Eric Kayser comes to New York City

The 1st time I was lucky enough to try Eric Kayser's awesome bread was in Paris. Flash forward a few years and this master baker has opened his 1st United States bakery in my beloved new york city! This ode to all things baked and yummy recently opened on the Upper East Side.  I normally don't have a good reason to get up to this area, but for my main man Eric, I made an exception. He did not disappoint.

The main bakers here are from France and have studied under Eric before moving to nyc to run this first of 3 new bakeries opening in the city.  The people who work there wear these frenchy outfits, kinda cheesy, but helps with the theme.

Here is a display of some of the sweet baked goodness.

I ended up getting a sampling of some of the best baked goods I've eaten since Paris. Lets start with the croissant. Ridiculous flaky and buttery. Light as a feather, it was just incredible.

Next up, the chocolate croissant, surprisingly even more airier that the normal plain version. 

I forgot what this thing is called, but its basically the raisin bun. Creamy and gooey on the inside, crunchy with caramelized raisins on the outside.  Its the breakfast of French champions.

Next up, pistachio brioche bread. Check out that green color inside. So so grub, just fluffy and chewy goodness. The pistachios were roasted with a super strong nutty flavor. I think there were small chucks of apricot in it was well. 

Ended with a classic french baguette. wow! watch out nyc! This is by far the best piece of bread I've eaten in all my days here.

Do yourself a favor, make your way to the upper east side, fight your way through the face-lifted old ladies, and get yourself some of the best bread and baked goods in the whole U S and A.

-J

Sushi Yasuda is a no frills mastery of the art of sushi

Sushi Yasuda is pure sushi bliss. This Manhattan sushi mecca in Midtown East pumps out some of the freshest sushi I have ever had.  The menu and decor are super simple, its all about the fish here.

They don't have any crazy rolls with 6 ingredients, they keep it pure... one fish, some rice....bring it.

I stuck with some of the classics, blue fin tuna, eel, yellowtail, salmon and uni (sea urchin, cause I'm gangsta like that).

A few traditional rolls(eel, salmon, tuna) for good measure.  They keep it old school with the sea weed on the outside, none of that inside out weak sauce.

So the master chef here actually moved back to Japan recently to open up a sushi place back home, but have no fear, he has passed down the reins to a very talented staff.  Domo arigato.

-j

Fried Chicken at Brooklyn Bowl will make...

..em say Ugggh Nah-Nah Nah-Nah. I feel like I've been eating alot of fried chicken the last year or so. Not that its a bad thing, just a matter of fact. Anywhoooo, some of the best crispy chickeness I've had is at a bowling alley. yea. really. Well, its true, Brooklyn Bowl in Williamsburg fries up some mean bird. It's not your typical line cook back there, this place is catered by the famous Blue Ribbon Group, so they def have some culinary chops behind them.

So the crazy good thing about this crispy, crunchy, moist chicken is whats helping coat that skin....the secret? Matzo-Meal! Hells yea! Jews win again!  It just makes the skin light and crispy. Went with the dark meat combo, but even the white meat is juicy at this place. You don't believe that chicken could be so grub from a bowling alley? shiiiiiit, if you don't believe me, watch this dude:

So if you find yourself in the Burg, slap a hipster in the face, then make your way to Brooklyn Bowl for that kick-ass chicken.

-J

Grimaldi's Pizza in Dumbo Brooklyn, Forgettaboutit!

It's kinda strange that this is my first post about pizza considering I live in NYC. So, without further ado....PIZZAAAAAA! Grimaldi's Pizzeria in Dumbo Brooklyn is regularly ranked among the top pizza joints in the city. There is constantly mob of tourists and locals alike lined up 50 deep outside.


My bro and I went for a regular pie(geez, I say "pie" now for pizza, I really am from Brooklyn) topped with pepperoni. The crust is super thin, I mean thin, like Kate Moss thin. The center gets a little soggy, but after that first bite, its got a great crunch to it. The fresh mozzarella cheese is creamy, and the light tomato sauce has a nice zing to it. The fresh basil is nice touch too, just wish they put more of it on.


The best thing about the pepperoni is that is curls up like one of those popper toys you played with as a kid. Leaving you with a little pepperoni cup filled with porky grease, oh yeaaaaa.

Get in line early for this place, its always packed, but is worth the wait. Don't forget to take a stroll down to the water to walk off that grease.

-J

PS....I'm back!

Philly Cheesesteak at O'Keefe's Bar in Brooklyn Heights

Fatty alert!!! I repeat, Fatty alert! You have been warned.

I had very low expectations walking into O'Keefe's Bar and Grill in Brooklyn Heights. Mainly chosen as a spot to watch the Laker game based on their TV size, I knew it would be the standard pub grub. In these cases, I usually go for the most standard thing on the menu (you should shy away from Oysters Rockefeller in sports bars), burger, wings, cheesesteak, etc.

I ordered a blue moon and the philly cheesesteak which was recommended by the barkeep. Sure, why not, philly it up. Ten minutes later I was presented with this monstrosity of a sandwich. Fatty indeed, but it looked promising. One bite and all my reservations about this place vanished. This sandwich really shocked me by how good it was, probably because my expectations were so low, but I digress.

The hero was actually garlic bread, which was toasted, with a nice crunch on top. The beef, slices of prime rib-eye, was tender and sauteed with green peppers and onions. All that goodness was topped with melty mozzarella cheese which kept me reaching for the napkins. As you can see by the grease on the plate, this was not for the faint of heart. The fries did themselves justice as well, no McD's, but damn good bar fries.

On that day my friends, I polished off this beast of sandwich, 2 pints of blue moon, watched the Laker's win, and then went home and enjoyed a victory nap. That cheesesteak really got the best of me.

-J

Persian Food at Ravagh in New York City

Let me start by saying I love Persian food. Growing up on this cuisine I am as familiar with it as the food of my homeland, mutha Russia. So when I moved to New York, I knew I had to find a decent Persian restaurant that would satisfy my appetite for Ghourmeh Sabzi and Albaloo Polo. So when I found Ravagh in the Murray Hill area of NYC, I was super pumped. They serve traditional, no frills, reasonably priced Persian fare.

Started with Mast And Khiar which is a yogurt, cucumber and dill mixture. It was cool and refreshing, just scoop it up with pita and enjoy.


I kinda wussed out and went with the safed beef shish kebob, but they had Sultani Kebob, Ghourmeh Sabzi, Khoresh Gheymeh, and all the goodies. The meat was tender and juicy with a nice char. The rice, fluffy like a pillow (I debated taking a nap on it, but I thought better of it since old Persian ladies don't like you sleeping on thier rice). And it was accompanied by a grilled tomato and onion. I like mashing up the tomato into the rice, good stuff.


The only way to end a meal like that is with a nice hot cup on chai. Ahhh, I loves me some chai. The way it warms your throat on the way down and then settles in your belly to bully all that kebob to behave themselves. Nice work chai.


This place does it's job well, solid Persian food that won't break the bank. So for all your pedar sags out there who are fiending for grub, get off your koon and head on over to Ravagh.

-J

Cafe Select is too cool for school

Cafe Select in the Soho area of NYC is mad cool. I don't even think I'm cool enough to take a crap there. This place is packed with a sceney pretty crowd and they have the food to match. Specializing in Swiss cuisine they boast a large selection of wine and cold brews. But the coolest feature of this spot is the "secret" back room. For those in the know, you can walk right through their kitchen in the back, past the cooks and prep stations, right through a door into a secret wonderland. Its not a lavish as the once secret restaurant under La Esquina (same owner btw), but you will find a space with smiling faces that fits about 20 people.

I got the consume soup, which was both simple and delicious. The noodles inside were fresh and melted in my mouth.

They also sport this over-sized Rolex clock, supposedly its one of only three in the world of this size. Spiffy.

Below is a dessert of nougat, chocolate, and a caramel sauce, it was pretty good, very rich, but truthfully I just really like how this picture came out.

So if you are in Soho and are looking for a new grub spot with good food, a great scene, and a little secret spot to impress your buddies, stop by Cafe Select.

-J

Brunch at Buttermilk Channel

Buttermilk Channel was just named Best New Brooklyn Restaurant for 2009 by Time Out New York. This distinction was well deserved. Located at the edge of Carroll Gardens by the Gowanas Expressway, this find was worth the trip. It was a bright airy atmosphere with both single and communal tables.

I went for brunch on a nice Sunday in Brooklyn, because that's just what you do in New York. No other city I've been to enjoys Sunday brunching as much as New Yorkers.

I tried the short-rib hash with sunny-side up eggs. Its like the traditional hash, except made with short-ribs, duh. I loooove short-ribs, so anytime I can incorporate them into my meal it generally happens. They were awesome, crispy, salty, meaty and potatoy goodness. Check out the one yolk on the right, it magically slipped off the white without breaking, you talented yolk you.


Finished off the meal with a freshly made apple cider donut. I can't drink apple cider because of some over consumption while a child, but I can put away apple cider donuts like Homer Simpson. This one was great, it had a slight crunch on the outside and good apple flavor. Since it was made to order, it was still hot on the inside. Check it out, they even fried the hole too. That just sounds wrong, fried hole..ewwww.


Buttermilk Channel, you are a welcome addition to the Brooklyn food scene and I wish you nothing but success. Keep on frying those holes.

-J

Almond Croissant from Balthazar Bakery

Balthazar Bakery in Soho is a small off-shot of the wildly popular Balthazar restaurant next door. They make fantastical baked goods which carry the appropriate bloated Manhattan price tag.

I picked up this beauty on my way to work, it was soo buttery and flaky. Inside was a layer of almond paste which was smooth and sweet. The almonds that sat on top were toasted giving them a good crunch.


Paying $3.25 for one croissant is pretty ridiculous. I don't know, nothing witty to say about that, its just pretty ridiculous, well, at least it was grub.

-J

BLT Burger doesn't disappoint

In the never ending search for the best burger I landed in BLT Burger in Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan. BLT actually stands for Bistro Laurent Tourondel after its Frenchie owner. He also owns famed BLT Steak, BLT Fish, BLT Prime, BLT Poop and BLT Market. This dude is kinda a sell out, he's got more restaurants than McDonald's, but that being said, his food is grub. So sell sell sell Frechie and expand your empire. The place was packed and buzzing was a fun atmosphere. The burgers weren't huge, but had great flavor.

This picture below makes it seem like a slider, but I think that was just my camera phone playing tricks on me. I went for the standard BLT Burger which is made from Certified Black Angus beef, double smoked bacon, lettuce, tomato, red onion and special sauce. Every one has special sauce these days, even I do. They also had a good variety of non-beef burgers as well, lamb, salmon, turkey and of course, dare I say it, the "kobe beef burger", ooohhhh, kobe. Oh Please. Please keep kobe pure and out of burgers for cow's sake.


This pic does the burger a little more justice. As you can see I like my burgers medium rare, it had a nice char and beautiful pink flesh. Looks like that red onion was trying to make a break for it. You have no where to run little onion, get in my belly.

This was a good restaurant burger, well worth its $11 price tag. And props to the BLT empire, I'll be your solider any day. Many more burgers and gluttony to come.

-J

Brooklyn Fish Camp, Yay! Fish Camp!

Camp? Fish? What? Sign me up!!! Brooklyn Fish Camp in Park Slope Brooklyn is both fortunately and unfortunately not the kind of camp I thought it was going to be. While there was no forest full of bungalows divided up into boy and girl fishies, there was delicious seafood prepared to perfection. Damn! I can't get it all. This camp is actually an off shot of its more popular sibling in Manhattan known as Mary's Fish Camp. I've been to Mary's awhile back and I have to say I was underwhelmed, don't get me wrong, the seafood was good, but maybe it was waiting an hour and a half to get a few scallops through me off.

But this Brooklyn sibling restaurant set the stage early that it was going to be a great experience. Just check out the sign they had prompted up outside. Not overcrowded, but not empty either, filled with happy families (I was in Park Slope) and smiling faces.

I unknowingly arrived during happy hour on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon. To my surprise they were offering spankingly fresh oysters for a buck! I had no intentions of eating oysters that day, but for a buck, hey, toss me two please! I was presented this nicely stacked plate by the friendly waitress. They were super-duper fresh. A little lemon, shallot and vinegar mixture and a few shreds of horseradish, SLURP, ahh bueno.

They had a small but satisfying menu. I was torn between the fried oyster po' boy and the trout BLT. Since I already had oysters, I opted for the Idaho Trout BLT. You have chosen wisely my son. Sandwiched between warm focaccia bread (check out the char on the top) and nestled on top of cool lettuce and ripe tomato. The trout had a nice crispy skin and fresh flaky flesh (say that 10 times fast). The sandwich was accompanied by onion rings. I was a BIG fan. I normally opt for the onion ring over the fries if given the choice. These were light as a feather. The batter was crispy and seasoned well while the onion still had a nice bite to it.


In addition to the buck oysters, their happy hour special included 2 for 1 beers. So after I finished my Amber Bock I was notified that my second choice would be gratis. What? Free beer? How could I say no. I finished off my second cool brew and let my seafood kiddies settle in my tummy. I love camp.

-J

The burger at Jane

I love a good burger. And Jane on the edge of Soho serves a damn good burger. Jane is mostly known for its great brunch, but I have been there many times for both lunch and brunch and the burger keeps drawing me in. Paired with crispy rosemary fries, the burger is built like a member of the 1976 East German Women's Swim Team .

A toasted sesame bun, bibb lettuce, a pickled tomato, double smoked bacon, white cheddar cheese and 'special sauce', I think its just thousand islands. Notice how the buttery bibb fans over the bottom half of the burger...niiiiiiiice.


The burger itself is high quality beef, definitely a blend of a few different cuts, with a decent level of fat content. This left the perfecting cooked medium-rare burger super juicy and popping with flavor. Not to mention this was a monster of a burger, great for consuming on lazy Sundays followed by a mid afternoon nap.


This is just the beginning of my burger journey through out NYC, stay tuned for more artery clogging adventures.

-J

Nice Post Game Meal

Nothing is better than watching Kobe drop 61 live at MSG except for watching Kobe drop 61 live at MSG and then grubbing on some bomb Korean food. Luckily Korea town is only a short 5 minute walk from the Garden. I was recommended Kunjip by a friend a few months back and have become a fan ever since. Its not the usual Korean BarBQ spot, they focus on more traditional stews and grub kimchi. The place is always packed with Koreans and I'm usually the only white person when I go there. They give you so much kimchi I had to break it into 2 pictures.





I also ordered some fried dumpling because I'm a fatty. Nice and crispy.

No BarBQ on this trip, I opted for the BulGoGi hot stone pot with a fried egg on top. The bottom becomes super hot and the rice sticks to the pot turning into crunchy goodness. The funky tofu stew on the side was thrown in gratis. A little too spicy for my weak stomach, but the flavor with wonderful.


Kunjip is a great local spot in the midst of a sea of typical Korean restaurants. This night's meal was great, but I have to think it wouldn't have been as good if I didn't just watch Kobe come to NYC and put on one of the best shows I've ever seen.

-J