Journey Thru Lancaster – Part 1

On a whim, Associate Editor Jenny Ruvolo and I decided to take a trip down to Lancaster, PA for a 3 day weekend. She needed to zone out and remove herself from the city while I needed a palate cleanser.  I had heard some great things about a few new Lancaster restaurants and was excited to hang out with cows and sheep for a few days. Things were very different here than I remembered; but most of the changes have been for the good. So forget the Lancaster you think you know and take the journey with me through this wonderful area just a few hours away from NY.

We took the 2 hr Amtrak ride down and rented a car close to the Lancaster train station. This is a very comfortable way to travel if you can’t take your own car and relatively inexpensive too (about $60 for business class). However, I just have to mention that they are renovating the Lancaster Amtrak station and it’s currently in shambles. Plus, the Avis that usually sits in the station is no longer there so you need to call them and then they pick you up in the car you rented. I was kinda creeped out by this – not really ok with getting into cars with strangers. Sorry Avis.

After getting the car (and filling out the car rental paperwork on a laptop in a public garage), we checked in at the Courtyard Marriott and drove over to Kettle Kitchen Village down Old Philadelphia Pike to kill some time before dinner. The place is exactly what it sounds like: a little village of shops that sell you goodies and Pennsylvania Dutch trinkets. If you are driving past this place, make a stop and look around. If not, you really don’t need to make the trip. The one thing we did love at Kettle Kitchen was the turkey jerky and the birch beer at their Smokehouse Shop. We didn’t know it then, but turkey jerky would soon become the main theme of our trip. It was so delicious we ate the 1/4 lb before walking off the village grounds and vowed to return to the Smokehouse the next day to pick up more of the deliciously salted, dried meat sticks. Next stop: dinner time.

Something to keep in mind when traveling to Lancaster. Your schedule will odds are be very different from what you’re use to. A lot of the restaurants in the area outside of the city close around 8pm and the shops close even earlier so you may be eating dinner a lot earlier than usual. After some serious debate, we decided to visit the tried and true Good ‘N Plenty in honor of our late Aunt Dee Dee (lord knows just how many times Dee Dee went to Good ‘N Plenty but it was enough that even the smell of the restaurant made us think of her). Since we were both suffering from serious headaches and even a little nauseous from the jerky overload mere minutes before, we ate in the ‘Harvest Room’. Quick rundown: if you eat in the Harvest Room, you eat the harvest platters, which means you eat normally with your party. If you eat “family style”, you’re stuck at a huge table with strangers who want to talk to you all night and are subjected to large quantities of comfort food. Not like harvest platter portions are tiny, for $10 you get 2 pieces of chicken, 2 side dishes (corn, carrots, mashed, soup, salad, etc), and 2 DESSERTS. Yes, each person receives 2 separates desserts – this STILL blows my mind. The fried chicken was very good but not amazing and the side dishes were also very tasty; buttery carrots and fluffy mashed.  The only part that wasn’t good was the gravy, it didn’t taste like anything. How do you mess up gravy?? Its so easy to make?!! The desserts were just as homey: cracker pudding, blueberry cobbler, and the Lancaster favorite: shoofly pie. If you go, don’t get the shoofly pie like everyone else – its good but you’ll find it EVERYWHERE there  – get the cracker pudding. It was like someone mixed together homemade vanilla pudding, coconut fakes, and salty cracker crumbs for a delightful combination not to be missed. There are plenty of family style dutch restaurants in Lancaster to go to, but go to Good ‘N Plenty because its an institution down there. Everyone has to go at least once in their life.

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s  Journery Thru Lancaster – Part 2, where we’ll visit the local favorite Achenbach bakery, the Nissleys Vineyard and Winery, Porkys Place, and the Bird-In-Hand Farmers Market.

La Esquina and the Veal Tongue Taco of Death

First I want to start out by saying, I was so looking forward to trying the La Esquina veal tongue taco. Not only had all the reviews said it was really good, but in recent years I had discovered I liked tongue! I had eaten slices of it in sandwiches and found it to be delicious. Perhaps that’s why I felt so utterly betrayed by La Esquinas “lengua” taco (or Veal Tongue Taco of Death as it was soon to be called) after consuming it. Here’s exactly what happened:

Marianne and I met on Kenmare (which is like trendy food central lately) sometime in the afternoon and, since I wanted to also check out Village Tart, we decided to share the veal tongue taco and the cactus taco at La Esquina. The atmosphere was exactly what I expected: very trendy, hole-in-the-wall, taco standish in the front with a restaurant in the back. The tacos came quickly and we immediately dug into them.

Now it must be noted that at this point, the split seconds before consumption,  my gut instinct

was kicking in big time. Not only did the tacos not look appetizing but the restaurant had decided to serve the tongue in large chunks instead of slicing or dicing it.  Something in my brain piped up with a  “Maybe you shouldn’t eat this” but I soon dismissed it as being a “pansy” and took a bite. Initial taste wasn’t bad, but the tongue was chewy – chewy in a really weird way. Don’t believe me? Take a look at Marianne taking her first bite and just stare at that odd string of something hanging out of the taco. I wasn’t wowed by the flavor either. The chef had a very heavy hand when it came to the cumin which kinda ruined the rest of the flavors for me. The cactus taco also suffered the same fate: the salsa used was too overpowering and the lack of crunch in any part of the taco made it taste mushy (cactus gets very soft when you cook it, adding something like crispy garlic or onions would have taken this taco to another level).

So far it doesn’t sound that bad right? Wrong. The “ugh” came with the second bite. Marianne swallowed a huge chunk of tongue without chewying which she swore led to ‘the dead veal tongue tastebuds touching her tastebuds’ (for her exact reaction to the second bite check out the picture to your left). I had a similar experience but it didn’t weird me out as much. However, as we started walking to Village Tart to grab a cuppa job, I noticed something wasn’t sitting right with me. Oh No. The gurgling continued all throughout my greek yogurt and hibiscus tea munching at VTart (I had to try to calm it down with something!) and then it happened. I know this might sound like way TMI dear reader but I want to make sure you do not suffer the same fate: I had diarrhea from Friday afternoon to Sunday night.

Needless to say I cursed that damn taco from sunrise to sunset that weekend. Was it the veal tongue? Was it the cumin covered salsa? Was my stomach just in a bad mood that day? I have no idea but I send warning to all of you sensitive tummy foodies out there. EAT AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!!!

La Esquina

106 Kenmare St
New York, 10012
(646) 613-7100

Manhattan Restaurant Ennui

Screw you, Jay Leno. Really, I do not like you. I’m sick of your ego and your chin and I want my obscene, seven foot tall red head back. I don’t want to hope failure upon anyone – well I do, but I know that’s wrong so I have to show self-restraint and keep my karma on a semi-good balance – so I hope you get an incurable butt itch or something else severely uncomfortable for the rest of your days. I just had to say that and get it out of my system.

 

Anyways, what I was really here to ‘scuss was how I need to take a break from Manhattan. Well, not the city itself, but the restaurant scene. Well, not enjoying the restaurant scene, but working in the Manhattan restaurant scene. I tried to stick it through, and I think I did pretty well, but after five years of long commutes to and through Manhattan from Staten Island, I’m tired! In the time it takes me to get to work (about an hour and fifteen) I could take a flight to D.C.! Or the time it took me to get to school via bus-ferry-train-train (two and a half hours) I could have driven to Atlantic City! Or Woodstock! Or I could have flown to Detroit! Not that I find any reason to take a flight to Detroit… the point being, I love Manhattan with all my heart, but this long distance relationship is very trying.

 

Things were so much easier when I lived in Fort Greene. Manhattan and I would spend so many endless summer nights together, and it never mattered how late I was out because I had an unlimited metrocard, the Q ran every fifteen minutes aaaalll night long and I lived a fifteen minute train ride away. The commute, which took me over the Manhattan Bridge, treated me to a beautiful view of the harbor between Brooklyn and Manhattan and its sister bridges, nightly (how romantic!). Manhattan and I were inseparable. Until I went back home.

Maybe I should have taken a job somewhere where the food meant more than giving the b&t crowd what they want. Tacky dishes and oversized portions. It’s sickening! “Corn cappuccino” I think was what irked me the most. It was soup. No, broth.  It was a boring corn broth with some foam on top. If the rest of the menu doesn’t reflect a passion for hi-tech gastronomy, then why do it at all? That’s why the corn capp is a failure, its not honest, it’s show-boaty! So there’s the cappuccino, and the soy-ginger salmon, and the halibut with gnocchi, and the rib-eye, the hanger steak with chimichurri, and the soufflé. Have you caught on to what cuisine we’re actually supposed to be enjoying? Did you figure out from what part of the world we’re focusing our flavors from, or drawing inspiration? Neither did I. It must be an eclectic Japa-Hispan-Ita-French-erican land. What brilliance!

 

I need to step out, take a deep breath and find a place where I can be around some real, good, honest, love-filled cooking. Yet, what holds me back is the personal thing I have. Everyone has a thing and mine is “don’t work where you love.” I’m not saying don’t love where you work. I hope you love where you work; I want to love where I work! But if you already love a place, my personal example would be Bar Boulud, it would not be a good idea to become a behind-the-scenes member. It can and will ruin, or at least taint, your love for said establishment! You love it because of the ambiance, the ambiance from your outside point of view (and you can come and go as you please because you don’t work there!) You love it because of the delicious food, the delicious food you don’t see a hundred times a night, four nights a week. You also love the friendly staff, of which you don’t know personally and so niceties are required, and the management is just stellar, because you don’t work under them. See my point? I came very close to getting burned by the love fire when I interviewed with Boulud’s Dinex group. I was so honored and enthralled that they were interested in. I beefed up my resume and I put on my best smile for the first interview with HR at the Dinex headquarters. So there I sat, waiting in the conference room surrounded by personal photos on Daniel himself and all his awards. I’m talking James Beard awards, Michelin Stars, Wine Spectator awards, and on and on just lining the walls (oh man! Ooohhh man!). I sat and soaked in my surroundings in awe, just hoping the woman interviewing me would be preoccupied for just a little longer. She loved me (woohoo!) and referred me to Bar Boulud (omg omg omg).

 

From there things got tense, fast. The GM was one of the most intimidating Frenchmen I’ve met,  to date. Not that I’ve met a lot-a lot of Frenchmen, but I’ve met plenty of foreign men! Now, this man isn’t even my boss yet, if he even will be at all, but he goes on telling me how he is very particular about what his hostesses wear, how they stand, where they stand, punctuality, language, attitude, poise (poise?? Shit…all women in France have natural poise… crap crap crap), memorizing regulars and their likes and dislikes, yadda yadda and more yadda. Oh man, this is already crumbling the façade that keeps real Bar Boulud hidden from me. I don’t like this! So, I declined on the offer. Phew! That was close. Too close.

 

So if not the cheap and gaudy mega-restaurants, and if not the amazing fine dining restaurants from truly talented chefs, then where? Where will I be happy until I get a degree and a job and become a real person?

I’ve decided to venture. It would only be a personal venture, since I’m actually going to stay closer to home. There are two approaches I’m deciding between: sniff out hidden jewels in Staten Island, or work in well known, foodie-respected establishments in Brooklyn. So will it be Marlow & Sons or Dosi Café?  Juliette or Angelina’s? I have little to no opinion on both sides and the Brooklyn food scene is something that I am sadly unfamiliar with.

 

Like Anthony Bourdain, I’m afraid I missed the boat on the whole Brooklyn chefs movement. Of course, the next big “up and coming” NYC restaurant destination borough is Queens, so does this make Bk passé or a well established land of gastronomic giants? I think that’s up for discussion another time…

 

Cranachan Café

While in Glasgow visiting friends I found myself having lunch at the Cranachan Café in the unlikely (for Scotland) bourgeoisie shopping arcade of Princes Square.  The café’s specialty is as advertised “Coffee & Modern Scottish Fayre” and it is mighty good fare, despite its cutsie Scottish spelling.  

Off their menu I chose to order the Cullen Skink soup ( I’m always attracted to menu items that could easily be misread or mispronounced…I like Poisson) which is a traditional Scottish soup consisting of smoked haddock pieces swimming in a creamy broth with leeks and corn.  Cranachan claimed this was their specialty soup which meant it could either go terribly right or wonderfully wrong, with absolutely no room for anything in between.  Thus, I was anticipating being served a liquid version of Janet Jackson and her exposed nipples, a hit or miss affair depending on mood and timing.

When the dish arrived it had an appearance a bit like that of a  leek and potato soup  and it was also  served with two pieces of hardy looking brown bread.  I could not help but feel I  stepped into a minimal security cafeteria prison where a white collar criminal was about to pinch my credit card details at any moment. My concern thankfully vanished with the first spoonful of Cullen Skink:  the creamy broth had a slightly heavy semi-sweetness about it while the haddock was a melting excursion of meatiness. These flavours made a wonderfully soothing winter soup reticent of a proper New England chowder (found mostly in New York where no actual New Englander is available to perform a culinary massacre).  What made the dish particularly delicious, however, was the brown bread that was served with the soup ( I must admit that if I miss anything by living in the UK it is decent bread). It was flavorsome and absorbent bread perfect for dipping into soup (and perhaps even for some sharp cheddar and Irish butter), the kind of bread one would like to be served for their last living meal. I wish Mary, Queen of Scots, had this delightful bread before her head ended up decorating one of Queen Elizabeth’s front parlors. Imagine the scandal of Elizabeth trying to wipe a smirk of the dead Mary’s face! Alas, even in death Mary disappointed the Scots (and me) but fortunately, back in present times, the bread was a very tasty affair for me.

Unfortunately, however, the combination of the heavy bread and creamy soup meant I was too stuffed to have pudding with my friends, who ended up ordering a sizeable scone (think face, body and stringy limbs of that round headed scientist from the Muppets). I did try the other thing Cranachan advertises, coffee and that happily was a very nice cup of coffee. I highly recommend you visit Cranachan if you find yourself in Glasgow and in need of comfort food, pleasant service and perhaps even some refreshing décor (Timorous Beasties design marks are found throughout the premises).

(For more details please visit Cranachan’s website: http://www.cranachancafe.co.uk/ ).

Eugene Statnikov

Eugene is currently getting his PhD at Imperial College, London and works on staff as a data analyst in Neonatal medicine. He is an avid foodie, wine connisseur, self appointed chocoholic, and restaurant goer. Eugene has also traveled extensively in the UK, Belguim, France, The Netherlands, Italy, Ukraine, and Denmark.

Stay tuned for Eugenes opinions on food and life because they will have you rolling in the aisles!

Alices Tea Cup

I know I’ve blogged about Alice’s Tea Cup before but I have to do it again. That’s how much I love coming here.

Is it the food? Kinda. Is it the atmosphere? Maybe. To be honest, I’m not sure why I love it here so much. One things for certain: I love scones and the people here make pretty damn good ones. Although the scone lineup changes daily, they almost always have my personal favorite: pumpkin. Now I know you’ve probably had pumpkin scones before. Just about every bakery makes them when the leaves begin to fall. Why is this one so different? Because it is MORE than just a dry scone. It’s a bakery wonder. Circular instead of the traditional triangle, it has the consistancy of a moist pumpkin loaf with the added bonus of a thin sheet of caramel glaze ontop. When its warm, there is no better accompaniment to a cup of ginger tea.

Speaking of tea, lets talk about the kinds of tea they have here. Well, they 100′s. At least it seems that way. They’ve got all your typical tea types: black, green, red, white, herbal, tisane, organic, and decaf. Each category has about 20 different flavors with all the standards like ginger, chai, chamomile, french vervain, peppermint, vanilla bourbon, jasmine, rose, and genmaicha. Along with some other outstanding teas such as Hawaiian Paradise (apples, berries, apricot, orange peel, rosehips, and hibiscus), Mango Mate, and Herbal Detox (alfalfa, dandelion, nettle bush, and mint). They basically have a tea for every palate and they are all delicious.

So if you are in the neighborhood come on over to Alices for a pot of tea and a blt…unless it’s a national holiday and kids are off from school…then be prepared to wait in a sea of 5 year olf girls.

Double Crown

Double Crown has an interesting theme. It explores the culinary dualities of Indian and Southeast Asia after the the British Empire’s influence. What could that possibly mean you ask? Well it means Bowery’s got a hip new spot (relatively new) that features Bangers and Mash, Butternut Squash Curry and Braised Pork Belly with Ginger-Lychee dressing. Confused? Dont be – Brad Farmerie (thats right the one currently on The Next Iron Chef) executes it well.

We started the meal with the spicy pork stuffed lychees. These were delicious  – I highly recommend ordering them even if you’re going in just to have a beer or two. The sit in a light coconut sauce and hit all the major tastebud flavors: salty, sweet, spicy, and a light sour. Keep in mind, they only come 3 in a plate so if you’re in a group order at least 2 or 3 plates. They will FLY!

Then we got the entrees: Twice Cooked Chicken, Bangers and Mash with WOW WOW sauce, and the Butternut Squash Curry. The Twice Cooked Chicken was so incredibly moist – I mean incredibly. I didn’t have to use a knife at all for my entire meal. Granted, the broth was a bit watery but the chicken itself was flavorful and in the end I guess thats what counts. The Bangers and Mash was very vinegary due to the wow wow sauce, which I happen to like but some people might not. The bangers were also a bit dry (emphasis on ‘bit’). The Butternut Squash Curry was a great vegetarian entree, meaty consistency, flavorful, and filling. All in all – the entrees were solid – especially the chicken. In terms of

Twice Cooked Chicken

side dishes we ordered the brussel sprouts and the pickled cucumbers. Both were great choices. The brussel sprouts were a little more charred than I usually like them but the flavor – OH the flavor – was excellant. Spicy and slightly sweet with that delicious mini-cabbage taste I’ve grown to love over the years. The pickled cucumbers with yogurt sauce were an excellant contrast considering most dishes had an element of heat.

Now its time to discuss the desserts. We chose 2: the panna cotta with goat milk ice cream and the hot fudge brownie sundae with shitaki ice cream. The panna cotta was delightful but I had a problem with the hot fudge sundae..mostly because it WASN’T HOT! DO YOU HEAR ME DOUBLE CROWN? I’m sorry, a cold brownie and cold chocolate sauce do not a hot fudge sundae make. Its ice cream with chocolate sauce at that point..which is ok…just don’t call it a hot fudge sundae. So when you visit Double Crown make sure you DON’T order the sundae.

In summation the dinner was a delight. The flavors weren’t quite Indian, or Southeast Asian, or British – which is exactly why I enjoyed it. If you are in the area make sure you go AND don’t forget the awesome gin joint next door. You have to go through a ‘hidden’ door in the back of the restaurant (pretty koooooool) and then you can enjoy the latest cocktail to enthrall NYC: gin and jam. Housemade jams, served in a little teaspoon alongside gin and lemon over crushed ice.

316 Bowery
New York, NY 10012
(212) 254-0350

http://www.doublecrown-nyc.com/

Aquagrill

I love oysters. They are briny, salty, and silky. Mmmmmm – even better? 6 oysters are about 1 point on Weight Watchers. I’ll repeat that because its worth repeating: this means a dozen oysters are only 2 points. Luxurious and diet worthy.

Aquagrill boasts an extensive oyster menu so I went there for brunch one day. The critics were right – the oysters are wonderful and they have over 25-30 different types to choose from on any given day. One day I plan on getting the $70 one-of-every-kind platter just because I need an excuse to have 3 dozen oysters to myself. Since I didnt have the cash to fulfill this dream, I decided to stick with a mix of blue point and malpeque oysters and they were amazing.

Next comes the actual food (although I could have easily dined on oysters alone if I had the cash), I had the warm chicken salad with artichokes, bacon, and a roasted potatoes. Sounds delicious right? It was good – but I have to admit I was expecting a chicken breast…not fatty chicken thighs. In my opinion, thighs have their place on a menu and it generally isnt in a leafy salad. That kind turned me off to the whole plate. Also, my husband got the shrimp fettucine with pesto. The shrimp was cooked well but there was no pesto; it was chopped basil. Fehh..

Verdict: come here for the warm complimentary scones/muffins and the oysters. Skip the rest.

Casa Mono…Brava

Joe Bastianich and Mario Batali have scores of restaurants scattered around NYC but this one is a tad bit different from their others. Instead of focusing on regional Italian cuisine, Casa Mono takes us to Spain with their delicious tiny tapas plates and delectable wines. Don’t be held back by the idea of ‘small plates’ here  – you WILL leave full.

My husband and I were debating where to eat the other night and I suggested Casa Mono since I wasnt in the mood for a huge dinner and was dressed in a t-shirt and jeans. Thank goodness for the huge yellow and orange ‘CASA MONO’ sign ontop of the restaurant, because the place is a shoebox. I mean, its not the smallest restaurant I’ve ever been too but I didnt expect it to be so cramped. Maybe the cramped feeling had more to do with how busy it was then anything else? I dont know.

We opted to sit at the bar instead of waiting for a seat and ordered 3 plates to share since we saw they were tiny: Foie Gras with Cinco Cebollas, Sweetbreads with Fennel al Mono, and the Bone Marrow with Radishes. We also asked for some Jamon Iberico to start with since the pig leg was STARING us in the face. The jamon was obviously delicious but the crusty bread and olives they gave as an obligatory snack was lacking. I’ll rephrase that: the crusty bread was lacking – very hard and kinda tasteless. But at least it was the only ‘BOOO’ factor for the entire meal.

The bone marrow came out first and it was magical.  Silky, salty, and meaty - the texture of the bone marrow can only be described as etheral. Served on chewy, crusty, buttery bread it was positively perfect. The foie gras was combined with different types of onions and it was utterly delicious. In fact, my husband thought it was the best thing her had ever eaten. The sweetbreads were crunchy and juicy – but they werent the best sweetbreads I’ve ever eaten (where were the best sweetbreads? MAZE).

 In summation: eat here. I know I’ll be back.

Egg: A Brooklyn Staple

First I want everyone know, I didnt just want to like Egg – I wanted to love it. It has all the makings of a ‘Vicky Top Ten’. Breakfast is one of my favorite meals of the day (and theyspecialize in it), most of their ingredients are from local farms, and the foods got southern flair. Unfortunately it didnt live up to the hype.

It was around 2pm on a Saturday and the hubs and I were more than peckish. We originally planned to eat at Relish but of course they were filming a movie IN the diner for the entire day. So we wander around Berry and saw Egg…and thought why not.

We didnt really wait to be seated since it was already past 2. We did however wait for the food. I ordered the Grits and Eggs with a side of homemade sausage. My husband went for the pulled pork sandwich because he wasn’t in the mood for breakfast. We waited almost an hour for our food and we were STARVING when it arrived so we started scarfing it down. After the first few bits it hit me – the sausage was bitter and dry and the grits were bland. Not to mention the fact that my eggs were runny. Ugh. I was so sad. My husbands sandwich was also dry. Seriously? This was the famous Egg??

Once again – since I love Egg in theory I promise to give it another chance.

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