Dram Shop may not have the best burger in Brooklyn, but after a few beers, this double-square patty mini monster does the job.  The thin, griddled patties can’t be cooked to order but all love is not lost.  Lettuce, tomato, chopped onion, dill pickle slices, mayo, mustard and a squishy sesame seed bun make for the flavor profile of a gourmet Big Mac.  Is the bacon overkill? Yes. But that’s why they call it food porn.

Dram Shop 339 9th St. b/t 5th & 6th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11215 718-788-1444

Tips on Mapping a Food Tour in Unfamiliar Territory

If you’re planning a food tour in New York there are several sites you should check out before embarking. Make sure to copy all the pertinent information you find to a text document, cross-referencing along the way, to focus on suggested dishes that pop up more than once.

1. Chowhound (http://chowhound.chow.com/boards) – Click an area and search the name of the neighborhood you’re hoping to canvass. While Chowhound has few photos, the food talk is always flowing. It takes patience, however, sifting through some very long text threads, so be prepared.
2. Serious Eats: NY (http://newyork.seriouseats.com/) – Odds are Ed Levine and his team of food hunters have tapped into the neighborhood you’re heading to. Photos are usually a central feature. You can count on this site to steer you to some good stuff.
3. Yelp (http://www.yelp.com/nyc) – Once you choose your city, you can get a little more specific in regard to search terms (e.g. “Sunset Park Tacos”, thanks to Yelp’s list feature, should bring up a list of taco places in Sunset Park).
4. Eating In Translation (http://www.eatingintranslation.com/) – Dave Cook is a food adventurer unlike any person I’ve met before. If anyone has been to that remote neighborhood you’re venturing to, it’s a good bet that person is Mr. Cook. He always provides photos (and a chance to look further on his Flickr page) but doesn’t usually review places, instead he just offers brief commentary.

If all else fails, feel free to email The NYC Food Guy at lawrence@nycfoodguy.com and I’ll try to point you in the right direction. Please give me at least a week’s notice.

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Our Sunset Park Journey Begins

Warm yellow rays of sunshine beam down upon me as I emerge from the N train subway station at 59th Street and 4th Avenue (Google map) and walk east to 5th Avenue to meet Aaron of Always Eating. Any food tour, no matter where it takes place, is more fun with company; you get to eat more and you can draw on both people’s research, creating a bigger list of eating destinations.

Tulcingo Restaurant & Bakery

Our first order at this expansive yet informal restaurant featured three tightly wrapped tacos accompanied by room temperature sauteed green onions, mild chiles and sliced radishes. With the exception of the arabes, the other two tacos were double-tortilla, adorned with guacamole, chopped onion and cilantro. The carne asada taco was quality, juicy and flame broiled.

Left to right: arabes (lamb) ($2.50), carne asada ($2.25) and lengua (tongue) ($2.50).

The arabes was the first star of the day. Steaming hot, tender lamb rolled tightly into a tortilla larger and heartier than that of the tacos. The char-broiled meat was the clear flavor in the first few bites but danger was lurking deeper as the ominous single red pepper seed foretells.

Arabes (lamb) taco cross section

Lying stealthily, waiting to pounce on our taste buds is a pasty, deep red chile sauce that’s initial smokey flavor resonates even after the heat from the chile seeds take over. I strongly recommend the arabes taco.

The smokey chile sauce & tender lamb stole the show

The lengua, or beef tongue taco, was overflowing with juicy, fatty and tender meat with a flavor strongly reminiscent of brisket. The onions cut through the beefiness of the tongue well but I didn’t love this taco.

The tongue taco was juicy & tender but didn't impress

Ricos Tacos – Piaxtla es Mexico Deli (Open 24 Hours)

Ricos Tacos, also called Piaxtla, popped up on most of the lists I referred to prior to our tour.  A mural of a pig in a cauldron greets you on 51st street, foreshadowing a pork-filled experience.

After being greeted by this sign, how could we not get pork?

The most common recommendation was for taquitos ($1.50 to $2.00),  which oddly enough were similarly priced but smaller versions of the tacos especiales ($2.00), the standard full size, double tortilla taco.

Carnitas (fried pork) taco especiales (top), carnitas (bot. left) & enchilada (spicy pork, bot. right) taquitos

The cilantro and chopped onion covering the fatty carnitas taquito ($1.50) wasn’t enough to enhance the underwhelming flavor of the meat.

A fatty and not so flavorful carnitas taquito

The spicy enchilada pork taquito ($1.50) was better equipped to offer stand alone flavor although the heat was lacking.

The enchilada (spicy pork) taquito was flavorful but not spicy

Neither salsa really packed much of a punch either.

Tasty but uninspired salsas

After returning home and reassessing our tour, I started noticing praise for Ricos torta, which I will try upon returning.  One redeeming characterisitc, other than Rico’s 24-hours of operation, is that only three items on the menu, all involving shrimp, cost over $10.00.

Tacos Matamoros

Tacos Matamoros has the classiest facade in the neighborhood, so it was a relief to find a typically informal atmosphere inside.  Huge platters of food topped every table and it was a surprise to the waitress when we ordered just three tacos.

Don't judge a book by it's cover, this turned out to be a perfect amount of guacamole.

Tacos Matamoros set themselves apart from the pack again by toasting their double tortillas, adding some welcome structure to a taco overflowing with griddled meat, guacamole, cilantro and onion.

The chorizo taco ($1.75) was delicious.  The slightly spicy sausage was crisp but tender and sweet with just a tiny bite.

Chorizo is definitely the way to go at Tacos Matamoros

We also ordered an al pastor taco ($1.25), spit-fired pork with pineapple, but what arrived was closer to carnitas ($1.25, below), griddled, lean pork devoid of  any flavor at all, probably due to lack of fat.

Make sure to order al pastor, not carnitas.

Tacos Xochimilco Restaurant – Home of the Pambazo, A Revolutionary Sandwich & My Favorite Part of This Food Tour

We arrived at Tacos Xochimilco quite full but in a true testament to our mission and the power of preparation, I had to investigate an intriguing sandwich called a “pambazo.” I had only seen this pop up once or twice while researching the food tour and I was intrigued.

We know about tortas, pressed heroes with jalapeno, sliced avacado, queso blanco, mayo, lettuce, and meat, and we also know about cemitas, sesame egg buns with chipotle pepper, onion, refried beans, spicy papalo leaf, Oaxaca cheese, sliced avacado, and meat.  But pambazo is a totally different breed.

Pambazo ($6.00), a sandwich unlike any I've had before.

Refried beans, spicy pork, cubes of spicy, soft potato, sharp queso fresca, and lettuce are all wedged between two halves of a club roll that is then painted with red sauce and pressed to create a spicy and sticky outer coating of deliciousness.  Intense, and unlike any sandwich I’ve ever seen before or since. Chaos between two pieces of bread finds order upon reaching your taste buds, new flavors and textures abound with every bite. It’s the everlasting gobstopper of Mexican sandwiches.

"Chaos between two pieces of bread finds order upon reaching your taste buds."

It was hard to enjoy anything else after this revolutionary sandwich, but we still managed to try a very tasty flame-grilled carne asada taco ($2.50) doused in queso crema and sprinkled with queso fresca, creating a little flavor trip of its own.

The carne asada taco's combo of queso crema and fresca provided a flavor trip of its own.

Another redeeming characteristic of Tacos Xochimilco is that the hot sauce was actually hot as you can see from the chile seeds floating in the thick, deep red sauce below.

Beware the hot sauce.

Guerrero Food Center

Our post-pambazo food coma put us close to critical mass so we decided to aid our digestion with a little 20 block walk south to the Guerrero Food Center where we opted for a surprisingly authentic take on a classic dish, the quesadilla.  Guerrero Food Center is more than just a taqueria, it’s also a marketplace for all types of Mexican ingredients and produce, as you can see below:

Everything from ginger (bot. left) to cactus leaves (top right).

We opted for the flor de calabaza (squash blossom) quesadilla ($3.00) which arrived as a freshly fried pocket of dough, stuffed with salty and stringy Oaxaca cheese, queso crema, queso fresca, lettuce, a bright and spicy salsa verde, and squash blossoms.  The overly greasy dough lacked the structure to support the weight and moisture of all the ingredients and as a result was pretty soggy in the middle.  The only way to attack this quesadilla without making a total mess is fork and knife.  The best  parts of this quesadilla were the Oaxaca cheese and the salsa verde, I’d be happy with nothing more than those two ingredients next time.

A quesadilla unlike anything we've seen before.

Next time I go to Guerrero Food Center I’ll make sure to leave room for the nortena torta filled with chorizo, steak, lettuce, tomato, jalapenos, onions, mayo and cheese.

Next stop: Nortena Torta!

And to prove there’s more going on inside the NYC Food Guy’s mind than just food, take a look at this photo peering down 23rd street on the side of Guerrero Food Center. Does that lady in the distance look familiar?

Lady Liberty looks like she could use a taco.

Butcher Shops & Bakeries

There are a multitude of both butcher shops and bakeries lining Sunset Park. We peeked our heads into a few of them and the two shops below really stood out.

New Public Meat Market

This narrow butcher shop lured us in with its window offerings…

But intrigued us with its wide array of meats…

It’s diverse offering of authentic spices…

And its copious amounts of dried poblano and red chile peppers, ideal for making moles, sauces, stews and soups…

Dried Poblano Peppers

Dried red chile peppers

If that’s not enough to entice you to buy everything you’d need to make a great Mexican meal, New Public Market will make the meal for you. If you give them a week’s notice, they’ll roast you a 25-pound suckling pig for a little over $100.

Las Conchitas Bakery

The smell of baking bread and cake led us into Las Conchitas like a plume of smoke in a Tom & Jerry cartoon.  The smell of delicious breads, pastries and desserts became even stronger the further inside we walked.  We didn’t actually eat anything because we wanted to save room for tacos but of the 5-10 bakeries we stepped into, Las Conchitas was the only one that gave off the scent of freshly baked goods.

]]> http://nycfoodguy.com/2009/04/06/sunset_park_brooklyn_mexican_food_tour/feed/ 32 http://nycfoodguy.com/2008/12/22/brooklyn-pizza-tour-ill-take-lucali-over-grimaldis-frannys/ http://nycfoodguy.com/2008/12/22/brooklyn-pizza-tour-ill-take-lucali-over-grimaldis-frannys/#comments Mon, 22 Dec 2008 13:04:18 +0000 The NYC Food Guy http://nyceats.wordpress.com/?p=1779 If I could only eat one more food, everyday, for the rest of my life, it would be pizza. And I feel blessed to live in a city where there are so many pizza possibilities, the downside of which is an over-saturation of mediocre pizza within Manhattan. As a result, I focused my attention on Brooklyn and what better way to do it than by trying as many as pizzas as I can. I’m already on a mission for NYC’s best wings, so how about Brooklyn’s best pizza? And what better way to start than a mini pizza tour: three places, three people, three delicious pies. Which one is modeled after the famous DiFara’s? And on a day of pizza, did a 5-cheese, secret recipe calzone steal the show?

The Tourist Trap

Grimaldi’s

To answer the question everyone is asking, no, Grimaldi’s is not worth waiting an hour for. Its coal oven pies are very tasty and topped with homemade fresh mozzarella and San Marzano tomatoes. But for all the old school Italian feel of the red and white checkered table clothes, the green, red and white uniforms, the maps of Italy, and the manager you wouldn’t want to owe money to, this is more a pizza factory than a pizza restaurant; the experience is less about customer service and ambiance as it is about churning out pies and turning over tables for tourists and non-city dwellers. Service is inattentive and once the check has arrived, $16 for one unevenly cooked pie, you better be ready to evacuate your table so the next party can be seated.

Disappointment focused on the haphazard construction of the pie. Poor sauce and pepperoni dispersal ($2 per topping, half or whole pie) made for awkward slices. Your best bet for decreased waiting time and attentiveness is to go after 7PM, that way you also miss the re-building of the fire, an event which takes place between 4PM and 6PM daily and could extend your wait time an extra 30 minutes if you happen to be on line while it takes place. Another unfortunate side effect of the fire re-building is that pies which emerge from the 850 to 1,000 degree coal oven may arrive slightly undercooked, as I encountered, resulting in a dough that’s denser that one would expect from a coal oven. Grimaldi’s, which surprisingly has only been open since 1990, is good but not great. If you want coal oven pizza without the wait and the trip to Brooklyn, check out one of the two Angelo’s locations in Manhattan, just don’t order delivery.

The Hip Pick

franny’s

Let’s be honest, Brooklyn is hip. It’s hip to live there and hip to eat there. It’s what the Lower East Side used to be. And franny’s is the hip place to eat Italian food, from the lower case “f” in the name to the environmentally conscious mantra. Despite the pizza being the most famous menu item at franny’s, it’s telling that its not even mentioned on the introspective “Who We Are” page of franny’s website. Maybe it’s because franny’s is an Italian restaurant that serves pizza, not a pizza restaurant that serves Italian food. Pizza may be the dish that brings in curious outsiders, but I didn’t get the sense that it is where the restaurant’s pride lies.

The surprisingly small pie ($15-$17 average) arrived on the table uncut and doused heavily in olive oil. As if it’s not troubling enough trying to cut pizza fresh out of a wood-fired brick oven, with molten cheese and brightly flavored tomato sauce daring my fingers to dive in, I was stuck contending with a thin and flimsy crust that did not aid in the slicing process. The smell of burnt wood emanating from the brick oven dominated the restaurant and our pie. If I wanted to combat the flimsy crust by ordering my pie well done, I’d be wary of an over-smoked pie. The one bright spot was the touted house-made sausage, which lived up to its billing, it was garlicky and delicious. I’m not going out of my way to return to franny’s, but if I do, it would be for the waitress-recommended clam pie and for a chance to dine in their spacious backyard garden, open from spring to the end of September.

The Champ

Lucali’s

575 Henry St. nr. First Pl.

The hype for this BYOB Carroll Gardens newcomer has been varied and plentiful, it’s been called mysterious, soulful and wonderful. I just call it damn good. Although the wait for a seat in the dimly-lit single-room may be inordinately long (45 minutes to an hour and a half), it’s worth it for a pie ($18) which resembles one you can only find at another Brooklyn landmark: the legendary DiFara’s.

Brooklyn-native Mark Iacono, the owner and main pizzaiola, models his pie after the legendary Dom DeMarco’s. Working mainly by candlelight, surrounded by ingredients and a cavernous brick, wood-burning oven he built himself, Iacono rolls his dough with wine bottles before spreading a layer of secret recipe sauce over the thin crust. Buffalo mozzarella, low moisture fresh mozzarella and parmigiana-reggiano follow before the pie is baked by the mesmerizing fire dancing off the burning logs of wood.

Upon emerging from the oven, the pie is sprinkled with grated Grana Padano, freshly shaved Parmesan cheese and a few sprigs of basil. The marriage of texture and flavor is complete, resulting in a pie whose sharpness and creaminess balance each other. The crust, unlike franny’s, is light but exceedingly crisp and floury. The cheese is the star, especially the slices of fresh Parmesan melting into the hot mozzarella and sauce. Pepperoni (toppings are $2 – $3.50), brought in from local landmark Esposito and Sons Pork Store, is spicy and burnt around the edges but the plain slice is so good, I would suggest trying the pizza topping free to start.

Just as taking a risk in purchasing this former candy shop with no intended purpose and no pizza-making skills has paid off for Mr. Iacono, trying his calzone is a risk that’s all reward for you. While the crust on the pizza is underwhelming, the same crust is fantastic as a home for the 5-cheese calzone ($10 small, $20 large).

Thin, light, crispy, slightly smokey dough encases creamy buffalo mozzarella, ricotta and low moisture fresh mozzarella plus parmigiana-reggiano and a secret 5th cheese. The obligatory side-serving of tomato sauce is unnecessary because the flavor of the calzone is awe-inspiring enough on its own. Its greatness lies in its contradictory nature; creamy and stringy, salty and slightly sweet, all the differences melt in the heat of the oven to create a pocket of deliciousness.

Lucali is better than franny’s and Grimaldi’s not just for its food but for its atmosphere and the warmth of the experience. Once you survive the wait, you enter what feels like the cozy home of a friend who would let you stay as long as you’d like, especially if you keep letting them cook for you. So be friendly, ask for Mr. Iacono, and tell him you heard the pizza’s good but the calzone is great.

Bacon, American Cheese and Fried Onion. There’s a burger under there somewhere.

Bonnie’s wings may look tame but a small bite packs a big punch.

Grand Canyon Bacon Cheeseburger Deluxe ($10.25)

Plus $0.50 for Fried Onions

• This 7 ounce beef patty came griddled and cooked to order (medium rare). A nice crunchy char encased the juicy, loosely packed insides. The flavor of the fatty beef combined with the flavor from the grill to create the classic diner burger taste. You have the option of a griddled or charcoal grilled burger. I would have gone with the latter if I knew this beforehand.
• The bun was generic white with sesame seeds. It arrived lightly toasted. The bun was too soft for the burger so eat carefully if you want to avoid a total collapse.
• Hearty bacon tasted pre-cooked and re-griddled, something I could do without next time.
• The fried onions were closer to sauteed, as you can see, but were still a nice addition flavor-wise. I would go with these again but ask for them to be well done.
• Accompanying the burger was a handful of steak fries, which I asked to be cooked well done. If I hadn’t, it would have resulted in a mess of soggy, half-cooked slices of potato. Make sure to ask for them crispy if you want to avoid that.

Conclusion

This was a great diner burger, similar to that of Big Nick’s on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, except thicker and better quality. It’s no child’s burger, however, so bring your appetite if you intend to order the deluxe version. I enjoy my burgers cooked over fire rather than the grill but I was still pleased with Grand Canyon’s griddled version. The brunch dishes of French toast, pancakes and eggs Benedict that covered other tables all looked well executed and tasty. If I lived in Park Slope and wanted a no frills brunch or lunch, Grand Canyon would be my de facto spot. I look forward to returning for a charcoal grilled burger.

Bonnie’s Grill Buffalo Wings ($7.95 for 10, $11.95 for 20)

• Despite the pedigree of Bonnie’s wings, both owners are from Buffalo, they’re not the best I’ve ever had. Their “Hot”, however, may be the hottest I’ve ever encountered.
• Wings come in Mild, Medium, Hot or Hotter “if you dare!”. I wouldn’t dare unless I want to experience some lip-numbing, face-melting heat.
• All the wings are first covered in a base mixture of margarine (not butter) and a generic hot sauce (not Frank’s Red Hot). The result is a light, crispy wing which instead of sitting like a rock in your stomach, ignites your taste buds.
• For the Hot, the base sauce is combined with a hot sauce called “Endorphin Rush“, which supposedly contains molasses and soy sauce, not that I could taste either through the slowly burning heat. I was struggling to finish the last few bites by the end of my 10 wings.
• The Hotter gets even wilder, combining the base sauce with a mixture of “Endorphin Rush” and “357 Mad Dog” Hot sauce, a dangerously hot concoction of Chile extract, Habanero pepper and Cayenne pepper. And thanks to the wonders of YouTube we’re able to see what happens if you eat a straight spoonful of 357.

• Thin cut fries came crisp but were of the generic variety.

• The Bleu Cheese dressing was tastier than most while the carrots and celery were crisp, clean and fresh.
• The tall ice-filled beer glasses the soda was served with were a nice touch.

Conclusion

Super hot, skinny wings could never win the title of best Buffalo wings. Bonnie’s wings were a tasty challenge but a balance of flavor is essential for maximum enjoyment. Despite my love for spicy food, balance was absent from Bonnie’s. The Spiced Black Angus Sirloin burger ($9.95 w/ choice of toppings), however, was charcoal grilled, huge and looked pretty damn tasty. The atmosphere at Bonnie’s is relaxed and the service was great. They offer more than 10 types of bottled beer, 2 varieties of canned beer and a few on tap. I may return to try the medium wings and a burger but I won’t go out of my way to do it.

Grand Canyon – Park Slope

Grand Canyon – BK Heights

Bonnie’s Grill

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