Forking Tasty

Brooklyn Bound Tacos

I have not gone out to dinner with many of my friends of family since coming back to New York ..… yet. However I did manage to head to Brooklyn and meet Jay for a bit and to catch up on things. I met Jay on the corner of Bedford and 7th and he rolled up on his bike with the fat white tires. If you know the bike I am talking about you know how Jay looks when he is riding it. Reminds me of PeeWee’s Big Adventure….

My Last Juneau

Pelmeni – Juneau Alaska from Anthony Anello on Vimeo.

Diabetic Blood Sugar Count
Pre-meal: 128 | Post-meal (1 hour): 123 | Insulin: 5 Units

My last day in Juneau I took a canoe to the Mendenhall Glacier. We were paddling for a while to get to the glacier and I worked up an appetite. Usually when I am really hungry I want the perfect meal. The perfect meal would be something delicious that will fill me up and doesn’t cost too much. I decided to get my last hit at Tracy’s King Crab Shack. I have to say that is my favorite place to go in Juneau to eat. However, it may be delicious but it didn’t fill me up. I walked by a crepe stand and saw a cheeseburger crepe on the menu. That sounded interesting and I would have liked to try it but they closed by the time that I decided to get it.

TURDUCKEN!!!

And you thought it was a myth. Worse you thought it was impossible to make. Well, you were wrong. Dead wrong. This past Tuesday Aimee, Mark (a good supperclub buddy) and I took on the task of making a turducken from scratch for the Gastronauts. The Gastronauts is a club for adventurous eaters who explore the astounding variety of global cuisines in the far, and near, reaches of NYC. Their reason for being is very similar to ours. It’s just as much about the company as it’s about the food. So, when they asked us to host a dinner on the deck we were overjoyed.

The theme was Creole/Cajun cuisine. We had the standards; Jambalya, Crawfish Tails, Cracklins, Black Eyed Peas just to name a few of the 12 plus dishes. To add to the NOLA effect the mercury jumped to 103 that day setting records. The full review of pics can be found on the Gastronauts site. I thought I would chronicle the turducken steps below so you can see what a massive undertaking this was. Just to put your head in the right place we started with a 5lbs chicken, a 5 lbs duck and a 30lbs turkey. The first thing you need to do is debone all the birds WHILE keeping it whole. Here we go…

Matter over Mind

View NYC Food Tour 1 in a larger map

This blog has proven that I have a disposition to over indulge. It’s a problem and a constant battle between my brain and my waistline. I rationalize my decisions to stuff myself with the idea that the opportunity at hand is unique and once in a lifetime. This is rarely the truth but often the perceived reality. Regardless of the motivation, this post trumps all the others in ridiculousness.

I had just flown back in town from Chicago and two friends from San Francisco when a txt message popped up on my phone. Two buddies from San Francisco were in town and wanted to go run-a-muk stuffing our faces all over town. Truth be told, Ben, Chef of SPICE Supper Club, had been riding me for weeks about the “eating tour” and now he was ready to roll. Irrationally deciding I had to…

Finally Deliciousness In Skagway

I am on a mission to find the best of the best in each port that I go to in Alaska. In Juneau I found the best at Tracy’s King Crab Shack. I was having a hard time finding the best in Skagway. I really was not sure if I was going to achieve deliciousness here. I needed a little help from a friend…

A Flight to Venezuela

No not literally. Maybe soon though. I hear Central America is beautiful this time of year. This flight might be just as good. Above is a 4-some of premium rums from the Brooklyn expansion of the East Village favorite, Caracas. See, Brooklyn has space and so the lovely peeps behind these arepa bars added a nice sized rum bar up front in their Brooklyn shop. For a tequila/rum guy, like myself, this is heaven. The unsung spirit perfected on the islands of the West Indies is hard to find on the island of Manhattan. Breaking far out of the Captain Morgan, Meyers, Bacardi syndrome, Caracas brings it hard with some of the finest of the batch. The 25 year old Appleton Estates has a special place in my heart. Enough about the sips, let’s dig into the grub…

The Dirty South(side)

Last Thursday I met up with the boys from Immaculate Infatuation once again to sweat it out at the new Pies ‘n’ Thighs on Billyburg’s Southside. As always, I’ll leave the specifics of the meal to them. Our mutual taste preferences make it quite easy for me to leave the reviewing and wordsmithing to them. Above is the visual depiction of their eloquent description.

A Must Eat When In Juneau

Juneau, Tracy’s Crab Shack from Anthony Anello on Vimeo.

Diabetic Blood Sugar Count
Pre-meal: 111 | Post-meal (1 hour): 124 | Insulin: 4 Units

Tracy’s King Crab Shack is in a word fantastic. My friend Jason has been telling me about the shack for 2 weeks. He said you have not had king crab until you go to Tracy’s. This has been by far the best place I have come to in Alaska. I wish I was able to meet Tracy but she was on her way to Newport Road Island to submit her chowder into a competition. Let me tell you, she may win. I’ll let the video do the talking.

Avec la saveur

I was back in Chicago last week to speak at the Word of Mouth Marketing Conference. While I was there I got to sneak away to taste some great food at Avec. Avec is one of three restaurants in a mini empire that has developed in the South loop of Chicago. I’m not sure who owns them, who cooks at them or who is ultimately in charge, but…

It’s Been A While For Good Sushi

Juneau, Wok & Teriyaki from Anthony Anello on Vimeo.

Diabetic Blood Sugar Count
Pre-meal: 111 | Post-meal (1 hour): 163 | Insulin: 6 Units

It had been a long time since I have had sushi that was good. The Ship sushi is not the best. I don’t usually have that much sushi because it’s a lot of rice for me. However, once in a while it hits the spot. We have a late port in Juneau and I decided to get some sushi at Wok & Teriyaki before meeting my friends over at the Viking. The Viking is the local pub most crew go to to let loose for a little while before heading back to the ship. I loved both places.