Monthly Archives: April 2010

Hot Gratuitous Bacon Action

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Just when I thought I couldn't love Chef DeBarr of the Green Goddess any more (check out my review here)?he brought this into my life.

The Green Goddess “Notorious” Bacon Sundae: Pecan praline ice cream with a creamy bacon caramel sauce carrying a bit of both Pink Himalayan & Black Lava Salts, & micro-planed Nueske’s Applewood Bacon.

Fievel likes it, too.

Hot Gratuitous Bacon Action

Posted on by
Just when I thought I couldn't love Chef DeBarr of the Green Goddess any more (check out my review here) he brought this into my life.

The Green Goddess “Notorious” Bacon Sundae: Pecan praline ice cream with a creamy bacon caramel sauce carrying a bit of both Pink Himalayan & Black Lava Salts, & micro-planed Nueske’s Applewood Bacon.

Fievel likes it, too.

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More to Love: Star & Shamrock Tavern and Deli

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"H Street."? It's a phrase that gets spoken in our household approximately 3,400 times a week.? If you didn't know better, you might assume that?"H Street" is?the name a fancy narcotic that we are addicted to (rather than a kicky, urban area in DC that keeps springing up?unique bars, restaurants, and clubs faster than we can grow tired of the ones already there.)

Substitute?"H Street" with the name of your favorite illicit drug?in the following statements, and you'll see what I mean: "We went to this bar on H Street; No matter what?we do on the weekends, we somehow always end up on?H Street; We had the most transcendent experience at a restaurant on H Street; Why, we're on H Street right now!"

And don't stage an intervention just yet, ya'll, because our obsession with H Street is getting worse by the day. [See: HStreetGreatStreet.blogspot.com, re: the Biergarten Haus, NoMa Summer Screens Event, ect.]? Yesterday before hitting up a free Bourbon tasting event (you guessed it, "on H Street") Mr. Luz and I stopped by?H Street's?new "New York Deli slash Irish Pub,"? Star and Shamrock, and the experience was just hedonistic enough to leave me very happy and perfectly full for the rest of the night.? I ordered their Black Chocolate Stout (a bottled beer from Brooklyn Brewery) after consulting with our server and it was pretty awesome.??A little sweet at first, then after a few sips the burnt chocolate malt flavor overtakes the sweetness, and? for a stout, it's very light and drinkable.? Then...our sandwiches came.

Mr. Luz ordered The Latke Madness, 3 potato crispy fried potato pancakes instead of bread (think "club sandwich" style), corned beef, griddled sauerkraut, swiss, and 1,000 island dressing with a pickle and Mr. Luz got the coleslaw side. This was basically a meat, cheese, crispy potato casserole disguised as a sandwich--there was no away around this thing without a fork--and it was as tasty as it sounds.? The corned beef was perfect--warm, tender, not too salty but flavorful enough to hold its own.? I'm also giving 2 thumbs up to the coleslaw for its fresh dill.

I ordered The Chicken and the Cow (which I felt especially delicious ordering: "I'll have the black chocolate stout, and the chicken, and the cow for dinner, please.") It was billed as hot pastrami, swiss, 1,000 island, and chopped chicken liver, and I got mine on pumpernickel with macaroni salad.? By itself, the macaroni salad wasn't making my day, but after I ate my rich ass sandwich, I could appreciate the light, creamy, celery flavored-side dish a little?more for its cool simplicity.? As for the sandwich, it was pretty brilliant.? It came with about a 3/4 inch slather of chopped chicken livers that had been mixed with a tiny bit of minced egg and some gherkin of some sort.? And the chicken livers really made the sandwich. The pastrami was very good--thicker cut, sweeter, and sort of herbaceous--but imagine a tasty and satisfying sandwich covered in a good, earthy, meaty pâté, and that's the Chicken and the Cow.

All in all, Star and Shamrock was a cool place with fun beers and food, and we will definitely be back.? I'm already planning a late night beer, booze, and dancing fest, followed by Star and Shamrock's reuben egg roll wraps and their pan friend matzo balls, "on H Street."

More to Love: Star & Shamrock Tavern and Deli

Posted on by
"H Street."  It's a phrase that gets spoken in our household approximately 3,400 times a week.  If you didn't know better, you might assume that "H Street" is the name a fancy narcotic that we are addicted to (rather than a kicky, urban area in DC that keeps springing up unique bars, restaurants, and clubs faster than we can grow tired of the ones already there.)

Substitute "H Street" with the name of your favorite illicit drug in the following statements, and you'll see what I mean: "We went to this bar on H Street; No matter what we do on the weekends, we somehow always end up on H Street; We had the most transcendent experience at a restaurant on H Street; Why, we're on H Street right now!"

And don't stage an intervention just yet, ya'll, because our obsession with H Street is getting worse by the day. [See: HStreetGreatStreet.blogspot.com, re: the Biergarten Haus, NoMa Summer Screens Event, ect.]  Yesterday before hitting up a free Bourbon tasting event (you guessed it, "on H Street") Mr. Luz and I stopped by H Street's new "New York Deli slash Irish Pub,"  Star and Shamrock, and the experience was just hedonistic enough to leave me very happy and perfectly full for the rest of the night.  I ordered their Black Chocolate Stout (a bottled beer from Brooklyn Brewery) after consulting with our server and it was pretty awesome.  A little sweet at first, then after a few sips the burnt chocolate malt flavor overtakes the sweetness, and  for a stout, it's very light and drinkable.  Then...our sandwiches came.

Mr. Luz ordered The Latke Madness, 3 potato crispy fried potato pancakes instead of bread (think "club sandwich" style), corned beef, griddled sauerkraut, swiss, and 1,000 island dressing with a pickle and Mr. Luz got the coleslaw side. This was basically a meat, cheese, crispy potato casserole disguised as a sandwich--there was no away around this thing without a fork--and it was as tasty as it sounds.  The corned beef was perfect--warm, tender, not too salty but flavorful enough to hold its own.  I'm also giving 2 thumbs up to the coleslaw for its fresh dill.

I ordered The Chicken and the Cow (which I felt especially delicious ordering: "I'll have the black chocolate stout, and the chicken, and the cow for dinner, please.") It was billed as hot pastrami, swiss, 1,000 island, and chopped chicken liver, and I got mine on pumpernickel with macaroni salad.  By itself, the macaroni salad wasn't making my day, but after I ate my rich ass sandwich, I could appreciate the light, creamy, celery flavored-side dish a little more for its cool simplicity.  As for the sandwich, it was pretty brilliant.  It came with about a 3/4 inch slather of chopped chicken livers that had been mixed with a tiny bit of minced egg and some gherkin of some sort.  And the chicken livers really made the sandwich. The pastrami was very good--thicker cut, sweeter, and sort of herbaceous--but imagine a tasty and satisfying sandwich covered in a good, earthy, meaty pâté, and that's the Chicken and the Cow.

All in all, Star and Shamrock was a cool place with fun beers and food, and we will definitely be back.  I'm already planning a late night beer, booze, and dancing fest, followed by Star and Shamrock's reuben egg roll wraps and their pan friend matzo balls, "on H Street."
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Keep Fit – Eat Meat Every Day

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This past weekend I ventured over the Williamsburg bridge for brunch at Marlow & Sons. My friend and I shared a couple dishes that included an amazing boudin sausage—possibly my favorite part of the meal (and yes, I did have bacon). Afterwards we stopped into Marlow & Daughters to check out the butcher shop where this wonderful sausage came from. Scott Bridi, manager and charcutier (and dining partner), was kind enough to give us a tour. See all photos here.
The place was packed and meat case close to empty. Scott was busy cranking out lamb sausages. Eventually there was a lull & the meat case was replenished before the shot above was taken. I was then introduced to the various charcuterie available—smoked meats, fresh sausages, patés, terrines. There is a lot of thought and care in the preparation of these items. Wine and fresh herbs are often used “to create the balance of a well composed dish,” according to Bridi. We of course had to see for ourselves... we sampled duck rillettes, pork rillettes, a Sunset Park taco-inspired pig head terrine, and sweet sopressata. Like the boudin at brunch, I could certainly eat any of these as a meal by itself. Another wonderful thing about the prepared foods is that it gives the shop an opportunity to make use of the whole animal.
Marlow & Daughters does whole animal butchering and they source their animals very locally. Their beef is from 3 farms in upstate NY. Pork comes from EcoFriendly Foods in VA as well as farms upstate including Flying Pigs. The lamb is from Elysian Fields Farm in PA. Duck and rabbit are from a farm in New Paltz. Meat isn’t all that they get locally. Fresh veggies come from Guy Jones’ upstate farm and their beans come from Cayuga Pure Organics in Ithaca. A number of groceries are sourced even closer to home: popsicles from Brooklyn Flea regulars People’s Pops, Williamsburg’s own Mast Brothers Chocolate, and Marlow & Sons’ house-made ice cream, granola, marmalade and hazelnut butter (to name a few).
This is truly your local neighborhood butcher shop... and if it's not exactly local to you, it’s worth it to go out of your way. These guys aren’t just chopping up meat. They can tell you what cut to use and the best way to prepare it. There is a flexibility and a trust between the staff of M&D and their customers. Talk to Scott, TJ or Andrew who can offer suggestions on easy, delicious dishes based on what’s available. Coming from the kitchens of Gramercy Tavern, craft, and Momofuku—these guys know how to fucking cook. So take advantage of that knowledge when planning your next meal. And don’t forget:
P.S.M&D will soon be selling barbecue packages... Get your grills ready! (Talking to you, Rosa.) If you can’t grill, their eponymous pork sausage will be available at Summer Stage this year.

Keep Fit – Eat Meat Every Day

Posted on by
This past weekend I ventured over the Williamsburg bridge for brunch at Marlow & Sons. My friend and I shared a couple dishes that included an amazing boudin sausage—possibly my favorite part of the meal (and yes, I did have bacon). Afterwards we stopped into Marlow & Daughters to check out the butcher shop where this wonderful sausage came from. Scott Bridi, manager and charcutier (and dining partner), was kind enough to give us a tour. See all photos here.
The place was packed and meat case close to empty. Scott was busy cranking out lamb sausages. Eventually there was a lull & the meat case was replenished before the shot above was taken. I was then introduced to the various charcuterie available—smoked meats, fresh sausages, patés, terrines. There is a lot of thought and care in the preparation of these items. Wine and fresh herbs are often used “to create the balance of a well composed dish,” according to Bridi. We of course had to see for ourselves... we sampled duck rillettes, pork rillettes, a Sunset Park taco-inspired pig head terrine, and sweet sopressata. Like the boudin at brunch, I could certainly eat any of these as a meal by itself. Another wonderful thing about the prepared foods is that it gives the shop an opportunity to make use of the whole animal.
Marlow & Daughters does whole animal butchering and they source their animals very locally. Their beef is from 3 farms in upstate NY. Pork comes from EcoFriendly Foods in VA as well as farms upstate including Flying Pigs. The lamb is from Elysian Fields Farm in PA. Duck and rabbit are from a farm in New Paltz. Meat isn’t all that they get locally. Fresh veggies come from Guy Jones’ upstate farm and their beans come from Cayuga Pure Organics in Ithaca. A number of groceries are sourced even closer to home: popsicles from Brooklyn Flea regulars People’s Pops, Williamsburg’s own Mast Brothers Chocolate, and Marlow & Sons’ house-made ice cream, granola, marmalade and hazelnut butter (to name a few).
This is truly your local neighborhood butcher shop... and if it's not exactly local to you, it’s worth it to go out of your way. These guys aren’t just chopping up meat. They can tell you what cut to use and the best way to prepare it. There is a flexibility and a trust between the staff of M&D and their customers. Talk to Scott, TJ or Andrew who can offer suggestions on easy, delicious dishes based on what’s available. Coming from the kitchens of Gramercy Tavern, craft, and Momofuku—these guys know how to fucking cook. So take advantage of that knowledge when planning your next meal. And don’t forget:
P.S.M&D will soon be selling barbecue packages... Get your grills ready! (Talking to you, Rosa.) If you can’t grill, their eponymous pork sausage will be available at Summer Stage this year.