Forking Tasty

Diabetic Blood Sugar Count
Pre-meal: 83 | Post-meal (1 hour): 131 | Insulin: 5 Units

I am home for only a few months and I like to see as many of my friends and family as I can before I ship off. I went to go visit my cousins out in Long Island with my mom. It’s been about a year and a half since I had been there and was really excited to see them, meet their chocolate lab (Bella) and see what they have done to their house.

Mom was treating for lunch that day so we were thinking of where to eat before we left the house. There were a lot of choices but my cousin mentioned her favorite burger place in Port Jefferson. Even though I had a burger the night before at BLT Burger my mind was set. If it’s my cousin’s favorite then I had to try it.

Diabetic Blood Sugar Count
Pre-meal: 95 | Post-meal (1 hour): 149 | Insulin: 5 Units

It was man night and the men wanted to eat burgers! There are hundreds of places to go and eat a good burger in New York City. Jay couldn’t make dinner so the boys left it up to one of the Brothers Tasty to decide on a Burger. One of my personal favorite burgers in the city is at BLT Burger. They just do it right.

Now…, when we were trying to get everyone together lots of emails were going around on who can make it and who can’t make it. For those who could not make it were hazed a bit. It was a very manly night and I was prepared for a lot of testosterone that night. However, somehow the conversation turned to talking about Farmville over milkshakes. WHAT!, where was all the man talk??? We did bounce back to our man hoods eventually and start to talk about old and future bachelor parties. Way better guy talk.

Diabetic Blood Sugar Count
Pre-meal: 73 | Post-meal (1 hour): 222 | Insulin: 4 Units

There is a place down the street from me called Wine:30 that has a lot of different Bruschetta’s. Bruschetta is one of Kelsey’s favorite things to eat with a meal and I wanted to bring her there on Valentines Day before our dinner for some Bruschetta and wine. However, we didn’t have time, I kind of over packed the day. A couple days later we wanted to go to for lunch and we invited my roommate Laura along as well. We were all so excited for some wine and Bruschetta but when we arrived it was closed. We were all very disappointed and hungry. Look for the Wine on 30 post in a few weeks.
We needed to find an alternative lunch spot. Laura and I had talked about this pizza place down on 14th street called Artichoke. It has been around for a while now and it always has a line down the street of people waiting for pizza. We decide to headed down and see what all the hype was about.

But they are good for something. That something is new ideas. Recipes help me create new dishes, learn how to use new ingredients and find new cooking methods. As much as I say I never cook from a recipe I do still own several strategic cookbooks that help me get through a stumbling block when cooking. More on that in a future post.

Lately I have been given a few cookbooks because of this blog and my obvious love of food. I’ve decided that a nice way to say “Thank You” as well as learn some new methods is to try a recipe from the books I receive. Now this is not an open invite to start sending us books. My apartment, although spacious, still resides in NYC and space is at a premium. And, Ant lives on a ship. Even less room there. If you really must send us something, send a note and we will get you the address.

Of course a ‘lil series on this blog isn’t a series without a kitschy name. Just like “P.I.E. WITH” or “Forking Nasty” this series needs some playful nomenclature. I will start the series a little later today under the title; Freshipes. Get it? Fresh Recipes.

Cheesecake Factory from Anthony Anello on Vimeo.

Diabetic Blood Sugar Count
Pre-meal: 74 | Post-meal (1 hour): 104 | Insulin: 5 Units

My girlfriend Kelsey made it in town for a long weekend. I was super excited to see her and for her to meet my family and friends. We jumped on a train in the morning headed to Long Island to meet the parents. This was the first time Kelsey was meeting my parents so I thought why not meet over lunch at one of my favorite spots in Long Island, Cheesecake Factory. I have never had a bad meal at Cheesecake Factory. I had a couple of my usual staples and I nibbled on a little cheesecake. That cheesecake is hard to resist but half of it went home in a doggy bag as did half my burger. It was a great afternoon having Kelsey meet my parents and whacking down a great lunch in the process.

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.

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…

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 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/

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