Weeknights on Bedford Ave

On the nights during the week where I'm not caught up doing necessities, I have a little ritual with a few key people.

We start at Maison Premier for $1 happy hour oysters. The deal ends at 7pm, so we act quick. Sit at the bar instead of wait for a table, and order a dozen each. Some are briny, some are creamy, some are viscous, some are mild. We've compiled quite the list of favorites and least favorites at this point. Delaware Bay, Chincoteague, East End and Rome Points are agreed-upon favorites. Penn Cove, Sister Point and Fanny Bay are on the do-not-call list. Cuttyhunks go either way.

Now that we're full on oysters but not on actual food, we head across the street to N. 3rd for a taco from the Endless Summer taco truck. I usually stick with a basic pork taco, double wrapped in tortilla and topped with queso fresco, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime. We eat it standing or on our way to our next destination.

Which is... the beloved Rosamunde Sausage Grill that we first experienced in San Francisco! Now here in Brooklyn! The first time I went into the new spot right after Hurricane Sandy I stared into the glass display case full of beautifully, fatty encased meats and grinned like a loon. I finally said, "I'm so glad you guys are here!" They must have thought I was special because the response I got was "We're glad you're here, too."

This Rosamunde is even better than San Fran's, because they have a full bar. With growlers! And Dogfish Head! Even picklebacks, if that's your thing. They make their own sodas, too. The cucumber one goes nicely with the spicy sausages.

Ah, the sausages. At this point I've almost tried them all. The duck with figs are my favorite, the lamb with fennel a close second. The beer sausage has those deep spices that remind me of mulled cider on Christmas. The cheddar brat with the oozy center. The positioning of this outpost has been a blessing and a curse.

Then I walk home along the bus route. And since the B62 is definitely cursed, I get a good mile and a half walk home.

It's a pretty awesome ritual.

Maison Premier

298 Bedford Ave (betw. Grand & S. 1st)

Endless Summer Taco Truck

at Bedford & N. 3rd -- USUALLY.

Rosamunde Sausage Grill

285 Bedford Ave ((betw. Grand & S. 1st)

Smorgasburg & Brooklyn Flea

Lately my weekend mornings have started like this: wake up, stretch, and stroll over to the Williamsburg waterfront to get some grub. On Saturdays, Smorgasburg has dozens of food vendors from all over Brooklyn. On Sundays the space is shared with vendors selling jewelry and antiques and other overpriced junk at the Brooklyn Flea, so the food selection is smaller. Either way, it's a great summer alternative to brunch.

We usually start with a Vietnamese iced coffee made from a blend of Viet style coffee, Cafe du Monde and condensed milk. Sometimes I taste a bit of chocolate in there. Really sweet and refreshing.

Then its onto the food. On super hot days when I need something light and cool, I really like the Cheong Fun noodle from Noodle Lane. It's kind of like a deconstructed summer roll with cucumbers, scallions, sprouts and peanut sauce.

Or if heat's not an issue, a whole pie right out of the oven from Pizza Moto is not a bad choice. Featured here is the pepperoni with basil.

If its meaty sandwiches you crave, there's a Porchetta stand, and we know how I feel about that. But there's also another great choice -- the Smoked Meat sandwich from Mile End. Cured and smoked brisket with just the right amount of mustard. The meat is fall-apart tender.

Speaking of brisket. I'm not a huge hot dog person, but even so I can appreciate a good weiner from Brooklyn Bangers. The brainchild of Saul Bolton, Brooklyn Bangers serves up dogs made with 100% brisket. 

As for the things I wouldn't go out of my way for, the short rib Takumi Taco is a bit overpriced and not so memorable, and the original sandwich from Bombay was a bit carb-heavy with the potatoes. Plus it got a little mushy.

I like to end things on a sweet note. If it's ice cream you crave, Blue Marble is a very respectable choice. 

But I personally cannot leave the waterfront without a donut from Dough. They made fun of me when I got a plain 'ol sugar cinnamon, so today I had the chocolate frosted with cocoa nibs, the bitter chocolate balancing the sweet amazingly. I have no idea how they get these donuts so high and fluffy. They might even be better than Peter Pan, but I think further research is necessary before I make such a crazy statement. I still have to try the dulce de leche, blood orange and cafe au lait flavors... to start, at least.

Smorgasburg and Brooklyn Flea 
East River Waterfront
Entrance at N. 7th and Kent Ave
Williamsburg, Brooklyn

A Continuing Taco Obsession

Ever since we got back from Portland, Rob and I have been looking for local tacos that rival ?Por Que No?. It's strange, but you always find the best food in the weirdest places.

Halloween night we visited San Loco in Williamsburg. We'd been there once before and neither of us were really wowed by it, but we were in the area and just needed a warm place to eat quick before a live music show down on Bedford. I'd also read a few really surprising reviews about it saying it was the best Mexican in Williamsburg. Maybe our memories failed us?


But it turned out we were right. The space is welcoming, the bartenders are really nice (they gave us some free candy), there's a pool table in the back. But the food is just a step above Taco Bell. I tried the Guaco Loco -- one of those soft shell/hard shell combos with guacamole in the middle -- and they majorly skimped on the semi-brown guac. Rob got the nachos and they just looked like a soggy disaster. BUT I can honestly say that those mini Milky Ways they were handing out were really good.


The next day we were walking down Bedford and passed the Endless Summer truck. It's been parked there since the beginning of the year but we hadn't really thought much about giving it a try until then. I wasn't going to get anything, but once I saw Rob's pork taco I immediately wanted one too. For $2.50 you get a heap of pork so big they have to double up on the soft shells, topped with lots of cilantro, queso fresco (that crumbly cheese you always find on authentic tacos), and a lime on the side. Pour some hot sauce on that puppy and it looks like we found a winner. It was even worth it to wait in line while listening to the taco assembler argue with a customer about why it wasn't "cost-effective" for them to offer fish tacos (sorry seafood lovers).

Adventures in Portland, Oregon

Portland is a clean, beautiful and almost futuristic city, rich with culture, music, and, of course, food. I had the chance to visit Oregon last weekend for the second time this year -- and in my life -- and was hoping to experience as many west coast culinary delights as possible. Since we were only there for the weekend and our schedule was pretty full, we didn't have a chance to do as much as I wanted, but maybe the third time will be the charm (fingers crossed for another visit!).

Friday morning we met Rob's family for breakfast at a place called Zell's Cafe, a comfortable American hometown type of place. At first I didn't think anything of the 20 minute wait, but then we all realized it was Friday and not Saturday or Sunday. Don't people in Portland have jobs? This is another reason I love this city -- everyone seems so relaxed and leisurely all the time.

Anyway, the wait turned out to be worth it. The wait staff was really sweet and accommodating, bringing a tray of coffees for us all while we were waiting for a large table to free up. Everyone gets two complementary mini-scones. I ordered a soda and the waitress came over a little while later to refill it from a small pitcher. If I ever live in Portland, I'd probably be a regular here.

The food was good and really well-priced too. I ordered the chorizo omlette which was spiced to taste like a curry (cumin maybe?). It was pretty good, but I thought the big glob of sour cream on top was a bit out of place. Rob got the salmon benedict. Same heavy-handedness with the sauce, there was an insane amount of buttery hollandaise which made the salmon taste almost lobstery. No complaints from Rob on that. But it was definitely richer than you might expect a benedict dish to be. Below: the curried chorizo omlette and the super-buttery salmon benedict.

Saturday morning we headed over to the farmer's market near Portland University. I wanted to try the Salvadore Molly's stand as I was told they had really great Mexican food, but unfortunately they were out of everything by the time we got there. At least we had a nice chat with the guy closing down the stand -- he used to live in Clinton Hill and now is so much happier living in Portland. Hmmm?

At this point we decided to go on an adventure and try a Mexican food recommendation from one of Rob's coworkers. The west coast is supposed to have fantastic south-of-the-border fare and I wasn't leaving Portland without trying some. But since we were at the farmer's market and we were both starving, we grabbed a quick falafel and humus plate from a Mediterranean stand on our way out. It was pretty standard and it hit the spot.

Next stop: ?Por Que No? taqueria. It was a bit out of the way from where we were but luckily Greg came by with a car -- and a GPS. When we got there around 3pm, we were surprised to see a line out the door. I think we all knew we were in for a treat.

This eclectic little place looks like it was fashioned out of an old firehouse, then decorated with all sorts of knick knacks. Behind the counter is a semi-exposed kitchen, full with people running around with bowls of limes and whole avocados. The garage doors open up to the street while they blast Bob Marley and Matisyahu -- you'll keep looking out the window hoping to see the beach instead of a shopping plaza across the street.


The tacos were authentic and very fresh -- quite possibily the best I've ever had. I ordered some meat tacos -- carne asada (steak, salsa roja, cilantro, onion) and Porque Tinga (shredded beef, pasilla chile, cilantro, onions, salsa roja, queso fresco) and Rob got the seafood tacos -- Pescado (cornmeal crusted snapper, cabbage, salsa verde, onion, cilantro, pineapple) and Camarones (shrimp, chili, crema, salsa verde, onion, cilantro, pineapple). Greg got the ceviche -- snapper and shrimp with a lime and chips -- and tamales. The tamales had a perfect consistency and were absolutely delicious. I didn't try the ceviche but was told it was excellent as well. I think it was the luckiest thing for us all that Salvadore Mollys was out of food at the farmer's market that afternoon. Below: my cilantro and salsa roja meat tacos and Rob's pineapple and salsa verde seafood tacos.


I won't mention anything about our Saturday night dinner (it was a Japanese mini-room disaster) so instead I'll leave you with a picture of a scrumptious-looking place that unfortunately was closed down when we walked by.