at the sign of The Pink Pig

Memorial Day Mash-Up

[Pigging by Wilfrid: May 26, 2014]

Pig gone picknicking, and you should too. Meanwhile, here are some old standbys revisited and some recent snacking.

Classy, soft-yolk scotch egg with a killer sauce gribiche at The Winslow

My daughter fights a return bout with the off-menu lamb shank and insanely buttery mash at Kafana

House-made Swedish meatballs at Maria's Montblanc, fatty-gooey interior, crisp exterior

Obviously you need some Swiss mustard with that, like toothpaste from a tube

And about a pint of Manhattan

And breakfast of champions: Trader Joe porcini-truffle triangoli, eggs sunny side up, and a good shaving of ramps

A good appetite to all our readers.

WD-50 To La Caravelle: Ten Years Ago

[Pink Pig Time Machine by Wilfrid: May 26, 2014]

The feast prepared for Tony and Fahro, described last week, generated some fine leftovers: Lobels' lamb cutlets, and a goat meat shepherd's pie.

But the main event of the week was a sad occasion. A lunch at La Caravelle to say goodbye to the old place, closing after a forty-three year run.

Early Days At Racines

[Pigging by Wilfrid:  May 20, 2014]

I stumbled into Racines out of torrential rain and umbrella-snapping winds, and what a pleasant oasis it is. On Chambers Street (near Chambers Street Wines), it immediately qualifies as one of the best options in that downtown micro-neighborhood. (The layout and feel reminded me strongly of Prospect; this is another example of "childe Brooklyn, to Manhattan came.")

Is it worth a trip? Yes, if you've a nose for an interesting, long, mainly French wine-list--with plenty of organic options, and not a few bottles with some age on them.

Remembering Tony Finch: Ten Years Ago

[Pink Pig Time Machine: May 19. 2014]

Happy memories this week, but tinged inevitably with sadness. Can it really be ten years ago that Tony Finch and his wife Fahro came to dinner?  Less than three years later, his unexpected death left a big hole in the online food community, and the lives of his family and friends.

Tony, for anyone who didn't know him, was a larger-than-life Londoner: ebullient, argumentative, passionate, and unfailingly hilarious. We still miss him.

Angry Orchard Summons The Muse

[Free stuff by Wilfrid:  May 12,2 014]

You see how, right atop the old Cooper Union building, the side facing old man Cooper's statue (which I bet would rather be in the back room at McSorley's), there's a clock tower. It dates from 1859, and right inside, behind the clock face, there's a classroom. Who knew?

There's also a door out onto the terrace, and one evening recently--when the temperature climbed, the rain paused, and the sun shone, a thirsty crowd spread itself through the clock classroom and onto the terrace to celebrate Angry Orchard's Muse.

Adding Archie's To My Bushwick Rotation

[Pigging by Wilfrid: May 5, 2014]

Thanks to the worldwide fame of Roberta's, and gushing articles about local fashion and culture, it's long been assumed that Bushwick is a great place to eat.

Given how hard it is to get into Roberta's (how's pizza delivery these days?), Bushwick is no more than a decent place to eat; and it has achieved that status only recently.  Archie's is a casual addition.

Mother's Day To Hearth: Ten Years Ago

[Pink Pig Time Machine by Wilfrid: May 12, 2014]

Well, I see Mother's Day ten years ago was sunny, at least. It started with duck eggs for breakfast, and concluded with calf's liver and bacon in a ramp and red wine sauce for dinner. Nothing if not seasonal.

I ate out too, but not a lot.

Wafels-Op-Zich, Van Wafels & Dinges

[Pigging by Wilfrid: May 5, 2014]

It's okay to start with a Kant reference in Dutch, isn't it? Because it's just going to get sillier from here. Because Wafels & Dinges is kind of silly and fun.

Even the seriousness evinced by the extraorindary range of historic waffle pans decorating the Avenue B store--and the studious use of blow-toches to melt cheese--amounts to a kind of mock-seriousness.

The Changing Face Of Rioja

[Pigging by Wilfrid:  May 5, 2014]

The 2014 Rioja Grand Tasting for trade and media, at Studio 450--a pleasant event loft overlooking Hudson Yards, served by the city's slowest elevator--was an education in the changing physiognomy of a thousand year-old wine.

Although traditional Rioja exists, there's not much doubt in my mind that most of the production--destined for overseas sales, at least--reflects a modernisation of wine-making techniques and style.

Tacos And San Domenico: 10 Years Ago

[Pink Pig Time Machine by Wilfrid: May 5, 2014]

This is a city of myths and legends, especially when it comes to food. You need to eat at Katz's, you need to make the long trek out to Midwood for Di Fara's pizza, you need to stalk the arepa lady.

And there are many minor legends too, like the enduring suppostion that the best tacos in Manhattan were to be found in the back of a store on Tenth Avenue.