Lokal Makes You Feel Far Away

Last Saturday I woke up to a beautiful sunny day in Brooklyn. Eager to spend some time in the sun but also hungry for some brunch, I knew exactly the place to try -- Lokal, the newish Mediterranean restaurant right across from Mccarren Park. I'd walked by it many times but never had the chance to venture in. With doors open on all sides of the restaurant, I had a feeling it was the perfect airy spot to begin the day.

Even though its a bit farther than we normally travel for brunch, it was completely worth it. The atmosphere itself was really beautiful and relaxed, with bright hues of blue and orange decorating the walls, tables adorned with exposed sand and pebbles, diners gazing out at the park. Oddly, it felt as though we had left the city entirely.




Both Rob and I couldn't decide between breakfast or lunch, so we decided we'd get both and split it. I ordered the breakfast portion -- eggs florentine. The poached eggs came out great, they had the stringy doneness that I love and haven't seen since Enid's was good. They also weren't vinegary like Brooklyn Label. They were a bit overdone for my taste, but still very good. The spinach was also great, which is hard for me to say as I usually prefer Canadian bacon here. Rob said they were probably cooked with a lot of butter, but I don't like to think of such things when I'm eating something "healthy". I'd definitely order this again, but I hope they don't skimp on the homefries so much next time.

Rob's lunch meal was the bulgogi sandwich: new york sirloin steak ground up and marinated in his favorites: sesame oil, soy sauce and garlic. The salty meat is then sauteed with onions and put inside great fresh tasting bread with lettuce and a layer of basil mayo. My only complaint that it was so salty it was hard to taste the basil mayo -- and that is definitely worth some attention.


I don't always have a drink at brunch, but how could I resist at a romantic place such as this? I almost wish I hadn't discovered the bellinis here because now I may be addicted. My bellini was sweet, perfectly carbonated and oh so very refreshing on a hot day. The maraschino cherry floating inside made it taste like a dessert. When the waitress asked if I'd like another, I said yes first and thought about it after. Was it worth it to walk around in a haze the rest of the day? ..... yes, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat!

That Heavenly Smell? It's Coming from New Warsaw Bakery

Ever since we moved to Greenpoint, Rob and I have wondered where that bakery smell was coming from. We'd be taking a walk up Manhattan Avenue on our way back from the bar late at night and get caught up in the aroma. Where was it coming from? It was hard to tell because it would literally waft across a block in all directions.

It remained a mystery until this past summer, when walking back from Greg's apartment, we saw the door to the New Warsaw Bakery open. We hung around the front door, watching the line of fresh bread moving its way across the conveyor belt and a single guy yanking the break out of the oven. We finally got his attention and asked where they sold their bread so we could try some. "You can have a loaf now for $3!" the guy says. "Done," says Rob and now we get to carry a hot piece of bread home with us. As soon as we got to the apartment we busted out the butter and some pesto and indulged in a carb overload while watching a Netflix movie. Mystery solved.

A Morsel from Crumbs

One day after work last week Rob and I took a walk across 42nd Street to get cupcakes on a coworker's recommendation. I had never heard of Crumbs and was excited to learn there were good cupcakes a short walk away, as I've always trekked it up to 50th Street for Buttercup when the mood struck (and believe me, the sweet tooth mood strikes quite often).



Crumbs is a tiny place I have probably walked by tons of times without ever noticing it. But it certainly has a faithful following, as the line was out the door when we got there a little before 6. Since we were unfamiliar with the flavors and they weren't posted anywhere, I had to stretch and crane to see as many cupcakes as I could so I could order without holding anyone up. Should I get my go-to red velvet cupcake? Or should I try something more traditional with a chocolatey edge? It also didn't help that the signs identifying each kind were angled towards the ground. I still don't understand how I was the only one crouching down at that point. These Crumbs customers must really know their stuff.



Finally, I decided on the Reeses cupcake because it had the best top design (see on the bottom left on the pic below). Since there are no tables or chairs or even a stool area here, we had to pack our cupcake to go and try to forget about it until we got home. No easy feat.



Fortunately, it was worth the wait. The cupcake was so tall I had to take sideways bites to keep it from toppling over, but I'm not complaining. The most surprising thing I thought as I took my first bite: this isn't too sweet. Cupcakes are always guilty of carrying far too much sugar and these seemed to be just right. Even the frosting was flavorful, and I was bracing myself for the headachey sugar rush. Definitely a pleasant surprise. I'll be back to try another flavor to neutralize a long headachey day at work.

Amazing Thai at Sripraphai

It's been almost a year since I first discovered real thai food in Woodside, Queens. During my first trip to Sripraphai (prounounced SEE-PRA-PIE), I tried one of the papaya salads and ate a pepper so spicy my mouth burned the rest of the night. I'm happy to report I'm still trying new things and Sri has been able to keep it just as interesting, even without a scorched tongue to prove it.



Tonight our friends Adib, Kelly and Marie joined us for their first Sri experience. The best part about having a bunch of people gathering at Sri is being able to order most of my favorite stuff. I've learned that the biggest problem with trying new things here is that it very easily gets added to the "must have" list, and now I want to order it all on every visit (which usually is just not reasonable). I think the trick to every dish here is balance -- lots of cucumber to cut down on the spice (which they usually pack a lot of), tons of fragrant mint and cilantro to add freshness to the meat, ginger strips add a layer of clean to every bite. Throw all of this on top of some coconut rice and I am in Thai food heaven.

Okay, first, the decor here is not much to look at. We asked to sit in the garden, which is actually really pretty when its nice out (fountain, lots of flowers, tall fences) but it was a half an hour wait just to eat out there. So we settled for a nice window spot instead.



Sri has their balancing act down even when it comes to the Thai iced teas. They aren't too sweet but they certainly don't need anything added to them. This place has definitely spoiled me in terms of Thai iced teas as I never used to be very picky about them, and now I'll dump out any Thai iced teas for being too bitter or overly sweet in comparison.



To start, we ordered four different appetizers. First, one of my must-haves: the duck salad. I love how the soft duck meat mixes so well with a mound of cilantro, ginger, onions, tomatoes, and who knows what else they've got hiding in there. It's also on the spicy side -- always keeps me coming back for more.



My second must-have appetizer: sweet sausage. I've never been much of a sausage person, but the first time I tried this I was hooked. I have no idea how they make it so sweet and addictive. Of course, its mixed in with the signature fresh herbs and veggies (cilantro, carrots, beans, lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, etc.) that just round it out perfectly.



For the other two apps, we got the steamed chicken and shrimp dumplings (which I didn't even try -- I'm not a fan of shrimp) and I think the hot and sour tom-yum soup with shrimp and mushrooms (I only tried a sip of the broth because unfortunately I don't like mushrooms either!) Those at our table who actually do enjoy shrimp and mushrooms really enjoyed it. We got a big bowl and they polished it off.





Before we were even done with the appetizers, on came all five of the dinners, which we all shared. It was family style madness! I think Rob was getting overwhelmed just by looking at it all.



I ordered the crispy pork with basil and chili because it is the absolute must-have of all the must-haves. I have no idea how they are able to give it such a perfectly crunchy bite. The texture is just something I haven't experienced elsewhere. Otherwise, its a pretty straightforward dish -- you get exactly what you ordered, along with a couple of spicy peppers to kick things up. I love to eat this with a lot of coconut rice, all the balances of the sweet and salty and spicy at the same time make the soft rice and crispy pork a perfect balancing act.



Rob ordered the red curry with chicken. At this point I've tried a lot of Sripraphai's curries -- panang, masaman -- and all are fantastic. They give generous amounts of chicken, peppers, bamboo shoots and other goodies in the flavorful coconut milk-based curry. If you can't finish it here (and we didn't) it's always great to bring it home and mix it up with tilapia or whatever else we're cooking up later in the week. It's one of those leftovers that never gets bland or tastes less than stellar the day after.



We also tried to drunken noodle with ground beef. Rob and I can't remember if we've tried this before or not (I guess its not too memorable?), but its still very good. The noodles are a little softer than I prefer, and if I'm going to be eating carbs I'd rather it be the coconut rice!



There were also two other chicken dishes that I didn't have too much of -- chicken seems so much less exciting when compared to pork and duck. The staple chicken-onion-ginger-scallion dish is something you see on every menu at every Thai food place, but of course no one does it up like Sri. When everything is this fresh tasting, it makes a huge difference. The other chicken dish had more of the drunken-style noodle and tons of fresh cilantro on top. I have a feeling I'll be enjoying this one straight out of the fridge tomorrow night.





As always is the case at Sripraphai, it was a fun night. Like the Thai food itself, life always seems so well-balanced when great friends gather to share a great meal.

New Green Bo Turns Nice

This past weekend I was craving some soup dumplings, so Rob and I took a trip down to Chinatown to get our fix. He suggested we revisit New Green Bo, as we have been before with his brother and we remember it being pretty good. Between Rob's Google text and my keen sense of direction, we were able to find our way down to 66 Bayard Street.



First thing we noticed about the place was that it changed its name to Nice Green Bo. Guess its not so new anymore. Second thing we noticed was that it was crowded! Which surprised me, because it was a weird hour (around 5pm on a Saturday). I'm fairly sure that last time we went it was a weird hour, and we were the only ones in there.

We only had to wait about five minutes, but then we got a cramped spot right in front of the door where people waiting for a table were practically breathing on us. But I didn't mind so much; it was just a snack. Plus, we were able to see right over the front counter to where two guys were making fresh crab and pork buns -- by hand -- from a mound of dough and two piles of meat. I like to see this. This means its fresh and they've got nothing to hide.

Of course, we got an order of those fried pork buns (luckily Rob knew it was just another name for soup dumplings). Eight large dumplings here are only $4.25 and they definitely hit the spot. Each bun had about a tablespoon (er, soup spoon) or so of tasty broth, a mouthful of ground pork and lots of soft dough to nibble on.



We also decided to try an order of the sesame rice ball in soup, also ridiculously cheap at under $3. It's definitely not the most attractive looking thing you've ever seen, five white rice balls sit in a clear liquid that's most likely sugar water. The black paste oozing out of the rice balls and dissolving into the water-broth is not the most appetizing thing you can imagine either. But aside from the "soup" being way too sweet, the rice balls were actually pretty good. The sesame paste inside was also very sweet, and the rice had a nice chewy consistency. Maybe next time it would be worth it to try the same thing with the "wine flavor" -- let's hope its wine-colored, too.



Overall, a good appetizer experience. Especially for under $10! Next time I'd like to expand my horizons and try some more of their Shanghainese cuisine (chow fun, anyone?).

Brooklyn Label -- A Coffee Fix on Java Street

When Brooklyn Label first opened about a year and a half ago, Rob and I were immediately hooked. Only two blocks away from us on the corner of Franklin and Java Streets, we would go just about every Saturday or Sunday and grab a coffee, some brunch, and take in the bustling hipster scene.

The place has been up and down ever since. Management has changed hands a few times, the menu prices have gone up, the service has gone down (seems all the friendly waitresses transferred to Enid's!). For awhile, we refused to even go anymore. But our relationship with BK Label is back on the mend.



The regular coffee here is pretty decent -- flavorful, not too strong, not too light. Much more memorable, though, is the Mayan cocoa: spicy pasilla chili, two shots of espresso, lots of chocolately flavor. It's just as good frozen as it is hot, and if you're craving a little kick in your drink, this is the one for you. The cardamom honey cappuccino is another great signature drink, but you really have to be in the mood for something sweet and cardomommy -- it's not a flavor you come across often. For those avoiding the weekend caffeine buzz, try a lavendar lemon fizzy: bubbly and refreshing on a hot summer's morning.

Now for the food. At this point I've tried just about everything, except for the organic tofu and potatoes. Last time we went I got one of my go-to Sunday brunch options: eggs benedict. During BK Label's bad days, this would come out looking kind of sloppy, but not today. The egg whites were almost blindingly white; a new crisscross of chives lay on top. I love BK's Canadian bacon. The pork is locally smoked, not too thick, perfectly seasoned. While the poached eggs were cooked perfectly (semi-soft yolks), they were a little too vinegary this time around. Lots of delicious hollandaise sauce and plenty of paprika on top. The eggs benedict comes with a serving of hash browns, one of the reasons I keep going back to the dish. Fried crispy and salted, you'd swear it came straight from the county fair.



My weakness for the eggs benedict is not unlike Rob's obsession with the homemade biscuits and sausage gravy. Even on a hot day, Rob can't resist the southern style biscuits, meaty bits of sausage and fried eggs on top. This dish isn't always consistent, but on its good days its very tasty and satisfying.



For awhile I couldn't get the Chili Colorado out of my head. A deep bowl of stewed spicy pork (salsa verde) is mixed with roasted peppers, served atop a base of soft, cheesy polenta and topped with poached eggs. It comes with a choice of toast, which I always wind up eating too fast because the dish is so spicy. Great for a late wintertime brunch, not so much when its too hot out to begin with.

Green Eggs No Ham is another signature dish, but I never order it because I'm not a big fan of challah bread. Eggs are cooked soft and mixed with spinach and parmesan to make that nice green base, walnut-arugula pesto add another shade of green. All is served atop a large slice of grilled challah. While it's not my favorite, I've gone with people who have ordered it and liked it.

Nothing else stands out as worthy of too much individual attention. The huevos rancheros, gruyere omelet, salmon lox, waffles and granola are all very good, depending on what your taste is like that day.

Dishes I'd stay away from: grilled chicken sandwich (too boring for breakfast), steak and eggs (steak is thin and could taste fresher). Also, dinner has failed to impress. Come for the weekend brunch madness; you might have to wait awhile, but then again you might get lucky.

An Anita Lo Anniversary (Annisa and Bar Q)

On June 24th, Rob and I celebrated our five years together by going to Annisa in the West Village. This was our second visit -- Rob's uncle took us a few years ago and it was nothing less than spectacular. Since chef Anita Lo has been focusing much of her energy on Bar Q, the new Japanese barbeque spot down the street, we wanted to make sure we went one last time before Annisa closes altogether.






Rob's brother Greg is a bartender at Annisa, but he was in Turkey during our visit. He left instructions for the staff to take care of us, and take care of us they did! We were ushered into a booth side-by-side looking out onto the restaurant. At first the arrangement felt a little odd, but it was also very cozy with the table pushed right over our laps. The waitress brought us a bottle of Dare -- 2004 Cabernet Franc. "Dare" I say this was the best wine either of us has ever had? Rob doesn't even like to drink during his meals and he couldn't get his hand off his glass. Turns out that this is the exact wine that our friend Julia had when she went with her parents a week or so before us and couldn't stop raving about. It was sweet and wet and perfectly balanced.

And now onto the food. First I must say that Anita Lo really is a genius in the kitchen. Everything tasted so delicate and fresh, a thousand tastes mingling together to make every bite of every course a perfect one. She loves to prepare the same food in different ways on the same plate to show her versatility. Every dish is like a state-of-the-art masterpiece.

We ordered the five-course tasting menu, one for every year of our togetherness. We started with tuna prepared three ways, each with a different type of mint: tuna tartar on the left, seared tuna in the middle, and cooked tuna on the right. We were encouraged to eat like we read -- from left to right. The tuna tartar was fresh and delicate and clean-tasting, with pineapple mint and a hint of spicy mayo. The seared tuna -- tataki -- had a heavier taste, served with a dusting of bottarga (dried roe) and topped with a julienne of spearmint and fennel. The last piece of tuna is cooked in olive oil and served with chocolate mint. Each piece tasted entirely different, and it was fun to experience the chef's versatility and creativity at the same time.



I was excited about course two -- it was my favorite from our last visit. Anita Lo reaches back to her Chinese heritage to create a perfect soup dumpling topped with foi gras and served atop a swirl of reduction sauce. The trick is to pick up the dumpling with your chopsticks, balance it on a soup spoon and bite and slurp without spilling anything. It was a bit more difficult to do than I remember -- maybe it was all that wine -- but I was still able to get every last drop. That's the thing with these dishes. They aren't just perfect and tasty and elegant, they are also a lot of fun to eat.



Course three: the skate. This may have been Rob's favorite. A skate wing is lightly fried, its extremely buttery and seems to flake off in almost any direction you want it to. It is served with both a mild kimchee sauce and an avocado sauce, then topped with a kimchee radish (which is like daikon, but a bit more dense). Then the cool part: the skate is accompanied by a stack consisting of the same ingredients used to make the dish, but raw: sashimi, cubed avocado, sliced radish. A very fun idea and it plays out well.



Course four was when I began to slow down -- it was a much larger portion than the past few courses. This dish breaks away from the higher level creativity we just experienced and lends itself instead to a more traditional Japanese style meal. A large bowl of sable marinated in miso is served atop silken tofu as it marinates in a sweet bonito broth. It was beautiful but definitely hard to keep the fish on top of that tofu.



Course five -- finally, we're done with fish! We finish our stellar meal with a very creative lamb tenderloin dish. Drawing back from the different forms of preparation ideal, tender lamb medallions are wrapped in a seal of ground lamb and then grilled. The result mimics the ideal of fresh baked bread -- perfectly soft on the inside with a crusty, different taste around the outside. In the center of the medallions lies a small heap of white soybeans, circles of garlic chives and a single piece of fried tofu sticking out as a signature flair. The meal feels comfortable and hearty yet entirely different from anything we've ever come to know as 'comfort food.'



I would have felt very happy stopping here, but they were not done with us yet. We were then presented with not one, not two, but THREE different types of desserts. First, the lemon poppy cake. I'm not a big fan of rich, tart desserts like this so I only had a few bites; we wound up taking it home with us. Next, the prettiest dessert: the banana rainbow. Here we were given a rich chocolate cake, a mound of whipped banana cream so light it tasted like a cloud, brought together with a dried banana so it both tastes AND looks like heaven. Finally, my favorite: a soft apple tart in a bed of warm caramel topped with vanilla ice cream and a candle to mark our celebration. It was simple, but soft and sweet and all the right things a caramel apple dessert SHOULD be.







Even though we were full, even though we had drunk more than enough wine, and even though we could barely move, we decided to investigate Bar Q, Anita Lo's newest establishment, to grab one last drink of the night. What can I say, she had impressed us! Plus, we wanted to visit our friend Julia who was waitressing that night. So we took the short walk over to Bleecker Street. It's not much to look at from the outside -- I think we almost walked right past it -- but inside it feels warm, inviting and relaxing -- just what we needed at the end of the night. We cozied up to the bar and took in the atmosphere. I was excited to try the bubble tea cocktail I had read about in the Times -- sweet green tea, vodka, and, of course, the tapioca hunks all along the bottom. It really was a perfect fusion of an adult beverage and a kid's drink; very sweet, not too strong. The only problem was there wasn't a straw big enough to suck the gummy balls through -- I could only jab at them with my skinny stir straw. I actually got pretty good at tapioca hunting after awhile, and Julia was able to sneak away from her tables long enough to rave with us about the food over at Annisa. Overall, a perfect nightcap to a wonderful five-course meal. A special thanks to Greg, Julia and Anita Lo for making it happen.