johnnyd

Pork belly, rubbed with S&P, sugar and 5 spice, cooked low and slow for 6 hours, in a ginger chx stock with udon. Mmmm....

No, go ahead and serve them. Not everybody cares how they look. Besides, maybe their regular shucker wasn't there. The guys at Scales know their stuff though, and Scales share owners of Fore St

Really great report, weinoo! Bad oyster shucking should be a hanging offense. Clams get no respect most of the time too. I worked in 3 oyster bars - the last one I owned - and have shucked thousands. The trick with clams is using a flat, wide blade so you can bend it against the shell, keeping the meats intact. If I'm served either that have been hacked to bits the tip goes way down. I see the Fore St gift certificate I've hung onto since before the pandemic won't buy as much as I thought.

Newish place off the Eastern Prom, called "Helm". Elegant oyster bar and great wine list. Found out about it from here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CrHSJfzrn2A/

It's definitely curious. The flesh is quite firm, and the skin is hard like fiberglass. I carefully cut it off before poaching in 1/4 cup each of water, shiaoxing, and soy sauce. In retrospect, I'd half the soy next time.

Opah doesn't come around very often. Here's a 1/3lb slab simmered in Siaoxing, soy sauce, garnished with thai basil, cilantro and togarashi.

You are right, Sir! I suppose it had been such a whirlwind this weekend I neglected to account for the extra blocks North. My wife and I had so much fun. We got all delusional about buying a pied a terre somewhere midtown, but I've run out of children to sell...

Pete Wells was lukewarm on a handful of vendors too, probably because things like satays were straightforward instead of going to eleven. He ends his article with a positive vibe, and says "But it could be amazing." We were there as the lunch crowd began surging, but before that, most occupied tables seated Asian patrons, which to me, is a vote of confidence. Honestly, if we didn't have a flight out, we'd've been there all day.

Back from a conference in NYC yesterday, where before our flight we had the chance to check out Urban Hawker which I read about in the NYTimes in January. Developed by KF Seetoh, Tony Bourdain's partner in his multi-ethnic street food project for the old Fulton Street pier fish market. As veterans here probably already know, things got complicated and then Tony checked out, but Mr. Seetoh kept at it. A pared down version of AB's vision focusing on just Singapore street-food 'hawkers', who had been cleared out of Singapore streets in an effort to polish the city for foreigners - I think some have been allowed to return after fierce citizen lobbying. Located in a indoor concourse between 50th and 51st St. near 7th Ave, Mr. Seetoh invited existing and semi-retired Singapore street chefs to participate and they opened in September 2022. My wife and I eagerly explored the ~17 vendors there and settled on sharing two dishes and an amazing Singaporean coffee for dessert. Since it was just after opening, not everyone was set up, but these guys at Dim Sum Darling were ready to go. Happy to honor the crew recommendations, we had the Meat Supreme, represented convincingly by the ubiquitous food sculpturing on the far right. Would we like to add marinated shitake mushrooms? Say no more. How about a hard-boiled egg, (which I suspect, was simmered in mirin/soy)? Why, yes, yes we would. Fish cakes, seasoned ground pork, cabbage hide the dumplings nestled in thin vermicelli in an amazing broth. Served with a bit of XO and chili sauce. About $20. (Far and away the best meal we had in NYC over our two-night stay). I'd have this for breakfast every day. The Sling Bar, serving seasonal gin-based cocktails and Singaporean twists on classics. Not even noon so they were quiet. The bar is at the entrance on the 51st St side, right across the street from Le Bernardin Next, we had the highly popular Singapore Hainanese chicken rice, at Hainan Jones (see row of hanging chicken above). These guys were the only ones with a form-a-line tape divider, and the staff was cranking, and it's just Tuesday. They handle a brisk call-ahead crowd too. Our order was ready in about 90 seconds... Available fried, roasted or poached, we chose poached as suggested by Pete Wells in his NYT review. We ordered a side of tofu. A thickish, soy/hoisin/maybeblackvinegar condiment electrified the dish. Chinese broccoli was perfectly steamed. Both of our dishes featured liberal scatterings of fried shallots. It was time to start our walk to Port Authority so we got a kopi from Kopifellas, dark-roasted coffee brewed in a sock and steamed with Evaporated ('for the cream') and condensed ('for the sweet') milk. It was delicious. While my wife watched the capable crew concoct our brew, a lady struck up a conversation. She was an event planner from mid-town and had come to check it all out. "Wait. You're here from Maine, and I've only heard about this place yesterday?!" Indeed, I'm a little bewildered our esteemed NYC members haven't mentioned this jewel box near Times Square, but as a former New Yorker, I understand the appeal of avoiding the area. We have been exactly nowhere for four years (obligatory holidays at in-laws outside of Boston don't count) so a whirlwind two nights in Times Square when our annual industry conference resumed was just what we needed. There are many, many other dishes here we have to come back and try - Mr. Wells covers quite a few in the NYT review above. (Alternative review without paywall in Thrillist.com) For our first step into the post-pandemic (so far) travel milieu, this was a home run. Do visit soon. Post your reviews in this thread if you like. Cheers, JohnnyD

Yellowfin Tuna for Lunch, this time with leftover Yam Nua dressing

Local scallops and heirloom fingerlings, sauteed in sage butter. Amazing...

Really good! Tasted like a true classic. We had no bean sprouts, so next time. We used what we had, rice noodles poached for about three minutes. Half went into the fridge for something else later, but the book said the hardening was due to starch that crystalizes. He recommended spreading the fridged noodles on a plate with a mug of hot water and microwaving for a few seconds at a time. I suppose making a nice soup would take care of it too. My wife thought of Crazy Rich Asians because I was reading the book aloud while she crafted, then made dinner. She thought of the street-food vendors the kids visit when their plane touches down in Singapore, so we put it on. Probably my favorite scene! Speaking of which, who has been to Urban Hawker NYC at 50th street? Bourdain's old partner for that big street food pier project started working on this after Tony died and it opened 9/22. He flew in street food vendors from Singapore to run it. I'll be there end of March to check it out. https://www.urbanhawker.com/

Valentine's Day is my birthday, and my Valentine gave me this masterpiece. I buried my head in it for three hours then made a big batch of Chow Fun, and watched Crazy Rich Asians.

It's 3°F and blowing 20 knot wind, so we made <drumroll> Cassoulet!

Yes, Ma'am. Pickled daikon (yellow), and those expensive skinny carrots too.

More Yellowfin tuna. Seared in coconut oil, with tsukemono and house made ponzu

My family lived in the Algarve for 20 years. Our cozidos had fewer ingredients and not very complicated. Brisket, pork hocks, potatoes, cabbage, onions, carrots, chouriço sausages and a bay leaf, I think. Simmer together all morning and ladle into bowls for lunch, salad w/vinaigrette, lots of red wine, local cheese and figs from our tree for dessert.

The book "Real Stew" by Clifford Wright features the story of "Son of a bitch in a sack", actually "Texas Red", LBJ's favorite dish. It's a chili without beans or tomatoes, which were too heavy to carry on the cattle drives, so it's mainly dried chilies and spices. We don't make chili any other way now. This recipe is close: https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/true-texas-chili-355049

Skirt steak tacos with homemade chimichurri and red cabbage slaw

Reheated chicken thigh with white wine/garlic vinaigrette. Our current go-to: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/01/magazine/chicken-in-a-pot-recipe.html In a stunning coincidence, 1/3 of my clients all got married last week, so the light schedule has allowed me to hang in my kitchen more.

8oz Jonah crabmeat fell out of the freezer and cracked open, so, crab cakes it is!

We have a little Iraqi bakery and deli we visit every couple of months...

Beef & Mushroom leftovers

Halibut in olive oil and a bit of Riesling, garden herbs

I found a 12" bamboo steamer at a yard sale a couple decades ago. A ticket on it's carrying bag said it was made in 1982. I always put it in an inch of water in an old enamel lobster pot and it finally unraveled. I just got this 10" model today from Amazon and it's already upped my game: a steaming ring fits my carbon steel wok perfectly...