The Skinny Pig

Bacon Donuts at Wildwood BBQ

 
Photo Courtesy of AlwaysHungryNY.com

Will bacon-mania ever end?? I pray to sweet Jesus that it won't. I just read via Always Hungry NY that Wildwood Barbecue's chef "Big Lou" Elrose has an idea for dessert that involves donuts and bacon. How bad could that be? So bad that it's good, I'll bet. The cinnamon-flavored, cake-style donuts will be covered in frosting, then topped with chewy bits of candied bacon. Drool. As if that weren't enough artery-clogging goodness for you, it comes with a side of coffee ice cream as well, because, why the F not? Go big or go home. I'd run barefoot in the streets and knock over babies to get to that donut.

Wildwood Barbecue

225 Park Ave South (nr. 18th st)

212-533-2500

El Quinto Pino Launches Breakfast Today

Some sweet news for those who live/work in Chelsea: El Quinto Pino is launching a new breakfast menu today; bringing the flavors of Majorca, Spain to your morning. There's the fresh-baked ensaimada, a doughy roll with powdered sugar on top, churros with dulce de leche, a pressed ham and cheese sandwich called a "bikini" (though if you eat this every day, I doubt you'd be getting into one), and plenty of other tempting options to satiate your morning cravings. And if you feel like going to work with a sugar high and a little buzz, get a carajillo (espresso with brandy) to go. The menu is available on weekdays only (booo!) from the Spain-like hours of 8 am - 2 pm, you know, just before siesta.

 

Photo Courtesy of Grub Street

El Quinto Pino

401 West 24th st

212-206-6900

Dinner at Faustina

This was the first time that I walked into a restaurant thinking I knew exactly what I was in for, and turned out to be completely wrong. Faustina, Scott Conant's newest venture in the Cooper Square hotel, is a bit of a contradiction in my opinion, and I'm not sure whether I applaud it or criticize it. It didn't strike me as inheritently Italian like Scarpetta did, nor was it as good, but what would be the point of having two restaurants that are exactly the same? I get it, I do. But I didn't really get some of the food here.

The design of Faustina is very modern and chic, but some parts of it feel cold. I personally thought the front bar area was a lot more inviting than the actual dining room, where the lighting was very bright and sucked the "mood" right out of the room. Still, I'm hardly one to judge a place based on appearance alone, so I will move on to the food. The wine list was extensive, albeit a bit pricey. We chose a really nice 2007 Barbera (for $56 it better be nice), and it came promptly with a basket of bread and some of that delicious mascarpone butter I had at Scarpetta. The service here was impeccable, I will say that. It seemed as though everyone who was working that night came to our table to make sure we were happy. Give me wine and bread any day, and I'm happy. Actually, give me stromboli...

2007 Barbera and mascarpone butter

The menu at Faustina is designed for sharing; two or three small plates are recommended per person. I have mixed feelings about menus like this, because I find that it can be more expensive and confusing (con), but you can also try a lot of different things (pro), so make sure you're with someone who is decisive and has an open mind. Fortunately, Ange, my old college buddy and date for the evening, is Italian and suggested we get the stromboli bread appetizer as one of our starters. Bread baked with ham and cheese? Done and done. Is it bad that I think I enjoyed this dish the most out of everything we ordered?? The Italian bread was warm and buttery, which made the smoked mozzarella all melty and wonderful accompanied by prosciutto, mushrooms, and fresh basil leaves. If you are trying to watch carbs, do not even sit near this bread, because I guarantee it is THAT hard to resist. Not to mention it would be utterly insulting to resist it in the first place.

Stromboli...mmm...

For our main dishes, we chose the black truffle risotto, the diver scallops over farro and morel mushrooms with sunchoke puree, short ribs of beef over spaetzle, lardo-wrapped prawns over rosemary lentils, and of course, a Scott Conant must - a side of creamy polenta. Mmm so creamy...but I digress. So you're probably thinking what I was thinking: "other than polenta and risotto, what business does spaetzle have on an Italian menu?" Or, you just don't know what spaetzle is and you don't care. Well, it's a type pf egg noodle/pasta typically from German, Swiss, Hungarian or Austrian cuisine. I happen to love it, but it's not something I would expect to see here, thus raising the question again, cheers or jeers? Well, let's taste first. The short ribs were very tender and fell apart when I merely poked it with my fork, so it was actually hard to get a "piece", but the spaetzle underneath was very good; mixed with chopped peas and carrots, it almost reminded me of a kids dish because of the diminutive, bite-size veggies and pasta.

  
Short ribs over spaetzle 

The black truffle risotto was probably my second favorite to the stromboli. I've decided that anything with cream and cheese, Mr. Conant does well. The microplaned black truffles on top of the creamy rice, egg and cheese mixture added a nice depth to an otherwise one-note dish. One note isn't always bad though - like the creamy polenta; very one note, but very delicious. You just have to trust me and try it.

Black Truffle Risotto

So this part was kind of funny. Remember the lardo-wrapped prawns over rosemary lentils? Well, someone neglected to mention that the prawns are served over lentils WITH THEIR HEADS ON. No big deal to some, in fact, some people swear the best part of the shrimp is in it's head, but I refuse to believe this, and whatever the reason may be, it just freaks me the F out. I saw the waiter bringing it over and I'm muttering under my breath "oh no, oh no..." So the waiter proudly presents the dish with the bright pink prawns and their beaty black eyes staring up at me. Before he even rests it on the table, I kindly ask him to have the chef chop those heads off. OFF WITH THEIR HEADS, I SAY! I apologized profusely, but I'm sorry, I can't deal with shrimp heads. When the shrimp came back, decapitated, I thought it was decent, but maybe not worth all the trouble of chopping off their heads. The shrimps themselves tasted good, but the lentils were better, and honestly I didn't see the connection between the shrimp and the lentils. It just felt like too much thought went into some of these dishes and came out unnecessarily complex. I felt the same about the diver scallops: slightly underwhelmed. They were fine, but something about all the different flavors, there was just too much going on there. The scallops, the morels, the farro, the sunchoke puree...oh boy. Too many strong flavors in one dish that didn't compliment each other. I just wasn't thrilled with it.

Lardo-wrapped Prawns over Rosemary Lentils

What's a good way to thrill me? Or at least try to? Give me something with chocolate. Duh. When it came time for dessert, we were both pretty full, but I needed my chocolate fix, so we went with the Chocolate Carmellina - a chocolate mousse cake served with mocha ice cream. I'm not sure if the dessert was meant for sharing either, but it was kind of small. It was very rich, don't get me wrong, so if you just like a taste of something sweet after dinner, then this is perfect for you, but I would have preferred a little more substance and a little less circus. You should have seen it: a chocolate hoop-thing (only way I can describe it) around the dollop of mocha ice cream, and a single hazelnut encased in a sugar icicle. Umm yea. And here's the annoying part: the cake was sooo good and chocolatey. Why not take away the "wow-factor" and just give me some more cake??

Chocolate Carmellina - almost looks like a weapon, no?

If I had to choose between Scott Conant's two NYC spots, Scarpetta would win hands down in my book. The service was spotless at both places, but the food is so much better and unpretentious at Scarpetta. I could definitely see myself stopping at Faustina for a drink and some stromboli at the front cafe/bar, but I don't know if it was my kind of Italian meal.   

Faustina

25 Cooper Square (@ Cooper Square Hotel)

212-475-5700

Brunch at El Paso Taqueria

So I'm a bit overdue on this one. I had brunch with Lindsay the Lunch Belle two Sundays ago and I didn't get a chance to post about it. My sincere apologies.

I love Mexican food, but Lindsay is something of a Mexican-food connoisseur, so I trusted her judgement when she suggested El Paso Taqueria for brunch. I have never heard of this place, but sometimes, that's the best way to a great meal. We started out with a couple of glasses of Horchata, a wonderfully smooth, cold rice milk concoction with cinnamon. It looks like skim milk, so if you see people drinking something like this in a Mexican restaurant, don't be grossed out (like I was initially), because chances are, it's a sweet and refreshing glass of this good stuff..

Cool glass of Horchata

I cannot go to a Mexican restaurant without the following: chips, salsa, and guacamole. I just can't do it. Or better yet, I REFUSE to do it. El Paso Taqueria's salsa was really good; nice and spicy, and not thick or chunky. Maybe I'm weird, but I actually prefer a thinner, homemade salsa as opposed to the really chunky kinds in restaurants, yet at home, I buy the chunky style ones. Go figure. Onto the guacamole. Beautiful, ripe avocados with onion, tomatoes and cilantro (the ONE time I can handle cilantro is in Mexican food) are served in a molcajete and the presentation just said "eat me." So we did. There was, however, one major problem with the guac: total lack of salt. Guacamole is one of those things that really needs some s&p. Fortunately, this was an easy fix: salt shaker + a few shakes on top of guac = perfection.

Hello lover.

I don't like to count guacamole as an appetizer because like I said, it's just necessary and should always be there. The way Italians put out bread and olive oil gratis at every meal, the Mexicans should put out chips and guac. So we chose to order another appetizer, the Queso Fundido con Rajas, which is simply melted monterey jack and Muenster cheese (yes, Muenster!) swirled around with onions and green chile peppers. Mmmm. Can you ever go wrong with melted cheese in a bowl? Not really. It was really good at first, but there were two things I didn't like: the cheese got a little hard after a while (making it difficult to dip), and again, there was a lack of salt here. El Paso Taqueria must be watching it's blood pressure or something. So after I added some salt, me and Lindsay decided to forgo the chip-dipping attempts and just make little corn tortilla-queso-fundido-tacos out of it. When in Mexico...do as the Mexicans do.

Queso Fundido con Rajas in a warm corn tortilla

Another staple of mine when I eat Mexican is fajitas or some kind of taco/burrito thing. However, I told myself that this was still BRUNCH and I'm going to order something eggy. What's eggy and Mexican? Duh. Huevos Rancheros. A huge plate arrived at my side with two, big over-easy eggs covered in a spicy salsa ranchera sauce, with a side of rice and black beans, and a nice strip of Cotija cheese floating atop the burnt sienna-colored sauce. The sauce was really good, and it didn't need salt! Maybe because it had so much spice? Either way, it was quite tasty, especially when you break the yolk and let it seep out onto the plate to infiltrate the rice..mmm. That's a good bite right there.

Huevos Rancheros

El Paso Taqueria is a little off the beaten path on 97th street between Park and Madison, but I think it was well worth the trip. Not crowded, friendly atmosphere and good cooking is worth a little hike any day. And the prices are reasonable too (Huevos Rancheros, $6.95; enchiladas, $8.95). Only thing it's missing is a dash of salt.

El Paso Taqueria

64 East 97th st (between Park and Madison)

212-996-1739

Esperanto Does Lunch and Happy Hour

Even though I'm sure this weather won't last, it still gets me thinking about those glorious Spring and Summer days where you can sit outside and have a great meal with friends, and clearly, Esperanto has been thinking about it too. The East Village South American/Brazilian bistro is starting a new prix-fixe lunch menu every Fri in March, every Wed- Fri in April and every Mon- Fri in May from 12 - 4 pm for $10.99 pp. Mix up your usual lunch routine by starting out with a soup or house salad, then choose your entree (served with fries) like the Esperanto Burger, Huevos Rancheros, Quesadilla Polano, or Chicken Salad. Like a little more variety? You can order a la carte and try some of their signature Bolinhos de Peixe (fried cod fish balls), or any of the other tempting entrees like Skirt Steak with Chimichurri (one of my all-time faves).

While you're there, why not stay for happy hour?? Happy hour is from 4 - 7 pm and drinks are 2 for 1! And these aren't your boring well-drinks either. There's the Passion Caipirinha (Sagatiba cachaca, fresh passion fruit, lime and sugar), the El Diablo Verde (jalapeno infused Sauza tequila, infused jalapeno, frsh lime juice and triple sec), the Coco Punch (light rum, coconut milk, fresh lime juice and fresh ginger), or the Pisco Sour (Pisco Occucaje, lime juice, sugar, egg white and sour mix). Mmmm if that doesn't invoke thoughts of breezy summer nights in your head, there is something very wrong with you.

Esperanto

145 Avenue C at 9th st

212-505-6559

Passover Seder at Henry's

For those of you who aren't up for cooking AND don't want to spend a lot of dough this Passover, why not check out Henry's on the UWS? On Tuesday, March 30th, for just $39 pp, you get a 3-course traditional Passover seder in a lovely modern American bistro setting. Got kids? They eat for $22 pp. Holla! Or should I say, Challah??

Click here for Henry's Passover Prix-fixe menu.

The "Oh Crap" Heard Round the World...

Some breaking news in the restaurant biz from the Board of Health:

The Board of Health is currently soliciting public comments on a proposal to publicly grade New York City restaurants on their sanitary conditions. Under a new proposed system, restaurants would receive grades of A, B or C, depending on the conditions documented during inspections. Each establishment would have to post its most recent grade in full view of potential customers – and those receiving Bs and Cs would be inspected more often than those meeting the highest standards for food safety. The new system would concentrate City resources on the least sanitary restaurants while placing no additional burden on establishments that maintain the best conditions.

Yikes. I mean, I'm all for health and cleanliness, but isn't this taking it a little too far? I know LA has had this implemented for years (they would), but part of the charm of NYC is going to a total dump and having a great meal. And do we think that those places are always SUPER clean?? Um, no, usually not. But we choose not to think about it. I don't know, I have mixed feelings about this; while it may encourage restaurant owners to clean up their act a bit, it could also severely damage the reputation of a perfectly good restaurant. The grades can change from week to week, depending on the times of inspection, so how accurate will it really be? Would you go into a restaurant with a C grade posted right smack in the middle of the window?? Probably not. Would you go into it now that it has no grade? Probably. But that's what our grand city is all about: ignorance for the sake of experience. And they're taking that away from us!

Starting Tuesday, you will be seeing more and more letter grades in the windows of NYC's 24,000 restaurants, and if you're wondering, food carts won't be graded as part of this system. Sure, that makes sense. There's literally video footage of a rat crawling around a food cart, but that's no big deal, I'm more worried about the platinum spoon that fell off it's hook at Del Posto and the chef who forgot to floss at Blue Ribbon.

 

Pictures from Florida/Cooking with Safta

Good to be back! I have returned from Florida, relatively unscathed. Jewish guilt? Check. Blotchy sunburn? Check. Family recipes from my Safta? CHECK. So excited about those. It's a shame I don't know how to spell half of them, but I'll just describe them: Foshert (my best guess as to how she spells it - Google was no help - they are baked meatballs with a ton of garlic), Cheeseballs (the only one I can spell, made with farmer cheese and farina), and Langosh (similar to zeppoles, they are Hungarian potato cakes - thanks Google for this one). There was also falafel and chopped liver and babaganouj - oh my!!

I want to try the recipes out for myself (even though I aided in the preparation and execution of all of the below) because I feel that's the best way to tell if the recipe translates from her kitchen to mine. You know how grandma's cook; they don't measure ANYTHING, so I had to take pictures of every step along the way, which was difficult because this woman moves so fast (and she's 82 - God bless her), but I think I got most of it down. I have made the Foshert before though, so I can share that one sooner rather than later. But my favorite are the cheeseballs...and they're the tricky ones of course. Below are some pics to get you salivating in the meantime...enjoy!

Falafel with homemade tahini...

Poppyseed Cake...one of my faves...

Foshert...garlicky goodness...

Mmm Langosh...

Pièce de résistance: cheeseballs topped with sour cream and sugar.

 
  
And of course...me and Safta. If you think I didn't eat half that plate of cheeseballs, well, you would be wrong.

  

I'm Off To Florida!

That's right - I am off to Ft. Lauderdale to visit my grandmother (isn't that why anyone goes to Ft. Lauderdale?). I will be in hot pursuit of homemade chopped liver, kugel, cheese balls (recipe to come hopefully..), and babka. All the while taking in some sun and enjoying some much needed R&R.

Stay dry all you New Yorkers... and I'll be back Monday.

Heavily Yours,

The Skinny Pig

Passover Seder at Tabla

If you're part of The Tribe but your Tribe sucks at cooking, why not consider a Passover seder at popular Indian spot Tabla? Because...Indian isn't Jewish..? Sure it might be a little hard to grasp, but we're New Yorkers, we've grasped a lot worse.

On Tuesday, March 30th, Tabla will be hosting it's 5th annual "Unleavened Bread Bar", an Indian-inspired Passover seder led by Tabla regular Burt Fendelman. "How did this come about?", one might wonder. Turns out Fendelman's wife, Helaine, suggested the idea of an "unleavened bread bar" to Chef Floyd Cardoz back in 2006 and he ran with it. The result? Coriander-spiced matzoh ball soup, goan-spiced brisket and roasted beet salad with chilies. I am definitely a traditionalist with Passover food, but I can't say I'm not curious. The menu (see below) sounds quite tasty.

Matzoh

Tomato Kalonji

Tabla Mango Chutney

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Matzoh Ball Soup

Spring Carrots, Dill and Toasted Coriander

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Kerala Banana Leaf Wrapped Fish Patties

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Roasted Beet Salad

Toasted Bacalao, Red Wine Vinegar, Chilies and Cilantro

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Bread Bar Chicken Tikka

Curry Leaf, Cumin and Black Pepper

Goan Spiced Brisket

Ginger, Chilies and Whisky

Crispy Fingerling Potatoes, Sun dried Mango, Pomegranate & Cumin

Roasted Asparagus Toasted Coconut & Mustard Seeds

Early Spring Greens Kashmiri Spices

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Walnut Orange Cake

Orange Clove Sorbet

 

The evening begins at 6 PM and costs $95 per person (this includes food and wine), plus tax and service charge. Seating for children 10 years and younger is $50 per person. For tickets call 212-889-0667.

I even got the recipe for chef Floyd Cardoz's Matzoh Ball soup, and I wanted to try it out, but it's pretty involved and since my kitchen is the size of a large walk-in closet, I don't know if I can handle it without suffering third-degree burns. Anyone else up for giving it a try??

Click here for part 1

Click here for part 2

Click here for part 3

See - I wasn't kidding!! There is a simpler recipe that sounds delicious too - and it can be used as a side dish for other meals, not just Passover. Win-win!

Click here - Floyd Cardoz's Baby Spinach with Pink Lentils recipe. Mmmm...I may try this one out..

L'Chaim!!

Tabla

11 Madison Avenue (at 25th st)

212-889-0667