Filed under: Cook, Drink | Tags: bourbon, Coban, creepy, Guatemala, Halloween, Maker's Mark, vanilla, vodka, Wodka
I’m baking those creepy severed finger cookies again this Halloween but realized that I don’t have any vanilla extract, only whole vanilla bean pods I bought in Guatemala from Coban, in the Alta Verapaz region. So I am using real vanilla bean seeds in the cookies, and using the leftover pods to infuse mini bottles of Wodka vodka (thanks, Kelly!) and Maker’s Mark (thanks, Virginia and Jack!).
So as to avoid any confusion given the GIANT bottle of Maker’s shown, I poured from the big Maker’s bottle into an empty mini Ciroc bottle.
Vanilla vodka always reminds me of college and those godawful orange creamsicle drinks we used to make with a jug of vanilla vodka that came in a plastic bottle and some Sunny Delight. Might be time to experiment with a grown up version. Vanilla bourbon is going to be amazing drizzled over some ice cream.
Filed under: Drink, Eat | Tags: beer, burger, burger and beer combo, East Village, halusky, Hungarian, Korzo Haus, restaurants, Slovak
It makes me sad when cool neighborhood spots don’t get as much business as they deserve. It’s always a struggle, right? You want them to get a steady flow of business, but you also don’t want the place to get so busy that you have to wait for a table. Korzo Haus is just such a place. With its ever-changing daily seasonal menu, its locally-sourced grass-fed beef burgers, and its $16 pitchers of custom-brewed organic ale, it’s a wonder there isn’t a line out the door for this place on the regular.
Halušky with bryndza (Slovak feta cheese), crispy bacon bits, and chives ($6). A glorious eastern take on European mac’n'cheese. Or a Slovak feta spaetzle. Whatever makes it make sense for you. Quite rich, so good for sharing.
The Wunderwurst platter ($11.50). Not the prettiest wieners I’ve seen, but they certainly did the trick. (Badum-ching!) Hot and juicy, served with two types of mustard, housemade sauerkraut, and pickled something I can’t seem to remember.
The Haus Vegi on the night of July 7th was the best veggie burger I’ve had in my life. While Korzo Haus prides itself on using 100% grass-fed and finished Black Angus Beef from the sustainable and animal welfare approved Grazin’ Angus Acres in Ghent, New York, we opted to try the delicious-sounding veggie burger instead: walnut and black-eyed pea patty, edam cheese, caramelized onions, pickled something, and dressed greens on a made-to-order Langoš (Hungarian fried bread) bun ($11.50). The veggie burger option at KH changes based on what’s fresh at the farmer’s market, but they subscribe to an open source menu philosophy – tell Steve you really want to try this burger and let’s hope they make this a regular menu item.
A lingering dinner for 3 including some damn good beer came to $22 per person. Not bad, I say, for a dinner in a rustic little EV joint with a friendly staff and, wait, let me say it again: $16 pitchers of GOOD beer EVERY NIGHT.
Between 3-7 pm Monday through Thursday, they do a $12 burger and beer special. After you finish your free beer, you can share a pitcher with friends to make a happy belly even happier.
Eat/drink/be merry: Korzo Haus (East Village/ABCity) 178 East 7th Street, 10009. (212)-780-0181. Follow @KorzoHaus.
Filed under: Cook, Drink | Tags: chicken, Filipino, mango, recipes, summer salads
In 2008, we had a rotating potluck going and it was Jilly’s turn to cook the main. I’d been craving Filipino food so I requested that she make chicken adobo because all Filipinos know how to make amazing chicken adobo, right? Riiight. All Filipinos know how to make amazing chicken adobo just like all Japanese are ninjas. That first stab at chicken adobo? Let’s just say it was… less than successful. Blame it on the fact that she used boneless skinless chicken breasts, or that she used full sodium soy sauce, or that she hadn’t yet learned what brining was. One diner actually asked, “Is this beef?”
Then one day, she posted this picture, and I knew she’d finally figured it out:
Two years, it took, but she finally perfected the recipe and when I begged her to let me try the new and improved version of her chicken adobo, she had me over for dinner. As I walked into the apartment, the aroma of garlic and ginger wafting through the air, the sound of the chicken sizzling in the pan, and the sight of my lovely hostess smiling at me… it all had me a little weak in the knees.
You’ve come a long way, baby.
Ingredients
- 3 lbs bone-in chicken legs (drumstick/thigh combos), brined overnight in solution of 1/4 cup salt + 1 gallon of water
- 8 large cloves of garlic, finely minced
- 1-inch piece of ginger, thinly sliced
- 2-3 bay leaves
- 3/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
- 3/4 cup white vinegar
- Coconut oil OR canola oil to fry chicken
- After brining chicken for 24 hours, remove and let sit in a bowl for 1 hour (to let the water soak into the chicken and away from the skin…we want crispy skin!)
- Marinate chicken for 1 hour in all of the above ingredients (minus the brine, of course) in a large pot
- Begin cooking; let simmer and stir regularly until chicken appears cooked, opaque and white. Turn off heat.
- Have a frying pan ready with oil, preheated till oil is shimmering (supa dupa hot)
- Begin frying chicken in batches as pan allows–this will be messy, but worth it! If possible, a brave soul with long arms (and long sleeves) should be the one doing this step
- Fry till crispy, golden, and brown.
- As each piece is perfectly fried, put it back into the pot with the soy/vinegar/garlic mixture
- When done frying, cook the chicken back up in the soy mixture, and simmer until mixture is thick and chicken is cooked through (the poke-with-a-knife test, etc.)
- Jill likes to add a teaspoon of sugar in there as it simmers at this step to make it a little richer and caramelized-ish
Region: Pfaffenheim (Alsace), France.
Notes: 100 growers created a co-operative called ‘The winegrowers of Pfaffenheim’, whose grapes are never sold outside of the Co-op. Several Grand Cru vineyards. 2010 is the first year these wines are sold in the U.S.Description: Beautiful golden-yellow color with clean aromas of peach and apricots. The palate is surprisingly dry for such intense aromas and richness. Lovely minerality and starfruit character that yields to red plum on the finish.
- 3 Jersey tomatoes OR 4-5 plum tomatoes, diced into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1/2 red onion, also diced
- 1 mango, diced (use a firm mango to avoid smushiness..we like crisp!)
- as much or as little cilantro as you’d like, finely chopped
- dash of white vinegar, to taste
- dash of soy or fish sauce, to taste
- squeezed 1/2 lime or 1/4 lemon
- 1/2 tablespoon sugar
Filed under: Drink, Eat, Go | Tags: Alphabet City, duck, Edi & the Wolf, feast, Rendezfoods
Kick off the summer with a whole roasted duck feast at Edi & the Wolf in Alphabet City as featured in Time Out NY and Thrillist. Austrian chefs Eduard “Edi” Frauneder and Wolfgang “the Wolf” Ban salt and stuff a duck with orange and apple quarters, celery, garlic cloves and rosemary before rubbing it down real good with paprika and other magic herbs.
We’ve ordered two whole birds and a sampler of small plates, shared plates, and shared entrees.
- Who: Your hosts plus 10 lucky foodies
- What: Duck Feast, estimated cost $30 to $40 pp including tax and tip – does not include beverages
- Where: Edi & the Wolf 102 Ave C btwn 6th & 7th (212-598-1040)
- When: Friday, June 10 @ 8 pm
RSVP via Eventbrite no later than Wednesday, June 8. The RSVP is free, but bring some cash to cover your share of dinner.
Haben sie Hunger?
Filed under: Drink, Eat | Tags: Abita, all you can eat, beer, crawfish, Parkside Lounge
Crawfish boil part deux! Crawfish army takes over LES.
- What: $35 all you can eat crawfish, potatoes, and corn on the cob
- When: Saturday, June 11 at 2 pm until the crawfish runs out (around 5 or 6 pm)
- Where: Parkside Lounge, LES, Houston at Attorney
For tickets, e-mail Chris at parksidefun@gmail.com.
Filed under: Drink, Eat | Tags: Alphabet City, beer, bourbon, burger, Burger Conquest, EVill, free, Idle Hands Bar, sliders, whiskey
I love a good free food with drink deal. And I love Idle Hands Bar – how can you not love a place whose tagline is Bourbon. Beer. Rock.? So this news makes me giddy:
- Who: burger, beer, and bourbon lovers all across NYC
- What: free mini burgers from That Burger Tent
- Where: Idle Hands on Ave. B at 3rd St.
- When: Mondays from 7 to 10 pm
- Why: One of the Idle Hands’ owners also runs Burger Conquest. Need I say more?
- How: Get a free mini burger w/$5 drink purchase, or buy mini burgers for $2 each
Eat/Drink: Idle Hands Bar (Alphabet City/East Village) 25 Avenue B between 2nd and 3rd, downstairs; New York, New York 10009. (917) 338-7090. Miniburger Mondays from 7-10 pm.
Filed under: Drink, Eat, Love | Tags: benefit, Bond St, Buddakan, Chelsea, EN Japanese Brasserie, Japan, Japanese, Japanese Red Cross, Kajitsu, Kyotofu, Kyoya, Matsuri, Sakagura, sake, Tanuki Tavern, tasting menu, wd-50
New York’s premier sake and restaurant community has partnered with Project by Project to host New York Loves Japan, a sake and chefs’ tasting to benefit relief efforts in Japan.
The benefit takes place this Wednesday, April 27, 2011, at La.venue in Chelsea, featuring 100 tastes of sake with food pairings to pay tribute to the culture and the rebuilding of communities in Japan. See Event Details.
Food sponsors include 15 East, Bond Street, Bozu, Buddakan, EN Japanese Brasserie, Geisha, Hibino, Kajitsu, Kyotofu, Kyoya, Matsuri, Sakagura, Tanuki Tavern, wd~50, and Unique Eats Chef Lee Anne Wong. For a full list of sake sponsors, click here. The list is quite impressive.
VIP Admission: $175
- Early Event Admission Starting at 6 PM
- Private VIP Daiginjo Sake Lounge Starting at 6 PM
- Sake Cup Gift Bag
- Plus General Admission Ticket Privileges
General Admission: $100
- Event General Admission Starting at 7 PM
- Try Over 100 Different Sakes
- Delicious Food from over 15 Restaurants
- Silent Auction
All proceeds will benefit the Japanese Red Cross Society. Your donation will support disaster relief efforts to help those affected by the earthquake in Japan and tsunami throughout the Pacific.
General Admission Tickets will be $125 at the door, so buy your tickets online now!
Filed under: Drink, Eat | Tags: AYCE, bayou, beer, boil, crawfish, dive bars, East Village, hurricanes, LES, New Orleans, Parkside Lounge
Mark your calendars, folks. We’re gettin’ down and dirty, N’Awlins style with an all-you-can-eat crawfish boil at Parkside Lounge on Saturday, May 7, 2011 at 2 pm. For $35 per person, stuff your face with as much crawfish as your little hands can peel and your little mouths can chew. Cheap beer and hurricanes, bayou beats.
Tickets are on sale now – e-mail parksidefun@gmail.com, see your friendly Parkside barkeep for details, or call them at (212) 673-6270.
Eat/drink: Parkside Lounge (LES) 317 East Houston Street at Attorney. New York, NY 10002. (212) 673-6270.
