Jason Sheehan at Le Bernadin

Posted by Sarah DiGregorio at 12:38 PM, May 1, 2008

Jason Sheehan, the critic out at our sister paper, The Denver Westword, has written a lengthy, rapturous blog post about a dinner at Le Bernadin. It's worth a read, not only because Sheehan is such a good writer, but also because in this city of snark it's nice to be reminded of what sheer, unadulterated enjoyment sounds like. Read it here.

A highlight:

"Honest to Jesus kids, I wish I could remember the meal itself with more specificity. I know there was sole at one point, a bordelaise sauce teased with a spoon of something that might’ve been liquefied foie gras and tasted like nothing I’ve ever had before -- like wine must and deep, purple sweetness and butter and fat all at the same time, kept warm for me under a gleaming silver cloche when I had to duck out briefly for a breath. And I know there was a plate of something that involved bacon which, in our half-drunk and complete dizzy excitement, actually caused all three of us at the table to simultaneously cheer."

Mamoun's Hot Sauce To Go

Posted by Sarah DiGregorio at 1:46 PM, April 18, 2008

I was grabbing a falafel sandwich from Mamoun's the other day, and noticed that their hot sauce is bottled and available for sale for $3. The sauce is brick red with paprika, black peppery and medium-hot. I poured it all over my sandwich, but it would also be fantastic for homecooking, as an addition to spicy lamb stew or a chicken tagine.

In Search of Vada Pav

Posted by Sarah DiGregorio at 2:54 PM, March 25, 2008

I recently visited Mumbai to meet my fiancé's extended family, and I've come back with an unfortunate craving for vada pav (pronounced "wada pow"). There are many delicious street cart foods in New York, but vada pav is conspicuously absent.

Wada pav is to Mumbai as hot dogs (or maybe even pizza) are to New York. It's a regional favorite, adored by people from every walk of life and eaten as a snack or small meal anytime, usually at a fast food place or from a street vendor. It's like a spicy fried potato fritter sandwich, although that doesn't quite do it justice (and the picture above doesn't do it justice either).

You start with a mixture of spiced potato, mashed roughly together and flavored with mustard seeds, curry leaves, green chiles and other spices. That potato mixture is shaped into balls, dipped in a batter and deep-fried until golden and crisp—that's your "wada."

The "pav" is simply a soft, white roll, usually painted with butter and griddled until lightly toasted.

Put the wada inside the pav, dollop on a couple chutneys and serve a fried green chile on the side, and you have a wada pav—a "snack" that will sit heavily in your stomach all day, so that you almost regret eating it, but not quite.

I heard that Sukhadia's on 45th Street has wada pav, so I went up there for lunch today. Alas, I was thwarted.

The woman at Sukhadia's counter told me that she makes the wadas everyday, but they had sold out (this was at about 1pm).

I contented myself with pav bhaji—vegetable curry served with the toasted, buttered pav on the side, above. It was good for a quick lunch, but not great.

I'll be searching Jackson Heights for proper vada pav, so if anyone knows of a good place to get it, drop me a line.

In the meantime, if you want to get vada pav in Manhattan, get to Sukhadia's early!

Sukhadia's Gokul
17 West 45th Street
212 395-7300

Beer for Lent

Posted by Sarah DiGregorio at 8:22 AM, March 18, 2008

We stopped by Beer Table, the new boutique-y beer place on 7th Avenue in Park Slope and had a glass of Schlenkerla Fastenbier, an ale made with smoked hops and which tastes exactly like barbecue. Really, it's like drinking a campfire—but in a pleasant way.

Turns out this beer is made in Bamburg, Germany especially for Lent. It's only available from Ash Wednesday through Easter, and is designed to be hearty enough to fill you up while you're fasting (apparently, God is okay with a liquid lunch). The brewery's website says that this beer has "Brotzeit already included," meaning "afternoon snack" already included. Which is exactly how we like our beer.

Beer Table
427 B 7th Ave
Park Slope
718.965.1196