Monthly Archive for October, 2009

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Big Gay Ice Cream Truck – New York City

Published by Gastronomer on October 25, 2009 in Dessert, Meals on Wheels, New York City and Restaurant Review. 9 Comments

What brings a small, straight gal to the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck? Curiosity, a love of frozen treats, and an immense appreciation for bold statements. Launched by Doug Quint this past June, the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck takes soft serve to places Mr. Softee wouldn’t dream of. There are crowd pleasing flavors like vanilla, chocolate, and swirl, but for those who like to dabble in a little savory with their sweets, the truck dolls out olive oil, sea salt, and bacon too!

The Big Gay Ice Cream Truck cruises the West Village by day and stakes out the East Village and Chelsea by night. The Astronomer and I tracked down the truck on our final evening in New York at Astor Place. As we approached the truck, both of us agreed that the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck wasn’t nearly big or gay enough. We were expecting cha-cha music blasting from speakers and a rainbow painted facade, but alas, the only element that differentiated this truck from other soft serve vendors was a lowly poster.

Based on a recommendation from Mr. Quint, The Astronomer and I indulged in a vanilla cone coated in caramel and crushed Nilla Wafers ($4). A bit of Nutella was piped into the bottom of the cone to make it extra decadent. The cone certainly hit the sweet spot, but it also satisfied something deeper—my desire to make a statement with my fork.

The truck closed up shop for the season two weeks ago and will re-open when the weather warms up. Follow the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck on Twitter @BigGayIceCream to find out when it “comes out” of hibernation. Oh Lord, someone stop me.

Ippudo – New York City

Published by Gastronomer on October 23, 2009 in Chain / Multiple Locations, Japanese, New York City and Restaurant Review. 13 Comments

Ippudo, the first American outpost of a Japanese chain of more than fifty restaurants, is arguably the best ramenya in all of New York City. The noodles here are so delicious that Manhattanites, a self-selected group of extremely busy and rarely patient people, wait around for over an hour to snag a seat and slurp their hearts out. The sidewalk outside the restaurant is commonly lined with hungry ramen seekers due to Ippudo’s immense popularity and annoying no reservation policy. There are certainly alternative remenyas within walking distance [See: Momofuku Noodle Bar and Minca Ramen Factory], but most are willing to stand around and twiddle their thumbs for Ippudo’s superior bowl.

Compared to the other remenyas in the neighborhood, Ippudo’s space is thoughtfully appointed and downright palatial. Even with a grandiose dining room, our party of five had to wait for an hour on this Sunday evening before being seated at a comfortable booth toward the back of the restaurant. Manhattan has been bitten by the rameniac bug.

Four members of our party ordered the Akamaru Modern ($13), Ippudo’s richest and most exquisite bowl of ramen. The soup’s signature tonkotsu broth was made by boiling pork bones, fat, and collagen over high heat for hours. The result was a lusciously thick broth that was deeply imbued with porky goodness. The mildly viscous broth clung to every noodle strand, assuring that every slurp was laced with the soup’s deep flavors. The Akamaru Modern was accented with miso paste, garlic oil, slices of simmered berkshire pork, cabbage, onions, kikurage (wood ear mushrooms), and scallions.

Since I promised to share my Akamaru Modern with him, The Astronomer ordered the Shiromaru Hakata Classic ($13). His bowl contained Ippudo’s signature tonkotsu broth as well, but it tasted milder without the addition of garlic oil. The noodles were topped with berkshire pork, kikurage, red pickled ginger, menma (a condiment made from dried bamboo), half a hard boiled egg, sesame seeds, and scallions.

Each bowl of ramen contained Ippudo’s slender, springy house-made noodles. Once The Astronomer finished his first heap, he took advantage of Ippudo’s kae-dama system and ordered a “refill” ($2) to plop in his still-warm broth.

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Ippudo NY
65 4th Avenue
New York, NY 10003
Phone: 212-388-0088

Sugar Sweet Sunshine – New York City

Published by Gastronomer on October 21, 2009 in Bakery, Dessert, New York City and Restaurant Review. 12 Comments

Being so vocal about my adoration of cupcakes has resulted in a slew of cupcakery recommendations from coast to coast. Next month while I’m in The Bay, I’ll be making my way to Kara’s Cupcakes thanks to a tip from my cousin Megan. And whenever I find myself in the District of Columbia, I know to hit up Georgetown Cupcake because gas•tron•o•my reader Ariel swears it’s even better than the godfather of cupcakes, Magnolia Bakery.

A few months before our trip to New York, The Astronomer and I received an email from our friend Matt. After successfully completing an epic cupcake crawl through Manhattan, he was thrilled to inform us that Sugar Sweet Sunshine produced the day’s top cupcake. The best part, he noted, was that the cupcakes cost a pittance—a buck fifty to be exact. A cheap and delicious cupcake experience in the Lower East Side? I knew we’d have to stop by.

As soon as we arrived in the city after a weekend away in Philadelphia, The Astronomer and I dropped off our luggage and headed to Sugar Sweet Sunshine for a pre-dinner bite. A list of the “Top 10 Reasons to Eat a Cupcake” greeted us from the street. I thought that the list was seven items too long. I only needed three reasons to pay Sugar Sweet Sunshine a visit—it was cheap, tasty, and nearby.

Once again, The Astronomer was the only male patron inside the cupcakery. It doesn’t take an astrophysicist to figure out that chicks really dig cupcakes.

I ordered a “Bob,” which consisted of yellow cake with chocolate almond buttercream. I never thought of my favorite combination as dull, unoriginal, and Bob-like, but compared to the other flavors, this one was quite ordinary.

When it comes to cupcakes, I prefer those that are stylishly decorated and have denser textures, a la Sprinkles. Even though Bob was the complete opposite, I still fell hard for the fella because he was just so gosh darn delicious. The cake was soft and fragrant, while the frosting possessed a balanced chocolaty sweetness. Bob is the king of team “In-the-Box.”

I purchased a Sexy Red Velvet to-go for my brother. Whereas traditional red velvet cakes are iced with a cream cheese frosting, Sugar Sweet Sunshine’s employs “The Moose,” a satin buttercream. Interestingly, my brother felt that the cupcake wasn’t sweet enough. Now, that’s a complaint that isn’t heard too often in the cupcakery circuit!

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Sugar Sweet Sunshine
126 Rivington Street
New York, NY 10002
Phone: 212-995-1960

Roasted Beets

Published by Gastronomer on October 20, 2009 in Recipe, Side Dish, Vegan, Vegetarian and Vegetarian. 14 Comments

Ever since tasting my first beet at Greens Restaurant in San Francisco during the summer of 2005, I’ve ordered them time and again whenever they appeared on a restaurant’s menu. Beets are so naturally sweet and appealing that most places prepare them very simply, with rich crumbles of goat cheese and a light vinaigrette. Every time I dug into one of these minimally fussed salads, I thought of how easy it would be to replicate the dish at home. I finally tried my hand at preparing beets in my own kitchen last week, and not only was it gloriously easy, but my hands weren’t the least bit stained.

This recipe for roasted beets comes from the most popular cookbook in my home, the America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook. When buying beets, look for bunches of uniformly sized beets so that they will roast for the same amount of time. If the beets are different sizes, remove the smaller ones from the oven as they become tender. Use this basic recipe as a starting point; the variations (Think: cheeses, herbs, nuts, vinegars) are deliciously endless.

4 medium beets (1 pound), greens discarded and scrubbed
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Wrap the beets individually in foil (photo 2) and place them on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast until a skewer can be inserted easily into a beet, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Remove the beets from the oven, open the foil packets, and allow to cool for 10 minutes. To peel, cradle a roasted beet in several layers of paper towels in your hands and gently rub off the skin (photos 3 and 4).

Slice the beets 1/4 inch thick, then toss with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve warm or at room temperature.

Serves 4.

Tony Luke’s – Philadelphia

Published by Gastronomer on October 19, 2009 in Philadelphia and Restaurant Review. 12 Comments

After living away from Philadelphia for two long years, pulling into Center City on board the Chinatown bus felt kind of magical. The weather was blustery and the skies were gray, but all that didn’t matter. I was in my old stomping grounds and it felt beyond good to be back. For our first dinner in the city, The Astronomer and I paid Tony Luke and his famous cheesesteaks a visit. The cab ride to this distant part of the city cost more than our meal, but there was no other place we’d have rather been.

Back when I lived in Philly, I conducted a few cheesesteak throwdowns between Pat’s King of Steaks and Geno’s Steaks. My brother and I pitted the two South Philly powerhouses against one another in 2004 with Pat claiming victory. The Astronomer and I conducted a rematch during the spring of 2007 with Geno coming out on top. In the years since I’ve moved away from Philly, I’ve come to realize that both Pat and Geno are famewhores. The good stuff is at Tony Luke’s.

The counter at Tony Luke’s is manned by a brusque but efficient woman. Even though she wasn’t particularly friendly to us, I’d take her any day over the intimidating and burly beasts working over at Pat’s and Geno’s. I ordered a cheesesteak with grilled onions and Cheez Whiz ($7.25), while the Astronomer went for another Philadelphia classic, a roast pork sandwich ($6.25).

The sandwiches arrived rolled and wrapped in butcher paper.

Both of my sandwich’s namesake components were totally right on. The steak, a pleasing cross between hacked bits and thin slices, was well seasoned and browned around the edges. The “cheese” didn’t possess the most appealing color, but it tasted fine enough and moistened the entire sandwich. What’s especially noteworthy about Tony Luke’s creation is the bread. Soft, yet sturdy, the hefty Italian roll held every ingredient in place and gelled seamlessly with the meat, onions, and Whiz. With the weather so cold and my stomach so empty, I scarfed down this sandwich much too quickly.

The Astronomer’s roast pork sandwich was served on the same Italian roll as my cheesesteak and filled with slices upon slices of moist and juicy pork. Unfortunately, The Astronomer passed on the Provolone and broccoli rabe this evening, which I think are absolutely essential. Roast pork sandwiches may not be as popular as cheesesteaks, but they’re seriously just as good. Tony Luke’s roast pork is even better than DiNic’s, which is located inside the Reading Terminal Market.

After filling our gullets with authentic regional cuisine, The Astronomer and I met up with our old XC teammates for drinks at The Bards. I still can’t believe the Irish Pub was enforcing a cover charge. As if!

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Tony Luke’s
39 East Oregon Avenue
Philadelphia, PA‎ 19148
Phone: 215-551-5725‎