big o's Profile
108 street east side Manhattan
As noted by Dave Cook, you should definitely make sure to visit Cafe Ollin.
La Tropezienne, on First Ave north of 109, is a great small bakery that serves salads, sandwiches, quiche, and other items. Not much in the way of seating, but they are very close.
Amor Cubano is at Third Ave and 111 and is worth a visit if you want to stay close and get a little atmosphere.
Most of the places on Lex in the low 100's deliver (either on their own or through SeamlessWeb) so you can give them a shot without making the walk: Giovanna's, Moustache, Yo In Yo Out, La Galette.
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Amor Cubano
2018 3rd Avenue, New York, NY 10029
La Tropezienne
2131 1st Ave, New York, NY 10029
Yo In Yo Out
1569 Lexington Ave, New York, NY 10029
Cafe Ollin
339 E 108th St, New York, NY 10029
La Galette
177 E 100th St, New York, NY 10029
Best pizza in East Harlem (besides Patsy's)?
Giovanna's, on Lexington between 100 and 101. No slices, but the pies are great.
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Giovanna's
1567 Lexington Ave, New York, NY 10029
Aperol in Northern Virginia
While visiting family down in VA, I purchased Aperol at an ABC in the Clifton area. I don't remember which store, specifically, but -- if you pick the wrong one -- they will call others to see if it's available.
One Stop Shopping For Bar Ware?
You can use either the 16oz or 18oz tin to cap a 28oz shaker. I prefer 18 -- there's a little more room for an ice hunk to jump around, which I like to believe lessens the chance that it will shatter. Weighted vs. Not is more personal preference than anything else. I like the weight, I think it adds a more solid feel to the shake.
I have both the grapefruit and chocolate bitters from Bittermens/Bitter Truth. You won't find quite as many recipes calling for them, but they're both very nice and a lot of fun to play around with.
One Stop Shopping For Bar Ware?
My preference is for all-metal, weighted Boston shakers. I keep six full sets that I picked up from barsupplies.com (18oz. and 28oz.), as well as two sets of Naranjas from Cocktail Kingdom. The Japanese shakers have a nicer "feel" to them, but the drinks are ultimately no better off, and the Naranjas do cost nearly three times as much per set.
If you plan to make drinks for a crowd, you'll want to stock up on the cheaper shakers and strainers (it's a real pain to have to clean your equipment on a per-drink basis -- even if you just have 2 or 3 friends over). Otherwise, pick up some of the nicer stuff at Cocktail Kingdom. They'll also cover you for bitters -- Angostura, Angostura Orange, and Peychaud's should be your initial stock.
Review -- Bunny Chow, LES
I don't remember exactly when "bunny chow", the food item, first dropped onto my radar, but -- when it did -- my girl immediately established a personal goal to seek it out. I found a spot in Brooklyn easily enough, but we never made it over. Funny how an infant can make the Outer Boroughs seem that much more Outer.
Bunny Chow, on Orchard, was thus marked for consumption the moment we heard of its existence, and a sneak peak at Painkiller earlier in the week provided the motivation to travel.
We ate: Shrimp Peri Peri, Bunny Chow w/Shrimp, Ostrich Burger, Slap Chips, and Malva Pudding.
The shrimp peri peri were served in-the-shell and head-on, and were delicious -- a lot of flavor with a good hit of spice. I'm a shell eater when the preparation permits, and there was nothing left on the plate when the waitress came to reclaim it. Slightly odd, considering that they weren't deep fried.
The bunny chow was very nice. My default conception of curry assumes a fair amount of sauce, and the fact that this dish was to arrive in hollowed-out bread only served to bolster my expectations. I was wrong. It was heavily-seasoned, "dry", and really, really tasty. Surprisingly so. I was a little disappointed when the dish first came out (it's not the prettiest of foods), but an abundance of flavor made up for the lack of physical beauty.
My ostrich burger was dry in a more literal sense. Someone may have been a bit distracted while medium-rare quietly slipped towards medium. The flavor was nice enough, though, and the tomato-onion sauce did a good job of approximating overall juiciness.
Given that I wasn't excessively hungry, I initially turned down the waitress's suggestion of fries for the burger. Given that the missus WAS excessively hungry, I quickly realized my mistake and ordered the fries (slap chips). Good thing, too -- they were the night's big winner. Large, wedge-style hunks, crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. They were half-gone before the entrees were even sniffed. A bowl of yogurt/cucumber/feta was presented for dipping. It was an enjoyable accompaniment, and loudly demanded by my eight-month-old daughter, who did wind up eating most of it.
The malva pudding made a lovely finish. Bread-pudding-ish, served as a small cake slice. Warm, caramelized, slightly fruity, and not-too-sweet. Coffee was not available ("yet").
On the non-food front, the restaurant was totally empty when we showed up (intentionally early). It's a cute space, and the waitress was very friendly and attentive. The whole crew was demonstratively pro-baby, and kiddo loves the attention, so we all had a lot of fun.
The bill was in the mid 40s, with one drink, before tax and tip. Credit cards are accepted.
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Bunny Chow
74 Orchard St, New York, NY 10002
authentic middle eastern food
Try Moustache. The food is wonderfully fresh and bright, and I always have a sense that each dish was made by someone who really cares about what's being sent out into the dining room. I'm partial to the East Harlem location (Lex at 102).
Campari (and relatives) anyone?
The original Paper Plane is 3/4oz. each of bourbon, Aperol, Amaro Nonnino, and lemon juice. I haven't tried it with Campari and Ramazzotti as substitutes -- could be interesting.
Also of Campari note is the Right Hand's companion, the Left Hand, which subs in bourbon for the rum.
Selecting the best cocktail shaker
At this point, I'll just be parroting opinions that have already been stated, but what the hell...
That Alessi shaker is overkill, even just as a "Hey, I got you something expensive" gesture. The money would be much better spent on several sets of weighted shaker tins (go all-metal for shaking) and the other tools needed to get a drink made (strainers, jiggers, a good spoon, etc.).
Then, spend the real money on items that enjoy a little more hands-on time. After a minute, the shaker will be sitting in your sink, waiting to be washed. Nice glassware, as has been said, has a better shot at making an impression, and can actually enhance the drinking experience.
Texas Road House
Perhaps. And perhaps we'll find out for sure, after you open several hundred locations of Texas-themed chain restaurant, devise a more appropriate playlist, and then run it at acceptable volume levels.
irish whiskey, green chartreuse, and sweet vermouth cocktail?
I suppose someone could always mess with proportions and then change the name, but Irish whiskey, sweet vermouth, and Green Chartreuse does -- in fact -- result in a Tipperary.
I've seen a dry-vermouth version of the drink dubbed a "Shamrock".
Texas Road House
"...there's no real reason to have blaring music..."
Revenue for 2008 was just shy of 900 million dollars. If loud music is corporate policy, then they've apparently managed to find customers who appreciate noise.
Best ice cube trays / techniques for cocktail ice
I employ a few different techniques when making my ice at home. I use the MoMA spherical molds to freeze ice for short rocks drinks. The spheres also work pretty well for shaking, but you have to be careful to avoid breaking them during the shake. For my primary shaking ice, I use teacups that my girlfriend appropriated from the restaurant where she used to work. They create nice fat chunks of bullet-shaped ice that reasonably approximate 3-inch blocks. Very sturdy, they'll stay in one piece through a good rough shake, chilling things down while adding just the right amount of water.
To get long pieces for tall rocks drinks, I cut up a Tovolo tray so that four of the cubes are combined into one, long slab. For stirring, I actually just use the ice made by my freezer -- which is, luckily, of decent size and cube-shaped.
I keep the freezer set at 6-below and, in order to avoid the horrors of stinky ice, I store nothing in the freezer but ice, ice-making implements, and glassware.
New Comer to Town
I keep it pretty simple at L'asso, generally ordering the Margherita D.O.C. pie. My pizza wishlist isn't complicated, and they do a good job of hitting the important stuff: thin, crispy crust with some char; fresh sauce; quality cheese (the buffalo mozzarella they get is lovely stuff); and good seasoning (i.e. salt).
It's a lighter pizza-eating experience than most -- definitely quality over quantity -- and I know people who've been disappointed that it wasn't the greasy belly bomb they had been hoping for. But, alongside the Pianura salad (greens, fennel, orange, pine nuts) and an Aranciata, it's one of my favorites.
New Comer to Town
Whenever I see the crowd outside Lombardi's, I smirk and point out that the better pizza is a block south at L'asso.
Momofuku Ko - reservation road detour
There's really no chance that's going to work. Keeping an eye on the reservations for tonight, looking for a cancellation, would be a better way to go. In fact -- no joke, right now there is a 9:20 reservation available for tonight for 1 person (good luck).
100 drinks to try before you die
It's basically just another way to say dry vermouth. "Italian" would be sweet.
East Harlem food/walking tour?
I've had Gong deliver a few times now, and I agree that they do a very nice job. Definitely worth a visit if you live in the area.
East Harlem food/walking tour?
I appreciate the kind words. I do wish that I hadn't started writing at 3 in the morning, though, as I definitely would have plotting things out a bit more thoroughly otherwise. As it is, you get a nice feel for the neighborhood's local flavor as well as the newcomers creeping up from the south. But, I definitely left out a lot of good stuff.
East Harlem food/walking tour?
I have no experience with Sandy, but if I hadn't mentioned Cuchifritos at the start of my post, I would have mentioned La Isla towards the end. It's worth visiting for the same selection of little fried snacks.
East Harlem food/walking tour?
Very true about the papalo. When I had my first cemita, it was exciting to find an ingredient that brought a new (to me) flavor to the table. It is, however, an extremely dominant flavor and -- as Dave said -- it doesn't disappear all that quickly.
East Harlem food/walking tour?
East Harlem is a trickier area, as the concentration of good food, variety, and interesting non-food diversions is a bit thinner than you would find in the Lower East Side. That's not to say that you can't walk around and eat well, however. A quickly-put-together list, assuming a starting point of Patsy's:
Get various cuchifritos from Cuchifritos, on 116 between Third and Lex. Alcapurrias, pastelitos etc. Since your heart should already be begging for mercy (accounting for prior pizza), get some juice from El Barrio Juice bar -- also on 116, but between First and Second Aves.
Walk south down First Avenue. Between 110 and 109, head into La Tropezienne for pastries (mocha eclair, tropezienne) and various other bites (the grapefruit parfait is nice).
Back down First Avenue, turn right onto 108 and stop by Cafe Ollin for a cemita. I recommend the milanesa version, which is a gargantuan, mightily-flavored sandwich based around thinly-pounded fried beef (chipotles, papalo, oaxaca cheese, lettuce, tomato, avocado, and black beans round things out).
Quick interjection to point out that this food should all be shared. Just the cemita alone is enough to fill a person up for the better part of a day.
Anyhow, now might be a nice time to track down one of the plentiful shaved ice (piragua) carts. I could single out some specific locations, but you really can't miss them. Unless you wait until January to visit the hood, at which point you should probably scratch this one off the list.
Speaking of carts, the lady who sells tamales on 110, a bit east of the Lexington subway station entrance, is worth a special trip all on her own. Spicy chicken or pork, sweet tamales, rajas... I used to pick them up for myself on my way to the office. Now, I pick them up for most of the office. She's around early-ish on weekdays, though, so perhaps a tricky pick for this list. Don't forget her arroz con leche if you find her.
Regardless of how the tamale thing goes, head over to the water. Walk a bit. Maybe take the pedestrian bridge to Ward's Island. Eventually, start heading west on 100. You'll have to shift down to 99, as 100 doesn't run between Second and Third Ave. Before you hit Lexington, as you're going up the hill, stop in at La Galette. Have some coffee, try the fruit punch, get a muffin. If you feel like sitting for a bit, order one of the Senegalese dishes off the menu (maffe, yassa, any of the whole fish). Really lovely stuff.
If you still have the capacity, turn back north on Lexington and check out the little restaurant row that's sprung up. Moustache for Middle Eastern, Joy Burger, Giovanna's (my girlfriend thinks their pizza is better than Patsy's, and I kinda see where she's coming from), Yo In Yo Out (awful name, good French food), Itzocan Bistro.
You're also close at this point, to El Paso Taqueria, Amor Cubano, and La Fonda Boricua. If it weren't after 3:30, I'd get into specifics.
Where can I get bitters other than the usual Angostura?
In addition to the wide range of Fee Brother's bitters, Kalustyan's carries the new Angostura orange bitters, Regan's, and Peychaud's.
They also have gum arabic for making gomme syrup, pomegranate molasses to turn into grenadine, orange/rose flower waters, and all kinds of other fun stuff.
dishes they are not known for but delicious
Just felt compelled to point out that the steak is not named after the restaurant and -- as Sam mentioned -- the dish is rarely mentioned on these boards.
I actually think the seafood salad is more widely considered to be the restaurant's signature dish.
dishes they are not known for but delicious
On the Gotham Bar & Grill website, the dish is listed as "Grilled New York Steak".
custom candy
I've actually spoken to the folks at Papabubble about custom orders. I didn't specify candy canes, but I'm sure they can make them. There is a minimum order (by weight) and it won't be quite as low-cost as M&Ms, but the candy is great and they package everything up nicely.
Where to buy liquor?
If you're in the Astor/Warehouse area, another place worth checking out is Bowery & Vine (on Bowery, just south of the Whole Foods). A smaller selection than the other two, but they make it count.
And once you're there, it's a short walk to New Beer Distributors on Chrystie Street. Hundreds of beers that you're not likely to find elsewhere.
Dining in East Harlem besides Patsy's and El Paso?
Make sure you hit up La Galette for their Senegalese food. There are some really nice dishes on the menu, including a couple of beautiful whole-fish options and a great side of plantains. They cook to order, and there are times when it can take awhile for the food to come out of the kitchen, but it's worth it.
