NYC: Quintessential Deli Tour of the Lower East Side (Part II)

From Katz's I ventured down Houston to Russ and Daughters Appetizers (since 1914), to admire their beautiful smoked fish, schmears, and other goodies.  This appetizing shop is on Bourdain's list of "13 Places to Eat Before You Die", so yeah, they're serious.  I will admit that I shamefully misjudged my appetite and could not eat a lox, bagel, and cream cheese after having pastrami at Katz's, but have no fear, I will be back to Russ and Daughters.  Oh yes, I will be back.

RUSS and DAUGHTERS

"Russ & Daughters occupies 
that rare and tiny place on the mountaintop reserved for those 
who are not just the oldest and the last — but also the best."  

- Anthony Bourdain

179 E. Houston St. (and 1st Ave.)

Man slicing smoked white fish (to put on BAGELZ w cream cheese)

LOXXX (smoked/cured salmon)

Smoked white fish

RAY'S BURGERS (for Egg Cream)

From there I ventured to 7th and St. Mark's Place to get the quintessential NY drink: the egg cream.  An egg cream is a delicious mix of milk and seltzer.  This hole-in-the-wall establishment, with no real sign except one that says "Belgain Fries," was the place to go (the real name is Ray's Burgers).  I opted for a vanilla egg cream, resisting the chocolate that sounded equally delightful.

EGG CREAM!

NYC: Quintessential Deli Tour of the Lower East Side (Part I)

I feel good walking around the Lower East Side.  I feel insignificant but purposeful, the grit of the neighborhood exciting every bone in my body.  And I'm suddenly a character in one of Tom Waits' bluesy tunes.  Today's purpose: to partake in a walking tour of the quintessential deli experiences in LES Manhattan.  From unctuous pastrami to silky egg cream, at least on this Tuesday morning, the LES is where it's at.

KATZ's DELI

205 E. Houston St. (at Ludlow St.)

What is Katz's famous for?: PASTRAMI

I ordered directly from one of the pastrami carvers behind the counter

A thing of BEAUTY. My camera has never caught the reflection of such greasy goodness.  The grease, permeating out of the pastrami onto my hands, burned SO good.

Half sour picklez :D

NYC: Shake Shack

I found myself in flatiron after a day of interviews and wanted something satisfying and rewarding for dinner.  I've heard lots of hype about Danny Meyer's (of Eleven Madison Park, Blue Smoke, Gramercy Tavern, etc, etc) modern day "roadside" burger stand in NYC, and felt it my duty to go taste what all the fuss was about.  So I hopped on a train to the Upper West Side location of Shake Shack, next to the astounding Museum of Natural History.  Well, congratulations Mr. Meyer, your burgers are incredible.  Danny Meyer has taken something as simple yet profound as burgers, fries, hot dogs, shakes, and frozen custard and elevated these American classics to a whole other level.  

The Shack burger is a freshly ground beef patty cooked perfectly to medium, american cheese, lettuce, tomato, and Shack sauce (mayo, ketchup, mustard, dill pickles, cayenne) on a gooey soft bun.

mmmmm

Did I mention they have beer and wine?  I mean, the perfectly balanced meal on a tray: waffle fries, burger, and brooklyn brewery oktoberfest

Pumpkin pie custard: literally, pumpkin pie (crust and all) blended into vanilla custard (appx 50 calories, i'd say)

*Upper West Side location: 366 Columbus Ave. (at 77th st.), NYC

**Madison Sq Park location: near Madison Ave. and East 23rd st.

ITHACA: Sticky Rice

How "off the beaten path" is off the beaten path? If you're talking about Laotian restaurant Sticky Rice, it's behind the Dominos pizza facing the parking lot of the Gateway Plaza development on E. State Street. But when you find it, after some confusion and wrong turns, you know you're at the right place. With only three tables, and several maps of Laos seeming to be the only decoration, one might become put off by this joint. But I feel at home here. The owner takes my order. She tells me that the Nam Khaow is what she eats at home, so I promptly change my order to whatever that is. When I tell her I like spicy food, she offers to put extra chilis to go with the rice and thai laos sausage salad I just ordered. Oh, yes, I'm at home.

Purple and white sticky rice

This place gets lots of foot traffic...except not

Curry Puffs: curried carrots and white potatoes, turmeric, onion, garlic, scallions and cillantro wrapped in puff pastry and fried till golden brown

Nam Khaow: rice and Thai laos sausage salad served with lettuce leaves and xtra chilis!!

Steamed cassia leaf and chicken in a mix of coconut milk and vegetable broth, sticky rice paste and lemon grass.

Sticky rice container, or a fashionable handbag? You decide.

Kate Arding: A Cheese Wiz

This week, Kate Arding, founder of the national consumer cheese magazine Culture, graced Ithaca with her presence. Kate lead a tasting of five of her favorite cheeses and talked about some of her favorite farmstead operations. Kate has worked for both Neal's Yard Dairy in London and Cowgirl Creamery in Point Reyes, CA. Not a bad repertoire, not bad at all.

Clockwise from 12 o'clock:

-Stichelton [Collingthwaite Farm, Nottinghamshire, UK] - raw cow's milk

-Ewe Bloom** [Prairie Fruit Farm, Champaign, Illinois] - sheep's milk

-Cabot Clothbound Cheddar [collaboration with Jasper Hill Farm, Vermont] - cow's milk

-Montgomery's Cheddar** [Manor Farm, North Cadbury, Somerset, UK] - raw cow's milk

-Red Hawk [Cowgirl Creamery, Marin County, CA] - cow's milk

**My favorites of Kate's favorites

Steve Bridges of Manor Farm taking samples of his Unpasteurized Farmhouse Cheddar, to check if the cheese is ripe and aged to its full potential

Another Transcendental Evening (A taste of Bologna)

Round two of italian food and wine night.  This time, we headed straight to Emilia-Romagna for gnocchi alla bolognese.  Throw some Barbera d'Alba, Barolo, and a few good pals into the mix, and you've got yourself one hell of an Italian feast.  

2001 Bovio Barolo, 2004 Moccagatta Barbaresco, 2004 Il Palazzetto Sangiovese di Romagna, 2005 Calabrigo Primitivo di Manduria, 2007 Bruno Giacosa Barbera d'Alba (my favorite...jammy fruit, violets, and earth)

Bovio Borolo wine decanting in none other than a wooden salad bowl ;)

...we had to get it back into the bottle somehow!

Homemade gnocchi mmm

Letting the gnocchi meld with the flavors of the bolognese sauce: carrots, celery, onion, garlic, dried chili peppers, canned tomatoes, parmigiano-reggiano, 2 parts beef: 1 part pork (we would have used pork belly if we had been in bologna, sigh), and olive oil

you can almost smell that, can't you?

Parmigiano reggiano grated over the top.  How do you tell if the gnocchi is just right: if you can pick it up by pressing the back of your fork into the pasta, and it sticks.

The verdict for our gnocchi...success.

Boston: TORO

On Sunday I turned 21..wooo!  No, I could not just go anywhere, so I went to Toro, a dark and happening pincho and tapas bar in Boston's South End.  At Toro they're whipping up delicious typical Spanish tapas like patatas bravas, pan con tomate, and croquetas, along with the unexpected like house-cured beef heart, grilled corn with espelette pepper and aged cheese, and Rioja braised short ribs.  Once again, Boston did not disappoint.  And no, they did not card ;)

Toro's cocktail + vino chalkboard menu.  I ordered the Fresita, a cocktail made with strawberry and rhubarb simple syrup, gin, seltzer, and lime.

The bar was stocked with everything a 21 year old could want: bottles of Garnacha, Tempranillo, Albariño, St. Germain, Canton...

A very well designed/mesmerizing open kitchen.  

Compliments to the chef!

Toro's Caramelized Caipirinha (they caramelize the limes in a pan with sugar before they muddle them to put in the Brazilian rum-based cocktail)

Escalivada Catalana: marinated wood-roasted eggplant, peppers, and tomatoes with sherry vinegar and olive oil (served cold like an Italian caponata)

The winning dish of the night: Rioja braised beef short ribs with armagnac-soaked prunes and potato puree

The house specialty: Corn grilled a la plancha with alioli, lime, espelette pepper, and aged cheese.  Artery clogging and TO DIE FOR.

Give me churros y chocolate over a birthday cake any day!

*We drank: 2006 Arrocal Tempranillo from the Ribera del Duero region of Spain (in the NW).  Made with 100% Tinto Fino grapes.  Verdict: juicy, silky, persistent, YUM!