Sing Kee Seafood Restaurant

My co-worker is leaving us for China! To celebrate his new beginning he and his girlfriend hosted us at Sing Kee Seafood Restaurant on Bowery. After work my team headed there to be greeted with an empty restaurant and he and his girlfriend holding down a family style table toward the back of this fluorescent paradise. A informed us that meals are typically eaten later, around 8:30pm so our 6pm dining time would be quiet for the most part.

First tea was poured and the swivel started swirling as we passed the tea pot back and forth refilling our cups. Then the food started flowing forth from the kitchen with A giving instructions in Chinese along the way to our waiter. First a dish of jellyfish 'noodles' was presented with cured meat and vegetables. B and I had watched videos earlier that day of people eating jellyfish and they were repulsive. So as I grabbed with my oversize, plastic chopsticks there was a little more then trepidation running through my brain. They don't taste like anything! I had no desire to spit them out or continue eating them. We survived.

Round 2, fish stomach soup. Like an egg-drop soup but with fish stomach in it. Nice and warm and very pleasant to eat. Although I did avoid biting down on the fish and preferred to just swallow it whole. Next up was a fried minnow dish similar to french fries. Thin and small they were easy to just pop in my mouth. B, C, and I agreed that our favorite dish was a tempura shrimp dish with a sweet sauce painted on. I did grab two of those little guys.

A dish that was fun to eat was little dough pockets cut in half which we filled with carrots, cucumber, hoisen sauce, and duck. What next...more duck, duck tongue (just like a chicken wing, bone and all), pea shoots, a noodle/vegetable dish, and a tofu/mushroom mash up. Unfortunately I don't know what the proper names are for everything nor what the ingredients were as I did not order anything except more water during the whole meal.

It was an interesting experience. Not as crazy as I had expected but still a little gutsy for me. Heck, if I can eat goat testicles in London, I can eat duck tongue and jelly fish in Chinatown. And now I sit, in bed ready to pass out.

Hefeweizen

Hello! I'm back! Due to lots of traveling my writing has been at a minimum. My apologies.

Beer Advocate

"A south German style of wheat beer (weissbier) made with a typical ratio of 50:50, or even higher, wheat. A yeast that produces a unique phenolic flavors of banana and cloves with an often dry and tart edge, some spiciness, bubblegum or notes of apples. Little hop bitterness, and a moderate level of alcohol. The "Hefe" prefix means "with yeast", hence the beers unfiltered and cloudy appearance. Poured into a traditional Weizen glass, the Hefeweizen can be one sexy looking beer."

Over the past few weeks I have found myself saying a word repeatedly at restaurants I am going to. That word is Hefeweizen. Probably the most fun word to say. And it is this time of year that I enjoy saying it the most because it renders images of a crisp, cold beer paired with a hamburger or pulled pork sandwich. Last evening I went to South Norwalk, CT (or SoNo) to the other Ginger Man which is the sister (or brother?) bar to the Ginger Man located in Manhattan where I end up much too often. I asked our waiter if there was a good Hefeweizen he could recommend, emphasizing the intense pronunciation of HEFE-WEI-ZEN. He recommended the Hofbrau Hefe-Weisse which came in a fun tall flute-like glass.
Of course I was hungry when I got to the restaurant and when my male companions started chomping down on hamburgers I became extremely jealous. After our waiter left me 3 times because I could not decide on what to get I finally decided on the pulled-pork sandwich. Connecticut may be right next door but the way they prepare a pulled-pork sandwich is worlds away. They put the coleslaw ON the sandwich. I may like the trees, the water, and the overly preppy way of dressing in this state but I want my refreshing coleslaw ON THE SIDE. One of the male companions was quick to say that this happened to him earlier in the day (um yeah, I know what your thinking, he was having a hamburger AFTER he had had a pulled-pork sandwich, no comment. No really, no comment, I would have done the same thing). Honestly, it was messier to eat and there was no pallet cleanser in between mouthfuls.

And yeah, I have a lot of male companions. Be jealous.

Another location that offers wonderful Hefeweizen is in Manhattan, the Hofbrau Bierhaus which also boasts a carbolicious pretzel to munch on which sipping out of your boot.

Otto

I work with restaurant snobs. We love restaurants, dissecting them, pulling them apart. We all have our own approaches, our own criteria what we look for. We know how we like to be treated and how we should feel when we walk out of the restaurant. As I searched for a place to host K's birthday dinner she hinted at two weeks prior I remembered Otto, which a co-worker recommended. I know his criteria and trusted it, except when he sent me and S to Morimoto (this will matter).
The weeks passed and on Wednesday I was sitting with another co-worker and mentioned where I was headed.
"That's Mario Batali's place right?"
"WHAT"

And my worst fear was confirmed. It . was . a . celebrity . restaurant . In despair and angst I ran out of his office and returned to mine only to see that yes it was true. I had made a reservation at a celebrity restaurant. Don't get me wrong I like Mario, he seems like a great guy. Heck, he even posed with my parents at the Aspen Food and Wine Festival a few years back. But I avoid celebrity restaurants at all costs. Specifically celebrities who have been spotted on the dreaded Food Network where 'chefs' go to sell-out and host shows where they get to yell at other people then proceed to sell a new line of non-stick pans that we need to have in our kitchens.

I want to support the chef who is in the kitchen working his ass off. He is there planning the menu, scouting out what is in season, experimenting, testing, sweating over the thought of getting in the weeds at rush and yelling out orders hearing the response "yes chef!". THAT is who I'm supporting. This chef doesn't have a fancy line of cookware. This chef has cuts, burns, and stories to share. This chef goes out with his staff after work and gets drunk. Then he wakes up the next day and does it all again because it's in his soul to produce the best dish that you have ever tasted.

When I walked into Otto I tried to leave this prejudice on 5th ave on the other side of the huge rotating door. I was met with a large bar area populated by bar tables where you could lean and wait your allotted 15 minutes before your table was given away for your group to arrive. And will the person who confirms your reservation make an exception to the 15 minute rule when you ask and explain that 3 of the 4 of you will be there on time and surprising the last person? No she won't. You will have to call back and ask to speak to the manager to get a special note made on your reso.

We all sat down and surprised our birthday girl. J exclaimed that it felt like we were at a kitchen table which speaks to the cozy feeling induced by the wooden furniture, red walls, and warm temperature. We all decided to split 4 pizzas...after I finally had to ask for a 4th menu. Sorry I'm not a teeny bopper sharing with my friends. Give me a freakin menu when I sit down.

Here is what we ordered:

Otto Chopped Salad (which, without prompting, was promised to arrive before the pizza. False.)
Asparagus and Goat Cheese
Quattro Stagioni (Tomato, mozzarella, mushrooms, peppers, asparagus, cotto)
Margherita D.O.P. (Tomato, Bufala Mozzarella, Basil)

I ask you. What would be the main attraction for the Margherita? The sauce? The Basil? NO. The Mozzarella. This pizza was so sparse in the mozzarella category that I think we were all left a little disappointed. Then the quattro stagioni. When I'm with my family I may be more prone to pick things off the main dish and dive onto their plates for a little nibble of food. When I am in a public place with friends? Not so much. You should only order this pizza if you want one quadrant of one topping and not all of the toppings. On the asparagus and goat, asparagus is on everything right now and it was all over this intense pizza. The goat cheese just got too over whelming. It needed a protein like prosciutto to break up that monotonous attack of goat cheese which is so intense. I usually like to pair goat with a sweet to counter then bitter more acidic taste. The asparagus didn't help. I will say that the crust was great. Nice and charred, thinly formed, it was a delight to eat.

Dessert was as if we had left and gone to a lovely Italian town to fetch little metal dished delicately holding beautiful, creamy gelato. And you have to like gelato to get dessert here because it's the only item offered. 
I got the Black & White - Milk chocolate chip gelato, hazelnut croccante, creme fraiche gelato, chocolate sauce, caramel crema 
Here are the other desserts that were ordered:
Coconut Meringa - coconut fantasia gelato, warm toasted meringue, cocao nib, candied kumquats
and...
oh wait, I won't let you finish because here is your check. Yes, the check arrived while we were still eating dessert. I'm sorry but the sales isn't over until you are 100% sure everyone is done. What if we had wanted more wine? Or coffee and tea? Perhaps a cheese plate? A good waiter knows that this show isn't over until the check is asked for.

(I know you want to know, the last desserts was Otto Banana Tartufo - Banana gelato, chocolate brownie, caramelized white chocolate, spiced peanuts and then the last was an order of three flavors of gelato packed together in a dish.)

When I relayed my experience to two other co-workers the next day they were amazed. One said he always recommends this place to people who are looking for a well-priced, Italian, celebrity chef restaurant. S exclaimed that she loves it there. With three endorsements from my restaurant snob co-workers I promise to return one day and try other dishes in the hopes that it will trump my order this time.


Otto out of Cento


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Supermarkets & Customer Service

When I was young my mom would tote my brother and I to Harris Teeter or Kroger for our grocery shopping. We lived down south in North Carolina and Tennessee so by default everyone was friendly and cordial. Then we moved up north and I was exposed to the wonderful life of Wegmans. As a past employee of Wegmans I can tell you that customers come first. If customers are happy, employees are happy. And I mean that. Now in NYC Trader Joe's and Whole Foods have replaced the hole in my heart that is Wegmans. The most depressing part of this is that they are not on my commute home and not near my home or job. Ridiculous I know.

I'm stuck with C-Town and Associated. Depressing wastelands where maybe the produce is edible and the baking section is tucked in some unknown corner only accessible by shimmying past freezer doors and mops. I place great value on customer service. A few days ago I went to C-Town and said a friendly "Hi" to my cashier. Nothing. "How are you doing?" Nothing. She wouldn't even tell me how much I owed. As I left "Thank you." NOTHING. Today I returned to said establishment and received the same icy demeanor. I couldn't see the screen so it was a mystery as to how much money I actually owed. I'm going to kill them with kindness. Mwahah.

This may be naive of me but, what has happened to customer service? Even a friendly greeting, a 'hello, how are you?' The lack of engagement between myself and the staff leaves me who loves to interact with people sad and lonely. Sad and lonely roaming the aisles of overly fluorescent supermarkets.  Why don't these places have policy's like Stew Leonard's? "Rule #1 The Customer is Always Right, Rule #2 If the customer is ever wrong, reread rule #1!" How awesome is that? Does living in an outer borough of Manhattan doom me to a life of terrible customer service? Even at the cash register at one of the stores THERE IS A TIP JAR AT THE REGISTER. And most of the time I AM THE ONE BAGGING MY OWN GROCERIES. If you think this is a rant. IT IS.

The only tip I will bestow on you, glorified bodegas of the outer boroughs, is tell your staff to look up, make some eye contact, say hi and tell me how much money I owe. And I will continue the fight to get a Trader Joe's in my area. Thank you.

Hoisin Sauce

I am in love with hoisin sauce. Every year at the Fancy Food Show, I see the Soy Vay booth and giggle to myself because of the goofy name. Fast forward to a few months ago I am sauntering through the grocery store attempting to find a new tasty item to try. My eyes immediately went to the Soy Vay hoisin sauce. Throughout my youth my dad had used to it marinade meats before slapping them down on a sizzling grill. My father is a wise man so I thought, alas I too shall try this. Upon opening it I swiped my finger around the lip of the jar and took a taste. Oi vay! The wonderful combination of bbq sauce consistency and sweet flavor was a song to my taste buds. Now hoisin sauce is my go-to. I'm about to embarrass myself.

I prepared tilapia recently and as I am not amazing at preparing fish it was a little dry. Ah ha I thought! Dad always makes some sort of sauce for these situations! And I would do the same! My theory is that if I like all of these ingredients separately, I'll like them together. It's true! I works for ice cream sundaes, casseroles, soups, pasta dishes, etc. I tossed mayo, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and hoisin sauce. It was great. The sweet of the hoisin and the little tart of mayo and lemon was a great topper to the tilapia. It actually saved the dish.

Tonight, at my cousin's suggestion, I prepared spaghetti squash for the first time. I mixed in red pepper, cherry tomatoes, and some flank steak I got at my relatives yesterday. Then I thought to myself...it needs a sauce, something to add a little taste. Ah ha! Hoisin was the answer! Into the saute pan I threw the hoisin and mixed it together with the other ingredients. And a medley of tastes emerged combined with the variety of textures from the squash, vegetables, and meat it was a filling and satisfying meal.

So when in doubt little foodies of the world, turn to hoisin, and soon enough you will be voice'n your love for hoisin!

Il Bambino

Expecting to go home and start the arduous process of laundry this Friday I was happy to receive a text from my fellow foodie friend to go out for dinner together. Gladly I accepted and told her I had never been to Il Bambino. I could hear the audible gasp as she quickly texted me back saying that is where we would go.

After selecting drinks, her a guava and champagne mixture, me an Allagash beer, J made educated and passionate suggestions about what we should get. Here is our menu:

Crostini: Egg salad, fontina, chive oil
Crostini: Goat cheese, honey, rosemary oil
J: Smoked Bacon with garlic roasted potatoes, truffle aioli, parmesan
E: Italian Meatloaf onion marmalade, horseradish-caper aioli, pecorino

Me: Fontina with mozzarella, pecorino and truffle oil


I liked mine but as J warned me, it was very cheesy. I actually only ate half because of the intense cheese and truffle oil combination. My favorite part of the meal was probably the two crostini that we shared. I love the goat cheese for it's sweet honey topping and then the egg salad for...well, being egg salad.


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Locale

It has been far too long since I have been out to eat. When L called me up and said we should go out I was more then willing. I left it to her to select where we should dine and she came up with Locale in Astoria just off the Broadway stop on the N/Q line. This hip restaurant sits on the corner with towering windows and diaphanous curtains separating the diner from the quiet street. Of course I arrived early, as it is my lot in life to never be late, and scouted it out. I sat at the bar and ordered a Lemon Mojito...hey it was a rough day. Sweet, lemony, and minty it brought me back to summer. When L arrived we selected a two-top next to the window.

For our appetizers we selected the Braised Meatballs ( slow braised beef meatballs served with Ricotta Salata in a Spicy Tomato Sauce ) and a special, Heirloom tomatoes (love), fresh mozzarella, olives, and watermelon. The sweet and salty of this dish was a wonderful combination that I cannot wait to prepare for myself. The meatball dish was a stretch for me with the word spicy in the description. Turns out the heat was barely there. I guess with the mozzarella I was hoping for a softer cheese, more of a burrata.

Mains! L ordered the Black Linguini (Squid Ink Pasta with Sausage, Calamari, with Red Peppers, in a White Wine Sauce) which will always and forever creep me out. I debated between the Gnocchi and the Butternut Squash Risotto and ended up with the Gnocchi. The pasta was huge! Half-way through the dish I wasn't sure if I could successfully reach the bottom of the dish. (I did).

Service was great, bordering on annoying. I have a friend, ahem you know who you are, who wants her waterglass constantly full. Half-full (or half-empty, depends)? She is disgusted! I on the other hand don't want a water pitcher in my face every few minutes. Let me get to the bottom of my glass and yearn for a little more hydration and you, as the waiter get to save my day by refilling my glass.

L and I shared the Banana Caramel Napoleon for dessert. It was light and flaky, falling apart as we each attempted to get huge pieces onto our forks.

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