Food and Drink: September 2005 Archives

Three words: Not worth it.

I do not toss around the phrase, "world's best hummus" lightly, but Sabra really is the best store-bought hummus I've ever tasted. Everyone I've recommended it to (and there have been plenty of recommendations along the way) has loved it. And it's a local brand, distributed by Blue and White Food Corp in Astoria, New York. The creamy, tasty, addicting, dinner-killing hummus comes in a wide variety of types: classic, tahini, roasted garlic, spicy, etc., and each of them is better than the next. Two places in the neighborhood to purchase: at the natural foods store on Court Street between 3rd and 4th Place, and at Key Food on Atlantic (where they have an entire refrigerated case devoted to all the different kinds of hummus--I'd also like to take this opportunity to say what's up with that Key Food not having a chip aisle--crazy!). Enjoy the weekend with a big bowlful of hummus.

La Rosa has remained one of my favorite places for pizza in the hood for quite some time now. Owned by Alan Harding, who I believe also owns Schnack and Patois, along with the attached Gravy and Pacifico, La Rosa seems to be slipping. Many of his restaurants slip (Pacifico's wildly uneven dishes have always irked me and though nothing will get between me and my love of a Schnack burger, the staff have often tried), but this slip feels more personal, as I talk up La Rosa whenever the discussion of great NYC pizza comes up. When I first had a La Rosa pizza, it was the olives that won me over. Not canned olives, not even generic fresh olives, these olives burst with flavor normally reserved for top dollar munching olives. The crust was always hot and fresh, doughier than many of New York's famous pizzas (Grimaldis comes to mind) but still crisp enough to create a nice cradle for toppings. La Rosa's hot sausage, too, seemed made for pizza. My last La Rosa's pizza, however, didn't live up. The crust was its usual buoyant self, but the olives tasted (dare I say it?) canned and the sausage seemed different, with less spice and oomph.  Oh, and what's up with the thoroughly bad beer selections? Somebody put at least one Brooklyn beer on the menu. Nobody likes Peroni!