Fatty Crab in the West Village (NYC)

As I started writing this post, I knew it had been a long time since I'd written, but I didn't know THIS much time had passed! Apparently the last time I posted was November 26! Wow. Time flies.

It's not that I haven't been eating-- oh, believe me, I've been eating some amazing meals in my new city-- but I've been so busy and way too overwhelmed to write :( And when not super busy and overwhelmed, I've been lying on the couch catching up on Jersey Shore and House. Clearly I have my priorities straight.

Anyway, I had a special request-- well, close to begging actually-- from one of my best friends in the whole world for me to write about our dinner, as he has never appeared on Dish This! before. So, drum roll please, please welcome Reginald Ambrose to Dish This!

This German resident and I went to college together in Boston, but his international abode means sadly we have not shared many (any?) meals in the past 3 years. In college, we shared quite a few-- 4 a.m. Hoy Hing Chinese delivery, staff meals at both restaurants we waited tables together at (one on Newbury Street, one in Brookline Village), tapas at Tasca in Brighton (when we were being fancy), flat bread pizzas from Angora in Brookline, and cookies off the floor of the Sheraton Hotel in Boston (don't ask).

Fast forward to a few weeks ago-- a FREEZING Saturday night, and our INCREDIBLE meal together at Fatty Crab in the West Village with Dish Bro.

Fatty Crab doesn't take reservations, so after many hours of drinks at WXOU nearby, we finally headed over around 10 pm. Luckily we only had to wait a couple minutes for a table, but it was still packed and rocking! Loud music blasting from the stereos, hipster waiters bustling about-- and an amazing smell wafting throughout. I was PSYCHED.

We started with drinks-- Reginald (ps the name refers to his late-night "alter ego" who used to entertain us with being an extra on the Jeffersons (don't ask) and dancing on tables) got the Recession Special ($10) which is a shot of whiskey, a shot of pickle juice, and a PBR Tallboy. Dish Bro drank some yummy white wine that I don't know the name of, but I did try it, and it was great. I went with a PBR tallboy-- class all the way here, folks.

Then we got some "snacks" for the table. The first was the "simplest" dish of the night but may be my favorite, for its unique flavor combination and creativity: green mango with chili -sugar-salt. This architectural beauty was addictive, and has haunted my dreams ever since. If I could only have some at my desk every day...

We also got the quail egg shooters-- another impressive display of presentation-- four teeny tiny eggs exploding with flavor. One spicy sriracha hot one, one with pork, one with the smallest little anchovy I've ever seen.

Our last snack was the vegetable steam buns (Reginald is newly a pescetarian).

My favorite part about Fatty Crab may be its unabashed, unapologetic usage of cilantro. There were mountains of cilantro everywhere! My idea of heaven. Also this guy's. Here was Reginald Ambrose's entree, a pescatarian's heaven (tons and tons of shellfish and seafood):

My entree was a preview from the Fatty Crab opening in Williamsburg that will be BBQ inspired-- smoked brisket with bao and herbed cilantro salad. This brisket was like tender, fat pieces of bacon. On a heavenly patty. With a delicious sauce. So it was disgusting, as you can imagine ;) [where's that new sarcasm font when I need it?]

Dish Bro got this insanely spicy Fatty Duck-- I really enjoyed sucking the fatty meat right off that glorious piece of duck (and this is coming from a person who only eats meat a few times a week). The heat was super intense, and my PBR just made it even hotter- awesome. God I love spicy food!

The aftermath after we attacked our food:

With the check, our waiter brought tiny pieces of mochi coconut cake. A heavenly end to a heavenly meal.

Fatty Crab left me feeling deliriously happy and energized (yet so full I felt close to exploding). This was EXACTLY Dish Gal's kinda place-- fun, delicious, and unique-- a place so good, it makes you feel high. Not that Reginald would know anything about that.

I <3 NY

New York, New York. I've had a loving relationship with the city since I was wee-little-one, visiting my big bro, marveling at the bright lights and his seemingly ultra-glamorous life. With every visit, it was as if I was viewing what I hoped the future would hold for me: great friends, arts and culture, fantastic nightlife, and of course exciting and exotic restaurants.

So when my 24th birthday was approaching, I felt it was only appropriate to head to the city that never sleeps to celebrate. We arrived late on Friday night and started with some cocktails at Jamie's... followed by hours of dancing...and ended with some late night pizza: Ah, New York pizza. Amazing at any hour of the night.

Next morning, we stumbled down to the Lower East Side for brunch at Schiller's, owned by the Balthazar peeps. I thoroughly enjoyed my spicy bloody mary, though did not enjoy its $11 price tag! But somehow it made me feel a little buzzed and a little silly, so I guess it did its job ;)I also really enjoyed my eggs benedict. I decided to lighten it up a bit with sliced tomato in place of the meat, much to the confusion of our waiter. Oh, did I mention I thoroughly enjoyed our tall, dark, and handsome waiter as well? ;)

Jamie's celery in her bloody mary was a little bit suspect though:For my official birthday dinner later that night, we visited another Lower East Side establishment that I had read about, a casa fox, a cozy and rustic tapas restaurant with super-reasonable prices. I had read that they're known for their empanadas, so we tried a sampler ($8). My favorite was the chorizo and manchego, followed closely behind the portobello mushroom and smoked gouda. I loooved the fried manchego cheese with membrillo ($8) (like a sweet jam)- they were like grown-up mozzarella sticks. I also liked the encortido ($4), a salad with shredded cabbage, tomato, scallion, and poblano peppers. Though to my chagrin it reminded me of stuff I can make on my own, but it did inspire me to buy poblanos next time I'm at Shaw's.Beef skewers with chimichurri sauce ($8) were delightfully tender, and plantain chips with guacamole and black bean dip ($4) proved to be a nice change from chips & salsa. But the arroz con pollo ($18) was a big disappointment. When we asked if the kitchen had forgotten the "pollo" part of the meal, our server claimed it was "traditional" that you can't even see or taste the chicken. Huh? Anyone know anything about this? And it came without rice and beans but with the aforementioned plantain chips and salsa. Double huh?

However, we ended with a huge winner: chocolate empanadas with a dulce de leche dipping sauce. Flaky empanadas filled with oozing dark chocolate? Yes, please. Happy birthday to me! Haha ;)New york, you're too good to me.

In a New York minute...

New York City has more than 20,000 restaurants to choose from. (This information came from the highly respected wikianswers.com) So upon Dish Gal's return from the Big Apple, I'm sure you're excited to hear about where we ate. The Spotted Pig, perhaps? Daniel? Tavern on the Green?

Ummmm, this trip, not so much... Dish Gal ate at the following restaurants during her travels:

Wendy's ($1.26 for a Jr. Cheeseburger Deluxe...nice.)
Dunkin' Donuts (an eggwhite flatbread- I never have those!)
Subway (turkey 6-inch sub with lots of pickles)
Whole Foods (my near-daily lunch stop, a friend at worked pointed out that I can never escape this place!)

The Whole Foods we stopped at was in Union Square. It was crazy! The Disney World-esque check-out area had multiple lines and a color-coded system to keep the mobs organized. I made a scrumptious (yet definitely random) salad though at their stellar salad bar, filled with mango & jicama slaw, mint & orange quinoa salad, Thai beef salad, chili-pepper tofu, and a vegan dumpling on top of mixed greens with tomatoes and green peas.

The one non-chain place we visited was a brunch place called Vertigo in Midtown. I was too hungover and sleep-deprived to really even take more than a few bites. So I can't really comment on the huevos rancheros I sampled...But I can say their bloody mary was so hot, it was as if they had dumped a whole bottle of tabasco in it.

We spent most of our energy, time, and money at nightlife spots rather than restaurants (very un-Dish Gal, but extremely fun this particular weekend). On Friday night, we visited La Caverna, an underground bar on the Lower East Side modeled after Roman caves that played fun throwback tunes. Definitely click on that link, because it has great photos of the place.

Later on, we stumbled over to Tenjune, a celebrity hotspot that we manage to never see celebs at... But it was fun nonetheless.

Saturday night was spent at two house parties, both very different. One was at an apartment with a ridiculous view of the Empire State building, the other at a Soho loft that featured Jacques' band (which was fantastic by the way. I am trying to get them to play in Boston, and will definitely share info with readers if that happens).

OH! I just remembered that we did in fact eat at another non-chain restaurant: L'Express. Open 24 hours, this place is like a less-fancy Gaslight, or an uber-fancy diner. I was starved by the time we rolled in at 3 a.m. I thoroughly enjoyed a croque monsieur. Jamie opted for a prosciutto-mozzarella panini (not very French? but who's gonna argue at 3 a.m.!?), and Skylar enjoyed some French onion soup.

All in all, it was a great weekend, though I certainly am EXHAUSTED today! =)

Little nibbles

So over the past months pretty much any meal that strikes me as special-- a homecooked meal by Dish Brother, a beautifully arranged salad by Z, an impromptu late-night dessert after seeing Joel McHale (from The Soup)-- has been photographed and saved on my computer. But sometimes (as other bloggers know) time passes so quickly and soon it's kind of too late to write about said photo. Here are some photos that I've wanted to share for awhile now.

Picture this: fresh off the BoltBus, arriving in New York City around 8:30 p.m. after nearly 5 hours on the road. Hop on the train to Brooklyn, where I'm welcomed by Dish Nephew, Dish Sister-in-law, and Dish Brother who had this meal on the table within 5 minutes. Fantastic! I can still taste the savory meat sauce and the delicate, handmade raviolis.

After seeing Joel McHale at the Roxy one Friday night, Z and I were in the mood for some dessert. We stopped by old stand-by Finale but unfortunately it had already closed, so instead we headed across the street to Via Matta. We sat in the bar area and enjoyed their delicious "mascarporeos"-- a deconstructed oreo cookie with hard chocolate cookies, dusted with confectionars sugar, and a side of mascarpone for your dunking pleasure. Love it!

This was one of the fastest meals to put together, delicious, and healthy. Stir-fried tofu, with one of those pre-made Asian slaws from Whole Foods. Those slaws and salads in the produce section are definitely worth checking out for a quick and healthy side dish.

Finally this is one of my favorite ice cream places ever. I know its unseasonal now, but at the first sign of spring, head to Captain Dusty's in Manchester-by-the-Sea for creamy goodness with a small-town feel.

Start spreading the news...

I've just returned from my trip to NYC and wow, what a culinary extravaganza. I won't write too much, since it is New York and this blog is supposed to be dedicated to my dear Beantown, but I can't resist writing about the amazing food and drinks I tried.

So one thing I am in awe of in New York is how no matter where you are, there is some "hidden find" that is most of the time better than most restaurants in your average city. While New Yorkers consider them just their "local", visitors consider them totally destination-dining worthy.

First example. Arrived in Brooklyn late on Friday night and was immediately in need of some libations. Traveled probably about a total of 25 steps to Sample in Cobble Hill. Was a very long and narrow, darkly-lit bar with a smattering of votive candles. The idea behind "sample" is that you pick and choose tapas-style meats, cheeses, fishes, etc. to create a "sample" of foods you'd like to pick at. After awkwardly navigating the slightly-claustrophobic bar, and snagging a seat (probably the last two in the place), we immediately ordered drinks-- a sangria and a grey goose martini. The sangria was so refreshing (probably too refreshing; I drank it in all of 2 minutes). Since we had already eaten, we opted for the "cookie" plate, which was so cutely garnished with pistachio cotton candy! (that's another thing about New York-- all the great small details). We moved on to some also refreshing margaritas, which were tiiiiny (I'm going to say they are the same amount as two shots at Lucky's haha) Sample was definitely the type of restaurant you could find yourself sitting at for hours, continually ordering small drinks and food until you realize that oops, they are closing. It is so cozy and romantic and just the perfect neighborhood bar. However, the heat was turned up so high that my contacts were drying up! I had to leave, and gladly stumbled into the crisp New York night.

Whoops, already wrote a lot... But anyway, on Saturday had lunch at Jolie, also in Brooklyn, a small brasserie-type restaurant. Had (cliche alert) the croque monsieur, which was pretty much cheesy exctasy. Washed it down with a zingy Bloody Mary (Dish Gal's absolute favorite drink). On the way to the restaurant passed the apartment where Michelle Williams lives/Heath Ledger used to live... had flowers piled on the stoop.. quite sad and eery.

Anyway, moving on. Had dinner with my brother at Cafe Gray. I don't think I've ever had a dining experience in my whole life quite like this. (To put it in perspective, the last time he had eaten there, Iron Chef Morimoto was at the table next to him... and bowed to the chef on his way out). I started with a Sangria that was made with white wine, and garnished with dried cranberries and a fresh sprig of rosemary (there's that NY attention to detail again!). Every time I took a sip, my palate was struck by the constrasting flavors-- the white wine vs the rosemary. Exquisite.

After finagling a table with no reservations, we were escorted to a table where the waiter pulled my chair out for me as I sat down. This was just a hint of the superb service we received during the night. We had like 4 different servers! And one looked like he was the manager. But I digress.

We were started off with an amuse bouche. I love it. Felt like I was on Top Chef. God I wish I had Padma's job...

I started with tuna sashimi (take that, mercury !) that was a velvety thin sheet of red tuna, sitting atop a bed of chopped jicama with tiny breaded scallops and thin pieces of mint. Every bite was different, depending on what I picked up with my fork, and every bite was (to use a really lame phrase) a party in my mouth. The waiter selected my white wine for me to accompany this, which had, as my brother pointed out, notes of honey. It matched up perfectly.

I had the duck confit with saurkreut as my entree... It was so unusual tasting but so delicious. I can't even attempt to describe how it tasted for fear of doing it such terrible injustice. We decided to opt out of dessert, and the waiter kindly brought over a sampling of chocolate ganache and tiny little cookies. Gosh, why is it that the really expensive restaurants give out the fun free stuff? Oh right, because you just paid an exorbitant amount of money to eat there!

On our way back to Brooklyn, we made a stop off at Billy's, a bakery in Chelsea, for some cupcakes. My brother swears they are much better than the over-hyped Magnolia's Bakery, and while I've never tried Magnolia's, Billy's certainly swept me right off my feet with their buttercream frosting and soft and fluffy cake.

Ah, New York. How I love thee.