at the sign of The Pink Pig

Another Week In Pigging: The Shop, Johnny's, Dziupla, Navy Pop-Up

[Pigging by Wilfrid:  July 27, 2015]

Another summer week, casual eating, bites here and there which never turn into reviews. You know the drill.  And there is some detail on the new Bushwick BBQ joint, The Shop.

How better to start than with some in-your-face sausage action?

Roberto In The Bronx: Ten Years Ago

[Pink Pig Time Machine by Wilfrid:  July 27, 2015]

Working hard ten years ago. Really?  Yes, it could happen. And reading Strindberg's The Red Room, his sentimental education.

But I took time on a Saturday to head up to Arthur Avenue, that Italian food fantasy-land in The Bronx.

Of Chang And Chicken (And Fuku Too)

[Pigging by Wilfrid:  July 20, 2015]

As we enter the fantasy land of (his close friends get to call him...) DC yet again, the tale is as much about the quirky route to the food as the food itself.  Oh, the eating is all about the food, but there's not much telling to it, if you see what I mean.

But if all my Tao of Chang nonsense is too much, simply know that the Fuku spicy chicken sandwich is tasty and satisfying. Can't fault it.

Random Notes: Ten Years Ago

[Pink Pig Time Machine: July 20, 2015]

These are real diaries, as I can attest, having swallowed a pint of dust yesterday trying to get them back into correct order. Most of them are spiral bound, so don't have spines where the contents could be recorded.

And the problem with real diaries is that sometimes the author forgets to keep them; or is too busy; or too distracted. As I apparently was in July 2005. So just a few brief notes this week.

Quick Bites: Soup And Burger At Cherche Midi

[Pigging by Wilfrid:  July 13, 2015]

I planned to write a full review of Cherche Midi when it opened on that bustling corner of Houston and the Bowery opposite Whole Foods a year ago.

 

But I never got beyond one visit. It was so disappointing, I felt I ought to return and give the place a second chance. But then the McNally fairy dust did it's work; tables at any reasonable dinner time became scarce as desserts at Momofuku Ssam Bar. Waiting times for walk-ins jumped to an hour or more; and in the restaurant, the gaps between the tables became thronged with patient hopefuls.

City Island And Some Standbys: Ten Years Ago

[Pink Pig Time Machine by Wilfrid:  July 13, 2015]

My attention was characteristically divided in early July 2005.  Between the Modigliani movie with Andy Garica and a DVD of Dig!--the Brian Jonestown Massacre epic, loaned to me by Marwood's lead singer Benji Rogers. Between Marwood at the Bowery Ballroom and a new fascination with Strindberg as a novelist rather than playwright. Between summer fast food and classic French bistro.

But I should tell you about the food.

Who That Man? It's Gabriel Kreuther

[Pigging by Wilfrid:  July 7, 2015]

Excitement untrammeled as Gabriel Kreuther launches his signature restaurant in the vast ground floor space of the Grace Building--the 42nd street bskyscraper which curves appealing as it heads towards the sidewalk.

Almost inexplicable excitement, unless the foodie pendulum is really swinging in favor of veteran chefs opening formal big-box rooms in midtown office blocks. Could that be the case?

A Tabelog Tasting: Osteria Del Principe

[Pigging by Wilfrid:  July 6, 2015]

Be honest, was this place on your radar?  It's in that rather anonymous downtown-facing façade of the Credit Suisse building at 1 Madison Avenue which also houses Schnipper's Quality Kitchen.

That means it's about two minutes walk from Eataly, and what's more it's owned by San Daniele, the prosciutto people. But has it had the love it deserves?

The Cheese: Caerphilly

[Pigging by Wilfrid:  July 6, 2015]

A cheese too easily taken for granted in the UK, where it's long been a common option for cooking or melting. Milder than cheddar (real cheddar), paler, with a crumbly texture.

 

But this specimen, Trethowan's Dairy's Gorwydd Caerphilly, is about as good as it gets. Fresh as grass, with a nice tang. This was from Bedford Cheese Shop, but it's often at Murray's too.

 

Ball Fields And Art Stars: Ten Years Ago

[Pink Pig Time Machine by Wilfrid:  July 11, 2015]

Good eating and a lot of time out and about in the days leading up to the July 4th holiday, 2005.  My musical theater-aspirant cousin had stayed on with us (see last week), and we took him to Helen's Hideaway and the Duplex, trying to get him to a microphone.

My entertainment highlight of the week was the Art Stars at the Cakeshop, and remarkable mob of downtown artists, already responsible for a CD recorded at the Bowery Poetry Club. The Trachtenbergs, Rev Jen, Brer Brian--familiar names to some of you, I suspect. Above all, the quite brilliant Jeffrey Lewis.

But you came for the food.