Drinking on the Bowery isn't what it used to be.

Over the last ten years, the Bowery, once the place where dreams went to die - usually in a flophouse - has become the place where hotels and restaurants go to open. Several of my favorites are on or within a stone's throw of the Bowery (Peels, Five Points, DBGB, Acme), and now I can most definitely add the bar at The Bowery Hotel to the list. 

The drink that did it? Their Black Manhattan, made with bourbon, bitters, and Averna. Averna - an Italian liqueur made with herbs and caramel - replaces the traditional sweet vermouth, and does a super smooth job of it. 

And just look at this little dandy on their cocktail coasters. I can't quite tell if he's a gentleman or a Five Points gangster, but either way, I like his attitude.

Late summer supper.

A few weeks ago, my friends Nick and Louisa were in town, which always means I'm in for a few good meals. Even though they've swapped the wilds of rural Ohio for the wonders of Austin, they're still aiming to get a serious New York food fix whenever they visit. Their first night here, we met our friends Liz and Carrie for dinner at Prune, Gabrielle Hamilton's perennial neighborhood favorite, best known for its insanely delicious (and popular) brunch. 

I ordered a Junipero Gibson (a gin martini garnished with housemade pickled onions) and nibbled on fried chickpeas while I waited for the others to arrive. (They were coming from pre-dinner drinks at Ten Bells; I was trekking in from having my hair done by the lovely Holly in SoHo.) The cocktail was perfectly cool and crisp, and kept me company all through dinner (and for a while afterward, to tell the truth).

 I started with a special kale salad, which went so fast and was so delicious that I forgot to snap its photo.The kale was shredded and dressed with crumbly cheese, garlic and lots and lots of olive oil. I've had many kale salads, but this one was something special. My main was the grilled steak with a tomato and onion salad. The steak was perfectly cooked to medium rare, and the rings of red onion were just crunchy and spicy enough to set off the sweat, meaty tomatoes. A bit of bleu cheese butter rounded things out, and reminded me of one of the things I love about Prune: the food is exuberant, but not overdone. They know that all you need is a touch of cheese in each bite, not an overwhelming heap of it on the plate.

In another nod to disappearing summer, we ordered a side of peas for the table. They arrived, beautifully green, perfectly cooked (English peas, snow peas and - my favorite - sugar snaps), spiked with horseradish and topped with honeycomb. The horseradish accentuated the peas' natural vegetal bite, while the honey upped their sweetness. Peas, amplified.

Finally, dessert. We went a bit over the top here, ordering three different ones to try. A rhubarb bourbon bread pudding, a summer pudding with whipped cream, and a pound cake with fruit syrup. All three were wonderful (and the blazing color of the summer pudding outshone the rest), but the bread pudding was my very favorite. The perfect end to a late summer feast. Next time, squash and brussels sprouts will replace tomatoes and peas, and nothing will be quite the same.

Now there's an excuse to go back if ever there was one, right?

Something new.

 

 Last Friday, Anica and I paid a visit to a  tiny new cocktail bar down at 9th and Avenue C, called The Wayland. I'd first passed it a couple of weeks ago, and made a mental note to visit as soon as possible. Anica is as obsessed with a good cocktail as I am, so I knew she'd be the perfect partner in crime.

We arrived close to opening (7 PM), and the petite space was already filling up. By the time we left for dinner, around 9, it was packed with people. And for good reason. The vibe is incredibly chill, and the cocktails are delicious.

 

For my first drink, I tried the Bermuda Black, a concoction made with white & black rum and fresh ginger & lime juice,  topped off with a smidge of dark beer. It was sweet, yes, but also sour, tangy and rich. Definitely a summertime sipping drink, a sort of dark and stormy for those of us who like a little more citrus in the mix.

To finish up, I ordered a Manhattan, which came garnished with an orange peel. It was perfectly balanced - not two sweet, not too spicy - always a good sign of a quality bartender. After all, fancy custom cocktails are one thing, but proving you can tackle the classics? A must.

The Wayland
700 East 9th Street
(Corner of Avenue C)
212.777.7022

Going granola.

I've become a bit obsessed of late with a certain dish. There's no pork fat involved, not a brussels sprout in sight. No, this is an obsession of a different kind. I have become enamored of Peels' granola. It's a heady mix of oats and seeds, served up with dried fruit and the thickest, most delicious yogurt in existence.

Don't believe me? That's my giant spoon, standing straight up in the yogurt. It's so good that I had to go back twice when I was off from work between Christmas and New Year's.

Get thee to Peels. Get thee this granola. Repeat.

Now that's what I call breakfast.

Prune's butter-crumbed eggs with stewed chickpeas might just be the best breakfast I've had since my birthday migas in Austin. The crunchy coating on the runny egg adds a dash of textural contrast to the largely soft meal, and the preserved lemon on top of the Moroccan-spiced chickpeas is just...magic.

And if you're not veggie, you simply must have a side of the lamb sausage. No ifs, ands or buts allowed. No, sirree.

Going Momofuku.

My mom was in town last week, so my sister-in-law Miriam and I decided that she needed to experience dinner at Momofuku Noodle Bar. Turns out, this was an excellent call.

The great thing about the Noodle Bar is that they feature a wide array of seasonal, rotating dishes alongside their greatest hits (pork and mushroom buns, pork ramen, spicy cold noodles with sausage). This time of year, that means both Brussels sprouts and tomatoes. Glorious, right?

We started with the tomato and avocado salad, which ended up having cucumbers, too. I was pretty darn excited. The salad was creamy and fresh and just a wonderful bowl full of early autumn.

Next up, shrimp buns. I was a bit nervous about these, with, it turns out, no reason to be. They were amazing. The shrimp were perfect specimens - impossibly plump and sweet - pressed gently into a patty, bound with something delicious and unidentifiable. The patties were made on the griddle, I think, and arrived, piping hot, tucked into their yeasty buns and topped with a spicy mayonnaise and some iceberg lettuce. Slam dunk.

The Brussels sprouts with sausage were delightfully cabbagey - just a bit stinky and beautifully set off by the sausage. Should have been served with a spoon, though, the better to sip up the sprout-y broth. Apples brought a little sweetness to the party, and some puffed grain (they reminded me of Corn Pops, but savory) added crunch.

And, of course, there were noodles. Spicy cold noodles with spinach, sausage and candied cashews. You need the cashews to deal with the spiciness, trust. And chicken ramen, which comes in the very richest chicken broth I have ever tasted in my life. Ever.

Thanks for dinner, Mom - and you're welcome.

Braving it.

If you weren't in New York on Sunday, you might not know this, but...man, did it rain. Not pretty, misty rain. Serious, pounding, stay-inside-unless-you-feel-like-getting-soaked rain. It was one of those days that you're pretty sure you'd prefer to spend curled up with a cup of tea and a novel, you know?

But I didn't just curl up with a book - in fact, I had a pretty fantastic afternoon on the town, which started with a lovely brunch at Vandaag. Vandaag, opened its doors about a year ago in the East Village, and is one of my favorite eating spaces in the city. It feels cozy but open - nothing's crowded, but everything is intimate, if that makes any sense.

I've been for dinner, and I've been for cocktails, but this was my first brunch visit. My very favorite thing was the coffee, a pour-over brew of single-origin beans. Delicious - smooth, round and full. The way coffee should always be, but so rarely is.

I ordered the slow-poached eggs, which arrived cooked to oozy-yolk perfection and surrounded by mustard greens, some cherry tomatoes, croutons, a bit of corn, and the best part of all: pickled beets. The beets were sweet and just a bit piquant - and tasted to me as if they'd been tossed with a bit of butter on their way to me. Not a bad idea.

My friend Caroline ordered one of the house specialties: hette bliksem (hot lightning). A cast-iron crock arrived bearing the dish, which was made up of crispy potatoes and bacon tossed with a stroop syrup. (You know the filling in a stroopwafel cookie? That stuff.) Except that this syrup had a spicy kick to it. So it was a big ol' bowl of potatoes and bacon coated with spicy caramel. Crazy delicious and interesting, but perhaps better as a shared side than a main course.

I can't wait to go back and try the pork belly and scrambled eggs, or the other coffees. And since it's a straight shot down the east side, I don't think I'll have to wait too long.

Seasonal goodness.

Last weekend, I paid a late night visit to Momofuku Noodle Bar with my friends Nick and Louisa. We enjoyed our bowls of ramen to the utmost, but it was the first and last courses that caught my fancy.

Momofuku's potato and ramp dish is worth a special trip. The creamy potatoes play beautifully off of the funky wild leeks, and the whole thing is a plateful of spring. You can't have this dish three weeks from now, you know? So get your butts over there.

And dessert? A cup of salted chocolate ice cream. Marvelous, icy, exciting. I don't always love saltier ice creams in the way I love salty desserts in general, but this one worked like a charm. I must have it again soon, as should you.

Dutch treat.

Last week, Miriam, our friend Natalie (who was in town from the UK) and I went to Vandaag for dinner. Vandaag (which means "today" in Dutch) is something of an oddity: a Dutch- and Scandinavian-influenced restaurant with a locavore spirit, and seriously good cocktails. (It also has some seriously nifty design going on, what with the cheery blue accent wall, orange wire chandeliers and wide-open space.)

We especially enjoyed the gingery Pack Mule (made with aquavit) and the B-Side Sling, a rich, bitter concoction made with genever and vermouth.

The food is pretty dang good, too. I had two starters: a grilled romaine salad with pistachios and a herring (as opposed to anchovy) dressing, and fried sweetbreads with hot peppers and pickled Concord grapes. You haven't lived life until you've had a piping hot, crispy sweetbread on the same fork with a cold, vinegar-y grape.

And I'm not alone - Adam Platt liked it, too!

Vandaag
103 Second Avenue (Between 6th and 7th Streets)
212.253.0470

Chicken/birthday, part 2.

So, it was late. I was hungry. I'd had a few Manhattans. So there's only one poorly exposed picture. But, still: fried chicken mountain, people!

Southern comfort.

On Saturday afternoon, after nearly three days of being holed up in the apartment with a nasty turn-of-the-season cold, I gratefully headed out the door and toward the downtown 6 train to meet my dear friend Anica for lunch at the newly opened Peels, a southern-inspired diner and takeout joint on the Bowery.

First of all, let's talk about the coffee. I grabbed a cup on the way to our seats, and I almost plotzed with joy when I tasted it. Peels brews Stumptown, one of my more favorite producers, and the brew they'd chosen on Saturday was insanely good. Rich, strong, nutty and a little earthy - but not at all bitter, despite being piping hot. I think I'm in love. Seriously; I'd marry someone just to get that kind of coffee brought to me in bed every morning. (Okay, I'm exaggerating, but this is the kind of coffee that invites hyperbole.)

Naturally, once my coffee had been enjoyed, it was time for a cocktail. I chose the Shaddock's Fizz, a delightful tall glass filled with Aperol, Saint-Germain, grapefruit juice and champagne. It was lip-smackingly good, and bracingly tart. Perfect for a lunchtime tipple.

Anica, that naughty girl, ordered herself a whiskey chocolate milkshake, which arrived in an adorable miniature milk bottle. She loved the flavor, and said the whiskey came through loud and clear, but that the texture of the shake was a bit uneven, and even icy in places. A rare misstep in a meal full of hits, it has to be said.

Next up, our savories. We each ordered a biscuit - me with jam, Anica with honey butter and eggs. (Eggs on the side, you see.) The biscuits are delicious, but they're more buttery than flaky, and I think they really need clotted cream and sweet-tart jam to set them off; the gingery jam on offer just didn't do the trick.

My fried chicken sandwich, though, was incredible. A slightly pounded chicken thigh was lightly coated in flour and fried to a dark, perfect crisp. The sandwich itself? Nothing fancy - a potato roll, shredded iceberg, and tangy honey mustard sauce. Pure, simple perfection.

Last, but not least, dessert! Anica ordered the homemade caramel ice cream, which was very, very tasty. The caramel flavor was deep and smoky, and the ice cream was creamy - no hint of the iciness that plagued Anica's milkshake. (Yes. Anica had two ice cream-based items at our lunch. Are you at all surprised that we are friends?)

We'd spotted homemade graham crackers in the take-out dessert display on our way in, and so I couldn't resist ordering the s'mores. They were pretty dang good - the homemade crackers were slightly chewier and far spicier than the commercial variety, and the fresh marshmallow was satisfyingly pillowy. The chocolate was dark and just a little bitter, the way I like it, and the better to contrast with the marshmallow. The only issue? It was cold! This is not a hot, melty s'more, and that, my friends, is a shame.

That said, I'm already planning my return trip, and I know what I'm ordering: shrimp with grits and bacon, and the sundae (topped with peanuts and pretzel bits) for dessert. Try and stop me, folks. I dare you.

Peels
325 Bowery (at 2nd Street)
No number yet!

Chewy, spicy goodness.

Last Sunday, I met my friends Miya, Jordan and Emi for lunch at the new East Village outpost of Flushing favorite Xi'an Famous Foods. Being a very naughty foodie, I've yet to make it out to the Flushing location, so this was my first visit, full-stop.

We arrived right at opening - not on purpose; we'd simply planned to meet up at noon, which turns out to be when Xi'an opens on Sundays - and made our way inside to gaze at the illustrated menu hung on the wall. We placed our orders, paid the incredibly reasonable bill ($7 for a plate of noodles and a soda) and sat down to wait for our food to be made.

The Xi'an space is spare and minimal, just ten chairs and a couple of tables lined up in a small room. Luckily, if you need to carry out, Stuyvesant Square isn't too far north, and the benches outside St. Mark's in the Bowery are just a couple of blocks away. We were lucky enough to snag three seats - Emi, you see, is 14 months old, and can snuggle on various laps when need be.

Our noodles arrived piping hot, served on styrofoam plates. I ordered the delightfully named Spicy & Tingly Beef noodles, a of chewy, hand-pulled flat noodles dressed in a spicy, beefy broth and topped with a few chunks of meltingly tender meat. Celery and scallions added a bit of vegetal bite to the tangle of noodles and beef. All in all, it was one of the most satisfying - and slightly messy, what with spicy broth splashing everywhere - plates of food I've eaten in a while.

And, a note for those who don't care for spice: since Jordan and Miya were sharing their lunch with Emi, they asked for, and were cheerfully given, noodles without any added spiciness. So if you just like really good noodles, but don't care for heat, don't let Xi'an's spicy reputation keep you away.

Xi'an Famous Foods
81 St. Mark's Place (at First Avenue)

Chikalicious. East Village, NYC. Sunday, August 1st.

New friends and noodles.

Last week, I met a new friend for dinner at Momofuku Noodle Bar. Jason is someone I've been tweeting with for more than a year now. He's been living in Boston, but moved to New York about a month ago - something I find very, very brave. He's living in Park Slope, but I insisted we have our first meal together at one of my favorite Manhattan spots.

It was a warm evening, and I ordered the ginger-scallion noodles, a tangle of hot ramen dressed in room-temperature ginger-scallion sauce and topped with pickled cucumbers and marinated mushrooms. I, of course, added several glugs of Sriracha and proceeded to attack the bowl. Yum.

To drink, Jason and I both went for the shoju slushies: limeade, this time. I had a small, but could have had about four large ones. But that might give my new friend the wrong impression. Gotta save the drunkenness for a little while, at least. Right?

Where cereal adds the crunch.

No visit to Momofuku Ssäm Bar would be complete without a dessert pit stop at the adjoining Momofuku Milk Bar. Milk Bar's staff, headed by pastry chef Christina Tosi, is famous for combining the salty and sweet into unique and often nostalgic desserts.

Cereal milk is bottled for drinking and made into soft-serve ice cream; cinnamon buns become pies; cakes are ringed in confetti. It's not hard to understand why the place is a massive hit, especially with 20- and 30-somethings raised on the giddiness-inducing sugary cereals of the 70s and 80s.

After our latest bo ssäm adventure, we decided to head over to Milk Bar for a sweets fix. I went for ice cream, choosing the cinnamon soft serve with cornflake crunch topping. It was delicious, and the texture was wonderful - silky smooth and creamy. That said, I thought the ice cream was a bit too salty (and I'm someone who likes salt with her sweets). If salt has become the dominant flavor, it's no longer doing its job as an enhancer, and that was the case here. That said, Miriam's cereal milk soft serve with the same topping? Awesomeness.

I've still found nothing to beat the cornflake-chocolate chip cookie or the cinnamon bun pie, though. YUM. (Also, out-of-towners take note: some Momofuku Milk Bar goodies are available for shipment!)

Momofuku Milk Bar
207 2nd Avenue (Corner of 13th Street)
212.254.3500

My bo has been ssämed.

I've written about the Bo Ssäm dinner at Momofuku Ssäm many, many times, so I'm not going to bore you all with yet another recap. If you're interested in details, you can check out my past reports here (2009) and here (2007).

What was notable about my most recent trip, though, was that was finally able to get decent photos of the goings-on. Finally! So enjoy the food porn, and I hope you have porkified dreams.

Fruits of the soil.

On the Wednesday of my staycation, I met my friend Anica for dinner at a tiny little place called Dirt Candy. The candies in question are, of course, vegetables, those sometimes sweet, sometimes fresh, sometimes bitter, always tasty products of the soil. I love vegetables, as you well know, but I've been disappointed by the vast majority of vegetarian restaurants in which I've dined. They're usually all about austerity and making a chore of eating - which is a pretty horrifying thing to pay for, when you think about it.

But Dirt Candy (under the guidance of chef Amanda Cohen) is very, very different. It's vegetarian, yes - and they'll go vegan if you like - but it's the opposite of austere, boring or punishing. Our starter is a perfect example of the spirit of the place: jalapeno hush puppies, served with whipped maple butter. The hush puppies were lovely. Piping hot and studded with bits of hot pepper, they were made most delicious by the sweet, round flavor of the butter, which melted and pooled on contact. (We actually sneaked the butter off the plate and held onto it for the rest of the meal. I have resolved to serve as many things as possible with maple butter in future.)

Our waitress recommended we each get both an appetizer and a main course; to tell the truth, we would have been fine forgoing at least one of the four dishes, but it was nice to taste so many things. I started with the barbecue carrot buns, which were served with a salad of cucumber, sesame and ginger. The salad was actually my favorite part of the dish; the buns, while tasty, were a bit under-seasoned and not quite, well, barbecue-y enough.

Anica's starter, on the other hand, was magnificent. A root vegetable salad served with greens, it had pumpkin as well as acorn and butternut squash. The croutons were flavored with blue cheese, and the crispy things were pepitas, pumpkin seeds coated with chickpea flour and fried. The dressing on this was insanely delicious - I don't buy bottled dressing, but if the chef were to bottle this, I'd spring for a whole case.

My picture of Anica's main was beyond blurry, so you're just going to have to trust me when I tell you that it was a plate of parsnip gnocchi served with a creamy root vegetable sauce and topped with carrot cake crumbs. It was tasty, but a bit on the sweet side.

We both loved my main, which featured all kinds of corn goodness: grits, huitlachoche (a delicious fungus that infects corn in a most wonderful way) and creamy corn, topped with pickled shiitakes (Yay, pickles!), an egg poached and fried in tempura batter, and a bit of salted ricotta. I. Was. In. Heaven. The egg and mushrooms in particularly made the dish for me.

Finally, dessert. All through April, the restaurant ran a special on dessert - order one, get one free! Since there are only four desserts on the menu, full-stop, we were able to try a bit of everything! Clockwise from the top, we have pea and mint ice cream cake, red pepper red velvet cake, caramel pudding with caramel popcorn, and fennel funnel cake. The pudding won the day, by a long shot, but the red velvet cake was really interesting, too.

All in all, a wonderful meal. This is vegetarian cooking at its richest and most generous. No shortage of creativity, flavor or texture to be found here. Just some of the most delicious butter of all time, and popcorn-flavored pudding. Yum.

Dirt Candy
430 East 9th Street (Between 1st and A)
212.228.7732