Posts Tagged With: NYC restaurants

Mission Chinese Food 1 – Ziggy 0

Posted on January 16, 2013 by Ziggy

A short but sweet review on one of the hottest new restaurants in NYC.  If you haven’t heard of Mission Chinese food you either live under a rock or in Staten Island.  Sorry for the Iphone photos

Mission Chinese Food

Getting there at 12:30 pm proved to be a perfect time – No Meshugenah line.  While looking at the menu I was eyeing no less than 8 dishes for myself and my companion, The Hummus Whisperer, but settled on 6, still much to the dismay of the bartender who assured us we’ll be leaving with a hefty number of doggy bags.  Ha!  The joke is on him I’m thinking.  He doesn’t know who he’s dealing with.

I asked the bartender as I was giving him our orders if he can somehow arrange it so we could get the dishes in their proper order, from mild to intense as some of the dishes can be so intense they can burst your palates.  He said in a very polite way, No!  “They will come in a furious pace..Bla bla, bla” whatever.  Next time I will simply order the mild ones first and later will order the rest.  Here’s what we had in the order of arrival…

Mission Chinese FoodCumin Lamb – Wasn’t too crazy about this one.  The lamb was way over spiced to my taste.  I understand its called Cumin lamb, but it still needs to taste good and it wasn’t.  And way too salty

Mapo Tofu – This is it.  Now I get it.  A flavor festival.  Like a beautiful Tofu with thos melt in your mouth tender Pork Shoulder spice de jour soup.  Delicious, but palates are starting to burst

Chongqing Chicken Wings – Palates burst.  After one, just one chicken wing, and that Tofu I needed to take a break.  Those wings were super spiced and very intense.

Thrice cooked bacon – I don’t know what to think about this one.  It came with those “I cant believe its not potatoes Rice cakes” and after having a few of those at this point I started to wonder where the explosiveness is coming from.  Mapo TofuThis was not one of my favorite dishes.  Maybe they need to cook the bacon a 4th time.

Kung Pao Pastrami – My favorite dish and the best Kung Pao I ever had.  They make their own pastrami, not from Katz’s as the rumor was.  Very juicy and flavorful Pastrami cubes and the entire dish really worked

Salt Cod Fried Rice – Very good but why are we getting the mildest dish last.  Loved the tiny Chinese sausage bits.

This was a defeat like I never experienced.  We couldn’t even finish the 6 chicken wings.  My request for milk from the bartender resulted with just a grin.  No, I’m serious, I want Milk.  Whatever! I’ll be back for a rematch now that I know what to order and how to order it.  I’m outta here.  With the doggy bags!

Categories: Lower East Side, New York City | Tags: , , , , , , | 1 Comment

My Top 10 bites of 2012 in NYC

Posted on January 11, 2013 by Ziggy

Some of the best eating we’ve done in 2012 was outside of NYC.  Mainly in New Orleans, Israel, and Turks and Caicos.  But there was plenty of eating in our back yard…

Marea – Astice.   Nova Scotia lobster + creamy Burrata, + Eggplant al funghetto + beautiful pesto drops = pure ecstasy in every bite.  I remember the feeling while eating it.  The Spaghetti with crab and fusilli not too shabby either.  Photo below courtesy of bionicgrrrl at BionicbitesMarea - Astice

Zabb Elee – Pad Ped Moo Krob.   Crispy fried and refried pork, green peppercorn, ginger, Thai eggplant and spicy curry.  A lot of heat and a lot flavor
Aldea – Shrimp Alhinho – loved the dish, not the meal.  Large succulent shrimp with a nice complex sauce.  Well done!
Alta – bacon wrapped dates.  Skip the other half of the dish (the olives) and get more of these babies.  Bacon never tasted that good.
Scarpetta – Rabbit Agnolotti – Perfectly cooked rabbit in those pillowy delicate Agnolotti bursting with flavor (silence of the lambs sound)

Roberta’s – Bee sting pizza.  Great tasting pie.  Spicy Sopressata (spicier than other Sopressata I’ve had) and the added honey contributed to interesting contrasting flavors.  Liked it more than Paulie Gee’s similar Delboy.  Or maybe it was the waitressesRoberta's Bee Sting Pizza
Sanrasa – Lamprie.  This Dutch influenced Sri Lankan classic is a piece of art.  Rice, meat, curry, caramelized onions, cashews, all baked wrapped in banana leaf.  What a great dish
Gazala’s Place – Hummus with lamb and pine nuts.  Nuttiest, creamiest, freshest Hummus I’ve had in NYC.Hummus with Lamb and Pine Nuts

Minetta Tavern – Black Label burger.  Best burger we ever had.  50% of it is prime 48 day aged rib eye.

Danji – Chicken wings.  This gourmet Korean tapas joint serves some mean chicken wings.  Cant wait to have them again.Danji

Categories: New York City | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Gazala’s Place – Hummus and the City

Posted on January 4, 2013 by Ziggy

Hummus with Lamb and Pine NutsEver since we came back from our 2 week stint in Israel, I’ve been on the hunt for good hummus like Mike Tyson seeking fine Orecchiette (baby ear shape pasta).  I’ve had good Hummus at Mimi’s and Zion Deli in Brooklyn, Hummus Kitchen in Hells Kitchen, and a fine Hummus with Srug at Ta’im among other spots.   But as soon as I tasted the Hummus with lamb and pine nuts at Gazala’s Place I was transported.  The creamiest, smoothest, nuttiest, freshest I’ve had so far.

Foul MassaryGazala’s Place is the creation of Gazala Halabi who brings her Druze recipes from Daliyat El-Carmel, a Druze village perched on Mt. Carmel.  While in Israel we visited the Druze village next door, Usafia and had a memorable Druze hospitality lunch there while learning about their way of life.

Gazala also dishes out large, herby, delicious falafel balls, nice fresh salads, and various tasty hummus and Hummus-like specialties like the pictured Foul Massary, fava beans with tomatoes.  Their Bourekas of the day which I havent tried yet also looks terrific.

I cant guarantee that this is the best Hummus in town but I can guarantee without a doubt that this is the best Druze with Russian waitresses in Hells Kitchen.  Gazala opened another location on Columbus and shows her Russian fetish there as well.  Check it out readers.  Both of you!

Falafel

Categories: Midtown West, New York City | Tags: , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Giovanni Rana – Verona Legend Turned Bird Killer

Posted on December 31, 2012 by Ziggy

CappellettiMy youngest once told me an interesting fact she read somewhere.  10,000 birds die from smashing into windows a year.  And so I have to ask you my loyal readers, both of you.  How in the world do they come up with those stats.  Really, do they actually keep a running tally?  Do they pick up dead birds on the streets and able to determine the exact cause of death or they simply base on the location where birds pronounced dead close to windows, died from smashing into them Angry Birds style.

Giovanni RanaAnyway, I wonder how many pasta lover birds have smashed into the windows of Giovanni Rana.  GR is an Italian legend from Verona who’s passion for ravioli spawned an empire in Italy.  His face is proudly stapled on Tortellini packages all over the country.  But instead of telling you the story you can just see it on his site.  Yes even in Italy they eat packaged/frozen goods.

His daughter in law Antonella runs the new sprawling mini Eataly space in Chelsea piers. Daily made fresh pasta is the name of the game here.  You can eat it, buy it, or take-out it.  Perhaps the finest pasta menu in NYC and we sampled 4 of them (me and my 2 pasta critics, daughters age 12, 10).  On the way I told the kids about daddy’s and mommy’s adventures in Verona and I didn’t get far until the youngest interrupted.. “Ahhm dad, we were there too remember?”  Oh Yehhh!

Giovanni Rana pastaGiovanni Rana pasta

Ricotta Spinach Girasole. – Absolutely delicious Ravioli.  My youngest’s favorite of the bunch.  Comes with more chunks of creamy ricotta, all in this nice baked parmigiano crisp

Ravioli al Brasato. Braised rib meat Ravioli with cabbage and chestnuts. Good although the weakest link perhaps. I felt wanting more of the cabbage and chestnuts especially the cabbage, and the chestnuts.

Lobster Mezzaluna

Lobster Mezzaluna – Very Good!  not Maine lobster from the next door neighbor lobster place but satisfying nonetheless.  The best part of the dish was the Chanterelle mushrooms.  One of those rare moment that I count my blessings for marrying a mushroom hater (hate transferred to the kids)

Cappelletti – the star for me.  Even with the odd side of prosciutto on toast.  Prosciutto, bread crumbs and herbs packed in those Cappelletti.  Each one bursting with flavor.  Well done!

Service with plenty of hiccups as they only open for a few months.  The place feels like mini Eataly with all the tourists, products and cafeteria like setting.  Still, an enjoyable meal in Giovanni’s pasta land.  Welcome to New York Mr. Rana

Ricotta Spinach GirasoleGiovanni Rana

Categories: Chelsea, New York City | Tags: , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Minetta Tavern – The Burger and the Beast

Posted on December 28, 2012 by Ziggy

First an update on Ziggy Jr our goldfish.  He’s dead!  Pretty sure he took his own life after watching the 100th episode of Full House which my kids are now obsessed with since discovering it a few months ago.  Half of our DVR is filled with the stuff.  But lets move on to one of the best meals of the year…

Minetta Tavern is very unique in that it can be included in more than one or even 2 “Best Of” lists.  Best Steakhouse, Best Burger (Black Label Burger), Best Steak (Cote de Beauf), Best French bistro, and even Best restaurant in its class.

MT is located on the somewhat “divey” MacDougal street, and has a sort of unassuming exterior.  But as soon as you go in and open the red curtains you are transported somewhere else. 1930’s perhaps?  The place is not big and is packed.  The bar area is packed and they sit you almost like they sit you at a family reunion.  Except you sitting next to an Armenian cousin you didn’t know existed.

***Customary horrible pictures with iphone excuse****

Pasta Za ZaI was reading on Chowhound about Minetta not allowing taking pictures so the first few shots were taken with no flash.  Here’s the rundown…

Pasta Za Za – Very good.  I have a weakness for fresh pasta with egg.  They split the dish and put one egg on each.  Although we enjoyed it, not nearly as good as Herbsaint’s version in New Orleans

Bone Marrow – This was just ok for us.  Less so for the wife.  What saved the dish for me was the shallots with port – so delicious.  The baguettes were so buttery almost to the point of inedible.

Black Label burger – Met the high expectations.  The juiciest most flavorful burger that I can remember.  50% of it is 48 day dry aged prime rib eye with the other 50% a combination of brisket, rib and other goodies.  The fries were just ok for me however – not sure what the hoopla was.  Bone MarrowThey were barely seasoned and the aioli didnt save them for me.  But the burger was insane.

NY Strip – Excellent!  We ordered medium and it came medium-rare as expected.  Great, nicely seasoned crust and a very flavorful piece overall (28 day dry aged).  But the next day we were talking about the burger.

Chocolate Soufflé – AMAZING!! So rich and yummy

In short, this meal made a mark.  One of the most enjoyable meals of the year.  With drinks and tax $260 for the 2 of us.  Would definitely order the pasta, burger and soufflé again and perhaps go for the massive Cote de Beauf when we go with more people.

NY Strip

Categories: New York City, West Village | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Sri Lankan in Staten Island – Another reason to visit

Posted on December 23, 2012 by Ziggy

LakruwanaLets recap some of the biggest reasons to come to Staten Island…

1)  Staten Island Ferry.  Staten Island is a very unique place.  One of the biggest attractions in NYC is to get there and then get the hell out of there.

2)  To see Meerkats on a lookout at the Staten Island Zoo.  If you have never seen this, here’s an example from another zoo…  

3)  The new annual “Running of the Zebras and Ponies”.  I have a feeling this is going to be a big hit.  Here’s a footage from the last event (play the video)

4)  To see “The Yankees”.  Its the Staten Island Yankees, but most tourists will not know the difference.

5)  For the new “EYE”.  Ok, its a Ferris Wheel that hasnt actually been built yet but is in the works, and it will be bigger than the London eye.  

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-06-26/nyc-said-to-plan-staten-island-ferris-wheel-to-rival-london-eye.html

LakruwanaAdd Sri Lankan food to this impressive list.  Sure you have some other nice options like Vida, and the rotating nonnas of Enoteca Maria, but nothing perhaps is as unique as the wonderful Sri Lankan cuisine on the island.  Since the late 60’s Sri Lankans have been flocking the island to create the 3rd largest Sri Lankan community in the US.  Here are 2 of the better options on the island of Staten

LakruwanaLakruwana – Entering Lakruwana is like entering a Sri Lankan museum with every inch of the restaurant decorated from floor to ceiling.  We did their excellent Sunday buffet served in clay pots.  From Boiled egg with curry to Kale with coconut, to Pol and onion Sambols, and the delicious crispy pork.  Although there were only 2 meat dishes, even the carnivores will admire the different variety and the complex flavors.

Sanrasa – Here we did a saturday dinner.  Although Sanrasa has more of a homey look and feel as opposed to Lakruwana, the flavors are as spectacular.  The chef used to work for Lakruwana and also I believe for a saudi prince.  If its good enough for a Saudi price, its good enough for Ziggy.  Some dishes we tried…

Chicken with cashew curry – very good. nice and tender chicken
Lamb with black curry – lamb a little dry but the sauce more than made up for it. Couldn’t get enough of it really.
Hoppers – very nice and unique, like little spongy pancakes made with rice flour and coconut milk, with some cooked with eggs
Kottu Roti – nice. They have an array of roti and hopper specials that come with your choice of meat curries
Lamprie – This is the house special and a must IMO. All kinds of goodies including rice, meat, curry, caramelized onions, cashews, all baked wrapped in banana leaf.  An old Dutch influenced classic
Deviled Shrimp – Fantastic, Thai-like, very spicy sizzling unpeeled shrimp with veggies.
Lamb Biryani – very good
Nice Mango Lassi as well.

There you have it folks.  Another reason to come.  As if you needed any more after surviving the running of the zebras and ponies

Categories: New York City, Staten Island | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Taim is ‘Taim Meod’ but WTF is S’rug

Posted on December 18, 2012 by Ziggy

First I should probably explain the title…

Taim – Means tasty in Hebrew.  And is a popular Falafel joint in the west village

Taim Meod – Means very tasty in Hebrew

WTF – Means What The Fuck

But –  Means except for the fact…

S’rug – ??? not sure (more on that later)

Taim

          Taim Falafel and Smoothie Bar on Waverly serves some very Taim Israeli pocket food and more.  Small but fierce Falafel balls come in 3 different flavors:  “Green” which most resembles the traditional Israeli falafel, “Harrisa” which is red and packed with mild Tunisian spices and my personal favorite, and “Red” which is another red but mixed with roasted peppers.  The best way to try all 3 is to get the mixed platter which is a good amount of the 3 (around 10 balls – compared to the slightly larger 3 balls by Azuri café, another best Falafel in NYC candidate but losing ground with me).  In addition you get a very Taim, creamy and nutty Hummus, Israeli Salad and a Taboule salad.  The pita is warm and sprinkled with zatar seasoning which is a very nice touch.

s'chugYou also get 3 different sauces with that: Tahini, Amba (terrific, smell my finger pickled Mango chutney), and something called S’rug which is supposedly a Yemeni hot sauce.  Now here’s the thing.  I am very familiar with the similar Yemeni Hot Sauce called S’hug and I’ve seen it spelled S’chug and Z’hug, but S’rug is something new.  In fact if you Google S’rug you will only find it mentioned in relation to Taim pretty much.  Quotes by Yelpers and other food bloggers mentioning Taim’s hot Yemeni sauce S’rug as if such a thing exists.  Why do they call it S’rug?  Its like a place that makes Falafel but decides to call it Fakafel, joined by a food blogger army praising the Fakafel without ever mentioning the real thing, the Falafel.

Wait, not finished digressing.  I also happened to be a big fan of the S’chug which is a staple in my fridge.  In fact I have 2 kinds at the moment including the pictured Pereg S’chug which is my absolute favorite.  I spread it on everything.  Goes very well with bread and salami.

But now I digress.  Taim, also serves a delicious Sabich, the falafel’s shy and not as good looking cousin.  Sabich is eggplant, hard boiled egg, Tehini, Amba, and Israeli salad inside a pita.  And their smoothies such as the date, lime, banana, are fantastic as well.

Taim is a tiny popular neighborhood spot.  Its more of a takeout place as it has just enough room for 4 adults and a small cat.  Everything about this place is fresh and delicious including of course… that Yemeni hot sauce… S’rug.

sabichfalafel

Categories: New York City, West Village | Tags: , , , , , , | 3 Comments

More Ratatouille Moments at Scarpetta

Posted on October 26, 2012 by Ziggy
Scarpetta
I have mentioned this phrase before.  Ratatouille moment.  What is a Ratatouille moment Ziggy? Well, I’m glad you asked Timmy.  A Ratatouille moment derives from the movie “Ratatouille” and the moment is when the tough, ugly, mean, hard to please critic takes that mega important bite of the Ratatouille.  Well, you can see for yourself

For me Ratatouille moments are a bit different.   They are not really about me reminiscing about something I ate as a kid.  Although I did have Bacalau in Portugal that reminded me of some awful Gifilte fish I had as a kid.  That would be the opposite of a Ratatouille moment I suppose.  After the 10th Gefilte fish I was the youngest member of our city to file for a restraining order against his parents.  And as far as Bacalau in Portugal goes, they say they can make it in 365 different ways for every day of the week.  We must have picked the 2 worst days.  The 2 ways they invented in days 364 and 365, well after they ran out of ideas and just focused on completing the cycle.  But I digress.
Scarpetta, tied with Marea for the meal of the year, gave us some “Moments”…
We started with a stunner.  Without a doubt the most impressive bread basket I have ever seen.  It included a Focaccia, a Stromboli (mozzarella and salami sandwich) among other goodies.  And it comes with 3 great condiments, a great tasting butter, eggplant salad and olive oil.  What a start.  After nibbling on some nice apps like the ribs, Mozzarella, and the Farmers Market with truffles, the monsters have arrived.

Creamy Polenta with truffled mushrooms – Fantastic! creamy and light polenta with those savory mushrooms took me back to Enoteca Valpolicella in Italy’s Valpolicella wine country.   I was counting the blessings of being married to a family that did not like mushrooms which includes my wife, her sister and her mom.

Polenta at Scarpetta

Cavatelli Capretto – Melt in your mouth, juicy tender Capretto. Some in our party claimed this was their favorite.

Rabbit Agnolotti – This was a personal favorite.  Nice perfectly cooked rabbit in those pillowy delicate mini raviolis bursting with flavor. Couldnt get enough of this.

Spaghetti with tomato & basil – This is one of Scott Conant’s signatures and the most famous Spaghetti with red sauce dish in NYC. Homemade fresh pasta with the most amazing tomato sauce I ever tasted. Another one I couldnt get enough of.  Reminded me of a simple pasta I had once in Varenna.

Spaghetti at Scarpetta

Duck & Foie Gras Ravioli with marsala reduction – Spectacular looking and spectacular tasting. All kinds of nice contrasting flavors packed in this one. Another must

Duck & Foie Gras Ravioli at Scarpetta

We could have stopped right there but we didnt.  What followed was a much less memorable cod, and a finish of an odd coconut Panna Cotta which had a soupy texture that I did not care for.  The Hummus Whisperer had the Sheep’s milk Ricotta from Lazio with honey which seemed like a better choice

Generally I favor the places that have a signature dish like the Spaghetti in this case.   But I especially favor places that offer many other options that are equally as good.  The experience was less perfect for my wife and her sister who will be quick to note the cramped space (for the 8 of us) and less than stellar service.  And normally I would be quick to note the same.  But when you are in one of those moments, any flaws are not only quickly forgotten, they get ridiculed

Scarpetta

Categories: Chelsea, New York City | Tags: , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Staten Island – Viva la Vida

Posted on October 18, 2012 by Ziggy

Our goldfish Ziggy Jr. is not well.  He hasn’t eaten in 2 days, he is slow to react to disturbances and stimuli, and his poop has sort of a mahogany tone to it.  Our history with previous Ziggy jr’s indicate that he does not have much time left.

What Ziggy Jr. desperately needs is a meal at Vida (OMG I can just see Vida’s owner rolling her eyes at this transition :roll:).  Vida has all the ingredients for a fun meal with the family.  It got that nice neighborhoody vibe, quirky waiters, and home cooking that is better than mama’s.  Ok, cooking better than my mama is not exactly a stretch (thankfully my mom does not read this blog, nor does she know I have a blog, or knows what a blog is) but Silva Popaz, Vida’s chef/owner sure knows her stuff.  Vida is a chef’s restaurant.  When the chef de cuisine is out, the restaurant is closed.  So many more known establishments in the city don’t follow this rule.

Reading the menu at Vida is like visiting Disney’s Epcot.  It’s as eclectic as a menu can get.  Between the Asian style shrimp, Gumbo, Hummus,  chicken Francaise, and the rest of it, all major continents are well represented.

We started with the always reliable Vida bites — pulled pork, pico de galo and avocado sauce on bread.  Another regular for us is the mussels with cilantro, shallots, garlic, and white wine.  This decadent sauce normally screams for some serious  finger dipping, until they bring more bread.  I wasnt quick to wash my hands following the meal.

Vida

For main the wonderful special Butternut Squash Lasagna with marsala reduction well demonstrated Silva’s talent and originality.  The marsala, just like with Scarpetta’s foie gras ravioli added nice intensity to the dish.

Vida

My feeling of uncertainty after not getting my usual gumbo dish this time and ordering something I normally never do, did not last long.  The special chicken stuffed with sausage, spinach and mushrooms was outstanding.  Perfectly crisped skin with that savory filling made every morsel regret sharing the dish with Mrs Ziggy.

The kids were enjoying their linguine Fra Diavolo with shrimp, calamari, mussels, and Asian style hanger steak.  Sorry about the quality of the pictures which I blame on lack of lighting, and lack of skill

I normally get the bread pudding for dessert but this time I was convinced to try the Tiramisu cheesecake.  Wowser!  Perfect finish to one of the best meals we had in Staten Island.  Is wowser an acceptable food blog word I wonder?  I’m still new to this blogging thing and I dont want to embarrass  myself.

Silva gets much of her culinary influences from her trips around the world.  A recent trip to Morocco can almost assure a bigger arsenal of exotic spices and perhaps a nice Lamb Tagine in the near future.

Vida up until recently was the only restaurant in Staten Island included on the coveted Michelin Bib Gourmand list.  Its like a michelin star for affordable neighborhood joints.  The excellent Enoteca Maria has now joined the list for 2012.  If Vida is not Staten Island’s best, she is not far behind.

Recommended dishes:  Vida Bites, Mussels, Gumbo, Stuffed Chicken, Tiramisu cheesecake

Categories: New York City, Staten Island | Tags: , , , , , | 1 Comment

Dekalb Market and Bushwick munching – Can I pay for this free pizza??

Posted on July 29, 2012 by Ziggy

Ever since the Hummus Whisperer was a little boy, he wanted 2 things.  Getting a fish pedicure by authentic Garra Rufa, and eating authentic Napoli style Pizza at Roberta’s.  Now that he accomplished the former, he wouldnt shut up about Roberta’s.  Every month or so he would go “oh, you know what I would like to try?”  and I would answer “Yes I know Roberta’s.  You mentioned it a few days ago”.  Time has come to fulfill a little boy’s dream…

The super popular Roberta’s happen to host the annual Bushwick block party yesterday.  As soon as we entered we saw a huge line for free Roberta’s pies and I really hate lines unless food is involved.  Sometimes I see a line and I just get on it and ask questions later.  “DMV?  oh look at the time, I’ll come back some other time”.  But we decided to come back later and check out some of the other vendors first in an area I can best describe as the graffiti and tattoo capital of the world .

Started with a familiar face, Furn Shawarma.  I’m not big into Chicken Shawarmas as I prefer meat but this was pretty darn good.  Perhaps even better than Mamouns in the village.  This was a nice piece of art.  Yogurt marinated, beautifully spiced goodness with various veggies and a nice sauce.  First and best thing I ate all day.  Then I took it easy with some healthy Ethiopian from Bunna Cafe.  Tried the Gomen, steamed kale with other veggies and spices, Yellow split pea salad, and the more satisfying split red lentils with spicy barbere.  But the best part may be the spongy, smooth, flat Injera bread they serve with it.  Finally I had a chance to try the touted Arancini (rice balls) from the Arancini Bros.  Tried the Ragu and the Norma.  Nicely done!  Could have used a bit more of the non-rice goodies inside, a bit of a tease, but tasty nonetheless.  I think I got spoiled by the Jambalaya rice balls of Staten Island’s Bayou.

Then we finally decided to get our free pizzas and fufill a dream.  Got on line, stood for a few minutes until we were told its past 2 pm so no more free pizzas but we could go to the bar area and pay for our pizzas which I did.  But with all the chaos with the people on line continuing to snag all the free pies, they said it may take a while to get ours so I just got my money back.  Hey I’m trying to pay for this free stuff and I still cant get it!!  And after we realized that waiting for a table inside Roberta’s will require an hour wait, reality struck. Sorry man, we are not getting Roberta’s today!!

Moving on to the Dekalb Market.  A market in the middle of the hustle and bustle of downtown Brooklyn with stores peeping out of shipping containers.  Just in time for some Brazilian band performing with all kinds of technical issues including some weird Depeche Mode rendition.   After surveying the impressive food array with the little appetite I had left I started with some grilled Filipino Longanisa sausage from Maharlika.  Very sweet sausage, almost like sweet potatoe but tasty nonetheless especially once you add some of their spicy vinegar.  Comes with nice aromatic garlic rice.   Before that I tried the Korean Taco from Oaxaca.  Feh! dry, probably seating there for a while meat swimming in red sauce.  The clunker of the day.  The HW meanwhile was busy drowning his sorrows with a double dose of Centruy frozen yogurt.  Time to head back to our families.

As the HW put a reminder on his iphone for the next Bushwick block party, I noticed a tear.  A tear made of hummus!

Categories: Brooklyn, New York City | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Blog at WordPress.com.