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.

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 he spent 2 years learning how to make Salumi. He then opened up this small shop slicing up meat for sandwiches 4 days a week.

When I arrived it was nearly noon and the line was already out the door. It moved quick but slow enough that I had sufficient time to contemplate my order.

The decision wasn’t easy. I wanted to try almost every salumi on the menu. The differentiator between Armandino’s meat and other Italian pork-processing pioneers is his mix of spices. His use of nutmeg, cardamom and even a Mexican mole is extremely unique. The flavors show up mildly but distinctly. Turning my attention from the standard salumi’s to some of the other cured meats on the list, I found lamb prosciutto and even guanciale (Italian bacon prepared with pig’s jowl or cheeks) hanging in the glass framed walk in refrigerator that is built into the front of the narrow shop.

The line finally moved up and I stepped up to order. I chose the Muffo, a cold sandwich with olive tapanade, two salumis and provolone on a ciabatta roll. (pictured at top). Luckily I had a few friends with me so we ordered a few other sammys and had a little tasting selection.

Salumi with peppers and tomatoes.

Meatball sub with provolone.

We slipped our way to the back of the shop, careful not to knock over anything or anyone in the narrow space, where there was a large table. The table sat ten, had a couple bottles of wine on it with “Pay-what-you-drink” signs and 9 strangers happily devouring their delicious sandwiches. There was a second room through a doorway that had another communal table that sat another 6 sandwich lovers.

Biting in, the salumi was amazing. It’s flavors complimented the rest of the ingredients with just the right balance. The meatballs had a mild spice and the marinara a sauce a sweet bite. I came for the salumi but discovered the best meatball sandwich of my life. I don’t mean to over power the hero product, the salumi is still well worth the trip.

The beauty of Armandino’s operation is much like my own supper club philosophy, good food, daily specials consumed in the company of strangers. My advise, take a swing by the next time you are in Seattle. Ohh yeah, and order something you think sounds strange. I promise you will not be disappointed.

Salumi Artisan Cured Meats
309 Third Ave South
Seattle, WA 98104
(between Main and Jackson, across from Seattle Lighting)
(206) 621 8772

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.

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. We’ll start out strong, drop in the middle of the pack and then close with my favorite traditional entry.

1. Super Wings

I loved this crew. They were chatty, smiley and super happy. Their wings…totally broke the mold. In the restaurant the selection is ridiculous. You can choose from Ginger Buff, Trini Tamarind, Bajan Merry Mango, Island BBQ, Chili Cilantro, Spice Island Rub and Lava. They served Ginger Buff with Lava Sauce. I screamed, cried and then hit seconds. Nothing like a traditional wing BUT they did it right. They started with a meaty wing that was not too big. This was smart because there was so much flavor that too much meat would actually kill the flavor profile. I know, I never use big cooking words like that, but here it was necessary. The lava sauce on top was a nice break from the blue cheese and complimented the Ginger spice wonderfully. So, turns out I was not the only person who though this way. They took first prize. Nice work ladies. I’ll be by the restaurant really soon for more.

2. Jake’s Bar-B-Que

Wings from a BBQ joint always peeks my interest. Off the bat they were a talkative team. I love that. Lots to say about the wings, the competition and their restaurant. Their entry was definitely of the BBQ realm. A saucy entry that had a spicy yet sweet BBQ sauce on it. I loved it but yearned for that taste on some pork. A rib, brisket some pulled shoulder, anything, would have held up to that sauce better than a wing. Let me be clear, I loved the taste. It was the wing that fell a little short. I will say, they did something no other team did. They served the whole wing intact. Still connected at the joint I needed to change my eating approach to devour this morsel and I enjoyed the challenge. I am dying to head down to Carroll Garden’s and try some of their pork creations. I am sure they will not disappoint.

3. Wheeler’s

I don’t have one note, memory or story to tell about this wing. I guess that says it all. So, let’s move on. Ohh, wait…they were best dressed. Doning Valentine’s Day red chef coats they were the cleanest and most professional looking of all the teams.

4. Sugarcane

They were from Flatbush Ave. and entered with a jerk wing.. No blue cheese dip, just straight up Jerk. This Trini team kept it real West Indian style. A sucker for jerk chicken I reveled in their wings and reminisced about Mr. Biggs roadside jerk spot in Negril. An absolute must every time I am in the birthplace of Bob Nesta. A good non-traditional wing but a little small and dry when I got to the meat. Jerk holds up much better on a leg or thigh so I suspect a trip to Flatbush is in order.

5. Spike Hill

Spike Hill, the Bedford Ave. staple, entered their well known recipe. Beyond their chipper server and cool chef the wings were OK. Standard spice using some Frank’s or Frank’s like sauce on a medium but meaty, sized wing. Competitions are tough. You are not in your home kitchen, the wings are not cooked to order from scratch and you have to make modifications on the fly. Having been to Spike Hill and having the wings, I think the better wing resides in the bar not at the competition.

6. Rocky Sullivan’s

Yes, the old staple pub from Manhattan, now out in Redhook, showed up with a prime location just opposite the upstairs bar. Their wings were traditional, on the small side and fairly run of the mill. What Rocky’s does best is serve beer. After partaking in what they do best for about…ohhh, let’s say 5 rounds…these wings would be winners. You couldn’t stop me from eating them 30 or 40 at a clip. Unfortunately, I was only a half a pint in when I made it to their table. I did get a hard line on their pizza prep though. Irish guys with a wood burning stove? We got to check that out.

7.  Yellow Hook Grill

Read number 6 above. Subtract that they are good at serving beer. Scroll down.

8. Red Star

Red Star had the home court advantage. Despite that and the fact that I have bellied up to the Red Star bar on many a wing night, I still felt their wings were fairly middle of the road. Again, all the wings in the competition were top notch but when you compare the best of the best you have to draw a line. I have to call it how I taste it. The ironic thing about that statement is the next time I eat wings it will be these because I live a block away. So in that sense Red Star’s wings win!

9. Bean Post Pub

Two steps to my left, over to this table, was the biggest surprise of the day. Anthony, from Bean Post Pub, and his delicious wings won a place in my heart. First off, Anthony and his co-wing slinger (I forgot her name. Sorry guys.) had a bunch of different wings for sampling including “killer”. I stuck with the original in fear that I would burn out my taste buds and not be able to properly review the rest of the entries. The wings were nice and meaty and very simply prepared. They were classically red and carryed the expected traditional heat that comes along with the hue. So, at this point I was thinking that it was a nice but fairly basic wing. I took a bite. My opinion mostly stayed the same. As my tongue sucked back the meat after my teeth dislodged a nice chunk, I tasted the red hot sauce, the spice and the chicken. All very standard and traditional. Exceptionally well done mind you but there was no distinction. And, as I discussed, I was looking for distinction. Then I pushed the meat to the back of my mouth and the whole world changed. As my molars grinded on the succulent meat, crispy skin and spicy sauce a new flavor entered the mix. My back buds instantly picked up a heat cooling sweet flavor. My eyes popped and Anthony’s mouth started to turn up in the corners. His big smile and my, now nodding noggin were reacting to the same thing. Anthony mixes a secret into his wing sauce. A sweet BBQ sauce that camouflages itself behind the redness of the other ingredients. Like a good sniper you can’t see, smell or taste it until it is too late. Just as I sent that bite down my throat BOOM, that sniper pops out and nails me straight in the taste bud. Needless to say at this point, that made the wing spectacular and unique. A small nuance like that is what separates good food from great. Trick me. Make me think. Make me reconsider what I have already, so ignorantly, taken for granted. Thanks to Anthony and Bean Post Pub I have a new tasty story to tell and a new favorite Bay Ridge bar to visit. For a quick minute I was transported back to 1994 and my first Ralph’s hot wing of the semester.

10. Atomic Wings

Nearing the end of the competitors I reached the Atomic Wings table. Have you tasted Atomic Wings in Manhattan? Well…they tasted like that.

11. Wing Wagon

They had 3 types of wings for me to try; mild, medium and honey BBQ. The traditional two were good but lacked meat. The Honey BBQ on the other hand was quite tasty. The first Honey BBQ wing I had all day. It hit the spot on the flavor scale I was lacking. Despite it’s flavor punch I felt the wing lacked some size and meat. More sauce than meat makes me a sad kid.

12. The Kettle Black

Another team from Bay Ridge had a delicious looking dry rub wing. Unfortunately, that is where it ended. I skipped the blue cheese on their recommendation and bit into a large but dry wing that lacked punch in its flavor. I hate to be so blunt, remember all the competitors had top notch wings. Some were just better than others.

13. Teddy’s

They were a late arrival to the setup. I am not sure what exactly was going on here. There was some red hot, some breading and some temperature issues (a ‘lil cold). They were working hard though. And they had a mess of wings with them. Three full trays it looked like.

14. SarahJames

Last, but not least, and purposely saved for my final taste was SarahJames. I saved them until last because they were the only table that made the wings to order. Points for that. I liked the presentation but beyond that a fairly standard wing. I will say it aired on the beefy side and it was a clean wing. It was not over sauced and was not too hot. If I were to name this wing I would call it “The Sophisticate”. I see these wings being served at some “downtown” themed uptown gala. One in which the young urban professionals want to feel more like LES hipsters but couldn’t bare to trade in their J Crew and Ann Taylor for the grittier, but just as trendy and tired, Diesel skinny jean or retro, neon Camp Beverly Hills sweatshirt with thick rimmed glasses.

After about 2 hours I had made my way around all the tables, once for pics and a second time for eats. With a belly full of 28 wings and a memory card full of 280 photos, I gulped down the rest of my pint and slipped through the now shoulder to shoulder crowd and out the front door.

As food competitions go, The Best Wings In Brooklyn Competition had a good showing. Two hours in and there was still a line outside Red Star. Considering the G train was broken and the temp was hanging around a windy 25 degrees, I’d say Brooklyn takes their wings pretty seriously.

As I meandered home on my chicken wing high I felt a nap coming on. This daydream was interrupted by the sharp reality that in 3 hours I needed to be at Aimee and Eric’s for Chilifest 2010. Is an eaters job never done?

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.

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.

The whole thing began with a random mid Tuesday text from my buddy Jeff. It went something like this; Spot open 4 lamb tkdown. u in? need to know immediately. I jumped at it and the process began. First I needed to consider my cut. Lamb orders were being placed in a few days. That meant I needed a recipe. After scouring the recipe box and my memory banks for fun and interesting lamb options I came up empty. I started running my mouth to Preethi about the competition and she claimed her mom did an amazing curry lamb. This got me thinking that an east India meets west India dish would be fun. A day later Mrs. Swamy’s curry lamb recipe arrived in my inbox. It looked great and with Preethi’s endorsement I needed no more convincing. With the east Indian part down I needed to work on the west Indian. One of my favorite things from the west Indies is the roti’s. I love a good curry goat wrapped up in a fresh roti from some roadside shack. After doing some research on where the hell to get fresh roti’s in NYC I had almost all the pieces of the recipe in place. I’d get my roti’s from a Trinidadian bakery out in Queens and my 15lbs of boneless lamb shoulder would be donated by the American Lamb Board. The spices above were all obtained with a short trip to curry hill. The only piece I was still missing was a sous chef. Cooking 15lbs of lamb by yourself is tough. Serving 15lbs of lamb by yourself is even tougher. It didn’t take too long for me to identify the perfect sous chef, It was just a a question of would she accept.

Two weeks later the Takedown was just 24 hours away. My sous chef, Preethi, had gladly accepted (after all it is her mom’s recipe. Who better for the taste test?) and we were in deep cooking mode all weekend. After we made the run out to Ozone Park for the roti’s we were locked down in my apartment making the batches of lamb curry. Here is the process we repeated four times. We finished the last at 3am the morning of the Takedown.

Step 1: mince the garlic and ginger

Step 2: saute dry spices and then grind in a coffee grinder

Step 3: mix garlic, ginger and yogurt

Step 4:  Saute lamb

We decided to saute all 15lbs of lamb first before we started building the curry. Here it is in all its cooked but unflavored glory. Notice Preeth’s right bicep straining to hold the bowl up. That’s a ton of lamb.

Step 5: making the curry required combining the yogurt mixture and the dry spice mixture until you have a paste. In the bottom of this big pot we start with onions then added some of the paste on top of that. Next in go the tomatoes and some water. Next dump in some lamb. Bring it all to a boil and you get a full pot of curry lamb like this.

Step 6: transfer all that to a pressure cooker for 15 minutes and then you are in lamb curry heaven. BUT, for us we needed to do that 3 more times. After our fourth batch we caught some sleep until assembly time about 4 hours later. A quick batch of saffron rice and the still warm rotis completed the makeshift assembly line built on my kitchen table.

30 rotis later we were ready to transport and serve at the Takedown destination. The only thing left to do was name our tasty creation. An hour later our Lambtastic Baahsmati Rolls were hot and ready for eating. Below is the final delicious product. The recipe is listed in detail at the bottom of this post. We served over 150 bites, made a bunch of friends but. alas, came home prizeless. I always say that it is about the experience and not whether we win or loose. That holds true for this competition as well.

All the entries were delicious and well executed. Funny enough, first place went to my buddy Jeff who had sent me that cryptic txt weeks earlier.

On to the cookies. Like I said, we were eaters at this event so the pressure was off but the sugar high was definitely on. The Cookie Throwdown took place at the Bell House in Brooklyn yesterday. We went out in the snowy, chilled evening to support Mr. Matt Timms and the Bean and Apple team. Aimee (bean) is my co-chef for REEL TASTY, our little brooklyn supper club. Aimee made 300 hundred of her famous Oreo Cookie Cookies. Yum! Although we were biased there were some other delicious cookies in the competition.

I think the best way to see all the entries would be with the below slide show. There were over 25 entries so forgive me that I don’t remember what is what. Those that were smart put a sign with the description near their tray.

With full plates Preethi and I got to the tough business of determining what was the tastiest sweet.

In the end it came down to 3 choices.
1. Aimee’s oreo cookie cookies
2. The Dark and Stormy (rum and ginger) cookie
3. And Emily’s chocolate ship with salt and caramel

We rolled out of their before the judging but heard that Aimee and Eric took second place and Emily took first. Not bad for our friends or the quality of our palettes. Whew. Long story. Big post. Lots covered. I am glad I got it out. These Takedowns are lots of fun for both the chefs and the eaters. Keep up with Matt and his latest takedowns here. Below is the lamb curry recipe. Enjoy.

Rogan Ghosh (Lamb Curry)

This recipe is for 4 people:

Ingredients

- 3 lbs of LEAN shoulder of lamb
- 8 cloves
- 15 black peppercorns
- 8 cardamom pods
- 1 level tablespoon of cumin seeds
- 1 heaped tablespoon of coriander seeds
- 2 rounded spoons of desiccated coconut
- 2 ounces blanched almonds
- 5 cloves of garlic
- 1 and a ½ inch piece of ginger
- ½ a level teaspoon of ground mace
- 2 level tablespoons of natural yogurt
- 2 big onions
- 3 tomatoes

-Gram masala

Preparation

- Cut lamb into one inch cubes; Discard fat
- Heat four tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large skillet
- Add meat a few pieces at a time in the skillet and fry until sealed on all sides
- Put lamb on paper plate to drain
- Add cloves, cardamom, peppercorn, cumin, coriander, coconut, almonds to the oil that the lamb was fried in; fry for a few seconds
- Scrape pan and put the fried mix into the food processor with peeled and roughly chopped garlic, peeled and roughly chopped ginger, mace and yogurt
- Grind until you have a smooth paste
- Peel and slice onion; chop the tomato fine
- Add 4 tablespoons of oil in the pan, fry onions quickly until brown, reduce heat and add paste, cook for five minutes
- Add tomatoes and one cup of water; and bring to a boil
- Reduce heat cover for 15 minutes
- Add the meat
- Add 3/4th teaspoon of salt

- Bring to a boil and then transfer to a pressure cooker for 15 minutes (be sure that there is enough water in the pressure cooker but not too much that the curry gets watery); pressure cooking is the preferred method

-Remove from heat and add 2 tbs of Gram Masala

- Technically the meat is best served the next day; ie after it is cooked; overnight in fridge and then heat the next day; but it can be served right after

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 I decided to make some osso buco for mom. I woke up eraly and headed out to Long Island stopping at Whole Foods for my provisions. It is not the cheapest place in teh world but I knew they would have veal shanks. They had them and $100 in veal later I was on my way to the house. As soon as I arrived I got to work. The worst part about the dish is that it takes a good 3-4 hours to hit that sweet spot. In short here is how you make it.

-Flour the shanks

-brown the shanks on all sides

-throw in some onion and garlic(maybe a pepper)

-deglase with some red wine. Then dump another cup of wine in the pot

-Add a can of stewed tomatoes and 4 cups of beef or chicken stock

-let simmer for 3-4 hours. Top off the liquid as it evaporates.

Not too tough and very little room for error. Of course this was my mom so I couldn’t stop there. I accompanied the shanks with a mushroom and pea risotto. And, as a starter, I did a fennel and celery root salad with Peruvian tangelos. That turned out real nice. The recipe is below. The dish came out fantastic. Mom was delighted. She now knows hoe easy it is to make but my guess is she will still play the restaurant osso buco game or dial up her son and sweet talk him into making some. I think I can live with that.

Spring Root Salad

Ingredients
2 heads of fennel
half a celery root
parsley
3 tangelos
olive oil
cider vinigar
salt and pepper
scallions

Directions
1. chiffanad celery root and fennel
2. finely chop parsley
3. thinly slice scallions-whites only
4. seperate tangelos then slice then into small triangles
5. mix above ingredients together
6. add olive oil, vinigar and salt and pepper
7. mix through and serve

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.

1.Prawn head

2.Palm souffle w/cavier

3.Veal tongue w/romaine + pickles cucumber

4.Oyster w/cavier and lime

5.Kaipachi daikon radish

6.Long Island fluke/aged chili paste/soy ginger shallots/blood orange

7.Shrimp/avacado/seeds from a cypus broom(boob) tree

8.Nantucket scallops marinated in meyer lemon/freeze dried soy sauce/watermelon radish/shiso/meywr lemon zest

9.Sea urchin/soymilk skin/puffed black rice

10.Stewed octopus/fried buckwheat/sea beans/meyer lemon/paprika aioli

11.puffed egg/benton bacon broth/tennesee winter truffles/hazelnut oil + chives

12.braised snails/brussel sprouts/fuji apple/chestnut dumpling/sage sour cream

13.Bagel w/bacon cream cheese

14.Diver scallop/razor clam/smoked grape/lilly bulbs/green tea broth/black onion seed

15.Pork risotto/black tuscan kale/maitake mushrooms/guanciale/pickles mustard seed/pork jus

16.Shaved fois grois/lycee/reisling gelee/pine nut brital

17.Sweetbreads on an almond butter/terrine of confit potatoes+black trumpet mushrooms w/leeks/sherry brown butter

18.lamb chop/sheeps milk riccotta/roasted onion stuffeded w-braised lamb ribs ras-hel-hanout+breadcrumbs

19.Raw sheeps milk. Cheese/humbolt fog goat cheese/smoked grapefruit/red onion marmalade/pork fat brioche

20.Apple cider sorbet/ginger graham cracker grenache/toasted marshmellow

21.Parsnip ice Cream/chocolate fudge/hazelnut nugget/grapefruit breads

22.Housemade pickled vegtables(take home)

Momofuku Ko
163 first ave. nyc 10003
btwn 10th & 11th
www.momofuku.com/ko/

Chipotle pork tacos and cucumber salad

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