seb's Profile
brooklyn heights, carrol gardens, cobble hill area pizza crawl
Bedouin Tent on Atlantic & Bond has phenomenal lambajin,but may be too far east for your purposes. If you make it an Atlantic Ave. crawl, you could hit Catania, Sottocase & Bedouin Tent and then take a long walk to Lucali's in order to get hungry again.
matzah ball soup in Brooklyn
I highly recommend the Mile End version if you like dill. The main flavors are of chicken & dill, which I liked very much,
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Mile End
97 Hoyt St, Brooklyn, NY 11217
Where to get good pies in Brooklyn for Thanksgiving
This was in the NYT recently and includes some Brooklyn bakers:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/16/dining/thanksgiving-pies-from-artisanal-bakers.html?ref=dining
Bien Cuit -- new French bakery on Smith St
I've been twice now and agree that it is very good, but overpriced. So much so, that it won't be a regular stop for me. I really wanted it to be the kind of place I stop in for my weekly loaf of bread, but the prices are prohibitive. As for quality, I also had the muenster & raspberry danish and on another visit a cherry hazelnut pastry (brioche?), both of which were very good, but I disagree that they were the best I'd ever had, and again, I expected spectacular for the price. I also tried the baguette, which was good, but I didn't think was better than my husband's no-knead bread. (By way of comparison, I think Baked has the best baked goods I've ever had. Not cheap, but very worth it.)
Eilat, Aqaba, and Amman
We just got back from 24 hrs. in Eilat. Its pretty much a culinary wasteland if you stay around the resort area. We didn't have a car, so were limited in where we could go. The best thing we found was a branch of the bakery chain Roladin. They have decent sandwiches & salads and excellent breakfasts & desserts.
Dining in the Negev
Thought I would update my own post with what we found on our trip to the Negev. We stayed at Chan HaShayarot, Bedouin tent lodging south of Sde Boker, the 1st night and ordered dinner there. It was excellent - a variety of Israeli salads including hummus, a whole roast chicken, some of the best roasted eggplant I've had in my life, ending with tea/coffee & baklava. There were 3 adults + 1 child and we could not finish the huge tray of food that they brought.
For lunch the next day we followed handpainted signs by the side of the road in Mitzpe Ramon. Just N. of the town on Rt. 40, following the sign for the Spice Quarter, we found a restaurant (sorry I can't remember the name, but there are plenty of signs) serving traditional, "home cooked," hot meals. A variety of very tasty chicken dishes to choose from served over rice (mine was chicken w/ mushrooms, my traveling companions got chicken w/ olives & raisins, the child got schnitzel, of course). We were very impressed, especially since we didn't have plans & were just hoping to find something quick & edible.
That night we had dinner at the Pundak Ramon (Ramon Inn). They have a pricey, all-you-can-eat meat buffet, which looked delicious, but we opted for ordering from the dairy menu. There are separate dining areas depending on meat or dairy. We had a standard "middle eastern platter" to share with falafel, hummus, veg. kibbe, etc., all good, though not not the best we'd ever had, and excellent onion soup. Again, our expectations were surpassed, not having high expectations for a hotel meal.
We stayed at the Alpaca farm and their breakfast the next morning was a highlight of the trip. Fresh bread, a variety of cheese, yogurt, fruit, etc. Nothing exotic, but everything was stellar.
Dining in the Negev
My family will be traveling to the Negev for a long weekend in a couple of weeks. Any suggestions for places to stop for both lunch and dinner after some hiking?
Rosh Pina and Safed
In the touristy part of Safed, I came across something great for lunch. In between the Artists' Colony and the Ha-ari shul, on the "uphill" side of the street, there's a little place with a blackboard outside advertising Yemeni specialties. It's nicely decorated, which is rare, but the real treat is something called, perhaps, Tachouche (googling hasn't turned up anything). In the front of the restaurant, a guy had three frying pans going--in each, he was cooking a kind of pancake, which he topped like a pizza with grated cheese, kharif, tomatoes, onions, za'atar (from a huge pile) and greens. It was really good. They also advertised humus, which I'd be willing to bet is better-than-average. Much more unusual than your interchangeable felafel stand.
I don't look at hechshers, but from the clientele, and the people working there, I'd think it was pretty kosher.
Check out this youtube video of the proprietor making them:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W72j_HUNBI0&feature=player_embedded
He wasn't there when I had my lunch, but the kid working there was very friendly and we had a pleasant conversation while he cooked.
Haifa, Israel
Any recommendations for Glatt or Mahedrin restaurants in Haifa or nearby? I have family coming to visit who will eat OU & OK. Thanks.
culinary tour
I just posted about this a few days ago
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/746996?tag=main_body;topic-746996
cooking and/or eating tours in Israel
We went on a tasting tour of the Galil with Orly from Cook in Israel. As I wrote previously, she was very accommodating during the planning, tailoring the stops of the day to our personal preferences. We went to 2 wineries, a cheese dairy, an olive oil producer, and had lunch at Ezba. We were also going to stop at a chocolate shop, but we had to get back to Haifa & were worried about being late. Orly made all of the arrangements and took us to places that we would not have known about otherwise. At each of the stops we had tastings of a variety of products and had the opportunity to purchase if we wanted (of course), but there was no pressure to do so. Orly is thoughtful, knowledgeable, and it was a pleasure to spend the day with her.
A link to approximately what we did:
http://www.cookinisrael.com/wine_tour.html
but not exactly since, like I said, we worked together to make the day unique to our tastes.
She told us that she also gives cooking classes, where she takes the students to the Carmel market in TLV, teaches about what is local & fresh, and then goes back to her place to prepare it. That sounds like another great way to get to know the country.
cooking and/or eating tours in Israel
My guide requested that we not bring our 5-yr-old son (the most well-behaved 5-yr-old I know :)), but that may be because we requested that wineries be included on our tour. I'll post back in a couple of weeks after we've gone.
Brooklyn souvenir
or up Smith St. for a stop at Stinky cheese which has all sorts of local Brooklyn items like McClure's (pickles), Mast Bros. (chocolate), etc.
cooking and/or eating tours in Israel
I just booked a Cook in Israel tour of the north, but we are not going until Dec. If its not too late for you, I can post about it after we've done it. What I can say now is that the owner was incredibly accommodating with our requests as we were planning the itinerary.
Boerum Hill hiker
Not in Boerum Hill, per se, but a long walk (or short bus ride) away and really worth it is Baked in Red Hook for breakfast. I think I've said before on these boards that I prefer it to any bakery I've been to in the world (paris, rome, etc.).
Also, a medium walk over to Calexico for casual, delicious Cal-Mex.
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Calexico
122 Union St, Brooklyn, NY 11231
R.I.P. The Fairway Lobster Roll
was thinking exactly the same thing about the Court St. location. Nicest & most helpful people there.
Mehadrin all-inclusive Dead Sea or kibbutz suggestions?
There will be 9 adults and 8 children and one of the families specifically requests NO hotel for their kids. We have not gone yet, but Kibbutz Lavi provides all meals for Shabbos and breakfast the rest of the time. If we are out sight-seeing during the day, we don't need lunch/dinner anyway, but we can order it for extra. This trip isn't until Jan., but "Bubbie" has made the reservations, so we are headed there and I will write a full report when the trip is over.
Mehadrin all-inclusive Dead Sea or kibbutz suggestions?
Thank you all for your feedback. This sounds like a great option & I'll post a review if we end up doing it.
Mehadrin all-inclusive Dead Sea or kibbutz suggestions?
My family is having a reunion in Israel where we'll be together for the 1st time in 10 yrs. Our levels of observance range from secular to modern-ortho to charedi. Our ages will range from 2yrs to early 60's. We are looking for suggestions for a hotel or resort where we can stay for shabbos where food is included and which everyone in the group would be comfortable eating. For some of us the quality of the food is important; for others its the hecksher. Does anyone have a place they can recommend that meets our set of crazy requirements?
Great food in Haifa and Golan
This reply will come too late for Rebecca305's trip, but maybe it could help another traveler. By a stroke of luck, we happened upon a wonderful Druze restaurant, Mt. Hermon Oriental Restaurant (חרמונית מסעדה מזרחית) in Buak’ata, Golan Heights for dinner. We wrote about it at the end of the post here: http://brooklyn2haifa.wordpress.com/2010/09/26/sukkot-trip-to-the-golan-galilee-day-1/
It was nothing fancy, but the salads and meats were fresh and delicious.
In the post we also included a link to a Hebrew site that describes the restaurant.
downtown brooklyn lunchtime burger round-up
went last night for dinner, so, yes, they are still in business. They custom-made my burger, so not sure what is meant by "they don't ask you what you want on it". I had it exactly as I requested and it was fantastic.
Anyone been to the new Montreal Smoked Meat deli in Brooklyn, called "MILE END" ????
We went Tues. night around 6:30pm. The place was full, but had a great atmosphere - customers were sharing tables & chatting, waitstaff was friendly and fun. Our waiter had just moved to Brooklyn a couple of weeks ago from Montreal. We ordered a smoked meat sandwich, poutine & a side of cole slaw. I agree with other posters that the portions are a bit smaller than what we were expecting for the price, but every last detail is housemade and the care that they put into it is arguably worth the price. I value that kind of attention. Our meat was tender & flavorful, the gravy on the fries was creamy & not too salty. We had to mix up our gravy & curds to get the ones on top to melt. The cole slaw was fantastic - flavored strongly with caraway and it tasted like a loaf of rye bread. Very interesting. Our waiter said it was Noah's father's recipe. Our only complaint was that with the sandwich on the small side, cole slaw or pickles or something else should be included. We live just around the corner and are already looking forward to returning & trying some of the other housemade items on the menu.
Cheap eats near the Brooklyn Kitchen
Same question a year later. Does anyone have any updates for places to eat dinner tonight near the Brooklyn Kitchen's new lab space (Frost under the BQE)?
Oaxaca on Smith St.
Wanted to follow up on my original post. I gave Oaxaca a 2nd try 2 nights ago after reading the positive reviews following my mediocre one & I'm happy to report that DH & I were very pleased. We picked up an order to-go, only to find when we got home that they had botched the order. I called & they kindly delivered a replacement meal at no charge. We ate one of each type of taco on the menu except fish + the special of the day, a potato/poblano chile. The pollo was so smoky & rich. I could not believe it was the same place as when we first tried it. The potato/poblano combination was fantastic - the potatoes had a nice creamy consistency and the chile was strong & flavorful, but did not overpower. The pork was very tender. The beans & rice on the side and the bean taco were still too bland, but could be doctored with salsa & lime. Even the horchata was thicker after a good stir. Kudos to them for such a significant improvement. Still not sure why they are called Oaxaca though.
Oaxaca on Smith St.
so glad to see all of these positive reviews, since Oaxaca is just down the street from me & I'd love for it to be good. Hopefully, we just experienced opening week kinks. We'll give it another try based on these more recent posts.
Oaxaca on Smith St.
OAXACA opened this past week in the former Homemade space next door to Andie Woo on Smith St. We got take out last night. Its a tiny space with a bench and some counter space. We ordered the 3 taco combo and the 3 enchilada combo, and a horchata to go (combo means with a side of rice & black beans). The food was not bad, but was also not oaxacan. Each taco & enchilada was a double corn tortilla, choice of fillings, enchilada with cheese & onions on top, guac & sr cream on side. Across the 2 combos, we tried fish, carne asada, pollo, and pork. They all had nice flavors and were better than just edible, but nothing stood out as stellar. The horchata had a nice flavor, but the consistency was very watery. I'd give it a C.
Trout now "since 1963"
yes, a sweet sauce is available on the side. I liked it. DH thought it was too sweet and brought a bottle of Stubbs to the bday picnic to offer a choice.
Trout now "since 1963"
follow-up to my follow-up: when we were there for dinner, we asked the "hostess" (that's in quotes bc I don't know what this woman's job was, other than ask i na friendly way if we liked our food. its counter service & seat-yourself. she was walking in & out) whether we could come by fri. night to pick up the BBQ for a Sat. afternoon party since they don't open until evening & she said definitely. When DH went fri. night he learned that they don't just keep that amount of meat (5 lbs. assorted) around. But, they were very gracious & called over to Whiskey Sunday, where they smoke the meat & arranged a special order for us that we could pick up an hr before the party on Sat. So, although the staff on Smith St. is kind of spacey, they were also very helpful. We ordered pulled pork, pulled chicken, and slices of brisket. Again, all was tender & delicious and our guests were thrilled.
