Mike Eats Food! (Cheaper!)

Breakfast Club Begins

2009-01-14T14:08:00.005-05:00

We were having drinks for Elissa's birthday when we hatched this plan. I can't remember who specifically blurted it out, but everyone agreed at once that Breakfast Club was a brilliant idea. So, today, Breakfast Club I was held with the unofficial continuing mission of providing a weekly breakfast for the unemployed of us who hunger for something more substantial than a lonely cup of coffee on a weekday morning. Aaron hosted and whipped up cheesy grits, root veggies, and some scrambled eggs n' herbs. Coffee and the occasional bloody mary were in attendance. So were Kirsten, Matt, Dustin, and Meg. A great success.

Rumors of My Death Are Greatly Exaggerated

2008-12-11T15:40:00.006-05:00

I've been thinking lately (actually, I've been reading lately) quite a bit about how much our collective pocketbook is not only wearing thin, but that it's being eaten by moths (from inside and out), while being tugged at by thieves (and people trying to stop the thieves), as if there was very much in it worth keeping (or stealing).

This all led me to conclude: I need a better budget.

Strike that.

This all led me to conclude: I need a budget.

Food naturally factors into this to-be equation, and to assist myself in keeping track of variables like recipes and costs it struck me that I should write such things down so that I could refer to them later, and it would be super if I could search through these written-down things in a quick-like manner, as to make deciding which cheap-and-easy thing to make for dinner a faster proposition, which strikes me as MEF! 2.0.

Will I actually do it? In the words of a great genius: watch this space.

Italian Wedding Soup

2008-11-18T15:00:00.005-05:00

Granted the mini-meatballs are in fact meat-less,
this turned our far better than I had hoped.

RECIPE! White Truffle Oil & Porcini Mushroom Cream Sauce

2008-11-13T17:38:00.001-05:00

Truffle oil won a permanent place in my heart after our trip this summer to Italy. In Abruzzi and Tuscany, in particular, tagliatelle with white truffle oil and porcini mushrooms was easily found (and frequently ordered.)

I've tried a few variation's on the theme since returning. Sauteing dried porcini in butter and truffle oil then tossing with noodles and sprinkling with shaved Parmesan and black pepper works well enough. This cream sauce recipe owes a debt to my brother, Adam, and his ladyfriend, Elisa; he has more experience that I do with pasta sauce, and she, an Italian, outwits us both.

1-2 oz. dried porcini mushrooms, re-hydrated
4 tbsp butter
6 tsp white truffle oil
1/2 c. heavy cream
1/2 c. Parmesan-Reggiano cheese, grated
Black pepper

Melt half the butter in a saucepan over medium heat till popping. Strain mushrooms through a filter and rinse; reserve strained broth. Add porcinis to pan with butter and 2-3 tbsp mushroom broth. Reduce heat, simmer till soft, 5-10 minutes.

Stir in truffle oil, remaining butter, cream, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and dash of pepper. Allow to simmer over low heat, careful to not burn. Taste and adjust with mushroom broth or truffle oil.

We enjoyed this most frequently over thin, broad tagliatelle with shaved cheese, but up in Tuscany came across pinci, a thicker, hollow spaghetti-like noodle. Pinci were usually served with a stewed sauce made from wild boar. But we liked the noodles too much to not try and find them States-side. Here, we've found them called perciatelli, but only in specialty stores or grocery stores with a really big pasta selection.

But whatever noodles you choose, white truffle oil -- admittedly not a budget shopping item -- will wake them up.

Google Trends: Where in the World...

2008-11-12T11:36:00.007-05:00

Google Trends, the free search tracking tool from Google, drew some attention this election cycle for it's 2008 US Election Trends page. It was even observed a few months back that by tracking Google searches for "Obama" and "Clinton" one might as accurately predict the Democratic primary as a bunch of well-paid pollsters.

I was reminded of Google Trends again yesterday after reading an article about how searches are being used to locate flu outbreaks, and with shocking speed and accuracy:

"Tests of the new Web tool from Google.org ... suggest that it may be able to detect regional outbreaks of the flu a week to 10 days before they are reported by the CDC."

I'm sure somewhere out there entire dissertations are being written on how simple search queries can mine such accurate data. In the meantime, I was inspired check out a few trends of my own:

What's next: Google EKG?

As it turns out, although historically more people search for "WTF" than "OMG" the tide may be turning; vampires are a greater concern globally than zombies (however, zombies are on more people's minds outside of North America); more Americans want to know about wine than beer; and if you're searching for some skin, you're looking for "nude" pictures twice as often as "naked" ones.

But by far the most shocking result was this:

In the summer of 2005, for reasons entirely unknown to me, more people around the world were looking for Carmen Sandiego than Osama Bin Laden.

Seriously, WTF?!

Popular Vote

2008-11-11T10:47:00.005-05:00

One of the oft-repeated lines in the wake of John Kerry's 2004 election defeat was that no other presidential candidate in history had received more votes than John Kerry, of course, save for one man, of whom it was said had finally won his first presidential popular vote.

We can mess with these numbers and joke about the popular vote because the Electoral College doesn't mind (a good thing, actually, but more on that another time). Though it does boggle the mind a little that the biggest, most basic approval rating we have isn't really the end-all, be-all of things, not because it offends our sense of popular democracy but because it offends our sense of popular culture.

Voting for the Stars: Can Lance Bass count on your support?

American Idol, The Oscars, baseball's All-Star Game, a new character on Heroes--you get the most votes, you win (the biggest exception being perhaps college football's BCS system, but, again, more on that another time). Not so when it comes to presidential politics. The numbers don't matter as much as a whole as they do in bits and pieces. Kind of like America, one might say.

But as we take measure of Barak Obama's uber-historic victory, it's worth taking one more look at those numbers. We've all heard the pundits celebrating the fact that more people voted this year than in any other, followed by more pundits replying: but there are more people in America this year than in any other, so, duh, more people voted.

As the numbers rolled in last Tuesday night this wasn't entirely clear--the immediate returns had Obama and McCain with fewer total votes than Bush and Kerry four years ago. But not anymore.

The outstanding ballots have continued to be counted and, as of this morning, Obama is just shy of 66 million popular votes, four million above Bush's 2004 total. Of course, the pundits would say it doesn't matter: more people, more votes. But look at McCain's total: just shy of 58 million. That's a million fewer votes that Kerry's 2004 total.

What does it mean? If you're a cynic, it might mean that despite the fattening of the voter rolls a larger part of the population bought the argument that John McCain was George W. Bush's twin brother. If you have, say, the audacity of hope, it might mean that America is not as divided and static in its beliefs as some would have you believe.

Which is more likely? I'd say we have 66 million reasons to hope it's the latter.

'Daily' Schedule

2008-11-10T13:11:00.005-05:00

Great article this afternoon in City Room, one of the NY Times blogs, which lays out in detail a day in the life of a 'Daily Show' episode. Some highlights:

7 a.m.: About seven or eight producers start work, culling through video footage and material from the previous day, much of which is stored on a set of 15 to 20 TiVo digital-video recorders.

9 a.m.: “We’re joking around from 9 to 10. Jokes from 9 to 10 frequently end up on the show.”

11:30 a.m.: The production staff members pop in and demand the material. The writers ask for five more minutes — which they are not given, but which they take, anyway.

Certainly interesting stuff, but especially so if you live in the production world and nerd out on finding out how other people go about their jobs doing the kind of stuff you'd love to do.

Pumpkin Muffins, Homemade Pasta, Pumpkin Ravioli, November Carrots

2008-11-09T12:18:00.003-05:00

President-Elect Barack Hussein Obama

2008-11-05T13:04:00.007-05:00

I've got a few other stories and observations to share from the past week which I spent canvassing in northeast Philly and generally digesting anything remotely election-related, but in the aftermath of last night's overwhelming win for now-President-Elect Obama I want to pass along this data:

These two maps, courtesy of the NY Times, display Republican and Democratic gains in this election compared to 2004 in all counties across America. If anyone looking at the popular vote map by county can't understand how so much red equals so much blue, this ought to explain it. Senator Obama obliterated the GOP margin of victory in nearly 80% of all counties.

Incredible.

"Delay Ball!"

2008-10-28T17:31:00.011-04:00

It's official: Senator Barack Obama's Wednesday night address to America will lead-in on FOX to the re-start of Game 5 of The World Series between Tampa Bay and Philadelphia.

Major League Commissioner Bud Selig postponed tonight's scheduled finish of rain-delayed Game 5 on account of dismal weather in Philly, setting up one final convergence of politics and sport before Election Day. It's a matchup Team Obama has played since the early days of his campaign. And right now the opportunity to reach out to voters in Florida and Pennsylvania can't be overstated.

Update: FOX has denied pushing back to 8:30 P.M. EST the re-start of Game 5, claiming they're only dispensing with the pregame show. This in response to what has become a talking point from the McCain campaign: "No one will delay the World Series game with an infomercial when I'm president." Of course, the real news here is that FOX rebutted a Republican talking point.

Because Barack Obama Really Needed A Lucky Break

2008-10-28T00:16:00.009-04:00

I've talked before about how sports have aided Barack Obama in his quest for the White House. Well, the Senator and sports lovers were reacquainted recently, this time courtesy of Obama's multi-million-dollar major network ad buy to offer one final sales pitch to the American people.

A thirty-minute Obamathon scheduled for 8:00 P.M. EST this coming Wednesday, October 29, 2008 will be broadcast on CBS and NBC, amusingly not on ABC, and will also, it's worth noting, appear on FOX. Why the spotlight on Murdoch's gang? For once it's not their political leanings, but their previously scheduled programming: Game 6 of The World Series.

That's right, FOX agreed to bump the start of Game 6 of The World Series by 15 minutes so Sen. Obama (D-IL) can address America (talk about seeing the writing on the wall!). Really, it's a win-win all around. Obama gets to moonlight in the gradeur of basesball's biggest stage, and FOX gets to pump up its less-than-awesome audience for a series that features Tampa Bay and Philly. Of course, this all assumes there even is a Game 6.

The audacity of a rain delay in Philly.

Going into tonight, Philly led the best-of-seven series 3-1, which meant a win at home and it'd be champagne and cheesesteaks for the Phillies. But you can do the math: winning the series four games to one means... only five games. No Game 6, no fun newscasts, no special anything, just a regular old landmark speech. Laaaaaame.

And, so, with rain falling hard well into the sixth inning and the Phillies up 2-1, the game was ready to be stopped, the tarp rolled out, and the curtains drawn on hopes of a Tampa Bay win, a Game 6, and a media circus at Tropicana Field. Then, fittingly, there was hope!

B.J. Upton singled with two outs! Through the driving rain, Upton took off and stole second. Come on, Rays! Then, Carlos Pena looped a single into the outfield, Upton rounded third, and crossed home. The game was tied! After the inning was over, the rain delay was called with three innings yet to be played. Game 5 lives on! The World Series lives on! Hope, for the Rays, for America, lives on!

It's all scheduled to resume tonight, weather permitting. But the weather, uh, looks not so permitting:

I guess it's not always sunny in Philadelphia.

Well, if not tonight, then Wednesday, 8:00 P.M. EST. World Series to follow.

Whaassup? Change, That's Whaassup.

2008-10-26T20:41:00.002-04:00

HuffPost reports on a timely little trip down memory lane:

Secretary of the Dinner Table

2008-10-24T12:18:00.005-04:00

Michael Pollan, author of "The Omnivore's Dilemma" and "In Defense of Food," a few weeks ago called for nationwide 'food reform' in an open letter to the NY Times, "Farmer in Chief."

Today, Pollan again called on the presidential candidates to address this issue:

“Some of the issues they have talked about — energy independence, climate change and the health care crisis — I think they will find, as soon as they get into office, that you can’t deal with any of those three problems without dealing with the food system.”

It's an obvious point to anyone who has read "Omnivore's Dillema," but one that only squirms into the national spotlight when some bacteria or the other squirms its way into our industrial food chain. Then, a fuss is raised, the contaminated food is found, and the media goes home; but the inherent problems in our food supply go unsolved, problems, as Pollan points out, that go way beyond a vulnerability to rogue bacteria.

So, Mr. President, let's talk about food.

Never Have I Been So Happy to See George W. Bush in The Oval Office

2008-10-24T09:54:00.002-04:00

Third Term Turmoil

2008-10-23T13:59:00.007-04:00

Update: It's official: term limits on NYC public officials have been extended from two terms to three. City Room has the details.

I'd like to take a break, just for a moment, from national politics.

Over at the NY Times, City Room is reporting that, "The City Council’s Committee on Governmental Operations voted unanimously on Thursday morning to extend term limits for New York City’s elected officials." This would be a big step forward for Mayor Bloomberg's aspirations of running for a third term.

There's lots of righteous indignation popping up in the comments below the article, which baffles me for a few reasons:

Mayor Bloomberg is wildly popular. Even after announcing his desire to run for a controversal third term, his approval rating remains at 69%, not far from his previously recorded 71% approval rating, which was noted by Quinnipiac University in July.

Now, I'm sure some of you are thinking: Mike, you moron, mayoral approval ratings are not the same thing as wanting to extend term limits. Well, that's a fair point, which is why I linked to that Quinnipiac poll. It notes a not-so-insignificant 56% of New Yorkers are against extending term limits. Why? I suspect they're confused. I will explain.

There are two refrains I keep hearing from people:

First, that getting rid of term limits makes "a shambles of democracy." But no one is proposing getting rid of term limits, just extending them. Yes, the President of the United States is restricted to serving only two terms. But Senators and House Representatives in Congress are not. Of course, the Mayor of New York City is neither of those things, so, how about we decide for ourselves?

Which brings me to the second oft-invoked refrain: the voters of this city have already voted against extending term limits. This is true, the voters did do this... over a decade ago! In 1993 and 1996, to be exact.

So, let's take another look at that Quinnipiac poll. Scroll all the way down to the bottom, where respondants graded the performance of NYC's recent mayors. Mayor Bloomberg has by far the best A and B ratings:

73% rated Mayor Bloomberg A or B
52% rated Mayor Giuliani A or B
52% rated Mayor Koch A or B
30% rated Mayor Dinkens A or B

But I'm not listing these other mayors because it makes Bloomberg look good. What's impressive is how poorly these other mayors were viewed, in particular Mayor David Dinkens, who, by the way, got a D or F from 31% of respondants, and who, by the way, was the Mayor of New York City when voters took up the issue of term limits in 1993.

As for 1996, that was Mayor Giuliani, who wasn't yet out of his first term, and who got a D or F from 25% of respondants. Only 10% gave Bloomberg either failing grade.

My point? There are certainly arguments to be made for or against term limits, but "the voters have spoken" is not one of them. Like it or not, voting on term limits is by and large nothing more than a reflection of the public's approval of a sitting mayor. The failure of voters to extend term limits needs to be seen through this lens, as nothing less than a repudiation of Mayor Dinkens and as uncertain, at best, of Mayor Giuliani.

Should the public get to vote on term limits again? Of course, and it will. It should (and will) also have the choice to vote for Mayor Bloomberg, by far the most effective and well-regarded mayor in New York's recent history.

Tales from the Beltway

2008-10-22T10:40:00.012-04:00

Just finished up working on Beltway Unbuckled: Sex, Power, and, let's say, American History, something like that. The title will probably change, or it won't. Find it on History this coming February, a collection of overlooked and mostly untold stories from the bedrooms of D.C.'s past.

In the meantime, it's been hard not to be consumed by the all-out political war being waged. That's not to say I'm camped out in front of my cable box all day, but my internet attentions are elsewhere: polls, maps, op-eds, op-eds, more op-eds...

It's easy to get distracted.

I have, however, managed to keep up with my muffin inspiration. It's what gets me up in the morning. This week: Zucchini Bread Muffins. I can't believe I never thought of this before! These were made sans nuts or seeds, per allergen requirements of the school at which Mint is (and would like to remain) employed, and while this nut-less insistence goes against my better judgment, I've no vendetta against three-year-old I don't know, so I fell in line. Next up? Probably Pumpkin Muffins. Tis the season and all.

McCain Wins Debate!

2008-09-26T14:24:00.008-04:00

As much as I love a simple three-word, exclamatory sentence, I'd like to think this humble page is more modest than John McCain's latest web ad:

Tonight's results, today.

Aside from their obvious troubles with chronology, the McCain camp seems simply not to believe in hypocrisy. This is, after all, a debate which John McCain refused to attend, that is, until the financial crisis was thwarted, and, however, having not thwarted said financial crisis, has declared himself winner of the previously disavowed debate, which, by the way, he will now be attending... five hours from now.

But, naturally, there's a rational explanation for this. My sources tell me, contrary to stories stating otherwise, that John McCain and his adviser Steve Schmidt had a disagreement this morning over whether to order Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks for breakfast. Schmidt favored the former, though McCain insisted on the latter. After several minutes of vigorous back-and-forth on the merits of each option, the two decided on Starbucks, as evinced by this photo taken of John and Cindy McCain headed to Mississippi for the debate:

So, as it turns out, the "McCain Wins Debate!" ad was probably just some intern's idea of a "neat way to celebrate" breakfast. Probably.

Catch-Up

2008-09-25T17:56:00.005-04:00

Things that have happened since my last post (in no particular order):

- Made blueberry muffins. Great success. Also tried out a version of my long-planned molasses and ginger muffins. Dubbed them Snap! Ginger Muffins. They were basically gingerbread muffins with bits of candied ginger roaming about. Success was tempered only by the realization that gingerbread muffins with peppermint bark (or Andes mints?!) would be delicious come the holidays. Mint contends that these would be delicious tomorrow. I'm inclined to think she might be right.

- Made a version of a fennel salad we had at Paloma a while back. This involved a chopped fennel and grated radish cole slaw of sorts tossed in lemon juice and olive oil with some pieces of orange. This was placed atop a few spoonfuls of white bean and honey paste. (Note: paste is a disgusting word. Let's use a different one next time, yes?) It was a bit like hummus, but sweet, which helped with the peppery radish.

- Greenpoint Market Deli has a sign that says it will be returning. That would be nice. They always had the ginger beer that Mint likes, and it means that it won't be something I don't want on the corner, like another Duane Reade. I know there's already a Duane Reade across the street now, but you never know. That chain is worse than Starbucks these days. I'm waiting for a Duane Reade to open inside another Duane Reade. It'll happen. Just wait.

Today is National Punctuation Day. Not everyone is aware.

- Spain's La Liga is going again, which is wonderful. What's more wonderful is that Time Warner is suddently carrying GolTV, which carries La Liga matches. Finally, after five years here, I can watch something other than Premiership teams on the weekend. But speaking of La Liga, Barca put a 6-1 hurting on Sporting Gijon last weekend. This week, Real Madrid downed them 7-1. I enjoy the one extra goal, you know, not against Sporting, but as a little shot at Barca. What, couldn't get seven?

- Politics increasingly make my head hurt, but I find my rising blood pressure tempered by increasingly obvious revelations that sanity may well prevail for once. All the backhanded shots are landing wide (for now), and the tiny bursts of red-rage momentum seem to flame out quickly. Even Bill Kristol doesn't make me as violently ill anymore, which isn't really true, but sometimes.

- Bourbon has replaced whiskey as my drink of choice. This concerns you far less than anything else I've mentioned here. Unless, of course, you're out drinking with me in the near future. In which case, we'll see.

Returned: Thoughts on Football & Barack Obama

2008-08-25T12:14:00.007-04:00

A RAMBLING POST to catch up on a few bits of the everything I've forsaken since heading off at the beginning of this month to drive aimlessly among Italian towns. The food on the trip was memorable to say the least, so expect a recap in the days to come.

In today's Times, however, I caught this article, which refers to an item I had also seen mentioned a few days ago and further leads me to believe:

Barack Obama will be elected in no small part thanks to America's seasonal obsession with football.

I make this ridiculous claim with meager scraps of supporting evidence to back me up at present but will hopefully put together a better argument and report back. In the meantime, if you'll remember, Sen. Obama (D-IL) first announced his "candidacy" in 2006 on Monday Night Football:

Okay, I understand that's hardy an official campaign kick-off, but it's only funny 'cause it's true, right? And if you want to point to the beginning of the media's so-called infatuation with Mr. Obama, you might as well start here. I mean, how many U.S. Senators are given the lead-in to what is weekly one of America's most highly-rated television programs for a political inside joke?

Fast-forwarding nearly two years, the Obama camp decides to move its nomination acceptance speech to Invesco Field, formerly known as Mile-High Stadium, home of the NFL's Denver Broncos. Before you scoff at the pigskin connection--obviously the attendance capacity is higher at Invesco Field than Pepsi Arena, reason alone to move the venue--let's consider an entirely football-connected item: Skycam.

This fly-over camera, which, by the way, aside from being Emmy award-winning was developed for televising football games, won't be at the GOP convention in St. Paul, and would hardly have had the same effect inside Pepsi Arena as it will soaring over Invesco Field.

Think Kennedy-Nixon: the pragmatic Nixon shrugged off makeup for his debate with the upstart Kennedy in front of those newfangled television cameras and Kennedy shrugged off Nixon. The power of an image is well-established in our political culture. Don't think for a second that spectacular, never-before-seen aerial footage of Saint Obama ministering to tens of thousands won't inspire more than a few doubters.

And blame it partly on football.

Muffinophilia

2008-07-19T15:13:00.004-04:00

I'M ABSOLUTELY CLUELESS as to what inspired this present obsession of mine, but about four weeks back I arrived at the realization that muffins were a brilliant idea and I should make many of them. I sought out a basic non-dairy recipe and went to work on my first muffin-making attempt: blueberry. The results were a bit flat. They tasted great, especially topped with a quick roll in some cinnamon and sugar, but they were literally flat-topped, which for a muffin I find to be entirely unacceptable.

Attempt two was banana nut. I added more mix per muffin in the baking tray and yielded larger, more rounded muffins. I'm not a baking expert by any stretch of the imagination, so I'm always pleased to find that basic principles such as "add more batter, get more muffin" hold up at 350-degrees.

The latest round were lemon poppy seed. I guessed the juice of four lemons required extra flour to offset the added liquid. I guessed a bit high on exactly how much. The muffins were the right size, but a little too firm. Live and learn. I'll pass along the recipe when I get it right, and I've got a great idea for a muffin flavor combo to perfect. Stay tuned!

Mike (Almost) Eats Wingnut

2008-07-12T22:18:00.005-04:00

Post has been updated below.

IT'S NOT SO much that I narrowly escaped losing my teeth to chomping down on this little guy as is was head-shaking to have found it where I did: buried in an order of Brooklyn Label french fries. And while it's far from the most unsanitary thing I could have found hiding my food, it's also, you know, a freaking wingnut in my french fries.

I've made four or five visits to Brooklyn Label (180 Franklin St, Greenpoint, Bklyn; 718-389-2806) over the past two moths, each to some degree of disappointment. There was the unlabeled, uneatable hot sauce. The tempeh ruben just isn't what it used to be. No more onion rings or mac n' cheese. The menu is half its previous size and scope. BL's brunch seems to still draw a sizable crowd, but I can't bring myself to pay for another halfhearted meal just to find out if its worth the trip.

The elusive Wingnuti brooklynlabelus in its natural habitat.

The wignut fiasco has closed the door for me. I'm not refusing to eat there ever again, but I've no reason to seek it out. There are just too many other options around, ones that make the same stuff just as well, and certainly ones with kitchens that take the time to keep hardware out of the fries.

MIKE EATS NEXT TIME: Probably not.

Note: Attempting to check the address for this post I stopped by BL's website. Yeah, when I talked about a 'halfhearted' effort, that's exactly what I was talking about. It's the little things, people.

Update, 7/23: BL has offered it apologies for the incident and weighed in on the website malfunction over on the comments page. I've also been informed that BL's new menu has been released, so despite my ambivalence, perhaps you should, in the words of the sage LaVar Burton, "don't take my word for it" and check out the new goods anyway.

Best Quote Ever - 07.10.08

2008-07-10T21:43:00.006-04:00

Jason Giambi's batting average dropped to futile depths in mid-May, when Giambi grew a mustache to "break the monotony" of his slow season. Since sprouting the whiskers, Giambi's batting average has bounced back and was recently the inspiration for All Star Game fan voting.

Aaron Perlut of the American Mustache Institute:

“Baseball has a thick, rich, luxurious history with the mustache... And we’ve tried to be as visible and supportive as we can of Giambi. Not only do we think he’s a great baseball player, but he’s also a great ambassador of the labia sebucula — which is Latin for lip sweater.”

Dinner And A Movie: Hellboy II & Habitat

2008-07-10T20:42:00.008-04:00

CAUGHT A SCREENING of Hellboy II last night with Sir Hitchcock and Mr. Golden. Considering that Pan's Labyrinth is likely the standard-bearer for Guillermo del Toro's work of late, a couple things stood out: First, the go-bump-in-the-night imagination on this guy is something special. The death of a plant God and, later, an incarnate of Death itself are breathtaking. You gotta think del Toro has a leg up on Burton these days, at least as far as creepy-crawly ghouls go.

Second, speaking of stories, Pan's Labyrinth was an exceptionally carefully wrought fairy tale. Del Toro makes good use of his dramatic flair in Hellboy, too, but he's not nearly as meticulous about it and I suspect it's because the characters and plot lines aren't wholly his own. The best ones in Hellboy are the ones he brings to life himself. The mechanization of the golden army is good, but the everyday, otherworldly interactions in the troll market are great. Kinda makes you wonder what's gonna he's gonna do with the Hobbit.

And after the movie I finally paid a visit to Habitat (988 Manhattan Ave; Greenpoint, Bklyn; (718) 383-5612).

Kevin has been raving about this place for weeks, as have several other Greenpointers I've bumped into. The decor is something like a backyard patio tucked away inside what appears to be minimalist concrete facade, but given the suburban overtones of the interior, maybe it's just the basement foundation. It's all very inside-out (and with Planet Earth DVDs constantly playing above the bar).

There's food to be had (though, does one really want to eat while watching Planet Earth?). Pairs of sliders, baskets of waffle fries, mac n' cheese, ham and swiss, etc. I had the black bean and cheese empanadas, a term usable for any fried, pastry-encased food classier than a Hot Pocket. I'm not saying they were bad, they were actually quite good, reasonably priced at $6 for a pair served with mixed greens. The beer list was interesting if not ambitious, $5-7 a pint.

MIKE EATS NEXT TIME: Perhaps. The wood slabs served up as coasters are neat.

Mike Eats What?

2008-07-04T13:14:00.005-04:00

After a long absence, I've decided it might be time to revisit this poor little un-updated site. The mission won't be refocused as much as it will be less focused, less attention paid to my every meal and more attention turned on my immediate surroundings: Greenpoint.

Lots of factors have played into this decision, not the least of which is the simple fact that I now have an occasional spare moment. Sure, I've missed writing and blah blah, but I've also found myself as of late, as I told Mint last night, "uninspired" making meals, to which Mint responded with a rather defeated, "awww." So, let's just call that moment my tipping point. Fitting, really, as she was the tipping point the first time, too.

But there was also a moment last weekend which drew this decision quite a bit nearer. You'll hear about it soon enough. It involves the subject of my last post (some four months ago), a box of fries and a rogue wingnut. You don't have to be Sherlock Holmes to figure out the plot, but it definitely deserves its own post.

So, stay tuned! Mike Eats Food is back, but this time it's Greenpoint.

News: Bklyn Label Chef Bows Out

2008-03-08T19:26:00.004-05:00

Chef Cody Utzman, previously of Brooklyn Label fame (note: "previously"), posted the following comment in the annals of Mike [Ate] Food on March 4, 2008:

To my Loyal customers and fans: On Feb 1st 2008, I resigned my position as Founder/Head Chef/Owner of Brooklyn Label, due to un-reconcilable differences with Financial business partners. Since then I have noticed numerous comments on quality and service throughout blogs and web reviews and want to let my loyal customers, friends and neighbors know that I have left the trust of your favorite neighborhood café in the hands of my ex partners and crew, and I wish them the best and most success possible. As many of you know I was a regular feature behind the counter or in the kitchen making sure all your needs where met and your food was “excellent” every time. I fully intend to complete my mission statement of bringing the most “excellent” products, services, coffee, and neighborhood business improvements to Greenpoint. I am currently working on a really exciting project that should be open summer of 2008. Thank you again for all your support, rave reviews, and friendship in the past year. I look forward to welcoming everyone to my new place that will be the very best you’ve seen yet!!

I am creating a mailing list to notify you all of my future projects. If you would like to join, send an email with “Brooklyn” in the subject to chefutzman@gmail.com
Please feel free to repost.

Sincerely,
Cody Utzman

I've only paid one visit to BL (and one unaware of this development at the time) since Utzman's February 1 step-down, and I should say that the only remarkable difference I found was that the hashbrowns were of unusually large quantity. Perhaps Utzman believed in more modest portions and he will be outraged to have heard of it, but, it's true, the hashbrowns were huge.

Nevertheless, all best to the good Chef, and Mike [Ate] Food promises to stop by whatever future venture Utzman has in the works.

The Great Hiatus

2008-01-01T13:01:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends, Family & Loyal(ish) Reader,

Mike Eats Food! is full. Its chair has been shoved back from the table, its belt loosened, and the promise of dessert is making it slightly queasy. Time for a nap.

It's been a good run. In the end, this daily diary, complete with annotations, observations and a modest collection of concoctions, was perhaps a bit much of an undertaking for this modest one-man army, but eight months-plus of marching is certainly nothing at which to scoff. The journey was well worth the while.

Amidst all the inactivity of late, I've found myself returning to the site to double-check recipes and dig up a few pictures to forward along to friends. It's made me realize this site has a functionality and lasting usefulness far beyond what I had imagined. Perhaps this will encourage me to check in from time-to-time.

In the meantime, until the idea for another blog worms its way into my brain, there will be scattered pics at Mint@Mike.com and weekly videos from BTLmedia posted for your viewing pleasure.

Until we eat again,
Mike

{The Menu - 11.10.07}

2007-11-10T23:10:00.000-05:00

Noon
The Bigger Little Place, New York, NY

Night
Portofino, Northport, NY

{The Menu - 11.09.07}

2007-11-09T23:09:00.000-05:00

Morning
Coffee + Oatmeal

Noon
Spinach Salad + Leftover Noodles w/ Tofu + Larabar

Night
Sapporo Haru, Brooklyn, NY

{The Menu - 11.08.07}

2007-11-08T23:08:00.000-05:00

Morning
Coffee + Oatmeal

Noon
Cafe 57, New York, NY

Night
Tofu w/ Udon Noodles in Spicy Basil & Lime Broth + Leftover Fried Taro

{The Menu - 11.07.07}

2007-11-07T23:07:00.000-05:00

Morning

Coffee + Toast w/ Tofu Cream Cheese & Orange Marmalade

Noon
Cafe 57, New York, NY

Night
Blue Raspberry Icee

{The Menu - 11.06.07}

2007-11-06T23:06:00.000-05:00

Morning
Coffee + Oatmeal

Noon
Cafe 57, New York, NY

Night
Harry's Burritos, New York, NY
+ Chocolate

{The Menu - 11.05.07}

2007-11-05T23:05:00.000-05:00

Morning
Coffee + Bagel w/ Tofu Cream Cheese

Noon
Cafe 57, New York, NY

Night
Burger Joint, New York, NY

{The Menu - 11.04.07}

2007-11-04T23:04:00.000-05:00

Noon

Coffee + Bloody Mary + Mimosa + Donuts + Pumpkin Muffins + Dumplings + Apricot Cookies + Grapes

Night
Jalapeño Poppers + Nachos w/ Cheese + Curry Noodles w/ Tofu

{The Menu - 11.03.07}

2007-11-03T23:03:00.000-04:00

Morning
Bagel w/ Cream Cheese + Coffee

Noon
Pumpkin Pancakes + Eggs Over-Medium + Coffee

Night
Cheese + Walnut Bread + Tortilla Española + Seafood Paella + Wine

{The Menu - 11.02.07}

2007-11-02T23:44:00.000-04:00

Morning

Coffee + Oatmeal

Noon
Cafe 57, New York, NY

Night
Larabar + Leftover Pad Thai

Pasta Presto Grill

2007-11-01T23:23:00.000-04:00

Pasta Presto Grill
93 MacDougal Street
New York, NY 10012
(212) 260-5679

THIS POST WAS supposed to be Dinner And A Movie, but Sharon and I found upon arriving at Film Forum that "Control," the Ian Curtis biopic, was sold out. We also learned that the sold-out 9:00 p.m. show was the film's last at Film Forum. Ah, what terrible timing, and, speaking of terrible, we had dinner at Pasta Presto Grill. This Greenwich Village joint displayed a prowess for exactly two things during our meal: absent service and oily food. The mushroom ravioli was pleasantly cooked, flavorful, but drowning in a far-too-oily walnut pesto. Worse, it cost twice what it should have.

MIKE EATS NEXT TIME: Not a chance.

{The Menu - 11.01.07}

2007-11-01T23:01:00.000-04:00

Morning
Coffee + Oatmeal

Noon
Cafe 57, New York, NY
+ Larabar

Night
Pasta Presto Grill, New York, NY

Dinner And A Movie: Veselka & Nosferatu

2007-10-31T22:32:00.000-04:00

Veselka
144 Second Avenue
New York, NY 10003
(212) 228-9682
veselka.com

HALLOWEEN IS AN excuse for New York City, as it is everywhere else, to revel in absurdity, which is a welcome departure, especially around these parts, from daily obsessions with excess. Somehow, dressed up as Santas and slutty nuns, the people of this city come alive with a warmth that emanates from someplace deeper than the flask tucked in its collective pocket. It's a bemused sort of goodwill, dare I say the Christmas spirit in costume, alive in October, only without all the secular bickering.

At Veselka, warmth emanates from steamed pirogis, and tastes like pumpkin, goat cheese and arugala, mushroom and sauerkraut, and meat. Warmth is delicious (and you can wash it down with 21 oz. of cool Obolon beer for $5.25). Warmth is also cheesy. Ukrainian fare might be Veselka's specialty, but this is, after all, a 24-hour diner set-up--the mac n' cheese is commendable.

We were joined by Brian (of Plataforma fame) who had suggested for afterwards a Halloween showing of Nosferatu, F. W. Murnau's classic 1922 vampire flick, its soundtrack performed live by the Devil Music Ensemble. All this, in the grand theater of Village East Cinemas, a towering hall of gothic-meets-arabic design, a terribly appropriate venue for the godfather of all monster movies. It was almost as frightening as taking the L-train back to Brooklyn.

MIKE EATS NEXT TIME: And probably drinks again, too.

{The Menu - 10.31.07}

2007-10-31T22:31:00.000-04:00

Morning
Coffee + Oatmeal

Noon
Cafe 57, New York, NY

Night
Veselka, New York, NY
+ Popcorn

{The Menu - 10.30.07}

2007-10-30T22:30:00.000-04:00

Morning

Coffee + Oatmeal

Noon
Cafe 57, New York, NY

Night
Candy +
Land Thai, New York, NY

{The Menu - 10.29.07}

2007-10-29T12:19:00.000-04:00

Morning
Coffee + Oatmeal

Noon
Cafe 57, New York, NY

Night
Fresca Tortilla, Brooklyn, NY
+ Candy

{The Menu - 10.28.07}

2007-10-28T22:28:00.000-04:00

Morning
Cafe Grumpy, Brooklyn, NY

Noon
Leftover Maki + Pocky

Night
Maple Syrup Oatmeal w/ Rasins

BRUNCH! @ Paloma

2007-10-27T23:32:00.000-04:00

Paloma
60 Greenpoint Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11222
(718) 349-2400
palomanyc.com

RAISE YOUR HANDS if you love Saturday morning cartoons!

Okay, yes, I know, cartoons kinda suck these days. I enjoy Spongebob as much as the next guy, but Viva Piñata? Yu-Gi-Oh? Ugh, I can barely stomach Futureama, and my 10-year-old cousin recently asked me, "Who's Yogi Bear?" Are you kidding me, Boo Boo!? Hey, hey, I say, what are we teaching these kids today?!

The good news: Paloma understands. Not only can you now find yourself a tasty brunch at the Greenpoint joint, but you can kick back and enjoy it while watching the flickering frames of good, old fashions, hand-animated Looney Tunes.

How the food? My eggs over-medium with a slice of potato pancake was perhaps the simplest plate I have ever seen come out of Paloma's kitchen. The eggs were impeccably cooked. Mint's duck hash piled atop one of those tasty potato-cakes was reportedly awesome. A warm popover, crispy crust outside and buttery soft inside, hit the spot. And, as always, the bar served up a hit, this afternoon mixing up a ginger soda with skewered chunks of candied ginger as garnish.

MIKE EATS NEXT TIME: Yup, yup.

{The Menu - 10.27.07}

2007-10-27T22:27:00.000-04:00

Morning
Coffee + Banana Larabar

Noon
Paloma, Brooklyn, NY

Night
Sapporo Haru, Brooklyn, NY

{The Menu - 10.26.07}

2007-10-26T22:26:00.000-04:00

Morning
Coffee + Oatmeal

Noon
Cafe 57, New York, NY

Night
Cassanova, Brooklyn, NY

{The Menu - 10.25.07}

2007-10-25T22:25:00.000-04:00

Morning
Coffee + Oatmeal

Noon
Bouchon Bakery, New York, NY

Night
Hummus + Carrots + Soy Delicious

{The Menu - 10.24.07}

2007-10-24T23:02:00.000-04:00

Morning
Coffee + Oatmeal

Noon
Candle Cafe @ Cafe 57, New York, NY + Ginger Snap LÄRABAR

Night
Madsen Donut + Pita + Roasted Red Pepper Hummus + Carrots + Pocky

RECIPE! Classic Hummus

2007-10-23T23:07:00.000-04:00

I CAN'T FIGURE out how you could make this without a food processor. Perhaps with a lot of smashing and rapid wrist movement? I suppose. But this is really one for those of you with access to a blender or some other kind of knife propelled by electricity:

1 can garbanzo beans
1/3 cup tahini
3 garlic cloves
1 lemon
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
salt + pepper

Combine in a food processor or blender the garbanzo beans (a.k.a. chickpeas, ceci beans), tahini, garlic (chopped in half), juice of one lemon, olive oil and spices to taste. Blend in bursts, stopping and checking occasionally. Blend to a thick paste.

A few helping hints: Reserve the water from your canned beans in case the hummus is too thick; add water in small amounts. Garlic can be used to taste--if you've got really fresh garlic, perhaps two cloves will do. You can do without the cumin, but don't skip it if you've got it. That's all for now.

This is a really excellent recipe to experiment with. The only thing to remember is to be careful to maintain your consistency--if you add too much liquid, you'll need to add chickpeas to thicken the mix. We enjoyed this recipe with fresh purple peppers picked (finally!) from the plant that's been growing in our kitchen window since spring. Not to brag or anything, but they were pretty awesome.

{The Menu - 10.23.07}

2007-10-23T22:23:00.000-04:00

Morning
Coffee + Muffin

Noon
Cafe 57, New York, NY

Night
Hummus w/ Purple Peppers + Chocolate Peanut Butter Soy Delicious

Fusia Asian Cuisine

2007-10-22T22:22:00.001-04:00

Fusia Asian Cuisine
677 Lexington Avenue
(entrance on 56th St)
New York, NY 10022
(212) 308-2111
fusia56.com

Mint had a toothache. It got worse. Then, it got worse. And so she decided it was time to see a dentist. At 9:15 p.m. on a Monday night. The pickings are slim, let me tell you.

We decided to grab dinner while wandering up towards a dentist's office before her appointment, not sure she'd feel much like food after. Something soft was is order, and since we only had an hour, something quick, too. Noodles were declared the perfect choice and so we started looking. We found Fusia.

Excellent eel

And we were impressed. The miso soup was rich without being salty, large slices of shitake mushrooms floating about in the broth. The rice under the unagi don was piled high and dotted with beets, seaweed, and slices of avocado. Mint, of course, ordered noodles. They were soft.

MIKE EATS NEXT TIME: Prices were a bit high for an everyday dinner, but I'll admit it was the first time I've ordered unagi don outside of Sapporo Haru and thoroughly enjoyed my meal. That's definitely a reason to consider returning.

{The Menu - 10.22.07}

2007-10-22T22:22:00.000-04:00

Morning
Coffee + Bagel w/ Cream Cheese

Noon
Cafe 57, New York, NY

Night
Fusia, New York, NY

I-80 East to New York

2007-10-21T22:43:00.000-04:00

Mary's Diner
666 East Main Street
Geneva, OH 44041
(440) 466-6393

THIS MAKES TWO trips to Mary's Diner in my last two trips to Ohio. I'm quite happy with this trend. Mary's serves up classic diner fare in a classic diner setting. It's comfort food. I love it. In particular, I loved the pumpkin pancakes. Tis the season, after all.

In other news, I-80 East was not nearly as quick a drive as I-80 West. Adam and I spent at least an hour and a half sitting in traffic at various points along the way. Which sucked. At the the fall foliage was a pleasant backdrop? To make matters worse, this not-driving part of our drive ensured that we would arrive in New York well after the start of the Indians-Red Sox game. This put us in a bad mood.

Objects in mirror are closer than they appear

You know what made it worse? The part where, once finally back in the city, the Indians lost the third of three consecutive games to crash out of the playoffs and send Boston to the World Series. Blargh!

Speaking of blargh, we did stop for lunch/dinner somewhere halfway across Pennsylvania. Adam wanted Arby's. So, I got a milkshake. That was my dinner. I love roadtrips.

{The Menu - 10.21.07}

2007-10-21T22:21:00.000-04:00

Morning
Coffee + Donut

Noon
Mary's Diner, Geneva, OH +
Pretzels + Swedish Fish + Arby's Chocolate Milkshake

Night
Donut

If You Lived Here, You'd Be Home Now

2007-10-20T22:50:00.001-04:00

Piero's Pasta House
5367 Lake Road East
Geneva-On-The-Lake, OH 44041
(440) 466-2498

NO SOUND IS more comforting than the crashing of waves washing up on the shore of Lake Erie, and there is no better time to hear them than first thing in the morning as they wash you out of sleep. Of course, nothing makes their wake-up call more worth heading than the knowledge that a blue and white-striped box of Madsen's Donuts awaits you downstairs. Madsen's Donuts, as has been previously noted, sells the finest creme sticks, jelly sticks, cinnamon sticks, chocolate-glazed, cinnamon-sugared, and powder sugar-dusted doughnuts this side of anywhere (sorry, Peter Pan). The frosted and sprinkled varieties aren't half-bad either. Get 'em $8.20 a dozen, and just try to not eat more than one a day.

For dinner, aside from doughnuts (which, rest assured, is a side dish), we stopped by Piero's Pasta House. This place has been written up by several Cleveland-area newspapers (that a local paper would recommend its readers make an hour's drive is no small accomplishment) and alongside Alessandro's is one-half the dynamic Italian duo of Geneva-On-The-Lake. The pasta is suspiciously fresh, the sauces light but rich, and there always seems to be a crowd inside, even in the town's off-season when the Lake Road strip is eerily deserted.

Dessert, a peach bread pudding made by my mother, was so good I've asked for the recipe so I can make it and pass it along. It was the perfect way to cap off a day of delicious treats, even if the Indians couldn't cap it off with a trip to the World Series. There's always tomorrow?

{The Menu - 10.20.07}

2007-10-20T22:20:00.000-04:00

Morning
Coffee + Madsen Donuts, Geneva-On-The-Lake, OH

Noon
Spinach Salad w/ Feta & Apples

Night
Piero's Pasta House, Geneva-On-The-Lake, OH +
Peach Bread Pudding

{The Menu - 10.19.07}

2007-10-19T22:19:00.000-04:00

Noon
Pumpkin Bread + Coffee + Triscuits + Pita w/ Hummus & Tomato

Night
Whole Wheat Pasta + Red Sauce + Veggies + Garlic Bread

NYC to Cleveland in 7 Hours

2007-10-18T23:36:00.000-04:00

Hibernia Diner
9 Green Pond Road
Rockaway, NJ 07866
(973) 625-3255
thehiberniadiner.com

WITH CLEVELAND UP three games to Boston's one in the best-of-seven American League Championship Series, and my ma holding a handful of seats to game five at Jacobs Field, there was really no choice but to pack up my aunt's car, wake up my cousin and take off for Cleveland.

As the story goes, upon hearing that mother had a pair of tickets to the game leftover after our family had snapped the rest up, my cousin Adam decided that if he could skip school for a couple days, I could skip work. Turns out he was right. So, Adam journeyed to Brooklyn last night, met me at work late this morning, and around Noon we set off through the Lincoln Tunnel headed for I-80 West.

We stopped, briefly, at the Hibernia Diner in Rockaway, NJ. It seemed like a good time to break for brunch. Adam grabbed an omelette, and I grabbed potato pancakes. I'm not sure how that omelette turned out, but the pancakes were perfect little ovals of starch, deep fried to a golden glow. They were awful, at best mildly satisfying, and everything I expected them to be. I gladly chowed down on Swedish Fish for the rest of the ride.

We hit the Ohio border around 6:00 that evening and caught a glimpse of the Cleveland skyline off in the distance about an hour later. We parked downtown a little after 7:30 and found our seats at 8:10. The opening pitch was ten minutes later. Nothing like good timing.

Dinner? Cheese pizza from the fine servicefolk at Jacobs Field. The game? Not so good. A few runs here, a few runs there, and suddenly the Indians found themselves far from clinching the series. There's always Saturday night, but we're definitely not driving to Boston to watch the game.

MIKE EATS NEXT TIME: Hibernia? Maybe, maybe not; Jacobs Field, well, there's always next year.

{The Menu - 10.18.07}

2007-10-18T22:18:00.000-04:00

Morning
Coffee + Bagel w/ Cream Cheese

Noon
Pumpkin Bread + Hibernia Diner, Rockaway, NJ + Sweedish Fish + Peanut Butter Crackers

Night
Cheese Pizza, Jacobs Field, Cleveland, OH

{The Menu - 10.17.07}

2007-10-17T22:17:00.000-04:00

Morning
Coffee + Oatmeal

Noon
Peanut Butter Sandwiches

Night
Pizza + L&A's, Brooklyn, NY

{The Menu - 10.16.07}

2007-10-16T22:16:00.000-04:00

Morning
Coffee + Oatmeal

Noon
Cafe 54, New York, NY

Night
Paloma, Brooklyn, NY

{The Menu - 10.15.07}

2007-10-15T22:15:00.000-04:00

Morning
Coffee + Oatmeal

Noon
Leftover Pad Thai

Night
Sido, New York, NY

{The Menu - 10.14.07}

2007-10-14T22:14:00.000-04:00

Morning
Coffee + Bagel w/ Cream Cheese

Noon
Egg Sandwich + Pretzel Sticks

Night
*erb, Brooklyn, NY

Mint's Birthday: Putting On the Ritz

2007-10-13T23:03:00.000-04:00

Regional
2607 Broadway
New York, NY 10025
(212) 666-1915
regionalnyc.com

Mint passed by Regional's wide open windows a week or so back and immediately dubbed it as her birthday brunch spot. The menu seemed reasonable, but Mint knew it would take more than pancakes and nice prices to draw even a few friends to the Upper West Side. Unlimited mimosa refills? Yup, that'll do it.

Joined by Ms. Reeves, Ms. Fader and Sir Hitchcock, things got off to a shaky start--ordering took forever, the mimosas were apparently stuck in weekend traffic at the bar, and the first plate to emerge from the kitchen (less than a minute after ordering, mind you) was a five-inch plate with six pieces of bacon lumped together in a hilariously disgusting log of lukewarm pork. At this point, fearing how things might possibly go worse, we called over a manager who, mimosas in hand, scowled at our bacon log, apologized, and disappeared with it into the kitchen for we assume was a little pep talk. It must have been a good one. From that point on everything was top notch.

After strolling around Central Park for a few hours (pictures above by Ms. Reeves), a squealing Mint was presented with tickets to Young Frankenstein. With curtains going up in less than two hours, it seemed like a good time to grab a light dinner. Bello Giardino more than sufficed.

The show, a Mel Brooks adaptation of his classic film starring Gene Wilder, was faithful to its silver screen forbearer (or so I'm told) and charged with plenty of tongue-in-cheek asides and sexual escapades. This is Mel Brooks, after all. The elaborate sets were changed up frequently and disappeared entirely for a rousing rendition of "Putting On the Ritz," which showcased the comically ernest vocals of a muttering, stuttering Frankenstein and a chorus of boot-clad, Franken-faced tap dancers.

The evening was capped with an obligatory candlelit cupcake, chocolate, with Entenmann's Halloween-orange frosting and candy corn. And in case you were wondering, zero trans fat.

MIKE EATS NEXT TIME: Any place that sets a pitcher of mimosa on your table free of charge is okay in my book.

{The Menu - 10.13.07}

2007-10-13T22:13:00.000-04:00

Noon
Regional, New York, NY

Night
Bello Giardino, New York, NY
+ Cupcake

Nita Nita: Learning to Love "Tapas"

2007-10-12T22:12:00.001-04:00

Nita Nita
146 Wythe Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11211
(718) 388-5328
nitanitabk.com

After more than a requisite number of trips to Madrid in one lifetime, I have a soft spot in my heart for Spanish culture and nothing sends that heart into palpitations quite like a restaurant serving appetizers masquerading as "tapas."

If the French began piling beef on a croissant and calling it a hamburger, Americans would be outraged, right? If we Americans started freezing fish on rice and selling it in supermarkets to be deep-fried into sushi, the Japanese would all-out invade us, right? So, I find the co-opting of an inherently Spanish tradition to fuel sales of small-portioned food a rather annoying excuse for culinary innovation. For crying out loud, American culture spreads like a virus that no amount of orange juice and chicken soup can stop. You'd think, at this point, that we could just make up food 'cause we feel like it and call it what it is. It worked for Jimmy Dean, I'm pretty sure NYC restaurants could pull it off too.

Well, Nita Nita missed my memo.

Roxie coxed Mint and I out to this new Williamsburg spot, which we found absolutely packed on a Friday night. The drink specials were few, but stellar. Mint, who doesn't usually opt for oddly-contrived creations, ordered a pumpkin martini of remarkable substance--with actual pumpkin puree in the mix.

The "tapas" menu, aside from olives, chorizo, and a plate of garlic shrimp, hardly hinted at Spanish anything. And yet, I was impressed. The mojo potatoes, suggesting perhaps bravas inspiration, arrived quietly herbed with a bit of spice. Not bravas, but not bad. Nita Nita's bar pizza was a simple, crispy crust with superbly fresh tomato sauce and glowing white melted mozzarella. The specials were far more creative--salmon served with fried herbs of its own (a curious twist) and champagne-doused pears with biting blue cheese and shaved dark chocolate. Decidedly some of the most memorable creations I've had in a while, I'll grant Nita that much.

MIKE EATS NEXT TIME: At the end of the day, I still question invoking the Tapas Gods, but I will surely return. What can I say? Good food is good food.

Photo courtesy of Nita Nita.

{The Menu - 10.12.07}

2007-10-12T22:12:00.000-04:00

Morning
Coffee + Oatmeal

Noon
Cafe 57, New York, NY + Banana + Bellini

Night
Nita Nita, New York, NY

{The Menu - 10.11.07}

2007-10-11T22:11:00.000-04:00

Morning
Coffee + Muffin

Noon
Cafe 57, New York, NY

Night
Pretzel Sticks + Bowl o' Cereal + Banana

Old Mac, New at Brooklyn Label

2007-10-10T22:40:00.000-04:00

Brooklyn Label
180 Franklin Street
Brooklyn, NY 11222
(718) 389-2806
brooklynlabel.com

Okay, so it's been on the menu for a couple months now, but this is the first I've had of it so it's new to me. The Basil Mac, of course, was entirely satisfactory, so I harbored no illusions that the Old Mac wouldn't follow suit. Indeed, gruyere, cheddar and parmesan cheeses compose the dish nicely. This is comfort food, simple enough.

MIKE EATS NEXT TIME: You'd think we could take this for granted by now.

{The Menu - 10.10.07}

2007-10-10T22:10:00.000-04:00

Morning
Coffee + Oatmeal

Noon
Peanut Butter Sandwiches

Night
Brooklyn Label, Brooklyn, NY

{The Menu - 10.09.07}

2007-10-09T22:09:00.000-04:00

Morning
Coffee + Oatmeal

Noon
Cafe 57, New York, NY

Night
Bowl o' Kashi + Bowl o' Kashi

Freddy & Pepper's Pizza Pub

2007-10-08T23:05:00.000-04:00

Freddy & Pepper's Pizza Pub
303 Amsterdam Avenue
New York, NY 10023
(212) 799-2378

"WATCH, THOSE TWO are gonna try to eat that whole pie."

The guy next to us was nice enough, but he clearly had never watched Mint and I house a large pizza before. (It's pretty disgusting, I admit.) Or, he had never ordered a pie from Freddy & Pepper's. It's good-to-very-good pizza, but you vegans and lactose-challenged out there pay good attention: their soy cheese slice is top notch. But remember to get it fresh, piping hot, or not at all. And, of course, we recommend you order it delivered to Dive 75, where you can find many a tasty beer-on-tap to wash it down.

{The Menu - 10.08.07}

2007-10-08T22:08:00.000-04:00

Morning

Coffee

Noon
Cafe 57, New York, NY

Night
Freddy & Pepper's, New York, NY

Dinner And A Movie: Samurai & The Darjeeling Limited

2007-10-07T23:01:00.000-04:00

Samurai
149 N. 6th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11211
(718) 302-6232

Roxie had suggested a pre-movie visit to Miyako (not the first time she had suggested the Williamsburg Korean-Japanese joint), but we found it closed upon our arrival and our hopes of bi bim bap dashed. So, we wandered down North 6th and into Samurai.

Without much time to spare and all seats filled, Roxie and I settled in at the empty sushi bar, ordered ourselves some food and quickly chose a bottle of sake. Perhaps for keeping them company (or perhaps this is customary at Samurai, I'd never previously been), the sushi chefs offered us a small plate of marinated seafood, which reminded me quite a bit of the pulpo gallego (substitute seaweed for potatoes) found all over Spain at tapas bars both big and small. Mmmm, nostalgia is tasty. The sushi, too, was tasty, certainly not of excessively large cuts as is so often the case, and paired with nicely, subtly sweetened rice.

After grabbing a box of Pocky to go (figuring Mint needed something for movie munchies), we met the aforementioned Mint in Union Square just in time to grab icees and seats for The Darjeeling Limited.

Wes Anderson's latest film has all the look and feel of, well, a Wes Anderson film, methodical, purposeful, and incredibly thoughtful. The weight of thoughts and internal struggle figure heavily in Darjeeling's plot, even as its characters, three brothers, Francis, Peter and Jack, "on a spiritual journey", abandon those emotions externally. The result is a film that flaunts its metaphors as freely as the brothers toss around their dead father's Louis Vuitton luggage, and which says as much absent certain words than in those said.

The story is simple enough, trials of loss and insecurity told in Anderson's whimsical fashion, but I imagine for some the privileged air of the brothers' lives is too obvious and out-of-reach to allow the story resonate. Perhaps that life (and our resulting contempt of it) is part of Anderson's point, to force us to dispense of our objections in accepting his characters for being only as flawed as we all are. Or, it's just a convenient and pretty motivation for the plot. One never knows.

MIKE EATS NEXT TIME: Sure, I enjoyed the friendly reception; let's make an agreement: see Hotel Chevalier before seeing Darjeeling Limited. (Note: Hotel Chevalier is now showing exclusively in theaters in front of The Darjeeling Limited.)

{The Menu - 10.07.07}

2007-10-07T22:07:00.000-04:00

Noon
Bowl o' Cereal + Dried Cranberries

Night
Amy's Soy Cheeze Pizza Pocket +
Samurai, Brooklyn, NY

{The Menu - 10.06.07}

2007-10-06T22:06:00.000-04:00

Morning
Coffee + Oatmeal + Banana

Noon
Peanut Butter Sandwich + Dried Cranberries

Night
Grilled Cheese Sandwich

{The Menu - 10.05.07}

2007-10-05T22:05:00.000-04:00

Morning
Coffee + Kashi

Noon
Peanut Butter Sandwiches

Night
Bowl o' Cereal + Banana + Tostitos Scoops w/ Salsa

{The Menu - 10.04.07}

2007-10-04T22:04:00.000-04:00

Morning
Coffee + Kashi

Noon
Spinach Salad w/ Baked Tofu + Banana

Night
Mango + Dried Cranberries + Bowl o' Cereal

Neptune Diner

2007-10-03T22:54:00.000-04:00

Neptune Diner
3105 Astoria Blvd.
Astoria, NY 11102
(718) 278-4853

I can count on one hand the number of times I have visited Astoria, Queens and not at least walked past the beer garden. But tonight there would be no pitchers of Brouczech. Mint and the St. Mark's crew had only one destination in mind: Neptune Diner, a familiar sight to anyone who has climbed down the N train steps at Astoria-Ditmars Blvd.

That said, it's a diner. I'm guessing it would be a pretty familiar sight to anyone who loves French toast. As a lover of the breakfast arts myself, but never previously a patron of the Neptune, I for some reason skipped the "served all day" morning menu and chose a crab-stuffed mushrooms special.

The Neptune is, in case you missed it, a diner, so as you might expect the mushrooms involved a certain level of frying, were served with a healthy helping of visible butter, and their arrival was heralded by a side salad with oil and vinegar. They were also delicious, in their own greasy spoon way, and large enough to require a greasy knife and fork to manage.

MIKE EATS NEXT TIME: Nothing against the Neptune, but not without first having a few pitchers down the road.

{The Menu - 10.03.07}

2007-10-03T22:03:00.000-04:00

Morning
Coffee + Kashi

Noon
Pizza + Spinach Salad

Night
Neptune Diner, Astoria, NY

{The Menu - 10.02.07}

2007-10-02T22:02:00.000-04:00

Morning
Coffee + Bran Muffin

Noon
Leftover Pasta w/ Red Sauce + Tomato w/ Basil & Mozzarella

Night
Portabella Mushroom w/ Manchego

{The Menu - 10.01.07}

2007-10-01T22:01:00.000-04:00

Morning
Coffee + Bagel w/ Cream Cheese & Tomato

Noon
Cafe 57, New York, NY

Night
Pasta w/ Red Sauce & Mozzarella + Veggie Meatballs + Bread Stick

{The Menu - 09.30.07}

2007-09-30T21:30:00.000-04:00

Noon
Picadilly's Brew Pub, Winchester, VA

Night
Peanut Butter Sandwiches + Sesame Sticks + Twix + Green Tea

{The Menu - 09.29.07}

2007-09-29T21:29:00.000-04:00

Morning
Coffee

Noon
Brewbaker's Restaurant, Winchester, VA

Night
Robitaille & Meigs Wedding Reception, Winchester, VA

{The Menu - 09.28.07}

2007-09-28T21:28:00.000-04:00

Noon
Coffee + Fried Egg Sandwich w/ Manchego

Night
Sapporo Haru, Brooklyn, NY

{The Menu - 09.27.07}

2007-09-27T21:27:00.000-04:00

Morning
Coffee + Cereal w/ Peaches

Noon
Turkish Bagel w/ Cream Cheese + Banana

Night
Bowl o' Cereal + Slice of Lemon Tart

{The Menu - 09.26.07}

2007-09-26T21:26:00.000-04:00

Morning

Cereal w/ Peaches

Noon
Cafe Grumpy, Brooklyn, NY +
Leftover Cucumber Salad

Night
Alligator Lounge, Brooklyn, NY

{The Menu - 09.25.07}

2007-09-25T21:25:00.000-04:00

Morning
Coffee + Bagel w/ Cheese

Noon
Peach + Banana

Night
Leftover Pesto + Concord Grapes

{The Menu - 09.24.07}

2007-09-24T21:24:00.000-04:00

Morning
Coffee + Bagel w/ Cream Cheese

Noon
Bowl o' Cereal w/ Peach

Night
Pasta w/ Pesto + Cucumber & Tomato Salad + Mozzarella + Veggie Meatballs + Heroes

{The Menu - 09.23.07}

2007-09-23T21:23:00.000-04:00

Morning
Coffee + Peach

Noon
Banana + Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites

Night
Veggie Kabobs + Pretzel Sticks + Crackers + Cupcakes + Beer

RECIPE! Raspberry and Blueberry Compote

2007-09-22T21:42:00.000-04:00

IT SEEMED APPROPRIATE to break fast with breakfast. Mint was observing Yom Kippur and had not eaten since yesterday at sundown so the choice was hers; a big fan of the crepes we made last week, her choice was no surprise. The filling? Raspberries, blueberries and a little Chambord:

1 1/2 cup raspberries
1 cup blueberries
3 tbsp Chambord liqueur
1/3 cup tangerine juice
1 1/2 tsp water
1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
1 tbsp lemon juice

In a small bowl or measuring cup, mix cornstarch and water. Combine Chambord and juice in saucepan and bring to a simmer. Slowly add cornstarch mixture and mix or whisk well. Allow to simmer for one minute. Add lemon juice and remove from heat. Add berries, mix, and allow to sit while you make the crepes.

Spoon into crepes, fold, and decorate as desired

Substitute to your heart's content. Orange juice for tangerine juice, blackberries for blueberries, brandy for Chambord--this or that for whatever combination your looking for. Apples, cranberries and brandy would be a good idea; bananas, nuts and amaretto would be tasty too. Oh, the combinations are endless.

Adventures in Korean Food: DoSirak

2007-09-22T21:32:00.000-04:00

DoSirak
13 E. 13th Street
New York, NY 10003
(212) 366-9299

JEANIE AND JEFF were in the mood for Korean food, and I could hardly complain. This modest kitchen just below Union Square turned out a tasty dolsut bibimbap with grilled eel and addictive kimchi pajeon, spicy pickled cabbage in a rice flour pancake. But getting back to the bibimbap, the mashup of spouts, zucchini, carrots, egg and hot sauce is easily enough reproduced, but I really need to get me a proper stone pot to cook me up some crispy rice at home. So tasty.

MIKE EATS NEXT TIME: Union Square can be suspiciously void of good food at times--DoSirak is absolutely worth a visit.

{The Menu - 09.22.07}

2007-09-22T21:22:00.000-04:00

Noon
DoSirak, New York, NY

Night
Raspberry & Blueberry Crepes + Tater Tots + Toast w/ Butter + Flower Tea

{The Menu - 09.21.07}

2007-09-21T21:21:00.000-04:00

Morning
Coffee + Bagel w/ Butter

Noon
Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites + Leftover Onion Rings

Night
Plump Dumpling, New York, NY +
Bruschetta + Edamame + Concord Grapes + Cookies

{The Menu - 09.20.07}

2007-09-20T21:20:00.000-04:00

Morning
Coffee + Bran Muffin

Noon
Brooklyn Label, Brooklyn, NY

Night
Leftover Pasta + Jameson's

{The Menu - 09.19.07}

2007-09-19T21:19:00.000-04:00

Morning
Coffee + Bagel w/ Butter

Noon
Bowl o' Cereal + Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites

Night
Pasta w/ Red Sauce + Basil + Garlic Bread + Flower Tea

{The Menu - 09.18.07}

2007-09-18T21:18:00.000-04:00

Morning
Coffee + Egg Sandwich

Noon
Jet Rock Bar, LaGuardia Airport, NY

Night
Sapporo Haru, Brooklyn, NY

Dinnertime, Now at Brooklyn Label

2007-09-17T22:59:00.000-04:00

HAVE I POSTED about Brooklyn Label yet? Oh, right.

Anyhow, this little update is merited: The TONY Award-nominated spot, since its humble brunch beginnings, has expanded on its sandwich and breakfast menu to include a dinner menu with hot dogs, burgers, roasted chicken, mussels, and everybody's favorite: mac and cheese. The Basil Mac, a pile of gooey pesto-green spirals with fresh tomatoes and basil, lives up to expectation. (There's a new website too.)

MIKE EATS NEXT TIME: Of course--there's classic Old Mac to be had.

{The Menu - 09.17.07}

2007-09-17T21:17:00.000-04:00

Morning
Coffee + Bagel w/ Butter

Noon
Leftover Spinach Crepes

Night
Brooklyn Label, Brooklyn, NY

Omelettes & Asteroids

2007-09-16T23:25:00.000-04:00

The City Grill

269 Columbus Avenue
New York, NY 10023
(212) 873-9400
thecitygrillnyc.com

Empire
2642 Broadway
New York, NY 10025
(212) 663-6004

ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER brunch, another Street Fair.

My mom and I wove our ways through the sea of white tents and tube socks towards the promise of The City Grill and another brunch of bellinis and Bloody Marys. We were again rewarded for our efforts. And it was a reprise of smoked salmon as well, this time wrapped in egg whites with chives and cream cheese. Filling, similarly priced, but far from the nearly flawless display of egg excellence at Serafina.

We then spent our afternoon wandering the halls of the American Museum of Natural History. The Museum's featured exhibit of the moment, Mythic Creatures: Dragons, Unicorns & Mermaids, was a sprawling survey of tall tales from the around the globe, the buzzkill of debunking tempered by a kind spinning of the stories into accepted traditions. And, of course, we didn't miss the dinosaurs, meteors or every schoolchild's dream: exquisitely crafted agricultural dioramas.

Pink unicorn, shiny rocks, space rocks, and some sweet, sweet diorama action

Mint and her Dad joined us a little later and a little further uptown for dinner at Empire. The Chinese-Japanese joint serves all the standard fare you'd expect at such a spot, perhaps with just a bit more panache, and an array of vegetarian mock-meat dishes. The home style bean curd is worth trying, and the salt and pepper shrimp is light and perfectly peppery. The service is generally miserable.

Of course, no visit to the Upper West Side would be complete without a Steph sighting, so we swung by Dive 75 for a few drink with Steph and a round of her favorite game, Apple to Apples. A lot of days end with drinks and good times, but this City reminds you it's okay to start with them too.

{The Menu - 09.16.07}

2007-09-16T22:44:00.000-04:00

Noon
City Grill, New York, NY +
Starbucks

Night
Empire Chinese, New York, NY +
Chocolate