January 6, 2010
From Slice
From the interior of Pizza Palace in Astoria. [Photograph: Adam Kuban]
So, yeah. I've recently moved to Astoria in Queens. It's kinda weird not being a Brooklynite anymore. So, besides Rizzo's, Michael Angelo II, Forno Italia, Rose & Joe's, and Sac's Place, where else can I go for good pizza in Astoria? Anyone?
Posted by Ed Levine, January 5, 2010 at 11:00 PM
[Photographs: Robyn Lee]
L.A. Burdick
5 East 20th Street, New York NY 10010 (near Fifth Avenue; map); 212-796-0143; burdickchocolate.com
Service: Friendly, knowledgeable, eager to please and explain
Setting: Snug storefront loaded with goodies
Compare It To: Jacques Torres, Mariebelle, Chocolate Bar
Must-Haves: Hot Chocolate, chocolate lemon layer cake, cannelés, lemonade
Cost: A piece of cake and a large hot chocolate is around $10
Grade: B+
Larry Burdick and I go way back. In the early '90s I called him (people used telephones much more frequently way back then) in search of his chocolate mice, which, at the time, were served only at Bouley, to bring to a New Year's Eve party. He was making his chocolates in the tenement apartment he and his wife shared on the Upper East Side. I'll never forget his response:
Well, I'm all sold out of the mice I made today, but I still have some of yesterday's mice. They're day-old mice, so I wouldn't feel right about selling them to you. But you can just come over and pick up as many mice as you can carry.
I had no idea that a chocolatier could care so much about freshness.
Burdick and his wife moved to Walpole, New Hampshire, and set up a legitimate chocolate-making facility, as well as a restaurant and the first L.A. Burdick chocolate cafe. A Brattle Street location in Cambridge, Mass., followed in short order, as well as one in Edgartown on Martha's Vineyard, which didn't last very long.
Now, the Burdicks have tackled the New York market with a tidy cafe on East 20th Street in the old Fleur de Sel space. It's a cheerful spot filled with everything from bags of almond flour to bars of single-origin bean chocolate.
You order at the counter—staring down ten different pre-sliced cakes that you might think would be dry and dull. That would be a mistake. Like every great pastry chef I know, Burdick is an obsessive perfectionist. Just about every slice of cake we tried is worth the calories. The slices are small, but they are obscenely rich and flavorful. So much so that most serious eaters wouldn't want the slices to be any bigger.
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From Slice
Posted by Adam Kuban, January 5, 2010 at 3:55 PM
From the Slice inbox, an email from Rafi Kam of Internets Celebrities (the same guys who did the Ghetto Big Mac video):
I thought I'd throw this video your way, if only because your site is where I did my homework before our Di Fara trip last week.
If you're thinking, What?!? Another damn Di Fara video, cut it out. This one is, like "Pizza on a Rainy Day," really well done—like how at the 26-second mark it focuses on the clock and the passing of time. Because, really, that's a huge part of the Di Fara thing, for better or for worse.
Check it out: All You Need to Know About Di Fara Pizza »
Posted by Carey Jones, January 5, 2010 at 3:00 PM
How he rolls. [Photos: MTV; Robyn Lee]
I'm not sure if I'd want to see these kids near an open flame, but Food & Wine Magazine's blog, Mouthing Off, has a short piece on the cooking exploits of Jersey Shore:
In the controversial reality show's latest episode, [Mike "The Situation"] and his male roommates decide to make an "unbelievable dinner" and stay at home with Nicole "Snooki." "There's going to be a feast on the dinner table, but 'The Situation' has got it under control," he says.
When The Situation refuses to help clean up after the "feast" of lobster, steak, asparagus, grilled corn and salad, his short-lived flame Sammi "Sweetheart" picks a fight with him. (In a previous episode, the two flirted while preparing sausage and peppers together.)
They also list a few recipes for anyone inclined to eat like the Shore kids. Full piece here.
Posted by Kathy YL Chan, January 5, 2010 at 2:30 PM
I saw it at the counter of the 8th Street and Broadway location of 'wichcraft. An entire loaf of cranberry-walnut bread for only $2.50! Seemed like too good of a deal to not pick up. So I got it, and was woefully disappointed. Sugar crystal-crusted, dry from end to end, with only the occasional cranberry to lend a touch of moisture. Chopped walnuts, also sparse. A bargain not worth its meager price.
'wichcraft
Various Locations in NYC map)
wichcraftnyc.com
Posted by Ben Fishner, January 5, 2010 at 1:00 PM
Editor's note: Please welcome longtime SE reader and brand-new contributor Ben Fishner—also known to Serious Eaters as FozzieBayer. He'll be joining us each week with "Apps Only," eating his way through New York's appetizer, bar, and lounge menus as your guide to fine dining on a budget. Take it away, Ben!
[Photos: Ben Fishner]
In New York, it's easy to be a serious eater on a budget. There's no shortage of street meat, dollar dumplings, or top-notch falafel to fill you up in just about every neighborhood. But sooner or later, we all want to shell out a little bit more for a nicer meal. What's a food lover with a slim wallet to do?
Sidle up to the bar and order a bunch of appetizers. Even better if you bring along a friend to try more. Tom Colicchio knows it—appetizers are usually the best part of the menu as it is. Call it the recession-friendly fine dining approach. ("Recessionary spending," if you will.)
My philosophy holds that for under $20, you should be able to sample enough of almost any restaurant's offerings to be satisfied. (Okay, fine, I won't be hitting up Per Se.) More than your average cheapskate's meal? Of course. But $20 gets you fine dining on a budget. It's still a splurge, sure, but it's a manageable splurge.
This theory led me and a friend to Ed's Lobster Bar on Lafayette Street. A long bar makes up the bulk of the space, with a few tables set up in the back; there's an extensive raw bar full of exceedingly fresh seafood, but that's not on the post grad plan. Luckily, Ed does not play when it comes to appetizers.
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Posted by Carey Jones, January 5, 2010 at 12:00 PM
Upcoming Doughnut Plant; Serious Eats World HQ.
The Feed confirms a long-floated rumor: The Doughnut Plant is coming to Chelsea, with a new location right next to the Chelsea Hotel (and accessible from the lobby). Expect an opening sometime this spring. According to Google Maps, that's a mere six hundred paces from Serious Eats World HQ. I can smell the Tres Leches already.
Related:
Eating Our Way Through the Doughnut Plant's Menu
Holiday Flavors at Doughnut Plant
Doughnut Plant's Creme Brulee Doughnuts
Tres Leches Cake Doughnut from the Doughnut Plant
From Slice
Posted by Adam Kuban, January 5, 2010 at 11:50 AM
The "Mama's Special" at Sac's Place in Astoria. [Photographs: Chichi Wang]
Yesterday, Chichi Wang asked for some advice on what to get at the coal-oven-havin' Sac's Place in Astoria. Today, she emails with a follow-up:
So we ended up getting the Mama's Special pie—the one with the San Marzano tomatoes.
Happy to report that there weren't any sogginess issues. Crust stayed dry on the bottom with a nice char; no gumminess in the middle. Can't beat San Marzano tomatoes. I could have used a bit more basil on top, but otherwise, a stellar pie.
Oh, also, cheese was good. Stayed melty for about the first half of the pie; even when the cheese solidified, it was still pleasantly soft rather than waxy or too chewy.
After the jump, the upskirt.
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Posted by Carey Jones, January 5, 2010 at 11:00 AM
Congrats to longtime Serious Eats contributor Joe DiStefano, who will be heading up the new "World's Fare" blog at Edible Queens. Great early posts include "leche de tigre," a Peruvian ceviche aphrodisiac, and my personal favorite, French Toast bagels at Bagel Oasis. We'll be reading, Joe!
Is Katz's the best deli in New York? (Most of you seem to think yes.) At 8 p.m. tomorrow night (January 6) at 8 p.m. filmmaker Yura Dashevsky (Katz's: That's All) takes the affirmative position against Save the Deli's David Sax (he says no) in a debate on whether Katz's truly beats all. Following the debate, a nosh session at Katz's. Michel Evanchik moderates; Todd Seavey hosts.
Lolita Bar
266 Broome Street, New York NY 10002 (at Allen Street; map)
More info: toddseavey.com
