Deja Vu at Bozu

Since there are at least two more editions of Asian adventures to come (I know, I'm sorry I'm slow, it's a lot to re-live!), I'll break it up with more recent food happenings. First, our celebration of Adib and Kelly's engagement at our favorite Japanese tapas place, Bozu.

There was some weird sort of magic in the air that day. The experience was made up of three odd coincidences, hence the deja vu reference in the title. 1) The night before I dreamt Bozu didn't have the sizzling hamburger platter, and then they didn't (yeah I dream about food, shut up). 2) I said at some point during the day, boy wouldn't it be great if Bozu served ankimo, and guess what showed up on the specials list. 3) As we got to know our amazing waiter named Phillip, he told Rob that since he felt they were "food soul mates" he knew a drink he might like to try -- the sesame shochu cocktail. Rob was about to order that exact same one.

Strange coincidental visions of hamburgers and ankimo aside, this place has always treated us right. It seemed like the stars were aligned that night and Bam! Everything was better than normal.

Before we ordered our usual dishes, Phil told us there were two specials for the evening. "Do you guys like weird kinda out there food?" he asks and when Kelly, Rob and I all chorus "YES!" (where were you on that one, Adib?) he tells us one is $5 and the other is $8, should he bring them to us? Another "YES!" I love surprises. Especially when they are brought on by very knowledgable and enthusiastic waiters.

The first special was raw shrimp. "I'll be back to tell you about these guys in a minute," Phil tells us. It tasted very much like one of the courses we had at Sushi Azabu, with the wet liquidy exterior that moistens your mouth. When Phil comes back he explains that the shrimp had been marinated for five days with its own brains. I start to dislike surprises a little bit. I wonder if Sushi Azabu prepares them the same way and think about how I was happier not knowing these little epicurian tidbits. The second special was the ankimo -- monkfish liver. This was served the more traditional way, not tempura style like at Sushi Azabu, but as small cold slices that melt on your tongue with a fishy aftertaste. Phil explains that the liver always tastes so good because monkfish eat a lot of shrimp and lobster. Wait, whole lobster? This is when I make the mistake of wondering aloud what a monkfish actually looks like. Adib google images it on his phone and there goes one other thing I was happier not knowing. Oh well, the mango mojitos were perfect as always and I started to forget these unappetizing mental images as I slurped them down.
Now back to our regularly scheduled (and highly anticipated) Bozu plates:

First the pork betty (cute name for pork belly), our go-to favorite. Served in bubbling and fatty sweet soy sauce and sake, how can you go wrong? You want to drink the stuff when you're done. Well, at least I always do. Phil said that this time it will have a surprise that will make it even better than normal, "as if you thought that were possible!" Oh no, I think, not another surprise. But it's perfect. They placed a soft boiled egg in the middle of the thinly sliced pieces of pork belly heaven. The heaviness of the egg went with the fattiness of the pork -- two delicious vices. It lands heavily in your stomach, but so worth it.

We also got the fried tako balls, which has a sweet glaze on the outside and warm octopus on the inside. It sounds weird, and it took me a few times of coming here and tasting it to get used to it, but its really devine. Then the rice croquettes with hot cheese, sage, walnuts and butter squash as a less adventurous comfort food treat. As always we got the sushi bombs -- little discs of rice with the fish piled on top, like a new take on sushi rolls. We got the party bomb (a combo of four types) plus the oo-toro bomb because, who doesn't love toro. Below (from left to right): tako balls, croquettes, one last brain-shrimp, oo-toro bomb and monkfish liver.

And the party bomb: pink bomb (salmon and scallion), McLowe bomb (tuna, avocado, wasabi cream), spicy McLowe bomb (my personal favorite: tuna, cucumber, spicy mayo and kataifi, that crispy fried stuff on top), and una bomb (eel, shiso mint leaf, and wasabi cream).

Then the tuna tar tar, served with avocado wasabi sauce, lemon infused shochu sorbet on top (!!) and edamame.

They were having another special -- Japanese curry -- so we tried that. It's a honkin' plate of rice with beef curry on top, Phil said it was different from Indian curry but I thought it tasted pretty similar. Nothing too special there.

At one point Phil came and brought us a special treat. Tiny pieces of red pepper that, he said, you can't get anywhere in the U.S. He explains that the red pepper comes from Japan, it fell off the plant and basically rotted in the ground after being buried in the snow for about six months. Then it's harvested. It doesn't taste rotten and it doesn't taste overly strong either. It had a very unique, hot taste that settles in the back of your throat. These are the types of surprises I like!

We ended the night on a light note with the tofu salad. Phil said it was his favorite dish, so we didn't ask questions. I'm not a big fan of tofu but this stuff was incredible! The texture was like mozzerella cheese. Phil explains that we can make it like this, if we want! All we have to do is get regular tofu, cover it with a cheese cloth, and put something on top of it so it adds light pressure -- not so hard that it squishes it, but hard enough that it impacts it. Flip it over the next day and repeat for five days. By the end you have these tight little tofu squares that don't jiggle and don't resemble weird meat and don't make you want to puke. Tofu, who knew?

All in all, an amazing food evening. We also got to sit in the back garden, which was heated and pretty cozy. It's nicer in the summertime though. Go now!! And ask for Phil.

Congrats again to my best pals Adib and Kelly!

Bozu

296 Grand Street
Williamsburg, Brooklyn

718-384-7770

Asia Adventure Part 2: Bangkok

I was so relieved when Shivaun finally said that she would come to Bangkok with us. Thailand had been on my list of countries to visit for years, but when it came down to it, I was a little nervous about wandering around a place so far removed from our own culture. Then again, it's not an adventure if you don't break out of your comfort zone, so Rob and I explored on our own, visiting temples and Buddhas and markets. The culture shock was less severe than I expected.

I'd heard it before and it is definitely true: the Thais love to eat. More specifically, they love to eat meat. Everywhere you turn, meat is hanging from hooks in street carts, grilled on a barbeque, strung onto sticks. The smell mixes with exhaust from heavily trafficked streets and hangs in the air. I was warned not to try the street food, and while I had every intention of ignoring that advice, the smell -- and sometimes, the sight -- of the raw, unmasked meat was a bit much for me.

Lucky for us, Shivaun's family was visiting Bangkok at the same time as us, and boy do they know how to party. Every night we were spoiled by huge catered dinners, sometimes poolside, sometimes with live Indian music, with tray after tray of amazing Indian food -- rice, stewed meats, vegetables, skewers, etc. We would usually eat way too much to make up for our long days of unfed exploring. We were happy in this rhythm until one night when the GM of the hotel approached us and said that while he was glad to see us every night, we really needed to get out and try some real Thai food. We asked for a recommendation and without thinking he says "Ban Chiang!" At this point his wife jumps up and says yes, you must visit Ban Chiang. Ask the front desk for directions. We're pretty receptive to suggestions (and we can take a hint), so the next day at lunch we headed out, map in hand, to check it out.

Ban Chiang is like a leafy oasis. The restaurant has the feel of an old colonial house, very wooden and charming. They had a beautiful outdoor seating area, but we opted for the air conditioned house.

The menu was huge and we almost didn't know where to start. And then we decided, what better way to gauge a real Thai restaurant than by getting our Sripraphai usuals? So even we ordered the crispy pork with Chinese kale, the roasted duck salad and -- to add a control group to our study -- ginger chicken. I also ordered a Thai iced tea because I got a kick out of just asking for an "iced tea" to get it. You can't do that unless you're in Thailand!

Aside from the chicken, which was a little boring, everything was amazing. The iced tea was very memorable, as it had a good hint of coffee flavor. While the crispy pork didn't have the satisfying crunch that we all know and love at Sripraphai, the meat was much less fatty and a little less salty. The Chinese kale was seriously addicting and I didn't even think I liked the stuff. The duck in the duck salad dish was perfectly tender -- again, NOT fatty -- and came with chopped cucumbers, onions, tomatoes, and basil.

We ordered the mango with sticky rice for dessert, not knowing that it would change our lives forever. I'm not being dramatic. The mango was the ripest, sweetest, most perfect fruit either of us ever had the pleasure of tasting. The sticky rice was a great accompanyment, adding a solid texture to the fruit that melted in your mouth. It was devine. We reported immediately back to Shivaun who smiled and said, "Yeah, mangoes are a lot better in Thailand than they are back home." Understatement of 2009.

More to come...

New River Barrel Cafe!

I'll get back to my Asian adventures soon, but first, a new Greenpoint restaurant!

When Rob and I got home from our trip on a Saturday night at 7:30pm, we crashed hard. Turns out that those 25 hours of straight travel time can completely wipe you out. The next morning we were up around 5am and starving (wasn't it dinner time?), so we did our best to wait until appropriate U.S. E.S.T. breakfast time when we headed out to become the morning's first patrons at Brooklyn Label. On our way over we noticed a new place had popped up in our absence -- the River Barrel Cafe on the corner of Kent Street and Franklin. The menu was very similar to Brooklyn Label and the woody interior looked a little like the Habitat. On Friday evening, we decided to give it the full up-and-down.



I was charmed right away. The owner was the one to come over and greet us. She told us to sit wherever we liked as she thanked us multiple times for coming and asked us to tell her our thoughts on how to make the place better. It definitely added to the neighborhood charm -- as did the huge yet modest chandelier above the bar and the cozy brick walls.


I think they were a little understaffed that night -- the bartender was the one that ran around and tried to handle the Friday night crowd. She did a pretty good job, but I noticed she had to ask the question "Is this your food?" a lot.


We did have to wait awhile for our meal, but here's everything we tried:

• Duck Spring Rolls -- They were really more like veggie rolls than duck rolls, but they were still pretty good. They were even better when we asked about the chili dip -- they had originally forgotten it.
  
  
• Truffled Mac 'n' Cheese -- This side dish was so good!! Everyone loves a good batch of mac 'n' cheese, and no one's gonna complain if they're truffled.

• Pork Porterhouse -- This entree was alright. I was told it was brined overnight, and I am a huge fan of overnight brining, but it was a bit overcooked. It also lacked an excitement factor. On the other hand, I'd never had a piece of pork look so much like a steak, so points for that.


• Sweet Potato -- The pork came with two sides, and this was one of them. I loove sweet potato and find it hard to mess up, but it's also just as hard to find a mashed SP without too much cinnamon and marshmallows and other types of sugar love. Great consistency and not too sweet!
• 7 Vegetables -- This was the other pork side. I only remember four veggies -- carrots, squash, another type of squash, onion -- but I'm sure the other three were in there. Well-seasoned and cooked gently so as to retain their firmness. I can proudly say I ate all my veggies that night.

At this point I had to stop taking pictures because the owner had spotted me snapping pics of my food and was cracking up. Not just a little giggling but a full belly laugh. So I'm out of pictures for now.

Well, the service certainly wasn't stellar and the food didn't blow me away but hey, I like this place. The owner and I formed a bond when she laughed at me and now I want her to succeed. I'm not sure I'll come back for dinner anytime soon but I can see myself in there after a long day at work, downing some beers and digging into some truffled mac 'n' cheeses.

Asia Adventure Part I -- Hong Kong

So I know I haven't blogged in awhile, but Rob and I were saving up for our recent trip to Asia by eating in almost every night, leaving me pouting and with not much to talk about. But now that we're home from our trip, I have plenty of food adventures to share.

We flew into Hong Kong on a Sunday night and began our explorations on Monday. Before we did anything else, Shivaun -- whose wonderful family took us into their home for two whole weeks -- treated us to lunch at her grandfather's hotel. The Bistro was one of the best buffets we'd ever been to, with a crazy selection of meats ranging from ostrich to chicken curry, a sushi bar, and a tapas table with all kinds of great dishes. The dessert was my favorite -- they had two little refrigerators filled with little treats in tiny martini glasses. The tiramisu cream with espresso jelly was heavenly and when I was told they were fat free, well, I probably ate more than I should have.

Once we were all completely full, we hit up all the Mongkok markets. We started at the Ladies' market, which mostly sells women's clothes, then walked through the stinky and surprisingly gory fish market, the goldfish market where you could buy all sorts of exotic pets, the flower market and, finally, the bird market. Shopping has a weird way of making you hungry, so Shivaun steered us over to a food kiosk and confidently waited for someone to take her order. Imagine my horror when I smelled this terrible smell and looked into this glass case:

Yeah, those are all sorts of weird animal organs on a stick, and in the back right you can see a pair of chicken feet. I didn't know that this sort of smell permeates the air everywhere in Hong Kong, but it does. I was quite relieved when Shivaun came back with this:

This bubbly waffle thing is made with condensed milk, so its rich and thick and sweet. We all took turns nibbling at it as we shopped but it was so heavy we actually ended up throwing some of it out. Shivaun told us they sort all sorts of different types with different flavored fillings, like with chocolate and maybe peanut butter, but unfortunately this was the last time we had a chance to eat the bubble waffle.

The next day we traveled about half an hour away to go see the Tian Tan Buddha, an amazingly huge Buddha found at the top of a mountain. The only way to get to the top is to take a 20 minute air tram ride, which was really quite spectacular despite the fact that the weather wasn't cooperating 100% that day. The sight of dozens of these tiny trams disappearing behind the gloom at the top of a mountain was very dramatic and a bit scary.

After we visited the Buddha and a nearby temple we were all starving, so we chose one of the three places up there for lunch. This little ramen joint was the only place that was packed, so we figured it was a safe bet. At the same time, any real tourist attraction anywhere in the world isn't going to have great food. We each got a bowl of meat, veggies and noodles in a semi cloudy broth and just felt grateful for something warm on a coldish day. While I would absolutely recommend that anyone in the HK area visit the Tian Tan Buddha, be sure to bring some granola bars so you aren't stuck eating their overpriced soup.

On Wednesday, we took our first trip into Hong Kong island for dim sum in the Central area of the city. Dragon-i (60 Wyndham Street) is a very hip lounge and nightclub that happens to have a pretty great dim sum menu during the day. The outside area is perched on a ledge with a few huge birdcages, and the inside is big and red and modern. Since we were with about eight of Shivaun's cousins and it was all you can eat for a set price, we ordered a TON of food and all of it was really good. Not exactly the traditional dim sum we were expecting, but we're not complaining.

My favorite was probably the steamed spinach dumpling, which was almost neon green in color (you can see it at the top right). The outside was nice and chewy, a pretty good way to enjoy spinach if you ask me. Rob's favorite was the BBQ pork buns, these things were so sweet they made my teeth hurt. The bun is almost like an angelfood cake consistency, and the little bits of pork on the inside were doused in a sweet BBQ sauce. We also had minced pork dumplings, spring rolls, seasonal veggies, and a huge platter of fried seafood.

We really liked Central, so the next day Rob and I took the Star Ferry there ourselves to visit the Botanical Gardens and do some exploring. As soon as we arrived we saw a Kee Wah bakery -- those are as prevalent in HK as Starbucks is in NY -- and stopped inside for a snack. Most of their offerings were meat wrapped in some sort of bun and placed in a plastic bag. Hot dogs, pork, sausage, that kind of thing. The idea of eating room temperature meats from a plastic bag freaked me out a little (and they really were not that good) so I opted for a box of four mini coconut balls I'd seen a Chinese guy buy in a hurry at one of the subway stations. I asked what it was and the counter girls said, Moochi! Well, weren't we in luck. We got the the kind with red bean paste in the middle and they were amazing! Super chewy and kind of hard to get down because it sticks everywhere in your mouth. We came here on another occasion eager to try another type but unfortunately it was too early in the day for moochi, so we got the butter cream bun instead. The ratio of buttercream to bun was about 3-1. Make sure you bring your own napkins if you ever find yourself at a Kee Wah bakery (I just looked online and they have them in LA, too).

That evening, we found ourselves back in Mongkok and on the prowl for the Long Kee Noodle Shop, which was highlighted on Tony Bourdain's No Reservations tv show. I'd looked it up online that morning and saw that someone had written a blog post warning that the address listed was wrong (10 Hak Po Street) and that it was actually 104A Hak Po Street. Well, stupid and overly trusting me didn't even bother writing down the actual address, and instead we found ourselves walking through an apartment building asking the maintenence guy where we can find homemade noodles and pointing to my handwritten address. This story does not have a happy ending. We found ourselves wandering around the area while I kicked a metaphorical stone until we came across a place with a guy simultaneously cooking over a dozen clay pot dinners on the sidewalk. The line to get into Ming Yuen Restaurant was out the door, and every single person inside (and out) was Asian. We decided to give this place a try. After all, Tony did try a hot pot dinner on the show as well. He said it was "good". He says everything is good.

I became increasingly excited about dinner as I watched everyone around us eating. We were crammed into a table with two other couples, who were clearly giggling at our touristness until their food came. Then their heads went down and they went to town with their soup spoons and chopsticks. I tried to mimic their style, but they've clearly been doing this a long time.

Anyway, the clay pot cooking style permeated the rice and meat with a weird taste that I didn't enjoy. Even the Chinese broccoli was practically inedible to me. I forget what type of meat I ordered, but it came all fatty and weird. Rob's did too, but I think he actually liked his. I'm thinking about tracking down this 104A Hak Po blog boy and making him eat a bowlful of this stuff to see how he likes it!

Yeah, that's a bowl of soy sauce along the right... everyone else practically poured the whole thing on top of their meals. Kinda gross, right? They sure do things differently over there.

Stay tuned for part II: Bangkok.

Omakase at Sushi Azabu

About a week before Rob's birthday, I began my late yet important search for the perfect restaurant for Rob's celebration. So like any normal person, I began scanning Frank Bruni's archives on the New York Times for something noteworthy yet affordable. I stumbled on a recent article highlighting two sushi joints -- Kanoyama and Sushi Azabu -- as "everyday luxuries" and "bargains." When I think bargain sushi, my mind automatically shifts to a dilapidated restaurant promoting "50% off Sushi!!" on a busy, heavily Jewish Midwood street I lived on for a short (short!) while, but I knew that putting the review in perspective meant that this sushi was beyond anything Rob or I have ever had the luxury of trying before. I chose Sushi Azabu because of its hidden nature, nestled in the basement of the Greenwich Grill in Tribeca.

I had Rob meet me at the Canal Street E stop, then he followed as we made our way to Greenwich street. Rob was definitely surprised when I stopped at the Greenwich Grill and went inside. He had a look on his face that said "What, I'm supposed to eat a cheeseburger on my birthday?" but when we descended down into the hidden sushi lair, he understood. We took two of the eight chairs along the sushi bar, and behind us were only three tables. Very cozy for a basement.

First we ordered two glasses of Wataribune sake, which was dry but very light and slightly floral. Then we asked the sushi chef for the omakase tasting course. He asked if we had any dietary restrictions or allergies. and when we told him we'd eat anything he gave us, he seemed pleased.

And so with super thin chopsticks in hand, we began the six-course meal that went a little something like this:

1) Sashimi -- Here we were each given three pieces of amazingly fresh fatty tuna, two pieces of snapper, raw shrimp and sea urchin in sea water. I'd never had raw shrimp and it was incredible; one bite into the meaty body and it coated my whole mouth in sweet liquid. I don't even like cooked shrimp but this was unforgettable. The sea urchin was really interesting, it has a spongy quality that disintegrates into liquid once you pop it into your mouth. The snapper was a bit fishy but the tuna was soft and clean tasting. The presentation on this one was great as well: the shrimp was adorned with its tail fanned out and a single vine of tiny purple flowers was laid out across the dish.

2) Giant Oyster -- and when I say giant I mean humongous. It was served in a ponzu sauce with scallions. I am not an oyster person and this menacing-looking thing on my plate was no exception. I took two bites of the cold gray gunk and the taste of ocean was overwhelming. The light floral sake did nothing to get rid of the taste. I guess you have to be an oyster person for this one -- even though Rob's an oyster person and he described it as "too much oyster."

3) Tempura Ankimo -- This was the best monkfish liver I have ever tasted! On the spot I dubbed it "the foie gras of the sea." It was lightly fried with some sort of leaf (I think the sushi chef called it a lime leaf?) and served with (fittingly) a lime and a small mound of salt so you could margarita-fy to your liking. The ankimo itself was incredibly tender, and with that fried, salty crust it melted in your mouth.

4) Egg Custard (Chawan Mushi) -- This traditional steamed dish isn't my favorite, but I can understand why people like it. Custard to me should be sweet and dessert-y, not miso-flavored with hunks of mushroom. But I still liked this one, mostly because it had so many hidden surprises (crab, gingko nuts) and the overall lemon scent was nice.

5) Seaweed in Vinegar Broth -- The chef called this masagusu (sp?), tiny strands of fresh seaweed in a watery broth made of vinegar, bonito, and a few wisps of ginger. Somehow, this wasn't nearly as sharp as I thought it would be -- it was actually light and kind of sweet. A good primer for the grand finale of sushi.

6) Grand Finale of Sushi -- The final course was made up of eight individual pieces of sushi that the chef would create one at a time, then reach over and plunk down on the black slab in front of us. Each piece of fish was fitted on top of the most perfect mound of sushi rice (each grain was plump and soft, like sushi-risotto), with a bit of wasabi hidden in the middle so it tasted exactly as the chef intended. At one point I asked Rob if we could hire this guy to hand-feed us the rest of our lives. There was something very sexy about being fed one piece at a time... kind of like a food strip tease.

a) Amberjack -- Probably my favorite. Kind of like the tuna, a little less fatty, still very fresh and clean without any fishy taste.

b) Grouper -- Don't remember too much about this guy.

c) Medium Fatty Tuna -- Like tuna on steroids, very juicy and flavorful.

d) Baby White Shrimp -- Cut up into small pieces.

e) Sea Scallop with salt -- A bit fishy but (of course) very very fresh.

f) Salmon Roe -- This was the only exception to the on-rice with wasabi in the middle rule. The mountain of roe pops in your mouth while the seaweed evens it out with something more substantial. I thought this would be too fishy for me but it was actually perfect.

g) Sea Urchin -- This little guy from the first course came back to take a bow, again the juicy melt-in-your-mouth quality shined through with the sushi rice giving you something to chew on this time.

h) Sea Eel -- Perfect way to end the tasting meal. The sea eel was the only one that was hot, and it had a hint of sweetness. There must have been some sort of glaze on it, but the chef didn't tell us.

At this point we'd been indulged for close to two hours, but it didn't stop us from ordering dessert. We tried the chocolate semifreddo, which is like a half-frozen slab of chocolate ice cream with caramelized hazelnuts on top and chocoate syrup on the bottom. Chocolatey goodness. Then after THAT we were brought two large cups of Japanese "roasted" tea. Very hot and woody and a nice finish to our meal. On our way out we tried the bathrooms (heated toilet seats equipped with hot water spray capabilities, highly recommended) and were helped into our coats before we were back on the street, full and happy and a little bit dizzy. We took a cab home so we wouldn't have to waddle to the E train and let loud people kill our after-dinner buzz.

Now that I've gone I think I understand what Frank Bruni meant by a bargain -- we were hand fed super fresh and high quality fish (flown from Japan!) and treated like royalty for two and a half hours. I'd go again if I could, but an "everyday luxury"?.... not even close.

Old and New on 53rd Street

A few weekends ago Rob and I found ourselves in the middle of midtown on a Saturday, in serious need of a drink and some food. I wanted to try the new Vero Midtown wine bar on 2nd ave and 53rd street, so we headed over for some wine and upscale snacks.

It was the middle of the day, so we were one of the few people there. I ordered the Fife "Redhead Red" syrah and was a bit disappointed -- I expected with a name like that, the wine would have more spice to it. Rob ordered his usual Reisling and enjoyed it.

Most of the menu here is made up of small, shareable plates. I was most excited about trying the saffron arancini -- it was pretty much the reason I wanted to go to Vero in the first place. I've always loved arancini (fried rice balls with mozzerella) but these were made with risotto and had saffron in them. I figured it would be an ultimate version of an Italian favorite, but I wasn't a big fan. It was mostly risotto and not a lot of melted cheese, and the saffron gave it a weird aftertaste. It just didn't come together like I'd hoped.

Since we had just barely whetted our appetites, we ordered one more plate -- the veal meatballs. These heavenly little treats were incredibly tender and more than redeemed all the mediocre arancini and wine. I thought the golden raisins and pinenuts would be weird, but they definitely added some great texture to the meatballs that otherwise melt in your mouth. They were served atop some incredibly delicate ("slow cooked") san marzano tomato sauce and a beautiful green basil sauce. A dollop of white ricotta cheese on top and what do you know? A delicious Italian flag.

Well, at this point we'd spent over $50 and we were more hungry than when we first showed up to Vero. So instead of ordering more plates, we headed west on 53rd for some substantial eats at our old favorite subterranean Mediterranean spot, Marrakesh. Well, its more like Middle Eastern cuisine that has everything from Moroccan soups to Mediterranean sandwiches and even pasta specialties. I've never tried anything that leans towards Italian, but of all things babaganoush and falafel-y this place has never disappointed us. And we've been coming pretty consistently for about two years now.

I have no idea why no one is ever here, but each time we go we're one of only two or three parties. We always take the same spot, under the window. The service is always really friendly but kinda slow. And we always get the mint tea. Always. It's so sweet that it hushes my sweet tooth long after we leave. But it's also clean and refreshing and comforting. and it comes from a cute silver pot on an engraved silver tray. What more could you ask for?

This visit I tried something I hadn't before -- the couscous with lamb and seven vegetables. The platter was huge, and when I was absolutely full I still had enough for a full lunch the next day. The lamb was tender, the vegetables were exotic yet seasonal (some types of squash?), the couscous was perfect even microwaved after it was refrigerated. Rob got some kind of platter with all the good stuff -- hummus or babaganoush with falafel and salad. As always, it was affordable, satisfying, and we left feeling as though we just had a homecooked meal in a cozy and secret locale.

Below: the lamb couscous and combo platter.

Overall: midtown isn't the greatest place to be stuck when you're hungry, but if you have a solid go-to spot you can feel a little safer trying something different.

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).