A Twisted Juneau Gem

In Juneau Alaska I mentioned the hit and can’t miss spot to eat is Tracy’s Crab Shack. However, a close and impressive second is the Twisted Fish. I was really impressed with the type of seafood this restaurant served. A couple unique items to mention, Coconut Salmon strips with a berry chutney and Baked Salmon in a Puffed Pastry served in a reduction sauce. I will be in Juneau again in September and I may have to have lunch and Tracy’s and then dinner in the Twisted Fish. I have to admit, for a while there I was not to impressed with the restaurants in Juneau but I have found a couple gems.

Biggest Crab Roll I’ve Seen

Sorry for the absence recently but I went on a 2 week vacation. During my trip I went to a few really good places to eat. My travels took me to Seattle and I found myself in the amazing Public Market, Pikes Place. You can find all kinds of seafood, fruits, flowers, and crafts, in one of the best public markets I’ve been too. I was strolling around looking for a gift for a friend and just off the market I strolled across Pikes Places Chowder. What caught my eye was the Crab Roll. They also had a ton of chowders to try from. I love little places like this, and there was a long line to order…always a good sign. I got the Crab Roll and thought it was going to be crab in a small hotdog bun but I have seen lobster rolls like that before. I was pleasantly surprised to get a hero roll with a load of crabmeat in it. It was a really good and refreshing sandwich.

A Bracciole in Kielbasa Land

We all know Greenpoint is home to many Polish families. Maybe you don’t, but if you have ever walked down Manhattan Ave. north of Greenpoint Ave it takes but a block to realize. Three butcher shops and 2 bakeries in the first block all with too many consonants in their name is a good tip off. I’ve lived on this stretch of Manhattan Ave. for three years now. There are weekend mornings I wake up and on the walk for coffee I hear not a word of english. It’s a bit eerie and a a bit comfortable at the same time. The comfortable far out weights the eerie, at least for me. Not only does it make me feel like I am traveling, which I love, but it excites my sense of discovery. The effect is intensified once you step into one of the shops. Be it a stop for Kielbasa or bobka the first words spoken to you are usually not those you understand. This may make these places intimidating. It may even make them a hassle to shop in.

I writing to debunk that theory. To do that I went straight to the heart of this matter. I went to…

POSTPONED-REEL TASTY: Spaceballs

Get on our list for upcoming dinners. Jump on.

The movie screen currently has scaffolding on it. Uhhh, we have to fix that.
Saturday, August 28th at 7:00pm
Come join us for some space travel. Here’s the skinny on the fat.

Starts: 7:00pm (cocktails and appetizers)
Ends: 11pm (really, when the film is over)
Donation: $60 (make a reservation below)
Movie: Spaceballs

Movie

We partnered up with Smaltz Brewing Company for this one and in honor of their Jewishness we figured we would bring Mel Brooks and his hilarity to the deck. Of all his movies it’s hard to pick a favorite. The deciding factor was the number of Hebrew references we could remember in each film. In the end, Dark Helmut and the rest of the Spaceballs came up winners. The hilarious Star Wars spoof is complete with Druish Princess’, John Candy as a half man-half dog and Pizza the hut. I guess all we can say is “May the Shwartz be with you!”.

Menu

Ohh, this will be interesting and tasty for sure. A mix of Jewish food and space food is already being crafted by Aimee and I. We are smoking a brisket for sure and there are talks of homemade pickles and kinish sandwiches. Although the juices, I mean brine, is still churning, salmon will be represented along with lots of Smaltz beer. Lily from Dandelion Wines will do her best to pick some delicious bottles to pair with this juxtaposed theme.

Reservations

Reservations are required. Space is limited to 16 people. When booking please make sure to change the quantity field to the number of people in your party. In the note section let us know if there are any food restrictions anyone in your party has.

RECAP-REEL TASTY: Wet Hot American Summer

photo credit: Kun Kim

I am always amazed how hot food can silence 16 talkative, jovial and passionate conversationists in mere seconds. Perhaps food is the great equalizer. Perhaps it is the key to that ubiquitous and intangible “world peace” idea. If it is, we are doing our part every week on a big deck in Brooklyn.

For those who are unfamiliar with the dinners…

‘Mata’s

When I was a little kid we always had a garden. I hated it. It was a lot of work. When you are 5 the last thing you want to do is clean up weeds, pick ripe specimens and protect the growing crops from horn worms, flying things and the occasional 4 legged mammal. The garden was large, about a third of my backyard at its largest. That translates roughly into a 40×60 foot plot of peppers, radishes, tomatoes, zucchini, carrots, lettuce, blueberries, strawberries, eggplants, cucumbers and all types of herbs. To add to my misery, I found little logic with the garden and its yield. In the height of the summer we could barely the pick ripe fruits and vegetables fast enough, let alone eat them. This led to a weekly delivery service run by my parents with my brother and I as the primary delivery boys. We would bring crates of tomatoes and zucchinis to our neighbors on the block without as much as a dime. The occasional pat on the head and a “tell your mother she is too kind” was about as rich as we got.

As I look back now I see…

Channeling Butter and Milk

I usually don’t start a post with a pic of dessert. In fact, I don’t usually order dessert. As it turns out, that recurring Canadian I mention on this blog has some influence over my consumption after all.

A few weeks ago I traveled south to Carroll Gardens to dine with some friends who have the hood dialed. Knowing that I would be critical of the food choice, they started me out with some bread, cheese and a balsamic reduction at their apt. to ease me into dinner. Just across the street and a block down is Buttermilk Channel, named after the channel that used to be crossed for dairy farmers to sell their goods to Manhattan. Today’s channel is much deeper and is home to the Queen Mary 2. The restaurant pulls form a bit of that old world by making everyone feel quite at home whether you are a regular patron or a first time visitor.

Since we started with dessert, let’s continue backwards…

Sliders Can Be Filling

The slider. It’s a different type of burger. It can be used as a regular meal or just a safety meal depending on how hungry you are at the time. For this forking tasty experience I was joined with a friend who loves burgers just as much as me at St. Marks Burger. I enjoyed 2 regular sliders and we shared their fries. The burgers remind me of White Castle burgers. All the sliders come with cheese and grilled onions. The unique thing about the St. Marks Sliders is they use a grinder to make their own meat. They do put a good set of spices in the burgers as well. The fries are super crispy, just how I like them…