Where I've Been and What I've Been Eating

Spicy & Tasty

I know I've been a bad blogger lately, but for good reason: I've been eating my way across New York City. Although this is not a restaurant blog, I thought I'd share some highlights of what we ate.

Sala 19: I began with an unusual aperatif-- Fino, a very dry Spanish sherry. It was good. Then I drank some pretty tasty sangria. We had some incredibly tender grilled calamari-- large tubes seared with smoky grill marks and tossed with garlic and hot pepper-- and then a toast with lomo (marinated pork that tasted like beef) and melted gruyere and piquillo peppers. And you can't do Spanish tapas without gambas-- a dish of small shrimp swimming in garlic, olive oil, and chilies (perfect for bread dipping). Dessert was fried goat cheese in honey. Mmm....

The next day, we had a picnic in Central Park with H&H bagels, scallion cream cheese, and three kinds of smoked fish from Russ & Daughters: sable, pastrami salmon, and double-smoked salmon. They were all delicious but the sable was my favorite: buttery, lightly smoked, and delicately flavored. I wish we could get it here.

That night we ventured out to Flushing to Spicy & Tasty, where I had some of the best Szechwan food ever. We ate so much I can't list it here, but the Dan Dan noodles and the twice-cooked pork belly were definite highlights.

The next day we had lunch at Il Mulino. This was one of the best meals of my life. As soon as we walked in, we were showered with food: a basket of bread and incredible olive-oil fried bread-cracker-things; thin disks of fried zucchini; salami; incredible bruschetta with mussels; garlic bread; and maybe something else I'm forgetting. When it was time to order, we listened to the specials from one of six waiters hovering (I actually think they over-hovered, but it was pretty fantastic service). The list of specials was longer than the menu itself, and we ended up ordering three, to share. We began with langoustines in white wine butter and spring pea risotto; then porcini-stuffed ravioli in a truffle champagne cream sauce (that was SO good); then osso bucco with saffron risotto. We drank a half bottle of Pinot Grigio for the first two courses and a half bottle of Chianti for the last. I don't think there is anything I can add to express how incredible this meal was. Needless to say, we did not have dinner that night.

The next day we had pastrami sandwiches at Katz's, with half-sour pickles and pickled tomatoes, and a vanilla egg cream. The pastrami was fatty and hot and delicious. The egg cream was far too sweet.

That night we ate at Balthazar. With my appetizer-- chicken liver and foie gras mousse-- I drank a Cotes du Rhone, La Grange de Piaugier ‘05, which was surprisingly good (at only $34). With my main course, bacon-wrapped monkfish (and bites of J's confit, which I've had before and love), I drank a St Joseph, Offerus JL Chave ‘05, which was quite incredible.

The next day we went to Coney Island and rode the Cyclone, twice. Then we went to the original Nathan's and I had raw little neck clams and a hot dog with sauteed onions. Be sure to try their lemonade, if you go. It's surprisingly good.

That night our friends Ben & Suzanne took us to an Egyptian neighborhood in Queens where the air smelled like nargilah (hookah). We ate at Ali's Kebab Cafe and had great seats in the tiny place, right next to Ali and his kitchen. We started with a platter of hummus, babaganoush, foul (fava bean puree), and some of the best falafel I've had in this country. We also had a few cold salads and a lamb cheek & egg dish that was delicious. Then, at my nostalgic request, Ali went to his brother's restaurant next door and got me a bowl of Molokheya, a soup made of a mysterious leafy green herb that I used to love as a child and is impossible to find here. According to Wikipedia, the English term is "corchorus." I also learned that Sizzler in Japan is selling Molokhiya cookies. Weird. Perched in the center of the soup was a half leg of lamb that we picked at as we ate the soup. We also got a whole fish, a stuffed lamb breast, goat chops (those were SO good), and perhaps something else I'm forgetting? It was a lot of delicious food. I found some fresh carob at a market next door and had that for dessert.

The next night we went to Blue Ribbon Brasserie, which may have the most varied menu I've seen outside of the Cheesecake Factory. We split the Pu Pu Platter-- some things were very good (the riblets) and some weren't (the shrimp). Then I had the special, sauteed soft shell crab, which was fantastic, and a nice change from its classic deep-fried state-- the fresh crab really shone through.

Just some highlights... I will be back to blogging home cooking soon, at least until July, when I leave again.

Oliveto's Whole Hog Dinner, 2008

This post has absolutely nothing to do with my cooking (though this meal will be an inspiration for next month's Winter Feast). It also has no pictures. But read on anyway if you like pig.

Every year Oliveto's hosts a "whole hog dinner" in which the entire meal features pig parts in various forms-- potted, braised, stuffed, fried, etc. Last night, our intrepid Team Pig (Jesse, Katie, Ridwan, Gabe, Angela, and I) ventured out into bougie Rockridge to begin our attack.

After a half-hour wait, we were treated to two comped appetizers-- paper-thin slices of pickled pig ear terrine and an incredibly flavorful kidney salad. The chef also sent a dish of lardo-- essentially lard with salt and herbs. We actually took it home, though I doubt I can face it again. Then we split the potted & formed pork-- the stars were the mortadella, the ciccioli (like rillettes), and-- by far the winner-- the liver pate.

We also split the zampone braised in saba, a whole pig's trotter (about the size of my forearm), "glove-boned" (deboned) and then stuffed with sausage, so that the trotter skin, which was delicious, acts as the sausage casing. The whole thing is then braised in saba, a wine reduction, and served with surprisingly tasty lentil puree. This was so, so good.

Then the individual appetizers (which we pretty much all shared anyway). I had the fried pig's trotter and brains-- the trotter was very good but the brains were delicious and had a soft brainy texture that made me very excited for the fried brains we will make for our Winter Feast. There were also two tongue salads-- tender and absolutely delicious with our wine (we started with a Pinot Noir and then had a 2005 Crozes Hermitage). There were two fantastically rich soups-- velloutatas of roasted butternut squash with fried pancetta, proscuitto and cracklings (possibly the meatiest soup I've ever had). And finally, Ridwan did what we were all too timid to do, and had the blood pudding. I have to say, it was one of my favorite dishes of the entire night. I expected a gelatinous minerally blob-- instead it resembled a mound of flavorful, moist pulled pork. Mmmmm.

On to the main courses: There were two Tofejas-- to quote from the menu, a "Piedmontese Peasant-Style Braise of Pork Shoulder, Little cotechino Sausages, Wild Boar Spare Ribs, and Pork Skin rollattini with ‘borlotti’ Beans". These platters were pretty much a medieval feast in and of themselves. There was also tiny spinach-stuffed gnocchi with tiny pork meatballs-- by far the best gnocchi I have ever had. And a pappardelle di sangue with pork heart and wild mushroom ragu-- firm, chewy bites of heart and mushroom in a thin, rich sauce that covered the dark pasta. And, finally, the spit-roasted pork belly-- I agonized over whether to order this, but am so glad I did. It was unlike any pork belly I've had or made-- it wasn't fat/meat, but a uniform, custardy, tangy, sweet concoction dressed with green olives (that did not, oddly enough, taste like olives), chestnut honey, and small chunks of almond. Needless to say, this was fantastic.

Of course, being the piggies we are, we had dessert. I managed to get (thanks to our wonderful waiter) a piece of candied pancetta. Bacon candy, much discussed online (probably due to its presence on Oliveto's Hog menus), is quite simply delicious. Smoky, tangy, sweet, and crispy. We also had a quince budino (an intense little pudding) served with candied pancetta strips; bergamot-prosecco sherbet with candied lavender blossoms; and a blood orange spongecake.

I did not feel very well after this meal. About 10 hours later, I feel better, though I might pass on the Chinese New Year feast I had planned to attend tonight. But don't get me wrong-- this was worth it. In fact, if in some horrible parallel universe, I could only eat one meal a week, it would probably be this one.

If you want to go next year, they've already started taking reservations.

Here's the menu, for reference: http://www.oliveto.com/wholehog08.pdf

P.S. Kudos to Jesse for being way more adventurous than he thought possible :)