ELIZABITES

June 7, 2010 · 12:05 am

Recession special at Fatty Cue

Pabst Tall Boy, shot of whiskey, shot of pickle back

I never really order whiskey shots or PBR Tall boys, but when paired with a shot of spicy, salty, frothy pickle back (juice), the trifecta was brilliant and awesome. The “Recession Special” at Fatty Cue in Brooklyn is comprised of all three for $6, and there’s a sipping order (bourbon first, then pickle back, followed by a sip of beer). I actually could’ve chugged an entire glass of the pickle back (which reminded of my parents’ homemade pickles), and our server was kind enough to bring us an extra shot. It was the perfect pre-spicy-dinner “cocktail,” and as the recession continues to lift, this libation trio definitely needs to stay (along with the coriander bacon, pork spare ribs, and crab laksa). Fatty Cue, 91 S. 6th Street, Brooklyn, N.Y.

Ah, elotes…

Elotes at Num Pang, NYC

I found my new summer snack. Elotes, or grilled corn on the cob served on the streets in Mexico and slathered with condiments from butter to sour cream and salt. They had a Cambodian twist, but I fell in love with the grilled corn on the cob at Num Pang, a Union Square sandwich shop I’ve gushed over before. They serve theirs with chili mayo, coconut flakes, chili powder and a lime wedge. Then just this past weekend..

Elotes at Juicy

Elotes came into my life again, this time in Chicago at Juicy. Owner Chris Dunstatter was grilling some up for the holiday, and was kind enough to send us a sample, generously slathered with butter and chili powder. It was an awesome way to start the Memorial Day weekend..and a snack that hopefully makes their permanent menu. Num Pang, 21 E. 12th St. NYC; Juicy, 694 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago

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Filed under ..and more, Best bite

May 26, 2010 · 12:05 am

Pegu Club

Not a mystery post, the window grates at Pegu Club

Continuing on, the journey continued to Pegu Club, a Indochine-inspired speakeasy I have heard about and had been strangely captivated by ever since I interviewed mixologist extraordinaire-owner Audrey Saunders. The place is the epitome of hidden, tucked away on Houston street, it’s dark, narrow and full of surprises, the first being how totally amazing the smoked trout deviled eggs were..

Smoked trout deviled eggs

Deviled eggs. I mean, really, can they be passed up? But wait, we are sitting at a dark temple of mixology where bitters and tinctures linger behind the bar, Kold-Draft ice cubes clink in glasses, and rye, gin and whiskey meld with fresh fruit juices, fruit liqueurs and more in elegant glasses!! The drinks are fantastic, but the smoked trout deviled eggs snack more than deserve a shout-out. Hickory-smoked rainbow trout is whipped into the yolk along with curry mayonnaise, and thin crunchy slices of almond and tiny chopped chives are sprinkled on top. I could’ve eaten an entire tray for dinner, but we had drinks to try …

The Plum Lady and the Scofflaw

I ordered the Plum Lady; gin, plum wine, lemon juice, Peychaud’s bitters, plum brandy and cherry liqueur with a skewered dried plum as a garnish. It was a stronger than I thought it would be, but not too sweet or overly fruity, and perfectly balanced so that one spirit didn’t dominate, rather they comingled perfectly in the glass, with the help of a bit of sugar and touch of lemon juice. My companion went for the Scofflaw; rye, vermouth, Grenadine and lemon juice garnished with an edible flower. A mix of tart and sweet, it was similar to a Sidecar, but softer, and in his words, “like whiskey in slippers.” It, too, went devilishly well with the eggs. Pegu Club, 77 W. Houston, NYC

El Quinto Pino

Ok, so I have somewhat recovered from a whirlwind eating-playing-shopping weekend in NYC, and just getting back to blogging. With a the help of a diehard foodie friend and native New Yorker, I was clued in to a few random, but totally delicious items hidden around town, and we made a weekend of trying to stuff as much as we could in without getting kicked out for ordering just one dish (no lie, it happened). So the next few posts will reveal just a few of our best bites. I adore the lighting in pretty much every NYC restaurant, deli or cafe, but it’s not totally conducive to food photography, so bear with the mood-setting glow on some of these..anyway, we start with the uni panini at El Quinto Pino…

Uni panini

It’s not a new dish, but intriguing all the same, an uni sandwich, can you go wrong? I’ll admit, I had never had uni (sea urchin), and was told it was a love-it-or-hate it situation. I loved it, soft, almost mousse-like texture and all, but this sandwich? Not as amazing as it sounded. I did like the presentation, and the skinny baguette was cute, crunchy on the outside and chewy inside, and appropriately buttered. But it almost overpowered the somewhat sparse spread of uni inside. Did it need more heat? Something green? I didn’t know. But what did save our trip to this adorable little hole-in-the-wall restaurant was this..

Gin-basil-lemonade slushie

Written cleverly on a round pole that held the place up was a list of frozen drinks spiked with gin, basil, lemon and I had to have one. It was sweet, tart, refreshing and went down a little too easily. It was the highlight of our two-item stop, but the rest of the menu looked more enticing, from Castilian Cracklin’s to house-cured pork loin with cheese and piquillo peppers. But alas, we had to save room for more stops… El Quinto Pino 401 W. 24th Street, NYC

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Filed under eliz-a-trip, great for date

May 17, 2010 · 12:05 am

On the table: Leo’s Coney Island

Ketchup, mustard, salt, pepper, hot sauce, sugar. 3455 N. Southport

Mystery menu

So, wow. You guys are getting SO good at my mystery posts, it’s not even about the guest-blogging anymore, is it? It’s about just being the first to guess. The last few guessers have been impressively speedy, but no one’s jumping on any guest-blogging opportunities. Hmm. Excuses have run the gamut from, “I can’t write” to “I can’t think of anything to write.” C’mon. I don’t believe it. This one may be my easiest mystery post YET, so please guess only if you’re willing to blog…it’s more fun that way! Anyway, just my two cents on the topic. So please guess the location of this mystery menu for a chance to be a fabulously featured guest blogger. Yay!

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Filed under mystery spot

May 12, 2010 · 12:05 am

Brunch at Prairie Fire

Did you think I’d go to Prairie Fire for the first time and only do a mystery spot on the place? Especially when a bacon waffle is on the menu? Yeah, yeah, bacon waffles, we’ve seen them, but really, can you resist one? Luckily the brunch menu offers relatively heathy items like eggs benedict, local mushroom and goat cheese (I said, relatively) omelets served with potatoes or juicy red tomato slices (I love that this is a side option) and other egg dishes, so you can easily throw in a bacon waffle for the table. Slather it with maple syrup and you’ll be happy you did…the pork doesn’t seem off-balance or over-whelm the fluffy sweet cake. You almost can’t detect it for a few bites, but you soon discover that chef Sarah Stegner’s version of the ironic waffle-du-jour is perfection.

Simple, perfect, bacon-laden goodness

But just when you’ve gotten over that sweet dish, the lemon ricotta pancakes catch your eye. A light-as-air thin stack arrives, bearing specks of lemon rind and fluffy ricotta mixed into the batter. The only thing this dish maaybe needs is a side of blackberries or something colorful, a little tart and sweet, but really, they are just fine stacked up on their own.

Lemon ricotta pancakes at Prairie Fire

Now that decided on sweets to share, the aforementioned local omelette is basic, but delicious. For something heartier and with a kick, order the chiliquiles with sour cream, guac and two eggs.

Omelette with goat cheese and mushrooms

Chiliquiles, and the object of order envy when my companion got this

With a fresh but hearty brunch menu, I can’t wait to get back to Prairie Fire for lunch or dinner, especially on a Tuesday evening when their guest bartender series has guest bartenders shaking things up with mixologist Daniel Sviland behind the bar. 215 N. Clinton Street

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Filed under cheap, tasty brunch, I like to eats, new restaurants

May 10, 2010 · 12:05 am