eG Foodblog: johnder - Bouncing Around Brooklyn

[johnder]

John -

So glad you are blogging! I had been thinking that all the NY bloggers had been Manhattanites; although I haven't checked for sure, it is certainly great to have our fair Borough represented.

Your kitchen turned out so nicely. My favorite part is the combination of the red color and the tile floor.  Jacques Torres is a favorite destination of mine - my favorite things to get there are his pastries especially the chocolate doughnuts and croissants.  How lucky you get to go there on weekdays when the buses of tourists haven't taken over.

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Thanks! It is always nice to hear from fellow Brooklynites! I am not sure if there had been any other borough bloggers, I will need to check into that.

As far as Jacques, it is always crowded, just varying degrees. I don't think I have ever been in there when it was less than 3 or 4 people waiting. During the day I usually don't drink coffee except for my morning cup, I quickly switch over to coke which then fuels me for the rest of the day. On the odd occasion I will head over and get a double chocolate eclair, but I am trying not to ruin my figure.

[johnder]

That's a pretty naked 'everything' bagel, I concur. It looks like a plain begel that inadvertantly has some 'everything bagel' blood in it's background, seriously. It should be called  'hint of everything' bagel, or a 'whiff of everything' bagel.

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No kidding. It was a sad excuse for an everything bagel. I was thrown off when I asked for an everything bagel and they said do I want a whole wheat one or a regular one.

Whole wheat bagel? Bleh. Almost as bad a blueberry bagels, which thankfully I haven't run into yet in NYC.

[Sneakeater]

Almost as bad a blueberry bagels, which thankfully I haven't run into yet in NYC.

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You are leading a VERY charmed life.

[H. du Bois]

Hi H, we sure are neighbors!  You definately have a large selection of resturants go to aound you, and probably all the Pabst Blue Ribbon you can drink given the number of bars around you too.

Yes, I can almost see Jaques Torres from my window.  I try to have self control and not  go crazy and spend all my money there.

John

I've never had a PBR in my life - but I think I need to rectify that, or move.

Are they still selling those chickens in the Grand Army Plaza greenmarket? If so, I know where I'll be going this weekend.

You have to get a double chocolate eclair at Torres, and document the experience. You simply cannot taunt us by mentioning them and not eat one.

[mizducky]

Expat New Yorker here ... okay, well, I only lived in NYC the first year of my life, but spent the rest of my youth in the suburbs with frequent forays back into The City, so it's really cool to see whole different takes on the place. I had an aunt and uncle and a whole nest of cousins who lived in Brooklyn, but that was in a less glamorous time and neighborhood--as a kid, I didn't pick up enough Brooklyn geography to recall the neighborhood's exact name, but I vaguely recall it was somewhere sort of near the King's Plaza shopping mall. (And all my relatives from there all spoke like Fran Drescher. For reals.)

No suggestions for where you should visit--just enjoying seeing the town from a different perspective. Also admiring your kitchen--especially that tin ceiling and that wonderful shade of red--and envying the chanterelles and pork belly on your dinner party menu. Plus, as someone who (even after suggestions) can't seem to escape from Manhattans botched by bad bartenders, I'm looking forward to seeing more exemplars of what a *good* bartender can do.

[donbert]

I think a nice Vodka and Tonic would be nice.

... but I am trying not to ruin my figure.

Too much flavor! Vodka Soda is the way to go. Think of the calories and carbs you can avoid.

[johnder]

I had a meeting in the city, so I decided to stop by Astor wines and liquors. I tend to buy most of my stuff there or Lenells. Astor is pretty main stream, Lenells is good for the harder to find stuff, mainly bourbon.

mmmm tasty, tasty gin.

Ended up not buying anything. I headed down to the Bowery where there is an obscene number of resturant supply stores. I wanted to find some 2-4 oz plastic squeeze bottles.

Anyone need a gazillon btu wok burner?

How about a stove?

or a used lowboy and keg fridge, complete with old keg handles attached?

Ok, maybe used kitchen supplies isn't your style, how about:

I think it is a fountain. Maybe. It scared me.

[johnder]

Hi H, we sure are neighbors!  You definately have a large selection of resturants go to aound you, and probably all the Pabst Blue Ribbon you can drink given the number of bars around you too.

Yes, I can almost see Jaques Torres from my window.  I try to have self control and not  go crazy and spend all my money there.

John

I've never had a PBR in my life - but I think I need to rectify that, or move.

Are they still selling those chickens in the Grand Army Plaza greenmarket? If so, I know where I'll be going this weekend.

You have to get a double chocolate eclair at Torres, and document the experience. You simply cannot taunt us by mentioning them and not eat one.

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Yes, they did have the chickens this past weekend. Go early if you want to get one. Tell Mike I said hello!

Ok, fine. If I must. I will somehow force myself to eat a double chocolate eclair for the sake of fine journalism.

[johnder]

Ok, we are going to head out to dinner soon (camera in hand), but before we left, a quick cocktail.

Any guesses as to what this is? (that is lime juice in the glass)

The other drink is a new one that Phil and I have been playing with (I need to pick up some new tequilla, luckily I found this bottle in the back of the cabinet. Of course I didn't realize I needed any until now. )

The simple and the cucumber along with some simple syrup was lightly assulted with a piece of wood -- a pinch of salt added.

Pre shake, chilled glasses ready!

Ahh now to enjoy...

[KatieLoeb]

A Derby cocktail, perchance?? Looks good. And you're using all my favorite ingredients. YUM!

The cucumber Margarita variation looks interesting. Does the tequila match well with cucumber?? That's a combo I haven't played with yet.

Carry on...

[johnder]

A Derby cocktail, perchance??  Looks good.  And you're using all my favorite ingredients.  YUM!

The cucumber Margarita variation looks interesting.  Does the tequila match well with cucumber??  That's a combo I haven't played with yet.

Carry on...

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The rye based one is an Oriental.

The second one is a tequilla, yellow chartreuse, cucumber, mint, simple, lime and a pinch of salt. I call it the "Silver Monk"

Stand by for the food photos....

[Lochina]

johnder - Your blog is making me so homesick! I live (with my parents) in Brooklyn Heights, but I go to college in Connecticut. Your photo of Brooklyn Bridge Park...sigh...the scene of so many of my summer nights. Thanks!

Edited September 27, 2006 by Lochina (log)

[docsconz]

Hi H, we sure are neighbors!  You definately have a large selection of resturants go to aound you, and probably all the Pabst Blue Ribbon you can drink given the number of bars around you too.

Yes, I can almost see Jaques Torres from my window.   I try to have self control and not  go crazy and spend all my money there.

John

I've never had a PBR in my life - but I think I need to rectify that, or move.

Are they still selling those chickens in the Grand Army Plaza greenmarket? If so, I know where I'll be going this weekend.

You have to get a double chocolate eclair at Torres, and document the experience. You simply cannot taunt us by mentioning them and not eat one.

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Yes, they did have the chickens this past weekend. Go early if you want to get one. Tell Mike I said hello!

Me too.

[docsconz]

johnder - Your blog is making me so homesick! I live (with my parents) in Brooklyn Heights, but I go to college in Connecticut. Your photo of Brooklyn Bridge Park...sigh...the scene of so many of my summer nights. Thanks!

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One of my fondest memories of the Brooklyn Heights Promenade was getting take-out from Ferdinando's and having a beautiful spring picnic with my wife and some friends the month I graduated from Medical School.

By the way, if you haven't yet, I suggest you try a pannelle special sandwich from Ferdinando's down near the BQE.

[cakewalk]

Oh it is so refreshing to read through a blog and see pictures of concrete and steel instead of all that green stuff. Like a breath of fresh air, I tell ya. And reading about your neighborhood makes me think immediately of Jonathan Lethem, whose latest book, "The Fortress of Solitude" you should read just for local color alone.

What is a terrace bagel?

Your kitchen is truly wonderful.

Ditto on seeing some good bartending works. And some of the lower Manhattan and meat market hot spots that I never go to because I am too old these days. I hear they "reverse card" down there.

[johnder]

Dinner at Applewood:

First, a disclaimer: this is one of our favorite neighborhood restaurants. We go here often enough that we know the owners, Chef David Shea and his fabulous wife, Laura Shea the bartender Lawrence and most of the staff. It is entirely possible that we do not have the same experience as the average Joe that walks in, but considering how friendly and helpful everyone is, I doubt that anyone else’s experience will be significantly different from ours.

We really like house cocktails which change often and always seasonal, which pretty much also describes the cooking style: interesting, seasonal, organic & locally produced. Of the cocktails on the menu, the onion martini is my wife’s personal favorite. In her words, a bloody Mary minus the blood. Tonight though, she chose the honeydew margarita.

Interesting, because one would (reasonably) conclude that this would be an oversweet, cloying “girly” drink (my wife’s words – no accusations of gender-stereotyping, please). As it stands, the drink has the flavor of honeydew without being cloying (and this is from a woman who does not suffer girly-drinks gladly). I had the calvados cocktail. Again, one would assume, based on the ingredients, that this would be a somewhat sweet drink. Wrong again. The drink, created by the bartender Lawrence, is the perfect expression of early fall: crisp, slightly smoky, with the hint of apples and pears.

Moving onto the food, one of us got the tasting and the other ordered different dishes off the menu, so we could taste as many dishes as possible. I ordered the tasting, which was luckily matched up with my perfect sequence of dishes: scallop, pork belly, lamb, cheese & dessert.

The diver scallop, perfectly cooked, heirloom tomatoes and a pear soup The wine pairing was a Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc/Viognier ’04. It worked very well with the different components of the dish.

The next dish: Pork Belly. From the magical animal…. Mmmm pork. The surprising part was the wine pairing: Louis Sipp Gewuerztraminer from Alsace 2003. Really? Shouldn’t this by all rights be far too sweet for pork belly? Unless you happen to have pepper jelly to cut through the fat of the pork belly that matched up to sweetness of the Gewuertztraminer.

Can you go wrong with Duck Fat Poached Lamb Tenderloin? No really, can you? I suppose it is possible in the way that it is possible, though not probable, that bacon can be inappropriate on a Sunday morning. As I expected, anything poached in duck fat is a good thing, and lamb poached in duck fat is something everyone should try before departing. We were lucky to be there on a night when the restaurant had ’99 Castillo Labastida Reserve Rioja. Wonderful with the dish, and a very good wine for drinking now, although I have to say, it would be fascinating to see what this wine turns into in about 5-6 years. It’s big right now, but with enough structure to develop

into something rather larger and fuller in a few.

My wife had (from the a la carte menu) the Oil Poached Cobia. This is purportedly a very “fishy” fish. If that is the case, we wouldn’t know from the preparation. Something in the oil-poaching process removes any “fishiness” and still keeps the fish very fresh-tasting. Add it to the watermelon rinds & pea shoots, and you have a very interesting and tasty dish that pairs well with an ’04 Alsatian Riesling from Domaine Auther

The main course was a milk-fed goat loin. If you’ve never had goat before, this is nice way to be introduced. The meat was mild, vaguely lamb-like, without being lamb, and entirely enjoyable. The only drawback to this dish was the underseasoned White-bean pepper ragout, but otherwise it was well executed.

Dessert for me was the almond financier with poached seckle pear. As you can see from the picture, the dish looked and smelled so good that I proceeded to tear in before taking a photo. Whoops. Really a tremendous dessert. And the Macalan Moscato from Veneto was a perfect pairing. My wife had the cheese plate, which had a wonderful selection of cheeses from New York & California, in addition to their incomparable Blue Cheesecake.

Overall it was another great meal. I am really lucky to have a place like this so close by.

Whew, that was a lot of writing. I think I need a cocktail.

[johnder]

Oh it is so refreshing to read through a blog and see pictures of concrete and steel instead of all that green stuff. Like a breath of fresh air, I tell ya.    And reading about your neighborhood makes me think immediately of Jonathan Lethem, whose latest book, "The Fortress of Solitude" you should read just for local color alone.

Funny you should say that, I have heard that a few times in the past weeks, I think I must add this to my reading list.

What is a terrace bagel?

Terrace bagels is my favourite bagel store in Brooklyn. I will try to stop by there Thursday morning to pick one up on the way to work. Their everthing bagels are the #&(@$!.

Your kitchen is truly wonderful.

Ditto on seeing some good bartending works. And some of the lower Manhattan and meat market hot spots that I never go to because I am too old these days.    I hear they "reverse card" down there. 

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Thanks again for your and everyone else's kind remarks. It was definately a labor of love. You will get to see it in full swing on Saturday at the dinner party.

[Rebecca263]

How can you ever top that duck fat/lamb combo? I'm really enjoying following you two on your date tonight. That meal was sublime. I wish that restaurant was right near ME instead of right near you, but I'm thinking that's just one more reason why I'm considered 'refreshing' by most of my neighbors, and you guys probably fit right in where you live. (Rebecca, who has deigned to accept that designation of her character as a compliment.)

[johnder]

Ok, probably my last post tonight. After all that photo editing and writing I needed a drink. Looking over the bar I decided to make a Violet Femme. This drink is one Brian from Pegu invented on his spare time and gave to me. It is one of the few drinks I memorized the recipe for that make use of Parfait Amore.

Parfait, Lemon juice, simple, plymouth, muddled grapefruit peel. Pefect.

Sour, sweet, herbal.

And yes... I still have some of the old Plymouth bottles before they did their crazy rebranding. I really dislike the new bottles.

[johnder]

Oh, forgot to add. Tomorrow's highlights will include -- spice shopping, dry rub of the pork belly, picking up of the fois gras, Jaques Torres eclair excursion, dinner at Annisa.

[Sneakeater]

One of my fondest memories of the Brooklyn Heights Promenade was getting take-out from Ferdinando's and having a beautiful spring picnic  with my wife and some friends the month I graduated from Medical School.

By the way, if you haven't yet, I suggest you try a pannelle special sandwich from Ferdinando's down near the BQE.

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My wife and I had many many wonderful lunches and Ferdinando's.

May I ask what year your picnic was?

[Pan]

More great stuff, johnder. You're a really good photographer, and the meal at Applewood really looked excellent! Thanks for photographing the menu for us, too.

I have another restaurant question for you: What do you think of Franny's? A friend and I went there for the first time recently and really liked it a lot.

[MarketStEl]

Alas this morning I only had time for coffee.   Depending on how late I am on a given day I will either make a latte at home, or stop by my favorite cafe, Cafe Regular.

They serve coffee by La Colombe Torrefaction, pretty awesome stuff.

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(emphasis added)

PHILLLYYY!!! Represent!

Checking in late on this one, and I haven't yet had time to wade through all 5 pages of posts, but if I'm going to make the 7:47 to Swarthmore, this is all I have time for right now.

Congratulations on your taste in coffee, and I'm looking forward to catching up with the rest of the scene in "Crooklyn." (Or did Spike Lee grow up in a different part of the borough?)

Edited September 27, 2006 by MarketStEl (log)

[johnder]

Another morning... another cup of coffee. This week has been filled with early morning meetings that are damping my style.

Today is a busy day in the morning, so not many updates until later. I will be around answering any questions, as well as doing some photos of the infamous double chocolate eclair.

Around 3pm I am leaving to have a meeting in the city by Union Square, which on Monday/Wednesday/Friday/Saturday host the greenmarket. As you have seen from other NYC bloggers it is an awesome resource to score some killer produce.

I will probably see what is available there, and then walk over to Kalustyans to pick up some spices.

I am running low on a few things, and completely our of coriander and fennel that I need for the pork belly rub.

After the meeting I am going to head back over to Brooklyn to pick up the fois and head home to do the spice rub before heading back into the city for a drink and dinner.

[johnder]

Oh on the subject of spices, here is a picture of my spice drawer. I actually have a second drawer that serves to store the lesser used ones. This is my workhorse drawer.

I got all these little paint jars from an art supply store and they have worked really well for me. The have a rubber seal under the screwtop lid, and they store anywhere from 1-4 oz of spices. I usually just buy a scoop or two of spices from the bulk bin at a time so I can ensure they stay somewhat fresh.

Given they are stored in the drawer where it is dark helps as well.