While singing my heart out last Friday at our favorite local bar Lido (200 Columbia St), I made a quick run to Dub Pies across the street for a tasty treat. Dub pies are traditional Australian/ New Zealand meat pies of about 5″ in diameter and filled with a variety of meaty, veggie, cheesy, potatoey flavor. I must admit I’ve only had the Shepherd’s pie (with mashed potato topping) but it is absolutely delicious and I look forward to sampling the rest. I’m a sucker for anything in a crust so I might be a bit bias.

Not only are the pies delicious but the folks there are really friendly. Last night (while again down at Lidos) I ran over for a coffee. Even though they had just closed the fella (owner?) unlocked the place for me and fixed me a cup of coffee. Being the sometimes ditz that I am, I asked if this was some sort of Jamaican inspired pie (mistaking the “Down Under Bakery - DUB” for a Jamaican musical reference and ignoring the huge sign outside that clearly says Australian/New Zealand) which prompted a nice discussion of the of meat pie family tree. He explained that the Jamaican meat pie and the Australian meat pie are both children of the British meat pie. But I can assure you they are both vastly improved versions. This nice guy also pointed out that it was in fact the Egyptians who may have first developed the meat pie. So there you have it - eat meat pies.

Check out their menu.

The perfect gift for Homer Simpson

I came upon this site after a friend mentioned that she was buying “bacon of the month” for a wedding gift. Who knew this existed? I’m not surprised, of course, as there are so many “of the month” clubs. My husband and I did the whole wine o’ the month thing for awhile which was really nice. Hooch delivered to your door every month! Not that you can’t run down to the wine or beer shoppe and pick it up yourself but what’s the fun in that? Plus all the wines had great descriptions and helpful hints for wine idiots like myself.

Anyhoo, bacon of the month…this site offers artisan bacon and other treats, like a rubber pig toy and tee shirts that come with the package.

A dangerous purchase perhaps? Only for the pigs….

We just got back from a quick cookie run to a relatively new storefront in the neighborhood - One Girl Cookies. Located around the corner from Bartabac at 68 Dean Street, they have what is probably the nicest new spaces I’ve seen in ages. (Please don’t ask me about Banania - I might cry.)

Anyhoo, their petite little homemade cookies are delicious and really do taste homemade. I tried a Cecilia, mocha cream sandwiched between two chocolate wafers, which was delicious and had a nice “I know you are a cookie but my mouth thinks of you as a bon-bon” taste.

Feasted at Stan’s Place (411 Atlantic Av) way back during Dine In Brooklyn Week, and my mouth still waters when I think about it. I’ll admit, I’ve never had, you know, “real” Cajun or New Orleans cuisine or whatever, but this was mighty tasty. A yummy okra salad started things off, and then we had perfectly seared steak/tenderloin-ish beef over sweet potato cubes and green beans with blue cheese butter(!!). Amazing. The desserts — I had bread pudding, the missus went for beignets — were delicious. The atmosphere is nice and cozy, and the service was solid. Check this place out.

Also made our way to the infamous Frankie’s 457 for dinner. I do like their brunch, but I have to say, I had the Cavatelli with Hot Sausage & Sage Butter, and the sausage and presentation were nice, but overall, it didn’t really taste like much of anything.

Finally, the pizza at Sam’s is incredible. I’ll even go as far as saying it’s the best in the neighborhood. Sorry Giardini’s.

Immediate disclaimer: whoops — we forgot to bring the camera along. Sorry folks.

But here’s how it went. Around dinnertime we headed over to where else? The who-cares-if-it’s-Irish-or-not P.J. Hanley’s (449 Court @ 4th Place). All of Hanley’s was, as expected, packed. Line at the bar. Wait for a table. Pasty people in green looking jolly. There was no water in the glass — only Guinness. I would’ve been arrested if I ordered anything else.

Then a guy comes in with the bagpipes and 100% Celt get-up and starts to shred. Being 2/3 Scot, this makes me want to grab a claymore and/or caber and attack a 19th-century imperialist Brit…which has nothing to do with St. Patrick, but what can you do.

After a short wait, we’re seated. Hanley’s is only serving corned beef & cabbage, Irish stew (lamb, carrots, taters in a Guinness broth), some kind of fish, or cheeseburgers. Me and a pal get the stew, the mrs. orders the corned beef. It’s all very, very good. Warm in our guts.

The second course is making asses of ourselves at the always-raucous Lido Bar Friday night karaoke in Red Hook (200 Columbia St, to be exact). Needless to say, Cheap Trick, Run DMC, ELO, and others were rocked hard and enthusiastically off-key.

The predictible epilogue to this non-threatening little saga turns out to be that pleasant 24-hour diner on Smith St that I can never remember the name of. What can I say? This place does what it does well (fun fact: their burgers/fries make for a solid hangover cure). After quite the combo of blueberry pie and some onion rings, though, it was time to rest.

Pioneer Bar-BQ
318 Van Brunt
Red Hook

Yet another charming, easygoing Red Hook dining destination with A+ eats. I gobbled up the beef brisket sandwich, the old lady had the pulled pork. Both tasted yummy and homemade: the meat was cooked thoroughly but was still moist, had generous taste, and was decidedly un-greasy. French fries were at the Schnack/McDonald’s level of the International Fry Rating Scale. Our bellies were very warm and happy, indeed. These folks know what they’re doing. This was right up there with Dinosaur and the annoyingly named R.U.B. as far as I’m concerned.

Bonus points:
1. The one guy acting as bartender/server and the one dude cooking were more efficient than most places 5-10 times the size.
2. Pioneer is also home to the glorious Museum of Bad Art.

Sam’s Restaurant
238 Court
Carroll Gardens

All this talk of gentrification was making us hungry, so we decided to kick it old school at Sam’s. Outward disclaimer: I’ll freely admit I have a nostalgic love for Sam’s. It reminds me of the people, places, and attitudes of my ancient Jersey childhood.

So, the wife selected the eggplant parm, and I decided to go basic with the ziti/meat sauce combo. I believe they’ve raised their prices a couple bucks, and I can’t really blame them. Anyway, they really make the entire dish right there when you order it — or at least put on a good show of doing so. I’ll second what most people say: you’ll always find solid Italian homecooking meal here, very similar to the wonderful Aunt Suzie’s in Park Slope or Rocco’s Calamari on Fort Hamilton Parkway. Essentially, you’ll feel like you’re eating a meal in an exceptionally gregarious neighbor’s home. Or in Sam’s case, a basement.

Bonus points:
1. Louie is an accomplished and very skilled smartass.

Chickory Brooklyn
243 DeGraw
Cobble Hill

This much-talked-about new joint in the may-or-may-not-be-jinxed 243 DeGraw spot does mostly takeout biz, but we stopped in for a quick sandwich. The wife chose wisely. I can’t remember exactly what it was called, but it was like roast pork on toasted bread with sauerkraut, mustard, and Swiss cheese. Good stuff. My sandwich was turkey with Swiss, lettuce, and Russian dressing, which seemed to involve mayonnaise with undetermind spices. Pretty good, if a tad pricey. Overall their creative and varied, extensive menu seems worth exploring — especially for home delivery.

Went to brand new Thai eatery Em (278 Smith) last night — the joint that not only replaced the inscrutably named Three Bow Thais, but also blanketed the surrounding area with them cute, rectangle-shaped menus. Worth going to or just Thai-erd? The Kubrick-meets-veiny-alien-growths-from-Spielberg’s-”War of the Worlds” decor is certainly unusual and the food was…solid.

We started off with the yummy Taro Veggie Parcel, which gets extra points for referring to itself as a “parcel.” I then commenced to slurping loudly on an above-average Thai ice tea and tried to figure out what to order. Em has an impressively diverse and interesting menu — one that offers loads more than your average Thai restaurant. Eventually, I went for the Chaing Mai Noodles, the wife called out for the kingly Rama Chicken.

The truth of the matter is I enjoyed my food — a lightly fried nest of noodles resting atop a (too) light curry sauce — more in theory than in actual delivery. It was well made and fun to eat, but just wasn’t the full-bodied taste sensation I was looking for. The Rama Chicken was ok. It was disappointingly covered in that weird, mildly terrifying sauce/glaze that you find in a lot of restaurants these days, and like my meal was much, much too sweet.

That all said, the service was genuinely pleasant, and it’s certainly worth a reprise to try something new! different! and exciting! Maybe what we had just isn’t their forte, right? (crosses fingers…)

Me and the old lady headed out for a cheap, quick bite when my unsatiable penchant for noodles led us to kind-of-new fancypants eatery Taku at 116 Smith. The atmosphere/decor is a little chilly and it’s a bit pricey, but service was great and the food was Asian fusion-licious.

We jumped into the fray by splitting the highly impressive and mouth-watering Wings appetizer. These little snacklings were fried to perfection and swimming in a spicy, not-too-heavy sauce. A refreshing cucumber dip was provdied for, you know, dipping.

For dinner I had the moist and tasty Yuzu Chicken — …not noodles for those keeping score… — which also involved Chinese broccoli and Japanese sweet potatoes. That one public administrator-type guy on Iron Chef would probably dish about this dish, “the flavor is odd, but bold and sincere.” Or something. For dessert I went for the citrus parfait, which while impressive in theory, didn’t really overwhelm with taste power. I can see it hitting the spot when the weather gets warmer, though.

Next day we hit Frankie’s 457 for brunch. What can I say — the place has this unfortunate sense of its own cool, but their food is real good. I had butternut squash soup, and it was delicious, damn you!

Like a phoenix from the ashes, like the New Testament JC, like Mariah after “Mimi,” local once-thought-deceased watering hole PJ Hanley’s (corner of Court and 4th Place) has been reborn as the even more Irish-y sounding “Hanley’s Tavern,” and the wife and I paid a visit last night.

I have to admit, both of us very much enjoyed the Hanley’s experience throughout our six years in the hood, so we approached Hanley’s V.10 (supposedly it’s one of the oldest bars in NYC) like Jane Goodall would a pooping chimp: WITH EXTREME CAUTION.

Anyway, here are our findings.

Pluses:
-More space by the bar
-Quality food (seriously: I had a pasta w/sausage and peas dish, the wife had roasted chicken — both were excellent)
-More choices on the menu
-Unassuming, friendly service
-Puzzling leers from local boozers
-Puzzling greetings from local boozers
-Generous outside seating area

Minuses:
-More expensive menu
-No turkey or veggie burgers
-Goofy charm and character M.I.A.
-No suit of armor
-No Diana Ross drawing/painting

So, all in all, we were pleased to find it’s still a good place to go if, much like we are, you’re too lazy/busy to cook and are tired of overtly modern Thai restaurants and overpriced nouvelle bistros.

Here is a quick look at our last few days.

Dec 23rd.
Took the car to Hollywood Car Wash (per suggestion of Cosmo at Frank’s place) and got a triple coat - mutlicolor wax! Nice.

Followed up on a lead from a previous post - and went to Defontes for a sandwich. Why haven’t I done that sooner? My cousin Ned and I ordered the Valentino - thinly sliced, breaded and fried eggplant with mozarella nd peppers. The perfect sandwich!

Dec 24th Christmas Eve:
Took the subway in, and bothered this guy for his picture. If you see him - give him a good couple of dollars (performing up in time square)

Did some walking around the city. Stopped by the ice rink at Bryant Park.

Stopped in for some Mandoo. (Best dumplings in the city outside of the Fried Dumpling shop on mosco street - china town)

Met up at Chumley’s

And sang some carol’s in Washington Square Park.

Dec 25th Christmas Day:
After opening some gifts and watching the cats chow down on some ribbons:

We went into Chinatown for some dim sum at Dim Sum Go Go. (photos to come)

We went time square to meet up with the rest of the city for an afternoon showing of King Kong. This was the most crowded I’d ever seen the theater….ever! The movie was a lot of fun, and with the exception of multiple babies crying in the audience very enjoyable. (poor kids, but really - who brings an infant to a 3 hour movie ?)

Dec 26th
We took the Yeti up to Rockefeller center.

Last night we had a fun evening of running around the city.

We started off down in Dumbo at Jan Larsen Fine Art, (a.k.a., Gallerie at TheXpo) where our studio mate and blog partner in crime - Lj - has a series of lock paintings in the latest show.

Here are some pictures from the gallery:

We also went for a stroll and got some ice cream at the ice cream factory and looked at the pretty River Cafe and Brooklyn Bridge lights.

Then we hit the city for a late night screening of Raiders of the Lost Ark at the Sunshine theater. We arrived early to get our tickets and then stopped into stopped at Katz Deli for a snack. I got the matzo ball soup, and managed to snap a picture of the sandwich/pickle delight of our neighbor. .

Went and saw street artist Abe Lincoln Jr’s show, Taqueria Pendejo, last night at the Orchard Street Art Gallery (sponsored by Kid Robot).

The gallery was packed, so after snagging our free toy and attempting to check out the art - we called a time-out and went to Tenement to eat. The food was delicious “home cooking meets fancy fare” but it took FOREVER to be served.

Our free Kid Robot toys eagerly wait, and wait, and wait for our meal.

Abe Lincoln’s goodies:




Last picture of the taqueria stand. That’s Abe on the right there.

We went into the city yesterday to catch the latest Harry Potter movie (which is pretty disappointing if you ask me). But, prior to seeing the movie we walked around the 34th street area, got some food and checked out the windows at Macys. Here is a quick run-down.

Pho 32 and Shabu
We found a great little place that has Pho. It is located right in the heart of Korea Town. The soup was excellent with very tasty broth, and what a big bowl of soup it was. We both ordered large bowls and barely made it half way through. They also serve Shabu - and have these cool little embedded heaters in each table. 2 west 32nd street

iboxers: a gift that makes little sense
On our way to Macys we passed this advertisement for iboxers. This is the perfect gift for that special someone in your life who likes to re-enact Tom Cruise’s dance scene in Risky Business. But for anybody else this seems like a problematic place to store your music. Every time you want to skip to the next song, or change the volume you have to reach into your pants and fiddle with your boxers? Does this seem like a bad idea to anybody else?

Macy’s Windows
The main Macys windows are a pop-up book theme. You wait a few minutes and the books open and reveal a new york holiday scene. Maybe it is because I’m a big fan of animatronics, or maybe because this style of illustration doesn’t appeal to me - but I thought the windows were disappointing. I like the “idea” of the pop-up book but that’s about it. Bad photo of a bad window below.

Subtalk
And last but not least, I’ve seen this subway sign about 300 times, and I still don’t get it. I really don’t - can somebody explain? Is it supposed to be a joke, as in “We are actually so lo-tech that we can’t even figure out where to put the correct signage?”

We thought this sign was just clever copy writing to get us into the BK door, turns out Meatnormous is an actual sandwich! and it’s called MEATNORMOUS! Appealing to the “health food backlash” meets “atkins on crack” crowd, the tv commercial advertises “meat… on top of meat… on top of meat.”

Here are a few other reviews:
www.smthop.com
www.slashfood.com

While in Wyoming this past weekend, I had the pleasure of exploring the wide-world of jello salad. Prior to this trip, the most exotic Jello salad I had ever tasted was the school lunch standby of mint jello with shredded carrots. Oh, how narrow my jello world view was. The salads were all splendidly colorful and creative, and there was 1 or 2 that I would say were “keepers”.

The best one (not picture here) was a variation on cranberry sauce. It was really very tasty - and had more of a cranberry flavor than a jello flavor. Here is a quick picture of 2 of the 6 jello salads present at one of our meals. This is probably not the exact recipe - but it does sound good like a good cranberry variation.

Mary also tracked down this page showing a “Cracked Glass” jello dessert. Pretty!