‘Wich Hunting: Episode 3

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.

Cured in Seattle

I never expected to find great salami in Seattle. But, I am a big Batali fan and I figured he had to learn from somewhere. Salumi is an Italian cured meat shop in the heart of Seattle’s Pioneer Square run by Armandino Batali, Mario’s father. Armandino had a full career at Boeing as a process control engineer but after he retired…

Guten Morgen, Seattle!

Flying into SEATAC airport in Seattle leaves you with few options for some early morning chow. Asking the locals came through again when I was directed to this “frozen-in-time” pancake house with a German surprise.

Best Wings in Brooklyn

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…

Full of Moonstruck

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.

Lamb to Cookie Takedowns

You are looking into a bowl of fresh, whole spices. The aroma from the cloves, black peppercorns, cardamom pods, cumin seeds, coriander seeds filled my entire kitchen. This was my first time working with whole cardamom. I fell in love. I was doing this experiment because I had recently accepted a spot as a chef in Matt Timm’s Lamb Takedown. Matt had put on a few of these challenges ranging from chili to bacon to tofu. This time I was in on the action.

This post dates back to October. It has been one of those long ignored posts that’s been burning to be completed. Yesterday was the Cookie Takedown and I thought it only appropriate to do a “Takedown” post. I was only an eater at the Cookie Takedown so before we get to the cookies lets go a bit deeper into the Lamb…

Making Mom Happy

It seems that in recent years my mother has acquired quite penchant for Osso Buco, the Italian peasant food that is now a top priced menu item. If you as her she will tell you she has always loved it. Regardless, If a restaurant has it on the menu we are there. It doesn’t matter what the restaurant looks like, smells like or where it is, we must go in and order the osso buco. In a lot of ways I think this is a fun little game but on the flip side, I can not help but think how easy it is to make the dish. So, today…

The 22 course lunch

It takes forever to get a reservation and it takes 3 hrs to eat once you do get one. My friend Aimee scored one this week and lucky for me her husband Eric was fishing in the keyes. I accepted teh invite and we took a 4 hour hiatus from the world to duck into the thin, dark bar that is Momofuku Ko. $163 and 22 courses later we emerged bigger but better than when we arrived. Here is what we ate in order…

Cool as a cucumber salad

Chipotle pork tacos and cucumber salad

Holy Shit It’s Marscapone with fruit

Originally I made this without fruit for my Dad’s birthday. This time I added frozen strawberries, raspberries and blueberries. Killer.