Madison Square Eats, Burdick Chocolates and other stops

Petitesoeur and I met up for the last day of Madison Square Eats last week.  Even though we tried to arrive on the tail end of the lunch hour, it was still packed.  So we did a walk-through to strategize and split up to divide and conquer.  We bypassed old favorites like Red Hook Lobster Pound, Sigmund's Pretzels, or Eataly in favor of new things we hadn't eaten.

I waited in line at Asia Dog and she at Roberta's. I was torn between all the delicious dog flavors but opted to go more summery with a chicken dog topped Sydney style (Thai style relish with mango, cucumber, red onion, cilantro, peanuts and fish sauce).  The dog itself was superb (hard to believe it was chicken!) and the relish was refreshing.  We scarfed that up quickly while waiting for our pizza. We had both wanted to try Roberta's especially after 1000yregg's post. Finally the kale, leek, and ricotta pie came out.  The crust was more chewy than crispy, almost like Indian naan. I kind of liked it, but I think petitesoeur was disappointed -- still hungry enough to wolf it all down though.

Still a little peckish, we considered going back for a different flavor Asiadog, but instead decided to split a sandwich from Mayhem and Stout, after smelling the aroma of the braised meat emanating from their stand.  You get a choice of meat -- brisket, short rib, or pulled chicken;  sauce -- dragon sauce, harissa, or blueberry sriracha;  and relish -- pickled chilis, cucumber salad, and asian slaw.  We opted for brisket with blueberry sriracha and cucumbers.  Since we wanted to keep grazing, we just ate everything with a fork and left the bread.  I also got a coffee popsicle from People's Pops.  Petitesoeur stopped me from getting sweets from Momofuku Milk Bar because we had a bakery destination to head to in Soho.

While walking downtown, we stumbled upon L. A. Burdick Chocolates.  We were drawn in by the sidewalk chalkboard offering the adorable-sounding "Chocolate penguins and mice."  They were indeed very cute!  Apparently Mark Zuckerberg had the penguins as party favors at his wedding.  The nice girl behind the counter who tole us this also offered us a taste of the Earl Grey bonbon.  In classic drug dealer style, she knew that giving the first taste for free would get you a hooked customer.  So after that one we decided to buy the Richelieu -- milk and dark chocolate center with cherry liquor, dried cherries, and cumin. The cherries had a great pop of flavor, while the cumin was very subtle.  The chocolatier is from New Hampshire, with locations also in Boston and NY - a great find!

More walking brought us to the Union Square Greenmarket, where Strawberry Infusion and Lemon Verbana drinks hit the spot.

Finally, we reached Dominique Ansel Bakery, which had been getting rave reviews from Serious Eats.  They were out of their famous DKA ("Dominique's Kouign Amann") -- which are like croissant balls with a caramelized crust.  So we ordered 2 desserts and coffee.  A ganache-frosted chocolate caramel torte, and a blueberry religieuse (choux pastry filled with custard and topped with blueberry cream).  They weren't bad, but they weren't great either.  The crust of the chocolate caramel torte was dry.  The religieuse was fresh and moist, but too sweet for our taste.  It was a so-so and definitely not worth the long walk.  The coffee was lame as well.

We both agreed the big winner of the afternoon was the Asia Dog. We'll have to make a point to try all the different toppings - at the Flea or Smorgasburg or Summerstage or their store in Nolita.

Asia Dog
66 Kenmare Street (btwn Mott and Mulberry in Nolita)
NY, NY 10012

Roberta's
261 Moore St
(between White St & Bogart St)
Brooklyn, NY 11206

Mayhem and Stout
At the Dekalb Market, Brooklyn

L. A. Burdick
5 East 20th Street
NY, NY 10003

Dominique Ansel Bakery
189 Spring Street (between Sullivan and Thompson)
New York, NY 10012

Mile End, Brooklyn

After wandering Boerum Hill for a while, we had worked up enough appetite to eat at Mile End, the Jewish-Canadian delicatessen (named after Montreal's traditionally Jewish newly hip neighborhood).

We had a big group so 6 of decided to order a bunch of dishes and share. We started out with chopped liver, served with onion relish, egg, and a "pletzel."  Even those unsure of whether they'd like liver thought it was delicious.  The onion and egg went nicely with the liver.  The "pletzel" was like an everything foccacia (not pretzel-like was we were expecting). 

Next up we had the Deli Meat Board - that day's selection was turkey rillette, duck proscuitto, and salami served with toast and apricot preserves.  All the house-cured meats were excellent.

Then came the lamb's tongue with onion raisin marmalade, served on pumpernickel toast with horseradish.  I didn't really taste the horseradish, which was fine with me. The pumpernickel had lots of great rye flavor which went well with the sweetness of the marmalade.  I think they really have a knack for not only preparing the meats well, but pairing them with great flavor combinations.

Our next dish was Veal Sweetbreads with pecan butter, concord grape jelly, apple and chili.  Of course deep-fried sweetbreads are always delicious, but again, it was the sauces and toppings that made the dish stand out.  Concord jelly with pecan butter - like schpanky PB&J -- with crisp spicy apples on top - who would think of such combinations?!  Somehow it worked!

Our last small plate was warm chanterelle salad with radicchio, chevre noir, and maple walnut vinaigrette - the mushrooms were perfect and worked well with the crunch of the radicchio - another great dish.

Then came our mains.  My friend Tricia ordered her own main which was the Hoyt Dog (named for the restaurant's address on Hoyt Street).  It was a house made beef frankfurter with smoked meat baked beans, and sauerkraut.  The beans were excellent - the meat to bean ratio was heavily meaty - and very satisfying.

Brian chose the Trout served on top of smoked trout bisque, with pickled mustard, horseradish.  I only got a small taste of this, but it was nice.

We all dug into the Smoked Meat Deluxe.  By this point, after so much food, we just dispensed of the bread and dug into the meat in the sandwich (pictured above).  Poutine came with it on the side.  Not as good as Montreal (the cheese curds got a bit too melty in my opinion, so there wasn't that nice texture contrast of chewy cheese, creamy gravy, and crisp fries), but I can't complain too much - it was still delicious.

Mile End
97a Hoyt Street
Brooklyn, NY
718.852.7510

Gus' Famous Red Hots, Plattsburgh, NY

We started our now annual Montreal roadtrip last week with another stop in Plattsburgh, NY, an hour from the Canada border. On this ride, we stopped at Gus' Famous Red Hots to try their version of the Michigan dog.
The offered them using a Glazier Redskin frankfurter, a red skinned natural casing hot dog from the region. The Michigan sauce was a little zesty. The redskin really made the dish for me. It was great. We also agreed that their macaroni salad was good as well.

2 Cumberland Head Rd.
Plattsburgh, NY
(518)561-3711

Bark Hot Dogs, Brooklyn

I've been around Park Slope and Brooklyn a bit recently, so I am definitely taking advantage of the food options. Had light supper at Bark Hot Dogs one evening.
I enjoyed my Bratwurst sandwich with saeurkraut. They also had some delicious salt & pepper french fries. Next time I need to actually get a hot dog though.
Hellokt had the grilled cheese, and I tried some of her cole slaw which was also pretty good.
I finished the meal with one of the more expensive milkshakes I've ever had- $8 for a market blueberry shake made with gelato from il laboratorio del gelato. While it was tasty- it was not $8 tasty.

474 Bergen Street
Park Slope, Brooklyn
(718)789-1939

One Night in Phoenix with Skillet Doux

I had one night in Phoenix last month, and I made sure to hook up with my good friend and talented food blogger, Skillet Doux. I brought along a nice care package of zongzi from Grace Garden for him, and he took me on a little tour of the food scene in Phoenix.

We started the evening at FnB (Food & Beverage) in Old Scottsdale, a fantastic place that specializes in seasonal food, and in particular, vegetables.
First up was fried zucchini with mint and chilis, a simple dish executed so well, I could have eaten this all night.
The second dish was roasted eggplant topped with yogurt, pomegranate and za'atar spices.

When I saw there was a dish with lamb's tongue on the menu, I knew we had to get that. It was a salad that also had rye bread, green beans and cherry tomatoes.
We also ordered the shishito peppers, tuna confit and anchovy. Both were light and simple, yet so satisfying.
We rounded out the meal with roasted quail on a bed of couscous, butternut, basil & toasted seeds. It was perfectly prepared. With just this sampling of the FnB menu, I would say it was one of my most memorable meals this year.



Our next stop was Nogales Hot Dogs for Sonoran hot dogs. They are served on a fluffy steamed bun, and the hot dog is wrapped in bacon, served with pinto beans and topped with mayo, onions, and tomatoes. I added some mushrooms and queso cheese onto mine.
With a Jarritos and a pickled jalapeno, this is a perfect late night snack.



Our last stop was at Posh, a fine dining place, for their weekly Thursday night staff meal. On this night a lot of staff from various area restaurants show up for small bites and drink specials.
We had an Arizona version of scrapple & eggs. Chef told me that the scrapple is made by a local butcher. I think it was actually made of better parts of the pig, and it was not spiced the Pennsylvania Dutch way. At least the eggs were delicious with the green chili sauce.
The second item was creamy duck confit crepes. It was nice and rich.
My favorite was the preparation of foie torchon brulee. It went well with my drink, named The Interesting Cocktail which was made of Blanco Tequila, Aperol, Creme de Cacao, lemon juice, and grapefruit.
It would be good to assume I was totally stuffed and ready to roll to bed by the end of the night's dining through Skillet Doux's Phoenix scene.


FnB
7133 E Stetson Dr.
Scottsdale, AZ
(480)425-9463

Nogales Hot Dogs
1945 E Indian School Rd
Phoenix, AZ
(602)527-0208

Posh
7167 E. Rancho Vista Dr. Suite 111
Scotsdale AZ
(480)663-7674

Haute Dog Carte, Baltimore

I've dropped by Baltimore's Haute Dog Carte in Mt. Washington a few times for lunch the last few weeks. They are a gourmet hotdog stand that also runs different kinds of gourmet sausages/dogs from week to week.
On my first trip, I had their Baltimore Dog which consisted of delicious pork and Old Bay seasoning. It was cooked in a "European steam" method- the dogs placed in a container and steam is piped in underneath. The wonderful buns were also warmed using skewers.
Other methods Haute Dog is making their hotdogs include the roller grill and the charcoal grill.

On my most recent trip, I enjoyed their weekly Chef's dog, the Tijuana Danger Dog, made by chef Sarah of Hampden's 13.5%: Duroc pork butt, applewood smoked bacon, pigeon peas, and chiles d'arbol. It was topped with a custom made peach ketchup.

6070 Falls Road
Baltimore, MD

La Belle Province, Montreal

After grazing a little at the Marche Atwater in Montreal, we met up with our cousins from NYC who were hungry after a long wait at the US-Canada border.
We went to La Belle Province, a diner a block from the market for a snack. I ordered their poutine. Their version was solid- great fresh cheese curds and tasty gravy.

Redneckhunter tried their version of the Michigan hotdog. We had heard that the Montreal versions of the Michigan sauce were a little more runny than the ones in Plattsburgh. This was true in this case.
Stephen ordered a wonderfully fatty smoked meat sandwich. Xtine got a pogo, which basically was a corn dog.

3001, Rue Notre-Dame Ouest
Montreal, QC
(514) 931-2574

Michigans at Clare & Carl's, Plattsburgh, NY

After our visit last year, during our annual trip to Montreal for Independence day, we made another stop in Plattsburgh, NY to check out Clare & Carl's Hot Dog stand for Michigan dogs.
The place is an old school highway stand with a lovely view of Lake Champlain. We knew it was a good sign when several local cops were at the counter for lunch.
I overheard people order their Michigans "buried" which means your onions go under the sauce as opposed to on top for a usual order.
Clare & Carl's Michigan sauce had more spiciness to it than the one at Michigan's Plus. I think I liked it better. We had a side of poutine that unfortunately did not use cheese curd.

4727 State Route 9
Plattsburgh,NY
(518) 561-1163

Stuggy's - Hot Dogs in Fells Point, Baltimore

I went to a newly opened hot dog & sausage place in Fells Point in Balitmore called Stuggy's.
While they don't make the dogs onsite, they do try to rely on local sausagemaker Ostrowski's for their meats.
I ordered 2 hot dogs: the Carolina Slaw Dog, a 1/4 kosher hot dog with chili, & cole slaw, and the Bmore Dog, a similar hot dog served with grilled bologna & mustard. Both were hearty and delicious.
I should note that this place is the first place I've seen a whole soda machine serving only Boylan's soda. I had the birch beer.
I just could resist getting their fried Oreo cookies. They were dipped in funnel cake batter, deep fried and sprinkled with powdered sugar. Wrong and yummy.
I am interested in heading back to try their bison sausage and their hot Italian.


809 S Broadway
Baltimore, MD 21231

Michigan's Plus, Plattsburgh, NY

On our way up to Montreal, we stopped in Plattsburgh, NY, a town known for the Michigan hot dog: it's a steamed hot dog served with a steamed bun and then topped with Michigan sauce, which is a meat sauce that is much dryer than chili.

Apparently each stand in town has their own unique recipe for the sauce. We tried our Michigans at Michigan's Plus, a place converted from an old IHOP, where supposedly the original sauce recipe is still used.
Redneckhunter ordered the tater tots topped with cheese and Michigan sauce and a pretty great milkshake.

313 Cornelia St
Plattsburgh, NY 12901-2308
(518) 561-0537

McDonald's in Tokyo

Kelly and I were in Tokyo last week, and I've got a few upcoming posts from the trip, but I figured I'd start with some fun.
With Japan recently winning the World Baseball Classic, the Japan McDonald's was promoting the special McHotdog. Oddly enough, it was meant for breakfast!?!
I ordered it as a meal one morning with a coffee and hash brown. The McHotdog was actually a decent hot dog on a whole wheat bun with ketchup, mustard and relish.

I did not get the try to advertised McPork, which I'm assuming was a take on the Japanese Katsu style deep fried pork sandwich.
Kelly's favorite item was something we got at Narita airport as we were leaving Japan, the Green Tea Oreo McFlurry. It was pretty great- if they had this in the US, I would be in trouble- the green tea flavor complemented the Oreo cookie so well.