eat. shop. love. nyc.

ƎVIL TWIИ

Melody — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 17:12:28 +0000

You pay your rent. You go to work everyday. You’re faithful to your boyfriend/ girlfriend. You visit your grandma in Boca. You’re a good person. And you’re tired of being good.

Enter Evil Twin, a new monthly party where you throw your inhibitions to the wind and get stupid. Basically you come to the party as your own evil twin. If you like to wear white shirts, wear black. If you like to wear black shirts, wear no shirt. If you like to drink beer, drink gin. If you like to drink gin, take ketamine.We play the music, a mix of evil hop-hop and dark and menacing dance music. A bass-heavy backdrop for you to lose yourself and make decisions that would appall your normal self. We will have a live video artist with an evil instrument used for projecting graphic videos. They may include but are not limited to depictions of sex, drugs, and taking drugs while having sex.

Admission and booze are cheap to facilitate evil behavior. Facial disguises are encouraged so colleagues and classmates can’t implicate you. If you are evil and have already killed your good twin, you can come as your extra evil triplet$5 Sailor Jerry dark & stormy drink specials will be served at the bar from open to close to help facilitate the release of your inner evil twin.

Specifics:
When: Friday, March 9, 10pm-late
Where: Evil Loft, 70 North 6th Street, Williamsburg BK. (unmarked door btw Cubana Social and WHM)
How Much: $5
RSVP Here.

Korean-style shabu shabu kalguksu

Melody — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 17:13:10 +0000

Korean-style shabu shabu kalguksu

One of the Korean dishes I miss most from my days in Seoul is “shabu shabu kalguksu,” a Korean spin on Japanese shabu shabu hotpot that involves knife-cut noodles and a spicy leek and potato broth. See excerpt from Eyes in Korea below (and click through the link for more mouth-watering photos and descriptions).

Korean Shabu Kalguksu

My overview of Korean food continues and our target today isshabu kalguksu or chopped noodles.Shabu kalguksu is a very popular dish in Korea. Some people think it is a Japanese cuisine according to the name “shabu”, which is a Japanese word. Others say it is similar to Mongolian Genghis Khan’s meal. Some Koreans also say it is “toryeom” meal originated in Korea. As it often happens, nobody knows the real story for sure, so let’s concentrate on the dish itself.

I often go with my friends to Doul Shabu Kalguksu restaurant which is our favorite spot in Daejeon. Usually we order seafood kalguksu. The ingredients of the shabu kalguksuinclude seafoods, meat, vegetables, mushrooms, noodles and rice with eggs. Furthermore there are many side dishes served at the table.

New York has a Koreatown, so why can’t I find my shabu shabu kalguksu here?!? I may, however, have found a passable alternative at Arirang (my favorite NYC spot for kalguksu, sujaebi, and kimchi jeon) – the chicken shabu kalguksu. I’m checking it out on Monday evening as it purported feeds 3-4 people – which means it probably feeds 6 with sides and apps. I will report back shortly.

Roasted tomato soup with broiled cheese

Melody — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 16:00:32 +0000

If the thought of savoring a roasted tomato soup covered in a crunchy, melted crust of cheddar or gruyere cheese sounds at all appetizing to you, look no further. The Smith in midtown is serving its roasted tomato soup in the style of French Onion Soup. And let’s be frank: few things in life are not made better by adding melted cheese.

Pictured above: roast tomato soup from The Smith (Midtown East) 956 Second Ave between 50th and 51st. 212-644-2700.

If you’re feeling ambitious, you can make this at home using this Smitten Kitchen recipe for roasted tomato soup with broiled cheddar (pictured below).

Fancy grilled cheese sandwiches at Little Muenster

Melody — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 16:54:43 +0000

A grilled cheese sandwich is perhaps the ultimate comfort food. If you grew up in America, your mom probably lovingly prepared you an after-school snack of a melty Kraft Single (or two, if you were a good boy/girl) between two slices of pillowy-soft buttered Wonder Bread at some point. Now that I’m old enough to make my own grilled cheese sandwiches and have stopped buying processed cheese and white bread, I still find myself craving that grilled cheese goodness and a cup of creamy tomato soup. With the temperatures dropping, I’ll be making frequent trips to Little Muenster in my beloved Lower East Side for their grown-up grilled cheese sammies.

Check out the menu here.

Pictured: gruyère, chèvre, leek confit, and pancetta on French sourdough. Photo courtesy of Grub Street.

Little Muenster (LES) 100 Stanton between Orchard and Ludlow; 212-203-7197.

Don’t waste the vanilla pods.

Melody — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 20:33:46 +0000

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.

$16 pitchers and da bomb veggie burger at Korzo Haus

Melody — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 14:13:01 +0000

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.

Bianca NYC: it’s like having your own Italian grandma

Melody — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 14:35:58 +0000

Or a mini army of little Italian grandmas in the inimate, white-paneled, rustic shabby-chic candlelight that is Bianca. In reality, I’m pretty sure the kitchen at Bianca is manned by a bevy of super talented and hardworking Ecuadorians under the direction of Emilia-Romagna native and chef-owner Giancarlo Quaddalti, but I like the imagery of some sweet Italian nonna hand-shaping meatballs and whipping up a mean red sauce next to a blazing fire.

Bianca was one of the very first restaurants I checked out upon moving to New York City in 2008. It’s good, honest Italian food, nothing fancy or pretentious about it. Since then, it has remained a stalwart of my delight-your-out-of-town-guests-and-prove-living-in-NYC-can-be-affordable-to-non-believers arsenal. Nothing on the menu costs more than $15 and there are a couple bottles of wine for less than $30, so it’s especially great if you’re looking to watch what you’re spending without sacrificing ambiance or quality of food.

My go-tos at Bianca are the gnocco fritto with charcuterie (fried dough puffs with stuff-it-yourself cured meats – $9) and the insalata carciofini (artichoke salad – $8.50) to start, the tagliatelle alla bolognese (tagliatelli pasta with meat sauce – $9.50) and the straccetti di manzo (thinly sliced pan-seared filet mignon with rosemary potatoes – $15) as mains, and the tortino di cioccolata (chocolate mousse cake with dark chocolate ganache – $6.50) and the tiramisu ($6.50) for dessert. You also cannot possibly go wrong with any of their pasta specials of the day.

The artichoke salad (above) is a salad of julienned raw artichoke that’s been marinated in olive oil, lemon, salt, and pepper, topped with thin slices of shaved parmigiano reggiano cheese. I’ve never had anything quite like it before, but apparently it is a dish common in central Italy in the winter when winter artichokes are abundant. I found a great recipe for the salad on Aglio, Olio e Peperoncino, complete with a tutorial on how to trim an artichoke. I will definitely be trying out this out at home.

I veered from the usual suspects recently and tried the tagaliolini ai frutti di mare (seafood pasta – $12.50 – pictured above). Clams, calamari, shrimp, and mussels sauteedin garlic and served with a light tomato sauce. I found myself wishing this dish had some spice to it – it’s nothing a generous sprinkling of red pepper flakes wouldn’t have helped, but I was in a rush and it was a hassle trying to get our server’s attention and the dish was still tasty as it was, I just like my seafood pasta in red sauce with a little kick.

My only true complaint? They don’t take reservations. So arrive really early (they open at 5 pm daily – it’s usually not too hard to get a table before 7) or really late (like after 9:30), especially if you have a party larger than 2 people. If you don’t mind waiting a bit, sidle up to the bar at Von next door. They’ll let you bring your wine from Von over to Bianca, or you can have your food served to you at Von if Bianca’s full and you’re able to get a table at Von. Von does take reservations, by the way. If you live in the area, you lucky duck, you can also order Bianca to-go.

Note: Bianca is cash only. There’s a Chase on Bowery at Bleecker, though, so no worries if you have to run to the ATM; it’s not far.

If you’re uptown in UWS, sister restaurant Celeste on Amsterdam between 84th and 85th is supposed to be similar, as well.

Eat: Bianca (Bowery/NoHo) 5 Bleecker St. between Bowery and Elizabeth. Open daily from 5 pm.

Star Wars vs. Star Trek Burlesque Showdown

Melody — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 18:20:24 +0000

That’s right. I am totally nerding it up this Friday. I am sure this is going to be absolutely hilarious. Are C3P0 and Spock really going to make out? I’m going to the Friday show, but there are shows Thursday through Saturday. Dates and times of the shows can be found here. Just FYI, if you buy online it’s $15 plus service charge, which comes to about $18 so you’re better off just buying tickets at the door unless you’re afraid this is going to sell out. Which is very possible given its feature as Time Out New York’s Critic’s Pick.

The Star Debate: Trek vs. Wars

Nerdlings,

The geeks of EW! will clash against one another in civil war to settle one of the most impassioned nerd arguments of our time: Which science fiction franchise is superior, Star Trek or Star Wars? Leading the arguments for Team Trek will be vaudevillian Nelson Lugo, with “evidence” provided by Trekkie hotties Bonnie Voy’age, Lefty Lucy, Miss Mary Cyn and special guest Fem Appeal. Arguing on behalf of Star Wars will be nerd rapper Schaffer the Darklord and his team of sultry Siths BB Heart, Victoria Privates, Magdalena Fox and special guest Rosey La Rouge. Since our hosts will be playing the parts of opposing counsel, our audience will play the part of jury. Indeed, the “winner” will be determined by your vote.

EPIC WIN Burlesque presents “The Star Debate: Trek vs. Wars.” This sexy symposium will settle the great nerd argument once and for all. Phasers will clash with lightsabers. Klingons will battle Stormtroopers. Tribbles will wrestle Ewoks. And although there can be only one victor, all of the nerds in attendance will unite and rejoice in the majestic spectacle of space boobs. The battle has begun.

Two costumed nerds passionately argue the superiority of their favorite science fiction franchises, with sexy “evidence” provided by superstars of the NYC burlesque scene.

EPIC WIN Burlesque has been accepted into the 2011 NYC Fringe Festival. The New York International Fringe Festival (FringeNYC) is the largest multi-arts festival in North America, with more than 200 companies from all over the world performing for 16 days in more than 20 venues.

May the force live long and prosper.

Epic Win Burlesque presents The Star Debate: Trek vs. Wars - 9:15PM

66-68 East 4th St.
New York New York

Price: $15 in Advance – $18 @ the Door

Cure that hangover: V-Nam Cafe

Melody — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 14:36:49 +0000

On the weekends, many of you East Village/LESers are seeking desperate reprieve from the hangover that will not stop reminding you what an awesome time you had last night. On such days, might I suggest throwing on some sunglasses and dragging your miserable a** over to V-Nam Cafe for some comforting Viet therapy? First things first: sit down and order a Vietnamese coffee. The caffeine will help ease the pounding in your head; the condensed milk will soothe the throat and reduce the acidity in your stomach.

Suggested menu for two:

Shrimp rolls in rice paper stuffed with shrimp, vermicelli, sprouts, and mint served with a peanut and chili dipping sauce.

Vermicelli noodles with spring rolls. Just the right amount of grease to get that nauseating gurgling to cease. My favorite parts are the flakes of dried garlic and slices of cucumber with fresh mint. Drizzle with fish sauce, toss, enjoy.

No hangover meal for me is complete without soup of some kind. At V-Nam, the pho is all right, and I mean that in the best way possible. Sure, it’s not NoVa or Orange County pho, but the anise-flavored beef broth with a squeeze of lime and a squirt of sriracha hits the spot every time.

All this, and your wallet will likely be $10-$12 lighter (per person for 2). Not bad, right? On days where you’re in especially bad shape and can’t bring yourself to face the daylight, you can get it delivered.

Eat: V-Nam Cafe (EV) 20 1st Ave (btw 1st & 2nd), Manhattan NY 10003. (212) 780-6020

Free NYC Outdoor Summer Movies 2011

Melody — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 14:09:34 +0000

Check ‘em out before the summer’s gone! I’ve bolded the ones I’m most excited about and provided direct links to info.

August 17, Wayne’s World, McCarren Park SummerScreen (rescheduled)
August 17, Mars Attacks!, Summer on the Hudson: Movies Under the Stars
August 17, The Town, RiverFlicks for Grown-Ups
August 18, Crooklyn, Syfy Movies with a View at Brooklyn Bridge Park
August 18, Rosemary’s Baby, EPIX Movie Free-for-All (Tompkins Square Park)
August 19, Jurassic Park, Intrepid Museum
August 19, Tangled, RiverFlicks for Kids
August 20, Over the Hedge, Movie Night at Narrows Botanical Gardens
August 20, TRON: Legacy, Roosevelt Island Outdoor Summer Movie Series
August 22, Dirty Harry, Bryant Park Summer Film Festival
August 23, Clueless, McCarren Park SummerScreen (rescheduled)
August 23, El Cantante, Central Park Conservancy Film Festival
August 23, The Iron Giant, Red Hook Summer Movies
August 24, Bird, Central Park Conservancy Film Festival
August 25, Dreamgirls, Central Park Conservancy Film Festival
August 25, The Godfather, EPIX Movie Free-for-All (Tompkins Square Park)
August 25, Rosemary’s Baby, Syfy Movies with a View at Brooklyn Bridge Park
August 26, Shine a Light, Central Park Conservancy Film Festival
August 30, Pump Up the Volume, Red Hook Summer Movies
September 1, Stake Land, EPIX Movie Free-for-All (Tompkins Square Park)
September 3, The Incredibles, Roosevelt Island Outdoor Summer Movie Series
September 6, Highlander, Red Hook Summer Movies
September 8, Two Days in Paris, Films on the Green Festival
September 13, Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, Red Hook Summer Movies

Not free ($10), but also cool, World’s Best Dad is premiering on Friday, August 19 at Rooftop Films in Brooklyn. It’s on the roof of the Old American Can Factory! How awesome is that?

WORLD’S BEST DAD

Joshua Gross 2010
Friday, August 19, 2011

8:00 PM +ADD TO ICAL +GOOGLE CALENDAR

$10 online or at the door.

VENUE

THE OLD AMERICAN CAN FACTORY
On the roof of The Old American Can Factory
GOWANUS/SLOPE
232 Third St. at 3rd Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11215
F/G to Carroll St. or M/R to Union

SHOW

WORLD’S BEST DAD

8:00PM	Doors Open
8:30PM	Live Music by Sport of Kings
9:00PM	Film Begins
11:00PM	After Party in the Courtyard

More info/individual schedules and details (courtesy Vimeo blog):
►Rooftop Films (a bunch of indies that you won’t recognize but a great way to discover some new flicks)
►Brooklyn Bridge Movies With a View
►RiverFlicks
►Summer on the Hudson
►Bryant Park
►Celebrate Brooklyn!
►Epix Movie Free-for-All (Hosted in Tompkins Square Park, Coney Island’s Luna Park, McCarren Park in Brooklyn and Socrates Park in Queens)
►Central Park Film Festival: five films from 8/23 – 8/27
►River to River Festival (mostly at The Elevated Acre at 55 Water St.)
►Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum Summer Movie Series