Sugar Freak
26-18 30th Ave, Astoria

I am sure some form of popcorn pudding has been in existence in Native American or Nebraskan culture for centuries, but this dessert was brand new to me when I ordered it at Sugar Freak recently. After one bite, I was convinced that it should be offered all over this country. It was very sweet, but the popcorn texture kept it from being cloying and provided for a full dessert and not an insubstantial pudding cup. Corn pudding isn’t new, but using popped corn is the stroke of genius here. Popcorn seems like such an obvious combination that should be included in the pudding cannon with chocolate, rice, bread and tapioca. After all, everything in our culture is basically made from corn.

Do not be mistaken by its name, while Sugar Freak offers a few quality desserts, it is actually a real deal restaurant cooking up Louisiana cuisine in the heart of Astoria. The Cajun/Creole offerings are some some of the best NYC has to offer, with favorites like crawfish etouffee and oyster po’ boys. The muffulettas are excellent, with quality ingredients on an authentic huge round roll. For a great $10 lunch, split the veggie muffuletta ($15) and a side of red beans & rice ($5). You won’t be sorry. If you are feeling saucy, try the spicy creole bloody mary, and don’t forget the popcorn pudding.

John Brown Smokehouse
25-08 37th Ave Long Island City

…John Brown Smokehouse in Long Island City. Their tagline is “serious barbecue” and it shows in many ways. This hole-in-the-wall is really in the middle of nowhere in an industrial area of northern LIC between an auto body shop and a fenced in parking lot. But, believe me, it is well worth the trek for some of the best barbecue in all of New York City. Their $8 pulled pork sandwich was pilled high with succulent chunks of smoked pork to which I added the housemade ghost pepper sauce for a perfect kick. The round roll wasn’t soggy and held up very well. Spud and I also shared a $12 platter of their signature burnt ends with excellent vinegar-based cole slaw and 2 slices of thick white bread to sopp it all up. We could barely finish our lunch and only spent $10 each. There is no other place in NYC with this exceptional quality and extremely low prices. This place is authentic, which means it’s not the slick decor and fancy flavored BBQ that you might find in Williamsburg. When they run out of meat for the day, that’s when they close. John Brown Smokehouse is my first exciting find of 2012. It is exceptional and I can’t wait to return for more. If you don’t trust me,  the New York Times review is excellent, and it’s even included in their top 10 list of their best inexpensive restaurants of 2011.

Pies -n- Thighs
166 S. 4th Street (Driggs), Williamsburg, Brooklyn

With one of the best names for an eatery, a smart, reasonably-priced menu, a desirable Williamsburg corner, and a menu of comfort foods, Pies -n- Thighs is a definite winner. The lunch and dinner menu is loaded with barbecue and fried chicken dishes, but Spud and I thought it would be fun to try a decadent brunch here. The wait was only a few minutes and we were seated in the more spacious back room. We passed on the pie and started with a very good fresh vanilla donut ($2) and then moved on to two dishes showcasing the chicken and barbecue. The chicken & waffles ($10) was really good. I usually think of it as a novelty dish, but the proportions of salty and sweet (and optionally spicy) were just right. The smoked pork hash and eggs ($10) was also exceptionally comforting. While the old location with an outdoor grill under the Bridge was one-of-a-kind, with this location you will get a seat and a much more extensive menu.

The way I feel about Bubby’s is akin to a grandmother’s love for her grandchild. Bubby’s can do no wrong and I really love everything about it. It is now over 20 years old and has done an excellent job of adapting to the vast changes in Tribeca and has only improved as it has grown. What started out as a pioneering pie shop is now a neighborhood legend and brunch destination. I love the hominess and subtle kitch of the big cow outside, the wooden decor and even the classic working photobooth by the restrooms. What a great idea in these uber techy times! I also love the versatility of the menus that offer exceptional pie, quality pit barbecue AND dynamite local vegetables. It is quality comfort food that you don’t feel guilty about. Bubby’s is the full package!

And since everyone knows it, the brunch lines are ludicrous, so we usually come for dinner. We’ve had two dinners here recently and all the dishes have been excellent. We had the deviled eggs and pimento cheese sandwich, the crispy artichokes, the roasted chicken, mac ‘n cheese, collards, and the giant vegetable plate, which was above and beyond any I have ever had. And let us not forget the fantastic smooth and silky peanut butter pie. It really is true love here and I can’t wait to visit my Bubby real soon…

Astoria can’t seem to stop opening cool and exciting new eateries. It seems like there has been one per week lately, that I can’t wait to try: The Astor Room, Pachanga Patterson, Linn (Home-style Japanese) and now Queens Comfort. Watch out Brooklyn, Astoria isn’t just known for its Greek and Italian food anymore, it’s definitely a contender for best food neighborhood. Yup, I said it.

So, what’s the deal at Queens Comfort, you ask? Well its concept appears to be American down-home comfort food, with a changing menu and a very casual vibe. This place wasn’t opened by a restaurateur, it uses jelly jars for water glasses, mismatched coffee mugs, and a blogspot website that a 9 year old could have designed. So, it’s more like a Williamsburg hangout, and that goes for the food too, but in a good way.

There is Stumptown coffee in those mismatched mugs, which is the trendy java of the moment. The brunch menu looked amazing, with so many great choices, however when we visited, they were out of about half of them, 4 out of 8, which was a bummer, but acceptable for a brand new eatery that hasn’t had its grand opening yet. At least you know the ingredients they did have were fresh. We tried the fried green tomato sandwich on country white. It was very good, and the tomatoes were fried perfectly, adding a nice juiciness. We had the goat cheese left off, because we despise it in general, although I am sure it would have added some needed creaminess, if you are into that vile ubiquitous stuff. We also tried the maple-glazed skillet fried chicken on a biscuit. It was a solid piece of breast meat, fried well and crispy, with a salty sweet flavor from the maple. The one negative was the biscuit, which was a little dry and maybe needed a flavor of its own. Also, I think it was supposed to arrive with a signature hot pepper jelly, which would have been a game changer, but it didn’t.

I think Queens Comfort could be something really special. Its decor and feel are similar to a less-refined Peels on Bowery, and with a lot of work it could approach a top Williamsburg joint like Egg, or at least a Queens version. I will definitely keep a close watch to see if the potential develops here. Of course the minute it gets over-run with hipsters in Civil War jackets and mustaches, I will be running back to Neptune Diner for my Greek omelette!

If you are looking for a good time, have a hell-be-damned attitude towards calories, and like down-home Southern food – you might be Paula Deen and you will probably love Lowcountry. There is nothing subtle here, except maybe the exterior, which seems like only a bar, but it does work as a guilty pleasure. Lowcountry cuisine is that of South Carolina’s coast. It’s big into fried food, shrimp and grits, biscuits, etc. At Lowcountry in Manhattan, you walk from a relatively quiet, elegant West Village street into a packed bar playing very loud rock tunes, and beyond to a small seating area. It’s definitely a place to indulge and there is a lot to indulge on.

We started with the pimento deviled eggs and the iceberg wedge salad with bacon and deviled egg dressing. Both the deviled eggs and iceberg wedge are classics from the 1960′s that have been lowcountrified with the additions of the pimento cheese and the bacon and egg dressing. They both had bold flavors and were great starters. For mains we had the Fried Chicken Breast, Cheddar Biscuit Country Sausage Gravy, Onion Jam and Cornmeal Dusted Catfish Carolina Red Rice and Beans, Chow Chow Remoulade. Both were very saucy and indulgent with many flavors packing a punch. I preferred the catfish, but maybe because I had it first and was full when I got to the chicken. I did like the onion jam on the chicken, but the addition of the biscuit and gravy was a little much for me. But I think if I was here with a group of friends, and wanted to have lots of drinks and let loose, Lowcountry would be the perfect place to do it. It is very similar to the Mason Jar in Murray Hill, in that it’s a bar and comfort food destination and doesn’t care about local organic ingredients. It just wants you to have a good ol’ time!

Isn’t it just amazing when a popular place lives up to its hype? Egg has been near the top of my list of brunch places to try for about a year, and finally Spud and I got out of bed on a Sunday, got to Williamsburg early, and only had to wait for 30 minutes for a table at egg. The wait for kind of fun, with all the men in ultra-skinny jeans, and women in ripped tights – who probably woke up much earlier than us to get the proper shabby-chic look. On to the food!

Every mouthful was really just excellent. It started with the 2-cup French press coffee at the table. I’m not particular about my java, but this was gooood, especially since it was accompanied by little biscuits. Spud was in heaven – she loves her free starters. We shared the homemade chorizo and over-easy eggs with salsa verde, pickled jalapenos, and toast; and country ham on a biscuit with homemade fig jam, Grafton cheddar, and a side of grits. Every bite of both dishes was bursting with flavor: smokey chorizo, the egg perfection, the flaky yet chewy biscuit, the ham, the Grafton cheddar, oh the Grafton cheddar and the ridiculously creamy grits. There was not even an average mouthful the whole morning. This place has top-notch ingredients that are showcased in its preparations. We actually had this brunch weeks ago, and I can’t stop thinking about it. I can still taste all those flavors…is it getting hot in here…???

Yes, it gets a Golden Bonzone.

The Mason Jar oozes comfort, especially in a young, male kinda way. It’s a sports bar combined with a Southern/BBQ joint, but pulls it off without being the least bit obnoxious. Don’t think Brother Jimmy’s, think of a wood-paneled restaurant with really good comfort classics, a great mature beer list, a large bar, and plenty of tv’s. We arrived during a rowdy after work Thursday bar crowd, but sat at a wooden booth in the back, and had a great, relaxing dinner. The menu is like a comfort food greatest hits selection: mac & cheese, wings, chicken pot pie, pulled pork, beer can chicken. We shared the Chicken Fried Steak over mashed potatoes and green beans ($19) and the Pretzel Burger ($13): Pretzel roll with bacon, jalapeno beer mustard, lettuce, tomato & American cheese. I preferred the burger, and Spud the steak, but that could be due to what each of us ate first, because both were delicious. The steak was thick, yet extremely tender and the coating soft and melty. The burger had a huge shot of flavor with the smokey bacon, grilled beef, spicy beer mustard, and cheese, which would have been overwhelming, but the ingenious pretzel roll acted as an umbrella, encased all the flavors, and delivered a fantastic burger. I hope everything on the menu is as great as our selections.

The Mason Jar isn’t cheap eats, but it is pure fun for a couple or group of friends. Men will love this place, and women, if they enjoy quality comfort food, will be just as satisfied.

I like Hill Country Chicken, but more for its style than its food. The atmosphere is 1970′s basement kitsch that is really fun. The street level has is an open space with ’70s light fixtures, checkered wall paper, and bright yellow walls. The underground dining level is wood paneling all the way with framed LP’s and arcade games. It’s a fun place to hang out, but the main issue is that it wants to be a real restaurant, but has cafeteria/fast food style service. The chicken and sides aren’t bad, but get dried out on stream tables and under hot lights. We tried both styles of chicken, HC Classic and Mama El’s, and both were good, but not great. Classic is fully coated, traditionally seasoned, and Mama’s is thin skin (or no skin?) spiced, and crispy. Like pizza, all fried chicken is pretty good. But I bet its much better fresh out of the fryer. The sides were mediocre and forgettable. We had fried mashed potatoes, coleslaw, blistered corn salad and carrot-n-raisin slaw. I thought the pies would be tasty, but they are so tiny, that they are more novelty and crust, than anything you can sink your teeth into. I bet the slices are better than the cups, but they were not on display, so everyone bought the cute cups. The pie shake is pretty amazing, although a calorie killer.

There are no meal deals, so the prices are pretty steep. When you add up 2 pieces, 2 sides, a drink and pie, it is $20 and not really a whole lot of food for one person. That’s a good price for Hill Country BBQ, but for glorified fast food, it’s high. Now I respect that they use quality ingredients, like Bell & Evans chicken, and would have no problem paying it, if I enjoyed the food more. I am not sure why I would return. If I want great fried chicken, there any many choices, if I want cheap fried chicken I can go to Popeye’s, K-town, or KFC. I guess if I want to chill in the basement with friends, and not focus on amazing grub, Hill Country Chicken would be the place.

Yes, I love my Mama, but her cooking certainly does not compare with my beloved Mama’s Food Shop in the East Village. It’s been serving heaping plates of delicious down-home comfort food since 1995, and I’ve been an obedient, loyal customer since the beginning. Mama’s is set up like a traditional Southern cafeteria where the customer lines up at the counter, is served food straight from the abundant tray table, pays, grabs a table, and stuffs his/her face. The proteins include fried and baked chicken, meatloaf, and the new tilapia and pork shoulder offerings. They are all good, although the pork is my current fav. Unlike most menus, the carbs and veggies are just as important here. The mac & cheese and mashed potatoes are done in the ultra-comforting classic way. The brussel sprouts, braised kale, and German potato salad are other favorites- hell, all 14 choices are my favorites. They cook everything with love – just as Mama should. The exceedingly casual East Village vibe is always a plus when gnawing on chicken bones and stuffing one’s face with mac & cheese. While I recommend the ginger-mint iced tea, I can’t recommend the desserts because I’ve never tried them. After tackling the enormous main dish mounds, I’ve never had room. Mama’s not only gets a big fat Golden Bonzone, it also gets a coveted Hall of Fame selection. Oh, I almost forgot to mention that you get 1 meat and 2 sides for $13 – and that includes tax and tip! Plus it’s BYOB. So now you know why I love Mama…