oolah's Recent Activity
Chowhound Post
Dinner at Kevin's: Red Hook
Glad to hear you enjoyed your dinner. We've been there for brunch many many times (and enjoyed it immensely), but I'm always eyeing the dinner menu, which looks delicious. This may be the kick in the pants we need to get over there for dinner.
Chowhound Post
Oaxaca on Smith St.
I'm with Nehna. It is the second coming of Jesucristo? Nope, but I like it better than any other Mexican in the neighborhood. Not as spicy as Fast & Fresh (which I've now had a few times), but the flavors pop more. Miles better than Calexico, which continues to disappoint me. And let's not even talk about Lobo, Pacifico or Mexicali (ewww).
I haven't had delivery, but I have noticed that the tacos are best when eaten immediately rather than carried home.
Chowhound Post
Olive Vine (15th/7th) gone?
I would think calling one place is as easy as calling another. Same task, same result.
Anyway, Olive Vine is decent, but not spectacular food. Solid neighborhood takeout.
Chowhound Post
Olive Vine (15th/7th) gone?
Not sure if that location is closed or not, but they have a branch (ha ha!) on Court and Sackett. (718) 797-1110
You could give them a call and ask. If the Slope location closed, maybe they'll even deliver over to you.
Chowhound Post
Are you freaking kidding me? Another Thai place opens in Cobble Hill/ Carroll Gardens.
As if to add insult to injury, we ordered from Szechuan Garden tonight, and it turns out they've changed their name to Saki Asian Fusion. I think it's the same ownership because they've retained many of the same menu items, but they've also added -- you guessed it! -- a bunch of Thai options like Tom Yum and Pad Thai. Aiiigh!
Chowhound Post
ISO wine to go with Indian food...
Oh and even better than just regular Vouvray would be *sparkling* Vouvray. There's a lot of bad sparkling Vouvray out there, but Champalou and Pinon both make very good versions.
Chowhound Post
Are you freaking kidding me? Another Thai place opens in Cobble Hill/ Carroll Gardens.
Looks like Ghang Thai has taken over the space previously occupied by Miriam. The good news? It's a beautifully designed space with a nice garden. Very sleek.
The bad news? It's a Thai restaurant in a neighborhood already bursting with them. (In a 1 mile radius, there's lemongrass, joya, nine-d, ghang, and at least 2 others whose names escape me)
I'm glad to see one less empty storefront on Court, but why? Ghang already has an outpost less than 3 blocks away on Smith, and I can say with absolute certainty that the LAST thing this neighborhood needed was another sorry excuse for Thai food.
Of the bunch in the neighborhood, I like Nine-D the best, but as with Indian and Chinese, you have to go elsewhere if you want to eat the good stuff.
[/rant over]
Chowhound Post
ISO wine to go with Indian food...
Yep, it depends on the dish, but I've had success with off-dry Vouvray with the spicier dishes.
Chowhound Post
Where can I get bottles of Régnié, Chiroubles and Saint Amour in the MidAtlantic?
No St Amour, but plenty of other options:
http://www.chambersstwines.com/Browse...
http://www.crushwineandspirits.com/Re...
Chowhound Post
Non-alcoholic wine?
I'm no chemistry expert, but I'm not sure cooking with non-alcoholic wine would "work". Part of the magic of using wine in cooking is that certain fats and flavors are soluble in alcohol, but not in other liquids. Non-alcoholic wine just wouldn't impart the same properties to a dish, no matter how tasty.
Can anyone with a better understanding of food chemistry add to this?
One idea: you could try cooking with a low-alcohol wine and simmering the dish for a long time to make sure all the alcohol burns off.
Chowhound Post
Red Hook Lobster Pound at Buttermilk Channel?
I picked up 2 lobsters at the Lobster Pound for 8.95/lb a couple of weeks ago, which is about a buck cheaper than Fairway. Very good quality. I don't know anything about this Buttermilk Channel thing the OP is referring to though. Is it some kind of special cookout?
Chowhound Post
Eton Dumplings - New Location
Wouldn't a second location cut the wait? I would think it would since there'd be a greater supply.
Eton isn't by any stretch a destination place, but I'm glad they're around the corner from me. I call in my order ahead and then just swing by and pick it up. It's a nice neighborhood place that beats the pants off the other chinese takeout joints in the hood.
Chowhound Post
Oaxaca on Smith St.
We had lunch there today and thought the tacos were really fantastic. I had a bean taco and a shrimp taco and my husband had a pork taco and a chicken taco. The ingredients were really fresh and high quality and the food was well-seasoned. The bean and the pork tacos were especially delicious -- just the right ratio of stuffings with a really nice garlic mojo on the pork.
I'm sort of surprised, especially after reading seb's post above -- either we got very lucky, or she got very unlucky.
I don't know enough about regional Mexican to speak to its Oaxacan authenticity, but I really like this place and we'll be back. I haven't been to Fast and Fresh, but I liked this place better than the new Calexico, which after all the wait and all the hype I thought was just ok.
Chowhound Post
Has new California calories-info restaurant law, or the N.Y.C. law, been of use to you?
I know! Can you imagine? All these politicians! Giving us *information*! On which we can base our own *decisions!* Talk about overstepping boundaries.
[sarcasm, in case it isn't obvious]
Chowhound Post
Has new California calories-info restaurant law, or the N.Y.C. law, been of use to you?
Anecdotal, but: I was picking up a coffee at dunkin donuts the other day and the two women in front of me were out-of-towners unused to seeing their donut calories so clearly laid out before them. They were going to order a couple of donuts and that sugary "coffee drink", but instead just got a regular iced coffee and split a donut. Apparently they were surprised donuts and coolattas have a lot of calories -- but it did affect their behavior.
Chowhound Post
Prime Meats - brunch
We tried to go there a few weeks ago for brunch, but they had a no strollers / no high chairs policy, so we went to Kevin's with our 1-year-old instead. I totally respect a restaurant's decision to not have kids -- it's their prerogative, but that may explain why the place was rather empty. Seems like 80% of people in this neighborhood have young kids.
Sounds delicious. Will have to check them out in a few years when the kid can sit in a normal chair. :)
Chowhound Post
Brooklyn Bridge
Just had another idea: if you're planning on walking the bridge on Sunday, the Brooklyn Flea is now under the bridge (corner of Water and Dock St), and they have a really great assortment of NY street food from pupusas and lobster rolls to ice cream and pies. They're only open on Sundays though...
Chowhound Post
Brooklyn Bridge
Are you serious? The Park Plaza has AWFUL food. It's among the worst diners I've ever been to. Everything tastes old, stale and the place is almost always mostly empty.
I have seen some threads suggesting taking the train to brooklyn and then walking back across the bridge to Manhattan and grabbing a bite to eat in Chinatown. Unless you want to stand in line at Grimaldi's Pizza (where they sell whole pies only), that's probably your best bet.
Chowhound Post
Sangria Wine
Yep, the guy owns every plonk factory out there *except* the one with his name on it :)
Chowhound Post
Sangria Wine
Not at all defending the Franzia stuff, but ironically the Franzia family *doesn't* own the Franzia label any more. It was sold off to Coca Cola and then The Wine Group before Fred took over the biz -- so it may be bad, but it's not 2BC.
Chowhound Post
Calexico in Brooklyn
I dropped by today and picked up a pulled pork burrito at lunch. The place was hopping but they got my order together in under 10 minutes.
The burrito was good. Not the best I've every had, but good enough that I'll be back. I found the pulled pork sauce a little sweet, so I'll probably try a different meat option next time.
Chowhound Post
The documentary, "Food, Inc." Seen it?
The trailer really bugs me. Let me preface this by saying I am a big supporter of the local / organic movement. I belong to a CSA. I don't eat processed or fast food.
But faceless guys in suits walking through a field towards a fiery furnace? An evil fat redneck? Come on -- we can do better than that. There's a real problem with the food production and supply chain in the US, and we can tell a far more persuasive story to the American public when we don't rely on stock cliches that are likely to alienate the people we're trying hardest to win over.
Chowhound Post
"Wine Product": Is it a strange and horrible new phenomenon?
I don't know what the deal is in other states, but I've seen this stuff in delis and supermarkets in NYC, which is odd, because it's illegal to sell wine in those locations in NY State. I'm guessing that because it's a "wine product" it somehow gets around these regulations. This may be related to the fact that it's got only 6% alcohol, or less than half as much as you'd find in a real bottle of wine.
I've never tasted it, but I'd beware of any wine sold at the corner deli, and even more wary of a wine that claims to be CA Merlot but lists French table wine as an *ingredient*!
Chowhound Post
Calpurnia in Carroll Gardens
I haven't seen any mentions of this place here yet, which surprised me. It opened in May, I believe, and is located on the corner of Court and 1st place. It looks unbelievably stuffy from the outside -- thick lace curtains and what looks like a red velvet interior and heavy antique furniture.
No idea what kind of food or drink they serve. No menu that I could see was posted.
Has anybody here been? What do they have? Is it worth a visit?
Chowhound Post
Best Ice Cream in Brooklyn
I haven't had Villabate or the General Greene, but of all the others listed here, Blue Marble far exceeds them in quality. It's literally the best ice cream I've had anywhere on the planet, not just in Brooklyn.
Van Leeuwen is also really great stuff, and I'm partial to the mint at the Chocolate Room.
As for the rest:
Ice Cream Factory and Sweet Melissa are nothing special, Laboratorio del Gelato is good, but not fantastic, the Jacques Torres stuff is creamy but too sweet, and Louie G is just gross.
Chowhound Post
Calexico in Brooklyn
According to NY Mag, it's opening next Tuesday.
http://nymag.com/daily/food/2009/06/c...
Will it really? I dunno.
They also have a twitter feed announcing cart locations, specials, and I'm assuming opening day.
http://twitter.com/CalexicoCart
Chowhound Post
Rosé wines: what a mess! ( Or: my ignorance, like entropy, can only increase)
I don't know the answer, but I've had that wine and it's *delicious* Here are my tasting notes:
Delicious and very interesting rosado. Nose is fresh and a bit salty, like the ocean, with a hint of perfume. Very zippy and fun wine that's surprisingly fizzy and has great minerality and acidity. Dominant notes of lemon, blood orange and sweet raspberries. Backed up by some herbs and flowers. Beautiful bright pink color. Like most rosés, this one's meant to be drunk now, so don't delay.
Chowhound Post
Downhill Alert: Cubana Cafe (Smith St.)
When was this place ever uphill? Cubana Cafe was always a scene first and restaurant second. We went a few times when they opened years ago and thought the food was bland, the seating obnoxiously crowded and the service amateurish. Blech.
Chowhound Post
What's really good in Carroll Gardens these days?
Ha! Also guilty of bringing my kid to JakeWalk. In our defense, it was only 5PM, our wedding anniversary, and he was only 2.5 weeks old so we were delirious with lack of sleep.
Bocca Lupo is *extremely* kid friendly all day right up until around 7:30. Other kid-friendly places in CG with good chow are Enoteca on Court, Lucalli, and Olive Vine.
I agree with missmasala that nearly every low to mid-priced place welcomes kids as long as you show up before 7PM. The one outlier seems to be Prime Meats, which I was disappointed to learn has a no stroller policy and no high chairs for kids.
