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Rockin' Out with Great Pizza at Roberta's

Presidents' Day Weekend was just days away, and a last minute scramble to find awesome deals to somewhere fantastic on kayak.com was underway. $629 round-trip tickets to Stockholm?? I want to go to there, sign me up please! But then we came across an article in NY Magazine about how the Swedes have embraced all things Brooklyn. Slap something with "Brooklyn" on the label, apparently, and the Swedes are all over it. We decided it probably made no sense to fly all the way to a city trying to model itself after Brooklyn when we can just take the L train a few stops over for a lot less.

Seeing how the TV show Girls is all the rage, we decided to make a daytrip out to Bushwick, a neighborhood featured by the show, and have lunch at the much venerated Roberta's. Williamsburg is my frame of reference for Brooklyn, so I was surprised to see how less developed Bushwick was. It reminded me of Long Island City and probably Williamsburg before it was trendy--lots of bleak, industrial looking buildings everywhere, livened up a bit with a lot of graffiti street art. The entrance to Roberta's is in one of these nonassuming warehouse type buildings. Even at the random hour of 3 pm, a wait for a party of two was 45 minutes to an hour. The wait isn't too bad, since you can move towards the bar in the back and order house cocktails, beer and wine, as well as food off the main menu, which the staff will gladly move for you once your table is ready.

There's a nice, lively yet laid-back vibe that permeates the scene at Roberta's. Guests are seated at wooden communal tables reminiscent of a beer garden with Daft Punk playing in the background. I was thrilled that Roberta's offered my favorite beer, a Japanese brand called Hitochino:

We had to order a signature pizza, of course, and opted for the Famous Original, as well as ordering the Brussels Sprouts and the Sweet Potato Duck Hash special. The Brussels Sprouts come out first, and I really liked how light and refreshing the dish was. Brussels sprouts tend to be roasted in olive oil with bacon or pancetta, which is a delicious preparation but perhaps not the healthiest. Roberta's shreds the brussels sprouts in a manner like coleslaw and dresses it in a light sauce. A boiled egg, slightly charred pieces of brussels sprout leaves and delicious unctuous chunks of guanciale give the light salad some hints of heart personality. There was a bit of a lag with the pizza, but it was well worth the wait. The crust was perfect, crispy on the outside yet warm, soft and chewy on the inside. The airy dough bubbles gave the crust a lightness that was not dense or overbearing. I found it interesting that the Famous Original came already seasoned with some chili flakes. I supposed people always ask for chili flakes or hot sauce to season their pizza, so why not just save them the trouble by doing some of the legwork for them. The fresh mozzarella was mild and slightly stringy, and the tomato sauce was almost neutral in taste. It's clear that the crust and the chili flakes were the main drivers of flavor for the Famous Original pizza. The Sweet Potato Duck Hash consisted of pan-fried, fatty duck pieces and sweet potato topped with a fried piece of egg. The sweet potato was a little too pureed, and the duck was a bit too crispy and hash-brown like. I would have preferred a preparation more traditional in nature, but Roberta's is all about breaking tradition, so perhaps that was unrealistic. If you're going to break tradition, then it should still be memorable and outstanding in its own way. The Brussels Sprouts and pizza certainly achieved that, but the sweet potato hash could have been better.

Roberta's is the perfect place for a group of friends to grab some beers and eat some elevated home-style, comfort foods. Now we know why all the cool kids like Hannah and Jemima make their rounds here.

Once in a Blue Moon Dinner at Blue Hill Stone Barns

It's hard to have a bad meal in the city, considering we have so many great options to choose from. Most of the meals I would rate as being very good, differentiated more by style of cuisine and the scene as opposed to the quality and taste. When I went to Blue Hill Stone Barns for my 1st year anniversary dinner, I was struck by how good everything was, and the memories of the fresh salmon and crisp green sugar snap peas and the delectable crust of the fresh, warm bread are still very vivid in my mind. I can honestly say it was one of the best meals I have had ever and would wholeheartedly recommend that others make the short trip out to Pocantico Hills, NY for this rustic culinary retreat. 

Blue Hill is located on a former dairy barn on the Rockefeller estate. Guests can make their way across the grounds to a gift shop and small garden before entering the restaurant. If you have a lot of time to spare, and if you can stomach it, you can tour the nearby farm and meet the healthy, happy pigs and other livestock who will probably make their way onto your plate relatively soon. The main dining area of Blue Hill is very modern yet comfortable. The warm earth tones and clean, crisp white linens evoke the interior of a high-end Hamptons country home. As soon as you are seated, the professional and courteous wait staff will provide you with the drinks menu. 

There really is no permanent menu at Blue Hill. Instead, the seasonal produce serves as an inspiration for the day's offering. You have an option of choosing from a 5-, 8- or 12-course Farmer's Feast tasting menu. And don't take the number of courses literally. There are so many in-between courses that add up to a long and satisfying dining experience. In terms of seasoning, The style of cuisine isn't anything complicated or fancy. It's simply fresh produce and protein prepared in an elevated form. Does seasonal food sourced from local farms make such a huge difference in how things taste? I think it does, since there really are no bells and whistles to the preparation. 

Here are some pictures of our meal. I think each photo speaks for itself--what you see it what you get, except even better than what you expected.

Pleasingly Plump at the Fat Radish

Where do girls with an Alexander Wang aesthetic who have Grimes on repeat go for brunch? You can find them at Fat Radish, an exquisitely hipster farm-to-table neighborhood spot that momentarily transports you to a table next to Keira Knightly in charming Marylebone, London.

There are specials written in fat white letters up on a mirror along the wall. We decided to try the salmon crostini, which came on a gray slate topped with 4 pieces of smoked salmon on light, creamy marscapone cheese placed on half slices of 7-grain toast, accompanied with capers and chives. Certainly a delicious and refined rendition of smoked salmon on lox.

Since we felt like we were in merry old England, how could we not order the Full English Breakfast, a hearty platter of eggs, baked beans, bacon and sausage. How quintessentially English! For a lighter option, we also ordered the Avocado and 7-Grain Toast with Spicy Eggs. Creamy avocado on top of toast, perfect for sopping up poached eggs lightly drizzled in a spicy sauce.

A trip to the UK will cost you a pretty penny, but spending some quality time with friends over French pressed coffee and eggs at Fat Radish is a far more affordable option. Enjoy the country chic surroundings and the attractive scene while feeling pleasantly full at the Fat Radish.

I've Got Mono+Mono Fried Chicken Fever!

A colleague of mine told me to check out a Korean friend chicken joint called Mono+Mono in my neck of the woods. I didn't think much of it. I'm not a big fried chicken person in general, and I've already tried Bon Chon and all the other big Korean fried chicken places, so I was in no big hurry to go to Mono+Mono.

It's Saturday night and cold, and we decide to do something low key in the neighborhood. We decide upon Mono+Mono. I can say this is one of the most interesting restaurants I've ever been to.

First of all, in the East Village, an area full of small, off-the-beaten-path scrappy restaurants, i was struck by how big the Mono+Mono space was. It certainly felt like it was intended to be an actual jazz music venue. There are literally shelves of old jazz records everywhere, and interesting kitschy touches like a piano and DJ booth (an actual person is manning it) accent the interior. With the dark, jazzy speakeasy vibe, you expect to see Mad Men waitstaff running the place, but it's actually well-dressed Korean personnel taking your order. It's very strange in a wonderful and cool way. Mad Men meets Korean pub gangnam cool.

For food, we of course tried a medium order of the chicken wings w/soy garlic, the kimchee fried brown rice and the crispy pork buns. The meal reminded me of Side Street Inn in Honolulu, except a tad more refined. The fried chicken was good. The skin was so crispy and not greasy--the Top Chef judges would have loved this entry in last week's fried chicken challenge. Although I have to say I wish there were a little more seasoning and taste to the fried chicken. Like with Bon Chon's chicken, you can taste the savory of the soy sauce with a little garlic and some sweetness mixed in, but Mono+Mono's did not have these same awesome combination of sensory flavors going on at once. The kimchee fried rice was outstanding--flavorful rice, not too greasy, with a bit of a spicy kick to it. I wish the order were a bit larger, since we scarfed that down. The pork buns were edible, but you know what, Momofuku's pork buns will be the standard by which others will be judged, and it was not close. It felt like someone fried pork buns and put a bit of fatty pork belly in between. There was no seasoning to make it a cohesive, memorable pork bun sandwich that you wanted more of, but it was acceptable.

We ordered a bottle of fruit-infused soju, blueberry in fact, to accompany our meal. The small bottle is pretty generous and lasts the whole meal and cuts some of the grease in all the fried goodness. Mono+Mono has good, lively energy with elevated comfort foods, so I'm glad this is in the neighborhood and will definitely make another visit.  

Mono+Mono
116 E. 4th Street
Rating (out of 5 stars):***
Style: Asian Pub Food Meets Mad Men Speakeasy
Prices: $8-$22 for entrees, $7-$11 for appetizers, $10-$20 for drinks
Summary: Tasty Korean comfort foods like fried chicken, pa-jeon and fried rice in a former, atmospheric jazz club. A lively neighborhood spot worth several repeat visits.

All Good Things...on Franklin Street

I work in Tribeca, so normally when I walk the streets, it's usually on a mission to quickly grab lunch and head back to work asap. On a day when I had more time, I decided to walk off the beaten path, and came across an inviting storefront with the prettiest display of flowers. I popped my head inside, and found a curious artisanal farmers market inside. Flowers, fresh bread, coffee, ice cream, fresh meat stands in a serene greenmarket haven. 

When I first stumbled upon this store, the signage wasn't available yet, but a few weeks later I walked by again and saw "All Good Things" hanging above the entrance. 

(Photo courtesy of seriouseats.com)

Today I tried the coffee at Blue Bottle--I'm not that adventurous of a coffee drinker, I go for regular black drip coffee, nothing fancy. Coffee here is $2.90 a cup, almost a dollar above. my reservation price of $2 a cup, so I wouldn't make a trip to All Good Things a daily habit, but the coffee is certainly richer and deeper in taste without being bitter like Starbucks' original blend.

I like walking through here. It's a nice respite from all the hustle and flow outside. I'll have to try the baked goods and ice cream next time, the displays are always so tempting!

 

All Good Things

102 Franklin St.
Summary: Brooklyn artisanal hipsterism nestled in downtown NYC.

Grab Some Noosa Yogurt

It's amazing how yogurts have evolved over the past decade. Before, yogurt used to be some creamy, Yoplait type concoctions with a bunch of gelatinous fruit preserves on the bottom. Now yogurt comes in so many forms. You still have the Yoplaits and Dannons on the shelves, but now the thick Greek yogurts are serious contenders, and if you don't even like dairy you can grab some coconut- or almond-milk based yogurt on the shelf.

My tastes have "matured" from fruit-on-the-bottom to the thicker Chobanis and Fages. I have to admit, though, sometimes mixing 0% Fage with honey or blueberries leaves me wanting. Like, this is tasty in a healthy way, but what I really want is one of those super creamy yogurt pots from Pret.

Just when I thought I couldn't have it all, I stumbled upon a brand called Noosa Yoghurt. Of all places, we discovered it in Denver, Colorado, not the first city you think of that would distribute and stock "aussie-style yoghurt." Honestly, if you go to their website, there's a logo that says "Aussie Culture * Colorado Fresh." Australian-style yogurt made in Colorado, like how does that even make sense. But it does. When you eat it, you feel like you're eating a creamier panna cotta with premium ingredients. I'm partial to the strawberry rhubarb and blueberry fruit fillings.

Unfortunately, not a lot of places in NYC stock Colorado-made Aussie yogurt. Gourmet Garage in Soho is the only place I've been to that stocks it. Kind of a trek to get to but totally worth it.

A yogurt that tastes this good is...so not low in fat...but we all have to live a little.