Grilled Cheese by petitesoeur

I have been making my way around to the various places in New York which specialize in grilled cheese sandwiches.

Early in the summer I went to Earl's Beer and Cheese with two friends. One friend got the NY Cheddar with pork belly, kimchi and a fried egg on sour dough. Pronounced: Good but not enough cheese.  The other went with blue cheese, ginger fig, potato chips on brioche. Pronounced: Maybe blue cheese isn't the best kind to melt. I had the Earl's Taco which is a scallion pancake used as a taco shell, filled with braised pork shoulder, queso fresco, shredded cabbage, radish and cilantro. Pronounced: The winner even though, obviously, it does not qualify as a grilled cheese sandwich.

Over Labor Day weekend, I went with another friend to Say Cheese. More spacious although just as bare bones in terms of decor as Earle, this place has salads as well as sandwiches. We each went with a sandwich. My friend had a monterey jack, munster, pesto & tomato on potato bread (left). I had white cheddar with their homemade bacon onion tomato marmalade on whole grain (above). Both with well-balanced amounts & combinations of ingredients, including the bread: Crispy (from the toasted bread) , gooey  (from the melted cheese), and flavorful (from the mix of salty, sweet, sour, bitter, savory tastes).

I can't speak to the tater tots because they're not my thing. My friend consumed them with relish. I liked my rosemary lemonade even though it was on the sweet side. Excellent Stumptown coffee.
I want to go back to try the black coffee snow cone as well as the grilled cheese sandwich which is suppose to taste exactly like French onion soup. 

All the photos are from Say Cheese which has fun old timey decor as well as being light-filled, spacious and welcoming even though the floor is bare and the tables/chairs are strictly utilitarian.

Pizza from petitesoeur

More from petitesoeur:

I can't believe I ate this! 

Little Italy Pizza is a good place for a grab and go slice: lots of turnover so very fresh with a very crisp crust with a marinara sauce that's on the old school Brooklyn sweet side.

They make a lovely, on the lighter side slice that covers the marinara sauce with, in descending order:  fresh basil, fresh tomatoes, fresh mozzarella. That's what I usually get at this place but on  Monday (August 25) evening I went for a carb-bomb: A slice of pizza with the usual marinara, mozzarella, basil, parmesan plus baked ziti & goat cheese. It was utterly delicious.

For quite a while now, I have been baffled by the appearance of baked ziti as a pizza topping. On the evening in question, I decided it was the perfect moment to try it because I suddenly wanted lots of carbs. Usually I don't eat the bottom crust of a slice if I get one with lots of stuff on it because the crust always gets so soggy and also it's a little trick of mine to at least pretend that I am eating fewer calories by just eating the "bone." Thinking that, as usual, I would just eat the "bone," I reasoned that this slice would be sort of like eating a small bowl of baked ziti. But I had to taste the crust and it tasted so good and was not soggy at all so I ate it in its entirity. 

And, as Ralph used to say: I can't believe I ate the whole thing!

Little Italy Pizza http://www.lipizzany.com/

Delicious Sandwich & Sweets by petitesoeur

Guest blogger petitesoeur writes:

On a Saturday in August, I went hunting for a pair of sandals since every shoe store does deep discounts at the end of a season. Even though there were great bargains at Camper, there was nothing I wanted to buy and at REI the Anhu ones that I did want weren't in my size. But the trip downtown did result in two successful scores.

Later in the day, I was meeting up with a friend for an afternoon/ evening of music at Lincoln Center Out of Doors so I purchased three sandwiches from Russ and Daughters: Oy Vey Schmear (their famously delicious chopped liver mixed with hand sliced pickle from the barrel), Pastrami Russ (pastrami-cured salmon, dressed with sauerkraut & mustard) and Fancy Delancy (smoked tuna, horseradish dill cream cheese and wasabi-infused flying fish roe). I got them all on bialys in order to minimize the amount of bread we would eat.

Sitting on a bench outside the store, I consumed half of the Oy Vey. R&D's chopped liver is perfect in every way including its consistency, which is neither too smooth nor too chunky. I am sure they incorporate both onions & chopped egg into the chopped liver as most recipes call for the addition of both those items, but there's little visual evidence of either's inclusion. There's no way to know for sure as R&D does not disclose their recipe. Whatever way they utilize those other two ingredients definitely balances rather than overpowers the flavor of the liver. Word on the street: Their secret is cooking the onions until they're so soft that they melt into the liver when mixed in and only their sweetness lingers. I never would have thought to add chopped pickles to chopped liver even though I am a fan of adding (sweet) pickle relish into tunafish salad & mixing a bit of (fresh or dried) fruit into chicken salad.  It works: the (dill sour) pickles provide just the right contrast of flavor and texture.

As much as I enjoyed the Oy Vey (as did my friend when he ate his half later on) and we both liked the Pastrami Russ, finding the sauerkraut & mustard to provide a better flavor & texture contrast than the usual schmear of cream cheese, we both agreed that the Fancy Delancy was the star of the trio. It's also perfectly balanced in terms of flavor & texture but more delicate & unusual than the other two.

It was just a hop, skip and jump (nine short city blocks) to the door of Zucker Bakery where I sampled their lemon bar & a pecan bar before sitting down to enjoy an excellent. (Stumptown) espresso and a pomegranate thumbprint cookie. I purchased some mocha flavored alfajores and a couple of date/halvah "roses," aka shoshanim, an Israeli version of sticky buns. Both types of cookies are flavorful with just the right amount of sweetness and a tender melt in your mouth crumb. The "roses" were also yummy as well as being an interesting change-up to the usual cinnamon or chocolate variety of this type of pastry. It's a sweet sweet shop.

Don Antonio's, New York

Last time we got together in the city with Petiteseour, she suggested going to Don Antonio's -- a midtown pizza place that her co-worker was a regular at.

The place was packed and we got seated in a cramped corner by the servers' station -- the first in a string of little annoyances that added up.  There was also red wine served chilled, plates piled carelessly in people's faces, grumpiness at requests like more bread, stuff taken away too quickly,

We started off with the homemade burrata, and a salad with pancetta, apples and gorgonzola.  Burrata was good (though not enough bread, nor balasamic);  salad was forgettable.

Then we order 3 pizzas for the 5 of us -- the Vesuvio, a stuffed pizza with fresh ricotta, mozzarella and salami inside, topped with red sauce, ham, more mozzarella, mushrooms, and artichokes;  the Pope's Pizza, with butternut squash, zucchini, roasted peppers, and smoked mozzarella;  and lastly was one of the day's special which sounded really good with gorgonzola dolce, a bunch of other cheeses, figs, and prosciutto, but was disappointing.  The figs were too sweet, the gorgonzola too strong. 

I liked the butternut squash and smokey flavor of the Pope's pie, but it was not a hit with Petiteseour.  Her favorite and Redneckhunter's favorite was the stuffed pie.  I liked the pizza, but Petiteseour thought it suffered from too much volume where the oven doors being constantly opened and closed and not retaining heat led to a less crisp crust. 

What really struck me to not recommend the place was really the service -- all around crappy.  We learned that Petiteseour's friend tended to go on his own and sit at the bar - clearly the way to go - table service was subpar.

Don Antonio's
309 West 50th Street
New York NY

Good Enough to Eat, NYC

After rumors circulated in July about the closing of Upper West Side institution Good Enough to Eat, petitesoeur wanted to meet there for lunch before our girls' museum day.

So on a rainy Friday, we braved the line (perhaps others had heard the rumors too) and had a nice lunch -- classic sandwiches with fresh avocado, turkey, chicken, and comforting tomato soup.

And we were happy to find out from the owner that they weren't closing -- just moving!

And oh yes, pie, of course, pie. We shared a slice of blueberry (sorry no photo, it was eaten too quickly).

Good Enough to Eat
483 Amsterdam Av (at 83rd Street)
New York, NY 10024
(212) 496-0163

Saro Bistro, New York

Saro Bistro is a tiny place in the Lower East Side serving old world Balkan cuisine.  The restaurant is named after the chef's Bosnian grandmother Saro. The place is charming -- the wait staff like to tell you about the chef and his grandmother, and the type of rustic cuisine they serve. Perhaps they're even part of the family - they certainly don't seem like pros. 

We started off with a platter of cured meats, truffle cheese, alvar and tursija (which were pickled vegetables and fried corn balls - not sure which is which). 

For main dishes, we shared the kale pappardelle, which had both kale in the pasta and sauteed kale and snap peas and plenty of white truffle oil.  The fresh homemade pasta was really nice, and the greens were wonderful.  We also shared the rabbit duo -- smoke pork crusted loin, braised rabbit legs, braised red cabbage, and root vegetable puree with rabbit jus.  I also liked the homey dinnerware that everything was served on.

The food is simple, but delicious - I would definitely go back. 

Saro Bistro
102 Norfolk Street, Lower East Side, NY
T: 212 505 7276

Café Integral, New York

Coffee fanatic Petitesoeur had read about this place on Serious Eats -- a one-man vertically-integrating coffee roasting operation run by 24-year-old César Martin Vega.  He imports the coffee (all from Nicaragua, where his family is from), roasts it, delivers it (on his bike!), and serves it cupped to order at his Café Integral, located within American Two Shot -- a clothing store in Soho.

When we arrived around 6-ish on a Friday, César was at the counter.  We think he was closing up, but he still cheerfully talked to us about the 3 varietals of coffee he had on offer.  He positively exudes a passion for coffee.  We opted for the Maragogype, which he brewed for us using a Sowden Softbrew.  The softbrew is like the French press in that it lets the water circulate evenly with the grounds - immersion brewing.  However, rather than pressing out the grounds, the softbrew has a much finer mesh sleeve, which you pull out of the pot leaving a cleaner brew than the press.  To me, it seemed a gentler process, much more like the delicate process of brewing tea.  You can read about more about why they like it at the Cafe.

Intrigued by the other blends we bought a sampler set.  He sells his coffee in 12-ounce Ball jars - which are refillable and more sustainable than paper bags.  For the sampler, you get three 4-ounce Ball jars - one of each varietal.  Petitesoeur took home two, and I took home the jar of Maracaturra, which was very a delicate coffee. I could drink it black (and I am not generally a black coffee drinker).

The softbrewed Maragogype we had at the Cafe was a nice smooth cup, and we loved chatting with César about his business -- so much so we ended up being late meeting our friend for dinner.  But it's absolutely fantastic what he's doing all on his own -- definitely an enterprise worth supporting!

Café Integral at American Two Shot
135 Grand Street
New York, New York, 10013

The Joe Special

I have been dreaming of an amazing sandwich we had recently at Touch of Italy in Rehoboth Beach over Memorial Day weekend.  The Joe Special was simple, yet perfect -- just prosciutto with fresh ricotta and extra virgin olive oil on semolina bread.  At Touch of Italy, they bake their own bread, and we were lucky enough to get a sandwich on a freshly baked still warm loaf.  It was probably the best thing I've eaten in a long time.

 So when I saw fresh ricotta from Salvatore Bklyn at Beecher's, I grabbed a tub with the idea of making the Joe Special at home.  Salvatore Bklyn makes their ricotta by hand in small batches daily -- the texture is dense and creamy, the flavor is of rich whole milk with a hint of lemon. It's absolutely amazing and I could have probably eaten the whole tub with a spoon. But semolina bread and cured meat was calling.

Instead of prosciutto, we already had smoked bacon at home from Pulaski Meats, the Polish butcher in the Trenton Farmer's Market, and grabbed a loaf of semolina from D'Angelo's Italian Market in Princeton, drizzled it with plenty of olive oil, and went to town with our own version of the Joe Special sandwich.

I also happily devoured ricotta with honey on toasted bread - yum...  I need to get back up to the city to get more ricotta! I'm also excited that Touch of Italy is opening a bakery in Lewes, DE where you'll be able to buy loaves of their delicious bread.  Hopefully they'll be open by the time we make it back down to the beach again later this summer. 

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

Trattoria Machiavelli, NYC

Guest blogger petitesoeur wanted to share her lovely meal at Trattoria Machiavelli on the Upper West Side:

Breathtaking Tulips & Expertly-made Pasta

One of the best things about New York City is that you can pretend you are somewhere else. Sitting among the 15,000 tulips ablaze in the West Side Community Garden, I'm in Holland rather than on West 89th between Amsterdam and Columbus Avenues.

And sitting at the Trattoria Machiavelli's bar, eating a perfectly-prepared Pappardelle Alla Pecora Nera while sipping on a 2009 Aglianico Del Vulture, it was easy to imagine myself have a late afternoon leisurely lunch in Rome.

Trattoria Machiavelli
519 Columbus Avenue (corner of West 85th Street)
http://machiavellinyc.com/

Piatti di Pasta Fresca Fatta a Mano
Pastas are all handmade in the traditional style by Andrea Fiano [pictured left]

Pappardelle Alla Pecora Nera
Sauteed Pappardelle with Tomato Sauce Topped with Prosciutto Crudo, Grilled Zucchini and Fresh Basil

Westside Community Garden
http://www.westsidecommunitygarden.org/

Pies n' Thighs, Brooklyn

I have been wanting to go to Pies n' Thighs in Williamsburg for a while. Two things I love are fried chicken and pie, they're pretty much never bad, but when they're good, they are divine.  

So I finally made it for lunch with 1000yregg and Redneckhunter.  Since we were eating with our cousins later that evening (and we wanted pie!), 1000yregg and I opted to share a 3-piece chicken box, and I ordered a couple sides.  The chicken was hot, crispy, nicely spiced - perfect.

Redneckhunter got his own plate -- his beloved biscuits and sausage gravy, topped with cheese and scrambled egg -- called the Rob Evans.  He had to hand it to them - one of the best he's had north of the Mason-Dixon line.





The collards we ordered with the chicken were wonderfully bacony. I think it was the best of the sides.  1000yregg liked the hush puppies - they were little and crisp and light, but I tend to like mine bigger and denser.  Mac and cheese was fine, but I needed to save room for PIE!

We each got a slice.  I think Redneckhunter's was the best - banana cream.  Mine was pumpkin, and 1000yregg went with key lime pie.  Graham cracker crusts were buttery, whipped cream was smooth and delicious -- everything was just the right amount of sweet - fresh natural flavors and not cloying.  

Pies n' Thighs
166 South 4th Street
Brooklyn, NY
347-529-6090

Roberta's, Brooklyn

Brooklen, LBT, Jude, and I went one Sunday morning to East Williamsburg in Brooklyn to Roberta's for the the weekly NYC ritual of brunch. Brooklen had been wanting to go because he had tried their pizza at Madison Square Eats events.
When we arrived at the address, at first, we weren't sure we were at the right place. The exterior looked very modest, with a very small sign just above the doorway. Inside though, the space was great with long wooden tables, a red wood burning oven, exposed ceilings, a bar, and where we sat, a garden courtyard that looked into a radio studio.

We had to at least get one pizza. Immediately, we knew we wanted to try Paige's Breakfast Burrito pizza. It came topped with tomato, mozzarella, potato, red onion, jalapeño, egg, and Berkshire pork sausage. The crust on the pie was thin, crisp, and a little chewy with a decent char.
We also shared a tasty sticky bun and buttermilk biscuit. Both were scrumptious.

For our main courses, I ordered the fried eggs with beef tongue, salsa verde and potato hash. The tongue was great, really tender and delicate.
LBT got a breakfast sandwich of a hunk of sausage, egg, and cheese on a potato roll. It was a bit odd that they could not scramble the egg for her.

Brooklen got the ricotta pancakes with brown butter and maple syrup. We shared a small plate of thick fatty slab bacon.

261 Moore Street
Brooklyn, NY
(718)417-1118