For Foodies

A friend/co-worker of mine (she actually sits right behind me, and therefore literally oversees everything I put up here) has launched her own blog, devoted to her cooking. She's very talented, and makes a lot of Korean dishes. Give it a look, if you're into that kinda thing. I like the name.

Ambitious Delicious(ness)

Food News Round-Up

Food News to Go
Via Instapundit

Atomic Wings Coming to the Slope

As a lover of wings, I couldn't be more excited about this news - I don't think I've ever actually had Atomic Wings, but frankly, I can't really imagine they'll be bad.

Unlike cheeseburgers, chicken wings are a junk food about which no one can accuse me of being a snob. The only ways to ruin a chicken wing, for my money, is to overcook them. Beyond that, I really couldn't care less if they have too much or too little batter, or if they're a little small, or any of the other complaints that can be found on foodie message boards. Some people in New York will complain about anything, particularly food-related, but chicken wings should not be one of them. These are not a gourmet food by any stretch of the imagination, and they should not be treated as such.

You can keep your Bonnie's wings, I've had them, and they're no different than the vast majority of other wings out there. Buffalo Wild Wings? Same thing, they're fine, but I ain't traveling to Atlantic Avenue for chicken wings and shoddy service. Atomic Wings will be closer to me than both of the options currently available to me for wings, and it will undoubtedly be quicker. So welcome!

Mee Thai

Tried Mee Thai, (180 5th Ave., btw Berkeley and Lincoln) last week with a group, and if you're looking for a relatively inexpensive dinner or a Thai alternative to Song, this is a good bet. We shared a few appetizers between the eight of us, I had chicken dumplings, which were excellent, others I tried included a duck and a beef "salad," which was sort of the Thai equivalent of a taco salad, in that it's a salad in name only. They were both basically a small bed of greens piled high with savory chunks of the respective meats. Highly recommended, and very satisfying.

For my entree, I had my standby, Beef Pad See Ew (I have a nut allergy, so my options are extremely limited when ordering Thai), and it was very nice. I've had the same dish from Song a number of times, and Mee Thai's offering was just as good, even perhaps a bit lighter tasting. The service was gracious and quick, the decor is slightly elegant without being overbearing, and the overall vibe was very comfortable.

However, biggest selling point, and for those who know me, this is a big selling point, is that Mee Thai is BYOB. Yay! With appetizers and entrees, the bill worked out to $21 a person, so very affordable, and being able to provide your own wine is huge, in that regard. With the relatively recent demise of Jpan's BYOB status, Mee Thai will fill that niche quite nicely.

Pizza by the Park Replacement?

When I first moved into Park Slope almost three years ago, I quickly became a big fan of Pizza by the Park, on 3rd St. It was convenient, relatively cheap, made good meatball hoagies, tasty chicken fingers, great salads, and had some decent toppings. It was perfect for grabbing a quick couple slices on the way home. Unfortunately, it was closed down by the health department a number of months ago, and the store front has stood vacant since then. I'm guessing that pretty much every restaurant in the city would fail a random health inspection for one reason or another, and as long as there's nothing wrong with my food and I don't actually witness any blatant violations, I'm happy. So the roomies and I have definitely missed Pizza by the Park.

Now, finally, it appears there will be a new restaurant in its place, next to the Stone Park Cafe. The new tenant is called Villa Rustica, and appears to be a slightly more upscale Italian eatery, advertising Brick Oven Pizza, which can't be a bad thing. Still, doesn't look like it's going to be a "grab a slice and go" kinda place, which is disappointing, but hey, it's better than nothing. I'm sure I'll check it out soon after it opens, and there'll be a full report at that time...

Weekend Activities

One of the primary causes of the below-mentioned lack of posting over the weekend was an all-day trip to the glorious Bohemian Hall & Beer Garden in Astoria, Queens. The hour+ subway ride to this wonderful establishment has been a summer ritual at least once a year since I've lived in Park Slope, and every time it seems to get better.

We usually go with a fairly large group (best to get there early enough to ensure a large enough seating area for your friends, if you're responsible for the trek, one of the roomies and I were there at 2 pm), and this year was no exception. Probably around 15-20 trickled in at various points between our arrival and when I finally departed for the return trip to Brooklyn around 10 that night. One of the major drawbacks of not being well off in the city is the necessity of taking the subway, even when you're fairly drunk, at night, and you're facing over an hour ride. Good times.

Regardless, the visit featured seemingly endless pitchers of tasty (mostly) European beer. I we tended to opt for the sweeter Hoegarden or the heartier Spaten over the more pedestrian, prevalent and bitter Stella, although when the drinking games began, the Stella came in handy due to its lighter feel and easier chugability. And the drinking games did begin. One of the great aspects of the beer garden, aside from the enormous shaded patio and amazing food (more on that later), is the picnic bench communal-style seating, which allows not only for easy fraternization with the group that settles next to you, but also provides for an easy space on which to play cards, dice, etc.

In the past, the beer garden even allowed for more active drinking games such as flip cup and beer pong (aka beirut, I'm not going to get into the widely-argued difference - I know, beer pong is technically the game played with paddles, but that game is dumb and no one ever plays it, for most people, myself included, "beer pong" = beirut, so that's how it's going to be), but, I assume in the face of threatened litigation for over serving, they now crack down on such games.

In addition to the friendly atmosphere and the great beer, the beer garden also serves some great Czech food, including Klobasa and pierogies, as well as some more standard American grill fare. However, my favorite, which I enjoyed (twice) on Saturday, is the bratwurst. For $10, one receives about a foot long bratwurst, grilled to perfection, and a serving a fries. However, what sets the beer garden apart is the condiment table. Along with the usual ketchup and mustard, diners can also help themselves to as much rye bread, dill pickle chips and sauerkraut as they want. These really serve to fill out the meal, particularly when one has been drinking for a couple hours, and it's not unusual to see visitors going back up to restock on kraut.

As far as I know, the patio portion of the establishment remains open as long as the weather stays nice, so make time to pay a visit before it gets too cold.

Gas Prices Might Be Up, But Lobster Prices are Down!

The Great Lobster Mystery from Slate

Money quotes:

In a seafood store in downtown Portland, a pound of lobster ($5.49) went for pretty close to what I had paid for a gallon of gas in Connecticut the day before ($4.30). A few years ago, the pound-of-lobster-to-gallon-of-gas ratio would have more like 4-to-1.

Finally, lobsters remain cheap in Maine because of their simplicity. Raising them isn't a particularly energy-intensive business. Lobstermen have to gas up their boats, but they don't have to pay for fertilizer or feed. On the coast of Maine, lobsters are simply removed from their traps and put into tanks at dockside restaurants or sold directly to home cooks, so there are precious few distribution, processing, or packaging costs to pass on. The only ancillary costs associated with getting lobsters from the dock to the table are 1) butter and 2) the statins that subsisting on a diet of rich lobster meat dipped in butter will require many consumers to take.

Drink 'er Down!

From the NYT, via Instapundit

Sorting Out Coffee's Contradictions

More reasons to drink coffee. You know, besides that it often makes life worth living. And tastes great mixed with Jameson's and a bit of Bailey's.

Of course, six months from now someone will be contradicting these claims, but I'll just ignore them. Simple enough.

Happiness Is...

...the new Five Guys Burgers and Fries location that just opened in Park Slope, on 7th Ave!

After months of anticipation, the chain burger joint, sorta the East Coast's answer to In-N-Out Burger, opened a mere ten minute walk from my apartment. Glorious.

I got my dinner from Five Guys on Sunday night, a Cheeseburger with ketchup, pickles, and fried mushrooms, and a Regular Cajun Fries. The requisite Costco-size boxes of peanuts were everywhere, but the shells had yet to litter the floor. I even saw one patron, while waiting for his order, neatly sweep his empty shells into his hand and then place them into a garbage can. Park Slope is so different than Manhattan.

I took my order home, at which point the brown paper sack had taken on a wonderfully grease-stained appearance, due in large part to the extra helping of fries that the counter people dump into the bag on top of your food, one of my favorite aspects of the place. Can never have too many french fries. Especially Cajun-seasoned fries. With malt vinegar. The food was what I expected, greasy and delicious, a definite step above McDonald's, but below my current favorite burger in Park Slope, the Sirloin Burger from Miracle Grill, also on 7th. But that's another post.

Welcome to the neighborhood, Five Guys. Welcome.

For my next burger tasting, I've got my sites set
on this tasty looking sign, newly arrived on 5th Ave:















Unfortunately, the visit was not all peaches and sunshine, as you can read below...