Dinner And A Movie: Samurai & The Darjeeling Limited

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.)

Paloma vs. Relish, Part II: Summertime in Williamsburg

Relish

225 Wythe Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11211
(718) 963-4546
www.relish.com

DEAR KEVIN,

If you think winning the attention of your server at Paloma is tough, you should have been with us tonight at Relish! We felt bad for her after a while. Not really because she was so busy with tables, but after disappearing over and over for such incredible lengths of time we had to assume something just awful was happening. She was quite polite and apologetic about it, of course, and honestly rather agreeable when it was all said and done and paid for.

Anyhow--weather is fine, wish you were here,

- MIKE

As was mentioned in yesterday's Paloma vs. Relish, Part I, Kevin is not such a fan of Paloma. Aside from "trivial" aspects like attentiveness and quickness, he also holds that Relish's food is simply just better, a point on which I've never much wanted to challenge him. It's been a while, granted, since I've had dinner at the Williamsburg stalwart, but my memories of its dinner menu are overwhelmingly delicious. So, last night, Mint and I decided to put the pair to the test, mostly to enjoy two nights of good food, but I was also hoping to better distinguish the duo in my mind.

Of course, I got lost, as always, trying to find Relish (Wythe and N. 3rd, for the record), which sits in the shadows of more half-built luxury loft condos than you've ever known existed. At least, this is the scenery you enjoy walking down Berry Street from Greenpoint; those who walk out Metropolitan from Bedford Avenue are spared the disorienting ghosts of Williamsburg's gluttonous gentrification.

But there sits the shimmering stainless steel diner! At once inviting and promising of comfort, Relish is hardly imaginable inside another shell. And, in summertime, it's hardly imaginable a finer place exists in the 11211 zip code to sit outside on a warm evening and enjoy a late dinner.

Relish's summer menu follows suit, offering all its favorites--burgers, seared tuna, chicken salad--and a handful of lighter, tempting pastas. Mint chose Relish's burger and fries, also requesting an order of calamari; I ordered flounder, blackened, accompanied by a pile of saffron rice.

The calamari was torn between being soft or firm, not a tremendously enviable texture, but the fra diavolo sauce served with it was rich, spicy with poblano pepper, sweet with fresh chopped basil. The sauce saved the dish, to be honest.

On her burger, Mint commented, "it tastes like steak," which I assumed to be a good thing (vegetarians can never be too sure), but, while tasty, her thin-cut fries were hardly the hulking potato wedges Paloma served up with our mussels last night. The "steak"-burger saved the dish. My flounder was all-around excellent, though, a large portion of spicy, crispy fish served atop a savory saffron risotto, a sweet lemon sauce drizzled around the plate. No complaints.

We gave in to dessert (and cocktails which were far too sweet for my taste), ordering a "lemonade cake" layered with blueberries. Thick, warm, simple, sweet, tart--delicious.

At the end of these two days and as many excellent meals, a few things stood out: our tab at Paloma was half of our tab at Relish (note: with two extra drinks and a dessert included at Relish); the service at Paloma was excellent, but far too oddly erratic at Relish to form any fair opinion by comparison; and the atmosphere of each remains integrally distinctive.

At Paloma, you come and go, one of many, feeling perhaps bit lost under its large white walls, or stranded afloat on an oversized booth. Nevertheless, you are connected by the dining experience, if on your own terms. At Relish, you are stolen inside and hidden in a booth or within its walled garden, instantly put at ease by a familiar atmosphere. You submit to the experience.

The question really isn't which is better, but which you are in the mood for. If you want a slightly showy (slightly more pricey) and assuredly good down-home dinner, then the scene at Williamsburg's Relish is right for you. If you want a spot that leaves you be, that offers you comfort but challenges you, a sometimes imperfect but ever-evolving blank slate, then Greenpoint and Paloma are a far better pair.

To be sure, Paloma and Relish make a good pair themselves, embodying the intricate histories of their respective neighborhoods via "Urban" or "New" or whatever take on American cuisine you might desire.

MIKE EATS NEXT TIME: At both, surely. And that was fun. Methinks a Queen's Hideaway vs. Diner post might be in order...

Of Liquid Measures and Asian Fusion

Champion Coffee
1108 Manhattan Avenue
(b/t Clay St. & Dupont St.)
Brooklyn, NY 11222
(718) 383-5195

Planet Thailand
133 N. 7th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11211
(718) 599-5758

Fresh out of grounds around the apartment, I lasted until about noon before caving in to my caffeine cravings and stomping up Manhattan Ave to Champion Coffee. Looking only for a quick fix, I ordered to go a 16 oz. cafe americano. As I watched the big, beautiful Faema machine pumping out espresso, I almost missed the guy turning to grab a cup to pour it in--a cup noticeably smaller (by half!) than the one which I was given on my last visit!

Now, I'm not up on my liquid measures. I can't approximate 16 fluid ounces. from 12 ounces, or which would be closer, in size or weight, to 1 cup of anything. So, I said nothing, took my coffee and headed home. But curiosity got the best of me:

According to Google, 1 cup equals 8 fluid ounces. After home-measurement analysis (and my margin of error is plus or minus 100%), my cup had in it 10 fl. oz. of coffee at best, probably less. This is quite disappointing. I don't imagine that Champion is deliberately siphoning ounces of delicious coffee away from its consumers, but I do question how it could advertise (and willingly charge) a full $2.00 for what is clearly half the expected amount. I will be sure to raise this question on my next visit. Answers in a future post, I promise.

On, to Thailand!

Mint had dinner at Planet Thailand a week or so ago. Being her first visit, she returned excited by the prices and variety of its Thai menu, and so we agreed to stop by again soon so she could try out something else. Myself, having been on three or four occasions and always opting for the excellent Thai menu too, I decided to take the opportunity to try out Thailand's Japanese offerings. I have to say--I was disappointed.

The sake I ordered, which was listed as "very dry," turned out to be quite sweet without any bite whatsoever and tasted, dare I say, watered down; the miso soup also had a muted flavor neither salty nor savory; and our sushi appetizer (at $7.95, a dollar more expensive than Mint's basil tofu entree) was satisfying though not spectacular. The unagi don, eel over rice, a favorite of mine, was a little too fishy and the sauce not nearly as rich as the one served at Sapporo Haru.

Dessert was the highlight. A special listed among the daily offerings had caught our eyes: black sticky rice with mango and cappuccino ice cream. We asked to exchange the cappuccino ice cream for a mango sorbet we had noticed elsewhere on the menu, and our server was happy to oblige. The black sticky rice (our guess is tapioca pearls used for flavor and color) was rich and warm, crunchy with grains of toasted rice. It paired well with the mango sorbet and fresh-cut mangoes perched on top.

I imagine the cappuccino ice cream would have also been a very good match for the black sticky rice. And so it all comes full circle to coffee.

MIKE EATS NEXT TIME: Champion, with questions; Planet Thailand, for Thai.

Williamsburg's Little Italy

La Piazzetta
442 Graham Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11211
(718) 349-1627
www.lapiazzettany.com

IF YOU'RE LUCKY enough to be out on Graham Avenue on the right weekend morning, you might catch a glimpse of the Virgin. She's hard to miss. She'll be the Virgin carried on the shoulders of churchgoers, her presence heralded by a makeshift marching band that makes up for in sound what it lacks in size and formality. It's a sight of such tight-knit community devotion I'd imagine even an atheist might smile to see it.

This is Williamsburg's Little Italy--meat markets, pasta shops, pizza joints, men's clubs, and old world charm--stretching maybe a dozen blocks up Graham Avenue, perhaps only three or four blocks wide, nestled between the BQE and Bushwick. There are more famous Italian sections of Brooklyn; there are certainly larger ones. I would still think La Piazzetta must possess one of the better Italian kitchens among them.

Both beautiful and casual

Emerging from this kitchen, Chef Francesco Cuozzo greets his tables and recites his specials on most nights, as he can, as he did this evening. Mint and I did not settle on one of these (though his antipasta plate assembled from a spread of offerings set up alongside the kitchen wall was tempting), selecting instead a few plates of pasta, calamari, and a bottle of wine (lots of selections in the low $20 range). Everything at La Piazzetta is reasonably priced, and, given the quality, an excellent value.

My stupid cameraphone takes terrible low-light pictures, so I have none to show you. But the whole wheat fettuccine with eggplant was terrifically hearty, needless to say perfectly cooked, and the tomato sauce was amazingly sweet and flavorful. Mint raved about the pancetta that flavored the red sauce over her rigatoni. For a relaxed, reasonably casual restaurant that serves up Italian fare of such remarkable quality, you really can't do better that La Piazzetta.

MIKE EATS NEXT TIME: One of the few Italian places he'll visit expecting to get a great plate of pasta.

Photos courtesy comevisitbrooklyn.com and La Piazzetta.

Garlic Knots and Board Game Night

Carmine's Pizzeria
358 Graham Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11211
(718) 782-9657
www.carminespizzeria.com

THIS WAS SUPPOSED to be the return of Mike Eats Greenpoint!, but upon calling Nassau Pizza (a phone number trusted to the point in won an spot in my cell phone) I was told by a less-than-interested robot-woman voice, "This. Number. Is. No longer. In service." Foiled!

So, I called Carmine's Pizzeria over in Williamsburg, which is located just a few steps from the Graham Avenue L-train station, in the hope they would deliver to way up yonder in Greenpoint. Why not call the previously-mentioned L.A.'s? Well, they didn't have garlic knots on the menu. A silly point, I know, but I really, really wanted some garlic knots. That, and Carmine's is some of the best pizza around these parts.

Garlic knots, hot and knotty

Of course, pizza and garlic knots are always better fresh from the oven, but with Mint's fellow St. Mark's Comics resident Kat stopping by with boyfriend Justin to play, what else, Nintendo Monopoly, delivery was the plan for dinner. Unfortunately, delivery took an hour to accomplish, which is par for the course at Carmine's, where there's always a crowd of customers lining up for pies, meaning that Monopoly didn't start till ten o'clock. Nothing like an all-night game of mortgages and property-management, I always say.

Thankfully, we chose to adopt the "short game" rules. Yes, I understand, that's fairly oxymoronic when you're talking about Monopoly. What's that--you want a recap of the game? Okay:

Justin got out to a great start, piling up the properties. I eventually coaxed him to sell me his "Luigi" for $500 (the equivalent of "Park Place" on a regular Monopoly board), which became a big deal later in the game. Kat and Mint, meanwhile, made up ground by successfully assembling trios of properties elsewhere on the board, and it seemed like they would threaten Justin's growing portfolio. But after I was able to collect all four transportation properties in a utility company trade with Justin and chanced upon buying "Mario" (a.k.a. "Boardwalk"), the money started flowing in and allowed me to end the game when Kat landed on my much-improved "Luigi." Rent: $1,400; Kat: bankrupt; game: over.

Exciting, right? Tune in next time, and perhaps Monopoly Night will become a regular MEF! installment. Loyal readers, may you only be so lucky.

MIKE EATS NEXT TIME: Yeah, now that he knows Carmine's delivers up here, and having learned Nassau seems to have rolled down its metal gates for good.

BRUNCH!: Lazy Catfish

Lazy Catfish
593 Lorimer Street
Brooklyn, NY 11211
(718) 599-9055

BRUCH IS BETTER with drinks. It's even better with "free" drinks. A Lower East Side staple for some years now, the "three free cocktails" hook is always sure to lure in a brunch crowd, although Williamsburg-Greenpoint spots have been slow to adopt the trend. That's fine, there's better food to be had elsewhere, but the drink special is what broke any tie in favor of Lazy Catfish this particular weekend.

Becky, Logan, and a friend from Richmond met Mint and I, and we took up seats in the back of a very empty Lazy Catfish looking noticably more bar than brunch spot than usual (which is an accomplishment in a space with next-to-no-decorating period). For a moment we all second-guessed our choice. The reassurement started when the first cups of fresh-pressed coffee were poured. A collective sigh of relief was breathed, and we will offer this advice--do not be dissuaded by the bar-esque digs, the Catfish's kitchen is quite good.

Side note: I've looked everywhere for Pampero rum--no luck. Turns out,
Lazy Catfish has bottles of the stuff!

Mint and I have been many times now and although our opinions are somewhat mixed we generally agree the place serves up a good brunch. Good enough to keep us coming back. If you don't mind the absence of atmosphere, $12.99 for a well-assembled plate of standard brunch fare (best option: chicken waffles!) and three drinks included is not bad for Williamsburg. Well, unless you're out to be part of the Williamsburg Brunch Scene. Cause you're not likely to be seen at all at the Catfish.

MIKE EATS NEXT TIME: Yeah, and he'll prolly whine about it beforehand, begrudgingly order when he gets there, and then tell everyone about how much he liked it. Rinse and repeat.

101.1, and I'm Not Talking About Jack FM

WHO REMEMBERS YESTERDAY'S reference to a "cold I've been fighting off all week"? Strike that. It's a fever.

I was supposed to go into work today. Not happening. Instead, my fever (and somehow oddly intact work ethic) earns me the right to... work from home. Which isn't bad--getting paid to take DayQuil is a job that many overlook but remains both fiscally responsible and very light on commute. In truth, I did sit at the computer and attempt to be of some service to the Country Living cause. It was mindless, but it was something to do.

Not helping are the people next door who have decided today is a very good day to renew their commitment to techno (I would specify that said techno was being reaffirmed at a very loud volume, but I find "loud techno" to be redundant). Maybe it's me, or maybe it's just Greenpoint, I dunno, but for the love of Paul Oakenfold, couldn't they pick something with rhythm? When I was living down on S. 4th in Williamsburg, the music there was loud too but, bless their Latino hearts, at least that shit had some soul. This straight eighth-notes crap is pointless.

I'm cranky. I'm hot. I'm cold.

Mike Eats Greenpoint, Volume 4: Pete's Candy Store

Pete's Candy Store
709 Lorimer Street
Brooklyn, NY 11211
(718) 302-3770
www.petescandystore.com

PETE'S CANDY STORE simply must be considered one of the best bars in Brooklyn, and any "best of" list overlooking it isn't worth the paper it's printed on. On a most basic level, Pete's qualifies with a beautiful bar, a stylish back room set up for bands, and an outdoor garden. It's small, which keeps things intimate. It's relaxed. It's classy. It's stage is booked with worthy artists and musicians every single night of the week, not to mention trivia nights, bingo nights, Scrabble night, stand-up nights, and The World-Famous Pete's Spelling Bee with BobbyBlue and Jenisfamous (accept no substitutes.)

It's a Spelling Bee!

It's worth mentioning here, in a blog about food, because Pete's does indeed serve sandwiches (if not candy)--your choice of five or six hot, pressed sandwiches ($7) ranging from pastrami and swiss with sauerkraut to tomato, basil and mozzarella, served up with a pickle. Mmmmm, pickles.

Anyway, it's hard to live anywhere up north in Brooklyn without making a pilgrimage sooner or later. It's hard to not get sucked in with so much going on. I do suggest going on a weeknight, though, when you don't have to fight the crowds that flock in on the weekend. Just check out the website to see what you're getting yourself into. And if that picture of Matty smiling into the camera isn't enough to get you onto the L train, well, then you're dead inside.