at the sign of The Pink Pig

Quick Bites: Russ & Daughters Cafe

[Pigging by Wilfrid:  February 23, 2015]

What a pleasant, comforting space this is, especially on a cold afternoon (yes, I went off-peak; this place can be very crowded for breakfast/brunch).  A bright (full service) bar with somewhat modernistic stools, opening up to a cheerful rear dining room.

Because some people don't know, there's a Russ & Daughters appetizing store on East Houston which opened as J. Russ National Appetizing in 1920. It's almost unrivalled (Barney Greengrass has its devotees) as the city's retail source for Jewish delicatessen.* Then after 95 years, they opened a cafe nearby.

Boulud's Food: Ten Years Ago

[Pink Pig Time Machine by Wilfrid:  February 23, 2015]

Restaurant Daniel. Always a tricky one.  I missed its original incarnation in the small-to-medium-sized space which became Café Boulud, but ate at the grand, tiered, myriad-cover 65th Street rendition several times--each time with a slight sense of disappointment.

Nothing against chef Boulud, of course, whose influence on the New York scene has been eminently benign; I just have a sense that the attempt to give that many people a fine dining experience is always going to mean some rough edges.

The Gander Lays Golden Egg

[Pigging by Wilfrid:  February 16, 2015]

Simply, The Gander was way, way better than I'd been led to expect.  Maybe it took a year to really kick into gear?  And after trudging through snow to get there, I wasn't in the most receptive mood.

On the evidence of this meal, Jesse Schenker was right to spread his wings beyond the bijou Recette.

Virgil's, Silverleaf, Rene Pujol: Ten Years Ago

[Pink Pig Time Machine by Wilfrid:  February 16, 2015]

One of those random weeks, I guess, waiting for Spring and eating and reading and going to view pictures. As for the latter, I was really excited to see some of Tony Fitzpatrick's The Wonder series at Pierogi Gallery in Williamsburg. That was the start of a long fascination with his work--collage, illustration, memorial, and poetry; and I collected all The Wonder books, and still follow his work, posted as it's created at his Wordpress blog.

And I've written about him more than once here.

The Gorbals Isnae Bad

[Pigging by Wilfrid:  Febraury 11, 2015]

I had a kind of conceptual disconnect with Ilan Hall's seasonal kitchen, transplanted from Los Angeles to industrial Williamsburg.

There was no reason a produce-driven small plates menu, with gentle Jewish influences, wouldn't work well in the space above an Urban Outfitters on North 6th Street. It was the name.

...And Pâté: Smoking Goose Elk

[Pigging by Wilfrid:  February 11, 2015]

Here's a choice delicacy from Bedford Cheese. Smoking Goose is an Indianapolis charcuterie, curing and smoking local meats and making fresh sausage.

I thought for a moment I was looking at a smoked goose pâté, given the name, but no: this is a cold smoked elk terrine.

The Cheese: Butterwick Big

[Pigging by Wilfrid:  February 11, 2015]

A curious one. Twig Farm is a goat dairy up in Vermont, but sometimes they use neighbors' cows milk in their cheeses, and in the winter months they use cows milk from Butterwick Farm to make Butterwick--or Butterwick Big, as it was called at Bedford Cheese where I bought it.

There's not much information online about it, and I imagine its made in very limited quantities. Worth a try, though.

Quick Bites: The Penn 6 Burger

[Pigging by Wilfrid: February 9, 2015]

Word of mouth on the Penn 6 cheeseburger has been in the air for at least a year. A Pat LaFrieda "special" blend in an anonymous tavern near Madison Square Garden.

 

I put it on my list, as I am in that neighborhood frequently, and finally got around to confirming that, yes, it's better than the average burger.

Eating Around: Ten Years Ago

[Pink Pig Time Machine by Wilfrid:  February 9, 2015]

Seasonal indisposition last week, so we have a lot of catching up to do.

And it was snowy ten years ago, surprise, but through the weather to City Center for a Flamenco Gala, and the desperate grabbing for trays of tapas from Solera restaurant in the bar afterwards.