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tcavallo

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Everything posted by tcavallo

  1. The GF and I were just discussing the state of ice cream in NYC. Why are there no good soft-serve spots in the city? Like the kind that are in every hood upstate, with decent, middle-of-the road soft serve, chocolate, vanilla, or swirl, and black raspberry, often swirled with another flavor as well... Our theory is that Mr. Softee and Tasti-D-Lite (both horrible and not in any way related to real ice cream in my opinion) have the market cornered on this front. What do you think? Where can I get soft-serve Black Raspberry ICE CREAM (not yogurt or whatever the hell Tasti-D-Lite is)???
  2. tcavallo

    Steak at home

    Just wanted to add a recent home triumph with two 3lb. (each!) 2.5" thick Lobel's porterhouses. Gas grill, half on HIGH half on low Liberally salted and judiciously peppered the steaks Brushed butter on side one and threw them over high heat for 4 minutes Brushed butter on side two before flipping, 4 more minutes on high Moved the steaks to the rack above the low side, turned the HIGH side down, closed the lid, and let them cook at 350 or so for another 7-10 minutes (was going on feel, didn't watch the clock too closely) Perfectly charred (to my liking) and on the rare side of medium-rare in the middle... I might do them a little thinner next time, but damn were they good. My question is, where can I get beef that good that doesn't cost more than it would fully prepared at a steakhouse??? I am going to try Paisano's and Staubitz(Sp?) in my hood in Brooklyn and report back.
  3. Has anyone been back recently? I go whenever I can and I have to say, the round pies are remarkably close these days. I was fortunate enough to get a little info from Dom's daughter when I was there last. It sounds like they finnaly have 2 "pizza guys" who are making the pies consistently now, and Dom's son comes in and does it on the weekends. It's true that Dom hasn't given much support, but the funniest thing I heard was that Dom DID used to let the kids make the pies at DiFara's!!! Up until about 5 years ago when word really got out about the place, he wasn't such a showman. Now since he's "the man," he doesn't let anyone else interfere. Gotta love that. Anyway, just want to say that everyone should check it out again, if it's slipped your mind.
  4. I must say Bouchon in Vegas truly disappointed me with their brunch... timing was all off (why bring me my pastry but make me wait 10 more minutes for my coffee? all while my brother has nearly finished his fruit and yogurt, which was supposed to be his main course) and the fries with my "Breakfast Americain" were cold and stiff. I have yet to convince someone to take me to Per Se, so I haven't had the full Keller experience, and I have read so much good press on Bouchon (even Tony liked it!) that I am eager to give them a second chance in nyc. Oh, the aforementioned pastry was the best pain au chocolat I have ever eaten, which is another reason I want to see if they can come through with the whole experience next time.
  5. Funny, on Gothamist there is a discussion about how the water has been tasting MORE "chlorine-y" after the snow. I haven't tasted any... we have Poland Spring in the office and I Brita at home. Maybe if I'm feeling experimental... blind tasting with the gf tonight.
  6. OK so i spent my first year in NYC living a block from Mamoun's, so I was raised on their falafel, though for a time I defected to Ali Baba across the street (the counter guy who so skillfully assembled one of the best sandwiches I remember eating left to become an engineer, no joke, and the replacements just never got it right). That said, Mamoun's still does it right, and their hot sauce is killer. The hot sauce is an important part of the falafel experience for me, and I can't abide a place that passes off bottled sauce as acceptable. I have been having great experiences at Chickpea, though their falafel is a bit more "haute" than the Mamoun's classic, and would definitely recommend it. I live in downtown BK now, and I do love the food at Waterfalls, but I usually get a platter and not a sandwich, so though I love their falafel, I can't comment on it in sandwich form. Finally, my main man Ali at Kebab Cafe in Astoria, makes the most amazing sandwich I have had to date. Perfect falafel, perfect hummus, slivered apples, fresh greens. The man's a genius, and supposedly trained at the CIA. Go now!
  7. tcavallo

    Goodburger

    Yeah I love Angelo's for pizza too, though that may be because I always get mine for free. My bro and I are planning to hit Goodburger for lunch tomorrow, I'll let you know what I think. Apparently the owner spent a while hitting up all the West Coast burger chains for ideas/inspiration(Fat Burger, In'n'Out, Jack-in-the-Box, Carl's Jr. etc.) Hopefully they do it right... I love a good In'n'Out Double-Double Animal Style when I can get out west. I think the always fresh/never frozen beef, hand torn preservative-free lettuce, and fresh preservative-free buns are an idea to run with... i loved the concept did anyone eat there? angelos on 57th was a fave when i lived in the city, when you ask for extra grated cheese for a couple bucks they put half a pound of parmesan. great stuff! ←
  8. tcavallo

    Goodburger

    I just got the inside scoop. My brother waits tables at Angelo's Pizza (the new one under the Ed Sullivan Theater), and he informed me that the owners (they own the three Angelo's and a number of the Patsy's in the city) are opening a burger place. Yes it is called Goodburger, like the movie. You know. With Keenan and Kel. Come on I know you saw it. Sinbad was in it too... and Abe Vigoda. Classic. Anyway, he tells me they are even using the "Home of the Goodburger" slogan.
  9. I'll put in for Kebab Cafe in Astoria as my favorite Falafel... the man is a genuis... I am sure his shawarma is good as well. Also, the Tony Luke's transplant on 9th does make a helluva roast pork italian, though I haven't had their cheesesteak.
  10. Hmm... I ate there about two weeks ago, the were crowded and there was a private party in the back. My friends live around the corner, I'll ask tonight. t
  11. Yeah it's almond cookie and its great. I am a big fan of that one and the green tea.
  12. Has anybody been to Angelo's on W57th Street? My brother just moved to the city and got a server job there almost the same day. I read that it is coal fired and pretty good, if expensive. I'll be headed up there soon to check it out I'm sure.
  13. I also still get tiramisu whenever I can, but that's because I was vegan throughout much of the '90s. And I will confess to making a fondue or two in the last month. Hell, what beats melted cheese?
  14. Well I live right between this place and the Brawta on Atlantic, and there are a few other places in the area I've been meaning to try... Perhaps I will do a Patty-crawl some night this week. I'll let you know if it's worth the trek out to Brooklyn, Emma. Isn't it always, though?
  15. Well, since we're talking about it, did anyone here happen to grab the full set they had for $25 (YES $25!!) at the James Beard House cookbook sale? I had to take a train back to Brooklyn and didn't feel like lugging them, and since I already had 6 at home I just grabbed 10 more of the "loosies" for a dollar each to add to my collection. Great books all, and only slightly outmoded in certain areas. Get 'em when you can find 'em and eBay the rest.
  16. tcavallo

    Butchery

    From what I gather, the problem is the drop in production and rise in price of prime beef. In the sixties, about 6-7% of beef produced was prime, around 70% was choice, and around 15% was select. Today only about 3% is prime, 57% is choice, and a whopping 39% is select. You used to be able to buy prime in a regular grocery store. Now its rarely labeled (usually select) or labeled "choice" as if that were the best grade. Or it may just have some BS "GRADE A+++ BLACK ANGUS SUPER GOOD ALL NATURAL" label. The beef industry has been raising its cows to be as large as possible, as well, I don't know how this affects beef quality, but judging from the numbers, it can't be good. I think I may also have read somewhere that over the years the criteria for grading have gone downhill, requiring less marbling to get a higher grade. What it all boils down to is that they ARE selling lesser quality meat these days, all over the place, and you have to pay out the nose for the good stuff. Oh, and I just started eating meat recently, so you can take all this with a grain of salt.
  17. tcavallo

    Simple pleasures.

    Hmmm... theres always a salami or soprasetta and at least 4 cheeses in my fridge... roasted peppers if I've made some that week, and crackers/toasts of some sort.
  18. Oddly enough, my starting points were that same Steingarten book and the Les Halles Cookbook. Results so far have been acceptable with soybean oil (the only oil I could find in gallons at the supermarket). I have been spending a lot of time in Chinatown lately, and I didn't even think of checking with the larger grocers there. 1.8 L for $8 is slightly better than $5 for whatever those little Planters bottles hold in most stores. I want to get a steady supply of peanut oil, then get the temps and times down, then start working with different potatoes. I'll let you know if I make any discoveries. And the lard... I nearly forgot!
  19. I have recently started deep frying, concentrating primarily on creating the perfect french fry at home. I never noticed before, but its damn hard to buy large quantities of oil in NYC. I am looking mostly for peanut oil. Does anyone know of a good source? I was hoping Freshdirect would offer things like that, as the prospect of carrying multiple gallons of oil home doesn't sound all that fun, but they don't seem to do much in bulk.
  20. Well I'll add my story here, since I have mentioned my conversion from time to time. I was vegan for nearly 9 years. I was fortunate in that I was able to do a lot of traveling in my formative years. Even then much of it centered around the food to be eaten; I often went well out of my way to eat at every vegetarian/vegan restaurant I could in a city. I never felt that I was missing out at the time, but as I grew older and got more "into" food, both cooking and eating, I started to realize the limits of the diet. It became especially trying to travel, not only because of the difficulty of maintaining the diet, but also because I knew I couldn't fully experience or appreciate the culture of a place without experiencing the food... all of it. Somewhere along the line there must have been a shift in values, but I couldn't really say exactly when I changed my mind. I must confess that reading Tony Bourdain and his rants against veganism had some effect. It was in Iceland this past Spring that I started slipping a bit, and though I had to ease myself into it, by October I was roasting chickens almost weekly, not to mention adventuring into organ meats and the like. I must say that while I still respect vegetarianism and veganism, the world of cuisine that has opened up to me since removing my dietary restrictions is enough to keep me from going back. Not that I still don't enjoy tofu from time to time... it just tastes much better with shredded pork.
  21. No longer vegan here, after 9 years... now I eat every damn thing i can get my hands on. Also, I have been reading more and more "History of Food" type books, as well as classic and modern food writers.
  22. tcavallo

    Taro Sushi

    I haven't been yet, but now I'm excited to check it out. I'll let you know soon what I think. Until now I have been frequenting Osaka on Court St. for my BK sushi fix. What are people's thoughts on Osaka? I have had some great sushi there, to be sure, but it also suffers from the decor problem (gaudy/modern rather than non-existant, however) and godawful music selection. t
  23. Well I grew up in upstate NY and have had my share of wing experiences, so I'll throw in my $0.02. I have often found the Anchor Bar wings to be too soggy. Some nights you'll get a better batch, but in general I think that too think a sauce will wet the wings too much. That said, the best wings I have ever had were at the New York State Fair, when I was about 14. To this day they are my favorite; unfortunately 9 years of veganism in the interim had kept me from the foods of the Fair, and I don't even know if the same place still exists, but rest assured it will be one of the first places I check on this summer. Anyway, the sauce was a blend (made on the spot for each batch of wings) of Heinz Ketchup, Frank's Red Hot, and McIlhenny Tabasco. I have adopted this blend myself, and find that 1/2 c of Red Hot, 1/3 c Ketchup, and 1/6 c Tabasco is about right for a dozen wings. I know it sounds odd, but try it, its good, and somehow hotter than it should be.I have experimented with adding red pepper flakes, a few shots of habanero sauce, cayenne, etc... this sauce takes well to additions. I like to heat it up a bit first, throw it in a plastic tub, throw the wings in straight from the fryer, cover, shake, and eat. The viscosity of the ketchup helps coat the wings better and keep them from getting too soggy. Also, if you like your wings crispy, dredging them in seasoned flour before frying helps a bit.
  24. How many eGulleteers can possibly live two blocks away from this place? (Count me as another one). I too have been meaning to get in there for a while, perhaps after reading these reports I will make tonight the night.
  25. YES!!! I had forgotton about that part. Brilliant. That guy is a nerd on so many levels, no wonder I love his books.
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