JamieEats

Greasy Goodness

Dreesen's Donuts have been an institution on Newtown Lane in East Hampton for like forever. Dreesen's was a deli that made a fried, brown sugar, cinamon cake donut in their window every morning and I would run there every summer for my fix. Several years ago the deli closed. A victim of the real estate boom in East Hampton and my fix was gone. Since then the owner of Dreesen's has gone into franchising the machine and recipe BUT the original machine is in the window of SCOOP DU JOUR ice cream shop making donuts every day.
I got there a little late this year because I usually like to get them hot and right out of the machine. (They are fried) There were not hot but they still were fine. If you are in East Hampton check them out.

Scoop du Jour

 (631) 329-4883 
35 Newtown Ln
East Hampton, NY 11937

Finally! Great Thai in Manhattan.

Super Thai restaurants are very rare in Manhattan. True aficionados know that Queens is now the go to borough for Thai. Not any more. Zabb Elee is here in the East Village.
Down a few steps and you walk into a clean, bright, airy space with a limited number of tables. The waitresses were lovely and the prices very reasonable. The average dish is $9. We started with Som Tum which is papaya salad. The particular one we ordered was thai papaya salad with dried shrimp and peanuts. The menu is divided up into a group of dishes
with a common base. There are 8 types of Yom Tum with various ingredients on the basic papaya salad. If you never had it, Thai Papaya salad, when made well, is a dichotomy of heat from chili and cool from the fruit. The next section we tried was the larb. There is a choice of 8 types of larb which is minced meat salad. The meat is combined with scallion, mint, red onions, chili powder, with a lime dressing.
We had duck. Hmmmmmm.  Next we had Kana Moo Korb. Crispy pork with chinese brocoli. It was great. Frankly, I think this is one of those places that you have to do a some exploration of the menu. The food is from northan Thailand near Laos and there is no Pad Thai here. Also, there is a fair amount of heat. If you can't take it they will gladly turn it down for you. Just ask.
I will be back.

Zabb Elee

75 2nd Ave (between E 5th and 6th Sts)
Mon - Sun 11:30 am - 1 am
212 505 9533

I'm Soooooo Sorry!

Sorry guys I've been eating and not blogging. Too busy with about 3 new jobs. Anyway I'm back in action. I think I'll talk ribs today. Surprise! It's meat too. But we went for a tour and meat was on the menu. This time we tried Dinosaur Bar B Que which has been on my radar for quite some time.

Dinosaur is a huge warehouse sized place off the West Side Highway on 125thnd Street. The wood for the smoking is kept outside and you can smell the smoker as you approach. We went on a sunny Sunday afternoon at 2:30 and the wait was 45 minutes for a table. Since we were trying to do a quick eat and run we grabbed a seat by the bar at the small elevated tables. No waiting there. We ordered a full rack of the obligatory ribs with 2 sides consisting of mac n cheese and baked beans. There was some coveted dining outside but I can't imagine what the wait was for them.
The ribs arrived after about 20 minutes and if you can eat with your eyes, take a look!

 
The ribs were dry rubbed and smoked long enough that the meat was falling off the bone tender. The taste? Excellent. Probably the best smoked ribs I have ever tasted. (That may not say much since I am far from a pro in this area but I know stuff that taste good when I eat it)

 Bar-b-que sauce is available but I am a purist when it comes to my ribs and I enjoy the smokey flavor without the sauce. The sides of mac n cheese and beans were good but not

great. The mac n cheese was the most interesting as it was dry not creamy and spicey. It had a good kick to it. I have new material to put out there and I will be putting it out there the next few weeks. Enjoy!

DINOSAUR BAR-B-QUE
700 W. 125th St.

 

Eating Meat

My son is 16. To him it is all about the meat. When he is needing a fix we go to Big Wong in Chinatown on Mott Street. Big Wong is the epitome of Chinese roasted duck, pork, and ribs. If you are man/woman enough to love juicy fatty meat then this is the place for you. Among those who make a study of this Big Wong is well known for their ribs. They are nothing like the usual take out fair the average Chinese takeout dishes out. No red dye here. Just slow roasted tasty goodness.
The ribs are very good but I usually order the trio of roasted duck, roasted pork, and ribs. I can't decide what I like the most. The roasted pork is really good.

 
No extra sauce needed. Don't forget the duck which is roasted, meaty, and fatty all at the same time.

 
By now, your arteries should be sufficiently coated inside and out but it sure was good going down. Naturally, I cannot do this place too often but once in a while it hits the spot! By the way, you have to get here by 8pm. I have been there when they were sold out of ribs and duck. They bang the doors shut at 9pm.

Big Wong

67 Mott St
(between Bayard St & Canal St)
New York, NY 10013
Neighborhood: Chinatown

(212) 964-0540

Rice, Rice, Rice

 
It's still raining out and cold. We left Food Sing 88 and walked around the corner to A-Wah known for their Bo Zai Fan rice pot. This is a clay pot rice casserole with various toppings. I was attracted because of the comparison to Korean bim bam bop which I love. For rice lovers, the rice close to the pan or pot gets hard and crunchy and mixed in with the various add ins makes it especially good. It's hard to describe unless you've had it.
We ordered three varieties to try. Below is the House Special Chinese Sausage & Mixed Pork .
We also had the chicken and mushrooms. Notice the scallions as well.

While this was an interesting foray it was not a keeper. I still prefer the comfort of Korean Bim Bam Bop.

A-Wah

5 Catherine St
New York, NY 10038

 

I ate in Cuba today!

The sun was shining. It was a beautiful day and welcome after the long string of dreary, cloudy, rainy ones I had experienced recently. I welcomed the warmth of the rays beating down on me as I peeled off the layers I became accustomed to wearing. Spring was in the air. The air smells fresher in the Spring and the birds louder. All my senses were atuned to that first warm day. I watched the thermometer rise out of the 60's, the 70's, and into the 80's as I approached my destination. There it was! A small, roadside stand right next to the train station with 2 Plastic tables for eating outside and 4 counter seats inside . I pulled the car over and walked in. The combination of the blast of aromas from the food and heat from the stove hit me like a brick wall. I recovered quickly and examined the short concise Cuban menu in Spanish and English. The woman at the counter spoke no English but when it comes to food I can converse in any tongue. Besides, nothing on the menu was over $5.99 so what did I have to lose?

The menu was conveniently broken down into daily specials and I ordered Picadillo, a roast pork Cuban pressed sandwich, yellow rice, black beans, a chicken empanada, Fried Yuca with Mojito (a garlic dipping sauce), and a cinnamon pudding (I forget the name).I started with the Empanada.

 

The empanada was delicious but it would have benefited from a bit more stuffing. Everything here is made by hand and the care shows in the flavor. Next on the roster was the Cuban sandwich with pork.

  Every good sandwich starts with the bread. The roll was fresh and crisped perfectly. My first bite created a crunch in just the right octave. The meat, cheese, pickle all combined to form a habit worse than crack. I kept coming back for more and more. The 2nd best part next eating it was the price. $5.00 Picadillo, rice and beans, and the fried yuca with the mojito was my next course.

 















I dipped the yuca in the mojito, poured the black beans on the rice, and ate away. The food was just good home cooked food worthy of any cuban restaurant I have eaten in for twice the price. Tony, the owner, came in and we chatted about all the good publicity he has deservedly been getting. I found Tony's place, El Caney, on Jason Perlow's blog Off the Broiler. The trip was worth it. To top off the meal I had a sweet pudding topped with cinnamon that was perfect. All I needed now was a beach and a palm tree to sack out under.

El Caney LLC
48 West Church Street
Bergenfield, NJ 07621

Good dogs are hard to find

 Among the food coniscenti Crif Dogs is a well known stop in the East Village. Their dogs are a beef and pork combo but it does not end there. My usual haunt for a super dog is Rutt's Hut in Rutherford. The secret there is a custom made frank deep fried so it "rips" open, hence the name ripper. The dogs at Crif Dogs are also deep fried but first they wrap a slice of bacon around it. We chose the Spicy Redneck. A combo of dog, bacon, chili, jalapenos, and cole slaw. They have many interesting and potentially yummy choices and I will definitely be back to try them all. The inside is decorated in an eclectic manner but it is small and there is plenty to look at while waiting for your order.
After a short wait the crucial moment arrived. Since this was the first stop on a food tour we had to share a dog to leave room for the other stops. Very unfortunate. I could have easily stuffed my face here.  This is not a neat eat. However, if good ingredients thrown together make for good food, then we are on the same page. This thing rocked and will be on my future tour. There is one more tidbit I have to reveal. Next store to Crif Dog is the bar PDT (Please Don't Tell) You cannot get in without a reservation and you enter through Crif Dog. If you want to lay out some cash for a curated cocktail with your dog then go for it. It would be a great night.

Crif Dogs 113 St. Marks Pl., New York, NY 10009
nr. Ave. A    212-614-2728

 

Gnocco, not Gnocchi

Last night we hit it out of the park. We ate in 4 places. There were 4 of us out to dinner. At the end of the evening, we all could not agree on the best "taste" and each person chose a different place. That is what I call a food tour success. We had no misses. Our second stop was a restaurant called Gnocco. Gnocco is a relatively common dish in Italy but not so here. You have to seek it out. It is fried bread, almost a cracker, served with some sort of accompaniment. At Gnocco, it is served with a plate of cured Italian meats like salami and proscuitto.
You lay the meat on the gnocco and go to town. The combination was terrific and definitely something I would come back for.

    We also tried the burrata. Burrata is a fresh cheese, made from mozzarella and cream. The outer shell is solid mozzarella while the inside contains both mozzarella and cream, giving it an unusual, soft texture. It is usually served fresh, at room temperature. The name "burrata" means "buttered" in Italian. The cheese was served with excellent bread, cherry tomatoes, and oil, vinegar, basil, and pepper. This dish was delicious as well and we could have consumed twice the portions but we had to excercise restraint given our mission for the evening.
The restaurant is dark and cozy. Our Italian bartender, Tommy, was particulary friendly and talkative. Definitely worth a stop when you want to try something new.

Gnocco Cucina & Tradizione

 

 

337 E. 10th St., New York, NY 10009 
nr. Ave. B  work 212-677-1913

When worlds collide!

The worlds colliding in my title are culinary worlds. Not many people could leave Osteria Morini and walk over to Sau Voi because I read a random comment that said they had kick ass Meatball Banh Mi. Alas, that is now one of my chosen professions. With the rich mushroom flavor still in my mouth I ordered the Ban Mi from one of the Vietnamese ladies behind the counter. This was going to be more like home cooking. Or hot plate cooking since no stove was in sight. Obviously, these girls were top of their class at Cordon Bleu.
The Ban Mi was handed over and I have to say it looked scrumpcious. Fresh ingredients with a dollop of hot sauce for $4. As you can see the sandwich had meatballs, roast pork, carrots, cucumbers, and parsley. I detected some cilantro as well. This was a very good sandwich and worth running in when I am in Chinatown and in a rush.
Sau Voi

101 Lafayette St
(between Walker St & White St)
New York, NY 10013
Neighborhood: Chinatown

(212) 226-8184

 

Battle of the Blogs!

No one is more pasta blog obsessed than my daughter. You see right now she is in Florence stuffing her face on all manner of delicious Italian goodies. You can get a look see if you check out Burrnt Toast on the lower right hand of this web page. As you know, I am looking for the most scrumptous dishes throughout NY. Therefore, I have had the seafood salad from Osteria Morini on my radar for quite some time. I have not attempted it however because the restaurant is white hot right now and I did not want to fight the crowds. The occasion to get over there came Wednesday, March 2nd when I hopped a subway there about 2pm and figured I would eat at the bar and enjoy myself. Alas, the seafood salad was not to be. It was sold out! Darn, now I have to go back. Not one to waste a trip (and the beer I had already started) I ordered the pasta with mushroom sauce as a substitute.

    Osteria Morini is the sibling of Marea, a Michael White restaurant. It is less stuffy, more casual, and less expensive (but not cheap). After all, lunch cost me $27 plus tip for pasta and beer.

 As you can see the restaurant has homey charm and is quite inviting. I imagine it is also loud when it is crowded. The pasta came in about 20 minutes and the picture says it all. If that does not get your juices going I do not know what will.
The pasta was homemade and cooked to the perfect state of chewiness I need in my egg noodles. The sauce was a butter based sauce with wild mushrooms and carrots. I always maintain that the best food is made from simple ingredients that are incredibly fresh and high quality. This dish fit the bill well. The only drawback was it went directly to my waistline. If you are near Lafayette and Kenmare try the seafood salad and let me know. I'm sure you will not go wrong with anything else.

 

Osteria Morini

 

218 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 
nr. Kenmare St.  
212-965-8777