Food and Drink: April 2005 Archives

I made lemongrass shrimp over rice vermicelli and vegetables the other night. Though a more complicated meal than I normally throw together on a Wednesday night, it was definitely good enough to make again. I'm not sure where it came from, as my sister can't remember what magazine she cut it out of. Even if you don't make the whole recipe, you *must* use the marinade for shrimp--we broiled the shrimp since we're sans barbecue [If anyone knows of a reasonably priced one-bedroom in Carroll Gardens/Cobble Hill/Boerum Hill with an outdoor space, let me know]. It's super tangy and easy to make (with the exception of tracking down the lemongrass, which we found at the fruit market on Atlantic next to Sahadi's).

Maybe it's the couple of beers I just had at the White Horse Tavern. Maybe it's the elation of finally seeing the Daily Show taped live. Whatever it is, I've finally got enough courage to say what everyone in the neighborhood must already be thinking: Key Foods on Court Street and 2nd Place S-U-C-K-S. For one, it smells like fresh poop or not-so-fresh dead meat at all times. I try to look at the smell as a strange gift from God, as it stops me from purchasing too much food, which half the time is stale or bad or both. Its produce is a joke--not even the onions can be trusted to be edible. Looking for something special, such as an herb other than parsley or cilantro? No such luck. Interested in tortilla chips that don't fall limply from your fingers? Wrong store. I could go on. What I don't get is that there are tons of people in the neighborhood who eat. Most of them seem like sensible shoppers. Please someone open up a grocery store on our side of the 'hood that doesn't smell and that carries fresh inventory! (One small caveat, the small natural foods stand on Court just below 2nd Place is the more pure gift from the Almighty. I don't know what I'd do without it.)

Fun Facts:
According to this website, the Key Foods was once a theater.
In a mostly unrelated note, I've always enjoyed this story about a monkey in a Manhattan Key Foods.

Brooklyn loves its Thai restaurants. But those of us below the Carroll Gardens stop have always had to walk to the upper reaches of Smith or Court streets to get our Thai on. Until now. This weekend, Nine-D opened in the old Josie's Java storefront. The tasteful space isn't just a takeout joint. The interior is covered in dark wood and lit by atmospheric fixtures.  Arty Thai decorations hang on the walls and the pillows strewn across the bench seating adds splashes of color.

We only tried two dishes this weekend, but the results were promising. The duck yum, sliced roast duck with red onion, scallion, basil and peanuts in a tangy vinegar based sauce, was one of the best duck dishes we've had in the neighborhood. I was, however, a bit disappointed by the lack of vegetables in most of the dishes. I had to pay extra to get any veggies beyond peanuts, basil and lime leaves in my panang curry. You also have to pay for rice ($1 for steamed, $1.75 for sticky and $1.50 for brown). I'm of the opinion that everyone eats rice at a Thai restaurant, so it should just be included in the price. As well, the kitchen's timing was all over the place. While our dishes came out at the same time, the table next to us wasn't so lucky. I'm guessing this will be corrected with practice, and judging by the packed dining room this weekend, the staff is getting plenty of it. The waitstaff was also offering Singha beer on the house Sunday night, which always helps to smooth over the wrinkles.

Nine-D. 462 Court Street. (718) 488-9799. Lunch and dinner daily. Take-out.

My husband is sitting here next to me, cracking the whip (no, not like that). After all, he got me this nice new Powerbook with the stipulation that I say fun exciting things in my blog.

We are watching the doves at our bird feeder taunt our cats by strutting and flapping their wings on our fire escape. This has taken me back to my Thursday night dinner at Peasant in Soho. Overall, we were impressed with the food: amazing gnocchi, fresh, al dente pasta tossed with langoustine, creamy risotto and a fantastic panna cotta. I was rather disgusted to see the lips that kiss me eat the heads of two very large sardines (with visible eyes). He claimed he liked the crunch.

There was squab on the menu (hence the dove connection), and I find the presence of expensive squab on the menu of a place called Peasant kind of amusing. Oh, and said hubby ordered what I consider to be one of the worst drinks I've ever sipped, although the bartender did warn us. The restaurant calls it the Apothecary: fernet branca (smells like glass cleaner), sweet vermouth and creme de menthe. Gag.  Still, those bread sticks and fresh olives at the bar almost obliterated the taste.

Update: In doing some research on squab, I found this article about how many of the nearly wingless birds were released at a World Trade Center memorial service. Squabs, of course, can't really fly.

There's something about Katz's deli that brings out the animal in people.

Exhibit A: One super tasty hot dog gets taken down!

Exhibit B: Don't ever ask this man to pose for a photo without first handing him a pastrami sandwich.

All hail the late-night, semi-drunken chow down on meat products!

Er ... I mean tapas bars.

Went to a great Spanish one last night, Zipi Zape in Williamsburg. Everything we had popped in the mouth and made us wonder how we could top that dish, at least until the next one came. We started with a simple olive bowl and a glass of the house red, a bright fruity wine which I have no complaints about at $4 a glass. Deciding between the fried baby calamari and the whole grilled calamari proved difficult, but we opted for the fried calamari when the server said "you've never had fried calamari like this." I've heard that refrain at just about every halfway decent place that offers fried calamari, so I decided to take  the challenge. And it was *very* good. The whole baby calamari were tiny, most about half an inch, and the breading had a definite zing to it, which intensified even more when complimented by the garlic dipping sauce. (About the garlic, I consumed countless sweet cloves last night and enjoyed every minute of it, starting with the crisp pickled pieces offered free to start the meal.) Next up: Four grilled shrimp each atop a lemon slice and sprinkled with salt. Despite my hesitancy at removing the shell--the head! all those legs!--the simple lemon and salt seasoning nicely permeated the little critters, who had a smokey flavor thanks to the grill. A dab of red potato salad with garlic mayo from the cold bar tapas proved just as exciting, and had me scraping the obviously homemade mayo off the plate with my fork--and I don't even like mayo.

And then the seriously rich, salty, sop-the-juices-up-with-bread courses came. The generously sized casserole of mushrooms swam in a garlic-wrought broth that we couldn't stop thinking would be amazing on mussels. The piping chicken casserole arrived bubbling in a white wine broth that made even chicken seem like a gaudy, rich and happily heart-clogging dish. Had I had more room left in my expanding belly, I would have sampled the cheese plate or a chorizo dish, but we decided that we had eaten enough. As a testament to the sweet, convincing service, however, we somehow ended up making room for a chocolate souffle. The souffle sat atop a balsamic vinegar reduction sauce and another sweet cream sauce. But the fun came when we broke into the dessert and out came a molten berry and chocolate center. Quite delicious, and desserts do not generally impress me. I will definitely be back.

Check out: The cute little cartoon characters that decorate the outside of the building and inspired the restaurant's name.

Other reviews:
Citysearch
Go Brooklyn