Forking Tasty

I Heart Heart Day

Most of you know I love Valentine’s day. Go ahead, cringe. I get scorns all time time from friends and strangers alike when this inconveniently falls out of my mouth. Rather than try and convince you why YOU should love this day as much as I do or run my mouth about how choosing a Valentine is about the essence of love NOT couplehood, I will leave it at this simple thought. A day dedicated to expressing love for others is not a bad idea.

This year I had a very special valentine. Although I am choosing to keep the day’s adventures private, I will share one snippet of the day. Dessert! The above burger is made completely out of sugar. No, Buddy Valastro or Duff Goldman did not make this for me. A very talented and retired sugar crafting genius, who will name nameless, did me a special favor. This burger was placed on top of one of Buddy’s delicious cakes for consumption purposes. And it was delicious.

This post ends here but hopefully leaves you with a lesson. Valentines day can be whatever you want it to be. You CAN have your cake and eat it too. Just drop the angst from that bad Hallmark commercial and make the day yours.

Best Wings in Brooklyn

This past Saturday I was invited to the Red Star Bar to taste and chat with some of the best wing and wing makers Brooklyn has to offer. The Best Wings in Brooklyn Competition featured 14 of the tastiest chicken wing recipes Kings county has to offer. I was lucky enough to sneak in an hour before the general public to get a “first dib” look, and taste, at the poultry positions for each team. Before I get too deep into this post, reveal the competitors and my favorites, I think I should qualify my background in wing tasting. To be clear, I was not a judge, nor was I asked to be one. But, I did taste, so I will share my picks with you. First, some history.

I went to college in Albany New York. Not quite Buffalo but high enough up there to know a good wing when it hits my tongue. BTW-If you are in Albany and you are looking for the best wing ever, head to Ralph’s on Madison Ave. Of course it would have to be 1994 for you to actually visit since Ralph’s doesn’t exist anymore. Before I digress just know the criteria that makes Ralph’s the best of the best for me. First, they always used big, meaty wings. Second, hot and spicy with one level of hotness. The sauce was standard. A bit of Frank’s Red Hot and some butter was all they used. Simple and clean. There was not breading on the wings. There was just crazy hot oil that crisped up the skin so your teeth felt the crunch as your lips and tongue worked the meat off the bone. Third, cheap. This doesn’t apply to the Brooklyn competition but, 5 bucks would get me 30 wings and a pitcher of Kilian’s. Ahh, the days. OK. Now I digress.

Since I am not a true Rochester/Buffalo resident I also have a particular penchant for a non-traditional wing. A good BBQ wing, a nice jerk spice wing or a South Asian glazed wing all have a place in my heart, and stomach, to be a winner. Dinosaur BBQ for example kicks some serious ass. So, as I started to peruse the contestants my eyes, ears and taste buds were open to “new” style wings as much as they were ready for a good traditional hot wing.

Let’s get to the contestants…

Full of Moonstruck

Ant and I went for a quick hit last night at one of our staple spots in the city. The apt on 30th and 3rd has been in the family now for 12 years. In that time there has been a swinging door of friends, family and randoms occupying the bedrooms (and sometimes the living room…ehhhem, Tim).

Through all those changes there has been one staple on the opposite corner of the block. Moonstruck Diner, now with multiple locations, has been the anchor for everything from 4am post party snacks to 11am hangover breakfasts to 7pm homecoming dinners. Yes, it’s just a diner but, this is our diner. If you are a New Yorker you surely can relate to this. It falls into the same category as “your laundromat” and “your bodega” (look for a post on the BEST bodega in NYC soon)

There are 100 things on the menu that we could have chosen last night. The video above highlights two of the ultimate choices for taste and health. Well, somewhat health. Ohh yeah, and that defcon rating I mention. I’ll explain that in a future post as well. For now, just know that means I am really, really hungry.

Superbowl 44

Superbowl 44 was a THROW DOWN. No one was making any plans so I decided to try to put a few people together for a potluck Superbowl. My apartment is only so big so I couldn’t invite everyone but we did manage to pack in about 12 people. We had our gambling boxes set and the people piled in with a ton of food. At every superbowl, it’s all about the food. Oh yeah, there is a game that is played also. No New York teams in the game so I was not that interested but the house was on the Saints side. The highlight of the food came from Dinosour BBQ. Jay did the honors of picking up the best chicken wings ever. We put them out at half time but everyone was so full from the other food there were still some left after the party. I had them for leftovers the very next night. They were so good. Matter of fact, it is now Wednesday and I am still having leftovers. Superbowl food is always great here is all the chow

http://www.flickr.com/photos/63086636@N00/sets/72157623405320110/show/

Stand for Something

I don’t have much to say today. I think this pic of last nights dinner says it all. I like stand. I go there a lot. When I read the menu I noticed this burger was NEW. Somehow in the description I missed the TWO pattie part.

BOLD BURGER: brioche, two 7oz, beef patties, applewood smoked bacon, sauteed onions, american and cheddar, pickle, tomato, chipotle sauce, fried egg. Now tell be that isn’t a Huckleberry?!

Stand
88 University Place
New York, NY 10003-4566
(212) 488-5900
www.standburger.com

Pig by the Pound

Last week was a doozy. Yesterday was no exception. Lots of eatin’. I ended the work week on a high note that took my belt back a notch. I don’t think there is much more to say that the video can’t explain. But, if for some reason you do have a question, drop it in the comments and I will be sure to answer. I will say, if you are looking for a mess of smoked pork piled onto butcher paper and thrown on a cafeteria tray, Hill Country might be the best game in town. The theatrics alone are 5 star. Quick warning, never go to this spot with me. I will make you leave in pain. Have you ever passed a 3″ pork chop around the table with your hands? I didn’t think so.

Hill Country
30 West 26th Street
New York, NY 10010
(212) 255-4544
hillcountryny.com

The Great Pancake Attempt

Diabetic Blood Sugar Count
Pre-meal: 87 | Post-meal (1 hour): 155 | Insulin: 4 Units

My buddy Dave Severino, a stand up comic, saw my posts about Pancakes on the Rocks and was waiting for me to get back to New York to grab some brunch. He really wanted some pancakes because of the picture of the slow dripping butter oozing down those delicious pancakes. However, somehow we ended up at a Mexican brunch called Vamos.

The Art of Being Comforted

We all remember being five years old and losing our ice cream cone on the dirty pavement because a gigantic dragonfly landed on in at the exact time you took a lick. Well…maybe not all of us remember it quite that way. What we all DO remember is the comfort you felt when your Mom came over, wiped you eyes, rubbed your back and got you a new ice cream. As humans, we need to be comforted from time to time. Stepping beyond the negative, sad and difficult moments in life, we LIKE to be comforted. A giant insect does not need to screw with your creamy treat to want some comforting. The fun thing about humans is that each of us are comforted in a unique way. For some, comfort is a massage. For others, it’s new shoes. Still, others prefer a silent moment and a ray of sun. For me, it’s good food. Not a surprise given the theme of this blog.

I am blessed to have great friends and family. Their ability to comfort me when I need, or want, it is astounding. I couldn’t ask for better but, I recently stumbled into…

The Perfect Storm Seems To Be Southern Comfort

Diabetic Blood Sugar Count
Pre-meal: 96 | Post-meal (1 hour): 188 | Insulin: 6 Units

I have been home just under a week and I finally got around to having dinner with my good friend Josh. We were both trying to figure out where to meet for dinner and we came across the typical story when it comes to figuring out where to go to eat. Even though there are literally thousands of restaurants in Manhattan we both couldn’t figure out which one to go to, same ol story. We are always looking for the perfect storm when it comes to choosing a restaurant, Good food, not expensive and not to many people. After about an hour we still couldn’t come to a conclusion.

Crocodile, Kangaroo and Emu Pizza

One of my last nights in Sydney before I had to head back to the states I really wanted to have some different meats. The two things my friends and I were after was crocodile and kangaroo. We spoke to a few locals and a bunch of them recommended the Australian Heritage Hotel. There is a restaurant bar under the hotel that serves up pizza with Crocodile and Kangaroo toppings. I thought it was a little weird that the locals couldn’t recommend a restaurant that had Crocodile or Kangaroo as a meal, but whatever we went for it…