lambretta76's Profile
Great Middle Eastern spinach and potato pies?
BTW, Near East Bakery is in theory returning, although very slowly. http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/35623
Renovations seem to be happening sporadically and the sign has since removed, although I did see a bunch of bags of flour making their way to the basement a month or so ago.
Catania - Ca-put?
That's a shame -- they've been closed for over a month at this point. Shortly before they left for "vacation" they altered their hours to no longer serve breakfast on weekdays and didn't open on weekends until 9 am. I hope it's not true as I really like(d) this place, but I do fear for the worst.
Unfiltered prosecco in the US?
Just a follow-up with a nice review of several prosecco colfondo producers -- http://dobianchi.com/2011/03/02/prosecco-colfondo/
Tian op - scented candle for Thai desserts
Fascinating. Maybe Bangkok Center Grocery in Manhattan? They seem to have the best assortment of stranger Thai products that I've seen.
Best Way to Store Vermouth - Vacuum Seal, Nitrogen Spray or Decanting
I go through a bottle of Carpano Antica a month, even in the big liter size. It's quite a nice sipping vermouth. Not trying to invalidate your question, but where I can't stand other vermouth by themselves (or even other drinks like Lillet) I find myself drinking one or two glasses of Caprano Antica in a sitting.
Websites/Resources for Food Events and Festivals?
Seconded. It's what I use as well. Heck, the guy might be traveling around SE Asia and still finds the time to do the updates.
Egyptian: Belady Bread and Koshery
About a year ago an Egyptian cabbie told me that the best koshary in town was at Big Arc in the East Village. Looks like it's a Wednesday night special:
http://www.menupages.com/restaurants/big-arc-chicken/menu
Still haven't tried it, but it's on my list. (I'm never in the area on Wednesday nights.)
Ramps sitings
Pretty much every locavore-leaning resto in town has them on the menu at this point I'd imagine. (I just enjoyed a nice olive oil-poached halibut with ramps and fava beans at Boulud Sud.) Rucola had a foraging trip recently and was giving them away -- I imagine they're serving them as well.
They were also at the Union Square greenmarket two weekends ago -- the best value was the egg sellers on the west side of the park, who were selling very nice sized bunches (perhaps two dozen ramps a piece) for $3. (Someone on the north side of the park was selling bunches of maybe 8 ramps for $6 -- that was probably like $40 a lb.!)
And missmasala is correct that they were at Carroll Gardens this past week, along with a small amount of fiddleheads.
Bob's Red Mill in bulk?
Amazon actually carries them as well. 4 2-lb. bags are around $13 when you do the Subscribe & Save option (remember to cancel it) -- that means you'd end up shelling out $39.69 for 24 lbs. Probably cheaper than the local stores.
Bijan's now serving Persian-ish food in Boerum Hill
Just a note that it's published its menu online: http://www.bijansbrooklyn.com/content/ourmenu
surinamese food
How about Borgoe 82 rum? (I know Warung Kario doesn't have a liquor license, but that was my off-hand way of inquiring if anyone's seen this Surinamese rum in the city/states.)
Bijan's now serving Persian-ish food in Boerum Hill
Bijan's, the bar (and, now, restaurant) in the old Kili (and subsequently short-lived Cafe Piragua) space, is now serving food. The menu posted outside has a vaguely Persian bent to it -- lots of lamb dishes, Persian-spiced chicken wings, etc. -- although there's nothing specifically Persian. Kind of like pub grub with a bucket of advieh sitting by. I haven't had a chance to stop by yet, but it's good to see that kitchen in use again.
Forgot to mention, it's at 81 Hoyt, between State and Atlantic.
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Bijan's
81 Hoyt St, Brooklyn, NY 11217
Which "Gurume" Manga would you like to see translated?
It's been quite sometime since I finished all of the Oishinbo A la Carte books released by Viz., which were excellent I might add. Sadly, it looks like new translated books aren't in the works. Besides Yakitate!! Japan, are there any other gurume manga that have been translated into English at this time?
Catania Cafe on Atlantic Ave
Just a note that Cafe Catania has seemed to have changed its hours. If I remember correctly, it doesn't open until 11 am on weekdays now (and are closed on Tuesday). In addition, it doesn't open until 9 am on weekends. Kind of sad news for those who treated it as a cafe as well as a restaurant.
Brooklyn Fare
Looks like they're opening a new restaurant and supermarket on the west side of Manhattan: http://gothamist.com/2012/03/10/brooklyn_fare_will_open_manhattan_l.php
Does anyone know where to buy Iguana Meat
Old article, but perhaps it could be of help?
http://webspinners.com/coloherp/cb-news/Vol-30/cbn-0310/IggyMeat.php
What's the peatiest, smokiest scotch?
I agree with sku about the Octomore. I'm not the biggest fan of peated scotches (I despise Lagavulin and most Laphroaigs), but for some reason I found the second Octomore quite nice. Not something I'd drop $150 on, but not something I'd turn down if offered to me. If I remember correctly, it's a younger whiskey, maybe three to five years or so. It's very well balanced for being a peat bomb (and for being so young), without the salty undertones I find in most Islays.
Best place for a pint of cider in Cobble Hill area?
Chip Shop has Strongbow on tap.
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Atlantic Chip Shop
129 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11201
1970-80's Queen Pizza - Brooklyn
They're reopening! Not much progress since last year, but the door was open today and it looked like things were going on.
http://www.brownstoner.com/blog/2011/02/whats-happening-1/
Bien Cuit -- new French bakery on Smith St
The maple yam croissant at Bien Cuit is amazing -- unorthodox, but amazing. Other than that, I pretty much just go there for the pan Pugliese, which is probably my favorite bread in all of NYC. (As Daniel76 mentioned, it's incredibly versatile -- grill it, dip it, use it for sandwiches, make croutons.)
While I was initially enamored with the croissants in general, the fact that I haven't had one (other than the maple yam variety) in months probably speaks volumes -- they're good, perhaps very good, but not exceptional. The pan Pugliese, on the other hand, is beyond exceptional.
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Bien Cuit
120 Smith St, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Craving goat water or similar -- any recommendations?
It's a goat soup found in St. Kitts and Nevis, but I think several other surrounding islands as well. Here's a recipe: http://www.caribbeanchoice.com/recipes/recipe.asp?recipe=341
Craving goat water or similar -- any recommendations?
Since the city's lone Kittitian cafe closed a while ago, and the West Indian Parade comes but once a year, I was wondering if anyone knew were I could get some goat water or a similar soup in the city. (It doesn't have to be Kittitian/Nevisian, something similar would suffice.)
Villabate website is down (or hacked) does anyone know if they ship?
Side note: What's up with the liquor bottles near the cash register. Can you actually order a cafe corretto? Is it just for regulars? Sometimes you just need a splash of extra warmth, especially if you're trudging there by train from downtown.
Real (and fake) Authentic Sichuan Food in Park Slope!!
And GrubHub. They deliver to Boerum Hill / Downtown Brooklyn as well!
We've gotten delivery twice now -- around 45 minutes each time (which has been GrubHub's estimate). And to mirror earlier sentiments, the food is just good when compare to the better Szechuan joints in town, but the Chongqing chicken is quite tasty and the mapo tofu is better than any other joint in South Brooklyn. Be sure to order extra spicy if you want to get a bit of a burn; regular spicy was just hot.
Burgers in Brooklyn
Bonnie's used to be my favorite burger in Brooklyn, but they went downhill severely in the past couple of years. (I haven't been back in probably 3 years, so things may have improved -- even the past couple of times I'd gone I got the beef on weck instead as I found the burger flat-out meh.)
My new favorite is Dram Shop -- it's more of a fast food burger (think Wendy's, with square patties, American cheese) but it's nearly perfect to me (for what it is). Great fries, too, as well as great dipping sauces for said fries (although half of the time I don't get them when I order them, but I treat that as the universe telling me to avoid the extra calories.)
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Dram Shop
339 9th St, Brooklyn, NY 11215
calzone barese
While not exactly what you're looking for, it sounds a little bit like the "Siciliana" at Cafe Catania in Brooklyn Heights. From its menu:
Siciliana, Fried Calzone with anchovies, scallions, olives and perocino
I've had it before and it's fishy and quite tasty.
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Catania
193 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Who carries Walker's crisps in Park Slope/Prospect Heights?
They have them at Brooklyn Fare in Boerum Hill. They sell them by the single bag or 6 packs.
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Brooklyn Fare
200 Schermerhorn St, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Mail-order pasties?
Does anyone know of any good purveyors of mail-order pasties in the US? The only one I could find -- pasty.com -- is sold out for the holidays.
Maimonide of Brooklyn
Maimonide of Brooklyn, the new vegetarian fast food joint on Atlantic from the owner of Paris' Mama Shelter, is now handing out comic book "menus". The place looks gorgeous, if a bit over the top. (There's a sort of Native American-ish throne at the back of the dining room.)
Anyways, here's what the comic book touts as the menu (it's a direct quote of the book, I hope that doesn't step on anyone's toes):
* A selection of 24 MOB's -- What's a MOB? It's a secret dough shaped like the arches of the Brooklyn Bridge and topped with vegetables, fruit, & seasoning that is wholesome for your body
* 100% vegetable nuggets with soy proteins
* Our 'Energy Bar' - a fig, date, hazelnut & almond sausage
* "Steam makes the donut dough rise" (I assume that means healthy-ish doughnuts?)
* Corn soup with popcorn in memory of the Native Americans who used to grow corn on Boerum Hill in Brooklyn
Anyone heard anything else?
Oops, wanted to update with the website: http://mob-usa.com/
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Maimonide of Brooklyn
525 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217
Best Hot Chicken in Nashville
So I checked out the new Bolton's location. It's ... awkward. It's as if you're eating in a restaurant that closed -- you order from the waitress station at the back (not clear when you walk in, as there's still a hostess station and an empty bar). Plus, there was someone dressed in a chicken outfit with a hand-written sign on the side of the road trying to lure people in.
Despite the "growing pains", I went there for the food. Which was amazing. Got the breast quarter "sandwich" and a side or turnip greens. The greens were meh, bland and uninteresting.
On the other hand, the hot chicken (actually, I got mine medium), was ... outstanding. My only experience with hot chicken has been at Peaches Hot House in Brooklyn, but it was on par with what I've had there. (Peaches, I should note, charges about 3x as much as Bolton's.) It was well spiced, perfectly fried, and the chicken was extremely moist. It was an exemplary fried chicken, made all the better by the heat. Worth any of the awkwardness of the new space.
It should be noted that the staff is super friendly; they're much better at customer service than interior design.
