wannabechef

Thanks FG. this is great stuff.

And even stranger, the photo on the review itself shows a picture of the restaurant, with stacks of wood in the foreground. So in a review that seems to be complaining about the lack of wood, a photo accompanies with a pile of wood front and center. Weird. One other question...I understand and agree with the whole idea of saying "this is good que for NYC. we should be happy to have it, etc, etc." That is totally valid and I wholeheartedly agree. But that being said, I don't think we should let them off so easily when reviewing just because it happens to be in NYC. Correct me if I'm wrong, but is there any sort of physical handicap to being located in NYC? Is there any reason why Dino, or any other BBQ place here, can't be as good as the best places throughout the South? I love Dino and am going back asap. But I'm also a traditionalist and have faith that NYC has (or could potentially have) the best of any cusine. I've had better falafel here than anything I've had in the Middle East. Why can't I have BBQ as good as any in North Carolina? Is it just a matter of having knowledgeable people come and open places here?

I wanted to post this in a seperate reply. Saw this review of Dino in the Voice. http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0452/sietsema.php Not a very glowing review: I'm curious to hear some responses to this review from some of the 'cue experts here. ~WBC

Made it to Dino last night with a party of 4. Was shocked when we walked in the door. 8:30 on a Wed night - and we were told there was a 1.5-2 hour wait! The place was bustling. We decided to put our name down and wait by the bar area to see if a table there would open up. Sure enough, about 15 minutes later, a group got up from a bar table and we pounced. Don't really see why theres a difference of seating here. Even in that area there was wait service too. I guess its just a matter of having a chair with a back, or a stool. We didn't care in any case. We just wanted some BBQ! We started off with an order of wings. Half garlic-chipotle (hot), half of the honey one (mild). During our wing order was the first time I got annoyed a bit by our waitress. We wanted the wango tango but she started insisting that the garlic chipotle was her favorite. This set off some ordering confusion within my party and we ended up not even getting what we originally ordered. Kind of frustrating. In any case, the wings were stellar. They were also gone in under 2 minutes. Perfectly cooked, tender, and a bit saucy - which didn't bother me. The blue cheese dip was also very good. For the main course, my friend and I did a little splitting. We shared a 3/4 rack ribs, and the big ass (pulled) pork plate. I'm not a BBQ professional (have tried Nashville BBQ once) but according to my taste buds, both of these were incredible. I was very impressed with the pulled pork. There were some nice crunchy/chewey bits in there, and it wasn't overly sauced. The same goes for the ribs. My only criticism of the ribs would be that there possibly TOO tender, if thats possible. When I would cut one from the rack, it almost pulled all the meat off both adjoining ribs. The taste was great though. I happen to like Dino's sauce, although it is slightly sweet, and I added a little bit more to my ribs. Is this considered sacrilidge to some? As for sides, I got the iceberg wedge and the salt potatoes. Potatoes were great, but I think they messed up the wedge. I thought it was supposed to have blue cheese dressing but it looked like they put some kind of russian dressing on. Sharing those two dishes with my friend was plenty to fill me up - and came to $16 each - which is great value IMO. There is also a pulled pork/rib combo which is $13.00 but has slightly less food. We were all stuffed by the end. This brings us to desert, and the next service annoyance. We were simply too full for desert. When our waitress came to ask us if we were interested, we said no thanks. She then said "Are you sure?" and proceed to read them off anyway. Although hearing the deserts did make it extremely tempting, we just didn't want them. Then she practically begged us to get desert. Suggesting that we could all share one if we want. I never saw anything like it. We persisted, and she finally backed down. It was like a war of wills. So all in all it was a great meal. I will definately return and try the brisket, and save room for desert. Oh, one other thing regarding wait times. I think that maybe they are not yet good at predicting wait times or something. About 15 minutes after we sat down (about 9pm then), the place suddenly just cleared out. Almost the whole bar area was empty and there were many empty seats in the restaurant. Thats after she told us at 8:30 that the wait could be 2 hours. ~WBC

Thanks for the report! Have you been to DiFaras? Is there any comparison to be made here?

Good points Sam. I was wondering, have you tried Nicks in Forest Hills? I'm curious to hear what you think - because its "old school" style in a new place. I also think their crust is superb. Perfect amount of char. One thing I noticed about their crust, and I'm not sure of the reason: it seems to hold up extremely well as the pizza cools. For example, something I noticed at my last two trips to Grimaldis and Lombardis. After cooling for a few minutes, the crust gets soggy and chewey to the point where its actually tiring to chew! This symptom caused me to basically take those two places off my "list" so to say. However at Nicks, the crust stayed perfect until the last slice. Do you know could cause this? Is it moisture in the dough? I haven't been to Patsys yet, but after hearing so much talk about it on these threads I guess I have to go see what its all about. Another destination in my mind is a trip up to New Haven. Haven't been in years. Any thoughts on those places compared to our NYC places? ~WBC

I guess you're asking... have the "old school" places gone downhill from their old days, or are they being surpassed by the artisinal places opening up now? I'm not old enough to remember Totonnos, Lombardis, etc back when they first opened so I guess I'm not really in a position to judge - but I would be interested to hear from people who've eaten at these places in their hayday. Totonnos may not being using the gourmet ingredients as Franny's etc, but that doesn't necessarily prevent their pizza from being superior. I'm only talking about the plain pie now - when you throw toppings into the mix that can change everything. But as far as the crust goes for instance, its basically flour, water and yeast. What can be gourmet there? Some argue that the key to those old school places is in the pipes. Guess thats a whole discussion on its own! If they make their own sauce from fresh or high quality tomatoes, and even make their own cheese, what else is left really? I just have a bit of beef with these new places opening up. From a plain pie perspective, ingredients-wise, what do they have over old school places? I think it boils down to recipe, technique, and procedure (oven, rising, etc) - and those things shouldn't be making the price of the pizza so much higher. Of course theres the supply-demand thing, rent/location, etc to consider as well.

What other places did you try?

I've never had a bad pie at Totonnos in Bklyn. Each of the 3 basic ingredients were perfect every time. I'd also like to put my .02 in for Nick's in Forest Hills. While not "old school" I think this is up there with the rest of the top places - in fact better than all I've tried except possibly Totonnos and Di Faras (although I put Di Faras in its own category - can't really be directly compared to the coal oven places IMO). Also, I know you love Franny's. I tried it a few months ago. It was very good - but I was underwelmed. Especially for that price. ~WBC

Seth, I'm with you man. I haven't tried Doughnut Plant yet - but I want to just to see what all the hub-bub is about. I also saw that article about the jelly doughnut and it made it sound great. Now that you've confirmed it's officially on my "list". On a sort of related side-note, I had an exact same reaction as you when I tried the Peanut Butter & Co. place in the village a few years ago. I felt totally ripped. I paid close to $7 for a peanut butter sandwich with honey and banannas on stale white bread. Peanut butter was OK, but exactly the same thing you'd find in a health-food store. Just ground peanuts (and sometimes salt). Why $7?? I make a better sandwich at home for under $1. These places are just gimmicks. ~WBC

A restaurant that's been around since 1885 probably can't be considered obscure. In Zagat, it's tied for 11th among steakhouses, with a food rating of 23. ← Heh. Definately true. Thats why I can never understand how Keen's so often slips under the radar of great NYC steakhouse lists.

Don't know if I would use the word obscure, but I can't believe nobody has mentioned Keane's. I happen to love this place. A real old New York feel, great food and great service. The mutton chop is the star but the steaks are excellent as well. Does anyone know if these are "dry-aged" or "wet-aged"? (their website says DRY) http://www.keenssteakhouse.com/ ~WBC

Ok, here's a question. Whats the preferred method for best possible turkey: a) Buy a non-kosher turkey and brine yourself b) Buy a kosher turkey and don't brine at all c) Buy a kosher turkey and brine (with some possible modifications) Is the brining process for koshering the same exact procedure thats recomended for self-brining? Starting last year I heard all the hubub about brining round here and was excited to try myself this year. But then I hear that the kosher turkey are already brined. We've been using kosher turkeys forever and I never found them to be anything spectacular in comparison with non kosher. Anyway, my family is somewhat kosher so I'm stuck with using a kosher turkey no matter what. I guess I want to know if its worth brining it anyway it some form and how that will improve it.

Ok, I tried Resek's flesh-side down approach last night with some Chilean Sea Bass filets. Don't know how much it had to do with starting flesh side down, but they came out fantastic. I oiled the pan a bit with some grapeseed oil spray that I found. Let it heat up about a minute and then added the fish. The filets I had were thick and narrow, about 2 inches - so I actually cooked the sides a bit as well to make sure it cooked through. I don't think you can really overcook Chilean sea bass, can you? Also, i didn't oil the fish at all -only the pan. The only thing I noticed was that I ended up with a bit more oil in the pan than anticpated. I had a lot of smoking at splatter. I think esp with the nonstick, I don't need that much oil. The fish had a nice brown crust on all sides and the skin was nice and crispy. The only seasoning I used was salt, pepper, lemon juice and fresh parsley. Next time I'm going to try with Salmon. Thanks for all the help. ~WBC

Thanks a lot! I really appreciate the advice! I'm curious, is there a specific reason for starting flesh-side down? I'm going to try this method tonight. I'm not sure if my non-stick calphalon is oven safe. I know its not broiler safe though. I'll have to check. Edited to add: Whats the consensus as far as coasting the fish before hand with any type of oil? I usually coat it with olive oil, salt and pepper. Is that unecessary?

I need some advice for a quick fish-fry - or maybe I mean sear. I'm not sure what I want actually. I'm trying to figure out the best, fastest, and healthies way to cook up a fish filet to throw on top of a salad for a quick and easy after-work dinner. A while ago I first tried with a Salmon filet - used my Calphalon non-stick pan with a little bit of olive oil. The thing fell apart when I tried to flip it The next attempt was in my stainless steel pan. I coated the fish with olive oil, salt and pepper. Cooked on med-high heat with a little butter in the pan for a few minutes, and then transfered the whole thing to the broiler to finish it off in the pan. Drizzeled with lemon juice when it came out. That was pretty good but had some sticking problems - esp with the skin. A cook friend of mine recomended using clarified butter instead due to the higher burning point. So, after reading this thread I picked up some grapeseed oil. How do these different oils/fats affect the final product? is it better to do the whole thing in the pan with flipping, or is utilizing the broiler a good way to go? I continue to have sticking problems whenever I use the stainless pan, but my nonstick can't go in the broiler. I'm open to any and all suggestions! Including variations on my seasoning, etc. Thanks! ~WBC

I don't think that Godiva is necessarily BAD chocolate. It's more that it's extremely overpriced, better-than-average chocolate. I just got pissed paying $4 for a tiny peanut butter cup. Even the $1.75 truffle was overpriced. I know that there are countless chocolatiers (I'm lucky I live in NYC) in which I could purchase far superior chocolate for the same or slightly higher price.

Yeah, he said that the steak for 2 wasn't the entire porterhouse cut - that the you had to have a steak for 3 for that. Otherwise you're missing out on some parts. He recomended that cut to a party of 4 by the way. Like I said, I have no idea how much validity there is to this. I'm only relaying what I was told.

I'm sure other more experienced "Lugar-heads" will be able to respond more accurately, but I was once told by a waiter that the best cut is the steak for 3. That's all I've ever gotten there so I can't compare - but the steak for 3 has always been great .

I had to resurect this thread in order to vent about my lunchtime Godiva purchase today There's a Godiva in my building, and I saw a sign in the window that said "fresh peanut butter cups made here daily". Well, I'm a sucker for peanut butter - and even more for the peanutbutter and chocolate combo so I stopped in. I picked up one of those - and one of their extra dark 72% truffles. The price for these (2) items came to $6.50! I was floored. The truffle was 1.75, which I guess is normal. But the peanut butter thing was $4! For ONE, smaller-than-reeses piece of candy. I didn't say anything b/c I just had to taste these to see if it could possibly be worth the money. I say this with no exaggeration whatsoever, Reeses is better! The chocolate had almost no cocoa in it, and there was barely any peanut butter. So utterly disappointing. The truffle was much better, but still nothing special. I prefer the Lindt 65% chocolate much better. It's fruitier, and tastes much more natural and rich than the Godiva. So, this just confirms what I thought all along. Godiva is nothing more than a giant, fake, rip off. But, thats just my opinion.

I wasn't able to make it on this trip but I've been to L&B a number of times. Each time I go back I like it less and less. One clincher - and maybe this is partly mental - I was watching a FoodTV special and L&B was featured. I think Mario Batali was there. He was in the kitchen filming them making the pies. I couldn't believe my eyes when they proceeded to cut open a giant can of generic looking "pizza sauce" and lather it on the pie. So, as it turns out, L&B uses a canned sauce for their pizza. People can judge this however they want, but it caused them to sink pretty low in my mind. I wonder if it always used to be that way there and if not, when did it change? ~WBC Edited to add: One other side note- has anyone here sampled any of the lunchtime pizza trucks around the city? I have tried two - one downtown and one in midtown (47th and Park) and IMO they are phenomenal. They are similar to L&B in that the cheese is under the sauce, but they are thin crusted pizza and have fresh basil leaves on top. This is great pizza and if you ever pass one by be sure to pick up a slice or two.

Great review! I have to put my tounge back in my mouth now!

For breakfast - I remember Lost Dog cafe being the best non-diner breakfast in town. For standard diner fare - we used to go to Chris's diner off either Court St. or Main St. There is also a diner which is right on the river - the food wasn't anything special - but the view was pretty good (for Binghamton). At the diners be prepared to shell out $2.50 for the 2 eggs, home fries, toast, coffee and juice special!

docsconz - if you're goin to a Mets game you're in luck. You must check this place out. Now its been about 4 or 5 years so I can't guarantee its still there - but its a famous (or should i say infamouse) burger place across the st from the stadium called ZOPS. Go and get a Zop Burger. Go with an empty stomach. You wont' be sorry. Make sure you let me know if you go. Besides that, I hate to say but the pickin's are slim. Try to find the spiedie and rib pit. They have the best spiedies in town (thats not saying much). Every spiedie I had in Binghamton was just some pieces of dried out white meat with a vinegary sauce. I never cared for them - but Spiedie and Rib Pit was passable. As far as ethnic foods....I can almost give a resounding no - unless things have changed greatly since I was there. I went to school in Bingo and its practically a culinary wasteland. I'll try to think of more places tonight. ~WBC aka Wayne

FG - I'm wondering - what are you thoughts on the impact of serving the whole hog on top of the cole slaw? Is that also what they would do "on-site" in NC? I felt that the coleslaw juices intermingled a bit too much with the meat and overpowered it. I would've liked it either directly on the bread, or a seperate side container of slaw - like how the beans were served.