Birthday Bash

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.

 

Kai Feng Food!

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?!