greetings from wonder city/the brindle room

i like lunching at the brindle room. i like it so much that after my first visit with my cousins, during that sleepy week between christmas and the start of the new year, i made a date for the very next day. special times.

i can report a few things: that the green salad with shaved beets (with stilton and lemon vinaigrette) was more vibrant and zesty than the roasted beets (too soft from overcooking, too wet with vinaigrette). that the marinated steak, had wonderful flavors but the cuts on my sandwich were too big and too gristly to digest (forcing an inelegant, but sly “napkin trick.” hopefully i pulled it off?). the three-herb chicken was tender–though even better reheated later in the evening (the servings are generous there).

the only thing “wrong” with the chicken, is that it’s not…a burger. the brindle serves a mean burger. buttery meat, melted cheese and caramelized onions. if you have any inclination toward beef, you must order it.

another must-have, if they are available at the time of your visit: the donuts.

a double comfort food, they are made with mashed potatoes…the cake is crisp on the outside, soft and sweet inside. are “donuts are the new cupcake”? i don’t know. one thing is sure: these will endure, beyond any trend.

***

the brindle has given me a new winter obsession: mulled wine.

why do my winter nights not have more of this stuff?

the donuts (they’re like a dream)

chocolate-hazelnut w/ almonds donut

powdered sugar donut

caramel donut

***
the brindle room is at 277 east 10th street, between first and avenue a.

wonder city — their breakfast “alter ego” opens mon-friday at 9am; sat & sun at 11am.

reservations through their site /open table.

(let’s meet for dinner…)

***

all photos © anita aguilar

dirt candy: vegetable love

in the past, i couldn’t really say that the idea of going to a vegetarian restaurant had me doing jumping jacks in my apartment to contain my excitement. typically, i wouldn’t seek out a vegetarian restaurant over the ever-growing list of restaurant i want to try, but dirt candy won me over. the menu items sounded so appealing, so different and quite different than the vegetarian meals i would have ever thought to make for myself.

we left the restaurant happily filled, after eating more than our fair share of jalenpeno hush puppies and fried cauliflower (and more), and surprisingly, the meal felt indulgent. as we left the tiny, tiny restaurant, i couldn’t help but look at all of the equally happily filled diners, gleaming with excitement over legitimately decadent things like “carrot buns.”

starter: jalenpeno hush puppies  (puffy, fried balls of hush puppy goodness, with chopped jalepenos and the lightest maple butter)

two appetizers:

carrot: steamed barbecue carrot buns, cucumber & sesame ginger salad (my personal favorite of the night. these buns were so doughy, and the vegetable filling was so tender and flavorful)

and

squash: butternut squash broth, squash dumplings, delicata coconut cream (really light and definitely not too sweet)

our entree, cauliflower: buttermilk battered cauliflower, waffles, horseradish, wild arugula (anything fried with a dipping sauce, sign me up!)

our dessert: popcorn pudding with salted caramel corn. i’m not quite sure the pudding tasted like popcorn, but i loved it anyway.

vegetarian or not, dirt candy is definitely worth a visit. warning: you may end up craving carrot buns!

dirt candy: east 9th st., between ave. a and 1st ave.

porsena: carry me home

i don’t have an italian grandmother (which always sounded really fun to me, beacuse then i would get to eat some of the ravioli, pasta and lasagna grandkids of the always-cherished italian grandmothers rave about), but if i did, i imagine her food would be something like the food i ate at porsena. opened not too long ago by chef sara jenkins of porchetta, this intimate (but very sparsely decorated) italian restaurant features amazing traditional italian dishes with personal touches on each one. meals like this make you want to finish your plate (which we did), even though you’re probably incredibly stuffed and ready to be carried home.

***************************

we began our meal with the mussels ($9) and the green bean salad ($9). the mussels slept in a delicate broth of saffron, white wine and butter, which we sopped up greedily with the garlic toasts served alongside them. the excellent green bean salad was creatively integrated with fennel, celery, toasted almonds and pickled red onions. this dish (the lightest dish we ate all night) was a surprising star. the dressing

cannolichie con una marea di formaggi ($17), which means pasta with many cheeses. i really loved the type of pasta used in this dish. it was not too thick, round and curly, but different and more hearty then the fusilli i’m used to. the sauce was slightly thin for my taste, and although i loved the flavor of the sauce initially, it become a little overwhelmed by the blue cheese toward the end.

the lasanga al forno ($18) was absolutely, no questions asked, fantastic. extremely thin layers of pasta were rolled out and placed between layers of meat ragu and bechamel sauce, topped with cheese, and baked in a terra cotta dish in the oven. crispy, bubbly, saucy, creamy – this dish had it all.

we ended the night with a walk home. even though it was freezing cold, i needed to walk off some of that pasta. but by lunchtime the next day, i would be lying if i said i wasn’t craving it again.

*******************************

porsena: 21 E 7th St, new york 10003 (between 2nd and 3rd ave), phone: (212) 228-4923

way out…west? octavia’s porch

whenever i think of ethnic food, i imagine dishes that are earthy and intense, with distinctive flavors that by sight and smell and taste remind someone, somewhere abroad, of “home.” when i think of korean, indian, filipino, japanese, italian, i can think of 1, 2, 3 flavors at least that mark the meal as a sensory experience, and it doesn’t have to be pleasing to everyone (kimchi is my kryptonite). perhaps it is an affinity for most strange or stinky or the most intolerably fishy or salty thing that separates the natives from the rest?

so, i went to octavia’s porch, a restaurant that celebrates global jewish cuisine–as they describe it, encompassing eastern europe, south africa, morocco, spain, portugal, italy– with some expectations: a punch of lemon, rich and thick tahini and beans, nut and olive and dried fruit accents, and dill. i expected smoky preparations and pickled sides. but i suppose more than anything, i expected the fare to be good and hearty. the culture references were wide, and the thoughtful menu presented one deliciously hard choice after another.

but as much as i enjoyed the selections my friend rachel and i made during our first visit, the modern, fresh, but lightly flavored fare reminded me of only one place: california.

***

“a schmear” – white bean, lemon and chive dip, with an assortment of homemade breads.

i love white bean dip, but think it needs one dominant flavor added to it, to bring it to life. my sister makes a family favorite that’s heavy on garlic and rosemary. this one could have used more lemon, more chive –and maybe a dollop or two of tahini to give it a richer note. and a bit of sea salt.

duck and sweet potato hash: i had high hopes for this one, because it’s rarely a bad combination. the problem here is that it’s not a hash. these finely prepared components were mixed, but not married. and they were barely salted.

red quinoa salad green beans, pumpkin seeds and citrus: this is perfect. a must have,  again and again.

here you have nutty grains, crunchy green beans,  juicy fruit, mingling with a perky reduction–i think balsamic.

salmon & scrambled eggs on rye with lime creme fraiche, cinnamon-honey roasted tomatoes.

call this one the beauty queen: pretty, stacked…not much else…

here’s where we realize a pattern: as with the other dishes, there is imagination and hints of technique here, but a really weak instinct for seasoning. the salmon is gently poached,  but the skin wasn’t crisp or salty;  the eggs tender, but also wan. i was principally sold on this dish for the cinnamon-honey roasted tomatoes, but i think i missed the sweet spices entirely? the creme fraiche was plain wrong:  it was too limey, too sweet (it reminded me of cheesecake) and too thick to spread. what was i supposed to spread this on anyway? the rye toast was to delicate and dry to handle it. this assemblage badly needs something to unify it, to make all these elements become one dish.

but: there is a big finish, in the form of banana challah bread pudding. it is beautifully realized. the slices of fresh banana that live inside this loaf, and are caramelized on top, give a clean flavor.  i prefer this to other banana bread puddings made out of, well, banana bread. the fresh fruit does the work of amping all the flavors here. in the pudding itself there is lightness–and it’s a surprise here, too. but it’s a right one. love the slivers of fresh mint, too.

i feel a little bad writing some of this now– i had a lovely time with rachel and we cooed about the meal as it was happening, talked enthusiastically about coming back… only in retrospect did i realize what was missing, for me. sure, the dishes we had lacked the strength and depth to “transport,” but there are still good things at octavia’s porch. and with so many other intriguing dishes on the menu, i still think it’s worth booking a return.

***

octavia’s porch is at 40 avenue b, new york 10009 (bet 3rd & 4th st)

lil room, lots of time, lil frankie’s

the goal was to find a spot where 6 or 7 (somewhat finicky) eaters could enjoy a reasonably priced, unpretentious meal, while we debate (trash talk) our oscar pool selections.

lil’ frankie’s on 1st and 1st fit the bill. their $15.95 prix fixe menu, includes a cocktail and coffee/tea/juice and a fairly extensive list of  sandwiches (basics like grilled cheese, a blt, or a bacon-egg-cheese, with italiante flourishes, like fontina cheese and cibatta bread),  salads (pear and gorgonzola–very tempting), eggs (baked or fried or poached or “omeletted”)  and for those with a more dominant sweet tooth: pancakes and french toast and tartines with peanut butter and jelly and banana or…nutella and strawberries.

i was in the mood for lil’ meatballs, so it was an easy choice for me (though i did spend the two days prior thinking about it. because that’s just what i like to do. menu gaze…).

lil’ frankie’s is actually spacious, but our table for 6 was way too cozy. an attentive waitstaff would have noticed and would have at least asked if the setup was suitable, especially since there was no one else in the place and it didn’t seem it would take much to seat us elsewhere, or bring over another table for two. my dining companions didn’t seem to mind the inconvenience enough to complain, but it was not a good way to start things off.

the service was, objectively, slow to arrive, but it was balanced out by the amount of time they allowed us to linger over our meal. so i would call it a “draw.”

polpettine and eggs: the meatballs are the cutest i’ve ever seen. it’s like they’re made with elfin magic.

the gravy/sauce had nicely balanced acidity and a kiss of sweetness.

the simple description of this dish inspired dreams: i imagined, with a prick of the fork, the  yolk of gently baked eggs spreading like lava all over the ragu, and my emergency crew (that nice piece of cibatta) could get to the work of cleaning it all up. sadly, the eggs were overdone.

but it wasn’t enough to dissuade me from another visit, and my friends and i departed thinking we’d found for our “oscar club” il ristorante perfetto.

“vederla l’anno prossimo…”

***

lil’ frankie’s, at 19 first avenue, is a cash only establishment.

have a look at their menus, which are updated with daily specials. i’ve enjoyed their pasta, but i’ve not yet had their neapolitan pies, so if you go (or have been) feel free to send along your thoughts or recommendations….

ippudo

it’s taken me over a year to visit ippudo, because every single time i try to go, the wait is over two hours long! finally, one of my friends (thank you, sami) decided to run in, put our names in, and head next door for a drink while we waited the standard two hours. under most circumstances, i would be so annoyed about the long wait that i wouldn’t even be able to enjoy the food, but when it came to ippudo, i will say….it was worth it.

our hungry selves practically ran to our table in the back of the larger than expected, jam packed, minimally decorated restaurant.  we started with three appetizers: the shishito (deep-fried japanese peppers with yuzu salt), yamitsuki goma kyuri (cucumber mixed with sesame oil dressing) and one of the nightly appetizer specials, pork and mushrooms with lime jelly. all were delicious, but the cucumber and sesame oil dressing was, by far, my favorite. it was so clean and refreshing, and the toasted sesame topping and the dipping sauce that accompanied the dish were both packed with so much flavor and texture. i also must note how absolutely amazing the mushrooms in the pork dish were – they were some of the best, most memorablel mushrooms i’ve tasted.

our entrees: the ramen noodles. they.were.the.best.i’ve.ever.had.

i ordered the miso ramen, which was soy bean paste flavored ramen noodles in tonkotsu soup with pork belly chashu, cabbage, spinach, manma, ginger & scallions. not spicy at all, and a slightly sweet, perfect, delicate broth.

the karaka miso ramen, which was quite spicier than the rest, but not at all overpowering.

and finally, the shoyu ramen, which is soy flavored ramen noodle soup in a chicken and tonkotsu soup with pork loin chashu, menma, spinach, narto, nori & scallions.  the broth was so rich and full, yet the soup did not seem at all greasy or heavy.

ippudo is located at 65 4th ave, between 9th and 10th st.

phone: (212) 388-0088 (totally worth calling before you go. they’ll tell you the wait time.)

peels: breakfast

who wouldn’t want to kick the day off with some breakfast treats from peels? how about some sticky cinnamon pecan buns, egg and cheddar on a biscuit or a butternut squash savory scone? and guess what! they carry stumptown coffee, too!

on a breezy fall morning (early, i might add), we planned on visiting peels (the new fried chicken/biscuits/pies spot from the freeman’s crew) for brunch, but the crowds had already jam packed the lobby, so we decided to pick up a few things to go. the biscuit with egg and cheddar was superb; the biscuit itself was buttery, flaky and baked to perfect done-ness, while the scone was a little dry.

the sticky cinnamon pecan bun was absolutely divine, and although very cinnamony sweet, not too sugary. the pecans were glazed in a cinnamon sugar syrup that formed on top of the buns when baked, and they were still warm when i tasted them. my dad tried the 3-cream pie (banana, chocolate and coconut cream pie all in one, with a very crisp, buttery crust on the bottom and a mound of whipped cream on top) and it was one of the best pies i have ever tasted! it was gone too quickly to take a picture. i am not exaggerating.

i cannot wait to try the dinner menu at peels. and hopefully take home some cinnamon buns for the morning.

peels: 325 bowery (corner of 2nd st.), new york, ny

paul’s da burger joint

paul’s “da burger” joint was into burgers before they were cool. since 1989, paul’s has had its cozy, family run, no frills burger joint near st. marks place in the east village, and there is no sign of slowing down.

the burgers here at paul’s are thick and juicy, with 1/2 lb. of beef (or turkey) grilled and placed on a classic sesame seed bun. we ordered the cheeseburger deluxe, which comes with fries and a drink – a mere bargain at $7.90 ($4.90 without the combo)! the burgers are not quite my favorite, although they did satisfy the craving. (the grease-soaked bun and overload of toppings sort of made me  panic when more grease and tomatoes were landing on my lap than in my mouth, but richard saw the fatty drippings and extra goodies on top as a major perk.) the cheeseburger was topped with a simple slice of american cheese, shredded iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, pickles and caramelized onions. there is, of course the option to add tons of other toppings (mushrooms, various cheeses, a fried egg), or order something other than a burger (chicken sandwich, tuna salad, an omelette), but we stuck to the basics. i will, however, note that the fries were the flat, uncrispy diner fries that i’m not crazy about, so next time i might opt for the sweet potato or shoestring fries instead.

all in all, i like paul’s. i love the simple, unpretentious, red-checkered tablecloth and basic approach that paul’s takes to its burger place. it’s much unchanged since its opening, and that’s a good thing. it hits the spot, fills you up, and you’re in and out pretty quickly..and sometimes, that’s exactly what you need.

paul’s da burger joint: 131 2nd ave. between 7th st. and st. mark’s place

caracas arepa bar (revisited) and ob-la-di, ob-le-a

last night marked, if not a fully triumphant then a certainly satisfying, return to caracas arepa bar.

by the time i met up with my friend, zovig, at around 6:30, it wasn’t searingly hot, but the humidity had not abated. i almost declined a cocktail because i couldn’t bear anything heavy. but at the last minute i opted for the the “michelada,” a beer cocktail (which is apparently a new trend).

caracas makes a spicy panela–essentially sugar cane juice that is boiled, evaporated and made into a hard disc or “cake.” they break off and crush about a tablespoon or two into a beer glass that’s lined with coarse salt. they give you a lemon slice and a bottle of beer. you pour. you enjoy. it’s a less aggressive tequila shot and  sort of perfect for summer (especially a summer monday) when the clime mandates something cold, fizzy. i had thought it should be sweeter, but the salt and spice keep it lively. it’s a good accompaniment for the weighty fare.

for our appetizer: yoyos. this might be the only truly wrong thing about the evening, from my perspective.
on the menu, yoyos are described as “fried sweet plantain balls, stuffed with white cheese.”
seems pretty straightforward, yes?

but yoyos are really fried plantain sliders: sweet brown bread, split, served with thin slices of sweet plantain and a bit of white cheese. and a sweet syrup on the side. it’s gooey, but disappointingly one-dimensional. actually, make that two-dimensional: sweet and heavy. no-no on the yoyos.

as to the arepa: i ordered la sureña – grilled chicken and chorizo, with avocado slices and “the classic and always enigmatic spicy chimi-churri sauce.” (i LOVE caracas and their menu, but they crack me up. i think “enigmatic” is not the word they’re looking for here, because there is nothing mysterious about the sauce. theirs is GARLIC GARLIC GARLIC.)

essentially, la sureña is a chicken club with avocado–to me, an irresistible combination of “good” and “bad” meats and fats. but part of what makes a good sandwich is the architecture– isn’t just the ingredients, it’s in the building and the balance of them. in this case, an excellent arepa is overstuffed (not a bad quality!) but the layers are lined up so you encounter the components singly: a bite of chorizo, another bite of (dry) chicken, chimi-churri on the left, avocado on the bottom. and maybe it was just the case last night, but my arepa needed liberal dousings of salt and/or mango sauce.

but then there is dessert.

there is a filipino treat called “turrones de casoy” — a wonderful cashew nougat that is wrapped in white rice paper. when i was a kid, we referred to it as “the stuff in the communion wrapper.” it seems most people still refer to it that way. the wrapper is bland vehicle for the sweet candy, but it keeps them from sticking together. (and it’s a fun novelty when you’re young.)  but the white rice paper that is used for turrones de casoy, and other spanish and italian sweets or nougats, has nothing on the obleas wafer. it really has a very similar texture and stiffness to the communion wafer.

i did a little research last night. the white rice paper is made from potato starch, water, vegetable oil; an oblea recipe will call for flour, water, milk and sugar. sounds like it should have some flavor,  but it’s less sweet and cookie-like than say, a pizzelle. it’s not unlike those thin wafer cookies, layered with creme (i actually like those–why can’t i rememeber any brand names?).

caracas’ oblea is as big and round as my face. that, my friends, is big and round. when our server handed it over (not on a plate, but in plain white paper),  it really did feel like…sunday morning. except that it was a sandwich. the thin layer of  delicious dulce de leche filling is actually too modest to be “sinfully” good, but it is a nice, proper way to end the meal.

and: thank you to zovig for the hand modeling.

all photos © anita aguilar

luke’s lobster

i didn’t grow up on the maine coast, a new england fishing town, or anywhere that would even make me nostalgic for seafood, but i think of lobster rolls and i melt. they are one of the only dishes that, no matter the circumstances, will take me feel like life is good.

luke’s lobster popped up a couple months ago on east 7th st. in the east village, and created quite the fuss, as it seems to be one of the only spots in new york that serves lobster rolls for under $20. the place is small, very small, with only a few bar stools and small high tables and kitschy fishing/boat/seafood props on the walls.

we ordered the seafood schooner, which consisted of one lobster roll, miss vickys chips and a birch beer for $16. the lobster roll was definitely solid. toasted, buttered bun with a very decent portion of fresh maine lobster (no mayo) with some hot butter and seasoning on top. not the best i’ve ever had, but a steal at the price.

we also ordered a crab roll ($9) and the clam chowder ($7.50). both of these were not quite as memorable. the crab roll paled in comparison to the lobster roll, and the clam chowder was decent, but luke-warm (no pun intented) and a little too thick to be enjoyable. all in all, luke’s lobster is a fantastic spot for a little (and affordable) piece of maine in this big city.