Fein Dining

Having known me for quite some time, my friends hypothesized that for my birthday I would want to stuff my face with food. Over a Long Birthday Weekend Feast — from Thursday, November 15 to Sunday, November 18 – the hypothesis became law. On Thursday, my birthday, I wanted to get take-out from a Dominican rotisserie chicken place right near the 45th St. subway stop on 4th Ave in Sunset Park. I used to refer to Las Antillas as “pollos al carbon” because there is a little sign with a cooking chicken on it with that saliva-inducing phrase right above the massive Las Antillas sign. Up until a few weeks ago I thought “pollos al carbon” was the name of the restaurant because I was always so focused on that little sign.

My roommates and I ordered a whole roasted chicken, white rice, yellow rice, and beans. The chicken was amazing and as moist and flavorful as the chicken at Super Pollo. The chicken at Super Pollo may have had more herbal flavor and aroma, but the chicken at Las Antillas was pretty unbelievable, as well. There was a massive portion of rice and the beans were delicious, as well, but soupy and not as good as the pork-laden beans from Super Pollo. I was very impressed with Las Antillas and it was the perfect beginning to the Feast.

On Friday, I ventured out of Sunset Park to craftbar on 900 Broadway, near Union Square. I was surprised there by my loyal and hungry friends and sister and, because they were paying the bill, I especially enjoyed the food there. I got both the fried sausage in sage leaves and warm pecorino fondue with Acacia honey, hazelnuts and pepperoncini for starters (which I shared with others). They were amazing. The flavors in the fondue were really impressive and, although pretty filling, really, really enjoyable – especially when paired with something savory like the sausage, which I pounded so quickly I can’t really explain why I liked them so much. What was also great about the fondue was the use of heat. The warmth of the fondue combined with the honey made the honey burst in your mouth with flavor, which heightened the culinary experience. I also tried some of Jared’s veal sweetbreads, which were also amazing.

I ordered the veal breast for my entrée, which was my favorite part of the meal. It was a nice hunk of veal with a light tomato-based sauce atop cheesy grits and mushrooms. These were, of course, the most fancy grits I’ve ever had and I devoured the entire plate. For dessert I got chocolate cake with coffee crunch ice cream. The cake was good, but the ice cream was incredible. I REALLY loved that ice cream – so smooth, yet so crunchy.

On Saturday night, a bunch of people came over to my apartment in Sunset Park. We bought 90 frozen dumplings ($15) from Kai Feng Fu. After a little testing (boiling then pan frying), Pat, Jared, and Zach perfected the art of cooking these treats and they were fantastic, as usual. We also ordered three pizzas from Johnny’s Pizza at 5806 5th Ave. (between 58th and 59th St.). It’s not the best pizza in the world, but it is the best I’ve had in Sunset Park. Some guests commented that it was too ‘crusty,’ but they also managed to eat three slices along with God-knows-how-many dumplings.

Just a few hours sleep after the Italian and Chinese feast (they do say that pizza was invented in China, however), those who remained got brunch at Eclipse on 4314 4th Ave. I’ve gotten take-out from this Mexican restaurant before, but it was the first time I had eaten in the restaurant. It, along with Maria’s Bistro Mexicano, is one of the ‘hip’ restaurants in Sunset Park.

I ordered eggs with salsa verde, which was massive and delicious. It was about three scrambled eggs tossed in salsa verde, which was really spicy. It also came with black beans, which were also really good. The three other people with me got omelets. For $5 you choose three ingredients, including chorizo and cactus (nopales). They also have a wide variety of shakes and drinks. I got pineapple water (agua de piña), Jared got a melon shake, and Zach got a strawberry shake. All were great and a perfect complement to a spicy start to the day.

Although Thanksgiving is my main culinary focus in November, I am never disappointed by the constant flow of food around my birthday. In consecutive weekends, I eat enough food to hibernate for the winter. Or, at least, to sustain me until Hanukkah latkes and Christmas ham, a few weeks later.

This past weekend I went home to New Hampshire and stopped at one of my new favorite restaurants on the stretch from NYC to NH — Rein’s Deli, a “New York-style deli.” I did not find out about this place until this past year, which upset me greatly. There are two locations – Vernon, CT and West Springfield, MA. The West Springfield one is (basically) right on the way to and from Bard College, where I went to school. I drove dozens of times to and from school over those four years and I had no idea Rein’s existed. After tasting the pastrami at Rein’s for the first time over the summer, I first felt absolute glee, which was then soon replaced by anger and disappointment, when I realized I could have felt the glee I had just felt DOZENS OF TIMES during my tenure at school. This was even more disappointing than when I visited Bard for the first time after graduation and found out that an Arby’s opened up the YEAR AFTER I GRADUATED. Imagine my culinary delights if I could go to Rein’s Deli and Arby’s multiple times a semester.

Anyway, Rein’s Deli offers one of my favorite foods of all time – a tongue sandwich. I remember my first experience tasting this tender muscle (aside from accidentally biting down on my tongue while eating food too quickly, which really, really hurts). I must have been between 10 and 13 years old when I went to either the Stage Deli or Carnegie Deli while on a trip to New York City with my family. I was there with my father when he said he wanted to get a tongue sandwich. I probably ordered pastrami, but when our meals came, my dad asked if I wanted to give him half of my sandwich for half of his. Either out of curiosity or the chance to bond with my father, I agreed to this deal and really liked it (either because I actually enjoyed it or because it was a way to impress him). I actually remember describing it at the time as tasting like “fancy bologna,” which isn’t too far off. It’s incredibly tender and light and the only thing that I find odd about it is that it’s served cold, but that only enhances the experience. I never had a bar mitzvah because I became an adult member of the Jewish community that day.

Since that important day, I have almost always ordered tongue whenever I have seen it on a menu. Sadly, this is not a frequent occurrence. So, I usually ordered a cold tongue sandwich (on rye with mustard) whenever I went to Rein’s and when I didn’t (because I’m really in the mood for pastrami) I felt ashamed. I have since ordered half tongue AND half pastrami sandwiches, which is, I believe, what the rabbis ate while writing the Talmud.

My pilgrimages to Rein’s Deli were my only source of tongue consumption until recently, when I moved to Sunset Park. No, I have not gone back to the Stage or Carnegie Deli (but I am eagerly awaiting the return of the Second Avenue Deli). Instead, I have experienced a new, Mexican delicacy – tongue tacos – from Tacos Matamoros on 4508 5th Ave. in Sunset Park.

We had just moved to Sunset Park and I had heard that Tacos Matamoros had really good tacos, so I got take-out with my sister one day. I was searching through their $1 and $1.50 tacos when I noticed ‘lengua.’ Now, I don’t know much Spanish, but I do know what lengua means – because I’m obsessed with tongue. Because we had just moved to Sunset Park, I was excited about my new surroundings and couldn’t wait to try the great Mexican food in the neighborhood. However, as high as my expectations were for Sunset Park food, I never expected such a delight. After years of scouring menus for tongue and being greatly disappointed for its exclusion, I had gotten into the habit of not looking for it anymore, not wanting to keep disappointing myself. I hadn’t even tasted the food at Tacos Matamoros, but I already felt a connection to it, thanks to the tongue.

At Tacos Matamoros, the tongue is diced into small chunks and fried. Still tender, but not cold, which is a good choice. Along with cilantro, onions, and two corn tortillas, the lengua taco is delicious and more than enough satisfies my love of eating tongue.

Their other tacos are really, really good as well. I adore their carnitas tacos and greatly respect the greasiness of them. Their pollo, carne asada, pastor, and enchilada tacos are also really good, and, at $1, are such a satisfying deal. I have yet to try their head or tripe tacos, but will eventually order them, so that I can attempt to impress my father again.

Besides Tacos Matamaros’ tacos, the only thing I really love there is something I had never had before getting it there – chilaquiles ($6.50). This dish is basically layered tortillas with cheese and sauce (in this case, salsa verde) and some things I couldn’t pay attention to because I was too busy eating and being impressed with this new wonderful meal (probably onions).

I’ve also had their ceviche, which was not as light as I usually like it, mostly because it was drenched in some tomato sauce. It was a huge amount, however, and was a great deal for $7. Their flautas ($6) and tortas ($5) are also pretty good, but their enchiladas rank low to the others I’ve had in Sunset Park. However, when staring at other diners’ food, I’ve noticed the soup ($6 or $8.50), which looks amazing and will hopefully be perfect on a cold winter day – or tomorrow.

Tacos Matamoros is a great restaurant for dining in, eating out, and tongue (and other) tacos. Delis like Rein’s and places like Tacos Matamoros will always hold a special place in my heart for their accommodation to my tongue obsession. Although, I have noticed that many other places in Sunset Park accommodate my other culinary obsessions, which pleases me beyond words. However, maybe I’ll stick to the tongue theme and get some Malaysian duck tongues before I move onto the head.