Food and Drink: April 2006 Archives

I hesitate to even write about the Good Fork. It's a crowded field out there right now. In reverse order, NYTimes $25 and Under (April 26), NYMag (April 24), Strong Buzz (April 24), Eater (April 21), A Hamburger Today (April 20), Amy's New York Notebook (April 9), Real Estate Observer (March 30), and countless other bloggers I'm probably missing. The restaurant, of course, has its own website, and there's even a few photos tagged on Flickr. All of this to say, that when I had dinner there this past Friday, I was expecting something quite phenomenal. I was expecting my sensory receptors to explode in ecstasy with every bite; I was anticipating that too-full satisfied, happy-with-life feeling one gets after a particularly fulfilling meal.

What I got was a two hour wait. The first hour or so was spent at Su/onny's drinking a beer while we waited for the restaurant to call us. They didn't, and we got a little nervous, so we headed back. Had our table been given away? Who knows. All I know is that it was another hour before we were seated. The staff was extremely accommodating, but when you've been standing/sitting outside for an hour and waiting for another hour, well, it's hard to make up for that kind of an entrance.  My first glass of white wine (on the house) was forgettable--so forgettable that I don't remember what it was, perhaps a Sauvignon Blanc. I turned to a Malbec for my second, and that brought the color back to my cheeks and life back into my taste buds.

Here's the rub. Everything was pretty good, but--with exception of the crab cakes and the burger--nothing was amazing. The sauce-drenched wings could have been spicier, the scallops were unevenly cooked, the boar ragu on homemade paperadelle had a too-sweet edge that competed with the gamey boar in such a way that I was very glad it wasn't my dish. Had I had this meal at any other restaurant without a wait, I probably would have enjoyed myself, felt happy and left with the idea of returning. And in Red Hook, the very appearance of a full-fledged eatery is exciting. But when a restaurant jumps from unopened to wunderkind  in a short month, you really expect greatness.

I think the restaurant is overwhelmed. It does not know how to move tables for this type of volume because I think it wanted to be a cute little quiet restaurant in Red Hook that got to take its time with its food, get to know its neighbors, and cap it off with a hug and promise of coming back next week. In this idealized sense, it will probably be a great restaurant. But right now, in this frenzy of gourmands, it should be avoided. Then in a few months, we can all go back for crab cakes and burgers and be properly satisfied.

So Taste of Chinatown wasn't as enjoyable this time around due to the cold, wet weather, but we still managed to have a few memorable dishes. Unfortunately for the reader, it was too complicated for ABL to hold her umbrella, food, camera and pencil and paper. So, what we have are a few cool photos with what was remembered about the day, but not as much pointed commentary as last time around. Above is a photo of a fried squid and a fried shrimp facing off. The fried squid won in the taste department, but in a true to-the-death battle the fried shrimp would have won for its tough exterior (they fried it shell-on).

Below is a favorite at Buddha Bodai Vegetarian on Mott Street, the green tea ball, stuffed with what I believe is lotus flower paste and sprinkled in coconut. They sure are pretty.

One really nice thing about the torrential rain that hit late in the day was that the usually insurmountable line in front of Peking Duck House magically become manageable. In a mere five  minutes we had our overstuffed paws on some tasty duck pancake. The photo is blurry because I was too excited to eat it to concentrate on taking a good photo (also, I was wet). Turns out the duck pancakes are good, but perhaps over-hyped. No need to think you're missing something unforgettable by not standing in that half-hour long line next time.

Until the next Taste of Chinatown ...

Well, perhaps not in Brooklyn. Despite what NYMag reported and we posted, Gawker is saying that while the ecentric owner thinks rents in Brooklyn are cheaper, there's no move in the works to our fair borough. So looks like some cantankerous person already living in Brooklyn will have to open up a restaurant--there will be no imports from Manhattan :) OTBKB also got the scoop.

Do not miss Taste of Chinatown this Saturday, April 22. From 1pm to 6pm, you get to try $1 to $2 "tastes" from more than 50 restaurants in Chinatown (very generous portions if last time is any indication). It's a great chance to find new restaurants and also a fun excuse to wander around Chinatown. Mott Street is closed to car traffic from Canal to Worth streets, and you can find participating restaurants on Mulberry, Baxter, Bayard, Pell, Doyers, and Mosco streets. To get an idea of what kind restaurants are participating, check out my post from the last Taste of Chinatown in October. And if you see a short line at the Peking Duck House, jump on it!

Also, see our discussion on good Chinese food in the neighborhood.

Brooklyn Restaurant Week is over, and I'm somewhat ashamed to say that I only went to one place, Zipi Zape in Williamsburg. I already knew I liked the restaurant from past experiences (although why do they never have fried baby calamari--the first time I went it was DIVINE and every time I go back now they are out), so I was expecting good things.

ZZ delivered good things (many little plates of good things), and ended up being a decent bargain in the process. ZZ had a five tapas for two people for $20.06 deal. We were a table of five so we got two Restaurant Week orders. We started with olives (tasty but missing those marinated garlic pieces that I love), and moved onto patatas bravas. The little cubed potatoes were dressed in a spicy tomato sauce, and the dish was one of many that had me sopping up the extra liquid with bread. I think we had about four rounds of bread, and every time the last piece was finished, I wanted another slice to soak up another delicious sauce.

Next up: setas con ajo, or mushrooms in a garlic sauce. This dish, and the pollo al ajillo, or chicken in white wine sauce, both come in terrines so hot that the broth bubbles around the edges when it's delivered. The mushrooms are good, but it's the chicken in particular that is so tender. Amazing what will happen to something soaked in white wine (and butter?) and then baked. I was sad when the chicken terrine was taken away--such precious bread-dipping material gone to waste! We also had shrimp with sea salt and lemon. The head-on shrimp arrive artfully plated atop  single lemon slices and sprinkled with  salt and were a nice lighter addition to the meal.

We made three extra orders to finish off the night: a grilled octopus special (around $12), which got gobbled up so quickly I'm not sure what was in it but it was fabulous, a dish of white asparagus ($4) for the lone vegetarian and a Spanish cheese plate ($14). Without alcohol or tip, it was $80 for five people, and since wine is a reasonable $5 to $7 a glass, even that didn't add much to the bill.

There's a couple of reader comments here about their Brooklyn Restaurant Week experiences. Any more to share?

(If I get a moment later today, I'll compile some blog links, but if you have posted something on your own blog, send me the link and I'll add.)

Blog reports:
Petite Pomme at Chestnut
This is too a blog at Royal's, Sette Enoteca, Crave, and Taku.