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Admit it, Danny is a Golden God!

July 5, 2009 — wecouldeat

Shake Shack
Madison Square Park, NYC
goldenbonzone
I am not sure that there is a point in reviewing the Shake Shack now. It has become such an NYC culinary landmark that everyone already has a firm opinion on it, ranging from legendary to ridiculously overrated. I definitely fall into the former category, although I love it slightly more in concept than reality. Having a high quality “fast food” burger place in the middle of a formerly shitty park is pure genius. Danny Meyer is a god compared to other restaurant tycoons such as Jean George and Joe Bastainich. He’ll give you a Union Sqaure and Eleven Madison, BUT will also elevate burgers and shakes to an extraordinary level for the everyday $10 lunch. I can’t get into a Babbo or Jean George, even if I wanted to spend $120 on my dinner. But I can grab a gourmet sausage or Shack Burger at the Shake Shack in CitiField or a gourmet lite bite at the new stand by the Delicourt Theater in Central Park. Yes, it is not the authentic hole-in-the-wall that has survived for 75 years making Grandma’s original recipe, but it does not discriminate either. Plus the frozen custards and shakes are undeniably great. People can debate the merits of the burger size and taste all day, but this golden shack has done quite a bit to open up NYC’s cheap eats landscape and has transformed a prime piece of green space, that I used to refer to as “toilet park”, into a destination that contains 90 minute lines. The absurdity of waiting 90 minutes for a burger and shake is another issue, but so is the same wait time for a $200 meal of minuscule portions in an overstuffed and overly stuffy box. Face it, Danny Meyer is The Man. End of discussion.
Note: I won’t support the UWS location. While I am sure the food is just as good, the Shack is an open air only experience for me.

Posted in GOLDEN BONZONE, american, burger, gramercy, union sq/flatiron. Leave a Comment »

Lunch at Munch

July 5, 2009 — wecouldeat

Munch
24-01 29th Street, Astoria

This new storefront sandwich shop/cafe is a welcome addition to the 24th Avenue area, across from the Beer Garden. Even though Munch is brand new, it already has achieved an informal neighborhood feel. The employees and patrons seem to know everyone in the hood. While there is only a handful of seats inside, there is an outside table and bench, that they will happily add a table to for your convenience. The staff in general could not be any sweeter or more accommodating. While I agree with the Foodista’s review that the name is dirty sounding, at least they did not call it The Munch Box or something worse. Anyway, the food is quite good. On my first visit I enjoyed an iced coffee and the Elvis, which is PB & J, bananas and walnuts on grilled white bread, which tasted exactly like the bread in a perfect grilled cheese sandwich. There was also a bacon option that I declined. The Elvis was simultaneously warm and cool, sweet, soft and crunchy. It’s a bargain at $4. In fact the whole menu, breakfast, lunch, and dinner, is amazingly priced at $5.50 or less! That includes eggs, salads, sandwiches, sliders, quesidillas, and much more. On my second visit I ordered a sandwich and salad to go. The sandwich was grilled chicken, avocado and cheese all melty on a long roll. It was simple and satisfying. The salad was mixed greens, walnuts, chicken, good cheddar cheese and balsamic dressing. A $12 salad in Manhattan, but only about $4-$5 at Munch. While there are many delis and cafes in the neighborhood, for price, quality, and friendliness, I will keep Munch in heavy rotation.

Posted in american, astoria, cafe. Leave a Comment »

Searching for Fish Tacos

June 28, 2009 — wecouldeat

Cabrito
50 Carmine Street, West Village

Since opening in May 2008, Cabrito has been a media darling. With the popular Fatty Crab getting rave reviews, Zak Pelaccio opened this Mexican joint featuring haute tacos and drinks. It possible that Cabrito has been over-hyped with high praise from everyone from the NY Times to Time Out. While the bar scene was good when we visited on Thursday evening, the food was not ultra-impressive. Our guacamole and chips app was tasty. The guac was creamy with just the right amount of heat and the chips were made on the premises. It’s a great starter with a few drinks. The fish tacos on the other hand were just adequate. The fish was beer battered and fried, which masked all of its flavor. Instead, the single corn tortilla (I prefer doubled) was filled with an exorbitant amount of red cabbage and topped with a creamy unidentifiable sauce. It wasn’t terrible, but certainly not authentic or delicious. I also ordered their signature goat taco (see large pink goat photo). It was better than the fish taco, with a strong meaty flavor, similar to greasy dark meat turkey. It was good, but more of a novelty, and would not replace a quality pork or carne asada filling in my opinion. So while Cabrito wasn’t my favorite, it certainly has it’s followers and dark trendy vibe that will keep it packed for years. I can appreciate that, but will continue my search for fish tacos elsewhere…

Pinche Taqueria
333 Lafayette at Bleecker, East Village

Pinche Taqueria is the complete opposite of Cabrito. It is small hole-in-the-wall that is easily missed on a triangular shaped block outside the Bleecker Street 6 train stop. The space is small, but cool with entrances on either side of the narrow space. Even though the decor is tacky with plastic Mexican kitch on the walls, it somehow has an authentic air about it. The staff is friendly and the food is first priority. While it is hard to give Pinche a full review considering I only had a pair of fish tacos and sat outside on a bar stool, and was too hungry to take photos, I can still tell that this place is a winner. The fish taco was delicious. The fish, probably tilapia, was moist and flavorful with the standard toppings of lettuce, radish, cheese, etc. and was delivered in a double corn tortilla – as it absolutely should be. Plus, it was only $3.95 a piece, in contrast to Cabrito’s $6. I also recently read that Time Out recommends its Huevos Rancheros for brunch. While Pinche will never get the hype of a Cabrito, if you want inexpensive, authentic Mexican street fare, this is a winner. Although if I had to pick, I still prefer the fish tacos at Taqueria Downtown in Jersey City.

Posted in east village, mexican, west village. Leave a Comment »

JC’s Got Soul…and Tamales

May 15, 2009 — wecouldeat

Jersey City should not be confused with other notorious car-jacking New Jersey areas like Patterson, Elizabeth and Newark. While there are some rougher parts of JC, most of it contains peaceful local working-class neighborhoods with families – as do the other three cities, I’m sure. What separates JC is the commuters from Manhattan, thanks to its three PATH train stations. These commuters demand more of the convenience and diversity of Manhattan. Our friend, Joanna, one such commuter, has been living in JC for 8 years and was nice enough to take us on a tour and introduce us to THREE proud local eateries.

Soul Flavors
354 Grove Street, Jersey City

Soul Flavors is a Jamaican eatery right on Grove Street with a great menu. All the comfort foods are here: fried chicken, bbq chicken, chicken & dumplings, mac & cheese, ribs, and chicken & waffles, but only on Saturday & Sunday. It’s BYOB so four of us marched in there with the jug size of Carlo Rossi Rosé Zinfandel – pure class all the way. We ordered the jerk chicken, chicken & dumplings, crab cakes, with mac & cheese and mango/carrot slaw as sides. The mini biscuits and corn bread as starters are a must. Everything was down-home good and satisfying, although no one expected the weather to be so warm, as it was one of the first hot days of the season. Luckily, the Carlo cooled us off and we had a blast. I would definitely return on a weekend for chicken & waffle brunch.

Brownstone Diner and Pancake Factory
426 Jersey Avenue, Jersey City

I usually don’t include diners in this blog since my other blog, Diner Cakes, is solely devoted to the subject, but this diner is exceptional – and in Jersey. We had two of their specialty pancake wraps: Country Breakfast Wrap = Scrambled eggs, pork sausage, potatoes and american chz rolled into a large pancake and Downtown Pancake Wrap = Scrambled eggs, cheddar cheese and sour cream stuffed into an over-sized pancake. They were delicious, especially the Downtown whose creaminess perfectly balanced the doughy pancakes. Considering that the Brownstone’s motto is “need pancakes!”, we also tried the German with apple compote and the and the Honky Tonk with peanut butter chunks and bananas, which were of course very good. While we only had pancakes (and grits), you could just tell that the other items on the book-size menu were going to be interesting and delicious. This place is a great find, and if you don’t believe me, you can ask Guy Fieri, because he visited here on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.
No pics, but check out the video clips.

Taqueria Downtown
236 Grove Street, Jersey City

It’s easy to miss this little converted house on the corner, but you’d be skipping out on some great, cheap authentic Mexican food. Taqueria Downtown offers all the standards: tacos, tamales, tortas, enchiladas, as well as a weekend brunch. The decor is East Village kitch with old books and I even saw the old 1970’s white handheld football video game I used to have. Order at the counter and they bring the food over in the dining area or back patio. We had awesome fish tacos ($3 each!) and pork tamales ($2.50 each!). The fish, probably tillapia, was pan fried and moist with all the authentic toppings. The tamales were rich and smoky. If this place was across the East River from Manhattan, we’d be here weekly… at least.

Posted in breakfast, down home, jersey, mexican. 1 Comment »

Kuma Inncredible

May 6, 2009 — wecouldeat

Kuma Inn
113 Ludlow Street, NYC

We have been wanting to try Kuma Inn for about a year, but never got the right opportunity until our foodie cousins, Jill and Bill, told us they were flying in from Columbus, Ohio and wanted to go for an interesting, off-the-beaten-path place in Manhattan. Kuma Inn is definitely out of the way in a second story location on the Lower East Side. It is easy to miss as the front is only a narrow vertical sign announcing a long stairway behind a door. But once inside, it presents a cozy, Asian-influenced interior that feels more like an apartment, than a dining room – but in a good way.

The five of us, including our cousin James, had a great time as we sampled a dozen or more tapas style dishes and discussed recipes, restaurants, street carts, celebrity chefs, and all other foodie topics. The cuisine at Kuma is a little hard to describe because it is based on Owner/Chef King Phojanakong, who has a Filipino and Thai heritage, and French training. It is mostly Asian influenced, exemplified by the delicious shrimp shumai and wasabi pork dumplings that we devoured. We also had amazing Spanish chorizo sausage, whole baby octopus, tuna tartar, noodles, edamame and several other eclectic delights. It is a really fun menu to share with a small group and the BYO policy of beer, wine and sake keeps the prices down. Spud and I will definitely return and try all of our favorite dishes again.

I highly recommend Kuma Inn for a true foodie experience. People aren’t coming here for the scene, decor, or service. There are many other places for trendy small plates, but what elevates Kuma is the food. It’s all about the food.

Posted in asian, fusion, les, tapas. 3 Comments »

Craving a Burger, Fries and Shake?

May 5, 2009 — wecouldeat

Petey’s Burger
30-17 30th Street, Astoria

Petey’s Burger is a brand new fast-food style burger place in Astoria. It’s got the bold polished interior, logo, and menu of a chain, but only operates this one location. Petey’s motto, “A Fresh Touch On An Old Favorite”, describes it’s dual personality. I imagine it has modeled itself on the popular West Coast chain In n’ Out burger with it’s small fresh menu where everything is made to order and there are no frozen ingredients. It somehow wants to be a chain of one, and provide all the taste and convenience of fast food, as well as be the local neighborhood burger joint. It doesn’t completely accomplish either, but does a decent job of hovering in the middle.
Everything we had was a big notch above fast food. The double cheeseburger was big and sloppy with quality meat and all the fixins, just the way you would want it. The fries were long and thin and deliciously crispy. Their patty melt, called Petey’s Melt, was a nicely done version of the classic. I didn’t get to try the shakes, but I heard they will do a tasty chocolate strawberry, even though it’s not on the menu.
Petey’s seems here to stay. It fills the same niche as a Goodburger or 5 Guys (although I haven’t been), for customers who won’t eat fast food and yet don’t want a sit down $12 burger at a restaurant. It won’t be the creative local hangout, but will solidly fill that primary craving for a burger, fries and a shake. WeCouldEat will be back soon – plus they deliver.

Posted in astoria, burger. Leave a Comment »

Best Late Night Greasy Food

April 27, 2009 — wecouldeat

Merit Farms
3767 74th St, Jackson Heights

Merit Farms is a Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Indian, Tibetan hole-in-the-wall. It definitely has an identity crisis, as the name connotes a pleasant farm-to-table cafe. Nothing could be further from the truth as this dive is about all things fried. We were there after an evening of karaoke at 3:30 am, and it was the perfect end to the night. The chicken samosas are the best thing on the menu and worthy of your time and attention. The perfectly fried and crispy exterior is filled with soft chicken and vegetables and a complex array of Indian spices. We had some sausage and various other fried shapes, but really, you just want the chicken samosas. A big shout-out to Bogia for discovering this greasy treasure!

Posted in indian/bangladeshi/pakistani, queens (not astoria/lic). Leave a Comment »

Gourmet Spring Pizza

April 27, 2009 — wecouldeat

We usually limit our blog posts to food we’ve consumed outside our home, but we’ve made an exception to thank the generous people at Ile de France Cheese. They recently sent us a beautiful hunk of their versatile Camembert cheese. We decided that we’d make a gourmet pizza using the rich and creamy Camembert instead of mozzarella. We sauteed a pile of onions in some olive oil and balsamic dressing, portioned it over 6 large pitas, added cooked chicken breast, sliced fresh pears, and the Camembert. We baked them at 350 degrees until browned and melty. Then we topped with some diced green onions. It was a delicious springtime dinner. Thanks Ile de France!

Check out our previous Camembert recipe!

Posted in Uncategorized. Leave a Comment »

Damon: Frugal Friday

April 7, 2009 — wecouldeat

Damon: Frugal Friday
47 East 19th Street, NYC

There are some definite benefits to this struggling economy and one of favorites is all the cheap eats deals that are popping in the city. When I heard about the Damon: Frugal Friday deal, I was stunned. I definitely thought it was too good to be true. I figured it is most likely tiny portions, a bait-and-switch, or lines around the corner. But it was actually an excellent experience – and fun too. Too many restaurants take themselves too seriously in this city. Tom Colicchio, Craft owner and Top Chef head judge, seems like a serious guy. Maybe that’s why his executive chef, Damon Wise, is cooking Friday nights in the Craft party room with an ultra fun menu? Whoever came up with the idea, I hope it is here to stay.

Everything on the menu is under $10. Let that sink in for a moment… There are food in jars, in bundles, and on sticks. They have $4 bourbon drinks and other tasty beverages. We had some rather unusual food offerings. We had escargot and bacon on skewers, beef carpaccio, and crispy pig ears – which is the only plate I can’t recommend. We had a generous portion of fresh tuna in a jar and an excellent tamale. There is something for everyone on the $5-$8 offerings and it is really exciting to get all of these wonderful small plates. We sat right next to the open kitchen and saw the three cooks preparing plate after plate after plate.

The vibe was fun too. While it is dark and sleek because of Craft, the table are lined with brown paper and the staff wears bright blue “D:FF” t-shirts to add to the recession theme. I highly recommend this Frugal Friday experience. Just go early or late (it serves 5:30-12) because it can get packed. I apologize for the grainy, flashless pics, a “serious” Tom Colicchio was walking around and we were intimidated.
Definite GOLDEN BONZONE. goldenbonzone

Posted in GOLDEN BONZONE, american, union sq/flatiron. Leave a Comment »

Oh Captain, My Greek Seafood Captain

April 7, 2009 — wecouldeat

Greek Captain
32-10 36th Avenue, LIC

I’ve been passing the Greek Captain for years and it seemed more like the punchline to a joke, than a decent seafood restaurant. With the wooden hull jutting out of the facade and a captain, a la The Simpsons, I was more than a little skeptical until my buddy Chris starting raving about it. So finally we had to check this place out. The decor is really the best part about it. It is cheesy-nautical at its best and right out of Ocean City or somewhere else very far from Long Island City. The wait staff is no-frills Greek, the standard for the neighborhood. The food was pretty good, not amazing, but not bad either. Most of us got large orders of broiled pieces of fish or shrimp or fried fish and chips. It was tasty and cooked well, but somehow not exciting. Now Chris ordered the $30 Sea Captain Special with king crabs, jumbo shrimp, scallops, etc. Maybe that was the way to go. Either way, we had a great time and I’d go back for the cheesiness, and the decent lunch deals, but there are better Greek seafood options in the neighborhood.