They recycle their own sluts! I’m not quite sure what it means, but that is according to a sign inside. Either they employ people with extremely low standards or they are referring to their Eggslut sandwich, which is excellent. Either way, to my knowledge they are the first slut recyclers in the industry.
But Chef’s Club Counter is known for other “firsts”. To explain the concept, I’ll go with the longer but more efficient approach. Think about the many times that you bought your spouse a popular cookbook only for the spouse to take almost no advantage of it. One and done meal! Too many ingredients, pictures not in color, too many words, etc etc. Ok, lets pretend that it did happen. I know many out there have a certain passion for cooking, but for the rest of us, its really just a passion for eating. Think of Chef’s Club Counter as a cookbook, in the midst of its first chapter, with more to come. Where the cooking is done for you (for a fee)
Unlike big brother Chef’s Club where you got a fuller assortment of famous chef’s recipes including guest appearances, the counter is all about a few rotating recipes available for lunch and breakfast. Every three months or so they will change entirely. So anything you eat now, say goodbye to it immediately, or take a few more months to enjoy. While they are preparing your slut, the rest of the team is hard at work trying to figure out its replacement. All enjoyed in a very comfortable, cafeteria like fast food setting. Order at the cashier, and wait for it.
At the moment they are featuring the infamous Eggslut which deserves all the hype it generated when CCC opened. Its a hit in LalaLand, and even in Vegas at the Cosmopolitan (Best food hotel in Vegas – Keeps attracting the best of the best). How great can a little $8 egg sandwich be you ask? Well, it starts with an especially light Kaiser roll. Fluffiest scramble you will ever get, gently aided by sriracha mayo with oniony hints and melted cheddar. Its the perfect egg sandwich.
A fast-casual room demands a fast-casual burger, and the Jean George burger here doesnt disappoint. Similar to the one at the Mercer Kitchen nearby, it features melted cheese, Russian dressing, avocado and fried onions. McDonalds style fries could have used a little less salt, and some pepper perhaps. But in today’s NYC, I’m just grateful to get fries.
But the most interesting thing on the menu at the moment may be the Duck Rice by George Mendes. This is similar to the signature Arroz de Pato dish I had at Aldea many years ago. Aldea is so forgotten I had to check now if its still in business. Duck Rice is like a nicely executed duck paella, featuring three differently textured Duck preparations with olives. There’s added tartness from cirtus purée spread all over the plate for you to use as you please.
Go! Before they recycle those sluts.
We are well into Falafel season in New York City (April – March). I will make this one nice and painless, almost W42st pick-5 style. When I want a good Falafel these are the only places I consider. They are fairly spread out, so helps with your sightseeing, quick bite needs. I cant think of a better, more affordable snack in town other than a well crafted Falafel. For most of you EWZ old timers, other than one place perhaps (Ba’al) this wont offer anything new.
Its fun to watch the hype machine in play in NYC, and see how things develop. While I read all the Hot and Buzz lists out there as everyone else, I learned over time sometimes the hard way, that things are not always what they seem. A name and/or a little bit of money, at minimum $3000 is needed to market yourself as such. An alum of something good in the world… Noma, EMP, Contra, tickles your interest, with a picture of something beautiful that is cooked for two weeks straight, seals the deal. “Brian is a recent graduate of Betty’s school of Hospitality and Accounting” is not gonna be nearly as sexy.
A slight variation to my usual best soups of Hell’s Kitchen post. This month its part of the food issue on W42st. Mooncake Foods and their sick Wonton soup is sadly no more, so needed to replace it with Pam which made the list twice in a row. The only news here to veteran readers is the inclusion of Chong Quing Xiao Mian Noodles. Try saying it just once. As usual you will find Ziggy’s EatList at the small Zine inside the magazine distributed all over the neighborhood. This month’s issue matched my couch perfectly so we may keep it as furniture for a little longer this time.
Well, its been a heck of a start! The tours, particularly the Brooklyn tour have evolved nicely. With so many of you taken or in the process of taking all three tours, I started working on a 4th. It may take a while to design this one, and I cant quite say where it will be exactly (mainly because I’m not sure myself), but it will be Downtown somewhere.
Tip Free Pasquale Jones 
Its a tale of two Thais. Pure Thai Cookhouse, a jam packed frat party at pretty much any time of the day, sometimes even just outside. Pam Real Thai, eerily quiet even at peak times sometimes. Pure has a limited, concentrated menu for Thai standards, while Pam has a megillah that includes all the color of the rainbow curries and other American Thai. Pure is where I bring visitors to experience the vibe and some regional specialties you wont find anywhere else, while Pam is terribly unattractive and uninviting. So why do I keep going to Pam Real Thai.
I once asked a chef in Piedmont where he likes to eat when he goes to NYC. Maialino, he said. But dont you want to eat some Sushi, Thai, or Uzbek, something perhaps hard to get back at home, I asked. Good Roman food is hard to get here too, he said. Perhaps for the same reason you see Italians flock to Eataly here. It took me a few trips to Italy to understand what Italians have been telling me all along. There’s really no such thing as Italian food.
Eating With Ziggy 