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, NY11215718-788-1444
Opening weekend at the Red Hook Ball Fields has passed which means you now have only 26 more weekends to eat some of the most authentic, fresh and cheap Central American food in New York City. But whenever you make it out there, NYC Food Guy is here to see that you make the most of your stomach space with my “best of the Ball Fields” video. After you watch, click ahead for a Red Hook Ball Fields Vendor map highlighting the best of every truck and cart in attendance.
As the popularity of food blogging and social networking collide, the World Wide Web is seeing more photos of food from all walks of life. ABC News is currently airing a story called “Food Paparazzi: It’s Their ‘Porn'”, which includes an interview with NYC Food Guy.How did it go? You’ll have to watch and see but let’s just say the title of the story includes the word “porn” because of me. Check out the video above or click this link to watch the video on ABC New’s website.
Huarache from the Martinez Truck on the corner of Clinton St. & Bay St.
It’s time, eaters. The Red Hook Food Vendors open for business tomorrow (Saturday) at 10AM. NYC Food Guy implores you to check it out for one of three reasons:
You love Central American food (Mexico, El Salvador, Dominican Republic)
You love feasting for under $20
You want a taste of NYC Food Guy’s favorite food experience in all of New York
Decisions, decisions. Let me make it easy for you. Meet me at the Ball Fields. The vendors will be there Saturdays & Sundays every weekend through Halloween.
Check out the link below for all the Red Hook Ball Field vitals:
Airy, egg-glazed buns filled with tiny chunks of sweet roast pork for just 80 cents 90 cents each? In Midtown?? How can you go wrong? Well, Ying Du’s cleanliness isn’t exactly confidence-instilling (it’s been DOH’d several times), but what can you expect from a place pulled right out of Chinatown and placed mere blocks from Penn Station? This is a rare, red-centered gem in a city where it’s hard to find anything worth eating under $1, especially above Canal Street.
Ying Du Bakery 273 W 38th St. b/t 7th & 8th St. New York, NY 10018 212-575-6978
In a phone conversation Thursday, Nick Tsoulos, owner of Patsy’s Pizza, NYC Food Guy-favorite Angelo’s Pizza and Goodburger, revealed that he will be opening Mel’s Burger Bar at 2850 Broadway b/t 110-111 Street in mid-June or early July. The menu will feature four to five burgers made of LaFrieda meat (who else?) including one on white toast inspired by Connecticut’s famous Louis’ Lunch, self proclaimed creator of the hamburger. The burgers will be flat griddled, however, so we won’t see anything resembling the Louis Lunch vertical broiling process. Though it’s called “Burger Bar,” Tsoulos said “this will not be [just] your regular burger place.” Burgers will account for “70 percent of the menu” while the rest of it will be rounded out with items such as “out of this world” baby back ribs, fresh cut French fries, spaghetti, chicken meatballs, an enchilada and other main courses and appetizers for more than just the Columbia students. The space itself will feature exposed brick and original artwork. And for those desirous of a liquid meal, you can choose spiked milkshakes or one of the 20-25 beers on draft. Based on NYC Food Guy’s love for Angelo’s pepperoni and garlic pie, I’ll definitely be giving Mel’s Burger Bar a try.
Brian De Palma has Scarface. Jimi Hendrix had “All Along the Watchtower.” And Daniel Holzman has his meatballs. Remaking a classic is never easy, but when it’s done right, it’s so sweet you forget there was ever an original version. This is the case with Holzman’s spicy pork meatballs (4 for $7) at his popular new restaurant The Meatball Shop. Just larger than golfball size, each tender meatball splits at the lightest urging of your fork revealing a juicy interior filled with pork butt and pickled cherry pepper. The latter adds a pleasingly assertive level of heat which lingers during and beyond each bite. The bright “classic” tomato sauce pairs nicely, offering a tartness that’s balanced by the use of high quality olive oil. Order the two over al dente rigatoni (plus $4) from the “Stick to your bones” section of the menu or opt for just meatballs and sauce. Either way, it’s all covered in feathers of shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano and no matter what, the best bite will be scooping up the bits of meat and tomato at the bottom of the bowl. Just like Mother intended.
The Meatball ShopWebsite 84 Stanton Street b/t Orchard St & Allen St New York, NY 10002 212-982-8895 Sun.-Wed. Noon-2AM Thurs.-Sat. Noon-4AM
Hester Street Fair opened its gates Saturday reviving a tradition of Hester Street vendors dating back to the late 1800s. And while knishes and fresh fish have been replaced by Sigmund Pretzelshop and Luke’s Lobster roll, Brooklyn-based Mile End made sure there was still some bagels and lox. Staying true to it’s melting pot roots, everything from banh mi to BBQ made an appearance and NYC Food Guy covered it all in video form. Check it out then read ahead for some news and notes plus vitals on each food vendor…
Is there anything better than ice cream? Truly, is there any dessert that satisfies more consistently than ice cream? It’s an iconic dessert; Two lovers sharing a milkshake is pure Americana. A child with more ice cream on his or her face, shirt, hands, and pants than in their mouth is an image that defines childhood. Any living, old school ice cream parlor should be cherished as historical landmarks. That’s why the “Flatcar” at 83-year old Hildebrandt’s Ice Cream in Williston Park, Long Island is NYC Food Guy’s favorite way to enjoy what is arguably America’s purest dessert.
The Artichoke boys have done it again, this time in the form of dessert. But it’s not the fried balls of dough they’re pushing at the namesake Led Zeppole, it’s the Cookies and Cream Italian Ices which are now NYC Food Guy’s favorite late night dessert. Led Zeppole’s house made “cream ice” ($2.50 small/$3.50 large) is studded with soft bits of Oreo cookie and icing, making it a very sweet way to end your night. And the best part of all? There’s no hipster-filled line to wait on for this treat. Enjoy that while it lasts.
Led ZeppoleWebsite 328 East 14th Street b/t 1st & 2nd Ave 212-228-2807 Mon-Thurs. 11AM-1AM or later, Fri-Sat. 11AM-4AM, Sun 11AM-12AM
Fresh off the news that the Red Hook Food Vendors will open May 1st, Cesar Fuentes, Executive Director of the Food Vendors Committee of Red Hook Park, tells NYC Food Guy that he and two partners have signed a lease for an open-air space on Van Brunt Street, Red Hook’s main drag. They’re calling it Red Hook Mercado or market, and the vision is that it will become a place friendly to the Red Hook creative community including musical acts, crafts, movies, and now here’s the kicker – Fuentes’ guarantee that “at least one of the [Red Hook food] vendors will hold a spot at this location.” If Mercado is a success, food from at least one Red Hook vendor will be available weekdays and weekends all year round. According to Fuentes, three vendors currently have “strong interest … in expanding their business to this location.” We’ll find out officially around May 1st, but NYC Food Guy’s money is on pupusa pusher Rafael Soler, who will be featured at Central Park’s Summer Stage this year and is also Fuentes’ stepfather.
According to Fuentes, a Latin American mercado features “some of the best foods and finest works of local artisan craft of the community, but it is also a place where the community comes together and socializes in a festive and vibrant atmosphere.” To that end, Red Hook Mercado will also feature foods from other “well known purveyors” in addition to a garden providing fresh ingredients for dishes prepared on site. Like the Red Hook Ball Fields, Fuentes hopes the Mercado becomes “one of the most unique experiences … in the city this summer.” NYC Food Guy raises a glass of horchata to that. Stay tuned for more information…
Puebla Mexican Food & Coffee Shop specializes in cheap, authentic Puebla Mexican food. Appropriately, the best dish may be the $8.50 chicken mole poblano platter, which is big enough to provide dinner for two days. But if you’re willing to sacrifice atmosphere and an overt sense of cleanliness for breakfast as well as dinner, Puebla offers ample opportunity to squeeze the most out of your dollar and your appetite.
If there’s one thing in the food world that I feel secure assessing, it’s burgers. And when a James Beard Rising Star Chef of the Year Award winner begins offering just 30 burgers per night, starting at midnight, I can’t help but get a little excited. Well the bigger they are, the harder they fall and my expectations dropped like Tiger Woods’ Q rating upon first bite of this burger.
It’s apparent that Nate Appleman is going for simplicity with his griddled burger (which can’t be cooked to order) topped with horseradish cheese and chopped sauteed red onion all inside a squishy white bun. This works for the fries, which are great. But unlike the burgers at Burger Joint or Shake Shack, simplicity does not yield genius.
The mildly spicy horseradish cheese and the hastily chopped, sloppily portioned red onion dominate the flavor reducing the presence of the crisp yet juicy burger patty. If this is the plan, perhaps adding some of the smokey bacon which shined on the Salsiccia breakfast pizza could elevate this burger. Some may say it’s too soon to “review” this newly introduced burger but when a celebrated chef creates a simple burger, how much leeway should we allow?
Pulino’s Bar & Pizzeria 282 Bowery at Houston St.New York, NY10012
This new weekly feature will focus on NYC Food Guy’s single best bite of the week. Tell everyone what your best bite of the week was in the comments section.
Thank you Pichet Ong. Thank you for being willing to take risks when it comes to dessert. And thank you for constantly reinventing sweet tooth satisfaction. Your apple turnover with bacon vanilla ice cream at Village Tart offers so many varieties of awesome. My spoon dissects the flaky, buttery pastry shell revealing fresh slices of crunchy apple coated in just enough gooey cinnamon. Invisible salt crystals coat the surface of the pastry, surging to the front of my palate before the vanilla ice cream’s sweetness seizes control. But an uprising of smokey top notes is surfacing, a prelude to the return of salt complements of crispy bits of bacon. Every bite is a surprise, flavors seamlessly intersecting, gliding past each other closely without colliding.
While it’s too soon to give Keith McNally and Nate Appleman’s Pulino’s a full review, it’s not too soon to tell you that the Salsiccia ($9/$17) breakfast pizza will have me coming back for more. A runny egg unites smokey bacon, still bubbling in its own fat, with sweet, spicy house-made sausage and slightly sharp white cheddar all atop an addictive, crispy thin crust that harbors a surprisingly chewy, almost buttery inner layer. Now pizza for breakfast doesn’t mean the Artichoke sitting on your table from last night. Thanks Nate.
May 4, 2010 
Posted in BROOKLYN, Dram Shop, PARK SLOPE 
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