Chiu on This

I'm full just thinking about this

Almost exactly one month ago, I had the Cajun bubble and squeak for brunch at Elizabeth's in the Bywater neighborhood of New Orleans. It was tough deciding what to pick from their menu - how about duck waffles? smothered steak with Creole gravy and grits? fried boudin balls?? - but the combo of country bacon, cabbage, and shrimp topped with poached eggs and Hollandaise sauce ultimately won out. So good, and soooo filling. I suppose that downing two spicy bloody Marys - one as an appetizer, another for dessert - contributed to that gut busting, palate pleasing feeling.

On the Register of Frustration and Deprivation

In last week's post, I mentioned Calvin Trillin's enjoyable collection of essays Feeding a Yen, which introduced me to the Register of Frustration and Deprivation. Dishes that can't be found anywhere but in their place of origin go on the register; the frustration and deprivation come from not having easy / regular access to such wonderful foods, only to feeble or inept simulacra.

High in my register is khao man gai, which you can actually get in lots of places. The Thai version of Hainanese chicken and rice, khao man gai includes sliced boiled chicken served with steamed rice flavored with chicken fat and garlic, served with a chicken soup/broth with winter melon (or other vegetables) and a super condiment of soy sauce, garlic, ginger, chilies, vinegar, Chinese parsley, fermented soy beans. It's great street food, and the version I like best came from a particular stall in downtown Bangkok that mom found and that I'd last been maybe 12 to 15 years ago. With all the great food in Bangkok, I still remember that khao man gai. I'm able to make a good version of the sauce to go with khao man gai but am far too lazy to try to make the entire dish myself. I've tried it in various restaurants, and the typical problem is a lack of balance (too fatty, too salty) or blahness (too bland). And while my mom is a fantastic cook, even she can't quite make khao man gai like that stall in Bangkok (I suppose because she's not cooking that one dish all the time, every day; there's something to said for specialization).

Last year as I was wandering around downtown Portland, OR, trying to decide which of the many food carts I would get lunch from, I ran across Nong's Khao Man Gai at the parking lot on 10th and Alder. I'd heard about a few years earlier, after answering an emergency email from co-workers who were in Portland for a conference but who hadn't bothered to any dining research of their own. I'd thrown Nong's as a possibility, hoping someone in the group would try it and report back; one did and gave a thumbs up.

I was glad to see that they were still around, and while I didn't have any grand expectations, I wanted to give it a shot. The owner/operator was friendly, and there seemed to be a queue of regulars milling about. I was a little confused as to where to eat my meal, which definitely wasn't hand food - I got a nice bundle wrapped in wax paper and tucked into a little plastic basket - so I just wandered over to a nearby park to sit and have my soup, chicken, and rice.

Overall, the khao man gai tasted good. The flavors could have been a little more assertive and concentrated; it seemed to skew more towards the Chinese version than the Thai version. But I envied Portlanders for having such easy access to a good meal - it sure beats a sandwich for lunch!

I guess I haven't really looked that hard in NYC for a good version of khao man gai. It won't be around my office, but if I put some work into it, maybe I could find it and take it off my register...

Argh! Ugh. Blech.

An evil pathogen has flattened me out like a centipede on the Autobahn. In the lucid moments between fever dreams, I've thought about how I would manage to keep up with my blog-a-week goal when I have no inspiration to discuss food. I came up with the following cheats:

1. Don't talk about food. Entirely by coincidence, FOCOT Rob sent me an article on fasting from this month's issue of Harper's. Starving your way to vigor: the benefits of an empty stomach contains one of my favorite phrases ever - "after which lard came upon me." I don't think I'll ever make it to a week plus of fasting, but a day or two every now and then has an appeal.
2. Reference someone else. About a month ago I started reading Calvin Trillin's Feeding a Yen: Savoring Local Specialties, from Kansas City to Cuzco. His Register of Frustration and Deprivation conceptually sums up much of my existence. I can't believe I haven't read his work before now, but he goes on the shelf next to MFK Fisher as someone who writes thoughtfully about the experience of food and eating. Unlike Fisher, though, Trillin seems like someone you'd like to hang out with.
3. Describe foods that are good to have when you're ill. I couldn't come up with much, other than a long list of citrus fruits (there will be blood oranges) and various liquids. Seltzer has been a huge boon, providing hydration and the percussive refreshment of bubbles in my dried out mouth. Don't forget tea, coffee, and diet coke for caffeination, as caffeine withdrawal makes any illness that much more miserable.
4. List foods that aren't good to have when you're ill. Actually, this is a horrible idea. But it gives me an excuse to mention how, after 30 years, I still have a slight revulsion towards sweet and sour pork, after I had a bad batch when I was 12. At the time, that was the only Chinese dish I would bother to eat in a restaurant. Thankfully, my tastes have changed, so parents of persnickety eaters, chin up, things can get better.

Well, although I've done my duty and written a blog for this week, I do feel like I've cheated by not saying anything specific about what I've eaten. I promise my next post will get back on track.

Chowing down with the Ch(i)us

I heard about Bobwhite Lunch and Supper Counter through one of my favorite food blogs, Eating in Translation. The description of a pork chop sandwich with chow chow piqued my interest, first because I like pork chops, second because I wasn't sure if I'd had chow chow before.

A few Facebook posts later, and I was meeting up at Bobwhite for lunch with my friend Thom, who was going to be on the Lower East Side anyway. I "see" Thom mostly on FB when he posts pictures of food that he's cooked or at places where he dines; some of my favorite pictures are those of his dad dining when they go out to eat in Chinatown. Thom comes from a family that clearly knows and enjoys food, but he doesn't have a snotty attitude towards food (or "foodietude"), so dining with him is a treat.

We ordered a pork chop sandwich and a fried chicken sandwich. For sides, we settled on tomato pudding and creamed kale. I got a sweet tea, as that just seemed like the right thing to do.

Getting ready to tuck in

We split the sandwiches to allow both of us to get a crack at the pork and the chicken. Both sandwiches were very good - the fried chicken was crisp, juicy, and flavorful, as was the pork. I really enjoyed the chow chow, which added piquancy and pep to the pork. The sandwiches were also just the right size to satisy without overstuffing. Thom said the tomato pudding - baked with bread cubes, tomatoes, and onions - reminded him of a dish called "train wreck," which I'd like to try. (I just realized that the tomato pudding probably served for me as a substitute for ketchup, which I usually like to dip fried chicken in.) The creamed kale was the only disappointment: somewhat chalky, mostly bland, and just filling.

Notice the guy behind Thom, staring at our dishes.

Overall, Bobwhite gave us a good meal at a good price in a pleasant space. You can dine at the counter or at the bar-height tables. Order up front, have a seat, and they'll serve you. Look out the big windows facing Avenue A (while we were eating, Thom spotted his dad driving past; it was my version of a celebrity sighting) and eat your meal slowly.

I forgot to mention that a three piece fried chicken meal with biscuits and a salad is only available for supper. Meaning: I'll be back.

Rye and oysters, take 2

Last week it was $1 oysters in NYC. This week, it's 50¢ oysters in NOLA. Thank you, happy hour specials.

Check out these monsters from Lüke. Before:

After:

Oof! I had a couple of Sazeracs to supply the rye. (I'd been drinking ryes pretty much all week, as I'm starting to prefer them to bourbon.) After a rough work week, these hit the spot. I also found out inadvertently that heaping amounts of horseradish can help you can stave off a sore throat for maybe half a day.

Bonus photo: a fried oyster salad with bacon and avocado, from my first visit to Lüke in July 2011.

Rye time

I left the office at 5 or 5:10 the other day. Unheard of. It felt totally weird, too. My former colleague and friend Sara wanted to hustle me out to Cornelius in Brooklyn (on Vanderbilt, ha) to take advantage of their happy hour oyster special - $1 Blue Points. She also thought I'd enjoy their flights of bourbons and scotches.

I am friends with Sara for a reason. She is smart, she is funny, she is driven, and she knows her food. She was right about Cornelius, too.

First, we get some flights. I go for the set of three rye whiskeys, Sara goes for the blended Scotches after realizing she's already tried all the Irish whiskeys listed. For my flight, the bartender selects (based on what, whim?) Russell's Reserve, Masterton's, and Michter's 10 year old straight rye. I can't quite recall what Sara gets in her sampling, other than Johnnie Walker Swing - I remember that because the bartender demonstrates to us how the bottle, with its convex bottom, rocks back and forth, so you don't have to worry about it toppling over on a ship that's bobbing on the waves.

We go for the happy hour special and order six Blue Points, then start tucking into the goods. Of my three ryes, I come to be happiest with the Russell's Reserve, which lies somewhere between the spicy Masterton's and the smoother Michter's. The gigantic and briny raw oysters, which I've only come to like in the past 10 years (digression: after 9/11, my office got dispersed to about five different locations; I went to midtown near Grand Central, and, maybe in some weird therapeutic mode, started going to the Oyster Bar, and got to like raw oysters via liberal doses of condiments), went very well with the ryes, which I think I'm starting to prefer over bourbons.

Next up: baked oysters. All it says on the menu is that they're made with garlic parsley butter and bread crumbs.

But bleu cheese makes a wonderful appearance, along with that red/brown savory sauce that as a non-foodie I couldn't quite identify. Boy, those were gooood.

Still feeling peckish, I persuade Sara to have some mac and cheese with bacon. A portion much bigger than what I'd expect for an appetizer comes out, very creamy with cubes of bacon apportioned throughout. Looking back now, though, I think we should have ordered another platter of baked oysters. The mac and cheese was good, but couldn't hold a candle to that dish.

Somewhere along the line, after my flight, I ordered a rye beer, the name of which, unfortunately, I didn't write down and can't recall. The place, empty when we arrived, started filling up around 7:30 or 8, just as we were winding down.

When I got home and posted on Facebook that "I have a belly full of rye whiskey and oysters," I must have touched some nerve in my friends - the number of likes seemed curiously high. Was it an evocation of old New York? A ravenous crowd? General approval of my dining choices?

Whatever the case, I'd be happy to head to Cornelius again. Leaving work early to get some rye and oysters would be a routine I could settle into.

Any takers?

I'm in the mood for Szechuan food, and I'm keen to go back to Legend Bar and Restaurant in Chelsea. My friends Tim and Sue, who were in town over Thanksgiving last year, suggested it. I was eager to find a place that could replicate or approximate my experience in San Francisco with ma po tofu, so we met there for lunch. Our meal of ma po tofu (with fish, if my memory's right), dan dan mein, and dry sauteed string beans, really hit the spot. I want to order a fair number of dishes and could use a couple of "good eaters" (in this context, people who have hearty appetites, aren't naifs about Chinese food, and can take spicy food) to join me. Any takers?

Delicious simplicity

Salad and steak frites. That's it, that's all your options at Le Relais de Venise L’Entrecôte in midtown Manhattan. What wonderful simplicity. I don't know what makes the sauce that tops the slices of steak so good, all I know is that I've been thinking about it for days. Butter clearly plays a prominent role, and mustard must be in there, too; I've read that there's also blanched chicken livers and thyme in the mix.

For $25, it's an understatement to call this a bargain. Note that they serve your meat and frites up in two servings, keeping the second half on reserve 'til you finish your first plate. The total serving size left me feeling perfectly satisfied. I polished it off with a good coffee and the Vacherin du Relais (a tower of layers of ice cream - either hazelnut or vanilla - and meringue, topped with chocolate sauce and whipped), shared with four other folks.

No frills, no fuss, just flavor. What a tasty, tasty relief.

I could go for some of this about now

Why was I eating sauerbraten in late July last year? I think I'd gotten a GroupOn deal to Manor Oktoberfest in Forest Hills, Queens, and probably waited until the last minute before the expiration date to go to the restaurant. I do like sauerbraten, but given the weather, it was a bit of a heavy meal, and I had a long, uncomfortably hot trudge to the subway afterwards.

But that's not the restaurant's fault. I liked the sauerbraten and spaetzle, but I think I overdid it when I ordered a cucumber salad - in addition to the red cabbage side dish, I went to the proverbial 11 on the puckery, vinegary scale. Even the beer couldn't tamp that flavor down.

I wouldn't mind scarfing down schitnzels, sauerbraten, wursts, and biers, oh, every other day, I'd say, and especially now in this colder weather with a bit of snow on the ground, I'd welcome some warm, filling, and fortifying German food. But with my sedentary and slothful habits, I suppose it's a good thing that Manor Oktoberfest is slightly difficult for me to get to.

The path of the locust, 2011-2012 edition

I spent the last two weeks of December hanging out in Honolulu with my parents, grandma, aunt and uncle from Australia, my sister, and Lani, my parent's adopted 11-year old miniature beagle. Folks ask me if I had a good time; maybe they imagine that I'd be hanging out at the beach or what not. Nope. Mostly what I do is eat with my folks, because that's our M.O., and because food in Hawaii is just so much danged fun. Here's an index to some of the places I went to. But my mom's home cooking is what I'll always crave the most!

• Kapiolani Community College Saturday Farmers Market. You definitely need to go to this market if you're in Honolulu. My next post will go into a bit more detail about what I ate, bought, saw, and sampled there on two visits.

• Bubbies Ice Cream. Multiple locations; I went to the one in Koko Marina. Mochi ice cream makes a perfect little snack. Traditional azuki bean tasted very nice, but the chocolate eggnog was odd. I couldn't get my hands on the li hing mango flavored version, unfortunately. Try the chocolate banana flavored ice cream.

• Ramen-Ya. Multiple locations; I went to Hawaii Kai Towne Center spot. Very good chicken katsu and a hearty curry ramen. Tasty and a good value, which means an assortment of family members wound up eating there three days in a row.

• Uncle Clay's House of Pure Aloha in the Aina Haina Shopping Center. Shave ice with a story and a smile. I'll describe the flavors and the philosophy in a subsequent post.

• Kamehameha Bakery. My mom says the malasadas here are excellent and stay yummy for days, but they were all sold out by the time we got there (around 2 or 3pm). The poi doughnuts are also supposed to be really good. We managed to leave with some interesting (in a good way) haupia filled taro rolls. Need to go back to investigate the other goodies.

• Morning Glass Coffee and Cafe in Manoa. I went with my folks and Lani, as the cafe is just a few blocks away from the vet's office. An open-air eatery, Morning Glass prepares each cuppa joe individually and offers a Hawaiian coffee of the day. On our visit, we had Rusty’s Ka’u Red Cattura (which I found out by asking them via Twitter). They have pastries and heartier fare, including burgers, which smelled super ono! Another place I need to go back to for more "research."

• Harbor Village in the Koko Marina Shopping Center. Good Chinese fare including beef with asparagus in black bean sauce, Peking duck, shrimp with walnuts, and pork with pickled mustard greens. We went twice while I was there, and I think the family went a third time after I left. On our first visit, Danny Kaleikini greeted my parents as if they were neighbors; I guess he's not called the Ambassador of Aloha for nothing.

• Koa Pancake House in the Hawaii Kai Towne Center; multiple locations. Big portions, and I mean big. I got a breakfast special - a Portugese sausage omelette with a "side" of pancakes - that could have fed three people. Whew.

• Gyotaku in the Niu Valley Shopping Center; multiple locations. Good bento options, and even though I'm not a huge sweets person, I really liked the Okinawan sweet potato pie with haupia.

• Kua'aina Sandwich Shop near Ward Center. I referenced this in a previous blog. The fries, which I didn't previously mention as shoe-string style, are still addictive, but their teri-burger, while fine, still can't compete with my memory of the teri-burger from Burger Land. Thumbs up, though, for offering a heaping amount of pepperoncini as a side order.

• Royal Gardens on the third floor of the Ala Moana hotel for yum cha. An unusually upscale Chinese restaurant, I wind up going here at least once a year with my family. We arrived this year on New Year's Day right when the doors opened. The place was swarming with diners within minutes.