For this meal, my friend Steve invited me to a press dinner during Lan Sheng’s opening weeks.  His friend Robert, a writer and respected Chinese food expert would lead our meal through a constant stream of the chef’s finest dishes.  Since it was so early in the restaurant’s existence, I omitted prices since they may have changed.  Certain aspects of the dishes, particularly regarding presentation, may have changed as well.  If you’re confused, feel free to email me: lawrence@nycfoodguy.com

The Favorites

Whole Lobster prepared Szechuan Style

In most Cantonese restaurants whole lobster is traditionally prepared in a ginger and scallion sauce.  Lan Sheng’s fresh, succulent whole lobster was doused in garlic, anise, numbing Szechuan peppercorns and incendiary Szechuan peppers; shiny, bright red and daring you to bite into one.

While I mainly avoided the whole peppers, the bits of cloying garlic and peppercorn attached to the big chunks of briny lobster I peeled from the shell, were some of the best bites of Chinese seafood I’ve ever had. The simultaneously fragrant and fiery peppercorns offered a flavor my taste buds had never experienced.  Little did I know, it was just the introduction.

Ma Po Tofu

The plumes of fragrant steam billowing from this amalgam of tofu, ground pork, leeks, anise and Szechuan peppercorns invaded my nostrils causing little tears to form in the corners of my eyes. Part pleasure, part pain, the tears were a prelude to the revelatory dish of the day.  The combo of fire and fragrance were a credit to the peppercorns and anise, respectively.  At once spicy, numbing and sinus-clearing, I ignored my brain’s fire warning and just kept eating the delicious chunks of tender tofu.  This dish will be a fixture in any future Szechuan meal I eat.

Dan Dan Noodles

Lan Sheng hit the mark on this classic Szechuan dish.  A chili oil based sauce featuring ground pork, Szechuan peppercorns and baby bok choy rests atop a nest of well-cooked noodles.  Upon mixing it all together, I found myself going back to these noodles until they were almost gone.  The complex flavor and numbing heat reminded me of the Ma Po Tofu.  This is another must order dish at any Szechuan meal.

Bird’s Nest Scallops

I’m admittedly not a huge fan of scallops, but the halved chunks of wok-cooked scallops in this dish were excellent.  Crispy around the edges and covered in caramelized, spicy black bean sauce; the scallops were addictive and caused us to rummage through the large chunks of pepper to find more bits of juicy seafood.  The large vegetable chunks are deceptively prevalent, there ended up being a lot more scallop in this dish than it appeared at first glance.

Sizzling Mixed Seafood Casserole with Crispy Rice Cake

“Be careful!” shouted our host Dexter as he carefully placed a covered skillet in the center of our crowded table.  The tiny stream of steam sneaking out the top of the dish erupted into a cloud as Dexter removed the cover and poured a brown sauce over the platter creating a splash and loud sizzle, turning heads at other tables and raising our eyebrows at the savory smell.  Fortunately the presentation didn’t trump the dish.  The diverse textures of the  juicy shrimp, tender vegetables and sweet, crispy rice were enhanced by a surprise fried egg resting at the bottom of the skillet.  The fresh ingredients and the delicate brown sauce all combined for a flavorful and surprisingly light dish.  Unfortunately, the fried egg cooked all the way through and didn’t offer much flavor.

Sizzling Chicken Plate with Spicy Brown Sauce

While engrossed in note-writing with one hand and eating with the other I was surprised to look up and see another sizzling skillet on our table, this one topped with chunks of chicken, sliced green capsicum, thin shards of garlic, and another seemingly superfluous fried egg at the bottom.  Upon first bite, the flavor was undeniably garlic but it was balanced by the lightly sauteed chicken.  As Robert noted, if this dish had some chile peppers and peanuts it wouldn’t be a far cry from the George Costanza favorite Kung Pao Chicken.

Stir Fried Chicken with Spicy Capsicum

Robert put it best when he called the visual presentation of this dish an “inanimate flame.”  Fortunately, you as the eater, have the power to regulate how much heat you’re willing to endure.  If you avoid the whole chili peppers and the spicy capsicum surrounding the crispy pieces of ginger and cayenne crusted chicken, you’ll encounter heat of a more manageable variety.  This is a dish I was curious about trying but upon tasting I was unimpressed by the lack of complex flavor seen in the Ma Po Tofu, the lobster and the Dan Dan noodles.

Braised Sizzling Whole Fish

I didn’t realize how much of a central role sizzling platters played in Szechuan cuisine until this dish, which featured the most austere presentation of the three we tasted.  The tall silver receptacle more closely resembled an ornate ash tray (inset) than a cauldron filled with bubbling oil and delicious strips of fish clinging delicately to its fatty skin.  This dish was tasty albeit a tad oily.  Based on the conversation Robert had with our host Dexter, Lan Sheng is still tweaking this dish and may change the presentation to something less ostentatious.

Golden and Silver Light Buns with Condensed Milk

We started our meal with a dish that would have made a perfect dessert.  Lan Sheng uses puff pastries instead of Chinese buns to create cakey pockets of dough light enough to complement the decadent, super-sweet condensed milk.  The “golden” and “silver” refer to fried and steamed, respectively.  I enjoyed the fried buns more than the steamed.  Surprising, I’m sure.

Dishes To Pass On Next Time

Cold Spicy Deep Fried Fish

One of the most rewarding aspects of writing this website has been the motivation to try everything that’s put in front of me at a restaurant.  While tiny bones in the narrow strips of cold, fried fish provided a bit of a challenge to extract (most of that took place mid-bite), the overall flavor was pleasingly spicy.  I enjoyed this dish more than I thought I would but won’t return to it next time out.

Whole Broccoli in Golden Broth

My sentiments weren’t as rosy for this unfortunately-named dish.  A broth reminiscent of egg drop soup surrounds pieces of well-cooked broccoli.  It was all ladled into small bowls for us to enjoy.  While this would truly make a great dish on a cold winter day, the flavor paled in comparison to most of the other more boldly constructed dishes.

Dumplings: Whole Shrimp Har Gow & Crabmeat Xiao Long Bao (Shanghai Soup Dumplings)

The dumplings at Lan Sheng are well made and thoughtfully flavored but when it comes to a Szechuan meal, I’m looking for more flavor than you’ll find in the dumpling department.  The whole shrimp dumplings (below) deliver on their name featuring juicy, fresh shrimp in very delicate skins.

The crabmeat soup dumplings (not pictured) were equally meaty albeit a little fishier than the shrimp dumplings.  Robert chided me after witnessing me eat my soup dumpling whole.  The proper (and messy) way to eat a soup dumpling is to cradle it in your spoon, bite a tiny hole in the top, and literally suck the soup out of the dumpling until it’s sufficiently drained AND THEN you eat it whole.

Lan Sheng Szechuan Restaurant

Sandwiches (2 for $9), cheese, cured meats, and cookies are all served on small plates intended for sharing while the drink menu features 3 mixology-quality cocktails ($9 each), a “Southwest Summer Ale” specially brewed by Blue Point beer, two beers from Six Point ($7/beer), and 2 types each of red and white wine ($8/glass).

Surprising value and the backyard chic setting (pillowed Adirondack chairs, porch swings and couches) make it easy to forget you’re a block from Times Square. Read on for food reviews and all the info on being a part of the summer fun at “The Southwest Porch.”

FOOD & DRINK MENUS

Although it doesn’t say it on the menu (click to expand), Chef Sisha Ortuzar, who with Tom Colicchio created the menus at the Southwest Porch and ‘wichcraft, told me that $9 will afford you two of the small yet filling sandwiches, each one served on delicious and fresh Sullivan Street Bakery rolls. The drinks are strong and well crafted. My favorite was the Vodka Watermelon (lemon vodka, fresh watermelon juice, lemon and a vodka infused watermelon ball). The Manhattan, featuring maraschino cherries macerated (soaked) in caramel bourbon syrup, is a serious whiskey drink. I didn’t get a chance to try the Canton Ginger Margarita.

SANDWICHES

The four sandwiches on the menu highlight the partnership between Southwest Airlines and LaGuardia Airport. Chicago and Baltimore, Southwest’s first two destinations from LGA, inspired the Bratwurst and Soft Shell Crab sandwiches, respectively. The Meatball Parm is an homage to New York while the Southwestern Pork honors Southwest’s main hub in Dallas.

BRATWURST

Thank you Chicago for inspiring this creation, my favorite of the three sandwiches I tasted. The bratwurst is a credit to the inimitable Schaller & Weber. Sauerkraut and onion, found at the Greenmarket, are sauteed in butter before the entire sandwich is slathered with a sharp Dijon mustard.

MEATBALL PARM

My second favorite sandwich features a tender, airy meatball combines with tasty, sweet tomato sauce all topped with parmesan cream sauce. The chewy yet firm roll really enhanced the meatball parm.

SOUTHWESTERN PORK

Great in concept, poor in execution, thanks mainly to the overbearing creamy-ness of the sour cream, pickled onion and lime slaw. The pork itself is delicious; slow roasted for 12 hours, it’s seasoned with ancho and chipotle Chile and cinnamon, providing a nice balance between spicy and sweet. The avocado alone would have been an apt topping for the standout pork.

SOFT SHELL CRAB

Unfortunately I didn’t get a chance to taste this good looking sandwich. Everyone who did had nothing but praise for the Old Bay and lemon seasoned soft shell crab topped with remoulade.

MANCHEGO & MEMBRILLO CHEESE PLATE

Sheep milk manchego, smoked Spanish almonds, membrillo (quince paste), and crostini from Pain D’Avignon round out this plate. I didn’t get a chance to try this one either, it went fast.

CURED MEATS

The meat plate is comprised of Saucisson sec (French hard sausage), peppercorn salami from Schaller & Weber and smoked pork loin.

MARINATED OLIVES

I’m not really a fan of olives but on my quest to provide the world with as much food porn as possible, below you’ll find olives with chili flakes, garlic and herbs.

SWEETS

‘wichcraft provides the dessert in the form of several “cream’wiches”: Chocolate chip cookie with milk frosting, peanut butter with peanut butter frosting, and chocolate cookie with chocolate frosting. These buttery, decadent cookies went so fast I didn’t even get a chance to snap a photo, but I did taste them and they are simply delicious.

ATMOSPHERE & HOURS OF OPERATION

The space itself is creatively planned and if you sit on one of the couches, lawn chairs, or swing chairs, you really feel separate from the rest of Bryant Park and its bustling surroundings.

The hours of operation for the Southwest Porch are 12PM to 9PM Monday through Saturday and 12PM to 6PM Sunday. As of now, the Porch is closed on Saturdays and Sundays but that may change in the future.

SOUTHWEST PORCH

Wine, Beer & Cupcake Pairings

Sweet Revenge is the type of place every neighborhood would be happy to have.  Friendly staff, led by stylish owner/founder Marlo Scott, populate the bar and open kitchen where one can witness fine ingredients becoming delicious cupcakes.  Below is the menu for the wine, beer and cupcake pairings, but it’s by no means gospel;  feel free to mix and match at your own risk.  HAPPY HOUR ALERT: Monday to Friday, 4pm to 8pm, $10 gets you a glass of sangria or wine and a cupcake.

Full Drink Menu

Signature Cupcakes

“The Sweet Revenge”

Peanut butter cake, chocolate ganache filling, peanut butter buttercream.

This is the best peanut butter cupcake I’ve eaten in this city.

The decadent peanut buter buttercream is studded with bits of peanut while the super moist, crumbly cake houses a chocolate ganache center begging to be included in every bite.

“Crimson & Cream”

Raspberry red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting

Usually, red velvet cupcakes tend to disappoint, offering a cake that’s merely dyed red and devoid of any actual flavor.  The “Crimson and Cream” is an exception, offering a subtle raspberry flavor.  Despite the fact that the moderately rich cream cheese frosting slightly dilutes the raspberry flavor, this is still a superior red velvet.

“Dirty”

Valrhona chocolate cake with dark chocolate truffle

It’s Dirty!  Dirty how sinfully and intensely chocolatey this cupcake is.  The flavor of the cake is slightly generic but the chocolate truffle frosting is HARDCORE.

Full Sweets Menu

Sweet Revenge

Last week I dined on one of their $6.75 Bistro burgers (toasted bun, American cheese, deep-fried bacon, lettuce, tomato, pickle, and raw white onion beneath the burger) for the first time in almost two years.  My theory was confirmed.  The burger was juicy and cooked-to-order medium rare but lacked any hint of spicing, even salt or pepper.  I’m not usually one to pile on veggies with my bacon, cheese and beef, but this burger necessitates it.  The towering burger below was the final result of my resurrection of the Corner Bistro burger.  I don’t know if it was my hunger or the pleasure of seeing something so gloriously gluttonous, but with all those toppings piled on top, plus a heap of Heinz, this was finally a tasty burger.

THE FOOD MENU

THE BEER MENU

CORNER BISTRO

Deciding What Size to Order

For two people, two Nosh-sized orders of mac and cheese will fill you both up.  A party of three or four would be fine with either two Major Munch-sized orders or four Nosh-sized.  One Mongo could happily feed three people.  All of the mac and cheese is so rich that you should always order less and if you’re still hungry go back for more. Having leftovers isn’t as great an idea as it seems, the mac and cheese really loses its life on the re-heat.

Cheeseburger – Cheddar, American and ground beef, $6.25 Nosh

Definitely the tastier of the two varieties featured in this post. The crunchy, buttery bread crumbs lock in the flavors of the sharp cheddar and sweet American cheese, creating a decadent charred-cheese crust that’s simply delicious.

The ground beef, as I’m noticing with all single-meat ingredients in S’Mac’s mac and cheese, is too sparse to provide any real flavor or texture.  To the Cheeseburger’s credit, however, the ground beef had more of a positive effect than the Alpine’s nearly non-existent slab bacon.  At one point, I added a little Louisiana hot sauce to a bite but decided that it’s better without.  I would definitely order the cheeseburger again and maybe add broccoli (+$1.50 Nosh).

Alpine - Swiss, gruyere and slab bacon, $7.25 Nosh

This is one of the simpler offerings on the “Sarita’s Recommendations” menu.  The combo of cheeses is tasty and slightly sharp, but there’s really no punch.  The boost one hopes slab bacon would add never arrives, mainly because there are so few pieces of bacon in the order, there’s no way it can compete with the strong-flavored Swiss and gruyere.  I wouldn’t opt for the Alpine next time out, but if I did, I have a feeling some roasted tomato (+$1.50 Nosh) would be a welcome mix to cut through the sharpness of the two cheeses.

Sarita’s Macaroni & Cheese

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Awesome and awe-inspiring.  Both words describe the two defining characteristics of Shopsin’s General Store:  its menu and its owner/chef, the inimitable Kenny Shopsin.  And with a constantly changing menu (the massive Mexican skillet combo is already gone) and equally unpredictable maker, every trip to Shopsin’s provides a new opportunity for edible adventure.

This post features three dishes:

• Treif: 3 Jewboy (brisket, onions, jack, Swiss) Egg Sliders ($17)
• Moe II: Maple bacon French toast sandwich, eggs on top ($14)
• Fried Potato Shreds with melted Jack and Hatch chile ($11)

Treif: 3 Jewboy (brisket, onions, jack, Swiss) Egg Sliders ($17)

If you’ve never considered combining brisket with eggs and cheese, this is a great place to start. Shopsin’s brisket is tender and meaty but the real key are the sautéed onions, the greasy flavor bridge between the brisket and scrambled eggs. The airy, slightly steamed bun add a little sweetness but tend to disintegrate under the juiciness of the other ingredients.

Moe II: Maple bacon French toast sandwich, eggs on top ($14)

“Exactly what I wanted to it be. No more, no less,” said my friend Veronica, a satisfied smile slowly appearing across her face. For something that looks so decadent, this is actually one of the plainer offerings on Shopsin’s menu. It’s nothing you couldn’t get elsewhere but there’s something special about having it the way it’s served here, sandwiched all together. Crispy, syrup-covered bacon wedged between two slices of fluffy egg-crusted French toast, all crowned by two eggs, sunny side up. Simple yet sumptuous.

Fried Potato Shreds with melted Jack and Hatch Chile ($11)

Fried potato, a mountain of melted Jack cheese and spicy Hatch Chile from New Mexico; how could you possibly go wrong? Well, you can’t, but the fried potato “shreds” were a little too thin and deep fried to provide any substance.

I try to get something different every time I go to Shopsin’s, but if I ordered these again I’d go for the hash brown potatoes (deep fried chunks like in the now defunct Mexican skillet combo). With any sweet or savory main course, you may want to consider ordering a potato side with Hatch Chile and cheese. It’s a welcome addition.  If you’re as excited about this food as NYC Food Guy is, you can buy Kenny’s book: “Eat Me: The Food & Philosophy of Kenny Shopsin” by clicking here.

]]> http://nycfoodguy.com/2009/06/29/lower-east-side-adventure/feed/ 16 http://nycfoodguy.com/2009/06/26/tuckshops2ndlocationopenstonight/ http://nycfoodguy.com/2009/06/26/tuckshops2ndlocationopenstonight/#comments Fri, 26 Jun 2009 16:33:09 +0000 The NYC Food Guy http://nycfoodguy.com/?p=3758 Tuck Shop’s new 2nd location (115 St. Mark’s Place b/t 1st Avenue & Avenue A) will open tonight at 6PM and remain open until Niall, the co-owner, contractor and counter man, “drops.”  If you’ve never been to Tuck Shop’s original location (68 East 1st street b/t 1st & 2nd Ave) now you have no excuses. Get over there tonight after 6PM and eat some meat pies or try some delicious desserts.  Click here for NYC Food Guy’s food photos and recommendations.

Clockwise from top left: Thai Chook (Chicken) Curry Meat Pie, Beef Meat Pie, Lamington Cross Section, Stack of Lamingtons

“I wish they did this four times a year,” said my brother Craig as we watched Chris Lilly pull two shimmering pork butts from the smoker, some of the 3,000 pounds of pork cooked by the Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q crew at this year’s Big Apple BBQ Block Party.  Lilly, 8-time Memphis In May Champion and co-creator of Big Bob Gibson’s famous Bar-B-Q sauce, then proceeded to pull, chop and sauce the best pulled pork I’ve ever tasted.  Read on for the step-by-step pulled pork photos and a look at some other hits and misses at the 2009 Big Apple BBQ Block Party.

The Disappointments

Disclaimer: All the opinions within this post are written with the utmost respect for the art of barbecue and the pitmasters who took part in the Big Apple BBQ Block Party.   The barbecue they served in Manhattan, adjusted for the masses under imperfect conditions, may not be a fair representation of the delicacies served at each of the participants original establishments.

Ubon’s “The Champion’s Choice” Pulled Pork – Yazoo, MS

My friend Charlie recommended Ubon’s after hearing it was the best pulled pork at the event.  His source had obviously not tasted Big Bob Gibson’s.  The best part of Ubon’s pulled pork was the bark, the dark shards of skin redolent of smokey deliciousness.  The pork itself was fatty, a bit tough and didn’t have much flavor.  The thin sauce was flecked with black pepper but more tangy than spicy.

Pappy’s Smokehouse St. Louis Style Ribs – St. Louis, MO

Our hopes rose as we watched Mike “Smokey” Emerson pull rack after rack of St. Louis spare ribs from a huge container.  Mr. Emerson, also known as “Pappy,” cuts the knuckle off of the tough spare rib before coating each rack in a Memphis-style dry rub.  He mainly serves “loin back” or baby back ribs at his St. Louis smokehouse (link), but today he proudly brandished a rack of spare ribs and said “I wanted to give New York a taste of St. Louis.”

He should have stuck with the baby backs because the spare ribs weren’t great.  The flavor of smoke was almost undetectable.  The ribs were as tough as you’d expect, not quite fall off the bone, and not even the sweet, thick sauce could save them.

17th Street Bar & Grill Baby Back Ribs – Murphysboro, IL

After the spare rib disappointment at Pappy’s, I was hoping for baby back rib enlightenment at 17th Street Bar & Grill, the baby of champion pitmaster Mike Mills, a consultant at Manhattan’s Blue Smoke.  Unfortunately, transcendence was out of reach.  The ribs were dry, covered in a pasty mustard-based sauce and didn’t fall off the bone.  A friend later scoffed at my choice of 17th Street saying they weren’t very good in 2008 either.

The Favorites

Jim ‘N Nick’s Bar-B-Q Homemade Smoked Sausage with Pimento Cheese & Saltines – Birmingham, AL

Cheese? Crackers? Sliced jalapeno? One might wonder how these accoutrement found their way onto any plate at the BABBP, but I’m certainly happy they did because they paired perfectly with the charred, spicy sausage from Jim ‘N Nick’s. The combo of spicy pork, creamy cheese, crispy crackers, and bright jalapenos was a flavor trip I’d love to take again.

The Salt Lick BBQ Beef Brisket & Sausage – Driftwood, TX

If you’re wondering why it says “brisket” above but you don’t see any below, it’s because the pink slices of fatty meat are so delicious, Salt Lick ran out by 3PM on the first day of the BABBP.  Lucky for Craig and me they still had some of their juicy, garlicky and slightly spicy sausage.  Sweet sauce covered an outer skin with just the right amount of snap.

Big Bob Gibson’s Bar-B-Q Pulled Pork Shoulder – Decatur, AL

Wow.  Just wow.  If ever there was a moment I was happy to have written a year’s worth of posts to get from the 2008 BABBP to now, it was when Don & Carol McLemore, owners of Big Bob Gibson, offered us the chance to stand directly in front of the raised cutting board upon which the best pork shoulder ever was being pulled.  Let’s see how it all comes together….

Step 1. Remove the bone and pull

Step 2. Chop the Pulled Pork with a Huge Knife

Step 3. Drench Pork in Apple Juice-based liquid

Step 4. Look at all that delicious pulled pork

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