Forking Tasty

I’m Back In The South

I went down to South Carolina to visit the southerner. I really wanted to eat some southern cookin. One of the things I learned in my last stay in South Carolina was there are three types of BBQ. You have your ketchup, mustard and vinegar based BBQ. Last time I was down in South Carolina I didn’t get to try mustard and vinegar based so today was the day.

Best Wings In Brooklyn 2011

This past Saturday the second annual Best Wings in Brooklyn competition was hosted by Red Star Bar. It was a lot of fun. Jay and I rolled up around 1 pm, an hour before the chicken wing tasting began. Before we get into the lay of the land, the competitors and the wings, let’s cut right to the chase. Our winners. Both Jay and I were tied between the delicious Bean Post Pub and the spicy sweet Red Star Bar wing. Yes, we know neither of these won, or placed. We could care less. Here is why they are winners in our book…

Precious Meat

This is the biggest ribeye steak in the house. How do I know this? Before this was charred to perfection and placed in front of me, it was shown to me raw like a rare jewel. I have never witnessed this custom before. I thought it was a bit odd at first but 20 seconds in, as my big brown’s gazed deep into the meat, I began to see the full value. It was mid week, and I journeyed to Carroll Gardens with 2 of my oldest and dearest friends. We had made a pact, as many friends of a few decades do, that each year we would share a meal together to check up on our lives or lives’ progress as it were. This year we came together at…

Cooking Comfort Without Comfort

I have always prided myself on the ability to cook with my nose. People often look at me puzzled when I say that. Smell is how I usually figure out what works with what and, how much of what is right for a dish. I am not discounting taste but my nose knows. I have been able to tackle many regional cuisines this way. From Caribbean to Indian, I have sniffed myself far out of my comfort zone and mastered those foreign cuisines. Visiting these countries helps a lot too. My nose is good but its proximity to the home of a particular cuisine helps out a lot.

I’ve been to England many times and my nose and adventures have proved to be ineffective in mastering their cuisine. Although Britain is notorious for “bad” food, it wasn’t until…

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…

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…

Fresh Burgers Served Fast

This post is just going to be a quick little burger review. I read in Time Out New York about this new little burger joint called Fresh & Fast. They say it’s the NY version of the west coast In and Out Burger. I had to go see what all the buzz was about. When you go in it’s small and there is not many places to sit and eat. The menu is small with only a choice of Hamburger, Cheeseburger or a Double Cheeseburger. I went for the Double with fries. The Burger comes with L,T,O and a special sauce…

Happy 4th of July-REVISED

Smoke ‘em if ya got ‘em. And, WE JUST GOT ‘EM!!!! My first foray into smoking. I have been putting it off for a longtime while I enjoyed the professionals excellent smoked tasty. What’s inside? A rack of ribs and a half a pork butt. Both covered in Rendevous BBQ dry rub. Chips=Hickory. Temp 165. (this is my worry right now. I can’t seem to get it up to 225 but not sure if I need to). Stay tuned for the verdict. AND NOW THE VERDICT…

Winning Family BBQ

It’s nice to be family. That’s how Mike Mills started our conversation. Let’s back up a bit before we get to the swine. Just over a year ago I met Amy Mills, Mike’s daughter, down in Memphis at a talk she was giving about BBQ. Amy knows more about BBQ than anyone I know. A lot of that has to do with the way her father packs his shirt pockets. She took all that knowledge and put it into a book. Perhaps we should refer to it as gospel being that it’s filled with stories about her dad and her dad’s friends first hand accounts about the ‘que.

Today she was in my town. She invited me over to her tent at the Big Apple BBQ to meet the crew and eat some award winning cooking. To say I was in heaven the second I stepped into the tent is an understatement. Smokers, eaters, pork and beer; what else do you really need? Amy started me off with…

Please Stick To The Crepes

Cafe Crepe, Vancouver from Anthony Anello on Vimeo.

I will tell you this, that is the last time I go into a crepe restaurant and get a hotdog and a burger. Seriously, what was I thinking in the first place? I’ll have to go back and get their crepes for breakfast. Cafe Crepe has to do better.