Mal and Di's Excellent Adventure

Musings on our quixotic journey through life on our way to NYC...and beyond.

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Valencia!

After a long hiatus, I am reviving this blog to document Mal and Di's next adventure - an almost 3 month sojourn in Spain and Portugal. We're not getting any younger and we are doing this while we can- Mother nature has been reasonably kind to us; Father time on the other hand...

So we start off in Valencia. Our friend Antonio Ortuno, a chef and artist whom we met In New York is hosting us on our first leg. A native of Spain and a Valenciano of long standing, he lives in El Carmen, the oldest (and hippest) part of the old city. If you have ever been to El Barrio Gotic in Barcelona, you will recognize El Carmen - a mixture of Moorish and Medieval Christian architecture.

The streets are narrow and paved with stone. There is barely room for cars to traverse, and yet pedestrians cyclists, scooters, and automobiles negotiate the glorified alleyways together.

Like the rest of Spain, the city only comes alive after 10 am, but then it goes on into the wee hours of the morning. You have to get used to having lunch at 2 and dinner after 9. When the restaurants close, then the bars open and when the bars close, then the clubs start. There is a festival called Fallas that happens every year around the middle of March and it is a 5 day bacchanal that locals flee as tourists descend for the madness of a never ending party - like New Orleans Mardi Gras and Burning Man combined. (Not my picture below - I'm here in November)

There's art. There's culture. There's history. And above all there's food. More on this later.

After just 5 hours, I was sold. I could seriously live here. But there's lots more to see and explore, and in few days, we have our first Spanish classes.

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Giraffe Path

We’ve been in this city for over 7 years now and we feel like entrenched New Yorkers.  The good thing is we know some neighborhoods very well. We can tell you where to get the best bagels, pizzas, momos or xiao long bao. We know where the best cheap and free things are. We can negotiate the subway system even on the weekend when everything goes to hell. Unfortunately the bad thing is that we may gotten a bit jaded about living here, a little complacent about being in this place. When I came across this gem in the New York Times, (About 5 hikes you could do in New York City) it inspired me to put on my explorers boots again and to venture into places I knew existed, but not had the time or inclination to look into.

The Giraffe path, so named for its shape, especially the elongated neck, meanders from the northern end of Central park and stretches 6 miles all the way to The Cloisters in Fort Tryon Park just below Inwood. The path covers various terrains, from flat to hilly, stairs, sidewalks and gravel. The path links 7 northern Manhattan parks and requires walking between 1 and 5 city blocks between the parks.

The parks you will encounter after leaving Central park are 

Morningside Park

St.Nicholas Park

A lunch stop at Famous Fish market 

Jackie Robinson Park

Highbridge Park (with the walkway into the Bronx)

and Fort Tryon park

Which leads to 

The Cloisters

Heres a link to the hike

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnxoaWtldGhlaGVpZ2h0c3xneDo1YmQzNDQzNmYzN2ViNTUy

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Philadelphia’s public art

Mural Arts Philadelphia is the nation’s largest public art program, dedicated to the belief that art ignites change and making Philadelphia the unofficial mural art capital of America. Here are a few that caught our eye.

Common Threads by Meg Saligman - Septa stop at Broad and Spring Garden Streets: reflects the common threads that link us across time and culture.

South Philly Musicians Remix by Eric Okdeh - Behind Valley Green Bank at Broad and Trasker: honors South Philly’s Bandstand-era music legends.

John Coltrane by Ernel Martinez - 29th and Diamond, North Philly

The Atlas of Tomorrow: an interactive mural by Candy Chang - Juniper and South Street. You spin the wheel and land on one of a possible sixty four stories inspired by the I-Ching.

My favorite story was #22

The Color of Your Voice by Keir Johnston & Ernel Martinez - 2417 Ridge Ave, North Philly

A Daughter Migrates Towards the Mother Earth by Jess X Snow (part of the series We the People) - 2800 D Street

Garden of Delight by David Guinn - 203 S. Sartain Street

Peace is a Haiku by Sonia Sanchez - 1425 Christian Street

Theater of Life by Meg Saligman South Broad and Lombard

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We ate Philadelphia - Joe’s Steaks +Soda Shop

The Cheesesteak is perhaps the most iconic dish from Philly. The most famous, of course, are Geno’s and Pat’s, which are situated kitty-corner from each other in Little Italy. But as happens to many fading ex-champs, they coast on their reputations, content to feed undiscriminating hordes of tourists looking to check off a list of Things To Do in Philadelphia . Alan Richman, Food critic for GQ, recently compiled a list of the best cheesesteaks in town and put Pat’s and Geno’s near the very bottom. 

We only had a single weekend, so we could only sample one cheesesteak. We ended up at Joe’s Steaks on Frankford and Girard. This Fishtown iteration sells 300-400 Steak sandwiches a day during the week, and up to 750 on a Saturday. We enjoyed the cheesesteak with hand cut ribeye (so no gristle), fried onions and sharp provolone. The bread was soft and not too chewy and provided a good base for the meaty goodness. Unfortunately, we also had the buffalo chicken fries, which were a disaster. Remember buffalo chicken wings? Well this was nothing like that. An overly spicy, acidic orange mess - we ended up scraping most of the chicken off. They are also known for their shakes, and we indulged in the shake of the day - Orange Creamsicle - which I enjoyed to the last drop, lactose intolerance be damned. I haven’t had an orange creamsicle in yonks, but the taste took me right back.

It was only after we had returned to New York that i found out that Joe’s had until 2013, gone by the unfortunate moniker “Chinks”.  Apparently, the original owner Samuel Sherman, had almond-shaped eyes (!) - I kid you not. And it wasn’t new owner Joe Groh’s conscience which prompted the reluctant nod to political correctness, but the realities of doing business in the modern world. No lawyer or PR firm would touch him and the first location he wanted to expand to would have nothing to do with a business called Chinks - who’d a thought racial slurs were bad for business?

Apparently, at the original North Philadelphia location in Wissinoming, he still gets flak from irate regulars who berate him for changing the name - which tells me all I need to know about Wissinoming.

Anyhow, If you’re hankering for a cheeseteak and a shake, and you happen to be in Fishtown, Joe’s is alright, I suppose. I would avoid the North Philly branch if you happen to be Asian - you might not get why the locals are looking at you like you stole their heritage or something.

Joe’s Steaks + Soda Shop - 1 W Girard Ave, Fishtown, Philadelphia

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We ate Philadelphia - Artisan Boulanger Patissier

Elmhurst, Queens has Cannelle Patisserie, East Passyunk has Artisan Boulanger Patissier. Both neighborhoods are perhaps the last place you would expect to find a little bit of Paris with exquisite baguettes, croissants and other French pastries. But in both locations, the no frills interiors and cheaper rents enable them to devote more of their budget to equipment and ingredients.

Artisan Boulanger Patissier is owned by Andre Chin and Amanda Eap, the former having trained and worked as a baker in Paris. The two of them, plus one other baker, run the whole operation. To add to the homey atmosphere, when we went there on the morning of Mother’s Day, we observed them roping in one of their regulars to relay messages to the kitchen and move the odd tray, which he did quite happily in addition to  pouring his own coffee. The lines stretched right out the door and into the rain as regulars queued for their carb fix and takeout treats for their moms.

Their baguettes are made with a slow rise - at least 8 hours - instead of using a lot of yeast to speed the process. They also have a $50,000 oven which has moved with them to three different locations and which has a steamer to make perfect crusts.

Their almond croissants are the equal of those we have had at Cannelle Patisserie, which until now we had considered the best we have tried in America. Cannelle’s almond filling has a slight edge, but Artisan’s crust is perfection. Other croissants come in almond, almond-chocolate, pistachio, blueberry and other seasonal flavors as well as a breakfast croissant with bacon and egg. Andre also makes a version of the famous cronut, although since Dominque Ansel has a copyright on that name, they are called something else. 

They also make two types of banh mi sandwiches, one of which is filled with tofu for the vegans among us ( and a natural fit for their baguettes) which made me assume they were Vietnamese - incorrectly as it happens, since they are both from Cambodia.

This little mom and pop operation has been nominated multiple times for James Beard awards for baking and provides yet another compelling reason to visit South Philly.

Artisan Boulanger Patissier - 1218 Mifflin, East Passyunk Crossing, Philadelphia

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We ate Philadelphia - Brunic’s Luncheonette

Every neighborhood should have a breakfast dinette like Brunic’s, with a counter and maybe 3 tables and where the owner, Dave, works the till as well as the grill and the waitress Marlene, who has been there 20 years, calls you Sweetie. Diane made the mistake of asking if they had soy milk and Marlene said, as kindly as she could, “Oh, sweetie, no...”

Down in Newbold, South Philly, the neighborhood may be gritty, but the local specialty, creamed chipped beef on toast (only served on the weekend), is not. 

Now don’t let appearances fool you. It only looks disgusting. It’s actually quite a tasty blend of white sauce and rehydrated slivers of dried beef served over excessively buttered toast. OK, so it sounds awful, but give it a chance. Think of it as a guilty pleasure - a taste of the south in your mouth. Alright, I’m going to stop now. I’m only making it worse. Just try it.

We also tried that other Pennsylvania staple - scrapple. This regional delicacy was born of the desire to combat wastefulness. It is exactly what it sounds like - scraps of meat, usually pork, but it may include beef, and mostly offal, cooked down into a stew, ground up with other bits of meat and combined with cornmeal for texture. It is cooled, formed into a loaf, then sliced and fried on a griddle and served with eggs and potatoes.

Because it is made from scraps, each version of it is different. Ours tasted a lot like liver, which I’m not totally against on it’s own, but as part of this mystery concoction was unsettling. I’m glad I tried it, because now I’ll never have to have it ever again.

Apart from the area specialties, this diner, like other good neighborhood breakfast spots, offers cheap reliable (mostly fried) foods. While we were sitting at the counter, an endless stream of regulars dropped in for breakfast and lunches to go. Like the Cheers bar, sometimes you like to go where everybody knows your name.

Brunic’s - 2000 South 17th Street, Philadelphia

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We ate Philadelphia - Vedge

Vedge, a vegetable centric restaurant in Center City, is not just one of the best vegan restaurants in Philadelphia, but one of the best restaurants - period. With a little magic and a lot of imagination, beets impersonate pastrami with a pepper crust, mushrooms become ribbons of pasta, and rutabaga transforms into cheese-free fondue. 

The menu is seasonal, as befits a vegetable forward establishment, although there are some signature dishes carried year round. It is divided into: The Vedge Bar - cold dishes and veg charcuterie, The Dirt List - medium plates of single seasonal vegetables, and The Hot Kitchen - richer, more composed plates.

We had the signature Fancy Radishes, five heirloom varieties arranged like sushi. Each was a different color and each was prepared a different way: raw white daikon threads with a sesame oil, French breakfast radishes blistered in a skillet, purple daikons roasted to creaminess, half roasted Spanish blacks wrapped in nori, and bright pink watermelon radishes.

We also ordered the Peas leaves and Spring Onions with “ohitashi”, smoked onion dashi, tofu tomago and furikake.

And the Eggplant Braciole - smoked eggplant, Italian salsa verde, and cured olive

For dessert we ordered the White chocolate panna cotta with [reserved kumquats with pine nuts and matcha chips

and the Chocolate Uber Chunk - with malt custard, pretzel peanut butter and stout ice cream

I thought the lack of animal protein meant we might walk away hungry, but that was not the case. We left sated, but not bloated. and in terms of quality and imagination, the experience was at least the equal of any fine dining establishment we have visited.

Vedge - 1221 Locust Street, Philadelphia

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We ate Philadelphia - High Street on Market

We have lived in the northeast for six years and have never been to Philadelphia. Why? I’m not sure, but after this last weekend, we intend to go again and again. Not just for the food, but yeah, that’s a pretty good reason.

We arrived on a Friday and headed for lunch at High Street on Market Bakery and Restaurant in the Old City neighborhood. This is not the place to go if you are avoiding carbs, with offerings such as their signature buckwheat cherry and vegetable ash loaves, and smoked whitefish-stuffed black squid ink bialy. This isn’t a health food establishment, rather it is a healthy food restaurant. Their menu is simple and uncluttered: breakfast fare featuring house-made breads and jams, sandwiches and salads for lunch, and artisanal pastas and imaginatively prepared vegetables for dinner.  

While everyone has heard  about Philly cheesesteaks, insiders know that roast pork is the best sandwich in Philly. We had the Roast pork sandwich, with fermented broccoli rabe and sharp provolone. 

And the Pastrami on rye with cabbage slaw, gulden mustard and russian dressing.

This was a truly great sandwich. The pastrami was better than the popular meat at Katz’s Deli, but what put it over the top was the house bread, which was crusty, fluffy and substantial, unlike the afterthought that is store bought sliced rye at Katz’s. And to think we might have missed this masterpiece if they were not sold out of our first choice - the Smoked Duck Cubano - with duck confit, young swiss, pickles and fermented mustard.

Unfortunately, we were only in town for a weekend, but we’ll be back (even though High Street has now opened in New York City (High Street on Hudson in the West Village)

Some accolades: High Street has picked up all sorts of accolades since its September 2013 opening. It was Craig LaBan's 2014 restaurant of the year. Bon Appetit named it No. 2 in the country in its annual “America’s Best New Restaurants” issue. Travel and Leisure named it one of the best new restaurants in the world. Its baker, Alex Bois, is a semifinalist for the James Beard Award for Rising Star Chef, 2015 and was the subject of Bon Appetit’s “How Chef Alex Bois Creates Some of the Country’s Best Bread and Bagels.” Kulp himself was Food & Wine magazine Best New Chef for 2014.Meanwhile, Fork pastry chef Samantha Kincaid was named one of Food & Wine's best new pastry chefs for 2014, and a.kitchen and a.bar chef de cuisine Jon Nodler was also a semifinalist for the James Beard Award for Rising Star Chef, 2015.

High Street On Market - 308 Market Street, Old City, Philadelphia

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A Taste of Chicago part five - Proxi

We returned to the West Loop for our final dinner, because it just seemed to have the best selection of eateries. Not for nothing is this stretch of Randolph Street known as Restaurant Row. And just so you know, the restaurant that Brandon is currently working at—the unfortunately named City Mouse— located in ultra hip Ace Hotel, is close by, right across from Google Chicago Headquarters.

Proxi was named “Best new restaurant for 2017″ by Chicagoist, and we had a memorable meal there. A sister restaurant to Sepia, a venerable fine dining establishment, Proxi bills itself as a small plates, multicultural street food experience, with an eclectic mix of tastes from South and Central America to South East Asia.

It is another modern, high ceilinged space with a fabulous bar as well.

The space is flooded with natural light and had a chef’s counter that looks into the kitchen with a prominent wood fired oven.

The menu is divided into V for Vegetables, F for Fish and M for Meat and the servers suggest at least two or three plates per person.

We started with the fried breakfast radishes with nori butter and were immediately impressed. Why have I never had nori butter? The seaweed adds a certain salty something to compound butter.  I  decided to try to recreate this dish as soon as I got home.

Next we tried the Tempura Elotes. Now elotes (grilled corn with mayo, cheese and chili/lime) we can find on a street corner in our own Jackson Heights nabe, but these were elevated by separating the kernels and deep frying them in a tempura batter. Another hit.

We also had Roasted Eggplant with tahini, pomegranate and paratha - which was basically baba ganoush but with pomegranates

and a Salad of Sugar Snap Peas and Carrots, yuzu kosho, sesame, and a miso brûlée 

From the fish section we had Baby Octopus with red chermoula and fava bean hummus; and Fried Fish Collars with Thai garlic-chili sauce 

For our meat selection we went with the Black Pepper Pork, which you eat as a wrap in butter lettuce, peanuts, apple, and mint. Also one of the standouts of the evening.

For dessert we selected the Mexican Chocolate Semifreddo horchata, pepitas, cinnamon sugar kataifi; and Tres Leches Cake cajeta, strawberries, meringue

Executive chef Andrew Zimmerman (not the Bizarre Foods guy - that would be Andrew Zimmern) has been awarded a Michelin star for his restaurant Sepia (next to Proxi) every year since 2011.

Proxi is what happens when an imaginative chef, known for his refined contemporary American cooking, is unshackled and given free reign to explore his passion for great tasting food no matter its provenance.

Proxi - 565 W Randolph St, Chicago, IL 60661

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A Taste of Chicago part four - NoMi and The Art of Buffet

For the first Thanksgiving in recent memory, the family did absolutely no cooking at all. Instead we snagged a reservation at NoMi for the Thanksgiving buffet, through Brandon’s sous chef’s connections.

This restaurant is located in the Park Hyatt hotel overlooking NOrth MIchigan Avenue (hence the name - which I first thought was vaguely Scandinavian, like Noma). We entered through the wine room

and were given a window table 

which had a spectacular view of the Water Tower (Thanks Chef!)

Now a word about buffets. Whether it’s in Vegas, or the Souplantation  in Anywhere, USA, a buffet offers you this - choice, and as much as you can eat of it. But you get what you pay for. In the case of a chain like Golden Corral, for about ten bucks, your choice is limited to whatever they could buy in bulk cheaply or in a can. The mac and cheese comes from a box, the tough cuts of meat are cooked beyond recognition and the dessert is canned fruit and a soft serve station (I’ve even seen PBJ sandwiches as one of the “sides” at a Hometown Buffet.) 

In the case of NoMi, where the price is equivalent to a high-end omakase, the ingredients are top quality. For instance, there was a quality sushi station with varieties of fresh oysters, and a charcuterie with expensive smoked meats and a goodly array of cheeses. And the Carvery, in addition to the Prime Rib and Turkey (which we avoided on principal) also offered a sublime Jamon Iberico. 

The temptation, at any buffet, but particularly in a place like NoMi, is that everything looks so good that that your inner gourmand overwhelms your inner gourmet and you run the risk of gorging yourself on a surfeit of liver busting delectables.  

Go to any Vegas buffet and you will see tourists staggering around like Mr. Creosote in the Monty Python sketch, grimly determined to eat their money’s worth. And this is doubly the case when the price approaches a night at a Michelin starred restaurant. What you should do is avoid feasting with your eyes, and then loading your plate before your brain can stop your stomach. Instead, the key is to do a once around reconnaissance, then know your limitations and work backwards from dessert to plan your meal, always keeping in mind what your regular portions are.

Anyway, that was the theory, but in the immortal words of Robbie Burns  “The best laid plans o’ mice and men /Gang aft a-gley.”

Afterwards, our buffet strategy somewhat in tatters, we ambled back to our hotel along the Magnificent Mile. We didn’t have the presence of mind to photograph all the food, so here’s some pictures of the city instead. Chicago really does have spectacular night time scenery for walking off that third helping of Jamon Iberico.

NoMi - Park Hyatt Hotel - 800 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611

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A Taste of Chicago part three and a half - Bang Bang Pie and Biscuit

If you stroll down Milwaukee Avenue from north to south you pass through the Logan Square and Wicker Park neighborhoods, which have been named to the list of the 25 coolest neighborhoods in the country. They’re the Chicago equivalent of Brooklyn’s Wiliamsburg/Greenpoint 1-2 punch of hipness.

Here you will find such culinary gems as Longman and Eagle, Fat Rice, and Chicago’s premier pie store - Bang Bang Pie and Biscuit. As stuffed as we were after brunch at Longman and Eagle, we had to sample the fare here, because why the hell not?

The interior is small, cozy,  but somewhat  smoky from the ovens which were turning out pies at a furious pace.

Like many other Chicago eateries, there is  an outside patio which looks like it could be a lot of fun in the warmer months. In fact,Chicago has well established Summer and Winter seasons for eating out, with over 130 restaurants that offer dining al fresco.

We were too full to sample the savories, but here’s some pictures - egg and bacon, avocado and fried chicken biscuits

But we did try slices of chocolate pecan, key lime, and chocolate salted caramel pie, because there’s always room for sweets.

Outside, there were long lines - not for the eat-in option, but to pick up pre-ordered pies from a truck in the street for Thanksgiving dessert. 

Well, if I ever decide to run the Chicago marathon, this is where I will do my carbo loading.

Bang Bang Pie Shop - 2051 N California Ave, Chicago, IL 60647

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A Taste of Chicago part three - Longman and Eagle

In the quickly gentrifying area of Logan Square, we stumbled upon the hipster hideout Longman and Eagle, only because Lula Cafe was closed for the Thanksgiving holiday. What gave it away as a hipster joint? A cursory count revealed that eight of ten gentlemen were sporting not only the high fade and full beard, but also the flannel shirts and boots that are de rigueur for the lumbersexual. They looked like they were on a break from a shift at the Mast brothers chocolate factory. Also the very first item on the brunch menu was the PBR Breakfast: Two Eggs Any Style, North Country Bacon or House made Sausage, House Potatoes, and an Ice-cold Can of PBR. I rest my case.

By the by, Longman and Eagle also has six rooms available for overnight stays.

But we shouldn’t disparage hipster joints. They are, after all, on the leading edge of cultural trendsetting and their bars and restaurants reflect a willingness to make forays beyond the boundaries of the mundane, whether it is in fashion or in food.

Case in point - Here is a sampling of the imaginative dishes on their dinner menu:

- Slagel Bone Marrow, Scallion Chimichurri, Bacon Jam, Grilled Honey Bread

- Kampachi Crudo, Peach, Daikon, Togarashi, Créme Fraiche

- Pork Jowl, Barley Risotto, Baby Beets, Creamed Beet Greens, Caraway Jus

- Foie Gras Torchon, 4-spice, Hay-Apple Puree, Graham Cracker, Pear

We came by at the brunch hour, however, and we sampled:

Sunnyside Duck Egg Hash, Duck Confit, Shallots, Yukon Gold Potato, Black Truffle Vinaigrette

Pork Belly Benedict, Andouille Hollandaise, Giardiniera, English Muffin, Pepper Jelly {with fried potatoes or mixed Greens}

Shrimp & Grits: Semolina Cake, Jambalaya Purée, Succotash, Pickled Trinity

This dish was reinvented by turning the grits into a pair of fried semolina cakes instead of the usual corn meal mush.

I would definitely come back for dinner.

Longman and Eagle - 2657 N Kedzie Ave, Chicago, IL 60647

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A Taste of Chicago part two - Au Cheval

Another late night, another modern Chicago institution. This hip, upscale, diner is located in the West Loop, close to Girl and The Goat on Randolph Street. I am told that the wait times for brunch or early dinner can stretch to two or three hours, but we strolled in at 11:15pm and only had to wait ten minutes (possibly because it was 11:15pm on a week night - it’s open till 2am).

This entire area between the Clinton and Morgan Stops on the Green/Pink line has become revitalized a la NYC Meatpacking District in terms of its shift from a warehousing and industrial area to a tech and design center, with an accompanying boom in interesting bars and restaurants.

Au Cheval is know first and foremost for it’s burgers, and Chicagoans will vigorously debate its merits against the best on the East and West Coasts (I would love an eat off with Emmy or Salvation Burger in New York and Petit Trois or The Tuck Room Tavern in L.A.) 

Chef Brendan Sodikoff has learned from the best, having worked with Alain Ducasse and Thomas Keller. They sell about 400 burgers a day during the week and up to 500 a day on the weekend. They use prime beef from W.W, Johnson Farms and buns from Z Baking which they toast on both sides in the salamander so instead of a soggy mess at the end, you have something crispy with extra texture. The burgers are dressed with Dijonnaise and house made pickles.  You can add a fried egg, thick cut bacon or a three ounce slab of foie gras for $9, if you really have to gild the lily.

We also sampled their foie gras with scrambled eggs, which is an absurdly rich concept, and actually tastes a lot better than it looks.

The third dish was the chopped chicken liver, which has a coarser texture than that of a NewYork Deli, but is still unctuous enough that the accompaniment of gherkins provides a necessary and refreshing counterpoint.

It was just as well that we arrived there slightly too early to try their Chilaquiles, which are only served after midnight, since all three dishes we ordered were already incredibly rich and greasy as befitted a diner, albeit a hip and trendy French inspired diner. Unfortunately, we were not up to the task of drinking copious amounts of beer from their well appointed drinks menu, which is probably the best way to consume food in a place like this.

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A Taste of Chicago part one - Girl and the Goat

We visited Number one son in Chicago over the Thanksgiving week and sampled the Midwest’s finest vittles.

Girl and the Goat is one of the city’s hottest tickets, so when I spotted an open reservation at 11pm on our first night there, we quickly snagged it. I won’t go as far as to say we were disappointed, but while everything we sampled ranged from good to very good, no one dish grabbed us by the collar and demanded “look at me!”

We tried the highly recommended wood oven roasted pig face with a sunny side egg, a sweet maple gastrique and a tart tamarind vinaigrette with crispy potato stix.

We also had the Escargot ravioli, Wood fired whole bronzino with chiii shrimp broth, both of which sounded more interesting on paper, and Hamachi crudo with crisp pork belly. 

My personal favorite was the chickpea fritters with crispy quinoa tabbouleh

But possibly the best thing we ate was the mr. potato bread, served with chili cheddar butter and chive yogurt.

One thing we found in all the places we visited, was that no matter the food quality, the restaurant spaces themselves were very well executed. 

Girl and the Goat is part of a trilogy owned by Top Chef winner Stephanie Izzard. Her other restaurants are similarly goat themed - Little Goat, and the self styled “reasonably authentic Chinese” - Duck, Duck, Goat.

Girl and the Goat - 809 W Randolph St, Chicago, IL 60607

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Johnny Clegg: The Final Journey

His pancreatic cancer in remission (he was diagnosed in 2015), Johnny Clegg tours North America for the last time.  We caught him at the B.B. King Blues Club on his New York Leg, where he played two sold out shows.

To our surprise, the audience did not consist primarily of South African ex-pats, although they were obviously in enthusiastic attendance. Many Americans had come to appreciate his music when he was just starting out with Juluka in the early 1980′s, and some at our table boasted that they had caught his live act multiple times throughout the years.

I was puzzled initially at the choice of venue, since he could obviously have filled at least a small stadium, but it became clear that a more intimate stage was ideal for the type of show he was putting on - an autobiographical, audiovisual, and intimate account of his four decades in entertainment through music and dance.

His son Jesse Clegg, a musician in his own right, opened for him and joined him in a short, heartwarming set that included a song that the younger Clegg had written and which appears on both of their newest albums. His other son, Jaron, directed the music video for “Take My Heart Away”.

As a 14 year old, Clegg discovered the demi-monde of Johannesburg’s Zulu migrant workers music and dance through his friendship with Charlie Mzila, a musician moonlighting as a flat cleaner. Clegg was first arrested at the age of 15 for running foul of South Africa’s apartheid laws against different races congregating after curfew hours.

Clegg took the audience through his musical journey, introducing each song with an explanation of the music or dance, and incorporating material that the singer, songwriter, cultural anthropologist and political activist has been pulling together for his forthcoming autobiography.

It was less a “greatest hits” show, than an intensely personal retrospective of songs that were significant to his development as an artist and  as a human. The set list included “Cruel, Crazy, Beautiful World”, which he wrote on the birth of his son; “Scatterlings of Africa” which was his first worldwide hit: and “Dela” which brought him international fame on the soundtrack of the movie “George of the Jungle”.

The moist poignant moment for me was during the encore, when he brought out “Asimbonanga” a hauntingly plaintive elegy to Nelson Mandela and other leaders of the resistance who had been jailed or assassinated, complete with video footage of his performance in 1999 in France, when Mandela himself appeared on stage with him.

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Lakruwana - Sri Lankan Restaurant

We stumbled upon this place as part of our Staten Island Day trip - and what a find it was.

Sri Lanka, formerly known as Ceylon, is home to the majority Sinhalese, as well as large groups of Sri Lankan and Indian Tamils, Moors, Burghers, Malays, Kaffirs (the ethnic group, not the South African slur) and the aboriginal Vedda.  It has been colonized by the Dutch, Portuguese and British. So the melting pot of cultures and cuisines is a heady mix of Oriental, Arabic and European influences.

In the wake of the civil war in the 1990′s, thousands fled to the USA and many settled, for some reason, in Staten Island, which is home to about 5000 expats.

There are several Sri Lankan restaurants in New York, most of them in the Tompkinsville neighborhood of Staten Island. But none, I would venture, can boast the level of commitment of Lakruwana to recreating the world its owners left behind.  

In the words of New York Times Food Critic, Pete Wells, “Lakruwana may be New York’s most elaborate realization of the immigrant restaurateur’s dream: a shrine to another culture that can soothe homesickness in some patrons and kindle a thrilling sense of discovery in others.”

Owner Lakruwana Wijesinghe  designed the dining room, found all the materials,and decorations in Sri Lanka, and brought them to New York City in a 40-foot shipping container. Each of the bamboo and stone wall panels required 6 men to lift it.

On a sweltering Sunday afternoon,  entering the restaurant was akin to stepping into a cool, dim museum of antiquities, albeit with a mouthwatering aroma.

We were fortunate to chance upon the restaurant on a Sunday, when chef Jayantha Wijesinghe offers an all you can eat buffet for the princely sum of $13.99. Along one wall about 20 clay pots are arrayed over open flames with a dazzling assortment of intriguing dishes.

Among the highlights were the deviled chicken in a chili sauce that balanced sweetness and spice,  pineapple curry in a hot sauce leavened with tamarind, a mild egg curry with a sauce that cried out for the variety of rices, kale stir fried with coconut (winner!) and an eggplant curry that had been overcooked (in a good way) until it was the consistency of jam.

Just as interesting as the curries, are the condiments - a pink coconut sambal and lunu miris, an onion chili relish(watch out its hot!)

If there was a slight disappointment, it was the desserts, which sounded and looked great, but failed to deliver.  The various puddings - mango, tapioca and gooseberry - all suffered from an excess of gelatin, giving them the consistency of a stiff jello rather than a creamy mousse.

Overall, though, it is worth making a trip across the Verrazano bridge to this least known of boroughs, just to enter this Sri Lankan cave of wonders and be transported to a beautiful, fragrant spot half a world away.

Lakruwana

668 Bay St, Staten Island, NY 10304

[malanddisexcellentadventure]

The Nuaa

We decided on The Nuaa for Diane’s birthday dinner, since Uncle Boons in Nolita didn’t take reservations, and we didn’t relish waiting 90 minutes in the rain for a table. That review will have to wait for another day.

The Nuaa bills itself as “Modern Thai”, which you would think meant a nouvelle take on traditional dishes, and you would be right. Now nouvelle normally means “small portions arranged by a minimalist interior decorator”, and truth be told the portions are human sized, and relatively expensive, when you could throw a stone anywhere in New York and hit a Thai restaurant that serves cheap, gargantuan meals.  But sometimes, you appreciate the effort a restauranteur makes in creating an eating space that has ambience and attentive service in addition to a novel take on tastes that you know and love and occasionally, a new and interesting experience.

The entrance is pleasantly low lit, but not too dim, and welcoming.  You enter through massive red double wooden doors and leave the bustle of 1st Avenue on the Upper East Side and the noise of traffic coming off the Queensborough Bridge to enter a space of Thai tranquility. The music is nondescript smooth jazz, barely loud enough to intrude on conversation, a pleasant antidote to the often raucous in-your-ear insistence of a “fun” place like Jeepney (or even Uncle Boons).

Forewarned is forearmed, so anticipating that the portions would be on the small side, we opted for 5 starters between the four of us. 

Khai Lok Khaey - Son-in-law fried quail eggs - with black pepper brioche, crispy shallots and plum sugar tamarind sauce.

Moo Krob - Crispy skin braised pork belly with Northern Thai green chili dip (nam prik num)

Ka Nom Jeeb - Blue crab and shrimp dumplings with roasted seaweed sheets, crispy garlic and sesame black vinegar.

Chor Moung - Purple blossom dumplings - minced chicken, peanut and preserved radish

Our favorite - Tom Kha - coconut galangal soup with sea bass, beech mushroom and saw tooth coriander

We ordered four entrees

Kha Moo Panang - Panang curry braised pork shank with asparagus, lime leaves and peanut

Ka Nom Jeen - colossal crab curry noodle with fedilini, pickled mustard greens and sweet basil.

Gai Yang - Kaffir Lime infused cornish game hen in a 44 hour marinade, brussels sprouts, eggplant caviar nam prik.

Massaman Nuer - Slow braised short rib massaman curry with fingerling potatoes and pearl onions

This is why we prefer to go out in a group - we ate all that and still had room for dessert.

White chocolate coconut mousse with mango passionfruit, pandan jelly and coconut coated chiffon

Creme fraiche vanilla cheesecake with walnut brittle, shortbread, strawberry jam and jasmine cream

Thai food is ubiquitous in New York City.  You can explore the multicolored curries of South and Central Thailand at Sri Pra Phai, the fiery north eastern cuisine of Isaan province at Zabb Elee or the taste of Chiang Mai and the north at Pok Pok. Some diners may balk at paying slightly higher prices for something they regard as their birthright - cheap Thai food in the city. Others may decry the fact that they can still feel their tongue , demanding spice levels ratcheted up to eleven. But for the rest of us, check out a place that emphasizes presentation as much as taste, ambience as much as spice.  Subtlety is not a bad thing.

The Nuaa

1122 1st Avenue, New York (between 61st and 62nd street)