The Hungry Russian

Red Hook Lobster Pound
284 Van Brunt St, Brooklyn 11231
(Btwn Verona St & Visitation Pl)

Yes I’m back in Red Hook again but this time for a quickie! No, not that kind of quickie! Last week my friend was kind enough to let me know about the $20 lobster dinner special every Wednesday at the Red Hook Lobster Pound. Another reason to get me into Red Hook? Of course it is!

Lobster: What can I tell you except that you’re getting a super fresh 1.5lbs live lobster directly from Maine, steamed until cherry red! Our lobsters were probably in the middle of their molting season because the shell was quite soft and required no assistance from the nutcracker. The meat was fresh and slightly salty in the legs but overall sweet. The tamale (the green goo) was extra creamy and extra yummy for some reason. I love that stuff! A fine lobster indeed.

Lobster Mac n Cheese: Good and bad! Good because the cheese was creamy and slightly sharp. I hate it when a mild cheese is utilized to make mac n cheese. That never makes any sense to me. This cheese was flavorful! Bad because there were probably three or so slivers of lobster that required an electron microscope to discover. Add more lobster please! Lastly, this mac n cheese could have used a nice crispy cheesy crust, a foundation of any respectable mac n cheese.

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If you need a quick lobster fix and you’re in the neighborhood then Red Hook Lobster Pound is your place. All of the lobsters are shipped straight from Maine and are currently waiting on death row for you to consume them. If that one lobster isn’t enough for you then I highly recommend you try one of their lobster rolls because they are insanely delicious!

Kevin’s
277a Van Brunt St, Brooklyn 11231
(Btwn Visitation Pl & Pioneer St)

As promised earlier, we once again made our way back into Red Hook. Besides all of the wonderful gastronomic findings in Red Hook, I have been immensely enjoying doing some random photography in the neighborhood. The area is truly eclectic and is evolving at a rapid pace. Last week after our great brunch at Home/Made and after some more street photography, we came upon a spot called Kevin’s. After quickly perusing the menu, we knew that we would probably be back here again next week since the focus at Kevin’s is primarily seafood. Sure enough not only did we come back to try Kevin’s on Saturday but we returned on Sunday as well. The following review is a combination of those two separate brunches.

Eggs Chesapeake With Home Fries: I love Eggs Benedict any which way imaginable but I love them even more when I can get them with seafood!. A Benedict with crab you say? Bring it immediately if not sooner! My Benedict arrived with two poached eggs perched atop two pieces of toasted Challah bread covered in just the right amount of Hollandaise sauce. At first I saw no traces of any crab but little did I know that two crab cakes were very stealthily tucked away underneath those poached eggs. I really liked the toasted Challah bread. It made an excellent platform for the eggs and crab where all I needed to do was just lift up the bread to my mouth instead of using a knife and fork. The eggs were prepared well, the crab was sweet and flavorful, and the slightly sweet and crunchy Challah bread was extra yummy especially after it absorbed some of that egg yolk. Unfortunately I was a bit let down by the home fries. The potatoes on their own were good but they lacked salt however if you combined some of the potatoes with the egg yolk, Hollandaise sauce, crab, and Challah, then you’ve got nothing to worry about.

Challah Grilled Cheese BLT: We ordered this without the cheese and instead asked for eggs but it was still a great sandwich. Once again utilizing some more of that great crispy Challah bread, this sandwich contained generous strips of perfectly crunchy/chewy smokey bacon followed by some greens, a little mayo, and golden yellow egg goodness. Without any doubt I am quite sure this sandwich would be even more awesome with cheese. Very flavorful and with a great texture contrast from the bacon and crispy bread.

Apples with Raisins in Yogurt: On our second visit for brunch we were offered a complimentary treat. A very simple yet appetizing little plate of sliced apples and raisins smothered in some type of Indian yogurt which in turn was dusted with cinnamon. It wasn’t anything groundbreaking but it was tasty and I’m always very appreciative of anything complimentary.

The Adirondack: I was eyeballing this on the menu during our first brunch so it was only natural that I would try this the second time around. Once again you have the same type of Eggs Benedict as in the Chesapeake except this time the crab was replaced by a very generous amount of some ridiculously amazing smoked trout! This trout was just excellent! Perfectly smokey and with just a slight hint of salt which didn’t subdue the natural flavor of the trout. It was flaky and tender and was absolutely delicious on its own. Dip that trout into the accompanying horseradish cream and you’ve just raised the deliciousness factor. The way I really enjoyed this dish was to place some trout right on top of the eggs and once again pickup that crispy Challah bread and simply take huge bite out of everything. This was definitely my favorite dish out of everything we had. I highly recommend it! 

Buttermilk Blueberry Pancakes: I can’t even remember the last time I’ve had pancakes. On the rare occasion that I have them it’s usually around Winter time when pancakes make a wonderful comfort food. Often times I find pancakes to be quite dry and very filling. I also end up using a lot of syrup to remedy the dryness and sometimes even the lack of flavor. However the buttermilk pancakes at Kevin’s will not steer you wrong. They were light, fluffy, and moist. Filled with blueberries. I only wished that these pancakes had more of them but that’s just a personal preference. These pancakes were definitely quite good but I do wish that the batter was slightly sweeter.

French Press Coffee: Kevin’s Stumptown coffee is simply excellent! Get it!

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I’ve been having a blast exploring Red Hook! So many amazing and unique little spots and spaces to photograph in an area alive with art and history. Tucked away in those little spaces are some truly wonderful gastronomic delights such as Kevin’s. I found the brunch at Kevin’s not only delicious, but satisfying and comforting in such a way that gives you simple pleasure. The simple pleasure when you know a meal just hits the spot!. Dinner at Kevin’s is next and will definitely be something that will go on the to-do list

I’m currently obsessed with Red Hook so stay tuned for another food review!

Home/Made
293 Van Brunt St, Brooklyn 11231
(At Pioneer St)

Red Hook, a Brooklyn neighborhood which was once called the crack capital of America as well as once being considered one of the worst neighborhoods in the U.S. It’s pretty amazing how things have changed! What was once an area that very few brave souls would venture into has now turned into a beautiful green and industrial area with thriving businesses as well a large artistic community. Over the years, Red Hook has drastically changed but what has not changed is some of the amazing Brooklyn history that one can find on a stroll through Red Hook. From the old trolley cars behind Fairway to old factories and industrial buildings of an era gone by. Did I also mention that Red Hook has some really great food? You knew that was coming. I’ve been hearing things about a spot called Home Made. Wanting to explore more of Red Hook and being hungry was the perfect excuse to see what Home Made was all about.

Wild Mushrooms & Fontina Scramble: We studied the menu for what seemed like an eternity. You know that dread every time you’re trying out a new restaurant with a rather short menu. You always want to make sure that you get something really good and something that will leave an impression on you. Well the menu had a large selection of scrambled eggs so we figured that the eggs must be pretty popular. With that in mind, my friend went ahead and ordered the WIld Mushrooms & Fontina Scramble. What I didn’t know until later was the fact that my friend ordered this dish without the cheese. I enjoy scrambled eggs every now and then but they are probably not my first choice on any breakfast/brunch menu. With that being said, these eggs were not the average scrambled eggs! I was expecting totally boring and typical scrambled eggs. I took one bite of these eggs and I was instantly taken with how soft, buttery, and creamy they were. The texture was very smooth and soft. The flavor was not intensely dramatic but it was so much better than your average typical dry scrambled eggs. I then took another bite but this time with some mushrooms. The mushrooms were very abundant and only served to add more flavor to the already delicious eggs. The eggs were served with toasted walnut bread and potatoes provencal. First let me tell you about these potatoes. They were outstanding! Perfectly roasted potatoes with fantastic crispiness on the outside while soft and tender on the inside. These potatoes were roasted in virgin olive oil but what really made them stand out was their intense garlic flavor which came from a good number of large garlic gloves which were roasted along with the potatoes. Those creamy and buttery cloves mixed in with the potatoes and olive were awesome! Have a bite of the eggs with some of these potatoes and once again the flavor is elevated. Lastly was the glorious toasted walnut bread.  A thick slice of some the most heartiest and tastiest fresh bread I’ve had  in a long time. Nicely crisp on the outside while soft and chewy in the middle, the bread made a wonderful addition to the taste and texture contrast of the meal. As I had said earlier, my friend ordered these eggs without the fontina cheese. That alone tells me that these were some of best scrambled eggs I’ve had in a very long time. I can only imagine how good they would have been with the fontina cheese.

French Toast: Man I am just a stickler when it comes to French Toast. For years now, my absolute favorite French Toast has been at Frankie’s 457 in Carroll Gardens. Perhaps it is unfair but I end up comparing every French Toast to Frankie’s French Toast. And the interesting thing is the fact that it’s not like Frankie’s does something magical to their French Toast, its their bread that’s magical. The French Toast at Home/Made without a doubt is still very good! The large slices of fresh pears were wonderfully crisp and lightly sweet. The sauteed apples added a much softer fruity texture and additional sweetness. Most of all, I really enjoyed the addition of the dried cherries which added a nice but not overwhelming amount of tartness. The big difference for me however was in the bread. In general I love brioche but I think that once it is soaked in a liquid it simply gets too soft and mushy. I love it when my French toast is nice and crisp on the outside yet soft and chew on the inside. This has always been the primary reason that Frankie’s French toast always WOWs the crowd as well as myself! This of course is just my personal opinion and in no way should make you think that the French Toast at Home/Made was anything less than great.

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Our day in Red Hook turned out to be a lot of fun with several great food discoveries such as Home/Made along with some others. Red Hook continues to evolve into a neighborhood that is rich with history and with an eclectic collection of food and art. Some of that wonderful art can be seen within the small cozy confines of Home/Made. The space is rather small but beautiful and very comfortable with great soft couches. A perfect date spot for sure! Should you ever find yourself shopping at the great Mecca of not so cheap particleboard furniture (IKEA), before you even think of having those damn Swedish meatballs, drop everything and head over to Home/Made for some tasty goodness and higher quality furniture.

Buttermilk Channel
524 Court St, Brooklyn 11231
(At Huntington St)

My craving for fried chicken had finally reached critical mass and there was only one way to remedy the situation: Buttermilk Channel! With my Zipcar and my friend in tow, we were on way!. We reached out destination at approximately 4:20pm only to discover that the restaurant opens at 5pm. What to do for 40 minutes? My friend quickly resolved that issue for me by informing me about something I did not know existed in Brooklyn. She went on to tell me that not very far from Buttermilk Channel there is a Momofuku Milk Bar. Now anyone who knows me knows that I go bonkers for the diabetes inducing treats at Milk Bar! I figured we could go pick up some dessert and then head back to Buttermilk. Needless to say I will spare you the sad story and cut to the chase, I bought $20 worth of goodies which I later completely forgot inside the Zipcar when I returned it to the garage. Normally something like that would ruin my day but I think the meal at Buttermilk Channel made everything all better.

Complimentary Pastries:  After we sat down at our table we were presented with this complementary treat. I’m not entirely sure what to call it. The shape resembled a muffin but this pastry was hollow once I broke it in half. The texture of the dough reminded me slightly of the texture of a donut.  This pastry was light and airy. Slightly chewy and slightly sweet, it started to taste very dessert-like once you got a bite with some maple syrup on it. I’m glad we only got two of these things because I could have kept eating them endlessly.

Barbecued Oysters: Are you kidding me?! This was the first thing I spotted on the menu and right away it just sounded like a “MUST HAVE” item! Barbecued oysters with smoked bacon and green onions. These beauties arrived piping hot and smelled of sweet barbecue sauce. As usual in my eagerness to taste something new, I nearly scorched off a few dozen taste buds from my tongue but it was damn worth it! Try to imagine sweet barbecue sauce with smokey bacon crunch followed by a wonderful creamy oyster. Absolutely heavenly! This was so good that we had to have a second order! A fabulous appetizer that once again continues to prove the fact that bacon really does make everything better!

Buttermilk Fried Chicken: At long last my fried chicken craving would be satisfied and with no ordinary fried chicken! Now your typical buttermilk fried chicken recipe calls for chicken immersed in several cups of buttermilk along with various spices and then refrigerated for several hours before actual frying time. I do not know for how long Buttermilk Channel keeps their chicken immersed but it sure must be a very long time because the chicken is just incredibly flavorful! The flavor starts with the wonderful crispy skin and goes completely all the way through the meat! Not only is it delicious but it is so tender and juicy on the inside. Next, pour some of that delightful and lightly sweet maple syrup on that chicken and now you have reached Level 2 of sweet & savory goodness. It’s literally finger lickin good but the sweet and savory heaven continues with the addition of the glorious cheddar waffles! Waffles with cheddar cheese inside is just a plain awesome idea! The light sweetness of the waffles with the cheddar cheese is amazing! I usually end up getting a second order of just the waffles. Try these waffles with some of that divine chicken meat and crunchy slaw and you will have a holy chicken experience.

Benton’s Ham Wrapped Brook Trout: This was just a symphony of flavors! Where do I even begin? I guess I will start with the grits. Whether or not you like grits is irrelevant because you will love these grits! These grits were buttery, creamy, and most of all cheesy and with a nice thick consistency. Next you have roasted radishes with a lovely slight firmness and light sweet flavor. Lastly we come to the fish. The brook trout on its own was tender, moist, and delicious. I prefer trying things individually at first to see how flavorful they are before I combine them with the intended ingredients. I then proceed to taste the trout wrapped in the ham. The ham was just wonderful. Thin and smokey, the flavor with the trout was excellent but what really made this dish stand out for me was the grain mustard butter. That combination of butter and mustard was perfect with just the right amount of mustard that wouldn’t overwhelm you. This was definitely one of those dishes where you can take a combined bite of everything on the plate and achieve a wonderful harmony of flavors. One of the best fish dishes I’ve had in quite some time.

Chocolate Chunk Bread Pudding: Stuffed from oysters, chicken, and fish yet there is always room for dessert, especially when it comes to bread pudding. This was some decadent bread pudding! Served hot with chocolate chunks and melting chocolate salted butterscotch on top. Perfectly soft and moist texture with rich, sweet, and delicious flavors from the butterscotch as well as a nice hint of salt. The side of vanilla ice cream definitely helps quell all of that rich sweetness.  I am very selective with bread pudding but this one was easily a hit!

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As I had said earlier, forgetting my Momofuku desserts in the car was not a complete tragedy thanks to the wonderful meal at Buttermilk Channel. Their chicken and waffles will leave you happy and wanting more! If you’re looking for some fantastic and flavorful comfort food then by all means give Buttermilk Channel a shot. There’s a reason there’s always a long wait for a table. The food is worth it! There is a little secret however to avoid all that waiting. Do as we did. Come right before opening time. Also be sure to try their amazing pork chop and excellent variety of delicious Bloody Marys.

BLT Bar & Grill
123 Washington St, New York 10006
(At Carlisle St)

As we all know, the downtown Manhattan area around the former World Trade Center became quite desolate after 9/11. Once flourishing businesses were either destroyed, damaged, or eventually went out of business. Restaurants were one particular business that was hit hard in the area. Throughout the years several new eateries would show up here and there but their days were unfortunately numbered. For quite some time, people simply did not want to be near the affected area. Eventually the construction of the 9/11 Memorial and Freedom Tower began and I am happy to say that an incredible revitalization has been taking place here in downtown Manhattan ever since. Business are slowly but surely making a huge comeback, new construction is happening practically on every block, and most importantly the hustle and bustle of people has once again returned. I am confident that downtown Manhattan will not only return to its former glory but it will most assuredly surpass it! One such new construction has been the new downtown W Hotel and with it arrived BLT Bar & Grill. My friends and I are always searching for new lunch spots around the office so it was time to give BLT Bar & Grill a try!

Grilled Chicken Sandwich: We started things off with the Grilled Chicken Sandwich. I loved how this sandwich arrived in three sections on a small cutting board along with a pickle and fries. Served between toasted multigrain bread, this chicken was very tender and flavorful on its own but that’s just the beginning because you also get some wonderful sopressata and mozzarella cheese in this sandwich. The sopressata adds a slight peppery and garlic taste to the chicken and the mozzarella adds that mild cheesy goodness. What really made this sandwich great was the olive tapenade that was applied to each section of the sandwich. The tapenade will immediately remind of really good pesto. Together with the nuttiness and crispness of the multigrain bread, this sandwich will take you through several flavors and textures. I usually find chicken sandwich somewhat boring or lacking in the flavor department but this chicken sandwich is definitely one I would order again!

BLT Burger: Let me just say that I really enjoyed this burger. Every restaurant always seems to have their own idea of what “medium” or “well done” is supposed to be and any time I order meat or a burger in a new place I am always hoping that they get the temperature right. I ordered my burger medium and it arrived perfectly pink and medium. The beef was very tender and really juicy. The kind of juicy that runs down the length of your arm and makes a wonderful stain on your shirt which you wore to work. Taking a small sample of just the beef, I was happy to say that it was well seasoned. The gooey aged cheddar cheese was generous and distinct in flavor with just a slight sharpness.  If it was up to me I would have extra sharp cheese on all of my burgers. You may also not realize how important a good bun is when it comes to burgers. Personally, I love burgers that are served on English muffins but this bun was very soft and slightly sweet and worked really well to absorb the juiciness of the beef. Lastly, I must not forget about the glorious bacon! This was some really great bacon. Really thick and double smoked, this bacon had the perfect crispiness/chewiness ratio and an excellent smokey flavor. This burger is definitely going on my downtown list of great burgers.

Scottish Salmon Burger: You can tell by the photo that you get a generous amount of salmon on this burger. Unfortunately what you cannot tell from the photo is that the salmon was completely unseasoned. I took a few bites of it just to makes sure and yes it was good quality salmon but it was completely blah. A definite salt & pepper crisis! You might think that this was the end of the salmon burger but luckily the burger came with three things that saved the day! There were red onions, some wonderful avocado, and a really nice cayenne tartar sauce. After applying some of that creamy tartar sauce things dramatically improved. Together with the red onions and avocado, this burger finally picked up some flavor! I really think this could have been an excellent salmon burger if the salmon was properly seasoned. Thank goodness for avocado and tartar sauce!

Fries and pickles: Fries and pickles were served with all of the aforementioned dishes. The fries at BLT Bar & Grill are excellent! Perfectly crispy, slightly battered, and with just the right amount of salt. As for pickles, if you love sour and salty pickles as much as I do then you will definitely love these.

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It’s really great seeing downtown Manhattan coming back to life after so many years. BLT Bar & Grill is a great addition to the many new restaurants in the area. Their food is good, if somewhat pricey, but I will definitely return again for lunch when I’m craving a really good burger not to mention that I’m also curious about their dinner offerings. And yes I don’t just eat in Brooklyn!

Maison Premiere
298 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn 11211
(Btwn 1st & Grand St)

A couple of months ago my friend and I stumbled upon this wonderful spot while walking around Williamsburg. Upon approaching Maison Premiere, my attention was immediately drawn to the beautiful facade which invited you to enter a different time and era. Once we stepped into the bar it was like stepping through a time machine back to the 1800’s. You see Maison Premiere was constructed with great care to recreate an Absinthe bar straight out of the late 1800’s French Quarter in New Orleans. I often speak of my love for anything old and historic and this place sure did have it all down to the finest details. From a bar with antique bottles and labels, to bartenders dressed in classy authentic garb from that time period, to a bathroom with an old drawstring toilet. Now you may think I came there for the Absinthe but that could not be farther from the truth because as it turns out I despise anything that tastes like black licorice or Anise and yes I’ve tried it numerous times. What I was there for was the oyster happy hour! I’ve been to several oyster happy hours in various places before and most of the time I was very disappointed. I came with high expectations.

Oysters: I was instantly impressed the moment I took a look at the happy hour oyster menu. The selection was fantastic! Usually oyster happy hour implies a few oysters that perhaps were fished out of the Gowanus Canal or oysters that are so tiny you need a set of tweezers to eat them. I had to control myself because I basically wanted to order every single oyster from that menu and for a buck each could you blame me! After calming down and coming to my senses, for Round 1 we decided to go with the Shooting Point Salts, the Conway Royals, the Malpeques and the Elkhorn oysters. Each and every oyster is freshly shucked outside in the gorgeous garden area so we knew these oysters were as fresh as we could possibly get them. Our oysters arrived on a lovely bed of ice and we couldn’t wait to dig into them. After applying some horseradish and a touch of cocktail sauce we systematically went through each oyster. The Shooting Point Salts were meaty, briny, and delicious.  The Conway Royals had a lovely sweetness. The Malpeques have a great balance between brininess and sweetness. Last but not least were the Malpeques which were meaty, briny, and with a slight mineral quality to them. These oysters were super fresh and outstandingly delicious! There was no way we could stop now so we had to go for Round 2.  This time we had some more Shooting Points, some Block Islands, and the Wild Cocktails. The Block Islands were nice and briny. I cannot recall the taste of the Wild Cocktails but what I can definitely tell you is that every single oyster was super fresh and simply delicious! It’s a good thing 7pm rolled around and happy hour came to an end because I could have easily put away a few dozen more of these beauties!

Jonah Crab: There’s no way I can pass on crab if I spot it on a menu and since I’ve never had a Jonah crab before, I figured this would be an excellent time to try one.  These North Atlantic crabs are related to the Dungeness crab but are somewhat smaller. If you have ever had Stone crab then you will find that the claws of Jonah crabs are quite similar in density. The flavor is lightly sweet and very delicious but the biggest downside is that Jonah crabs are the kind of crabs that require a lot of work for a small reward. They are meaty but getting to all that tastiness requires patience. I always like to say that food tastes so much better if you work hard for it!

Alaskan King Crab: As tasty as the Jonah Crab was, my hunger for crabs was still unsatisfied. What does one do when you want large amounts of fresh crab meat without having to do a ton of work? You order some Alaskan King Crab legs of course! These crab legs were absolutely heavenly! Ridiculously fresh and so sweet and tender. None of that aftertaste of a frozen crab. I could eat these things forever but as well all know from watching The Deadliest Catch, Alaskan King crab is far from cheap.

Shrimp & Andouille Gumbo: Now I’ve never been to New Orleans (I know, shame on me!) but most of us know that gumbo is a very popular dish with roots set deep in Louisiana. This gumbo was thick and hearty. It was also very flavorful and with a great spicy kick. The tender shrimp were perfectly cooked and were a great contrast to the sweet, spicy, and smokey Andouille sausage. Definitely give this gumbo a shot!

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If you love oysters then you absolutely must make your way to Maison Premiere, especially for the $1 oyster happy hour which starts daily at 4pm and ends at 7pm! The oyster selection is incredible not to mention how fresh each oyster is. It is by far the best oyster happy hour that I have currently been to. If you love Absinthe and drinks that are prepared with the loving care and precision of a magical potion then you must go to Maison Premiere! The outdoor garden area is lush, green, and simply magical! It will make you feel completely secluded from the outside world while you are indulging on some of the finest and tastiest treasures from the sea.

The V Spot
156 5th Ave, Brooklyn NY11217
(Btwn Douglass & Degraw St)

People are often surprised to hear that I really enjoy good vegetarian/vegan cuisine every now and then. After a couple of rich meals, such as the ones you have seen here on this blog, I definitely prefer to eat something a little less fatty and a lot more healthy. I am by no means a vegetarian and will never be one but for all of you carnivores out there,  believe it or not but vegetarian food can not only be healthy but quite tasty as well. I think the key to really enjoying vegetarian fare is not to go in expecting something to feel and taste exactly like meat. Although many places, including The V Spot, do an amazing job of imitating the textures and flavors of certain meats, a picky eater would more than likely pick up on the subtle differences. For years I used to think that vegetarian bacon was not only impossible but ridiculous, that is until I actually tried some. I was pretty amazed! 

Maduros: Typically maduros are ripe sweet plantains that are fried in large amounts of oil or butter. Sometimes sugar is also added to increase caramelization and sweetness. Although they can be very delicious and make a great side dish to many Latin American meals, they are not something I would recommend if you just came out of a triple bypass. On that note, I am quite certain that the maduros at The V Spot are a lot more healthier. Once we got our order I immediately noticed that these maduros were not oily or greasy at all. Perhaps they were baked? The maduros on their own were sweet and delicious however I did miss that sweet crispy crust from a typically fried maduro. What really made these maduros stand out was the coconut curry sauce. You get a really unique flavor from the combined sweetness of the maduros, the coconut, and the curry. If it was up to me, I would serve this sauce with maduros everywhere!

Buffalo Chicken: Ok so maybe they didn’t look very much like buffalo wings. Actually, when we were served this appetizer it looked more like mini chicken drumsticks. Now I cannot say with certainty what The V Spot used to make this buffalo chicken but usually seitan or tempeh is involved when it comes to faux chicken. The chicken had a great crispy crust and you would be surprised about the texture because it came pretty damn close to actual chicken. If you close your eyes you could probably believe it’s chicken except for the slight chewiness. I always like to try something initially without any sauce to get an idea of its true flavor and this buffalo chicken was really flavorful even without the buffalo sauce. The buffalo sauce added a nice amount of spice and tasted like your typical buffalo sauce. I then proceeded to try the chicken with the “blue cheese” dip. Clearly it’s not real blue cheese but the flavor definitely comes pretty close to the real thing. I just wish the dip was thicker and creamy because it seemed somewhat watery. In any case, the buffalo chicken made a great appetizer without having the actual guilt from consuming a bucket of real chicken wings!

Sesame Seitan: I guess if I were to compare this dish to something then I would probably say it resembled beef teriyaki. The sauteed seitan had a great texture! It was tender and in my mind I immediately associated it with beef. The onions, broccoli, and scallions were crisp and flavorful. Overall this dish was very flavorful but at the same time I thought that it was extremely too sweet. That sweetness came from the agave sesame sauce. Luckily the soft and fluffy quinoa helped in reduce the sweetness but I would have preferred it if they went easy on the agave sauce. The sweetness seemed to dominate this dish.

V Spot Burrito: This is one of my personal favorites at The V Spot because it so closely resembles an authentic burrito. You have your guacamole, brown rice, black beans, vegan sour cream, and salsa but the real magical ingredient is the vegan carne molida. Carne molida translates to “ground meat” which is usually beef or pork. Obviously The V Spot did not harm any animals in the making of this burrito but I was really impressed over how close their vegan carne molida resembled actual ground beef, both in texture and in taste. The burrito was very flavorful but if you want even more flavor then order it with some vegan cheese!

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Not all vegetarian restaurants are created equally! Often times people will think that just because a restaurant is vegetarian that it must be healthy. Not true! Some places will use artificial ingredients and all sorts of other strange cosmic elements in order to enhance the flavors of their food. Other places may decide to use large amount of sugar, salt, or MSG. Have you ever taken a look at the ingredient list on some of those vegetarian burgers or vegetarian bacon?! You’ll need a Ph.D in chemistry in order to figure out what you just ate. Not so at The V Spot! The V Spot takes great pride in offering its customers the most freshest or organic ingredients without any kind of artificial fillers or flavor enhancers. If you’re looking for a healthy alternative after a weekend of mass gluttony or you simply want to wet your feet in vegetarian cuisine then you should definitely give The V Spot a try! It’s not very often that one can walk away feeling good after scarfing down some buffalo chicken and a burrito.

P.S. Try their breakfast. I love their vegan pancakes!

Right Fork Diner
12 Mattakesett Way
Edgartown, Massachusetts 02539 
Martha’s Vineyard

Believe it or not but I actually do have one more passion that is somewhat greater than just stuffing my face! Since childhood, I have always been fascinated by airplanes and aviation. At one point in time I was even aiming for it to be my career. That never panned out but I am still, super slowly but surely, pursuing my private pilot’s license. I would probably have my license much sooner if it wasn’t for my second passion: food and eating! This past Saturday was one of those weekends where I get to combine the best of both worlds which is flying and eating!
A good friend of mine owns a Cirrus SR-22 which is an amazing aircraft. I am always very excited and grateful when he invites me on one of his flights and the flight this weekend was to Martha’s Vineyard. I love Martha’s Vineyard for its beautiful historic homes, its food, its beaches but most of all it’s nostalgic Katama Airfield. This beautiful grass strip airfield really takes you back in time to the days of barnstormers and the days when aviation was still young. Katama Airfield also has one other wonderful thing and that would most definitely have to be the Right Fork Diner. C’mon you didn’t actually think I wasn’t going to talk about food eventually now did you?!

Crab Cake Sandwich: Martha’s Vineyard is known for its excellent seafood and I am a huge seafood lover so you do the math! I was torn between the scallops or the Crab Cake Sandwich. I’m glad I went with the Crab Cake Sandwich! Fresh lumps of crabmeat that you can actually see as opposed to those awful frozen crabcakes which look like they pureed in a blender and then molded into the shape of a patty. This crab meat was fresh and lightly sweet with a touch of lemon garlic aioli to give a slight creamy tartness to the crab meat. Packed inside a fresh and soft brioche bun lettuce and tomato, this sandwich is sure to please! Personally I would have preferred this crabcake with only half of the brioche bun or even no bun at all in order to fully take in that fresh crab meat flavor. I will tell you one thing however, there is nothing like sitting outside in the sun by an old airfield, watching vintage airplanes takeoff and land while enjoying some great food. The simplest of pleasures.

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Should you ever be in Martha’s Vineyard then I highly recommend you pay a visit to Katama Airfield for a trip back in time to simpler days gone by.  Get yourself a bite to eat at the Right Fork Diner and then finally take a ride in one of their awesome biplanes! Then again for some of you perhaps it would be wiser to eat after the ride in the biplane.

India Place
655 Vanderbilt Ave, Brooklyn 11238
(At Prospect Pl)

It’s been way too long since I’ve had any Indian cuisine. Luckily, my friend was armed with a wide assortment of Groupons and one of them just happened to be for India Place. When I finally met my friend at the restaurant, I noticed that we were the only customers there initially. It’s funny how we instantly tend to draw  conclusions about a restaurant we’ve never been to simply because there’s few people or no people seated. Over the years I’ve learned that occupancy is not always the best indicator of food quality. There have been numerous times when I found myself eating terrible food at places that were jammed with people. Clearly they must have all been delusional or brainwashed.

Naan: Not only is good naan an essential part of any great Indian restaurant but it’s also a must-have for sopping up those incredibly rich curries and sauces. India Place had several types of naan which included ground lamb, coconut & spices, cheese, and finally garlic. Being the gluttons that we are we of course ordered a combination of all four. The naan arrived stacked and piping hot with a wonderful aroma of garlic. The dough was nicely soft and chewy and really tasted great just on its own. Of the four naans that we ordered, my favorites were the garlic naan and the lamb naan because each their flavors stood out distinctly. For some reason I could not really taste the cheese in the cheese naan nor the coconut in the coconut naan. Overall though the naan was great and I knew it would come in handy for the rest of the food which we had ordered.

Chicken Liver: Yes I know many people cringe at the mere mention of liver! However, I have always loved liver of all sorts such as chicken liver, lamb liver, or fish liver. I’m sure there are plenty of other animals who’s livers I have yet to try but I will get there eventually. If I did not tell you this was liver and if you didn’t really notice the texture,  I don’t think you would have recognized it as such because although it was delicious, it lacked that distinct liver flavor that most people dread. This was probably due to the very rich curry sauce that it came in. The sauce was thick, sweet, spicy, and definitely delicious. It definitely subdued that typical liver taste. The liver was served with poori (unleavened Indian bread) which resembled a children’s balloon sitting on my plate but tear off a piece of that poori and scoop up some of that liver and sauce because it is just yummy and actually much better than what I was expecting. This chicken liver was definitely a great appetizer which we devoured in no time!

Goan Salmon Curry and Goan Shrimp Curry: Why am I mentioning two entrees in one description here? It’s because I realized later on that my friend and I had essentially ordered the same dish with the exception of one being with salmon and the other being with shrimp. The menu does mention another Shrimp Curry but I am pretty sure that we ordered the Goan version of each dish. In any case, they were both great! The Goan Salmon Curry contained large chunks of very tender salmon in a richly thick coconut curry sauce made with sautéed onions, lime juice, and various other spices. The overall flavor was very rich, sweet, and not spicy so if you’re looking for a dish with a lot of spicy heat, this is not it. We made good use of all that naan we ordered. Dip that naan into the sauce or stuff a piece of that naan with some salmon or shrimp…..Mmmmmmm! My friend thought that the shrimps were slightly overcooked but I thought they were fine. Both dishes were very heavy and very filling plus with all of that naan and basmati rice we were really stuffed to the gills! It’s too bad that we ordered two seafood dishes in an identical sauce but that’s what happens when you’re starving and not paying close attention. I would definitely recommend either dish. The sauce alone is perfect for combining with the rice and for dipping the naan.

Rice Pudding: We were so stuffed that we had no intentions of ordering dessert (Shocking I know!) but that still did not stop the waiter from bringing over some rice pudding which was on the house. Honestly, I am almost 99% certain that the rice pudding came from a can of Jello Rice Pudding and then had some coconut flakes added to it but no matter because it was free and gracious. 

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India Place turned out to be much better than we had anticipated. The lack of a crowd really did not matter because the food spoke for itself. Our dinner was delicious and satisfying! A return visit will definitely be necessary in the future in order to further explore their comprehensive menu.

Kaz An Nou
53 6th Ave, Brooklyn 11217
(between Dean St & Bergen St)

Last week my friends and I were seriously craving some Caribbean cuisine. I was in search of some goat curry and perhaps some oxtail while my friends were set on jerked chicken. My friend has been telling me for quite some now about an amazing spot called The Islands which is located by the The Brooklyn Library so we quickly grabbed cab to make our way over there. After dealing with some moderate Brooklyn traffic we were disappointed to discover that they were closed (I’m still trying to figure out their hours). Being pretty hungry, we needed a plan B quickly.  I then recalled another friend of mine mentioning a great French Caribbean spot around Dean and Bergen so without leaving the cab we headed back again. Now I’m not a gambling man but I was betting that Caribbean cuisine plus French Cuisine is a win-win in my book. Let’s just say that we hit the jackpot!

Accras: Think of the usual potato fritters except these fritters were made with sweet potato and salted cod fish. What I really enjoyed about these fritters is that they were made with a certain sweet potato that was not overbearingly sweet. It was lightly sweet and allowed you to pickup some of that saltiness from the fish. I also loved that the fritters were very crispy on the outside while being soft and moist on the inside. The fritters were very tasty on their own but one dip into that spicy aioli gave these fritters a wonderful spicy kick which made them even more delicious.

Escargots: There is no way I can ever step into any French restaurant without sampling their escargot. That’s like coming to New York and not trying a bagel!This was definitely not your ordinary escargot. What made this escargot different from the rest was the Caribbean influence. As soon as I took one bite of those very tender snails, I was hit with a really nice flavor of spicy curry. Mixed with the butter and garlic, the curry provided a noticeable amount of spice. After devouring the snails, make sure you mop up all that leftover sauce with some bread!

Pate en Croute: I will tell you right now that out of the 3 appetizers we had, this was my absolute favorite! This was a puff pastry that was stuffed with pheasant pate with brie cheese, herbs, and rum & truffle oil. The pastry itself was fantastic! So soft, warm,  and chewy! The texture reminded me of a fresh cinnamon roll. The tender pieces of pheasant pate were flavorful and the blue cheese had just the right amount of pungent sharpness to it but not enough to overpower the other flavors.  I love rich flavorful foods and this certainly fit that category. This appetizer, if made larger, would easily make a wonderful entree.

Poulet a l’Estragon: At last we had found our jerked chicken but once again this was quite far from the typical jerked chicken I’ve had before. Two things stood out to me after tasting this chicken. The really distinct smokey flavor and the incredible tenderness of the chicken itself. The smokiness combined with tarragon plus the rich and creamy honey sauce was just amazing! The sweetness of sauce also goes really well with the slightly sour goat cheese found in this dish. One thing that I must not forget to mention is the coconut rice which accompanied this dish. I could have easily eaten an entire bucket of this rice alone!  Lightly sweet and slightly sticky, the rice is even more delicious when combined with some of that honey sauce. If you want to be pleasantly surprised and you enjoy great smokey flavors then this jerked chicken is a must have!

Agoulou: The menu indicated that this was a West Indian style grass-fed burger. I cannot really tell you what exactly what is meant by “West Indian style”. but what I can tell you is that the meat was wonderfully juicy, tender, and flavorful with some spice. One of my measuring standards for a great burger has always been the quality and flavor of the beef itself.  I always take a piece of the beef by itself in order to isolate the flavor the beef. If the beef patty tastes good all on its own then you are already on your way to a great burger. This burger was ordered with blue cheese and avocado salsa. If you hate blue cheese then odds are you would hate this burger but if you’re a lover of the blue as much as I am then you will most certainly appreciate this burger. The blue cheese was definitely pronounced but not overpowering. The chunky avocado salsa added a nice flavor and texture contrast.  The bun was perfectly soft and held everything nicely together. Last but not least were the sweet potato fries which were probably made from the same lightly sweet potatoes as were the fritters. They were crispy and with just the right amount of salt. The homemade ketchup was delicious as well. Overall a great burger! The next time I would probably try this burger with a fried egg since that can only make things better.

Confit: Finally we come to the wonderful duck confit. Confit is generally duck or goose cooked in its own fat and spices after which it is preserved. The result is usually a very tender piece of meat with the flavor penetrating deep into the meat itself. Once again this was duck confit but duck confit with a Caribbean twist! The confit consisted of a thick, rich, and sweet & spicy mango sauce covering a duck leg. The meat was “fall off the bone” tender and the skin was perfectly crisp. The sauce reminded me very much of a thick and sweet BBQ sauce with a nice spicy kick. A terrific change to the usual duck confit!  You’ll also be happy to know that the duck is served with more of that fabulous coconut rice. A highly recommended dish for sure!

Spicy Chocolate Cake: Moving on to dessert, we started things off with the spicy chocolate cake. This may not be for everyone but personally I love how well a hot pepper works with the flavor of dark chocolate. It’s really a great combination but only if you appreciate spice. The cake had a rich molten chocolate center and was covered with a sweet coconut sauce and coconut shavings. It had wonderfully soft and moist texture. A great way to experience some spicy chocolate if you’ve never had it before!

Coconut Flan: I am a complete fanatic when it comes to flan. It is definitely one of my all-time favorite desserts and I’m constantly searching for great flan. I cannot necessarily say this was great flan but it was definitely good flan and this is most likely based on a personal preference because I like my flan very rich, very sweet, and very smooth.

Peach Clafoutis: And finally we come to the Peach Clafoutis. If you’re tired of the typical Creme Brulee then you simply have to give this dessert a shot. Think of a Creme Brulee but without the sugary crust. It has a wonderful custard that is like a mix of flan and batter and is not overly sweet. The baked peaches melt in your mouth and add just the right amount of sweet and tart. I will definitely have this dessert again!

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We were starving and dead set on having Caribbean food but luckily the disappoint of not being able to eat at The Islands led us to Kaz An Nou which turned out to be a fantastic alternative. The food was overall very delicious and very unique. It was a great way to experience a combination of two different cuisines combined in a delicious harmony. Kan An Nou when translated literally means “Our House” and that is exactly how you feel when you step inside.  Very warm, homely, and with a very welcoming personality. The only thing this home does not serve is booze but you’ll be happy to know that at least BYOB is perfectly acceptable there. I will be making a return trip to try some other things from their menu such as the tilapia and their quiche.

Le Petit Cafe
502 Court St, Brooklyn 11231
(Btwn Nelson & Luquer St)

I started going to Le Petit ages ago. Actually it was so long ago that I remember that the only things they served were coffee and desserts plus there was definitely no outdoor seating area in the back. There was one specific thing that always kept me coming back. It was their Iced Green Tea Latte. It was seriously amazing! I remember at one point they changed the recipe or used a different mix for the latte. A bad but brief move. Luckily they went back to the original. Over the years I have seen Le Petit Cafe evolve into a full service restaurant with one of the most beautiful interiors and seating areas I have seen. Their food was always tasty. Fast forward to Father’s Day 2012. On that blistering hot day I took my folks to Le Petit since their back seating area is not only gorgeous but it is also shaded from the sun. The perfect brunch spot while escaping the heat! What followed was something that I refer to as “A bad food day.”.

Steak & Eggs: My dad, being the constant carnivore that he is, started off with steak & eggs. Many times if I do not intervene, my father will order a steak well done and it would arrive with the texture of a burned shoe but I managed to get my 2 cents in and order his steak medium. I was pleased to see that it arrived with a pink center as opposed to a piece of charcoal. Unfortunately that was the only thing pleasing about the steak & eggs. Although the meat did arrive medium it was still pretty tough and chewy. That of course is not necessarily a fault in the preparation. It can sometimes be simply attributed to a bad cut of meat. Secondly, besides being somewhat tough and fatty, the steak lacked any flavor. Even the most fundamental and basic steak seasoning (salt & pepper) was missing. The potatoes were just as flavorless as the steak. Let’s just say that the tastiest part of that dish were the eggs and the whole wheat toast.

Shrimp Omelette: Things only proceeded to head further downhill after the steak & eggs. My mom ordered the shrimp omelette. Seriously, this was one of the most blandest omelettes I have ever had. It simply tasted like it had no seasoning. The shrimp inside it were quite bland as well. The only thing that slightly helped it were the slices of avocado and a sprinkle of some salt. Some cheese or spices could have definitely helped or if all else fails then just throw in the emergency food lifesaver: bacon.

Veggie Burger: I decided to go with the veggie burger since I had consumed a little too much meat that week plus I always love a good veggie burger. This was definitely not a good veggie burger. The texture of it felt like paste. I like a veggie burger with some defined texture and firmness but this was just too mushy. As for the flavor department, it just wasn’t good. It was something like salty beans except the beans were put through a blender and turned into goo.

Banana Bread Pudding: You have no idea how much I was hoping that dessert would step in and save the day but alas it was not so. The bread pudding was not bad but it wasn’t great either.  It was served lukewarm and the texture was somewhat lumpy. It was decent but I was expecting more.

Tiramisu: It was just ok. I’ve had way better.

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I know this was quite a disappointing review but please don’t be shocked when I tell you that Le Petit Cafe really does have great food. I’ve had countless delicious brunches there and several great dinners. Maybe they were just having a bad day which can happen even at your favorite restaurant. Maybe they had a different chef? Maybe Uranus was not aligned with Venus?  Who knows? Whatever was the reason,  it will not deter me from returning. It will take another bad meal for me to reconsider Le Petit. Believe me, it really is a gorgeous restaurant with great food offerings and wonderful atmosphere. Although on that day I was not happy with any of the food items we ordered, what did matter was that my folks still enjoyed their food and the lovely atmosphere.  As always, your mileage may vary.

Juventino
370 5th Ave, Brooklyn 11215
(Btwn 5th & 6th St)

If I had a nickel for every time I walked by this place and said to myself “This place looks gorgeous! I really need to eat here one day soon.” then I would probably have $342 in my pocket. There are times when you can walk by a restaurant and simply stop in your tracks to gaze at its beauty. You may know nothing about what type of cuisine they serve, you may not even know if the food is any good but the atmosphere alone compels you to step inside. This was exactly how I felt about Juventino after we finally managed to set foot inside. I knew nothing of their food and prior to going there I did not scour the internet for any kind of info. We entered Juventino completely blind and not knowing what to expect and sometimes that can truly be rewarding. My only question was “Will their food be as good as the place looks?”.

Roasted Garlic: As opposed to the usual bread & butter one might expect, we were pleasantly surprised to receive this instead. A roasted garlic bulb, some bread crisps, and a small plate of butter with what appeared to be sage leaves on top. I love garlic in any which way shape or form but there’s something really delicious about fresh roasted garlic. It was sweet and buttery and worked so well with the crisps. Speaking of butter, I had almost forgotten about the small plate of butter. This was no ordinary butter! Incredibly creamy and smooth, this butter was sweetened with what I thought to be nutmeg. Combine the butter, the garlic, and the crisps and you have one delicious appetizer. I could easily have eaten that entire plate of butter on my own and those sage leaves I had mentioned earlier, they were fantastic!

Oysters: I was immediately impressed with the wonderful selection of oysters on Juventino’s menu. Now I am no oyster snob and I do not pretend to know what every single oyster out there tastes like which is why it is always so pleasant to see an oyster menu that has descriptions of each type. I love all kinds of oysters  but I will usually lean toward the sweeter variety. I ordered 3 Kumomotos and 3 Hama Hamas. The oysters were incredibly fresh and were served with a wonderful onion and pepper vinaigrette sauce which was definitely a very nice change to the usual cocktail sauce usually served with oysters. The oysters were fantastic and delicious! I can definitely see myself returning for some oysters and drinks at Juventino.

Bouquet Salad: Quite frankly this could have been a better salad if it was not for 2 problems. Although the vinaigrette dressing was light and tasty, the crispy capers were a major distraction because to put it simply they were like like little balls of salt. Regular capers would have been just fine in my opinion or at least capers without an entire day’s worth of sodium content. Secondly, this salad was leafy and when I say leafy I mean you could probably use these leaves to build a small rain shelter. A machete, instead of a knife, might have proven to be more useful in attempting to eat this. I usually do not prefer my vegetation to be jungle-sized. Unfortunately this salad got a definite thumbs down.

Australian Lamb: After we finally finished our battle with the overgrown salad, this magnificent piece of meat arrived! A beautiful, juicy, and perfectly cooked- medium rack of lamb. The lamb was incredibly tender in the middle while lightly crisp on the outside. As most meat eaters already know, it takes nothing more than just salt & pepper to season a high quality piece of meat and achieve great flavor. Now I am not some organic fanatic or anything remotely like that however I always notice a difference in taste when eating organic meats. This lamb was very fresh and although I cannot really describe it, the flavor of meat is so much better when it’s not injected with more steroids than Arnold Schwarzenegger. Should the natural flavor of the lamb not be enough for your taste buds then one application of the sauce, in which the lamb was served, will most definitely take you to new heights. A sweet and rich sauce which somewhat reminded me of the sauce on the Filet For Two at Flatbush Farm as mentioned in my last posting. The accompanying Israeli couscous was excellent as well. I have always enjoyed it so much more than regular couscous mostly because of the shape and the slightly chewy texture. The slightly bitter greens were also a nice contrast to the sweetness of the sauce. Overall it was probably one of the best lamb dishes I’ve had in a long time. Don’t be shy and make sure you take each lamb chop into your hands and get every last morsel off of it!

Roasted Free Range Chicken: I am not usually very excited whenever I see roasted chicken on a menu. Often times I have found it to be a very boring dish with many places serving it quite dry and with hardly any flavor. However lately I have had several encounters with really delicious roasted chicken and Juventino is definitely going on that list. First of all the presentation is quite lovely to say the least. A piece of roasted chicken laying on top of what one might even call, from a distance, sushi rolls. Fear not because it’s definitely not sushi but additional chicken that reminded me a little of chicken rollatini. The chicken was prepared in a very interesting style called sous vide. This cooking technique involves placing the seasonsed chicken into a vacuum sealed plastic pouch and cooking it slowly at low temperatures. The result was a piece of chicken that was succulent and juicy. The flavor and seasonings had penetrated the meat completely so each bite was tender and delicious but the flavor definitely did not end there because accompanying this bird was a white truffle honey sauce. Lightly sweet and simply OMG! The roasted veggies were divine in that sauce as well. It was so good that I even had to dip a piece of my lamb into it. So much for standard boring roasted chicken! Fantastic and highly recommended.

Creme Brulee: I used to be a creme brulee fanatic many years ago. Eventually I had eaten so much of it that I got bored with it and eventually stopped ordering it altogether but once in a while I will give another go.  I have to say that this was an above average creme brulee. I don’t like creme brulee that’s served at room temperature or even cool. It should be served hot to warm and it should have a smooth, creamy, and very rich consistency. This creme brulee definitely met all of that criteria with flying colors. It was rich and buttery goodness that I would easily recommend to any fan of creme brulee.

Black Sesame Bar with Dark Chocolate: From black sesame bubble tea to halva, I really enjoyed sesame based desserts. They are usually dense and very sweet so it’s no wonder I was intrigued by the dessert offering at Juventino. The Black Sesame Bar has a nice brownie-like consistency. It was sweet but not as sweet as other sesame desserts I have had before. A bit of orange marmalade on top adds a nice little bittersweet tang. What really makes it yummy is when you add some of that creamy chocolate to it. The combination is delicious even though I am not a fan of dark chocolate.

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I am so glad that I finally made my way to Juventino! It’s a beautiful space that reminds me of some restaurants in Cape Cod. Although we sat inside because it was a blistering hot evening, Juventino has a wonderful outdoor space which is just as beautiful as the inside area. The food (minus the crazy salad) was excellent. The large oyster selection was an added bonus as well. There is no doubt in my mind that I will return for another dinner or perhaps try their brunch. If nothing else go to Juventino, sit outside, have many oysters, and have many drinks.