Tag: East Village

03/16/17 3:16pm

Tim Ho Wan’s Pork Buns Rock

1 Comment

There’s a reason Tim Ho Wan is famous for its pork buns.

When I heard there were lines snaking around the block for the first U.S. outpost of Tim Ho Wan, a Hong Kong-based dim sum chain, I thought, “Surely we have better in Flushing.” Still that Michelin star had me real curious about what was so special about Tim Ho Wan’s dim sum beyond the fact that it’s served 24 hours a day from check off menus instead of carts.

The answer, as I found out the other day, is that the dim sum at the East Village yum cha parlor isn’t really all that special. The steamed rice roll with shrimp was passable, but lacking in rice flavor, then again I’ve been spoiled by Joe’s. Pork and shrimp shiu mai, were meh. There is one item that stands head and shoulders above the rest though and is truly best in class, the baked BBQ pork buns. (more…)

char siu bao, Chinese, dim sum, East Village, pork buns, Tim Ho Wan

03/23/16 9:48am

Behold the East Village’s Super Cemita Poblano

When it comes to Mexican sandwiches, restraint is not an ingredient. Consider the creations of Corona’s Galdino “Tortas” Neza, the largest of which, The Pumas contains a larder’s worth of ingredients, including a chorizo omelet, fried hot dogs, and a deep-fried chicken cutlet. The humongous hoagie calls to mind the adage: Never eat anything bigger than your head. Good as his tortas are there’s one sandwich you won’t find on the Mexico City born and bred chef’s menu: the cemita Poblana. That’s because it’s a specialty of Puebla. In fact I’ve never had a good version of this sandwich until I tried the Super Cemita Poblana at Villa Cemita in the East Village. (more…)

Alejandra Aco, cemitas, East Village, Mexican, Super Cemita Poblana, Villa Cemita

02/10/16 11:23am

Top Flight Duck Bánh Mì Lands in The East Village

1 Comment

Crispy duck goes Vietnamese thanks to Tito Kings.

PLEASE NOTE THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED

The bánh mì, a study in textures—cool pickled veggies, crunchy bread, and caramelized pork—and flavors—savory roast meats and charcuterie, and perhaps pate; hot peppers; and Asian mayo—is one of my all-time favorite sandwiches. So much so that a lifetime ago when I was a line cook at Jimmy’s No. 43 in the East Village, I took it upon myself to add it to the menu while the chef was on vacation. We had charcuterie, pickles, pork, fish sauce, and chilies in house, so I figured why not run it as a special. Chef was not pleased with my addition of what I called the Banh-Jimmy to his menu. (more…)

banh mi, closed, duck, East Village, Filipino, Jimmy Carbone, Jimmy’s No. 43, King Phojanakong, Maggi, sandwiches, Tito King’s, Vietnamese, Vietnamese sandwich

08/19/15 10:02am

Our Four Favorite NYC Ice Cream Sandwiches

With summer coming to a fiery close, I thought it would be a good idea for Sandwich Wednesday to get its last licks in with a list of four of our favorite ice cream sandwiches in New York City.

1. Redd Foxx at Mikey Likes It
It’s probably a good thing that Mikey Likes It Ice Cream, the hiphop themed scoop shop in the East Village is a good 45-minute subway ride from me, otherwise I’d be in here every day scarfing down a Redd Foxx. Named for the salacious comedian it’s a freshly made red velvet waffle encasing a scoop of ice cream. Mikey Likes It Ice Cream, 199 Avenue A, 646-896-1836

2. Pandi Ice Cream at House of Inasal
The pandi-ice cream ($5.50) at House of Inasal is surely the most elaborate pair of ice cream sandwiches to ever be served under the 7 train. It’s a duo of ube ice cream sandwiches topped with halaya, coconut, and pinipig. Young coconut and pinipig, a crunchy beaten rice, top each scoop of purple yam ice cream. The warm slightly sweet eggy buns are smeared with halaya, a rich spread made from ube, or purple yam. Pandi-ice cream is the best most purple ice cream sandwich in Queens. House of Inasal, 65-14 Roosevelt Ave., Woodside, 718-429-0709 (more…)

Amorino Gelato, Chelsea, closed, East Village, Elmhurst, Filipino, gelato, House of Insasal, ice cream, Italian, Mikey Likes It, red velvet, Sugar Club, Thai, Woodside

02/11/15 10:15am

Southeast Asia Meets Italy and The East Village at Porchetta

Porchetta’s banh mi sports fennel blossoms.

Pork—be it pâté, Vietnamese ham, or crumbly char siu—are all integral players in the showstopping symphony of flavors and textures that is the banh mi. The Vietnamese sandwich, with its cool mix of pickled vegetables, pork product, umami rich Kewpie mayo, and chili heat is one of my favorites. In Italy porchetta, another porkcentric creation, is a popular street food.

One of my favorite New York City spots, Porchett,a is devoted to the dish, served as a platter or in a sandwich. I like to stop by the tiny East Village store just to catch a few whiffs of the aroma of pork fat and fennel pollen while ogling the burnished cylinders of meat with their crackling skin and leave without ordering a thing. A while ago I stopped in to do just that and noticed a sign: “Porchetta Banh Mi $10,” and, despite the fact that I’d just eaten, had to order one. (more…)

banh mi, East Village, Porchetta, Vietnamese

04/23/14 12:37pm

Empire’s Bacon Egg and Cheese Delivers Southern Comfort

Photo: Elyse Pasquale/Foodie International

PLEASE NOTE THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED

Biscuits of the Pillsbury variety—warm fresh and slathered with ersatz butter—were a childhood favorite. I didn’t try true blue fluffy Southern biscuits until many years later. After my good friend Elyse Pasquale forced me to visit Empire Biscuit in the East Village last night I’m convinced I don’t eat them nearly often enough.

I’m only half kidding when I say she forced me. We’d just eaten our body weight in hors d’ouevres—including a killer creation of smoked mackerel nestled in a curl of whey steamed onion, topped with shaved foie gras—at an event hosted by Tabélog at Skál. Elyse doesn’t play when it comes to food, so when she told me that they were the best biscuits ever, I agreed to undertake the long march from Chinatown to the East Village. (more…)

bacon, breakfast, closed, East Village, eggs, sandwiches, Skál, Southern, Tabelog

News

08/16/13 11:41am

Tasty Links from the Gastronomic Blogosphere

Sandheko wai wai, cool kids only!

Thanks to Gary Stevens for turning me on to this great piece on Wai Wai, the Nepalese snack that’s become something of an obsession for me. In it the author describes how the noodles eaten raw were the province of the cool kids in his school. Nice to know I’m finally one of the cool kids.

Max Falkowitz waxes rhapsodic about his favorite steakhouse, and it’s not Peter Luger’s, but rather Argentinean steakhouse El Gauchito in Corona. “The crust is a rich, purple-tinged mahogany, heavily dosed with salt; it gives way to a buttery, resoundingly beefy interior without a trace of chewiness,” he writes of the skirt steak. Have a feeling I’ll be going there soon. (more…)

Dish O' The Day

02/11/13 12:32pm

Charred Head-on Shrimp at Ducks Eatery

East Village