick meaty borscht topped off with a generous dollop of sour cream. Combined with Abby's one-time characterization of my persona -

' people mistake Alyssa for sunny because she smiles a lot, but her veins are pure vodka'

- the theme for this year's Fat Bastard pre-party new year's eve dinner was clear: a Russian extravaganza. Of course visions of rich buckwheat blinis topped with decadent caviar -- like the New Years Eve parties of my youth -- also swayed the vote.

The nebulous plans for the evening soon began to take shape on December 30th when Aaron, Brandon and I picked Mary up from the airport and embarked on an epic journey (Mary’s words describing our musical selections) to Brighton Beach. After a mini -feast of perogies and cabbage salad, we purchased smoked fish, bread, cabbage and potato pastries, an assortment of pickles, perogies and of course an adequate selection of vodkas. There was collective laughter both that day and the following in my choice of honey pepper vodka. But fuck yall - it is damn tasty! During our brief stroll down the main street, Mary and I were further inspired by the furs and dresses in the shop windows.

New Years day: Aaron marinated mushrooms, cooked the perogies with caramelized onions and offered up his beautiful home. Mary purchased sequined bras to complete our Brighton Beach ensembles and composed a cucumber salad. Friends contributed desserts, cheeses, bread, potato pastries and sausages. I made blinis with sour cream/smoked fish, braised short rib borscht and a cabbage based vegetarian borscht. There was a collaborative effort poaching pears with- much to Aaron consternation -dried sour cherries.

After several proper vodka shots -- including taking a bite of a pickle and smelling white bread (i may very well be responsible for ocmpletely concoting this procedure, but i swear someone once told me this is the proper way to drink vodka) -- the personas of Demetri, Natasha and Olga were born...

Natasha and Demetri

Demetri's flawless performance unanimously charmed the guests. Later at Chris's party, Mary's 'elegant yet crass' gyrations and 'intentional' midnight kisses won the hearts of all the boys...

Olga

A brighton beach faceoff...





More photos of the evening : http://www.flickr.com/photos/48806506@N00/


S Novym Godom!