Primanti Brothers – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Double stuffed, mile high sandwiches made with love for the last 79 years. Get there.

About ‘Wich Hunting: Anthony and I have travelled the world eating everything from Balut in the Philippines to blood sausage in Argentina. In every destination there has always been a sandwich shop. Some were good and some were bad but they all had their unique take on this ubiquitous meal. The origin of the sandwich is highly debated and we’ll dive into that on our journey as we discover, taste and debate the best sandwiches in the world.

That’s how they like it too. I recently took my first real vacation in over a year since starting Manifold. I was ready for the break and excited about where my wife and I decided to spend it. When asked by Portlanders why I chose their sleepy town as the destination for seemingly such a needed break, my answer was simple. I came to eat.

My last brush with the city of Roses was more than a decade ago. Although it was a 24 hour visit, the vibe and food made a lasting impression. In the years separating that visit and this one, the food culture grew and began to make national noise. Hipsters making artisanal food stuffs in tiny Hawthorne back rooms and new Pearl District restaurants seemed to pop up in publications everywhere I turned. Pictures of these mustache wearing, food tattoo ridden, 1920’s dress sporting, 20 somethings accompanied many of the articles. At the time, I didn’t see the parallels but I was about to discover the Bizarro Brooklyn.

We called the ACE hotel in the Pearl district home for the week. On one of my morning trips do the lobby Stumptown Coffee shop I picked up Portland’s version of the Village Voice, Willamette Week. The cover graphically read “I bird Brooklyn”. As I sat sipping my hand crafted, locally roasted americano I began to read the cover story which began with an except from a New York Observer magazine article comparing Portland and Brooklyn. The Observer article focused on the timing in which the artisan food movement, amongst other artistic trends, popped up in Brooklyn verses it’s growth in Portland. The Willamette author added to the Observer’s perspective by lending his personal insights as a Portland native who recently moved to Brooklyn. He sited Portland as a direct influence on the New Brooklyn. Although, as the article would resolve, the differences between the two are profound.

Coincidentally, the Bite of Oregon Food Festival took place the weekend I arrived. With a little help from my old friend chef Ben Long and my new friend Bjorn Estlund, my wife and I were hooked up for unlimited snacking. The festival was situated on the riverfront with at least four beautiful, post-industrial, bridges in sight. The ends of the festival grounds displayed hundreds of local wines and beers. In the center the food was split up into casual restaurants, chef tastings and food carts. We hit some of the carts first, made our way through a few chef tasting and then, of course, to dessert. Well…double desserts really. One being this lemon vanilla Pie Hole from The Pie Spot.

The two best treats were this bratwurst from Mount Angel Sausage Company and the strawberry lemonade cake from Konditorei.

Both of these were unknowingly symbolic of the food heros we would conclude the trip with. A quick pass by Voodoo donuts and a late brunch snack of breakfast quesadilla at Mother’s found us retiring to an early mid-afternoon nap.

Our first dinner in town, at El Gaucho, sparked a conversation with the hostess. I explained the reason we were in Portland and she was more than excited to talk restaurants and food with us. By the end of our meal she provided us this list of her must taste locations.

This was the norm as we came to understand over the next few days. Virtually everyone we struck up a conversation with had a lot to say about what and where to eat. This created a list of “must go” spots longer than we had available meals in Portland. It was not exactly a problem as much as an exercise in good decision making. If I continued to take you through each meal and it’s vibe it would produce an entire gastro-travel guide so, I chose to highlight the best bites of the trip instead.

Irving Street Kitchen:
Ribs

Urban Farmer:
French Fries dusted with chili powder

Clyde Commons:
Pork Sandwich

Cupcake Jones:
Vanilla/vanilla filled/vanilla cake

Brasserie Montmartre:
French onion soup

Gruner:
Bratwurst and saucisson

Sitting, for the final time in the window seat of Stumptown the morning we left, I thought about the Willamette article. Reflecting on my morning bicycle ride explorations, the many locals we befriended, the seemingly bottomless cups of perfectly roasted coffee, the impeccable architecture and shop design, the locavore menu creations and the relatively cheap cost of each bite and sip, I realized those profound differences between the cities I mentioned earlier were resoundingly true down to the letter.

The two main distinctions between Portland and Brooklyn are the population and the attitude. By comparison, Portland has 600,000 residents to Brooklyn’s 2.6 million. At face value you can easily deduce there are more people crammed into Brooklyn trying to do the same things then in Portland. In short, more competition therefore more need for differentiation. This quickly leads to the “Hey look at me. I’m soooo different” fashion you find strutting Bedford Avenue.

The second difference, and the defining point of the article, is that Brooklyn is Portland with money and motivation. We can easily blame the Dutch for this as New York was settled for purposes of commerce NOT religion (Boston) or politics (Philadelphia). I digress, New York attitude is notorious but it’s worth analyzing Portland’s attitude related to motivation and money specifically. Several conversations with locals led me to hear the same statement. One cupcake shop employee put it most poignantly by saying, “We all have college degrees but we choose to work in the service industry because it’s easy and gives us more time to have fun.”

I admire this ideology although I personally couldn’t subscribe to it. You all know i need motivation almost as much as oxygen. The money aspect I can relate to a bit more. I have never been highly motivated by money to determine my actions although it’s been a nice bi-product. If we can define money as recognition for “what we do” that would imply Brooklyn strives for notoriety. In Portland being “known” is at the bottom of the list. Their daily actions are driven by making enough money to afford a few craft pints at the bar and enjoying some late night artisan food cart snacks with their friends. If you love Brooklyn but hate the attitude or if you’d just like to vacation in your home town but with less crowded restaurants and friendlier neighbors, take a week in Portland. It’s a bizarro version of what you Brooklynites are used to and frankly a relaxing breath of fresh air. Perhaps I’ll bump into you at Stumptown one morning in the near future. Don’t take the last piece of banana bread. That’s mine.

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 Prime Meats and we pulled out the stops.

The restaurant does a DeBragga & Spitler Dry-Aged Côte De Boeuf  which is 36 day dry-aged certified Black Angus. The average size is 32 oz. to 42 oz. This was pushing 40 oz. We sent the cut back twice before we found one to our liking. Yeah, that’s right, we embraced the custom. Thinking about it now I can really get behind this additional step towards a great dining experience. Yes, New York is full of great places to get a hunk of bovine so I will not focus as much on the taste as I will on the experience. For the record the taste holds up to the big boys, Lugars included. But then again that would be comparing a porterhouse to a ribeye and…well…that just isn’t apples to apples. Actually, it is more like comparing a honey crisp to a granny smith but I digress. The matter at hand for discussion is this pre-eat display and choice of your cut. Outside the food world I am an options hater. Toothpaste is the worst. Why do we need so many options and combinations. It makes life so much more difficult and frankly wastes time. Sorry, big tangents today. Back on track, once again, the option to choose my cut does the opposite of my toothpaste rant. The choice augments my experience instead of stifling it.

After the meal, as I sat on the lonely G train home, I reflected on this longer and came up with a few reasons why this practice made my meal better.

1. It brings me into the kitchen.

I like to eat but I also like to cook. More over, I like to know who is cooking my food when I eat. The chef meeting every customer is a near impossibility but this is a nice way to see what the chef is offering you and then see the results of his work when the chop comes back cooked. It’s like a silent conversation in that he/she shows you they care, you say you like what they have and then they do what they do best just for you. In short it makes it more personal. Like a good dinner host it is a small step that makes you feel more welcomed and cared about during your stay in the chef’s house.

2. It allows me and my fellow diners to engage each other more

Part of any good meal is the conversation and the sharing. The fact that this cut was made for 2-3 people covers the latter. The former is helped along by the group decision necessary to decide on the cut presented. It sparks a conversation about something you will later share and that brings us closer. Most of us don’t know much about meat but that doesn’t matter. If you are not discussing the marblization, the color of the meat at the edges, the thickness of the fat and striations of juicy muscle and are only judging on size, so be it. It still successfully sparked a conversation and therefore a connection.

3. It proliferates the idea of farm to table in a visual way.

In Argentina some restaurants provide you with a bar code which is scanable. Once scanned it shows the customer a picture of the cow your cut came from. The idea of seeing your cow raw before you eat it gives you a deeper sense of connection with what you are putting in your body. It also separates the carnivores from the vegetarians. It’s why I like to serve whole pigs, legs of lamb and roasted chicken with feet still attached. By seeing the animal in a way closer to what it looked like alive I believe it gives us a deeper connection with our food and our eating behavior. I’m not suggesting restaurants start bringing out entire sides of beef but a beef chart my not be a bad accompaniment.

beef chart

In sum, Prime Meats got a lot right. Even though my two dinner mates and I already shared 10 years of conversation and memories this meal became one that we will discuss for the next decade. I’m not sure if the ritual was planned for the reasons above or if the people at Prime Meats simple wanted a marketing angle. Either way, it works great and I think they should keep it up.

Get on our list for upcoming dinners. Jump on.

TABLE FULL
Saturday, September 18th at 7:00pm
Come join us for some shagadelic tasty! 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: Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery

This month we bring some British to the deck. 1960′s free love Britain that is. Don’t worry, all the spinning beds and naughty mood lights have been put away. We will take that kitsch and put it into the menu instead of the decor. It’s just safer that way. Aimee and I have reinvented some of our favorite British dishes and we hope you’ll come by to try them out. Of course, Austin gets naughty and goofy on the big wall during the later half of the evening. I can’t wait to see what Lily from Dandelion Wines digs up for this one.

Menu

Appetizers
Mini fish & chips
Welsh rarebit
Sausage rolls with fried quail egg

Entree
Short Rib Shepards pie
Walnut stilton apple salad
Curry chips
Unmushy peas with mint pesto

Dessert
Home made tea and scones ice cream
Plus, a surprise. Think custard or pudding goodness.

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.

More on Reel Tasty:

Jason and Aimee pair a 5 course gourmet meal for 16 friends, some new and some old on a HUGE deck in Brooklyn. As the name implies, we will be screening a movie during the meal. Don’t worry, there will still be plenty of time pre-entree to mingle, catchup and meet some new friends. Once the sun goes down we will role the film in all its two story high glory. This is an experiment, so we are not sure how much silence or chatting will go on. That’s for you to decide. We hope you will come out and enjoy yourselves with us this summer. See you on the deck.

You can check out pics from our last dinner here.

If you can’t make this dinner but want us to send you an invite to the next one, fill out the below and you’ll be in the know. Yes, that rhymes on purpose. Or join the facebook fan page and get announcement updates that way.

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 Polam. Polam is the butcher shop that sits one store in from the corner of Manhattan Ave and Java St. One of my all time joys when traveling is to visit a butcher shop or food store in a country that I do not speak the language. There are only so many ways to cut up a pig. Once you know the cuts the language barrier has little ramifications. Some pointing, nodding and smiling usually gets the job done. Entering Polam is not much different.

It’s been 3 years since I first crossed this fabricated border into the heart of Warsaw. Since that first visit I have learned my proszę and dziękuję’s but you don’t need them to revel in the delicious smoked pork that is stacked, much of it still warm, five slabs high inside. In fact, you’ll have more difficulty fitting inside the chronically packed, tiny shop then you will communicating with the butcher. The picture at the top of this post is a still warm, slab of smoked bacon I bought last weekend to construct the base for a mac and cheese. I think that experience perfectly captures the point I am attempting to explain. Let me walk you through.

It was mid-day on a Friday. (Note: A much better time to go than a weekend or weekday post work) The line inside was slim. Maybe 6 deep. The temperature was below 50 degrees. Meat was stacked inside the glass cold-case which stretched the length of the store. Across the top of the case more meat four or five slabs deep. I made my way to the rear of the shop and stood next to the chicken case looking lengthwise down the long thin walkway towards the front door. Inside the case were half butchered and whole chickens. Heads, feet, necks, it was all in there. On top was the over flow of bacon that could not fit on the counter ahead of me. As I moved up through the line I entered the pork area. Hanging kielbasa’s of 13 variations dangled in my face. Ten other types of sausage sat inside the case in front of me including a giant blood sausage. Behind me was a case of dairy. Yogurt, five types of framer’s cheese and some fresh pierogies overflow from it. Abruptly a butcher interrupted me as I stared and gaped at the two cases to my right. Both were filled with cold cuts. Hot, smoked chicken quarters were piled up across the top of it. I snapped from my trance and acknowledge the butchers “Witam. Jak mogę pomóc?” with a simple but direct response, “smoked bacon”. He pointed to several slabs and explained, in half polish half english, the difference. One was smoked and uncooked. One was uncooked and unsmoked. Another was cooked but not smoked. For some reason all were hot. I paused and tried to sort my options for a second. Inside of that second the butcher grabed a slab, held it high in the air and hacked off a chunk with his 9 inch, razor sharp, semi-permanent hand extension. He handed me the piece of pork belly and moved on to cut pieces from the other slabs. After a mini pork fest I decided to go with the 4 pound smoked and cooked slab pictured at top. He wrapped it and stamped it without dropping his knife. “What else?’ he then asked. When I told him nothing he refused my answer. He proceeded to entice me with other hot smokey meats that were just pulled from the smoker or that had been hanging in the shop so long the taste was deliciously intense. Hacking piece after piece he continued feeding me until I caved in and bought an aged kielbasa. I put my hands up and signaled “enough”. He smiled and moved on to the next patron. I stepped back and into the register line. Not a word of english had been spoken the entire 15 minutes I was in the shop except for the few that I had with the butcher yet, I had my prize and some snacks to boot. Stepping out of Polam I re-entered the US without a passport, a duty free shop or even a glimpse of a customs agent. A half a block later I was in my kitchen sorting my spoils. The bacon sliced beautifully releasing an amazing smoked but fresh aroma. It was not greasy or slimy. The bacon bottomed mac and cheese was a tasty success and my kielbasa snack was the perfect cooking fuel.

I hope my point came across. My goal was to provide a window into these shops for those who usually just walk by them. The new and tragically hip business’ that are popping up all over are awesome but they are only half of the neighborhood. This contrast of new and old is what makes Greenpoint and many other ‘hoods in Brooklyn special. The gentrification of Manhattan has mad it sterile. No surprise there. But remember, that is why you moved to Brooklyn. Or, at the very least, that is why you hoped an L train to a G (or shuttle bus) and came to the neighborhood. You seek that neighborhood feel. Indulge in every piece of it.

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.

I hopped on the back like we were kids. We strolled slowly around Williamsburg looking for a place to eat. The basket I was sitting on is a little low in the back so I could not let my feet out or they would hit the ground. So for the 10 minutes we strolled around I was doing a leg lift so my feet wouldn’t hit the pavement. By the time we decided on a place I was about to collapse. The abs were rock solid and I was ready to eat.

Jays Dinner

We hit up Taco Chulo for a quick bit of Mexican food. Mexican is one of the foods I do not have a lot of when I am on the ship. It was good. I like how you have your choice of taco sizes. Small is about $4 and large is about $6. I went with 2 large taco, Gordita and fish. There was so much in the tacos I had to eat them with a fork before I could wrap them up and chow down. It was almost like I had four taco instead of two. We washed them down with a couple margaritas. After catching up Jay and I caught up a bit more at a wine bar. Sipping wine is another Brothers Tasty Favorite.

Anthony’s Dinner

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.

DUE TO A FEW UNFORTUNATE CIRCUMSTANCES WE HAD TO POSTPONE THIS SATURDAYS DINNER. THIS HAS NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE AND WE HOPE IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN. PLEASE FORGIVE US FOR HAVING TO RESCHEDULE. WE PROMISE TO BRING BACK SIDEWAYS LATER IN THE SEASON. STAY TUNED FOR THE NEXT MOVIE ANNOUNCEMENT LATER IN JUNE. AND IF YOU HAVE NOT JUMPED ON THE MAILING LIST YET, YOU MAY DO SO BELOW.

Get on our list for upcoming dinners dinners@forkingtasty.com

Saturday, June 5th at 8pm
Bringing a bit of California to the BK. Here’s the skinny on the fat.

Starts: 8pm (cocktails and appetizers)
Ends: 11pm (really, when the film is over)
Donation: $99 (make a reservation below)
Movie: Sideways

Menu

Aimee and I are bringing a special twist to this months dinner. We partnered up with our good buddy Jack to bring you some of the spectacular and rare wines mentioned in the movie. In between scenes, as you eat and sip, Jack will impart some vino knowledge and pose some wine facts vs film fiction while pouring the next flight. In the meantime, Aimee and I will have some delicious food pairings that are inspired by these delightfully fermented grapes. We will also draw on the fresh and simple flavors from southern California to complete the menu. We are feeling some lamb, maybe some risotto and the dessert on this one…whoa, hold onto your forks! We have been planning this one for a long time. The idea that when Paul Giamatti drinks so will you was too good a daydream to not make reality. For those aficionados, the wines will include Sanford, Fiddlehead, Byron, and Hitching Post, heavy on the Pinot Noir.

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. Your movie ticket is your pay pal receipt, when you arrive please just let us know your name so we can keep track of you.

IF IT RAINS: If it rains dinner is off. All donations will be refunded at the time we make this decision.

More on Reel Tasty:

Jason and Aimee pair a 5 course gourmet meal for 16 friends, some new and some old on a HUGE deck in Brooklyn. As the name implies, we will be screening a movie during the meal. Don’t worry, there will still be plenty of time pre-entree to mingle, catchup and meet some new friends. Once the sun goes down we will role the film in all its two story high glory. This is an experiment, so we are not sure how much silence or chatting will go on. That’s for you to decide. We hope you will come out and enjoy yourselves with us this summer. See you on the deck.

You can check out pics from our last dinner here.

If you can’t make this dinner but want us to send you an invite to the next one send us an email at dinners@forkingtasty.com and we will put you on out special list. Or join the facebook fan page and get announcement updates that way.

You can’t beat some fresh beef sliced by Italians. At John’s Deli in Bensonhurst they have some of the finest. If you have not already heard about their famous roast beef, formerly only available on Tuesday’s, you have now. After peeking at this clip I don’t blame you to be checking hop-stop for the most direct route to this slow cooked sensation.

John’s Deli
2033 Stillwell Avenue
(between 85th St & 86th St)
Brooklyn, NY 11223

Everyone loves a surprise. Well…most people do. At the root of surprise is discovery. Most of the time is boils down to a moment. Like the moment you sip your glass of soda only to realize you grabbed someone else glass of milk. But, sometimes, when we are really lucky, that discovery unfolds with multiple moments over time. I happened upon a bustling scene yesterday morning on a quiet strip of Franklin St. in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. For a Sunday morning there was a lot of activity in what appeared to be a vacant store front. I could not help but let the moment sweep me up as the discovery unfolded before my eyes and then straight into my stomach. The above explains it all.

NOTE: I left my camera at home so this whole video had to be shot on an iPhone. Not bad. I added the pro VO to hide the crappy video quality. I sort of like the juxtaposition.