Pop goes the weasal

The other day I attempted a thing I’ve always wanted to attempt- a round trip, on foot, around Manhattan, from Midtown, to Morningside, back through to FiDi and down. Wacky misadventures ensued.
While around the uppper West Side, I ran into a place that smelled good. I had two policies for eating food: 1) if it smells good, try it 2) or, stay true to the classics. This place smelled good. It had a lot of Yelp stickers, some other foodie street cred, and, as I came to realize, was pretty darn tasty, at least, for what we had.

It was the Popover Cafe, which, for some reason, despite it’s 227 Review Score on Yelp and self-proclaimed world-renown, I’ve never heard of. BUT, my hurt food-ego aside, my buddy and I walked in, ready to sample their wares.

However, there was another rule...the food couldn’t take long. After all, we had to walk whatever the length of Manhattan is. So, we ordered their speciality, the popover bread.

Delicious. It was cheap, too, about $3 for the funky loaf, which, in the City, is a bargain. The bread was very buttery, and I don’t know how they got that weird, kernel shape, but it had a taste that held its own. I expected the insides to be thick, but the bread was hollow inside, but teh dough seemed fresh, its cave-esque hollow structure was dismissed because the bread was filling, AND, we got some cool strawberry jam. It was kinda hard to apply jam and walk, so we had some sparingly, but the cool, almost ice-cream taste of the jam. It went well with the buttery taste, and it almost felt like the combination of flavors had been inverted. Instead of the condiment complementing the main dish, it felt like the bread, because of its buttery texture, was complementing the jam.

All in all, it was a great find, even if I should have known about the restaurant beforehand, at least according to Yelp. It not only served as a delicious snack along Amsterdam Ave, but it also served to humble and make me realize that my quest to eat at every restaurant in Manhattan might be futile...or at least really hard.

OMG EFFORT TO UPDATE

Man, I’ll keep it simple for once. I got Frites N’ Meats last year a few days after trying Peter Luger, and FNM actually impressed me with their burger more than Luger’s. I got again it later in the year, and it was alright that second time, ionno why just alright, and then...well, all the shenanigans happened with the truck.

And then all the shenanigans with antitruck laws got worse. And then I got a job in Midtown...and we had one truck (Comme Ci Comme Ca) in the area or so because of the strict enforcement of the laws (Chef Samir’s food’s pretty awesome, but still, variety/competition never hurt). And now I’m back in Charlotte after going back to NJ...during which I visited Manhattan and-

You know what, maybe I’ll keep my personal travel logs out of this, it’s like trying to figure out a non-Back to the Future time travel storyline. Seriously, BTTF is the only sensible time-traveler storyline.

But yeah, FNM was in Midtown this past week, while I visited, and to my gleeful and redundant delight, their special was the Mexicano.

So the Hispanic in me said it GET IT, GET IT, while the fattie in me wanted to eat the supercow on their truck.

Well, I had the burger, and reminded me why Frites N’ Meats is one of the best burgers in the area, in style, form, and substance.

Like with any burger, the meat is what really wins the pageant. FNM’s meat has always had a great taste to it. I don’t know where they get their meat (they proudly display their bread and cheese sources, but I don’t recall seeing anything about their meat. Regardless, the meat is thick, juicy, and flavorful. There’s not much else to say about the presentation- it’s a burger, it’s a hunk of meat, it’s delicious. That’s all that makes a great burger.

But I did start the metaphor, so I’ll continue it. The talent portion of the paegeant, IE, toppings, ). The Mexicana has, according to FNM's site, applewood smoked bacon, and monterrey jack. parmesan crusted oven roasted tomatoes, and chipotle ranch. While the tomatoes weren't that memorable, the chipotle ranch was just right. Like the three little pig's smallest bed...not that there are pigs at pageants..but there are pigs in this burger.
Anyways, the bacon and the cheese went REALLY well together. They blended comfortably with the meat, too, with each bite giving way to a bit of bacon or cheese. The bun was your typical tasty brioche from Balthazer downtown, and overall, the synthesis from all the toppings really crowned this nice piece of meat.
If my first post's burger's grade was an A++, I'd give this burger a B+/A grade (Shakeshack getting an A/A+, for point of reference to the locals in the area). The truck is, regardless of grades, definitely a burger that I think will become a New York staple. I love any burger place with a special of the week, because it really let's people experience culinary creativity while sticking to what they know is tasty. Also, be sure to taste the frites- Belgian, double-fried styled, and delicious. Ultimately, without a doubt, the best truck burger in the city, and a must for a tourist or a local.
And, I love me a burger that shows off Mexican pride (although I didn't see any jalapenos in there, hmph). So make sure to look for them- Add them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, and take care, spike your hair. #zackryder

Quick post to say congrats to all the winners at yesterday’s 2011 Vendy’s. These are the VMA’s for us fatasses that have tried the wealth of food vendors up in the tristate (Charlotte, come on, pick up the slack for your vendors. Give the food trucks a break and let them do their business...even CNN is against your archaic anti-truck laws).
Special shout-outs to Korilla, if only because I love their designs. I don’t know how I feel over their foul play on The Great Food Truck Race...or teh fact that that I was shorted out on bacon in my bacon-kimchi rice...but we all deserve second chances...especially those with ‘I Tiger NYC’ shirts.

And, even though they didn’t win, super shout-out to the Estravaganza Cart. Incredible nice brother/sister Mexican team keeping toe-to-toe with the big boys of Park Ave. I wish they had won something , but in our tummies, they’re all winners.
Also, kudos to Lime Truck for winning the second Great Food Truck Race...even though it cost me a burger bet...#gamblingproblem.
Oh Twitter, your hashtags changed everything.

These times are a-changing

I always find the seasons to be fun for food. Winter has all that evocative holiday food that you either love or hate. Spring has all the new vegetables coming in, the little stands outside of restaurants getting full as patrons in shorts and flipflops steadily fill them up as they delude themselves into thinking that 50 degrees is somehow summer weather. And now in this twilight between summer and fall, where suddenly its mid-60s without warning, those beloved pumpkins are making their comeback and we bid goodbye to ice cream.

Or at least, to the extent that it's trendy.

I can't think of a better segue now for Big Gay Ice Cream's opening three weeks ago. I think everyone who has heard of the shop has heard of roller derby girls and the crossdresser and Bourdain making the opening speech, and anyone else who's heard of BGIC knows what it's about- ice cream with an added zest. That is, the ice cream isn't imported gelato derived from the finest of utters, it's very similar to your typical ice cream truck, but the design and presentation, as well as the charisma of the owner is what sets the food apart.

Being the son of enterprising parents whom have had prior restaurant endevours, I know how difficult a restaurant can be, and how scary it is, even if experienced, to open up a new place. That being said, I wish lots of lot to the BGIC shop. But I think even without my well-wishes, the place would do fantastic. What's so peculiar, nowadays, is that charisma and hipness is so integral to the success of an establishment. Like I said, Doug, the owner, is a social media darling, being featured on television shows, followed by lots and lots of individuals on Facebook and Twitter, and having his Justice League of celebrity friends, which tends to always be a plus.
Couple that with the ever-trendy St. Mark's, and I think, barring unforeseen circumstances, that BGIC will be a New York staple for years to come, even with this cold weather.
So I guess you can take the cold out of the trendy, but you can't take the trendy...out of the cold...or something. Anyways.

Now we turn around to what semi-inspired this post. Pumpkins. More specifically, Dunkin Donuts sending me a mailer advertising their new pumpkin products.

Again, I love the season changes for that. There's something very alluring those foods that epitomize a season. I think it's tradition, in part. Knowing that pumpkins get you all Halloweeny, and Turkey is happy-time because not only do you have school off (as a kid), it's a foreshadowing of the days off and presents of December.. I can't imagine these seasons without food, honestly, in the same way that I can't imagine summer without ice cream, whether the ice cream comes from a chic New York spot, or autumn treats comes from a capitalist powerhouse known as Dunkin Donuts.

Now, to relate things back, so this isn't just me stream-of-consciousning it. I hate being trendy for the sake of trendiness. It's like being touristy for the sake of touristy. But there's nothing wrong in eating a trendy place or a touristy place, if it warrants it. IF, it warrants it.

That being said, BGIC is worth the visit either for trendy hipsters or for European tourists. It's got that unique sense of style and charisma that a lot of places lack, plus the taste and creativity that sets a place apart so that it becomes its own. Out of everything, I recommend the Mexican Coke Floats the most, because a) I'm proud of my soda heritage b) if you've never had cane-sugar cola, you've never had soda c) it's the most unique creation from the shop itself, seeing how mostly everything else can be found on the truck. I've tweeted it before, so I'll tweet, er, say, it again- the place should use Mexican Pepsi instead of Mexican Coke. I know Mexican Coke's are all the rage, but an affecionado, both as a Mexican and a fattie, I think the Pepsi's sweetness, coupled with its overly carbonated taste, would complement ice cream very well. It'd be closer to a shake than a float, especially with the syrupy content of the soda.

But that's my two centavos. I actually want to devote equal time to the donut from Dunkin Donuts. See, I didn't want to do a blog for all the trendy spots in different cities. Not everyone is lucky enough to be able to go to large city, but everyone should be lucky enough to eat good food, and trendy, expensive, and popular does not necessarily make good food.

That being said, I'm going to be the voice of the proliteriate by talking about the working man's breakfast food- the Dunkin Donut, specifically the pumkin one I spoke about. I'm also quite aware, at this point, of my literary genius, juxtaposing the seasons with different economic schemes, and applying negative capability through my use of a giant money-regime like Dunkin Donuts to represent the common man. I'm just baller like that.

I have bad luck running into the actual treats advertised themselves- for some reason, the pumpkin donut has been alluding me and I'm not a coffee person, so I haven't tasted their pumpkin latte. BUT, I did have their pumpkin muffin, which was delicious. It's your basic muffin shape and style, and you have a hint of the pumpkin throughout the base. The top is very sweet, glazed across the muffin top symmetrically and stylishly. It's not a work of art, but I love when places put in effort, instead of phoning it home. The muffin cost about $1.69, which is great, because it was really filling for a small amount of food. Sure, it's not the healthiest or the fanciest, but it was good, and that's what matters.

Ultimately, the morals of the story are twofold- good food can be had anywhere, whether it's McDonald's or Shake Shack, a Philly Cheesesteak in Philly or at an IHOP, and so on. That, and seasonal food is awesome.

The Great Burger

In my pursuit of starting this blog came the eventual problem of trying to think of a first post subject, and even worse, the first line (not counting this one) with which to open the post, so I’m just going to rip-off F. Scoot Fitzgerald-

In my younger, more vulnerable years, my father used to take us to eat a burger place near where he used to work. The burger haunts my memories. It’s a thing of legends. I know those are big words, especially coming from a newbie food blogger, but I’ve had my Black Label burger from Minetta, done the Ghetto Burger in Hotlanta, and everything in between. I’ll stop short of calling those burgers my credentials, but I will say that they are a great measuring tool. They were all good burgers- but this burger, once again, was a thing of legends.

I’m going to segue very slightly. I love food. It’s pretty much the reason I have this blog. I find it to be akin to the ancient art of alchemy. Where else can you mix items up, and have them depend not only on the individual ingredients themselves, but on the skill of the touch of the cook, on the type of the ovens or cookware, on the individual palettes of a person and their needs to be satiated. Chemistry’s obviously alchemy’s successor, but it’s boring so I’m just going to ignore that it exists for the sake of the metaphor. Anyways, cooking and food- it’s a thing of a beauty, it’s a thing of uniqueness. And to quote a famous alchemist- when something its lost, its lost forever…at least food-wise.

It’s a thing of society, too. Food speaks a great wealth of society, from the tacos of my people, to the pizza of Italians and the burgers and hot dogs that are anthemically America. And like music or art, food can give a great summary of a culture, but unlike the arts, food speaks to the five senses- it’s tacit, the aromas drive you towards it, the sight makes your stomach growl, and even the sound of sizzling can give off a Pavlovian desire. Uh, taste is also an important sense when dealing with food, but I won’t bother expounding upon that.

And within cultures are subcultures. In Mexico, we have the distinct styles of North, South, Central, and the Yucatan area of Mexico. With language, we have dialects. And with food, we have regions- more specifically, cities. Each city, in turn and quite obviously, has its own tastes. I’ve been moving around a lot lately, having lived in Jersey for most of my life, being influenced by the NYC/NJ style in my tastes, as well as my Mexican heritage, but no matter where I am, good food exists. Lots of crappy food exists, too, but the existence of good food, and the pursuit of it, shows how food is more primal of a pursuit for humans than our most basic of desires. Sex, drugs, and rock and roll? Who needs that. Without food, we uh…we literally would be dead. SO-

So here’s Enticities. Food entices. I go to cities for food. And then Entices and Cities had a baby and bam- namesake. Oh right, burger review, first post, here we go!

I’ve had Peter Luger. I’ve had White Mana/Manna. I’ve had Shake Shack, Five Guys, Smashburger, Savoy’s famed Serious Eats-endorsed burger, some really great local burgers, and so forth- with In-and-Out missing from the list to make it your stereotypical Best-Of list. But this burger, this burger was/is a thing of legends. Say hello to the River Side Grill.

Take your 50’s style burger joint. Marilyn Monroe and Elvis posters on the walls. Old fashioned slang for the burgers orders, “one well done one, two cheese,” coming from the clerk to the cooks in the back. Sitting booths with that fashionable décor of utility within vintage. Even the locale itself, nestled between Industrial Jersey and Old School Suburban Jersey, with a neon-red sign and locals-only style, made this the aesthetically most attractive burger joint I’ve ever been too.

And then came the food. Half-chicken rotisserie-style cooked with the skin on, served with that delicious, fatty, golden look, Texas Weiners with their chilli sauce on top of the dogs, thick-cut (not steak) fries as filling as bread, and onion rings that remind me of the 1950’s more than Happy Days (most of my 50’s knowledge coming from Happy Days, mind you). I’ll do a post on those hot dogs and onion rings later, because today is the day of the burger.

I hesitated doing this as my first review, because the burger was such a secret for me. Serious Eats had a blurb from Bobby Flay, who said that the internet had ruined undiscovered gems. Not true. Maybe in cities, where Yuppie Yelpers or businesspeople bloggers rule a town, and spot any little change, despite the magnitude of the setting, but not in a place like New Jersey.

I love this state, because you can hide anything here. New Jersey is a weird mess. Within ten miles, you can go from stereotypically hickish settings, to the suburban elite, to even farms and the old style Western influences. And that’s just North Jersey. I don’t want to write about South Jersey yet, that’s a whole different state right there. And because of this expanse, lots of food goes unnoticed. Of course, some people know what’s delicious, but these are local people, ones whom don’t bother Tweeting or Yelping about places as often as their Manhattanite counterparts.

This is not me bashing cities, specifically New York-no, I love it. Rarely does a place, outside of Europe, live up to its hyped up mysticism and appeal. Rarely do we in the States receive a place that oozes history, culture, and a sense of self that really stands on its own, and NYC is one of those rarities. But, as great as the food is (and it is some of the best I’ve had in my travels, with some exceptions), you gotta give credit where credit is due, and so back to NJ.

The congested space of NJ, as well as the different cultures mixing and fluxing, really give those hidden gems a place to find haven in the Garden State. The Riverside Grill, home of my burger, is this place. I hesitated to write this review because I didn’t want to lose my burger to the masses, knowing so well that popularity can reduce the flair of something, as well as the taste (when crowds became excessive or cooks become cocky, it leads to mediocrity).

But, the Riverside Grill has gone downhill lately. I don’t speak out of nostalgia, I speak out of a I’ve-been-going-there-for-20-years-and-we-all-agree-the-new-ownership/management-has-made-the-food-gone-downhill sense. I love my hyphens.

At its height, the burger was a simple patty, cooked well, with the taste of a fine, fine cow. The bread was nothing but simple seeded buns that look as basic as the ones picture, cooked on the undersides to give a charred taste to the burger. That was it. There was nothing crazy about the burger. The cows weren’t fed steroids, the bread isn’t some kind of baker masterpiece. It was simplicity perfected, like what the ancient Greeks would have called the Form of the Simple Burger. Oh, and their bacon was slammin’ too. Love my bacon burgers.

Now, the burger meat has lost its zest. Probably, in a pursuit of profit, the restaurant has changed their meat supplier, trying to make a quicker dollar. The bacon, too, tastes bland and not worth the additional cost. The buns remain tastey, so at least that hasn’t changed.

There’s not much else to say. What was once a juicy, well-done masterpiece, reminiscent of my childhood cookouts in the backyard, in an immigrant family’s assimilation into American culture, of a burger type I’ve seen mass-produced at McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Burger King, and so forth by their respective $1 burgers, and available in similar, albeit in less tasty, other so-called hidden-gems of New Jersey, has gone downhill.

Is it bad? Nope. It still tastes great. But it was a thing of legend. For me, a fan of food-blogs, to have places like Luger or Ann’s Snack Bar recommended by other bloggers, and have all those burgers, while delicious, still fall short of a $2 burger in the middle of Northern New Jersey spoke values, and the fact that I took others there and they verified that it just wasn’t my nostalgia overpowering made it all the better.

It’s the only way I can fittingly open my blog. With that hidden gem disappearing quickly (I still think it exists, because while they were changing management about a year ago, the Riverside Grill still produced, on and off, that awesome burger, but the transformation might have overcome the place totally, as I’ve tried it twice and been semi-let down, so we’ll see). I feel I can contribute to the loss of the hidden gems, by shining them up and spreading the wealth of food. Hiding my burger joint makes me seem a big egotistical, especially with my personal hype being unprovable now that it’s probably gone, but it was that freaking good. And it’s still good, and the Riverside Grill is still worth the blogpost, and another post later on detailing the rest of the menu. So if anything, in my palette of tastes, deserved an opening post, it was it. And with that out of the way, we begin.