Categories
restauranting

Montana’s Trail House

I just moved to Bushwick, Brooklyn. It’s one of Vogue Magazine’s top 15 Coolest Neighborhoods in the World. And yeah, it is cool. I live off the Jefferson stop. They call it Jefftown. And I feel like all the girls here are like Uma Thurman.

Anyway, I live pretty close to Montana’s Trail House. I’ve had a couple of beers there before, while waiting for my appointments at Nooklyn realty next door. Seems like a cool place.

This time I had dinner. Ordered the Root Beer Braised Brisket ($22) with Anson Mills Rice Grits, Mustard Greens, Horseradish. Super tender meat. Tasted almost Oriental for some reason. Like some super tender meat I grew up with. Really good.

Also tried their Switchels, which is homemade fermented apple cider, formerly used medicinally. It’s really good sipping alongside a shot of whiskey.

Montana’s Trail House – 445 Troutman St (@ Saint Nicholas Ave) Brooklyn, NY 11237

Categories
homemade recipe

Emeril’s Passover Brisket

Todd made this awesome brisket for the Superbowl. It was a big piece of meat, I didn’t think we’d get through half of it. But by the 3rd quarter, it was all gone. I guess makes sense. It was so good.

He used Emeril Lagasse’s Passover Brisket recipe. For some reason, I thought it was Korean or Asian flavored.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/passover-brisket-recipe/index.html

Emeril's Passover Brisket

Categories
backyard bbq

Brisket Lab @ Bobby Redd’s Church & NCAA Football 13 Review

Okay, dang. It took me a long time to get to write this post. NYC is takes a toll on my time and body. I’m too tired to party from all the partying.

We went to Dan Delaney’s Brisket Lab at Bobby Redd’s Church in Bed-Stuy/Bushwick this past Tuesday. The old former-church is rad –converted to an art space. I’m impressed that all the stained glass windows are still perfectly intact. There was a beer tap in the confession booth. Rusty kept making Sandusky jokes.

The brisket was good. I asked for the fatty cut and it was delicious. A half pound of meat is quite a lot though. I read somewhere you should really eat 1/4 lbs of meat per serving. So we were all stuffed by the end.

Brother’s Green of Youtube’s Hungry channel make the side salad. Tall Six Points cans for $2. The Grand Street Stompers band was really good. I see them perform at Harefield Road sometimes. This was a really fun event. I have 3 more events to go to to collect all the meat I pre-purchased. I’m going to be meated out by the end of this summer.

All the brisket (2,500+ pounds) are sold out, but check http://delaneybbq.com/brisketlab for future events.

I had some other things to bring home that night after I was done partying at BrisketLab. I just got a Frogg Togg Chilly Pad towel to keep me cool this summer. You just wet it and it cools you down. Why didn’t anyone tell me about this thing before? Or at least tell me that even a plain wet towel would work too?

Then I played the brand new NCAA 13 for PS3 –preordered at Game Stop for the exclusive Tim Tebow bonus. You can put him on any team you want, but surely EA is going to go to hell for allowing this…

I started my season with Tebow leading the Gators. It was fun, but I kept losing to Texas A&M. This game felt like bullshit. Why weren’t there any Option Run plays called with Tebow? Why did Tebow throw so many interceptions? You look at his college stats and he’s an amazing passer –with passing yards, TDs, completion percentage and QB rating comparable to an Andrew Luck …and Luck didn’t have all those rushing yards and TDs like Tebow nor had to play against SEC defenses. I couldn’t believe I was losing to Texas A&M so badly. It felt like EA made Tebow’s abilities more like how critics see him in the NFL, rather than how he truly was in college. I felt so jipped.

Tim Tebow Passing Rushing
Season Team GP Rating Att Comp Pct Yds TD INT Sack Att Yds TD
2006 Florida Gators 14 201.7 33 22 66.7 358 5 1 0 89 469 8
2007 Florida Gators 13 172.5 350 234 66.9 3,286 32 6 13 210 895 23
2008 Florida Gators 14 172.4 298 192 64.4 2,747 30 4 15 176 673 12
2009 Florida Gators 14 155.6 304 213 70.1 2,895 21 5 25 217 910 14
Totals 55 170.8 985 661 67.1 9,286 88 15 53 692 2947 57

Now that I am less drunk and pissed off, maybe I was getting beaten so bad because I’m playing with this year’s Florida Gators and Urban Meyer isn’t calling the plays. That’s probably why I sucked. But still… Tebow. They did make him able to scramble well though. Anyway, it’s really not much better than the NCAA game three years ago. They tricked me into buying this for Tebow. I guess it’s still worth it.

Categories
backyard bbq

Mable’s Smokehouse

I started off today at the Fishbone early afternoon concert at Brooklyn Bowl. I’ve never seen so many kids at a show before. There was a toddler mosh pit up in the front. At one point it almost looked like parents were throwing up their babies in the air in Muppet-like fashion. It was cool.

Then I met up with Todd and Elissa around the block at Mable’s Smokehouse for BBQ. We split this big DeLuxe platter of three meats and three sides ($27.95) –Pulled Pork, Brisket, Ribs, Collard Greens, Baked Beans and Mac & Cheese. The Ribs were the best. Todd and I really liked it. –I accidentally typed we “…really liked tit.” I guess that works too.

Prices are relatively cheap for NYC BBQ and it’s quiet there. Got the food quickly. So those are pluses.

Then we walked around Williamsburg shoe stores, thrift stores, rooftop bars and Giglio Fest …wondering how anyone is able to afford living in this area anymore.

Mable’s Smokehouse - 44 Berry St (btwn N 12th & 11th St) Brooklyn, NY 11211

Categories
backyard bbq

Lonestar Empire Smoked Meats

It’s Internet Week in NY –a conference/festival of industry panels and classes. It’s been pretty good so far. I took a class on how to pimp my Match.com dating profile and sat through a bunch of panels relating to the music industry in the digital age.

In the cafe, there was AsiaDog, Lonestar Empire, Panade Puffs & Pastries and Robicelli’s. I got the Smoked Brisket and Texas-style Potato Salad. A little pricey at $10, but pretty good meat there. I only got one slightly fatty piece that I really liked. How do I ask for just the fatty slices?

After I finished lunch, I walked into Mayor Bloomberg answering questions next door. Then I surprisingly saw my friend Chris Weingarten on one of the music panels. I also ran into a girl I went on a OkCupid date with. I know. Surprisingly, someone went on a date with me when my dating profile was so shitty. My profile pic is me hanging out with Scooby Doo and Shaggy at Universal Studios. I’m fortunate that my work let me take the time to come. I’m getting a lot of value out of it.

A couple more days left at Internet Week. You can also watch it streaming live or past events for free on LiveStream. You might see my big head in the way of the camera.

Lonestar Empire Smoked Meats & Catering - http://lonestarempirenyc.com/
Internet Week NY - https://www.internetweekny.com

 

Categories
sandwich travel

Dining with Dondero: Timeline Saloon & BBQ (Bonduel, WI)

American singer-songwriter, David Dondero, is reporting in his meals from his current tour. He’s living my dream of playing music and eating on the road. Here’s Dave at Timeline Saloon & BBQ in Bonduel, Wisconsin.

West of Green Bay on the hwy 29. I pulled into the Timeline Saloon and BBQ. It was pouring rain all the way from Duluth. Going into this place felt like stepping into John Cougar’s “Hurts so good” video in 1983. I thought he’d come out from the kitchen at any moment with a group of bikers in leather chaps. Instead the owner came out carrying an alligator. I thought it was fake at first but it was real. Turns out he has 5 of them and he’s carrying around the baby. He also has many other interesting animals behind the restaurant and motorcycle shop/museum. He’s got a camel, ostrich, long horn cattle, buffalo and a giant turtle. The place turned out to be much more interesting after a closer look.

I ordered up the usual.. Miller Lite “union made in Milwaukee” and slow cook brisket dip. This was succulent beef slow smoked/bbq’d with carmelized onion, sautéed mushrooms and provolone cheese served on toasted fresh French bread. A dipping au jus was on the side and ruffles potato chips. This sandwich was amazing. The best French dip I’ve ever had. It blew my mind.

The biker chick bartender asked “wanta play the pull tabs for a free beer?” I said sure.. So she hands me a jar full of pull tabs so I try my luck. If you’re not familiar with pull tabs they are common in parts of the Midwest and Alaska. It’s a form of gambling. A small piece of card stock with a tab you pull to reveal whether you won the prize.. Sometimes It’s cash,, sometimes free beer etc.. I pull mine and It says “half off beer” she says “it’s better than no off” I say your damn right. Thanks for that.. I pay up and tip her well. She wasn’t overly nice but just nice enough.

I checked out the motorcycle museum. There was a 10 seat extendo Harley bike that the owner built. I think it’s a world record. This place was totally great and I want a try more of their food.

Timeline Saloon @ BBQ – W2707 State Highway 29 (18 miles West of Green Bay), Bonduel, WI 54107

David Dondero is one of the hardest working touring folk singers in America. Once named one of the Best Living Songwriters by NPR, alongside Bob Dylan, Tom Waits and Paul McCartney. It’s a privilege to have him part of Me So Hungry. http://www.daviddonderomusic.com/