Tag: brooklyn

Categories
partying

Senagalese Summer @ Le Grand Darkar

I had  a good time at the Senagalese Summer event at Le Grand Darkar in Clinton Hill. I surely took advantage of the unlimited sangria. Plenty of fritters. My favorite thing there was the Oven Roasted Dates stuffed with Spiced Lamb and Habanero. It was mad good. Thanks Jenn and Lake Isle Press for the invite.

More coverage at the Examiner by Ultra Clay.

Le Grand Darkar – 285 Grand Ave (btwn Clifton Pl & Lafayette Ave) Brooklyn, NY 11238

Categories
brunch

Brunch at Fanny (Brooklyn)

Brunch with Bonnie. We were craving pancakes and sat down at a place we thought would have them. They didn’t and we were sat in awkward corner in the shade on a nice sunny day. That was the first time I’ve ever walked out of a restaurant. So we went up the street to Fanny. My first time there. Bonnie got the Baked eggs over Ratatouille and I got the Fried Fish Sandwich, even thought I really wanted the ratatouille. It’s weird how no two people are allowed order the same thing. I understand why I do that, but why do other people when they don’t share in the first place? I ate both anyway and it was good.

Billy, who we ran into over at the Blue Stove bakery, says Fanny also makes a pretty respectable burger. I should try it. It was funny running into him. I walked into the bakery and stared at the pie he was carrying out and didn’t even realize it was him. That’s what happens when you become a food blogger. It’s like being distracted by boobs, but a cherry pie instead.

Fanny – 425 Graham Ave (between Frost St & Withers St) Brooklyn, NY 11211

Categories
chinese treats

Durian Ice Cream @ No. 1 Cream in Sunset Park

The last time I was in Sunset Park, I had some delicious ice cream from No. 1 Ice Cream. This time I didn’t remember where it was and none of us had one of those hi-tech phones. When we were walking back to the subway, Todd points out “No. 1 Ice Cream” but at a different location. I don’t know if the old one moved or they opened another branch, but it was the same business because they gave me the same buy x, get 1 free stamp card.

This is the first time I’ve seen durian ice cream in stock. It looks harmless like vanilla, but stinks like a witch. When they scooped it out and put it on the counter, the teens across the room were all like “eww, stinky!” Yeah, it smelled strong. I would say like a rotten green vegetable. I tried my friends’ taro and green tea ice cream first by sticking my spoon into theirs, but all I could taste was mine. Just the little bit of the durian residue on the spoon was enough to overpower theirs. My friends couldn’t even taste their ice creams after they tasted mine. I thought the durian tasted like strong over-ripe stinky melon. I got used to it as time went on, but then came to a point when I wondered why I was trying to finish it.

I saw some real durian fruit at the super-market afterwards. Tempted to buy one, but decided that I had my durian fill for the day after my constant stinky durian burps.

No. 1 Ice Cream – 6410 8th Ave. Sunset Park Brooklyn, NY

Categories
restauranting

Wombat’s $13 Lobster Night

Tuesday is $13 lobster night at Sam’s favorite brunch spot, Wombat. We tried it last week. The lobster is a little on the small side (and no side included), but still a pretty good deal. The South Pacific style lobster was the best with the sweet garlic & chili sauce. We tried the Sticky Pig Balls (seasoned ground pork, sushi rice and Grana Padano rolled in panko bread crumbs). Not as adventurous as it sounds.

They have $1 oysters Monday nights.

Wombat Restaurant & Bar – 613 Grand St (btwn Leonard & Lorimer St) Brooklyn NY11211

Categories
brunch

Elote’s Brunch

Rusty and I were walking around Grand & Union for food when we ran into a friend. We said “hi” and then she introduced us to her friend as “weird guys.” Then I started acting even really weird …I’m not sure if intentional. They recommended the Mexican restaurant, Elote, right around the corner. So we went.

From the outside, Elote looks like a real Mexican hangout with the beer special posters on the window. In actuality, it’s very much a hipster joint. $11 brunch special comes with a cocktail. My pulled pork sandwich was pretty good. I enjoyed it. Nice to sit in the sun out back and enjoy some brunch. I can’t wait for the rest of the Spring.

Going back to being weird. I get why she might have said that, but wasn’t that more weird to introduce us as that? It really got to me though. I felt like it destroyed my new mindset of confidence that I’ve been building the past few years. …Then I realize what if I didn’t run into her or didn’t know her –I wouldn’t have felt down on myself at all. So it has nothing to do with me, right? Meaning I shouldn’t make this random encounter my identity.  And what if I just thought it was funny, which I initially thought until I dwelled on it? It was all in my own perception. I decide for myself how I feel and if I want to be weird. And that’s my self-therapy of the day. New self-development/food blog? …Me So Positive

Elote – 366 Union Ave (btwn Grand St & Hope St) Brooklyn, NY 11211

Categories
Uncategorized

Tedone Latticini’s Fresh Mozarella & Prosciutto

Decided to finally hit the old Italian mozzarella and meat shop on Metropolitan while its still around. It’s like how that older man, I met in my first food blog post, told me to go see Les Paul before it’s too late. Sadly I never got to see him perform …fortunately I learned my lesson. The famous 90 year old lady (great NYTimes audio interview/slideshow) was in there just like all the times I would walk by and look through the window. Another man was slicing prosciutto and handing us slices to taste. I asked if I can take a photo and the lady made a joke if her hair was presentable. Well, looks as good as mine. I think I can understand the Mozzarella Lady’s long youthful life. Just like Les Paul, she has a purpose for getting up to make the mozzarella everyday –to bring us happiness. And we depend on her for that.

The two people before me had grabbed bread from across the street at Napoli Bakery and brought them back for them to slice prosciutto and mozzarella directly onto, topped with marinated eggplant. Those costs $9, but looked fantastic, fresh and real Brooklyn Italian. I grabbed my 1/4 lb prosciutto ($4) and ball of the hand-made fresh mozzarella ($6) and went across the street to grab some bread at Napoli ($0.60) to make my own sandwich. Plenty of mozzarella left over, but not for long.

Speaking of Italian food shops on Metropolitan …we walked by our beloved Mario & Sons Meat Market, where they had a sign “We have Baby Lambs, Baby Goats & Rabbits for Easter.” Rusty thought they were actually live animals that you’d give your kids as pets for Easter. I had to remind him that it’s a meat market. I felt like I killed the Easter Bunny telling him that.

Tedone Latticini – 597 Metropolitan Ave (btwn Leonard & Lorimer St) Brooklyn, NY 11211 (Closed Sundays)
Napoli Bakery – 616 Metropolitan Ave Brooklyn, NY 11211

Categories
restauranting

Pi Day @ Pies-N-Thighs

Celebrated Pi Day (3/14) with members and friends of ScienceBlogs & Serious Eats at the new Pies-N-Thighs. We were supposed to meet up at 4pm, but found out last minute that they close from 4-5pm everyday. So 5pm it is. Luckily it was Daylight Savings (Spring forward), so we sorta did meet at 4pm after-all.

The new Pies-N-Thighs is a much nicer and cleaner version of the old place. Looks small, but there’s extra seating in the back. Everything I tasted was pretty good. The collards are cooked more than I’ve ever had, but still good. I liked the mac n cheese that had hot sauce on it. We ordered a slice of each pie they had. Banana Cream was a crowd favorite. I liked the Boozy Raisin. The Coconut Cream tasted like my lotion, but in a good way. We almost had to start dinner all over, because I forgot to take a photo of my own food (Carolina Pulled Pork Sandwich Box).

Check out ScienceBlogs for the latest on the 2010 Pi Day Bake-off. Plenty of entry photos up!

Pies-N-Thighs – 166 S. 4th Street (@ Driggs) Brooklyn, NY 11211

Categories
restauranting

Vegan Slices at Vinnie’s Pizzeria

Zzalgern0n, the guy who brought you the Cherpumple Pie-Cake video, stopped by New York on his way to shoot a doc in Africa. He’s very particular in what he eats –a vegan that doesn’t eat much vegetables. He took me late at night to Vinnie’s Pizzeria in Brooklyn, where they have vegan slices and a Tom Hanks “T.hanks” trash bin. Zzalgern0n seems think it’s a landmark …the trash bin that is.

Vinnie’s had different outrageous looking slices of vegan and non-vegan. I was tempted at the multi-colored Tortellini slice, but went with the popular (according to them) Black Bean, Avocado & Feta slice. Zzalgern0n got the vegan Buffalo Chicken and Black Bean slices and a fake ham roll. It was weird, but I liked his vegan pizza a lot more than my non-vegan one. I don’t get it. …I only get T.hanks.

Zzalg’s bro IMed the next morning and asked if I hung with the Zz. I said:
Zzalgern0n and I went to an empty bar last night
They had a dog there
He ate vegan pizza…
Zzalgern0n ate the dog
bahwhwhwhwa …Thank you. I’ll be here all week.

Vinnie’s Pizzeria – 148 Bedford Ave (btwn N. 8th & 9th St) Brooklyn, NY 11211