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.

 

The Poll Is Out On Super Pollo

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!