Fein Dining

After just moving to Sunset Park, I spent many afternoons wandering 4th, 5th, and 8th Avenues, investigating my new neighborhood. At the time, there was a restaurant that was about to be opened called Maria’s Bistro Mexicano on 886 5th Ave. It seemed to be a quaint, slightly more-upscale restaurant that I wanted to try on a Friday or Saturday night instead of venturing into Manhattan or Park Slope for similarly higher-priced Mexican food. I finally went to Maria’s this weekend with my sister, Meg, and friend, Jared.

The three of us were more than impressed with the decor as we walked into Maria’s Bistro Mexicano and were seated at our table. One wall is covered in brick, while the opposite walls are painted in bright colors, like purple and yellow. Each table is decorated with fresh flowers and a molcajete. A good start, and, since it was raining and disgusting outside, a pleasant escape.

After we were seated, we were immediately given chips and salsa, even before we were given our menus. I commented on this at the time, and was impressed with this order of operations. I just liked the idea of immediately being given food after sitting down and before I had to concentrate on ordering my meal. It was refreshing taking those few minutes after being seated eating chips and talking about how much I enjoyed getting chips before the menu, rather than asking Meg and Jared what they were going to get, which is the usual topic of conversation. The chips, by the way, were thick, which I like, but weren’t quite seasoned enough. The salsa was thin, but flavorful and spicy.

After being given our chips, the waiter asked us if we wanted guacamole and at what spiciness. We couldn’t resist guacamole and asked for it hot. He took the molcajate from the table and left. Because the molcajate was on the table, we assumed they made the guacamole there, but weren’t bothered by them making it in the back. I always do feel a little uncomfortable when they make it at the table, not sure how to react to the waiter or waitress mashing the avocado and other ingredients in front of me.

Although we asked for the guacamole to be spicy, it really wasn’t at all. The avocados were fresh and came from a massive pile from a huge molcajate in the back of the restaurant, which was fun, but the guacamole was disappointing and $6. We then ordered our meals. I got the Sopa de Pozole ($4.95) as a starter, which was a soup of hominy corn and chicken in a tomato broth. It came with a plate of avocado slices, lime, lettuce, and radish, which you put in the soup yourself. I really enjoyed it, especially the hominy corn, which I had never had before. The chicken was also tender and juicy.

For entrees Meg got the enchiladas de queso ($8.95), which was in a green tomatillo sauce. The corn tortillas were stuffed with Oaxacan cheese, a more traditional Mexican cheese that I’ve seen in every other Mexican restaurant in Sunset Park. However, I was surprised to see it at Maria’s, which seems to cater less to the Mexican locals and more to white twenty-somethings, like me. The enchiladas were tasty and spicy and better than some of the others I’ve had in the area, but not the best, either.

Jared ordered the grilled beef burrito ($5.95), which he devoured immediately. He didn’t offer me any, which I will not hold against him, so I will assume it was good because he pounded it as quickly as you can pound a burrito and, right after he finished it, he proclaimed that it was “very good.”

I ordered three tacos for dinner, including barbacoa ($3), pork ($2), and shrimp ($3). All were wrapped in two soft corn tortillas, just like all the other tacos I’ve had in the area. The barbocoa taco was filled with lamb, onion, cilantro, tomato and guacamole. The lamb was dry, but pretty tender, and something in the taco was extremely spicy. After the guacamole lack-of-heat weirdness, I thought Maria’s was afraid their customers didn’t want/like spiciness. However, these tacos and Meg’s enchiladas proved this to not be true at all. The guacamole was obviously an aberration. Maybe they forgot the hot peppers. Anyway, the shrimp taco was filled with four nice-sized shrimp, cilantro and tomato and something else that made it really hot. The pork was kind of shredded and pretty moist and was also really spicy.

Although the tacos were really tasty, my main beef with them was the corn tortillas. I’ve discussed before that the tacos in Sunset Park are wrapped in two corn tortillas, but are usually really greasy. My new theory is that they need to be wrapped in two because the inner tortilla is drenched in grease, and the outer tortilla is dryer, making them easier to eat. However, the tacos at Maria’s Bistro Mexicano were not greasy at all, therefore not requiring the second tortilla. Instead of getting a greasy, delicious taco, like at ‘Truck. Stop. Love.,’ you get some tasty meat and veggies wrapped in two dry corn tortillas. Not that great.

Meanwhile, the service was really nice. The food came quickly and they refilled our water frequently. They also asked us if we wanted dessert, but we were too stuffed for it. About ten minutes later two guys brought some flambé to the table, where they lit it in front of us. Miraculously, we were hungry again and finished the plantains quickly, which were really good, and not just because it was free (which might have been because we took pictures of the food). This is not the first time I’ve received free sweets in Sunset Park, by the way. Actually, across the street from Maria’s, at Sunset Park Diner and Donuts, I got a free donut at 1 in the morning (where I didn’t take any pictures). It must be a lucky block.

Although I thought the food at Maria’s Bistro Mexicano was inconsistent and pricier than the other Mexican restaurants in Sunset Park, it was a really enjoyable experience. Decor won’t make or break a restaurant for me, but I liked the obvious thought and time spent on the decorations there. Also, the waiters were really nice and attentive (even before we took pictures). The soup, burrito, enchiladas, and flambé were great, but the tacos and guacamole were just O.K. No doubt I’ll be back, but not when I’m in the mood for tacos.

One week ago today, I went to the #1 restaurant on New York Magazine’s 2006 Cheap Eats list. Tanoreen, a Middle-Eastern restaurant in Bay Ridge, is raved about everywhere I look on the internet and, being just a short trip from Sunset Park, was at the top of my list of places to get a good Saturday lunch.

Much like today, last Saturday was a little chilly, but the sky was bright blue and brought back good memories of October weekends back in New Hampshire. I would often go apple picking with my family, a necessary excursion when in New Hampshire during fall. It was like taking a day trip, but the orchard was only a thirty-minute drive away. We’d all get in the car, drive up the windy, wooded roads up to the beautiful Macoun and McIntosh apple trees at Gould Hill Orchards in Contoocook, New Hampshire. The entire occasion of picking apples is stimulating: the weather is pleasing, the car ride is relaxing, the apples are crisp, and, most thrilling, is the ability to pick up bruised apples from the ground and chucking them at a metal fence.

I was reminded of my apple picking experiences while driving in Jared’s car to Bay Ridge. Instead of trees there are storefronts, but everything else was the same. We were taking a trip for food, and nothing says fall like falafel. The small restaurant was filled with a few other groups, and while we were there a very large group filled the rest of the available tables.

We decided to order an order of hummus and an order of grape leaves as appetizers. While we were waiting for the food, I was reminded by my lunch-mates to take pictures of the appetizers. However, when the food came, we all forgot about the pictures and obliterated the hummus and grapes leaves. The hummus was smooth and light, and served with a basket of pita triangles and toasted bread with herbs and sesame seeds for $5. There were also about ten grape leaves, which were delicate, flavorful, and $5.50. Both the hummus and the grape leaves were the best I’ve ever had. Also, they served us a dish of pickles, pickled beats, and olives with the appetizers.

For lunch the four of us got sandwiches. Meg got falafel for $4, Pat got the chicken for $5.00, Jared got the shish kabob for $5.50, and I got the kabob for $5.50. All of the sandwiches were made with thin pita wrapped around the fresh ingredients of our respective dishes. Fresh is the perfect word for the food at Tanoreen. Everything was crispy, light, simple, and fantastic. This time, I remembered to take pictures.

During our meal, the owner went around to the different tables to ask how the meals were. Whenever this occurs, which it rarely does, and I really enjoy the meal, I try to convey my love of the food as quickly and demonstratively as possible. I forget what I said, but it was probably something like, “awesome,” or “really great.” Two things she’s probably heard many times before about her restaurant.

Although I refrained from chucking the olive pits against the wall with glee, everything else about the day was reminiscent of my boyhood trips to the apple orchard. The weather was perfect, the food was great, the ride was fun, and the change of scenery was nice. Just a short drive or subway trip away from Sunset Park, Tanoreen is the perfect place to escape to for a great meal. Lucky for me, it’s not seasonal.

When I was thinking about writing my own blog weeks ago, I thought that one of my first entries would be about Sake Bar Hagi on 152 W. 49th St. near Times Square. Since this time, I have refined my blog idea into focusing on Sunset Park, Brooklyn, and kind of neglected thinking about one of the greatest restaurant experiences of my entire life – and I’m not being dramatic. Well, maybe I am being dramatic, but I’m not exaggerating.

I found out about this restaurant from “Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations,” one of my favorite shows on television. I don’t want to spend too much time on my man-crush on Mr. Bourdain, so I’ll just say that I find his show as exciting as a show can get. Anyway, he had an episode on New York City and he went to Hagi, which is an ‘izakaya,’ a Japanese bar, of sorts. Of course Mr. Bourdain was raving about how great this place is, and I trust his palate, so I suggested a trip to my friends Henry and Jared, and my sister Meg. This was the best culinary decision I’ve made since coming to New York. And I didn’t even have to do any work, really – thank you Mr. Bourdain.

The four of us met up near the restaurant for dinner, but there was an hour-long wait. Whatever. We waited it out and hung out near Times Square until they called Henry on his cell phone. That’s right, no TGIF-style buzzers at this place – much more personal.

We headed over and got a nice table, where I had a good view of one of their four or five televisions that are hanging off the wall. (This is the type of experience where I have many detailed memories of that night at Hagi, and it bothers me that I can’t remember what college football game was on. All of my senses were heightened while sitting at the table and it’s a shame I can’t remember who was playing. It would have been a nice sentence to pop in somewhere. Something like, “While I was pounding my teriyaki squid, the Buckeyes were pounding on Washington.” Instead, I have a paragraph-long parenthetical). The place was packed and the menu was massive, but I was never overwhelmed. All of us, despite being very hungry, took it slow and tried to focus on what we wanted to get.

Although Hagi is almost always packed and bumping, you’re never rushed. Part of the experience is sitting patiently and talking while your yakitori and dishes are brought to you separately. Hagi is a place to mingle, which I don’t normally enjoy doing at a restaurant. I’ll mingle outside of the restaurant, but not in the restaurant. However, this place put me in a different mindset. Outside of the fantastic food, the entire experience was wonderful, including the mingling and waiting.

Now, to the food. I ordered soft-shelled crab with my sister and a rice bowl with “pickles” and pork. First of all, I must have been completely frazzled if I thought this was going to be enough food, because it wasn’t. Of course, the portions were good, especially the rice bowl, but as soon as the food was put in front of me, I was immediately inclined to horde everybody else’s dishes for myself. Everyone else, I quickly learned, was thinking the same thing, because we all tried each other’s dishes. I can’t remember the last time I let a group of people try my food, but I needed to in this situation. The smoked mackerel that Jared had was just too tempting to stop me from sharing my own dishes. In order to experience Hagi to its fullest, I needed to participate in this foreign (to me) bartering system.

The tempura soft-shelled crab was great – delicate and flavorful, but I was absolutely blown away by two dishes that night – the teriyaki squid Jared ordered (and later, Meg and I ordered) and my rice bowl. The calamari was grilled whole, teriyaki-style, and when it is presented to you, it still holds its shape, but is sliced into bite-sized pieces. There was this group of young people who had just sat down next to us and this one dude could not stop staring at the squid and other things on our table. I think we could have been friends.

I was trying to think about how much I enjoyed the rice bowl I got, but I can’t do it justice. As simple as it was (pickled greens, grilled pork bits and savory sauce atop rice), it was the greatest Asian dish of any kind I’ve had since I moved to New York. Better than the Peking duck at the Peking Duck House, the dumplings at Kai Feng Fu, the banh mi at Ba Xuyen, and the noodles at Yunnan Flavour Snack Shop – and those are some amazing dishes. However, the rice bowl I got was perfect. The rice, the pork, the veggies, the spices – perfect. And cheap. $5.

Everything was cheap. The yakitori that Henry and Jared got – $1.50 and $2. The teriyaki squid – around $6. The noodle soups – around $6. Everything was so good and so cheap, all of us could have sat there for two more hours and eaten who-knows-how-much-more delicious food.

Hagi is the perfect example of having a complete culinary experience. It is a perfect representation of what eating out is supposed to be. You don’t need to get pampered at a fancy restaurant, with the food being served and the water being poured at just the right time, to have a good experience. Hagi is exciting, chaotic, interesting, and, most importantly, refreshing. The food, the environment, and the company left me rejuvenated. I wasn’t thinking about not having a job or my other worries. I was satisfied.

I went to Super Pollo on 5th Ave. and 41st St. in Sunset Park tonight for the first time. It was actually kind of an accident (if the definition of ‘an accident’ is ‘having no willpower’). I came home from work and was very hungry. After binging on the candy corn my mother recently sent me, I decided I was still hungry and needed something more substantial to eat.

I recently purchased yeast because there is an anchovy bread recipe I want to try. So, I’ve got yeast in the house and I think, “Maybe I’ll make pizza.” I then head out to the grocery store and pick up some mozzarella and other necessary ingredients for pizza. As I check out I realize that, although pizza is really good, there is a rotisserie chicken place not so far away that I’ve been meaning to try. So, instead of taking a left onto 42nd St. I continue to head toward 41st St. to get some food from Super Pollo.

I justify getting more food after just purchasing a lot of food by the fact that I made some thrifty purchases at the local Key Foods. Therefore, I needed to make up the difference by getting chicken. It’s never too hard to convince myself to spend more money on food. Although this may be a major weakness (and a possible downfall) of mine, I am really glad I had a change of heart about what I wanted for dinner.

I walked into Super Pollo and stared at the menu above the counter for about five minutes. I knew what I wanted to get, but I was a little overwhelmed by the process of ordering. It is primarily a take-out restaurant, and there were (what seemed to be) a handful of regulars practically hanging over the counter, staring at the man cutting the chicken. I wasn’t sure if these people were waiting to order or pick up, so I wanted to give myself some time to figure out the situation.

Finally, I stepped up to the counter after a few of the customers left with their food and placed my order: a half of a chicken with rice and beans for $7.50. I watched as the man took my chicken out of the Andre the Giant-sized chicken roaster and leaned further and further over the counter to get a look at the show. Of course, what the others and I were fascinated by wasn’t particularly amazing, but there’s something special about watching your food being cooked.

Waiting for my meal while watching this dude cut up my chicken and smelling the unbelievable scent of the crispy, glowing chicken skin made it difficult to manage. However, watching the man furiously cut up my half of the chicken into four parts was enough of a distraction.

I took my food home, which was put into two containers. One container was filled with the chicken, and the other was filled with the white rice and beans. My sister examines and studies food almost as much as I do, and she noticed that there were large chunks of pork in the beans, which I couldn’t resist. I began eating the beans and rice, which were amazing. Obviously cooked for hours on end, the beans were really tender and extremely easy to down.

After eating the beans and rice for a few minutes, I opened up the container of chicken and started eating that. I used my hands to rip the meat off the bones and stuff it in my mouth and continued doing this until it was all gone – like seven minutes. I’ve never had traditional South American or Mexican rotisserie chicken, but this was one of the greatest things I’ve ever eaten. Yes, even better than Boston Market. I can’t say that this is one of the best rotisserie chickens in the area, but that’s not too important. More importantly, I realized that I REALLY like rotisserie chicken and I am glad that Super Pollo was such a good experience. Next stop: Some “pollo al carbon” on 4th Ave. and 45thSt!

I recently went to an all-you-can-eat Japanese restaurant with my friend and it seems that whenever I go out to eat sushi I often think about my first memory at a Japanese restaurant. Although I was trying to pay as close attention to Jared talking about his dreams and aspirations as possible, I couldn’t help but think about “George’s Restaurant” in Cliffside Park, New Jersey. I can’t remember the real name of the restaurant, and probably never cared, but always heard it referred to it as “George’s” because it was across the street from my grandparents’ apartment building and they went there frequently. So frequently, in fact, that they knew the owner, and he knew them, by name.

I ate my first piece of sushi, probably a tuna roll, at this restaurant, which was a very important stepping stone in my culinary experience, but that is not the reason why I think of it whenever I go out to eat sushi. Instead, I am reminded of how much I enjoyed the luxury of eating out. There’s something fancy about Japanese food. Maybe it’s the exotic-looking food, chopsticks, or soy sauce on the table instead of ketchup, but as a young boy, it seemed very special going to George’s. He would greet us like he had been missing us since the last time we went, and that felt special to me.

Many of my memories of restaurants from my childhood are related to my grandparents because I went out to dinner with them so much when I was younger. I have a few theories about why my grandparents were so intent on eating out so much. But at its core, I think it is simply that going out to eat is fun. You usually don’t have to travel very far to experience something different and unique. I’m not saying that eating chicken parmigiana at a nice Italian restaurant equates to traveling to Florence, but I’ve never been to Italy, so I’d like to think it’s very similar because I hate flying. It will save me a trip.

Going out to eat with friends and family has been important to me since my first escapades to George’s. Since then, I have gone out to eat hundreds of times and the experience of going to a restaurant remains just as important to me. The idea of relaxing with friends and family, eating good food, getting pampered, and not having to do dishes excites me. Bowling and mini-golf can be fun. So can movies, concerts, baseball games, and Rock of Love reruns. However, going out to eat is my favorite thing to do on a Saturday night.

I would like to begin by saying that Chowhound is amazing. Although it is useful for many things, I am obsessed with its message boards. When I moved to Sunset Park, I was overwhelmed with the hundreds of restaurants in the neighborhood. I wanted my food experiences in my new neighborhood to get off on the right foot, so I searched Chowhound for something special. I’ve been to a handful of restaurants based on peoples’ approval at Chowhound and they’ve all been great experiences. I will eventually get to all of them, but I would actually like to start with my most recent Chowhound-approved expedition.

There is an amazing Chinatown in Sunset Park and I was looking for a place with great dumplings, and I was led to Kai Feng Fu on 48th St. above 8th Ave. When you walk into this primarily take-out restaurant, there is a large menu above the counter. There’s quite the variety of dumplings, including pork and leek, pork and vegetable, pork and shrimp, and chicken and mushroom. You can get five pork and leek or pork and vegetable dumplings for $1. Let’s just say, I had to calm myself down before ordering. I was pretty hungry, but not extremely hungry, but after seeing those prices, I wanted to order everything.

Instead, I got five pork and leek dumplings, a ‘beef pancake’ ($1.50), and a can of ginger ale (75¢) for $3.25. Just writing this gets me pumped. After I ordered my food, I was quickly given the beef pancake, which is sliced beef in a sesame pancake, sandwich-style. I had never had a sesame pancake before, and it is essentially a thicker scallion pancake – almost the thickness of focaccia, but much less dense. So, between two slices of light, greasy sesame pancake is sliced beef. And that’s it. Vegetables and sauces are a distraction to this very basic, delicious feast.

After eating the beef pancake in the street, my friends and I noticed the back of the kitchen, where there are five or six women sitting and stuffing dumplings. I was of course still hungry after the sandwich and got even more excited about the dumplings after seeing this display. I don’t know if pork dumplings could ever taste ‘fresh,’ but this is close as they can get.

There is a separate dining area behind the kitchen with a few large tables and we sat there while we waited for what we came for. They came after what seemed like twenty minutes, but was actually closer to five, which was very impressive because it was packed. They fry the dumplings on one side and when they get to you they’re stuck together a little. When you pull them apart you can tell the dough is perfectly chewy and this only made me even more hungry.

So, the bottoms of the dumplings are crunchy from being fried, and the rest of the dough is soft and chewy. The gold, though, goes to the filling: tender pork, crunchy leeks, and delicious spices make these things take four seconds to eat. I haven’t had too much experience with dumplings, but these are really, really good.

I’ve been back a few times since my first trip and have tried different things from the menu (along with, of course, the pork and leek dumplings). The chicken and mushroom dumplings (eight for $2) are steamed and rather plain, but are a good contrast to the pork. Lighter and more gentle, they’re great to eat in between pork dumplings, mainly because this delays the inevitable—the end of the pork dumplings. I have also gotten their spare rib noodle soup ($2.50), which is also pretty good. The broth is really dark and rich, which is great, and the meat is incredibly tender. However, the noodles are nothing special and do not come close to other noodles I’ve had in the area.

My sister is a vegetarian (pescetarian), so I wanted to try the vegetable dumplings (eight for $2) and report back. They are steamed and are filled with numerous vegetables, including leek, carrot, celery, and other healthy stuff. I really enjoyed these and are probably my favorite next to the pork and leek. Another very important thing to note is that you can purchase thirty frozen pork and leek or pork and vegetable dumplings for $5. Super Bowl party?!

I recently moved to Sunset Park, Brooklyn and am jobless and, frankly, don’t have anything else to do than to scavenge my new neighborhood for good, cheap food until I run out of money. Not that my plans would be any different if I were employed. Since I am always on the lookout for good food options, especially local ones, I thought, why not write about what I find to help other food-enthusiasts.

So, after living in Sunset Park for just over a month, I’m officially impressed. I am excited about the variety of food in this small neighborhood: 5th Ave, is primarily a Latin American neighborhood, made up mostly of Mexican families, but 8th Ave., just a few blocks north of the park (Sunset Park), is primarily a Chinese and Vietnamese section of the neighborhood. Finally, all the tacos and dumplings I’ll ever need.

My first positive food experience (which are the ones I really like to talk about) took place in Sunset Park, but could be anywhere right now, since it was from a truck.

A few weekends ago I got off the subway at 36th St. in Brooklyn at 1:30 or 2 in the morning and I was pretty hungry. I’m usually hungry around this time for a second or third dinner, but I was content on eating numerous things at home. As I walked up to the curb, I noticed a bunch of people mingling around a truck that was parked across the way on 4th Avenue. I realized the minglers were eating food being served from this vehicle.

I was with my sister and told her I wanted to check it out, which she obliged being accustomed to the many detours I’ve brought my family on in search of food. We walked up to the truck and, to my delight, I was right about the food. However, there was no menu and no name for the restaurant-on-wheels. I tried to figure out what other people were eating so I could order. However, I didn’t want to stare down people too much at 2 in the morning, so I ended up asking the young lady in the truck what they had. After she said tacos I pretty much stopped paying attention and ended up ordering two of them.

Most Mexican restaurants in the area serve traditional tacos and these were very similar. They were made with pork, salsa, cilantro, and two corn tortillas. I’m not so sure why they use two tortillas – maybe they stole it from Taco Bell – but I’m not one to complain about extra food. Needless to say, the tacos were pretty unbelievable. Greasy, spicy, and fresh – like me, but wrapped in a tortilla.

Since that night, I have tried to figure out what their hours are and it seems that they are open at night during the weekend, which is a little disappointing. If this place were open after work, I would go there at least twice a week. If they don’t want to take advantage of my irresponsible spending on food, however, that’s their choice.

My sister claims to have seen people eating beef sandwiches, which I will most certainly try the next time I get the chance. I will also report back on what else they have and if they have a name of some sort. For the time being, I will refer to it as “Truck. Stop. Love.”