The Skinny Pig

Cherry Valley's Sandwich of the Week Sounds...Healthy?!

If I haven't mentioned this before, feel free to send me a virtual ass kicking. Cherry Valley, otherwise known as the mecca of deliciousness in Whitestone, Queens, announced their Sandwich of the Week. The Sunset: grilled chicken, fresh mozzarella, guacamole, tomatoes, salt & pepper on a wrap. I guess Cherry Valley is trying to go healthy on us. Blasphemy! I'm all for a nice grilled chicken sandwich every now and then, but Cherry Valley is KNOWN for their veritable "heart attacks on heros" like the TCS, the Bushman, or the Beast (ohhhh the Beast...see descriptions below). Cherry Valley is my biggest guilty food pleasure, and this could just be me, but when I go there, I'm all about indulging - counting calories basically goes out the window. You just kinda have to in order to get the full experience. And you should also go around 2 am. I'm convinced the sandwiches are fresher at that time than they are in the middle of the day.

Faves in order of MY preference...everyone has a favorite (or two) at Cherry Valley, but growing up in Queens, I can tell you that they are most widely known for the TCS. This could be why their slogan is "Home of the TCS, Corona, Bushman & Beast."

Bushman: Chicken Cutlet w/bacon, brown gravy, american cheese on toasted garlic roll/hero

Beast: Chicken Cutlet w/bacon, swiss cheese, onion rings, brown gravy on a toasted garlic roll/hero (pics below...mmmm)

TCS: Chicken cutlet w/american cheese, brown gravy on a toasted roll/hero

Leanboy: Grilled honey turkey w/mozzarella cheese, fried onions, brown gravy on toasted garlic roll/hero

Corona: Chicken Cutlet w/bacon, cheddar cheese, onion rings, and BBQ sauce on toasted garlic roll/hero

If you aren't salivating, there is clearly something wrong with you.

 
Mmmm beasty 

Cherry Valley

12-29 150th st

Whitestone, NY 11357

718-767-1937

 

And they deliver now! SCORE!

Buttery Brunch at L'Ecole

You've got to give it to the French; they know what's imperative for a good meal. I don't think I've had a more indulgent brunch in my life, but believe me - the butter, the cream, and the flaky pastries were worth every highly caloric bite.

I dined with my friend Angela at L'Ecole Sunday at the French Culinary Institute, and we ate for a good cause too: all proceeds went to the American Red Cross for Haiti. L'Ecole offers a prix fixe brunch menu, and for $19.50 per person, you get a basket of fresh bread and pastries, an appetizer and entree. Let me talk about this bread basket for a second. Would a scone by any other name taste as sweet?? This scone was special: flaky, buttery, with blueberries and sanding sugar on top - it glistened in the mid-morning light. Disclaimer: if you have an aversion to carbs, give it up for this brunch. Trust me.

Blueberry scone and Blood Orange Sidecar...mmmm 

What's brunch without a punchy, alcoholic beverage? Not brunch, I say! L'Ecole has a fabulous list of specialty cocktails for brunch, so I got the "Blood Orange Sidecar" and Angela got the "Easy Like Sunday Mimosa" in peach; she went semi-traditional. The Blood Orange Sidecar was orange juice just like mom used to make...if your mom was an alcoholic. Cointreau, cognac, blood orange, orange bitters and fresh lemon certainly packed that "punch" I was referring to. A sweet and tart drink perfect for any brunch, I declare. And the mimosa was...a mimosa. Good, but something you can get anywhere.  

Rarely would I order shrimp in the morning, but when it's butter-poached shrimp with andouille sausage and grits, I will reconsider. The grits were good, but the andouille sausage and shrimp made this dish. It was buttery and spicy - how can you go wrong? Butter makes everything better. So does cream. That's what I have deducted from this experience. Our other appetizer was a cumin-roasted butternut squash and almond soup, thickened with cream, of course. It was a very rich soup, and I would have preffered it a little hotter (though cream-soup experts suggest that a soup of this nature shouldn't be served too hot), but it was still very tasty. You could taste the cumin infused in it, but it wasn't overpowering, and I liked the crunch of the crispy shitake mushrooms and almonds on top.

 
Butter Poached Shrimp and Grits; Cumin-Roasted Butternut Squash Soup 

Now for the pièce de résistance: the entree. Or entrees I should say. I was having trouble deciding what to order (a common problem for me), so our lovely waitress, Shibhon, suggested I get an omelette. Odd, no? Just an omelette? Well...ok. I did. I got an omelette with goat cheese, bacon and spinach (you know, keep it healthy), and Angela got eggs benedict (normally MY brunch staple). When our food arrived, something was off: eggs benedict, check. Omelette, check. And...Croque Madame? Surprise! Shibhon said I had to at least TRY the croque madame, so my response was, "well, if you're going to twist my arm..." For those of you who don't know, a croque madame is essentially the same as a croque monsieur, but with a sunny side up egg on top. So it's an open-faced "sandwich" of sorts with ham, bechamel sauce, gruyere cheese and a sunny side up egg on top. God bless the French and their obsession with all things butter and cheese. Everything was delicious, but that croque madame was a scene-stealer. I'd like to meet the person who wouldn't enjoy that. And if you're trying to be healthy, don't worry, it came with a small side of mixed greens. 

Croque Madame aka heart attack heaven

An omelette is an omelette right? Wrong. This omelette was fluffy, cheesy and (shock) buttery. Thick cut bacon, creamy goat cheese and spinach all wrapped up in real eggs (and what I imagine was a nice slick of butter). It's funny, so many of us eat those damned egg whites all the time, we tend to forget how good REAL eggs taste. I certainly miss it. The eggs benedict were also good; normally I go to brunch and always end up wishing I got the eggs benny (because it's hard to screw up), but this was the first time in a long time that I was perfectly satisfied with what I got and not picking at everyone else's plates.

Eggs Benny 

Now dessert is something I rarely order at brunch, but hey, I figured I already consumed close to 3,000 calories, whats another 500? We ordered the tart du jour, which was filled with passionfruit mousse in a coconut crust. It was slightly frozen which was a little disappointing, and the crust was very hard, but it still tasted good. If the mousse was softer, it would have been divine.

For $19.50 per person, I think L'Ecole's brunch is a pretty sweet deal. And speaking of sweet - they will be open for brunch on Valentine's Day as well, where they will offer the same menu but with specialty cocktails and complimentary chocolate truffles for dessert. What better way to the heart than through the stomach?

L'Ecole

462 Broadway (nr. Crosby)

212-219-3300

Preview of Ducks at SPiN

As a somewhat jaded New Yorker, rarely do I find myself in an establishment that begs me to ask the question: where the hell am I?? SPiN, however, has bested me.

Located on 23rd street and Park Avenue South is SPiN, a rather unconventional business venture backed by Susan Sarandon. The name is kind of vague so I'll spell it out for you: imagine a 13,000 square foot billiards club, but instead of pool tables and old smokers in plaid shirts everywhere, it's ping pong tables and investment bankers in collared shirts (mostly, but all pong lovers are welcome). It's on the lower level of the building, which already adds to the "underground" vibe, and upon entering, you certainly feel like you're in some sort of exclusive club, which is essentially what it is anyway: a "ping pong social club." Who knew? I will admit that it looks like a fun place to entertain though. You have to give it to us New Yorkers - we embrace change (and eccentricity) very well.

Normally, a table tennis social club isn't something I would go running to, but when I found out there was a new restaurant opening inside of it, I was suddenly intrigued. Opening this Saturday (1/23), Ducks at SPiN is a casual little dining area (with full bar) just a few feet away from the masses of ping pong tables. To that end, be on the lookout for stray ping pong balls flying your way during your meal; it's not bad, in fact it adds an element of authenticity to the experience. Anyway, we were there for the soft opening, and the menu is a good mix of classic bar food with a twist, and creative sandwiches.

Menu

Ducks claims to make the best grilled cheese, so that was obviously one of my choices for the evening. The rest was a tough decision because everything sounded really good, but we opted for some wings, lettuce wraps with jumbo lump crab meat, "The Saigon" sandwich, and some gourmet popcorn with chocolate, coconut and powdered sugar. I'm eating chocolate popcorn at a table tennis club...my mind was spinning (no pun intended, I swear).

All the food was really good, but I definitely favored some things. First off, the grilled cheese brought me back to grade school: it was really thin and cheesy on sourdough bread. It wasn't the BEST I've ever had, but I have to say I never had a grilled cheese on sourdough bread before, and that definitely gave it that extra bite; it was good, but not my favorite of the night. The wings were probably the best, followed by the popcorn and the lettuce wraps, believe it or not. The lettuce wraps were filled with jumbo lump crab meat, cashews, green curry, green mango slaw, and pork rousong, aka pork floss, which isn't as gross as it sounds...in the slightest. They were little bundles of light, fluffy crab goodness with a slight tang from the curry. Loved it. The popcorn might have been laced with some habit-forming drug too, because even though I was full, I couldn't stop eating it. Anything that has that salty/sweet mixture in a bite size shape is dangerous to me, but this was strange, in a delicious way.  

Grilled Cheese (with crusts cut off!) and Chocolate Popcorn

The Saigon sandwich was a close runner up for my favorite of the night - it was both meaty and cooly refreshing at the same time (and once again, that mountain of cilantro follows me to every sandwich I eat now - damn you, cilantro!). The sweet and savory five-spice pork with chili aioli was so tender, then topped off with cool pickled daikon, cucumber, cracklings and lemongrass pate made it a bevy of textures and kept me surprised with each bite. I love a good sandwich. In case you can't tell.  

The Saigon

The wings definitely deserve some special attention as well. And this was actually a game-time decision. Not on our original order, the girls next to us ordered them and I took one glance and said "ok, I think we have to get those." Good call by me. They were so messy, but so good. Executive chef Will Horowitz aka "Papa Duck" came by for a moment to chat with us, and he explained how much he loves wings and how the sauce is the baby of many, many years of wing-tasting. He says it has the best of both worlds: the vinegary kick like North Carolina bbq sauce, and the thick, Texas-style spicy glaze. He would be correct on that; the sauce is not too spicy, not too sweet, and had just enough of a coating - not to mention the wings themselves were meaty and crispy. Just...perfection. He said the recipe for the sauce comprises of so many ingredients, it would take too long to list them. Well, whatever the secret is, it's working.

Mmmmm wings

The only thing I missed out on was dessert. After my menu sampling and 2 (or 3?) Kazmanian Devils (vodka, prosecco, sage infusion - yum), I considered the sweet popcorn my dessert. According to Will, the Ducks vision was initially to be a simple grilled cheese and tomato soup kind of restaurant (both still on the menu), but as he and his talented team started putting their heads together, they just decided to have fun with it and keep evolving the food. For instance, he said there might be pork buns on this weekend's menu. And next week, who knows? "We have fun here...we cook, we play ping pong, what more could you ask for?" In my case, I should have asked for dessert.

Ducks Eatery at SPiN

48 East 23rd Street (nr Park Ave South)

212-982-8802

Sample Pestos With Panache at Whole Foods and Edible Queens Winter Warm-Up

If you haven't tried Pestos with Panache yet, you are missing out. Fortunately for you, you now have two opportunities to try them in the upcoming week.

This Sunday, January 24th from noon - 3 pm, Lauren Stewart, creator of Pestos with Panache, will be at the Edible Queens Winter Warm-Up event in LIC showcasing all of her fabulous pestos with even more fabulous recipes. And if you can't make that, on Monday, Jan 25th from 3-7 pm, a representative of Pestos with Panache will be at the Whole Foods Columbus Circle location giving out samples! Mmmm. Try the Pumpkin Chilpotle and the Fig and Gorgonzola...and the Succulent Strawberry...ok they're all really good but those are my favorites. I made many an appetizer using those bad boys and no one was disappointed. And if you think you wouldn't like strawberries or figs in your pesto then you would be WRONG. Trust the pig.

Edible Queens Winter Warm-Up

L Haus

11-02 49th Ave

Long Island City, NY

 

Whole Foods Columbus Circle

10 Columbus Circle (in Time Warner Center on 59th and 8th)

Winter Restaurant Week is Here!! Thank God!

 
It depresses me that this only comes twice a year. Restaurant Week is like a holiday - a holiday where I can mingle with those of my own kind rather than wrestle with tourists and their 3-foot Nikon cameras in the middle of the street. Blah. Humbug. Anyway...I love Restaurant Week for obvious reasons ($35 three-course dinner, $24 three-course lunch), and each year I try to go someplace I haven't been before - it's a great way to try something you generally can't afford either. So from Jan 25 - Feb 7 (Saturdays excluded) you can visit some of those places you've always wanted to try and get a great deal in the process. And remember: cheap food = more money to spend on drinks. Someone was using their thinking cap.

Check out the site to see a full listing of participating restaurants (some are even doing weekend hours! Hooray!), and click here for the restaurants that have their RW menus online. See below for my picks:

A Voce Columbus

Apiary

Artisinal

Aureole

Blue Smoke

Centro Vinoteca

Dovetail

Kittichai

Lupa

Molyvos

Morimoto

The Red Cat

Tanuki Tavern

You can make most reservations online, but for certain places (like the Breslin Bar) you will need to call directly. Happy RW!

Kim Crawford Wines

Not too long ago I discovered Kim Crawford Wines, an award-winning wine from New Zealand that is both refreshing and innovative. This was the first brand of wine that I've ever seen that has an "unoaked" Chardonnay, meaning that it has all the floral notes you would expect from a Chardonnay without the lingering, heavy taste of oak. I also had the Sauvignon Blanc (2008 Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast award-winner), which was very fragrant and bright with lots of fruit notes; I could see it pairing well with fish. However, one of the main things that I enjoyed about Kim Crawford Wines was not just the wine itself, but rather the company's consumer involvement through their website. 

Aside from recipes, party planning tips and even style tips, Kim Crawford Wines has created an "Artist's Lounge" on the web to celebrate emerging artists and fans of the arts. Once you join the community, you share your thoughts and ideas, and you will be eligible to see those ideas transformed into a real piece of original artwork by one of their "Artists in Residence." Pretty cool. And not only that, there is a contest that closes soon (at the end of this month), where the person with the most inspiring piece of artwork will be chosen for a trip for two to New Zealand! Your question might be similar to mine: "why are they doing this exactly?" Because Kim Crawford Wines believes that "winemaking is truly an art...combining a passion for excellence with a vision for exploring new boundaries."

Join the community and you can still be eligible to win! If the most "art" you've ever created was a Play-doh Barbershop masterpiece in kindergarten, then pick up a bottle of Kim Crawford anyway. Perhaps you'll be inspired...

Brunch at L'Ecole This Sunday Will Donate Proceeds to Red Cross Haitian Relief

Once every so often, a devastating event occurs and I have to put aside my cynicism and sarcasm and be serious for a moment. This is one of those moments.

The recent earthquake in Haiti has left the country completely devastated, and if you haven't done your part to help - shame on you!! Just kidding. Damn...I really thought I could get away with no attitude for ONE post, but I guess not. Anyway, L'Ecole, the restaurant in the French Culinary Institute will be hosting a $19.50 prix-fixe brunch this Sunday, January 24th, and 100% of the proceeds (including waiters tips!) will be donated to The Red Cross Haitian Relief. Eating truly does save lives...

L'Ecole (at FCI)

462 Broadway (nr Crosby)

212-219-8890

Emporio's Polenta Night

This post is dedicated to two of my special friends who happen to love polenta...a random thing to love followed by a random occurence in dining...I give you...Polenta Night.

Emporio will be hosting a laid back dining experience on Monday, January 25th, aptly named "Polenta Night." Enjoy all the polenta and red wine you want for just $30 per person as you sit at the communal table under the skylight dining room. The polenta will be served family-style on wooden slabs with your choice of three sauces: Wild Mushroom Ragu, Spuntaturre (baby back ribs and sausage in tomato sauce), and Polpette di Pecorino. Polenta Night is limited to the first 30 guests that RSVP, so act quickly and plan to arrive no later than 8 pm as the polenta will be served promptly at 8:15. I would do it. Because how many nights out of the year can you justify having only carbs and wine for dinner? Not many...

Emporio

231 Mott St

212-966-1234

RESERVATION REQUIRED 

Stuffed Artisan Cannolis Celebrates the New York Jets

What is my favorite thing about sports? Aside from it being one of the few institutions that promotes drinking during the day, it also promotes gluttony and camaraderie; and we all know nothing is better than a lazy sunday with your friends, drinking beer and eating wings, pizza, cookies and...cannolis? Cannolis are not one of my favorite sweet treats, especially during game time, however my opinion was recently changed when I tried Stuffed Artisan Cannolis on the LES. Their delicious flavors and chocolate-dipped cannoli shells are perfect for all the hungry boys (and girls!) cheering for the home team: the New York Jets.

Even though I am a Giants fan (sigh), I will gladly root for the other New York team - especially one that is being supported by food. Stuffed Artisan Cannolis will be offering 6 Pistachio and 6 Original cannolis for $18 as long as Gang Green is still in the game. Just when you thought this season couldn't get any more nail-biting, now the Jets will be fighting to feed hungry New Yorkers as well. Pressure...

Call to place your order or stop by the store and pick up a few batches as the Jets take on the Colts this Sunday. Lets go green and white (cannolis)!

Stuffed Artisan Cannolis

176 Stanton St (nr Clinton)

212-995-2266

Preview of Balade

What's a good way to experience Lebanese food for the first time? Bring a Lebanese person with you. I attended the preview party for Balade two nights ago with my friend Nick, and thank god he was there or I would not be able to say or spell anything you're about to read.

Brought to you by childhood pals Roland Semaan and Joseph Said, Balade is a charming Lebanese restaurant in the East Village that's true to it's roots; the staff made sure that I knew that everything we ate was homemade and representative of the food you would actually eat in Beirut. I looked at Nick (who just came back from Beirut not long ago), and he gave the nod of approval. Good sign. So we started with some wine and hors d'ouevres; kebbeh, fatayir, sfiha, hummus, baba ghanouj, tabouleh, and fattoush salad lightly dressed with pomegranate molasses sumac and extra virgin olive oil. The mediterranean flavors were not so unfamiliar to me, being half-Greek, I am used to things comprised of meat (lamb mostly), olive oil, lemon, garlic and herbs. The Lebanese might have a heavier hand with the spices (see pic for proof), but it's a great thing actually, as it creates a whole new flavor out of something otherwise predictable.

Kebbeh, I discovered, is sort of like a dry, fried meatball in the shape of a torpedo (forgive the lack of pictures in this post, I was sick and didn't feel like my camera-nazi self). It's made of bulgur wheat, minced meat, onions and spices. It was good, but a little meat-heavy for me. I really liked the fatayir, which are similar to Greek Spanakopita (spinach pies) only the dough is much more dense. In fact, the one thing I noticed about all of the hors d'oeuvres was the dough they used - it was chewy and tasty, but it was definitely heavy. I only had one of each and I was feeling kind of full. The Sfiha was a nice surprise - a miniature square of pastry dough filled with lamb, beef and spices. These were not as dry as the kebbeh, and the dough had a nice sweetness to it; they also had these filled with just cheese. Honestly, everything I tried was good and it really tasted homemade. Call me boring, but my favorite thing was the hummus, fattoush salad and pita bread; Za'atar spiced pita bread to be exact..

I would love to go back to Balade for a sit-down dinner and try out some of their pizzas or "pitzas" as they like to call them, which are pizzas made on pita bread and topped with things like lamb, tahini and even falafel! Two of my favorite things combined? Really?? Pizza and falafel? Dream come true...

Peep the menu here

Balade

208 1st Ave (btwn 12th and 13th sts)

212-529-6868